[Albion] Does anyone else miss the days when we were crap?

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Being in H Block at Withdean some sunny Summer Saturdays was more like being at cricket than being at football. Gentle burble of conversation, some distant dull sporting action. All that was missing was blokes of a certain age at repose in deckchairs doing challenging crosswords and only looking up after a goal was scored.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

I get what you mean and you're probably not alone. But my god those matches were bleak. Those floodlights. That font on our badge. Star player Jeff Minton. A two-hour drive home before you can have a beer. After defeat to Halifax.

Ah, happy days indeed.

 

[Weststander]

Or is it just me?

Obviously it's amazing being in the Premier League and I honestly never thought I'd see the day when we were, but there's some masochistic sentiment in me that misses us getting excited over a 100k player or someone on a free from a first division club. The Goldstone was falling apart but it was our home, Withdean gave us a sense of purpose during the long fight for Falmer and now.... now we are up with the big boys, dropping 17 million quid on players and some fans want the manager sacked for not taking sexy enough throw-ins.

It's all great but I must say I miss us being shite.

You missed the Burnley and Stains home games then.

 

[Weststander]

Being in H Block at Withdean some sunny Summer Saturdays was more like being at cricket than being at football. Gentle burble of conversation, some distant dull sporting action. All that was missing was blokes of a certain age at repose in deckchairs doing challenging crosswords and only looking up after a goal was scored.

That was the noisy end, with a few hundred 16 to 25 year olds throwing celery around, whilst a small army of Hebberd’s Militia watched and filmed them as if they were F-Troop.

 

[Lower West Stander]

"Paul Watson is the answer to England's left sided problem"

Michael Mahoney-Johnson and Damian Hilton - the answer to absolutely nothing.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The Albion is the Albion and how good or crap on the pitch is largely irrelevant. So in this sense I don’t miss the crap times. I can’t say I have a huge desire to see them again though. But, I can categorically state I do not miss Withdean, the Goldstone or any of the dumps we’ve visited along the way. I’ll include Everton is this as well, their stadium is appalling.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Michael Mahoney-Johnson and Damian Hilton - the answer to absolutely nothing.

To be fair, there’s something wonderfully majestic about a truly awful striker. I would be a lesser person had I not witnessed Hilton, or say, Mark Farrington.

 

[FatSuperman]

I miss signing people like Nathan Elder and saying defiantly in the pub "I think he's the next Zamora"

I once claimed Steve Melton would play for England....

I've got a Volt Yellow top with Skalak's name on the back.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I miss the lower league awaydays.
Just going with mates and paying on the gate, with no real plans for the day, just getting up and going to an away game if I felt like it.

These days too much to worry about.
Not really keen on not knowing if a game may be moved for TV etc or if there is railway engineering works that weekend.

Indeed. Randomly deciding to drive to Sunderaland one Saturday, POTG, jobzagoodun.

 

[John Byrnes Mullet]

We still are crap but at a higher level.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

To be fair, there’s something wonderfully majestic about a truly awful striker. I would be a lesser person had I not witnessed Hilton, or say, Mark Farrington.

Kenny Beamish. Alan Gilliver. Mediocrity was largely an aspiration.

 

[Blue3]

Look I love were we are and hopefully after our win tomorrow we will be a little closer to staying there for another season, I do however miss bits of when we were crap the togetherness of the select group that went to Gillingham and then Withdean the awful bus journey that bloody long hill towards Gillingham, John Lees perched behind a woodern table in the middle of the fans broardcasting comentary, the awful food then the long drive home until Withdean the theatre of trees, the Withdean screamer, fireworks when we scored, litter picking, the disabled lad outside his bungalow sadly not there towards the end of the Withdean years,

 

[Sirnormangall]

I don’t at all miss the days when we were crap. I hated the tension of the last few months at the Goldstone and the nail-biting match at Hereford. I can’t believe anyone enjoyed the Gillingham years or the Archer and Bellotti years and I’ve hated every season we’ve been relegated ( save for 1983) regardless of what division we were in. Stating the obvious, fans generally love a winning team, no matter what division they are in.

 

[clapham_gull]

I thought this was a pro leave thread.

 

[DavePage]

Define crap, many on here say we are every match day, until we score a winner then it's, never doubted us, Chris is the Man.
See you all tomorrow.

 

[jcdenton08]

"Paul Watson is the answer to England's left sided problem"

Horrible at left back. Did great as a left footed RB until injuries limited the limited pace he had. I loved the guy - but he was found out in the Championship.

Also at school me and another guy Max used to take the piss out of his “jockeying” as in, retreating to his own goal and hoping Danny Cullip would help. He never had pace and can’t remember Paul making a tackle.

Sweet left foot though!!! The number of goals from that one routine we had to Zamora was worth his shortcomings alone.

 

[Megazone]

Define crap .

being proud of a loss against teams in the same division as you.

 

[Justice]

I was getting quizzed yesterday on remembering squads from different years, my we signed some shit players at times it was quite a surprise to see how many from the Withdean years still have clubs.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Nostalgia ain't wot it used to be.

 

[Seasider78]

The only reason threads like this exist is the reality that the ceiling of progression for us is to be a comfortable mid table premier league team with the odd tilt at a cup. The top 6 in this division is a closed shop which is the tough reality to face for our fans who have been used to a rollercoaster of promotion and relegation over the years.

That’s all I miss is the feeling that you can win or lose any game against any team in the division rather than just making up the numbers for a large number of your fixtures.