[Albion] I Just Don’t Care Anymore

[Bry Nylon]

Essay incoming. Apologies. Please skip.

Interesting to see this thread as it's how I felt coming out of covid. I accept all of this is a reflection of me and i am delighted to see people loving the football. I want my kids to love it and be Albion fans.

Re COVID, without being all dramatic n that, everything that came with it just hit home that sport is just a real life sitcom. It's entertainment. It just does not matter. My wife LOVES crime dramas but isn't bothered about sport. Sport is my equivalent of that. It's panto. It's SILLY. It happens, it stops, it all starts again and we forget what happened before.

For that 90 mins of a match, I want us to win. I will jump for joy if we score (before waiting to see if VAR says I'm ok to be happy), I'll feel a bit down if we lose.........and then it's done. I sit down for dinner with the family and it's completely forgotten about. I might fast forward our bit of MOTD but that's about it.

To hear people genuinely lose their shit arguing over FOOTBALL baffles me.....and that's before we get into the kind of people who FIGHT about it. The vilifying of other people because they follow a different group of 11 people from all over the world who play under the name of an English location. I want my team to beat yours, it doesn't mean you're "scum". The rose-tinted nature of defending your club no matter what. Newcastle, Man City, Everton fans defending what is clear for anyone else to see, just because it's linked to their club.

I gave up my ST last year (had it since 2001) and honestly, I don't miss it. I love the game of football........I don't like a lot of the nonsense that comes with it. I play twice a week now which has probably contributed to not missing attending games and, despite the kids having brighton kits, teddies etc I reckon I might take them along to Lewes or something if they want to go and get a first experience of football. Cost obviously being a huge factor. It's nice to know that my 20 or so ST years saw us play in our own city again, get promotions, move stadium, get to the PL, progress and now we are looking really stable. Maybe I've hit a bit of a "oh, we got to where I dreamed of........that's it then" feeling.

Another aspect is, now being fully emersed in the world of work, I just see all managers and players simply as people trying to make their way in their profession and we are just a cog in that. Do I reckon a kid from Ecuador dreamed of playing for the world famous Brighton? Nah. Are we the pinnacle for a manager? Nah. I'd move for more money so I have no issue with it happening here, but that mindset obviously contributes to some of the magic being lost. As many say, all the above is basically attributed to getting older and having a different outlook on life.

And finally.....VAR. It seems over the top to say, but VAR has ruined the key reasons I went to live football. In a sport where 1 goal may decide the whole thing, the moment you bring in something which means we have to wait to be sure we scored? Nah. f*** that. Another reason I'll go to something smaller if I fancy a live game.

I love this club. I love football. But the partners were right. It's only a game.

Sadly and unjustly, I can only give this one ‘like.’ Ideally, I’d have liked to have given it many more.

 

[DJ NOBO]

The very definition of underrated

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

The 23/24 season represents my 30th season of supporting the Albion and as we all know this has been a truly historic year for the club. Starting my Albion supporting journey back in 93/94, never did I envisage we’d be beating the likes of Man U and Liverpool (amongst many others) in the top flight of English Football.

Which makes my recent indifference to football all the more difficult to understand. Not too long ago, my whole working week would be solely focused on the game at the weekend. The pre and post match drinks, visiting new town/cities, the smell of the pitch, the atmosphere and 90 mins of escapism.

None of that invokes any kind of excitement in me anymore, yet given the recent success of the Albion I know it should. As recently as Fulham away I shamefully walked out after 15 mins for, no other reason than sheer boredom - back to the pub I went. Ajax away, whilst fantastic to go there and win, didn’t quite fill with me the euphoria it previously might have done.

So I then ask myself is this just part of getting older where one starts finding enjoyment elsewhere? Possibly, but I’m only 39.

Is it the Premier League? So focused and hell bent on getting there, that the destination is never as good as the journey? Possibly, but given this seasons Europa exploits you could argue against that.

Or through our success, are we now just too far removed from the ‘grass roots’ of the game? Has the monetisation of football evaporated my enjoyment from the game I once loved? I’ve certainly not ruled out taking in some non league football to reignite some passion.

I don’t know what the answer is, but it started creeping in pre COVID and whilst for a short while it abated following numerous national lockdowns, the ambivalence has very much returned. I’ve renewed my Season Ticket for a 14th year and will in all likelihood attend a handful of away games once again, but my hopes for renewed invigoration are decreasing with every passing season.

The truth is I just don’t care like I once used to and whilst I know I should probably pack it all in and cancel my ST (or adopt a local non league team), I can’t bring myself to do it.

I’m around your age and feel similar. Like you, it started during COVID. Some of mine is frustration about some dealings I had with the club directly, but much of it is to do with what football’s becoming and what our club is becoming whilst in the Prem.

But more than anything, I think it’s just time. I golf a lot less too, I play less football, I watch less other sport than I ever have… it’s hard to care when you don’t have the time to fully invest.

The other thing that this made me think about is the frustration I have with TV rights in this country. Because time is limited and I often can’t get to games now because I can’t commit a whole day to it, I have to miss the match. But if there was an online season ticket, I’d snap that up in a heartbeat. So as a lifelong Seagull, I can’t watch the games I want, yet some kiddie abroad can watch all of our games for minimal amounts of cash. It blows my mind.

 

[poidy]

Robbed of one of the greatest upsets and comebacks in FA CUP history…for this.

Probably goes some way to answering why I struggle to give a s*** about football anymore.

Clear and obvious my a***.

 

[schmunk]

Robbed of one of the greatest upsets and comebacks in FA CUP history…for this.

Probably goes some way to answering why I struggle to give a s*** about football anymore.

Clear and obvious my a***.

The "clear and obvious" metric isn't applied to offsides - you're either offside or you're not.

 

[trueblue]

The "clear and obvious" metric isn't applied to offsides - you're either offside or you're not.

You’re correct and this is the tedious mantra we hear all the time. But the offside law is simply not fit for purpose once you start taking it to that extreme - it’s to prevent goalhanging, not someone being an inch ahead of the second last defender.

 

[Weststander]

Robbed of one of the greatest upsets and comebacks in FA CUP history…for this.

Probably goes some way to answering why I struggle to give a s*** about football anymore.

Clear and obvious my a***.

Manure are despised and the magic for a low budget club was taken away by a bloke with lines on a screen 200 miles away. By far the worst thing about VAR is taking away the spontaneity.

 

[southstandandy]

Essay incoming. Apologies. Please skip.

Interesting to see this thread as it's how I felt coming out of covid. I accept all of this is a reflection of me and i am delighted to see people loving the football. I want my kids to love it and be Albion fans.

Re COVID, without being all dramatic n that, everything that came with it just hit home that sport is just a real life sitcom. It's entertainment. It just does not matter. My wife LOVES crime dramas but isn't bothered about sport. Sport is my equivalent of that. It's panto. It's SILLY. It happens, it stops, it all starts again and we forget what happened before.

For that 90 mins of a match, I want us to win. I will jump for joy if we score (before waiting to see if VAR says I'm ok to be happy), I'll feel a bit down if we lose.........and then it's done. I sit down for dinner with the family and it's completely forgotten about. I might fast forward our bit of MOTD but that's about it.

To hear people genuinely lose their shit arguing over FOOTBALL baffles me.....and that's before we get into the kind of people who FIGHT about it. The vilifying of other people because they follow a different group of 11 people from all over the world who play under the name of an English location. I want my team to beat yours, it doesn't mean you're "scum". The rose-tinted nature of defending your club no matter what. Newcastle, Man City, Everton fans defending what is clear for anyone else to see, just because it's linked to their club.

I gave up my ST last year (had it since 2001) and honestly, I don't miss it. I love the game of football........I don't like a lot of the nonsense that comes with it. I play twice a week now which has probably contributed to not missing attending games and, despite the kids having brighton kits, teddies etc I reckon I might take them along to Lewes or something if they want to go and get a first experience of football. Cost obviously being a huge factor. It's nice to know that my 20 or so ST years saw us play in our own city again, get promotions, move stadium, get to the PL, progress and now we are looking really stable. Maybe I've hit a bit of a "oh, we got to where I dreamed of........that's it then" feeling.

Another aspect is, now being fully emersed in the world of work, I just see all managers and players simply as people trying to make their way in their profession and we are just a cog in that. Do I reckon a kid from Ecuador dreamed of playing for the world famous Brighton? Nah. Are we the pinnacle for a manager? Nah. I'd move for more money so I have no issue with it happening here, but that mindset obviously contributes to some of the magic being lost. As many say, all the above is basically attributed to getting older and having a different outlook on life.

And finally.....VAR. It seems over the top to say, but VAR has ruined the key reasons I went to live football. In a sport where 1 goal may decide the whole thing, the moment you bring in something which means we have to wait to be sure we scored? Nah. f*** that. Another reason I'll go to something smaller if I fancy a live game.

I love this club. I love football. But the partners were right. It's only a game.

Good points and well made. That is why I attend Shoreham games more than I do the Albion, even having done the 92 grounds and having a ST for 34 years until I gave it up a few years ago.

Sometimes seeing these tools on youtube watching games from behind their PC's then telling anyone who will watch the rights and wrongs of their teams makes me quite bemused. Nothing wrong with having an opinion on anything football but there are too many people on-line who need to get out more, get a girlfriend, and live a fuller life. Football is a big part of it for many of us, but as you said I never get too high if we win or too low if we lose. There's always another match just round the corner.

And yes I 100% can confirm that VAR for me was the straw that broke the camels back. Changes for changes sake almost every season. Leave the game alone!

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

Robbed of one of the greatest upsets and comebacks in FA CUP history…for this.

Probably goes some way to answering why I struggle to give a s*** about football anymore.

Clear and obvious my a***.

The thing is, the offside rule is such an easy fix with VAR, in a way that many could get on board with.

It just blows my mind that there are people being paid 6 figures who still think this is the way forward.

 

[Berty23]

Anyone not happy with that VAR call because it was tight need to imagine it the other way. What if Man U had scored that goal and they had allowed it to stand because it was not a massive error. The world would have lost its collective mind. It was a clear offside off first replay, I thought.

Re feeling meh about Brighton at the moment. It is very very rare for us to get to this part of the season and have nothing much riding on it. Only a couple of seasons in the last 25 have we not had either promotion or relegation issues going on with a few games left. Obviously excluded last couple of season but replacing promotion were race to “best ever position”.

 

[Justice]

If the automated VAR had called offside no arguments. It’s simply because no one has trust in the officials. If we did we wouldn’t have the constant criticism every week. They are all below standard for the PL and games of big magnitude. Attwell is simply a shit ref ref who can’t make the right call to save himself. I can’t remember one game I’ve seen him ref and ever thought the ref had a good game today.

 

[Blues Guitarist]

You’re correct and this is the tedious mantra we hear all the time. But the offside law is simply not fit for purpose once you start taking it to that extreme - it’s to prevent goalhanging, not someone being an inch ahead of the second last defender.

And EXACTLY when was the ball played? We focus on thre lines, but if the ball was played one picture frame earlier, he might be onside.

 

[Flounce]

Wrong thread

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Begs the question - how do top six plastic supporters (aka CLAMS - Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester Sellouts) manage to generate any genuine sense of caring about their team's results when they are just a successful big club often selected at random. Equally, how do Rangers and Celtic fans generate any passion for the 66.7% of SPL 'foregone conclusion' games against the relative minnows?

 

[worthingseagull]

The "clear and obvious" metric isn't applied to offsides - you're either offside or you're not.

well maybe that is exactly what they need to change - will solve a lot of the problems

 

[Washie]

The 23/24 season represents my 30th season of supporting the Albion and as we all know this has been a truly historic year for the club. Starting my Albion supporting journey back in 93/94, never did I envisage we’d be beating the likes of Man U and Liverpool (amongst many others) in the top flight of English Football.

Which makes my recent indifference to football all the more difficult to understand. Not too long ago, my whole working week would be solely focused on the game at the weekend. The pre and post match drinks, visiting new town/cities, the smell of the pitch, the atmosphere and 90 mins of escapism.

None of that invokes any kind of excitement in me anymore, yet given the recent success of the Albion I know it should. As recently as Fulham away I shamefully walked out after 15 mins for, no other reason than sheer boredom - back to the pub I went. Ajax away, whilst fantastic to go there and win, didn’t quite fill with me the euphoria it previously might have done.

So I then ask myself is this just part of getting older where one starts finding enjoyment elsewhere? Possibly, but I’m only 39.

Is it the Premier League? So focused and hell bent on getting there, that the destination is never as good as the journey? Possibly, but given this seasons Europa exploits you could argue against that.

Or through our success, are we now just too far removed from the ‘grass roots’ of the game? Has the monetisation of football evaporated my enjoyment from the game I once loved? I’ve certainly not ruled out taking in some non league football to reignite some passion.

I don’t know what the answer is, but it started creeping in pre COVID and whilst for a short while it abated following numerous national lockdowns, the ambivalence has very much returned. I’ve renewed my Season Ticket for a 14th year and will in all likelihood attend a handful of away games once again, but my hopes for renewed invigoration are decreasing with every passing season.

The truth is I just don’t care like I once used to and whilst I know I should probably pack it all in and cancel my ST (or adopt a local non league team), I can’t bring myself to do it.

Being just a bit younger than you, I don't remember the Goldstone. My first memories of the Albion was in Gillingham. My start with the Albion was at our lowest. Growing up I always idolized the premier league and always wanted to be there. As I got older, I understood that European competitions were a thing. So my entire footballing life i have been surrounded by glory hunter friends and being bullied for supporting a smaller team. My dream wasn't to win trophies, but see Albion in these competitions. Now I have and I feel like the journey is complete. So this has made this seasons league campaign feel lesser. Hopefully, next season, not being in Europe will make everything feel more important to me again.

 

[portlock seagull]

Changes for changes sake almost every season. Leave the game alone!

Been saying for a long time. Each ego centric official believes they must change the game and leave “their” mark, like a male dog pissing on every lamp post. The result is uttter confusion and farce now. The game is much worse off.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Changes for changes sake almost every season. Leave the game alone!

To be fair there are some changes which actually benefit the game, but these only seem to last a few weeks e.g. booking players for petty petulance, throwing the ball away, surrounding the ref etc.

 

[JBizzle]

Begs the question - how do top six plastic supporters (aka CLAMS - Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester Sellouts) manage to generate any genuine sense of caring about their team's results when they are just a successful big club often selected at random. Equally, how do Rangers and Celtic fans generate any passion for the 66.7% of SPL 'foregone conclusion' games against the relative minnows?

If there's one word I don't associate with top "top clubs", it's "passion". City being a prime example.

Also, I think that the relationship between a club and it's fans becomes cooler the less the club needs it's fans. The top 6 are independently wealthy (as are a huge volume of the PL) and as such, they don't need their fans as much. For League One, Two, non-League clubs, they cannot survive without it's fans, and you can se that reflected in their fans passion to be a part of their club.

Added to that, specific to this thread, I've had a waning of love in periods of all of our managers in the last 20 years or so. All of our managers, because of the nature of our place in the pyramid, go through patches where we're objectively poor to watch and because I'm in my forties now it's not about "fan culture" at matches anymore, it about whether I enjoy the game or not. Sometimes, I don't.

 

[amexer]

i know it is an evening KO but see there are 100s of tickets available for City game to see one of worlds best teams. Maybe it is waring off although also see tickets are £60 in EU