[Albion] Infrastructure FC

[Not Andy Naylor]

Have to say I find some of the comments on this thread incredible.

When we were playing at Withdean we had crap crowds who, on most occasions, didn't fill a crap stadium. When talk of a new stadium first started I'm sure it was suggested we would part build it and develop further as and when the the need arose (not dissimilar to Oxford except for them the need hasn't arisen). It took us 13 years from Dick Knight taking over for us to move into our new ground. Bournemouth started plans for a new ground only two years ago and although they now appear to be on hold, they may well still get one quicker than we did.

Whether people like it or not we are where we are purely because of the benevolence of one very rich fan. Had the crash of 2008 not happened who's to say we wouldn't now be in hock to the banks. People go on our about our steady progress but if we had won the play-offs in our second season in the championship that would have been well before the academy opened and we had a CEO of the calibre of PB so our infrasture, other than the Amex wouldn't have been in place.

I'm not going to waste time hating a club like Bournemouth as there are more that unites clubs like ours than divides us. Much more worthwhile hating clubs like Palace, Leeds, the Massive etc.

You're conveniently ignoring several points here.

Bournemouth would only get a new stadium quicker than we did because there are no planning issues as I understand it.

Withdean was usually a matter of not filling a crap stadium in the lower divisions. It was hard to get tickets in the Championship or equivalent. Whereas PLB never seem to fill a quite comfortable, if small, modern stadium for Premier League football.

The one very rich fan might have taken over even if the original plans for financing the ground had been unaffected by 2008.

The academy is irrelevant, isn't it? I think you're referring to the opening of the training ground. And PB was CEO by the end of the second season in the Championship.

 

[northstandsteve]

My dislike for Bournemouth goes back to 1971-72, first real footie agro witnessed on Boxing day, and ted McDougal handball goal at dean Court.

 

[Wardy's twin]

I can understand the bit about buying better players rather than investing in the ground but it there is also a strong element of commitment and intention. TB clearly has a very strong long-term commitment to the club, the fans and Brighton (plus the immediate area) and has invested in the stadium. that is very re-assuring to many fans.

The block that the away fans were in yesterday was awful and what is really strange is that it is normally used by home fans... The pitch facing bit was ok , the bit at the back and side were terrible.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I wouldn't call it an argument. I think our fans have a habit of claiming that our investment is somehow more organic than that of other clubs. Tony Bloom pumping in £200m to get is where we are isn't that different to what Maxim Denim has done. The only difference is that Tony's money was spent (arguably) more wisely and has future proofed our position as a club.

Yes. And I like to imagine that Tony's farts don't smell. If you know what I mean.

Anyway, there is a grain of truth in my allusions to superiority which may be sufficient to wind up any silent interlopers from pluckyland, and that's half the fun of a football forum (bares arse and toots La Marseillaise)

 

[Knocky's Nose]

My dislike for Bournemouth goes back to 1971-72.....

That's nearly fifty years ago!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Exactly this. We had just left the Goldstone and were playing at Gillingham.

I was at a corporate evening event at the New Den and looking out over the pitch it looked magnificent to us homeless souls.

They turned all the lights on around the pitch and thought wow, can the Albion have one of these please.

Now when travelling by train to London Bridge now think thank ***k Amex is 100 times better, when passing those four individual.miserable looking stands. .

Lol. My train goes past either shithole park or the new dengue, and I shake my had sadly every time. It also goes past pissfilld, and I smirk. When it goes past the TEC, however, I say thanks Jimmy.

 

[Wardy's twin]

Dormice

 

[e77]

In as much as we each have a rich benefactor I think we are quite similar and attendances don't make a lot of difference to the bottom line while in the Premier League. The difference in approaches should mean then when the pair of us are next out of the Premier League - which I am sorry to say while happen to both one day - we should have the setup to cope with the shock better.

 

[drew]

You're conveniently ignoring several points here.

Bournemouth would only get a new stadium quicker than we did because there are no planning issues as I understand it.

Withdean was usually a matter of not filling a crap stadium in the lower divisions. It was hard to get tickets in the Championship or equivalent. Whereas PLB never seem to fill a quite comfortable, if small, modern stadium for Premier League football.

The one very rich fan might have taken over even if the original plans for financing the ground had been unaffected by 2008.

The academy is irrelevant, isn't it? I think you're referring to the opening of the training ground. And PB was CEO by the end of the second season in the Championship.

Ok, PB came in after the play offs and with the best will in the world, wouldn't have had the administrative side 'premier league ready' within two and half months. Yes, by academy I did mean the actual facility. .

Re attendances, I think Bournemouth pretty much fill the stadium every week bar a couple of hundred.

The main point I was making was that I don't understand why some feel the need to pick on a club like Bournemouth! They go on about how well respected CH is within the game but I'm not sure EH gets load of bad press from those within the game just some don't like his appearance of being smug.

 

[northstandsteve]

not including some awful decisions against us at Withdean etc. Won't let it go, just behind Palace for me.But i would still like them to stay in the PL rather than Leeds,Villa, Brough, Wednesday etc

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I just begrudge the luck they've had over recent years with refereeing decisions when playing us. Particularly the penalty they got at Withdean for a handball, outside the area, by one of their own players. Eddie Howe said it was the right decision of course.

Also, the hands-down shittest penalty decision I've ever seen, when Calde executed a perfect tackle on one of their players, the ball went out for what should have been a corner, and HOOPS stepped forward in response to absolutely no claims from any Bournemouth players whatsoever to award them a penalty. Eddie Howe said it was the right decision, naturally.

And on that subject: just...HOOPS. What kind of fans forum has an affectionate nickname for a referee? Other sorts of nicknames, sure. But a chirpy diminutive? That says all I need to know about Bournemouth fans.

Oh, and their home end loudly sang "HIV positive" towards Albion fans at Dean Court one year, which is up there with the scummiest chants I've heard (Meridian News probably missed it though as they were too busy crying "OH THE HUMANITY" because a few Albion fans went on the pitch to protest at Bill Archer one year).

 

[Weststander]

I just begrudge the luck they've had over recent years with refereeing decisions when playing us. Particularly the penalty they got at Withdean for a handball, outside the area, by one of their own players. Eddie Howe said it was the right decision of course.

Also, the hands-down shittest penalty decision I've ever seen, when Calde executed a perfect tackle on one of their players, the ball went out for what should have been a corner, and HOOPS stepped forward in response to absolutely no claims from any Bournemouth players whatsoever to award them a penalty. Eddie Howe said it was the right decision, naturally.

And on that subject: just...HOOPS. What kind of fans forum has an affectionate nickname for a referee? Other sorts of nicknames, sure. But a chirpy diminutive? That says all I need to know about Bournemouth fans.

Oh, and their home end loudly sang "HIV positive" towards Albion fans at Dean Court one year, which is up there with the scummiest chants I've heard (Meridian News probably missed it though as they were too busy crying "OH THE HUMANITY" because a few Albion fans went on the pitch to protest at Bill Archer one year).

I remember the Withdean ‘handball’. After outclassing Bmuff and the game about to end, Fletcher charged Elphick, then handled it a metre outside the box. The Telegraph reported:

“This was baffling when you consider that the incident happened a yard outside the area. There was also the point that Fletcher — who happens to be 6ft 3in and built like a coffin on legs — was impelling the helpless Elphick towards the ball like a WWF wrestler preparing to expel his opponent from the ring”.

 

[Peter Ward]

Bournemouth remind me of Blackpool: Stanley Matthews played in their FA cup final that they won in 1953. Great success is always temporary.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

And it's Infrastructure,
Infrastructure FC,
By far the best built team
the world will ever see.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Ok, PB came in after the play offs and with the best will in the world, wouldn't have had the administrative side 'premier league ready' within two and half months. Yes, by academy I did mean the actual facility. .

Re attendances, I think Bournemouth pretty much fill the stadium every week bar a couple of hundred.

The main point I was making was that I don't understand why some feel the need to pick on a club like Bournemouth! They go on about how well respected CH is within the game but I'm not sure EH gets load of bad press from those within the game just some don't like his appearance of being smug.

I think some of the dislike stems from the mismatch between the lovely romantic fairy story of a little club from rural Dorset somehow challenging the big boys against all the odds and the reality of a wealthy Russian owner who decided to ignore FFP when other clubs were playing by the rules.

Part of their canniness has been in their media relations, which are very good. They make Eddie Howe and their players available for interviews, which gets the written press on their side. And they are very welcoming to the media on match days, which also helps. The Albion media team do a similarly good job. Another club a little closer to Bournemouth than us has a far less helpful approach and you will seldom read anything positive about them in the national press.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I think some of the dislike stems from the mismatch between the lovely romantic fairy story of a little club from rural Dorset somehow challenging the big boys against all the odds and the reality of a wealthy Russian owner who decided to ignore FFP when other clubs were playing by the rules.

This is basically the crux of it, for me.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

This is basically the crux of it, for me.

That

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I think some of the dislike stems from the mismatch between the lovely romantic fairy story of a little club from rural Dorset somehow challenging the big boys against all the odds and the reality of a wealthy Russian owner who decided to ignore FFP when other clubs were playing by the rules.

Part of their canniness has been in their media relations, which are very good. They make Eddie Howe and their players available for interviews, which gets the written press on their side. And they are very welcoming to the media on match days, which also helps. The Albion media team do a similarly good job. Another club a little closer to Bournemouth than us has a far less helpful approach and you will seldom read anything positive about them in the national press.

You'll get our resident Bournemouth fans in a right tizz with (accurate) (fact based) observations like that.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

God. Who’d have thought we’d live so long as to see Bournemouth...I mean...BOURNEMOUTH looking down their noses at Brighton and Hove Albion and seeing themselves as the Giants of the South Coast.

I think that I died in about 2009 and this is actually some dreadful afterlife where Manchester City are the all conquering Bohemoths, Spurs never win anything and Bournemouth fans take themselves and their margarine inspired “stadium” seriously.

Unfortunately I’m in this Hell with Portsmouth and Leeds United Fans.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

You'll get our resident Bournemouth fans in a right tizz with (accurate) (fact based) observations like that.

They're in a permanent tizz anyway.