Ironically was Bill Archer actually the best thing that happened to the Albion?

[Lenny Rider]

A discussion we were having in the bar after the game, had he not asset stripped and raped the club would we still be plodding along at the Goldstone with the likes of Sizen, Campbell, Kent and Clark running the club.
By all but destroying us it galvanised the support bought Dick Knight and Martin Perry to the forefront and then in turn Tony Bloom, and now on the cusp of returning to the top flight, he may remain a complete c***, but did his devious actions actually start the whole thing rolling?

 

[1234andcounting]

A legends banner is the only fitting tribute imho, Len.

 

[big nuts]

I still think Tony Bloom would have come along and ploughed vast amount into the club. It's due to Archer that some of our best seasons footballing wise was spent at Withdean. The atmosphere at the Goldstone whilst we won back to back Championships would have been phenomenal and certainly our gates would have been pushing 14/15,000 or close to capacity.

The Archer/Bellotti debacle certainly galvanised support and the club had to change otherwise it wouldn't have survived. Being an Albion fan now feels so good and you only fully appreciate it when you look back to the late nineties travelling to the Priestfield every other week and watching Derek Allan play with Phil Andrews on the bench.

 

[Yossarian]

In hindsight you can use these sort of arguments for any long term gain following an 'evil' act. We could have equally gone out of existence had Robbie not scored at Hereford, Hitler could have won WWII had he not fallen for the great inflatable D-Day con etc etc.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Did we have to go through what he put us through,could we(the club) have got all the planning permission through for the eventual re sale of the Goldstone at £22m in 1999 after and ploughed the money back into the club?

All ifs and buts,but in order to reach paradise sometimes you have to go through hell.

 

[Ernest]

[MENTION=17322]Lenny Rider[/MENTION] I think it is FARE to say that the BEST thing that HAPPENED was that Tight AND PERRY were a PEAR of complete BELL ENDS who COULDN'T run a WHELK stall on the PEER let alone a FOOTBALL club.

If the POTLESS pillock had been ABLE to get the FUNDS for a TINPOT ground like PERRY first planned then WE would be NOW at Falmer with MID table MEDIOCRITY in League 1 with SALDE as manager and DEAN Cox our BEST player.

JUST thank GOD Dick Tight was potless otherwise Tony Bloom would NEVER have GOT a LOOK in.

 

[Hamilton]

No no no no.

This is like the unhealthy reinvention of Thatcher that happened a few weeks ago.

Both delivered change to the club and country respectively. Could that change have been secured differently with harming so many people? Yes.

The only difference between Thatcher and Archer was that 100% of people hated and disrespected the latter. Let's keep it that way!

 

[Triggaaar]

Whatever, I will still raise a glass when he goes.

 

[Biscuit]

What a load of bollocks. We could have continued at the Goldstone and still moved to Falmer. Never forget what that ******* did to our club. Sure we're on the up now but remember Priestfield, getting soaked at Withdean, being eternally SKINT and a total laughing stock in footballing terms. He did that to us. Dick Knight and Tony Bloom have rescued us but its taken decades.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

No way.....Is this serious?

That is like saying that a woman's abusive husband was "the best thing " just because she found the guts to start over and do better.

We would still be at Falmer, or somewhere else that is good, TB may still be at the helm . We would not have stagnated. It would have happened a lot quicker.

 

[Brian Fantana]

I'll say the same as I did the last time this was posed:

I totally separate what TB, DK and MP have done for the club, and will not give a hint of back-handed glory to that **** Archer. For me, it's all about intention. And his was to end BHAFC. For that, he will never be forgiven, and quite rightly so.

 

[Brovion]

It's been discussed before, 'thanking' Archer for where we are today is a bit like 'thanking' the IRA for the part they played in re-designing the Arndale Centre in Manchester.

Still these things, like the original Wimbledon moving to Milton Keynes, often do turn out for the best almost in spite of themselves. It doesn't make them 'right', but it's all about how people cope.

 

[Soul Finger]

No.

End of.

 

[inland seagull]

maybe he did have an influence on what has transpired but that wasn't his intention, he sought to line his pockets at the expense of a great football club. The sewer rat can go rot in hell sooner rather than later in my opinion

 

[Pinkie Brown]

Bill Archer was NOT the best thing that happened to The Albion.

Chances are, we would have been playing in a new stadium years earlier had Archer & his gang not been involved with the club. Moving from a traditional old ground to new stadia isn't reinventing the wheel. Plenty of clubs on meagre finances do it. Brighton would have done it, be it at Falmer or another location in the City. Whether it would have been a grand design as Falmer, we will never know.

 

[BensGrandad]

If Archer Stanley and Bellotti had not raped the club we would have continued at The Goldstone or Gillinghgam while they f....d about trying for another ground somewhere. I think that by now we would have been in a new ground somewhere irrespective and possibly TB would have come to the forefront but nobody can be certain. Whether or not the ground they wanted or planned would have compared to what we have now is very debatable and whether or not they would have funded promotions as many money people did using Dick Knight as the front man, again remains an unknown.

 

[TheFatBallBoy]

Without Hitler would we have had a national healthy service

 

[Grapes of Wrath]

Credit Archer with F*** all please. He had no problem with attempting to destroy our club. What has happened since is nothing to do with him!

May he rot in hell for what he did, and I for one would gladly spit on his grave. Strong emotions I know, but I can't help the way I feel and that will never change!

 

[Fungus]

Haven't we already done this, several times? Can't remember what the result was, so carry on...

 

[Mowgli37]

A legends banner is the only fitting tribute imho, Len.