[Albion] Albion Boxing Day - Martin Samuel

[dazzer6666]

I’d rather walk 400 yards and watch Burgess Hill on Boxing Day with a pint in my hand and only be out of the house for an ‘acceptable’ couple of hours with all the other stuff that’s usually going on. No drama at all to not have an Albion game until 27th. Crap article on a number of levels.

 

[TugWilson]

It was the Club’s commitment to their own objectives of having sustainable travel links to the stadium (included in the first Application and Transport Assessment as part of the planning applications) that lead to the Transport Strategy commitments and the ‘conditions’ included in the Applications.

When the Club submitted an application in 2011 to increase the capacity from 22,500 to 30,750, and increase parking spaces, it was the Club’s original Transport Strategy in the 2008 Application that the Council reviewed for compliance and whether the increased capacity would meet the 2008 commitments.

‘Adequate’ PT is a slightly different issue and the Council noted at the time, additional on site and off site parking could be necessary if PT was inadequate but it doesn’t address the Boxing Day issue where there is no public transport at all, therefore the Club can not meet it’s own commitments to encourage sustainable travel by scheduling matches on days public transport is not available.

Review here which may be of interest

https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2020-08/BHAFC_Transport_Strategy_Review.pdf

.

Thanks i appreciate the info and have not argued against those facts , but i think ALL other parties should have known and indeed do know the £200+m benefit the city gets from our Great club every year and should protect both us and their cash cow by enabling fixtures such as boxing day when NO ONE else is let down by their respective towns/city`s .

I think we have become so used to the fact that we are told what to do and when that we have no say in times or fixtures through the season , Utd/city/arse/spuds and definitely Chelsea have a say in moving fixtures , we get told - if your ok with that fine , i know we are deserved of more respect .

 

[drew]

Thanks i appreciate the info and have not argued against those facts , but i think ALL other parties should have known and indeed do know the £200+m benefit the city gets from our Great club every year and should protect both us and their cash cow by enabling fixtures such as boxing day when NO ONE else is let down by their respective towns/city`s .

I think we have become so used to the fact that we are told what to do and when that we have no say in times or fixtures through the season , Utd/city/arse/spuds and definitely Chelsea have a say in moving fixtures , we get told - if your ok with that fine , i know we are deserved of more respect .

It's been said before but can you explain how the 'City' can insist the private company running the rail franchise to insist their workers come into work on boxing day?

 

[TugWilson]

It's been said before but can you explain how the 'City' can insist the private company running the rail franchise to insist their workers come into work on boxing day?

For the love of Pete , we subsidise rail and bus fares !

 

[drew]

For the love of Pete , we subsidise rail and bus fares !

Both trains and buses are run by private companies. It's irrelevant whether we subsidise them or not, we can't force them to provide a service on Boxing day. Unless of course you have a magic wand!

 

[TugWilson]

 

[Uter]

Did you read his reply? Public transport is currently privately run. It’s not down to national or local governments.

With respect to the national government and trains, this is not completely correct.

For Southern there is a train service requirement which specifies the minimum service levels the operator is expected to provide. Part of this covers Boxing day services. When the franchise was tendered 2014 there was nothing to stop the DfT adding a clause stating, for instance, that if there was a match scheduled at the Amex then there should be X number of trains per hour running between Brighton and Lewes. This was the relevant section in 2014 and this is why Gatwick is served on Boxing Day, but Falmer isn't. This arrangement was superseded a couple of years ago, but again, no trains were mandated for us.

Ultimately, the lack of Boxing day trains is a political choice, because they are seen as a drain on the public purse and not much of a vote winner. When the last two agreements were put into place in 2014 and 2022, this was the time to have a concerted effort by the council and club to pressure the DfT to add something to oblige the operator to give us some trains on Boxing day if there's a match on.

Inaccuracies aside, at least the article could help spark a debate about why we have poor public transport options on Boxing Day. The only way it will change will be if it's seen to be politically advantageous or profitable by the government.

 

[Jaxie]

Shameful waste of paper. Reads like it was written for 5 year olds.

 

[Anger]

I think.. storm in a teacup. Boxing Day games were fun at The Goldstone (no fun at Priestfield although the second half against Colchester was a tad better than the first) and to some extent Withdean, but the EPL and the quantity of fans travelling to the Amex takes us a long way from being able to re-capture the traditional Boxing Day game experience.

Still, we have the memories of before (or at least those of us of a certain age do).

@ROSM you cut off the Tamworth article in your picture. How am I supposed to get the full Hack view on that when 7% of the article is missing?

 

[ROSM]

@ROSM you cut off the Tamworth article in your picture. How am I supposed to get the full Hack view on that when 7% of the article is missing?

when the guinea pigs have stopped weeing and dropping pellets on it I will take a quick photo of the rest

 

[Anger]

when the guinea pigs have stopped weeing and dropping pellets on it I will take a quick photo of the rest

Thanks, but there is no need for that, it might not read so well with the embellishments.

 

[Guinness Boy]

With respect to the national government and trains, this is not completely correct.

For Southern there is a train service requirement which specifies the minimum service levels the operator is expected to provide. Part of this covers Boxing day services. When the franchise was tendered 2014 there was nothing to stop the DfT adding a clause stating, for instance, that if there was a match scheduled at the Amex then there should be X number of trains per hour running between Brighton and Lewes. This was the relevant section in 2014 and this is why Gatwick is served on Boxing Day, but Falmer isn't. This arrangement was superseded a couple of years ago, but again, no trains were mandated for us.

View attachment 194521
Ultimately, the lack of Boxing day trains is a political choice, because they are seen as a drain on the public purse and not much of a vote winner. When the last two agreements were put into place in 2014 and 2022, this was the time to have a concerted effort by the council and club to pressure the DfT to add something to oblige the operator to give us some trains on Boxing day if there's a match on.

Inaccuracies aside, at least the article could help spark a debate about why we have poor public transport options on Boxing Day. The only way it will change will be if it's seen to be politically advantageous or profitable by the government.

Fair enough, was unaware of that.

It doesn't remotely deal with Samuel’s argument nor @TugWilson 's toddler tantrum. What they're basically saying, with the above in mind, is that Government A signed off on the Amex planning, Government B removed the contractual clause to provide the service (or, in fact, simply didn't add one) and now it's Government A and Government C's fault that there's no Boxing Day football.

The service would still have to be provided by a private TOC. At minimum that means a need for drivers, platform staff, security / stewarding and signallers, plus people to open and lock up stations. Realistically that's going to get you exactly what it did for Reading - a shuttle service around the beginning and end of the match Lewes - Brighton - Lewes. None of which helps people from Worthing, Haywards Heath or Eastbourne / Seaford.

And none of that covers that fact that there are bugger all busses on Boxing Day.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I read the Times and rarely get through one of Samuel’s articles- he’s a snide journalist and I always assume he has his own agenda although what that is I have no idea.

He wrote a godawful piece a few months back about how he confidently predicted that Brighton would go the way of Southampton because of the sale of players.

I can’t imagine any Brighton fans would’ve wanted to prioritise Boxing Day when we finally got Falmer

I know Martin Samuel, he's a former colleague and he's generally okay, but I've always felt he's like that London cabbie who won Mastermind. He gets lucky once (or maybe twice with big-money moves to the Mail and then back to the Times) and thinks he knows everything. He does have a wide range of knowledge but not in much depth.

 

[The Oldman]

A few seasons ago we did play on Boxing Day at the Amex . Kick off was at the ridiculous time of 8 pm. Many STH did not attend. I did and I am very pleased that we now seem unable to host a Boxing Day match.