happypig
Staring at the rude boys
What if....
In the closing minutes of the FA cup final, Gordon Smith broke through the
Manchester United defence. As Gary Bailey closed the angle Smith played a
perfectly weighted pass to Michael Robinson who blasted home from short range.
Manchester United had nothing left and the game finished 3-2. Brighton had won
the FA cup.
Relegation was a bitter blow but being in the Cup Winners Cup meant money coming
in and it enabled Brighton to both bring in new players and keep some of the
quality they already had.
An exciting European campaign saw some big names at the Goldstone and a strong
campaign saw an eventual semi-final loss to Juventus.
Whilst the European campaign provided a financial boost, it was, arguably, far
more important to get promoted back to the top flight and Brighton did this,
courtesy of their stronger squad.
1984/5 saw Brighton competing again in the first division and despite a couple
of scares they remained a solidly mid-table side.
With the renewed interest in football at the start of the 1990s, Brighton
continued to go from strength to strength and, firmly established in the top
flight, became an attractive prospect for investors.
In 1992 a local businessman sunk a considerable sum into the club, taking a
majority shareholding and displacing two of the clubs directors, Archbastard and
Stamly, who he later described as "the biggest pair of untrustworthy bastards
I've ever come accross"
(Archbastard and Stamly, along with failed politician David Betolli, turned their
sights north and became majority shareholders in a second division Yorkshire
club; withion 3 years they had asset stripped it and the club was bankrupt,
their ground turned into a Tesco.)
Brighton continued to do well but a cloud was on the horizon in the form of the
beloved, but delapidated Goldstone Ground.
Plans were drawn up to build a new stadium on the outskirts of the town; a small
but very vocal opposition garnered some support until it was revealed that most
of them didn't live in the town and that they were supported by local gobshite
Norman Baker, a small-time politician with a reputation for jumping on any
bandwagon he thought would get him publicity.
It was touch and go as to whether the authorites would allow the building of a
new stadium but in a hugely tense public meeting the chairman's poker like
brinkmanship forced thier hand when he said that he would move the entire club
to Gillingham and play there. The opposition, knowing themselves beaten, folded;
the papers were signed and the deal was done.And then came the new Stadium;
Brighton moved in and the old Goldstone ground was redeveloped, much to the
delight of fans who, although missing thier old home, knew they had a far better
one.
Oh, and what of Stamly, Archbastard and Betolli ?
Betolli was found guilty of falsifying expenses during his brief time as an MP;
he was sentenced to three years in prison and now works washing cars in the
supermarket car park.
Stamly and Archbastard took thier ill gotten gains and went to Zimbabwe to invest in
farmland. Two years later, Stamly had been hacked to death and Archbastard was
thrown on a bonfire.
In the closing minutes of the FA cup final, Gordon Smith broke through the
Manchester United defence. As Gary Bailey closed the angle Smith played a
perfectly weighted pass to Michael Robinson who blasted home from short range.
Manchester United had nothing left and the game finished 3-2. Brighton had won
the FA cup.
Relegation was a bitter blow but being in the Cup Winners Cup meant money coming
in and it enabled Brighton to both bring in new players and keep some of the
quality they already had.
An exciting European campaign saw some big names at the Goldstone and a strong
campaign saw an eventual semi-final loss to Juventus.
Whilst the European campaign provided a financial boost, it was, arguably, far
more important to get promoted back to the top flight and Brighton did this,
courtesy of their stronger squad.
1984/5 saw Brighton competing again in the first division and despite a couple
of scares they remained a solidly mid-table side.
With the renewed interest in football at the start of the 1990s, Brighton
continued to go from strength to strength and, firmly established in the top
flight, became an attractive prospect for investors.
In 1992 a local businessman sunk a considerable sum into the club, taking a
majority shareholding and displacing two of the clubs directors, Archbastard and
Stamly, who he later described as "the biggest pair of untrustworthy bastards
I've ever come accross"
(Archbastard and Stamly, along with failed politician David Betolli, turned their
sights north and became majority shareholders in a second division Yorkshire
club; withion 3 years they had asset stripped it and the club was bankrupt,
their ground turned into a Tesco.)
Brighton continued to do well but a cloud was on the horizon in the form of the
beloved, but delapidated Goldstone Ground.
Plans were drawn up to build a new stadium on the outskirts of the town; a small
but very vocal opposition garnered some support until it was revealed that most
of them didn't live in the town and that they were supported by local gobshite
Norman Baker, a small-time politician with a reputation for jumping on any
bandwagon he thought would get him publicity.
It was touch and go as to whether the authorites would allow the building of a
new stadium but in a hugely tense public meeting the chairman's poker like
brinkmanship forced thier hand when he said that he would move the entire club
to Gillingham and play there. The opposition, knowing themselves beaten, folded;
the papers were signed and the deal was done.And then came the new Stadium;
Brighton moved in and the old Goldstone ground was redeveloped, much to the
delight of fans who, although missing thier old home, knew they had a far better
one.
Oh, and what of Stamly, Archbastard and Betolli ?
Betolli was found guilty of falsifying expenses during his brief time as an MP;
he was sentenced to three years in prison and now works washing cars in the
supermarket car park.
Stamly and Archbastard took thier ill gotten gains and went to Zimbabwe to invest in
farmland. Two years later, Stamly had been hacked to death and Archbastard was
thrown on a bonfire.
