Crowd Tonight - Under 6,000

[Gerbil]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Crowd Tonight - Under 6,000

You didn't wear a hat tonight or did you?

Not tonight but rest assured my quality headgear will be on display on saturday despite my boy saying it shows him up

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I will give you an illustration of the Withdean experience. My son has had nothing but encouragement from me for supporting the Albion - season tickets, replica shirts, away games etc. Is he bothered about the Albion - yes. Would he motivate himself to see them off his own bat - no.

What he and his mates do get themselves organised for though - is cricket. They are all members, they buy the shirts - they make sure they are there for the 20-20 and day night games, it is cheap, they can have a sing, there are not too many questions when they buy beer, the Sky cameras are there, they are watching quality players against quality opposition.

In short - all the types of things that used to get us along to the football.

What my son does like about watching the Albion though - is away games.

For me that illustrates the Withdean experience and the effect it is having on our Club.

 

[Row Z Creased Shirt]

A very interesting thread, that just reveals the stresses and strains involved at all levels of the club. Even with the 'hated' manager being given the boot the same feelings and emotions remain.

The reason for this is Lewes District Council and their single handed attempt to drive this club into the ground by wrecking the falmer application. All of the points raised about the shiteness withdean are perfectly valid, as are those about it being a very expensive place to and watch fairly mediocre entertainment.

Getting rid of McGhee was like re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, all very nice, but the boat still had a big bloody hole in it. The big hole in the Albion boat is Falmer. The real enemy of the club are the LDC and they need to be told on sunday big style.

Nothing will change at the Albion until the ground issue is resolved, there will be no more new money, no more new big time players and I would doubt no more new big time managers either. That is just the plain truth, and has been for the last few years. It doesn't make it any easier to take that it is the SAME old reason everytime, but that does not make it any less valid.

We all need to get to the rally on sunday to keep the pressure on. A poor turnout there may prove more costly than last nights poor crowd.

 

[HH Brighton]

A very interesting thread, that just reveals the stresses and strains involved at all levels of the club. Even with the 'hated' manager being given the boot the same feelings and emotions remain.

The reason for this is Lewes District Council and their single handed attempt to drive this club into the ground by wrecking the falmer application. All of the points raised about the shiteness withdean are perfectly valid, as are those about it being a very expensive place to and watch fairly mediocre entertainment.

Getting rid of McGhee was like re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, all very nice, but the boat still had a big bloody hole in it. The big hole in the Albion boat is Falmer. The real enemy of the club are the LDC and they need to be told on sunday big style.

Nothing will change at the Albion until the ground issue is resolved, there will be no more new money, no more new big time players and I would doubt no more new big time managers either. That is just the plain truth, and has been for the last few years. It doesn't make it any easier to take that it is the SAME old reason everytime, but that does not make it any less valid.

We all need to get to the rally on sunday to keep the pressure on. A poor turnout there may prove more costly than last nights poor crowd.

Totally agree...we must all get down to the Brighton Centre on Sunday.........I'm afraid with two young kids I have to make decisions about which games to attend and to me the Millwall away fixture on Saturday came head and ahoulders above paying £25 to sit at Withdean with all those idiot supporters at Withdean who provide no backing and only hurl rediculous insults at anyone player or manager (a generilisation I know but its just my experience of watching games at Withdean).
I doubt ticket prices being reduced would have much effect !!

 

[3gulls]

I doubt it'll get much above 6,000 for the rest of the season.

I am now getting worried for our future. They need to look at the ticket price. It's a scandal for this division and the standard of football we are playing.

What he said!

 

[3gulls]

There is little point in going to Withdean as things are. Shit atmosphere, Shit facilities, poxy busses, and above all - shit players!

If Knight expects a crowd he should invest in a team worth watching!

 

[Albion Rob]

Even after seven years at Withdean we're still made to feel we should count ourselves lucky in being allowed to play there.

The hassles getting tickets, the restrictions around the ground, no beers in the 'concourses', no prospect of a roof on the South Stand (IMGHO that would make a really big difference).

I'd sooner the club moved lock stock and barrell to Crawley, Eastbourne or Worthing the way things are going.

I'm sorry to say, and I've said it plenty of times, Cloghie was right. Brighton isn't a football city and Sussex isn't a football county - in fact, it's hard to call it a sporting county. We moved our game so that everyone could go and watch Sussex the other week. Did Man City do that? Did they heck becuase there are enough people who care about sport up there to not have to.

There are times that I'd sooner the club would die than stagger on in the way it is at the moment. It is only the optimisom and brave words of some that keep me believeing that things could improve.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Crowd Tonight - Under 6,000

Well obviously I cant speak for anyone else but at the moment I cant see myself going to another match this season. Totally lost faith with the people running this club, I'm the first to say that they have done wonders in keeping this club afloat through the last few years but now its time to make sure that hard work doesnt go to waste and get someone in who can run the football side of things competantly.

But that wa sthe argument DK made for sacking MM....are you suggesting that you would only go back if DK goes? If so that is a whole new can of worms

 

[Dave the OAP]

I will give you an illustration of the Withdean experience. My son has had nothing but encouragement from me for supporting the Albion - season tickets, replica shirts, away games etc. Is he bothered about the Albion - yes. Would he motivate himself to see them off his own bat - no.

What he and his mates do get themselves organised for though - is cricket. They are all members, they buy the shirts - they make sure they are there for the 20-20 and day night games, it is cheap, they can have a sing, there are not too many questions when they buy beer, the Sky cameras are there, they are watching quality players against quality opposition.

In short - all the types of things that used to get us along to the football.

What my son does like about watching the Albion though - is away games.

For me that illustrates the Withdean experience and the effect it is having on our Club.

I think this post should be singled out and made a sticky for ever on this board.

If anything describes our current predicament then this does.

 

[The Large One]

I will give you an illustration of the Withdean experience. My son has had nothing but encouragement from me for supporting the Albion - season tickets, replica shirts, away games etc. Is he bothered about the Albion - yes. Would he motivate himself to see them off his own bat - no.

What he and his mates do get themselves organised for though - is cricket. They are all members, they buy the shirts - they make sure they are there for the 20-20 and day night games, it is cheap, they can have a sing, there are not too many questions when they buy beer, the Sky cameras are there, they are watching quality players against quality opposition.

In short - all the types of things that used to get us along to the football.

What my son does like about watching the Albion though - is away games.

For me that illustrates the Withdean experience and the effect it is having on our Club.

While I think it's difficult to compare cricket and football, I would say that the County Ground, serene and idyllic as it is, is the Withdean of the cricket world. At least the toilets at Withdean are not portaloos.

Also, there is a massive difference in being to get the country's best cricketers to your own cricket club compared to getting the country's best footballers to your own football club. There are (probably illegal) restraints placed on who can play for your cricket club, the sort of restraints that don't exist in football, thereby making it a free-for-all in the transfer markets - and the smaller clubs suffer.

I agree about the beer and the atmosphere experience side of things, and I think people are now officially fed up with this Falmer nonsense. I just suppose some people have a longer patience threshold than others, and unfortunately, the 'less patient' are now falling by the wayside.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

There are times that I'd sooner the club would die than stagger on in the way it is at the moment. It is only the optimisom and brave words of some that keep me believeing that things could improve.

Aw come on, there's been good times and promotions and play-off finals in the last couple of seasons and we've seen the genius of Bobby Zamora and the genuine fighting spirit of the team that Mickey Adams built. OK the standard of football being served up at the moment is mediocre and the facilities are crap, but it all comes back to LDC putting a block on the new stadium and therefore the inward investment. That could all change in the next couple of months and the club and the community could yet see off these self-serving masonic swine. Surely that's worth fighting for?

 

[Albion Rob]

Aw come on, there's been good times and promotions and play-off finals in the last couple of seasons and we've seen the genius of Bobby Zamora and the genuine fighting spirit of the team that Mickey Adams built. OK the standard of football being served up at the moment is mediocre and the facilities are crap, but it all comes back to LDC putting a block on the new stadium and therefore the inward investment. That could all change in the next couple of months and the club and the community could yet see off these self-serving masonic swine. Surely that's worth fighting for?

Those are the sort of words that keep me going.

but in darker moments it's bloody hard to see a club I've loved all my life having to fight with one hand tied behind its back. It hurts like mad that a poxy council eight miles down the road can stop something so great, so brilliant. These days, when we go to grounds like Forest, or Reading and Stoke last season, it's not a bit of a laugh and a smile knowing we'll have one soon, it's more like torture watching clubs that are no better than us rake in the profits and the glory while we contemplate what thickness our macs will need to be to keep the rain off at Withdean next week.

How long will it last? Who really knows. Will LDC get an injunction through some other means? European Court of Human Rights? House of Lords? The Sanate in Star Wars? Who knows. What I do know is that Baker said we should just accept whatever decision was made last October but the twat is bellyaching at every opportunity. I hate that weasel.

Yes, the championships were great but even they seem like they were from another era. When was the last time you went to Withdean genuinely expecting to win? Not for over two years, I'd venture. I know it's not all about winning but the past couple of years (and credit to McGhee for keeping us up in 04/05) have been pretty nerve wracking and ultimately difficult to watch. Restraints or no restraints, no one wants to see their boys played off the park every week while it's pissing down with rain knowing that 21st in the league is the height of the club's ambition.

I know it sounds defeatist and I hate feeling like it but sometimes it is just so horrible watching this club wheezing on that I'd rather we tore the whole thing up and started again.

 

[Rougvie]

Falmer is worth fighting for and in the end I think it will happen in some shape or form.

Its not just Falmer thats casts a shadow over the club, football in general is having a difficult time, 'regional' football is now of no interest to National media outlets with tiny often inacurate pieces in papers, and almost zero coverage on terrestial TV. The amount of hype in the media yesterday about the start of the champions league would have been a similal level to that reserved for an FA cup final or something really important only a few years ago.

Ignorant parents, most who have never been that interested in football dress their kids up in the latest Chelsea kits because in their ignorance they think its not right unless their kid is wearing something that denotes sucsess. In my nephew's class in a central Brighton school they recently did a project on sport and a mural, there was not a single mention of the LOCAL club. On school sports day there were only 2 out of about 20 lads with Albion tops on, the rest were Premiership. Its not reserved to Brighton, it could be any other club in the bottom 3 leagues, we have a disadvantage as our kids cant go as easily to games as others, but times have changed, its no longer socially acceptable for big groups of young kids to attend a football match as it was in 'my day' as parents these days would rather they were indoors with the easy option of playing some computer game.

We shouldnt blame all our troubles on Falmer as the apathy in local football that is eroding the game is purely the fault of the media and the greed driven marketing machine of the Premiership and the clubs.

 

[Lokki 7]

Bloody hell, Albion Rob and Rouggers have cheered me up no end. We're DOOMED!

On a different note, bloody bored this morning at work so I spent 2 hours of paid work time composing a letter to Mark McGhee. I quite enjoyed writing it, and as an Albion fan it helped draw a line under what has gone before. I hope it does actually get to him (via insider, thanks LI for the question on ask the club, good idea).