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

[Chicken Run]

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.

I’m still bitter about Fulham away in January ffs I promise you we were crap, and apparently they are the second worse team in the league!!!!

 

[Return of the Rev]

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.

Football not great at Gillingham but it was fun £5 on the coach in the pub 11ish,i have taken longer to get from Hove to Falmer on a couple of occasions than Hove to Gillingham. It was not sustainable but less GH's at the games tbh.

 

[maffew]

there was a certain kudos associated with supporting a lower league team that i always loved, especially when i moved to another part of the country. It helped me forge an identity for myself in my new workplace. I'm still known as being 'the Brighton fan' after 20+ years in this part of the world.

I get that. I wore the stripes whilst I lived in SA before the prem, and in the handful of time someone recognised it, it was a good conversation starter or I was in some bizarre selfie with a total stranger

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

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,

Withdean Screamer

Rocket Man

 

[Yes Chef]

Nostalgia ain't wot it used to be.

I was going to write the precise same thing.

This thread is about old blokes hankering after their youth, not how crap we were

EDIT I'm an old bloke too!

 

[Grassman]

These lovies miss those Withdean days...

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

View attachment 107577

These lovies miss those Withdean days...

Went past there the other day, they've got a big flagpole now, with an Albion flag proudly flying

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I was going to write the precise same thing.

This thread is about old blokes hankering after their youth, not how crap we were

EDIT I'm an old bloke too!

I'm an old woman.
We weren't that crap at Withdean winning four trophies in twelve years.

 

[el punal]

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.

Please tell me you’re joking - you are aren’t you? Cast your mind back to all the shit games, shit results, shit grounds, shit horrible weather days, shit journeys and tell me that you weren’t dreaming that one day we would actually climb through all the leagues, reach the dizzy heights of the top division. Not only that but enjoy being in a top class, brand spanking new stadium.

 

[Mr Bridger]

View attachment 107577

these lovies miss those withdean days...

y, y, rip, y, rip, y, n

 

[Justice]

Ramblings of a mad man, lower league football is shit.

 

[southstandandy]

I miss the genuine fans. When at the Withdean you met up with say some Hartlepool fans in the bar for a beer and you knew they were so genuine and passionate about their club. They hadn't come all the way down for the delights of the Withdean. As much as we need the money there are too many 'plastic fans' now who are only following us as we're now in the Prem and in a swanky new stadium.

When I drove up to Gillingham for every home game for 2 years virtually none of the people I see around me now were ever there. I know it's the nature of the football fan but there was something satisfying in the poorer times driving to places like Grimsby or Stockport and seeing 200 or 300 other die hards who were there to really get behind the team. You can't help but feel that if we did a Sunderland and dropped a couple of divisions today that 10000 or 15000 so called fans would suddenly disappear.

I'm enjoying the good times but will and have done, supported the club whatever division we are in, and to answer the question, yes, I do slighlty miss the old ramshackle stadiums we used to visit and when we were really considered crap. There was almost something heroic supporting a club like Brighton when we were practically on our knees and everything seemed to be going against us. Many of the lower league grounds had more character than the modern corporate stadiums we see today and the fans I thought were more passionate back then. Happy wherever we are though.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I miss the genuine fans. When at the Withdean you met up with say some Hartlepool fans in the bar for a beer and you knew they were so genuine and passionate about their club. They hadn't come all the way down for the delights of the Withdean. As much as we need the money there are too many 'plastic fans' now who are only following us as we're now in the Prem and in a swanky new stadium.

When I drove up to Gillingham for every home game for 2 years virtually none of the people I see around me now were ever there. I know it's the nature of the football fan but there was something satisfying in the poorer times driving to places like Grimsby or Stockport and seeing 200 or 300 other die hards who were there to really get behind the team. You can't help but feel that if we did a Sunderland and dropped a couple of divisions today that 10000 or 15000 so called fans would suddenly disappear.

I'm enjoying the good times but will and have done, supported the club whatever division we are in, and to answer the question, yes, I do slighlty miss the old ramshackle stadiums we used to visit. Many of them had more character than the modern corporate stadiums we see today. Happy wherever we are.

Stockport! Shudder. There was more sand on Stockport's pitch than on Southport beach. McIlroy throwing the ball in Harding's stomach, starting an almighty punch up.

 

[rudolf hucker]

there was a certain kudos associated with supporting a lower league team that i always loved, especially when i moved to another part of the country. It helped me forge an identity for myself in my new workplace. I'm still known as being 'the Brighton fan' after 20+ years in this part of the world.

So true. Moved to Suffolk for 10 years in the '80s and was always know as the Brighton fan and so many friends started (and still do ) looking out for our results. Don't believe it would have been the same if I was a Manure or Liverpool fan

 

[Beach Hut]

Stockport! Shudder. There was more sand on Stockport's pitch than on Southport beach. McIlroy throwing the ball in Harding's stomach, starting an almight punch up.

That was some punch up, our keeper ran all the way to the half-way line to join in and punched one of their players in the face

 

[supaseagull]

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.

Just no


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Stockport! Shudder. There was more sand on Stockport's pitch than on Southport beach. McIlroy throwing the ball in Harding's stomach, starting an almighty punch up.

I never understood why Mcllroy wasn't sent to the stands for that.

 

[Steve Foster]

Could always support Crawley?

Just saying ...

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I never understood why Mcllroy wasn't sent to the stands for that.

Agreed Weak referees.

 

[Sheebo]

I miss being able to get to home matches easily and cheaply.
I miss not being able to take an extra mate at the last minute and sit/stand with them.
I miss not having affordable memorabilia being sold out of a back room by St Peters Church rather than the expensive tat we are offered now.

Premier League is the place to be but it can get boring JUST being a number and having my last few coppers prised from my grasp by PB.

You can still get tickets on the morning for a last min mate for pretty much any game - especially with the ticket exchange assuming you meant that and not price etc. I got 2 Liverpool returns for mates the morning of the game - silly money though. Although the standing / sitting with them doesn’t work - maybe I’m not reading your post right..!