Why does the rest of football find the Brighton/Palace rivalry so bizarre?

[explymouthnige]

I've heard it said countless times and again last night by a group of Argyle fans who seem surprised esp. by the intensity of it.

I think that you will find that their local rivals - Exeter - are even farther away from them than Palace are to us!!

 

[smudge]

Brighton clearly has significant links with London, whether people like it or not, and the population reflects this - large swathes of Sussex is populated by familiies who've moved out of London during recent generations. A significant number of people commute between the two cities and Brighton has historically grown off the back of London's daytrippers.

Correct, also not forgetting London evacueees who stayed in Sussex. On my Dad's side they were bombed out of Battersea & my Mum's side came down from West London, to Plumpton originally. They were Chelsea fans, but obviously followed the Albion eventually. I got the Albion bug after an Uncle took me to my first game; also a London evacuee from the war.

Me, I was Brighton born, grew up in Lewes, & went through all the business in the 70's & 80's, so of course I despise Palace.

 

[cattlin'srockshop]

So there it is....without messrs Venables and Mullery there would be no rivalry.

I agree with a lot of what you say, but there was trouble between the fans a couple of years before Mullery-Venables. While they certainly fanned the flames in their time at the respective clubs the going up and down together over almost 10 years, with many a key promotion or relegation battle between the clubs, suggests the rivalry would have mushroomed without the two ex Spurs fellas, esp given the general vibe of the 70s and early 80s on the terraces. Though maybe we wouldn't have done so without Mullers or Venables

The 76 FA Cup 1st rd 2nd replay at the Bridge took it up a big notch quite early on and Mullers and Venables and the fans ran with it...

I'm from Brighton and also lived through the rivalry, while we barely played Pompey for years around then, so Palace has always been the big one for me. How many Albion fans out in Westest Sussex would see Pompey as the main rival?

 

[Notters]

I've been to one which was the 0-0 draw back in 2003 when Graham Barrett ACTUALLY connected with the ball in a goal bound trajectory which skimmed the bar. The atmosphere that night was brilliant.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to sound dismissive of the rivalry, its just for me personally we've never played each other regularly enough over recent years therefore the rivalry to anyone under the age of 30 will be a hand me down rather than first hand experience.

Rubbish, you clearly haven't been to selhurst park!

 

[Zamoracomehome]

I'm starting to dislike Southampton more than Palace. More recent history I guess...unless something really reignites the rivalry next week of course, then my opinion could change! Can see Murray doing something stupid...

 

[Kent Seagull]

Nothin like as weird as Gillingham and Swindon, now that is an odd rivalry!

 

[Paxton Dazo]

no wait, I want to hear what the guru of fan culture has got to tell us on this subject, after all i've only been going for 35 years but i'm always ready to listen to an 'elder'

What are you waffling on about?

 

[somerset]

The first meeting I can remember, when I think Clough was our Manager, Palace came to the Goldstone and they were just one of them annoying big clubs that basically had an away day with thousands of supporters in most sides of the ground. At that time as Mike Bamber would say we had more football attenders than actual supporters. With the success that was to come during the Bamber years that support base grew and with that the rivalry that really starting with that FA replay at Stamford Bridge. Not many clubs can claim that their badge and nickname all started as a mickey take of their rivals.

Maybe the strangest thing is not so much that we had a rivalry with them, but how it has survived a few decades when we have hardly played each other with whole generations hardly knowing a match between us. Agent Coppell gave them the boasting rights goals wise, but victory the last time we played them at Selhurst was sweet, and who knows what agent Murray will do?

Look,.. the distance issue is a no brainer, they are our closest club,.... notwithstanding those nobodys from Crawley,.... and the division thing isnt a reason not to have them as rivals,.... look at Port Vale/Stoke,.... Millwall/West Ham,... Sheff Weds/United,... and many more rivalries,.... they stand the test of time and distance,..... so Palace it is.

 

[El Presidente]

The fact that we have the upper hand against Palace in terms of finance and status for the first time in a generation also adds spice to the occasion.

I would rather lose to Liverpool and Leeds, but beat Palace, than the other way round.

 

[Seagull27]

I wonder what happened to that fiver?

 

[Saltydog]

If down to location, does Derby have a local derby or several then? There is more to a derby than just locations.....

 

[Mine]

If down to location, does Derby have a local derby or several then? There is more to a derby than just locations.....

Rivalry can develop based on controversy, clashing personalities, or a series of intense matches played out over time. Stoke and Arsenal seem to have the kind of mutual animosity brewing that can build into rivalry.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

The fact that we have the upper hand against Palace in terms of finance and status for the first time in a generation also adds spice to the occasion.

I would rather lose to Liverpool and Leeds, but beat Palace, than the other way round.

being slightly negative,i would take from the next four matches LLL(avoid defeat at all costs against Palace)

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Londoners are best if they stay in London.

At school in Lancing, the biggest antagonism was with Chelsea supporters, and at that time, we had never ever played them! (not quite right, we beat them in 1933.)

Apart from a couple of FA Cup games at The Goldstone in 1967 and 1973 ?

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

From the BBS this afternoon (player rating out of 10)

'Murray: 6 Fairly anonymous but should've scored.'

 

[Northstandite]

I agree with a lot of what you say, but there was trouble between the fans a couple of years before Mullery-Venables. While they certainly fanned the flames in their time at the respective clubs the going up and down together over almost 10 years, with many a key promotion or relegation battle between the clubs, suggests the rivalry would have mushroomed without the two ex Spurs fellas, esp given the general vibe of the 70s and early 80s on the terraces. Though maybe we wouldn't have done so without Mullers or Venables

The 76 FA Cup 1st rd 2nd replay at the Bridge took it up a big notch quite early on and Mullers and Venables and the fans ran with it...

I'm from Brighton and also lived through the rivalry, while we barely played Pompey for years around then, so Palace has always been the big one for me. How many Albion fans out in Westest Sussex would see Pompey as the main rival?

Sorry, wrong. Clearly started before then.
For example, Jan 1976, managers P.Taylor and M.Allison. Hatred on the pitch, in the crowd, and outside.
33,000 went and we won 2-0.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Was there any Albion v Palace rivalry when Clough and Allison were the respective managers? Both Cloughie and Big Mal got on well with each other and we weren't in the same division.

 

[Bad Ash]

Nothin like as weird as Gillingham and Swindon, now that is an odd rivalry!

Living in Swindon, I don't think I've ever heard it referred to other than to dismiss that any rivalry exists. Swindon are more concerned by Oxford and both Bristol teams.

I think it's a bit like saying we have a rivalry with Cardiff or Leeds because we played themn a few times and it got a bit ugly.

 

[fork me]

I might well get a kicking for this...but can someone explain how Brighton took part in a Charity Shield if they had not won the top tier league or FA cup the season before?

We had. There was a seperate league in the south back then and we won that. It's on the club's honours list, Southern League Division 1 Champions 1909-10 season.

Apologies to all for being a bad fan.

Apology accepted, don't let it happen again!