I'm sorry. The Goldstone retail site.

[Jam The Man]

So I've managed to avoid the Goldstone retail site for over 18 years, despite having three children, a nephew, and a niece who would have loved me to go to Toys R Us.
But my youngest is pleading with me.

I always said I'd only ever consider going there once Albion had a permanent stadium... So I've managed to even drag that out for over 4 years too.

DB has passed away, WA is ancient... so with a heavy heart I've decided the time has come to leave the past in the past. Sorry if this offends anyone...

 

[Titanic]

Never have. Never will. Don't even drive past.

 

[TomandJerry]

Barber OUT!

 

[timbha]

There's a toys r us in Croydon y'know

 

[Stat Brother]

As said before, from the moment the AMEX opened the Goldstone site becomes shops, with a cracking history that's a massive part of most of us.

Anyone still passionately holding onto that injustice prefers grudges to grounds.

 

[Aveacarlin']

Lest we forget?

 

[BensGrandad]

Like the OP I avoided the retail site neither using the shops or passing by always used a detour but as soon as The Amex opened and we had a home the criteria changed. We had won so it became irrelevant.

We have achieved far more and the prospects for the future far greater than we could have hoped for at The Goldstone so despite the heartache we have come out better off now.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I've only driven past it on one day - when I volunteered to drive the support minibus on the day of the celebratory bike ride from Gillingham to the Amex, via Withdean. I had to go there, because the cyclists chose to gather in Hove Park. I tried to avoid looking at the place when I was there. But I've never been back.

 

[mona]

Greg Stanley and Bill Archer's gift to football.

 

[Dave the OAP]

The tk Max in there is brilliant! Cheap golf stuff
,!!

 

[dazzer6666]

The shops are shite anyway

 

[studio150]

You can still avoid toys r us due to the fact that they treat all customers as criminals on the basis that no bags are permitted to be taken into the store.
This is in my view totally unacceptable and mot something that I am prepared to tolerate

 

[BensGrandad]

The tk Max in there is brilliant! Cheap golf stuff
,!!

Is it as disorganised and a shambles as the store in North St?

 

[Silverhatch]

If they (the retailers/landlords) built a proper celebratory memorial to the Goldstone then I might consider it. It's stupid and irrational but i still think it's shameful that 90+ years of history is so easily forgotten. Even the new Nandos won't get me in there.

 

[Sheebo]

The tk Max in there is brilliant! Cheap golf stuff
,!!

Didn't know TK Max did golf stuff! Or do you just mean clothing Dave?

 

[ofco8]

I've got a slightly different take on the whole saga now.
With the Amex up and running and more beautiful than I ever expected us to have, then perhaps the disaster that was Archer et al was a blessing in disguise.
With them remaining we may have ended up with a refurbished Goldstone, which would never have been satisfactory, or an out of city location.
Instead fan power ousted them and with Dick Knight and all those that followed our pain and hurt was probably worth it in the long term. At least it makes us appreciative, unlike moaning Chelsea and United fans because they have lost a couple of games.
When I see the Goldstone site now I thank the stars for the great times many of us experienced there.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

If they (the retailers/landlords) built a proper celebratory memorial to the Goldstone then I might consider it. It's stupid and irrational but i still think it's shameful that 90+ years of history is so easily forgotten.

There's an impressive memorial board in Hove Park directly opposite that shanty retail park. DK unveiled it a couple of years back.

It's so weird though. Still fully expecting to see the Goldstone floodlights whenever I walk over the Droveway and across the park, like the walk I used to do for years on end from Preston Park. Still feel cheated that they're no longer there.

 

[bobbysmith01]

Been past a few times, but would never go there, personal choice, up to people, too many wonderful and sad memories for me and would never give any off the outlets my hard earned money, I am aware there is a Burger King, Nandos (horrible expensive chicken and chips), Toys r Us, so no reason to shop there for me, so no problems.

 

[terryberry1]

The Goldstone was great but at the end of the day football moves on. We would never have been able to turn that ground into a 30k + stadium. Yes we were robbed by them 2 c#*t$ and for a while we were deep in the brown stuff but look where we are now. People need to move on, that ground was never going to be there forever. Any way I'm off to Nandos.

 

[drew]

Each to their own but I never really had a problem with shopping there. It wasn't the land that was the problem, it was the individuals driving the club into the ground. Doesn't matter how you look back at what happened, we would never have stayed there much longer than we did. Some great nights at the Goldstone and fond memories but they were because of what happened on the pitch and the fans that responded to it. The ground itself was basically a sh*t hole, even back in the mid 70s when I first became a regular.