[Albion] 800 games up!

[Jam The Man]

On December 3rd 1996, when we sunk to 11 points adrift at the very bottom of the football league, imagine how bonkers it would’ve been when leaving the Goldstone that night, if I’d thought to myself:

‘don’t worry Bez, by the time you attend your 800th game, Albion will be sitting 6th in the Premier League, with 31,000 seats sold out every game at a world class stadium, on the brink of European qualification, with a World Cup winner in a team including others of immense talent and value, and we’ll only miss out on going to an FA Cup Final by just one kick…..’

Enjoy these happy times people!!!

 

[Triggaaar]

imagine how bonkers it would’ve been when leaving the Goldstone that night, if I’d thought to myself:

‘don’t worry Bez, by the time you attend your 800th game, Albion will be sitting 6th in the Premier League, with 31,000 seats sold out every game at a world class stadium, on the brink of European qualification, with a World Cup winner in a team including others of immense talent and value, and we’ll only miss out on going to an FA Cup Final by just one kick…..’

That would be pretty bonkers if your name isn't Bez

 

[Jam The Man]

That would be pretty bonkers if your name isn't Bez

Bez to my mates

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

I liked your dancing in the Happy Mondays.

 

[Triggaaar]

I liked your dancing in the Happy Mondays.

You know you talk too much

 

[Curious Orange]

How on Earth do you know you've seen the Albion 800 times @Jam The Man ? I don't even know how many games I've attended this season!

 

[Algernon]

Whatever you do, don't try and work out how much money you've spent.
Whatever.

 

[Jam The Man]

How on Earth do you know you've seen the Albion 800 times @Jam The Man ? I don't even know how many games I've attended this season!

I started a spreadsheet when I was 11 that included all the games I went to, the scorers, who I went with and anything else worth noting!
I’ve done it ever since game one (April 1987) and given I’m now 47 years old, I can’t see myself stopping!

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Whatever you do, don't try and work out how much money you've spent.
Whatever.

And definitely don't add on the cost of transport, food, beer, merch etc etc

 

[5Ways Gull]

I started a spreadsheet when I was 11 that included all the games I went to, the scorers, who I went with and anything else worth noting!
I’ve done it ever since game one (April 1987) and given I’m now 47 years old, I can’t see myself stopping!

So what's the aggregate goals for/against across those 800 games?

 

[Jam The Man]

So what's the aggregate goals for/against across those 800 games?

 

[Curious Orange]

I started a spreadsheet when I was 11 that included all the games I went to, the scorers, who I went with and anything else worth noting!
I’ve done it ever since game one (April 1987) and given I’m now 47 years old, I can’t see myself stopping!

Bet your spreadsheet doesn't include the note 'met Curious Orange' for that game at Derby where I first made your acquaintance all those years ago!

 

[Jam The Man]

Bet your spreadsheet doesn't include the note 'met Curious Orange' for that game at Derby where I first made your acquaintance all those years ago!

Ha ha!
See, your memory is pretty decent after all!

 

[Brok]

How on Earth do you know you've seen the Albion 800 times @Jam The Man ? I don't even know how many games I've attended this season!

I'm the same. I can't guess within 50 games how many I've been to, especially away games.
Have I been to the likes of Oldham, Blackburn, Preston etc? Maybe, but I really can't remember.
It's an age thing I suppose.

 

[Jam The Man]

I'm the same. I can't guess within 50 games how many I've been to, especially away games.
Have I been to the likes of Oldham, Blackburn, Preston etc? Maybe, but I really can't remember.
It's an age thing I suppose.

Mine’s an ocd thing!

 

[Yes Chef]

Is that just Albion games, or other random matches /internationals?

I worked out that I was up to 400 but that was quite a few years ago and included England / tournaments, plus a fair bit of groundhopping and a Derby County supporting brother in law when I was a kid.

Same age but first game was 1985.

 

[SUA Seagull]

On December 3rd 1996, when we sunk to 11 points adrift at the very bottom of the football league, imagine how bonkers it would’ve been when leaving the Goldstone that night, if I’d thought to myself:

‘don’t worry Bez, by the time you attend your 800th game, Albion will be sitting 6th in the Premier League, with 31,000 seats sold out every game at a world class stadium, on the brink of European qualification, with a World Cup winner in a team including others of immense talent and value, and we’ll only miss out on going to an FA Cup Final by just one kick…..’

Enjoy these happy times people!!!

Good post JTM. I made exactly the same point to my son after our win against United, and produced the tables below to illustrate how far we've come since the dark days of the late 90s.

It seems quite incredible that such an achievement could have been accomplished but, remarkably, it has, and many of us have been fortunate enough to have witnessed and participated in the journey.

I know quite a few United fans, many of whom tried to wind me up after our win on Thursday, wondering why we celebrated so wildly after the final whistle in what was, after all, just another PL game? (And, despite complaining about VAR intervention for our penalty, all of them had conveniently forgotten Fernandes' 110th minute, VAR-awarded penalty winner at the Amex 3 years ago!)

I reminded them that we had beaten them entirely on merit on the day, had outplayed them in all three of our meetings this season and that we had achieved 6th place in the PL, placing us within reach of our first ever chance to play in Europe. To understand why the Amex went wild on Thursday you just need to look at the two tables above, just over 25 years apart. It wasn't (just) about beating United, and gaining revenge for the SF defeat, as exhilarating as that was!

I don't expect we'll ever see other clubs' entitled fans showing respect for "teams like Brighton", but for any of them who may be interested, the above tables will tell you at a glance what you need to know about Brighton and Hove Albion, and why we're all "Brighton 'til we die".

These are indeed wonderful times to be a Seagull. UTA!

 

[Sheebo]

On December 3rd 1996, when we sunk to 11 points adrift at the very bottom of the football league, imagine how bonkers it would’ve been when leaving the Goldstone that night, if I’d thought to myself:

‘don’t worry Bez, by the time you attend your 800th game, Albion will be sitting 6th in the Premier League, with 31,000 seats sold out every game at a world class stadium, on the brink of European qualification, with a World Cup winner in a team including others of immense talent and value, and we’ll only miss out on going to an FA Cup Final by just one kick…..’

Enjoy these happy times people!!!

* and I’d have single handedly signed a 125k striker myself for the Albion…

I don’t forget it you legend

 

[Jam The Man]

* and I’d have single handedly signed a 125k striker myself for the Albion…

I don’t forget it you legend

It’s something to bore the grandchildren with one day!

 

[spongy]

I started a spreadsheet when I was 11 that included all the games I went to, the scorers, who I went with and anything else worth noting!
I’ve done it ever since game one (April 1987) and given I’m now 47 years old, I can’t see myself stopping!

Excel existed in 87?