[Albion] I Just Don’t Care Anymore

[HastingsSeagull]

I suspect is our age as I'm 41 and most saying similar on this thread are 35-43 it seems. I'm hoping taking baby Seagull if all goes well with current pregnancy (after issues first time round) and letting them age up a bit will help.

Spent 9 years in Asia now and for 8.5 of them I would catch 90%+ of 2a.m./4a.m. games etc. but less fussed this season.

Shit refs, shit V.A.R. and lots of injuries I'm sure main parts. I also don't drink while watching very often these days.

Have we also hit a ceiling?

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

The OP wasted a ticket for Ajax away plenty would have loved to have gone if you weren’t feeling it why go?

Just popped back on to see how the Death Star's journey into the black hole is progressing. Not well I see.

I arranged the Ajax trip, travel, accommodation, pre match entertainments, with my pal, but I didn't have a match ticket. Not enough points. I was going to go along with him anyway (he did have a ticket), and find some people with whom to watch the match in a bar. Then @Bozza managed to spot a last minute return and kept his finger on the button for 2 hours while several pals on NSC tracked me down so I could do the necessary bits my end.

It was an amazing couple of days and I still haven't seen Bozza yet to give him the hug he deserves.

If what you say is about the OP true.....crikey . Any twinges of regret I was beginning to feel about starting my arsey 'rebuttal' thread are fast evaporating.

The only thing stopping me going full Joey Barton is that, as @Zeberdi points out, the OP could be suffering from undiagnosed depression. In which case, I wish him all the best.

That said, I do find the 'I have fallen out of love' threads depressing. In the case of The Albion, I am 110% certain that it is 'you', and not the club. And all the navel gazing analysis about the demise of the game, the honesty, honour and integrity all going out of it now, f*** right off.

1964 British football match-fixing scandal - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I can take it or leave it nowadays. Certainly won't lose any sleep over it. And I've certainly lost all qualms about riding the Early Leaver Express. Maybe it's an age thing, maybe it's an EPL thing, maybe it's a loss of community thing. But the club's where the community fought for it to be - ie the club's right to exist - so job done! Who knows what comes next. As a half-bright geography teacher once said: 'It is what it is'

 

[Pavilionaire]

There is a certain inevitability and predictability about the top of the English game and - within that - VAR sucks what little spontaneity, surprise and "luck" out of proceedings.

The same teams dominate the top of the table and hoover up all the trophies, the same few teams are below them year in, year out and spend a fortune yet never win a domestic trophy. The exceptions to this are Leicester and us. The rest make up the numbers while the same 8-10 teams yo-yo between the top two divisions.

The one thing that can change the status quo is if FFP had balls, but that doesn't look like happening any time soon. Man City will win yet another Prem title, but I am falling out of love with them fast.

 

[poidy]

The OP wasted a ticket for Ajax away plenty would have loved to have gone if you weren’t feeling it why go?

Stayed till 90, watched a famous win, the pitch looked greener and more vivid than usual and I partied after until 0500 in the morning. Hardly wasted.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Stayed till 90, watched a famous win, the pitch looked greener and more vivid than usual and I partied after until 0500 in the morning. Hardly wasted.

Really? 5.00am and hardly wasted?

 

[southstandandy]

I think age does come into it to a degree. In my 20's (when we were at the Goldstone and times were tough) I would travel up and down the country watching the team, partly because it was quite cheap back in the early to mid 80's, and I didn't have family commitments like I do now. You could always turn up and pay on the gate and get in pretty much everywhere so there was never an issue getting to a game. Now the cost of football has made it almost seem like a middle-class sport, and I just sometimes have other things to do on the weekends.

Brilliant as it is to see the Albion hit the Prem, I now enjoy the footy more following Shoreham in the Southern Counties Prem (although we're struggling too) going back more to grass roots. That is where the real heart of football lies with no big time Charlie's, and lads just playing as they love the game without money being an issue.

 

[jackalbion]

I think this is exactly the point. Not sure your age but guessing mid 20’s? Which takes me back to my earlier points, that my earlier self would have shared your viewpoint, but at 39 I’m just a bit meh about it all.

Whether the same ambivalence befalls you when approaching 40 we’ll never know…unless you bounce this thread in 15+ years to tell me you still love it!

Hopefully you have the same passion but judging by the general views on this thread, I’d say that is by no means a given.

So many factors will determine that - financial position, mortgage, job, other hobbies/passions, family, children, health and even then it’s difficult to pinpoint the root cause.

It’s not a conscious decision and if one could flick a switch and reinstate the love and passion of yesteryear, then for most we absolutely would.

Yeah I do think age has a lot to do with it, I am mid 20's. I do think its part of getting older, I think there will be a point where I may become less interested but I don't think its anytime soon. I don't know whether your issue is more related to life in general more than football, a yearning for being young again. I can definitely seem why a lot more have turned to non league as well. Going down to Non League has given me a new lease of life with football (to the point of attending 223 games last year), maybe that'll reignite your passion. I know with Whitehawk this season it has for me.

 

[Justice]

Stayed till 90, watched a famous win, the pitch looked greener and more vivid than usual and I partied after until 0500 in the morning. Hardly wasted.

Fair enough although you didn’t exactly say in your post hell yeah had a great time in Dam , more well it was ok I suppose it didn’t really do it for me.

 

[Arthur]

I think the OP is not alone. I quite enjoyed the couple of weeks off we had recently. Normally on international breaks I'm been desperate for the league to start up again.

Our group is a perfect example. Since the Amex has opened we've had a taxi to and from every week we filled an 8 seater no problem and even had to upgrade to a 16 seater for certain games. For the recent Arsenal game as of Thursday I was the only one out of our group going (did end up being 3 of us in the end).

I don't know whether it was the highs of europe followed by the massive low in Rome but in my mind the season basically ended for us that night and now I'm a bit meh about the remaining fixtures and won't be bothered when it ends.

 

[portlock seagull]

It’s funny because I got out the habit of ST culture just as we were about to peak after decades of having one. Life changes course and far more serious things take over. I’ve now for the first time got opportunity to buy a ST if I want one. Enabling me to finally have a chance at all the glory ties home and away should we ever repeat last and this season.

But…I’ve decided no. It’s not worth it. As said, got out the habit and there are so many negatives having a PL ST too. Content to keep going to a few per season instead via ticket exchange. Oh, and firestick is the way forward anyhow!

 

[Hiney]

I'm 65 this summer and have been supporting Albion since 28th August 1968, when we drew 1-1 with Torquay United at The Goldstone.

I'm still like a little child when it comes to Albion and football in general. I LOVE the game. It's changed a lot since 1968 but I genuinely still love it. My support has changed though, a great deal since the days of going home and away with nothing else (apart from beer and music) to spend my money on. I've been though 2 divorces, seen one of my ex-wives die, been 15 minutes away from having my house re-possessed and a number of other life events that have affected the way I support Albion. I now live 250 miles away from Sussex but does that make me any less of a fan? I don't think so, I'm just different to someone who goes home and away.

Not quite sure what I'm trying to say, apart from the fact that it's alright to change the way you support the club, as long at it still lives in your heart.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I can take it or leave it nowadays. Certainly won't lose any sleep over it. And I've certainly lost all qualms about riding the Early Leaver Express. Maybe it's an age thing, maybe it's an EPL thing, maybe it's a loss of community thing. But the club's where the community fought for it to be - ie the club's right to exist - so job done! Who knows what comes next. As a half-bright geography teacher once said: 'It is what it is'

That's a hell of a lot better that it was for you, isn't it? I seem to recall your struggling with the notion of attending at all at the start of the season. If so - good news

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I'm 65 this summer and have been supporting Albion since 28th August 1968, when we drew 1-1 with Torquay United at The Goldstone.

I'm still like a little child when it comes to Albion and football in general. I LOVE the game. It's changed a lot since 1968 but I genuinely still love it. My support has changed though, a great deal since the days of going home and away with nothing else (apart from beer and music) to spend my money on. I've been though 2 divorces, seen one of my ex-wives die, been 15 minutes away from having my house re-possessed and a number of other life events that have affected the way I support Albion. I now live 250 miles away from Sussex but does that make me any less of a fan? I don't think so, I'm just different to someone who goes home and away.

Not quite sure what I'm trying to say, apart from the fact that it's alright to change the way you support the club, as long at it still lives in your heart.

f***ing hell. Apart from both my ex-wives being still alive, and being only 90 miles from t'Amex, my story is spookily similar, down to our ages and the house-repossession near miss. f***ing Nigel Lawson. What a ****.

(Are you also prepared to watch any football on TV (even monkey tennis if that's all that's on offer) rather than watch anything else on TV or, frankly, do anything else, whether productive or frivolous?).

 

[poidy]

Fair enough although you didn’t exactly say in your post hell yeah had a great time in Dam , more well it was ok I suppose it didn’t really do it for me.

Well there’s two things here. The football and the day/night out.

The pre and post match frolics has never been the problem and I doubt that will ever wane.

It’s the ambivalence to the game of football itself that’s changed in recent times.

Reassuring to hear that it’s relatively common though and I’m not having a mid life crisis.

 

[Vicar!]

Not just me then. Certain aspects are ruining the game for me.
Agents and seeing the team ripped apart every transfer window.
Travel logistics and rail strikes, match day alterations, costs.
Not being able to take a bag with me on long away rail trips due to ground regulations.
VAR
Coked up fans
The coach is an alternative, very well run but not my idea of a fun day out. All a little stale after the, er, shenanigans of the 70's (RIP Nigel)
Still love the game as much as ever, but next season I will start cutting back on away trips, prior to a move away from Sussex to the Isle of Wight. I may get involved with a local team over there or do a few more trips up to Fife. Either way Saturday will still remain sacred.

 

[Sergei's Celebration]

I couldn't even tell you every team in the PL let alone who is above or below us. I just had to check where we are in the league! My first game was in 82, and was a die hard for decades spending more money than is sensible and travelled up and down the country to follow the team, but only go to the amex as a sth to see friends and family now.

 

[dwayne]

The highs and lows are so stark this season. The highs have been the best highs I've experienced in all my years supporting the club, it was a dream of mine for us to play in Europe and I can tick it off now, I loved every minute of it, well apart from some of Roma away. I really hope we get a chance to play in Europe again.

The league has been a different matter. An amazing start, that game at wolves was incredible. But the second half of the season has been pretty terrible. For me, there just seems like too much water under the bridge for De Zerbi and have a nagging feeling there is a reason he doesn't last long at most places. I also don't see an end to the injury misery while he is still in charge. I'm on the fence about him staying but I don't have a warm and fuzzy feeling about next season at the moment.

As for general feeling. I live in London, it used to be easy to get to games, now it's a pain in the butt. I watch more than half of home games at home now. I still go to every London away and a few others away. But I will never miss a game live, no matter where I am in the world and even if that means coming in from a night out in Vegas and switching the tablet on ....the passion is still there.

 

[chaileyjem]

I've coached kids football in mid sussex for over a decade - now just the young kids - 6 and 7. Mostly running around pretending to be a tiger or a gorilla, silly games and encouraging them to touch the ball and move into space thanks to the magic of cones and poles and mini goals. When i started it was all , or for those that could afford them, replica shirts from Barcelona, Man City and Chelsea shirts on their backs either as Xmas presents or handed down from a Dad or an Uncle or a big sister.. When i asked about the rest of their day and chatted to the various grown ups milling around I was the only person that afternoon going to watch the Albion (struggle) v a Peterborough, Huddersfield or Barnsley.

Now in that park -its transformed , At least half of them turn up in varied Albion kits every week. They talk excitedly to me about their very first match at the Amex and where they are going to sit, they share signed scarves from open training days, and every holiday several of them have been on Albion Foundation coaching days on the various events held locally A new lad came up to me this week - "I've just got a season ticket Coach Jem" . I've never seen anyone so impossibly excited in my life. (and of couse there's a few Palace fans dotted about too - poor lads)

Of course caring about Albion , as some of the painful and heartfelt stories on here prove , is like the tides . I'm still pretty much in love - but its certainly changed a lot over the last 51 years. it came, it went, it came back again. But it was still always there. Perhaps I'd argue its now stronger than ever - its brought me closer to my kids and new friends in the last decade and for that i'm eternally grateful. . But if you want to be reassured that there are Albion fans that still care - then have a walk around the pitches of Sussex on a weekend and peer at some of the little kids aspiring to be a Mitoma or a March or a Pedro in the blue and white over there. There's now hundreds, thousands of them. For them RDZ will be just a footnote in their Seagull history, they certainly won't be fretting about points at Burnley (A) and Brentford (A) . They just want to be part of the ride - something none of us ever expected. And boy what a club they now have to fall in love with.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

I think it's just the season fizzling out. There's no real jeopardy now, no buzz if we score, no disaster if we concede. This is mid table mediocrity. It's still a bit new to us, especially after the intensity of last season.

I'm sure the buzz will be back in September. Although I do agree as you get older it's not quite the same. A few years back I'd be desperate to find the cheapest way to get to Newcastle, now I've already sacked it off because i can't justify doing a hundred notes on a meaningless game of football that we'll probably lose.