Do the Albion deserve to be a Championship club?

[Icy Gull]

Bare facts:

Terrible ground
Board that cannot invest anywhere near enough to make us competitive.

There are excuses for the above but what is the excuse for not selling out against local rivals on a day that we could have gone some way to saving our season?

I reckon harsh as it seems that we are going back to where we belong both on the field and in the stands. Maybe with Falmer we can start to build a decent fanbase again but at the moment we are middling League 1 and it's gonna take at least 10 years once Falmer is built to get to the level of support that Reading have. That is assuming we are reasonably succesfull and not anither Huddersfield.

Not selling out yesterday was a shock to me and Withdean is shit and expensive is not a good enough reason if we are as big a club as plenty seem to think.

 

[dougdeep]

Good point, we don't in my opinion. Too many fans have found other things to do on a Saturday.

 

[rospants]

not at the moment

 

[Bakesy]

Bare facts:





Maybe with Falmer we can start to build a decent fanbase again but at the moment we are middling League 1 and it's gonna take at least 10 years once Falmer is built to get to the level of support that Reading have.

I don't honestly think it will take that long.......take a look at Hull......they got their new ground and the crowds are back in decent numbers.There are many thousands of "sleeping" Albion fans out there that have found other things to do on a Saturday afternoon, but when we get our new ground they will come out of the woodwork in decent numbers, and moreso if we are playing decent football.

 

[The Great Cornholio]

Not selling out yesterday was a shock to me and Withdean is shit and expensive is not a good enough reason if we are as big a club as plenty seem to think.

It's not just Withdean that is shit - the cumulative performances are a big, big factor in crowd size. We would easily have sold out oure seats against Chesterfield or MK Dons yesterday if we were in a playoff/promotion chasing situation.

 

[Icy Gull]

Re: Re: Do the Albion deserve to be a Championship club?

It's not just Withdean that is shit - the cumulative performances are a big, big factor in crowd size. We would easily have sold out oure seats against Chesterfield or MK Dons yesterday if we were in a playoff/promotion chasing situation.

So we are talking about football fans in Brighton rather than Brighton fans? I don't think playoff or promotion chasing will be enough at Falmer once the novelty wears off. We will need to be playing good football and be in a playoff/promotion position as well. Didn't we struggle to sell out games the season we came up via the playoffs? Brighton fans are more fickle than most with all the alternative ways of spending money in the South. I hate to admit it but I reckon we have as many, if not more plastic fans than the much maligned Reading

 

[Bakesy]

Re: Re: Re: Do the Albion deserve to be a Championship club?

So we are talking about football fans in Brighton rather than Brighton fans? I don't think playoff or promotion chasing will be enough at Falmer once the novelty wears off. We will need to be playing good football and be in a playoff/promotion position as well. Didn't we struggle to sell out games the season we came up via the playoffs? Brighton fans are more fickle than most with all the alternative ways of spending money in the South. I had to admit it but I reckon we have as many, if not more plastic fans than the much maligned Reading

We took nearly 30000 to Cardiff...........i have to agree.

 

[Eggmundo]

Re: Re: Do the Albion deserve to be a Championship club?

I don't honestly think it will take that long.......take a look at Hull......they got their new ground and the crowds are back in decent numbers.There are many thousands of "sleeping" Albion fans out there that have found other things to do on a Saturday afternoon, but when we get our new ground they will come out of the woodwork in decent numbers, and moreso if we are playing decent football.

Very true, the amount of people that have said to me.."When you get Falmer I will definitely go along." (Although I do add that there are tickets available at the moment etc., but the whole withdean experience for some reason doesn't seem to be too inviting!). My Father-in-law has committed to getting a season ticket for Falmer, he's been to Withdean but can't handle getting wet and cold..he's old!
There must be 1000's out there feeling the same.
Here's to the future

 

[The Great Cornholio]

Newcastle v Brighton 27th Feb 1991. Att. 12692

Newcastle v West Ham 20th April 2006 Att, 51620

Hull City v Brighton 10th November 1998 Att. 4433

Hull City v Brighton 20th August 2005 Att. 18648

I could go on, and on, and on. All teams have plastic fans. Why should we be any different. And the people who back the board and/or manager are accused of having rose tinted spectacles. Our support is no different from any other. It may pull together better than most in the face of adversity. It may have a very vocal away support. But it also has a large number of people who will only come dependant on price, facilities, form, league position and opposition.

How do you propose we fill Falmer without "plastic" or "butterfly" supporters?

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Do the Albion deserve to be a Championship club?

We took nearly 30000 to Cardiff...........i have to agree.

We took 50,000 to the Zenith Mickey Mouse Final a few years back but not even half that number turn up for our home games. People love a Glory Hunting Final but rarely go on a regular basis

 

[The Oldman]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Do the Albion deserve to be a Championship club?

We took 50,000 to the Zenith Mickey Mouse Final a few years back but not even half that number turn up for our home games. People love a Glory Hunting Final but rarely go on a regular basis

That is so true.

I do not see us as worthy of the Championship at the moment in terms of facilties. Withdean is simply awful compared to the stadiums of similiar size towns, such as Gillingham, Ipswich, Norwich, Hull etc.

We are worthy of the Championship if we had a team capable of playing successfully at that level which obviously is not the case this season or last. If we get back to winning ways next season the only time you can guarantee the lost fans will return is if we end up in the play off final at Wembley.

I'm afraid sell out Withdean will not happen many times.

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Do the Albion deserve to be a Championship club?

That is so true.

I do not see us as worthy of the Championship at the moment in terms of facilties. Withdean is simply awful compared to the stadiums of similiar size towns, such as Gillingham, Ipswich, Norwich, Hull etc.

We are worthy of the Championship if we had a team capable of playing successfully at that level which obviously is not the case this season or last. If we get back to winning ways next season the only time you can guarantee the lost fans will return is if we end up in the play off final at Wembley.

I'm afraid sell out Withdean will not happen many times.

There is a much bigger picture to be looked at as far as Brighton are concerned though to be fair. With the ground situation as it is and with the club haemorraging money hand over fist your club cannot compete financially or otherwise with other clubs it just isnt possible. To stay up for two seasons is a major achievement considering these things and i wouldnt be too hard on your players, management or board, i understand it is f***ing frustrating when you see your side sliding towards relegation but as i said the bigger picture HAS to be considered.

 

[Gully]

AJ is right about saying look at the bigger picture. The new ground effect will definitely help us, granted having a half decent team playing entertaining football is also important, it will attract people to games who for whatever reason choose not to go to Withdean. One problem we have at the moment is not being able to pay on the gate, I think yesterdays crowd would have been larger if that had been possible, albeit Saints fans turning up on spec and going in the home areas of the ground.

We have been running up the down escalator for years, there will be times when the energy saps and you go back to the bottom again, this is one of them. We will be back, of that I am sure.

 

[Black N Tan]

Re: Re: Do the Albion deserve to be a Championship club?

I don't honestly think it will take that long.......take a look at Hull......they got their new ground and the crowds are back in decent numbers.There are many thousands of "sleeping" Albion fans out there that have found other things to do on a Saturday afternoon, but when we get our new ground they will come out of the woodwork in decent numbers, and moreso if we are playing decent football.

These thousands of sleeping albion fans only wake up to go to Wembley, Cardiff, or Spurs. Hull have gone back to decent numbers, but when did we have decent numbers ( I'm talking average 18000 + ) We couldn't sell out in the old 1st div. The hardcore Brighton support are the 2500 who travelled to Gillingham, face it we never have been or will be a big club, our level is this division and realistic crowd expectations are 14000

 

[Woodchip]

We deserve to be here, as we made it here on our own merit. It's wether or not we belong in the championship or not that is the question.

 

[FalmerforAll!**]

Wheres my poll

 

[Gully]

I think you are about right with the 14k figure, maybe a little more for bigger games or less for an unattractive fixture on a wet Tuesday night in February. It is however about twice what we are getting at the moment.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

they won the play offs so yes - end of

 

[Icy Gull]

We deserve to be here, as we made it here on our own merit. It's wether or not we belong in the championship or not that is the question.

The table doesn't lie and nor do the lack of sell outs this season, we no longer deserve to be here

 

[Bakesy]

Re: Re: Re: Do the Albion deserve to be a Championship club?

These thousands of sleeping albion fans only wake up to go to Wembley, Cardiff, or Spurs. Hull have gone back to decent numbers, but when did we have decent numbers ( I'm talking average 18000 + ) We couldn't sell out in the old 1st div. The hardcore Brighton support are the 2500 who travelled to Gillingham, face it we never have been or will be a big club, our level is this division and realistic crowd expectations are 14000

In that case we might as well say "f*** it" and throw in the towel............Stop looking in the past......it's the future that matters.We have a massive catchment area and if we were in a decent stadium we would attract a lot more supporters.A lot of people won't go to Withdean as the facilities are so shite, and to be honest, i don't blame them.I hate the place.