Justin Fashanu

[El Presidente]

Fash coached the Albion supporters team a few times, and he was a fantastic bloke. Even though his career was over there was no self pity, he was infectiously enthusiastic and a genuine lovely person.

The conflicts that he had in his private life that lead to his needless suicide were a tragedy.

 

[Buzzer]

Please do include the truth about how his opportunist scumbag of a brother, John, publicly disowned him in the Black British newspaper, The Voice, because of Justin's sexuality only to peddle his story to the highest bidder of how affected he was by Justin's suicide.

 

[kevtherev]

Remember at the time Cattlin had Kevin Drinkell, Colin Clarke and Fashanu looked at. Both Clarke and Drinkell failed medicals(both went on to have good carrers). Fashanus knee problem was undetected at the time he signed. Think this was a major reason Cattlin got the boot, £115k at the time was a lot of money spent, when money was very tight. About the gay thing, Cattlin told me some years later, he had no idea he was gay and if he had known he was he would never had signed him. However after reading Cloughs auto biography, surely I would have thought it was fairly common knowledge, inside football. I remember a fellow fan saying at the time that Fash would have loved having NOBO on his shirt. He certainly seemed to know, and no he was not gay as well.

 

[Benny Seagull]

I thought it was John Fashanu.

[yt]xLuaqNoxjro[/yt]

 

[Return of the Rev]

Q4 Christ is King, New England Street.

nutters!!!!!!!!

 

[Ernest]

He was HUNG like the PROVERBIAL donkey, once spent an AFTERNOON on the beach with him and just SAYING I wouldn't like him STICKING that UP my BACKSIDE although IT would have sorted my PILES out.
He was an ABSOLUTE gent and WOULD have FIRED us up to the TOP flight but his knees were f***ed.

 

[brakespear]

Please do include the truth about how his opportunist scumbag of a brother, John, publicly disowned him in the Black British newspaper, The Voice, because of Justin's sexuality only to peddle his story to the highest bidder of how affected he was by Justin's suicide.

this.

 

[bouldnorbirdman]

Thanks for all your replies to my questions about Fashanu.

This is what I understand about his knee injury, taken from pres cuttings. He was given a three year contract even though there was an exclusion clause on his right knee. So when he had to retire at the end of the season, Brighton had no insurance to cover the cost. Alan Mullery had to deal with it and the club offered Fashanu six months salary, basically to go away. I wonder if Cattlin got criticised within the club for allowing this situation to occur and whether it contributed to his dismissal.

Yes, I do know about John getting a lot of publicity for denouncing Justin after he came out.

So did Fashanu put in some decent performances when he was fit?

 

[El Presidente]

So did Fashanu put in some decent performances when he was fit?

He was in the main ok, without being outstanding. He never looked fully fit. I seem to recall him scoring the winner at Fratton Park which, given the way we had been treated by the police the previous season in a 5-1 defeat, was worth the £115k by itself.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Fash coached the Albion supporters team a few times, and he was a fantastic bloke. Even though his career was over there was no self pity, he was infectiously enthusiastic and a genuine lovely person.

The conflicts that he had in his private life that lead to his needless suicide were a tragedy.

All of this.

He used to come along in the evenings and run our training, in the old church, on the corner of Newtown Road, which had been boarded out, to make a (shit) 5-a-sde pitch. Good bloke - very generous with his time. Then he'd buy a round up at the Hove Park Tavern afterwards (blackcurrant and lemonade for himself- didn't drink).

 

[The Large One]

Regarding the Rollings/Fashanu thing - Justin Fashanu spent the entire game elbowing and kicking Rollings, and Rollings was getting pissed off that the ref was doing nothing about it. Eventually, his patience snapped, and he punched Fashanu in the face, and got a red card for his trouble.

Regarding the Cattlin dismissal, Fashanu's injury was the (feeble) excuse that the board of the time were looking for to get rid of Cattlin, even though what happened had nothing to do with him. There were certain board members out to disrupt and undermine Cattlin's management so that they could bring their own man in. Cattlin was never officially given a reason for his sacking, and end up settling out of court (three years later) for wrongful dismissal.

 

[Simster]

Please do include the truth about how his opportunist scumbag of a brother, John, publicly disowned him in the Black British newspaper, The Voice, because of Justin's sexuality only to peddle his story to the highest bidder of how affected he was by Justin's suicide.

Completely agree. What a cünt.

 

[Hillian1]

I recall one game when Justin was sent off at the Goldstone, not sure who it was against, and the North Stand stared singing his name, it was the loudest i'd heard in years.

That makes me feel old.

 

[Greyrun]

Pre season friendly against Spurs,we scored 5 and alleged hard man Graham Roberts moaned to the referee about Justins physical but legal style of play,would have got promotion that year if he had stayed fit,great player shame his knees were uninsurable.

 

[Tubby Mondays]

I wasn't active in attending during his time at Brighton, although I was at the home game v Norwich several years before he was involved in a head to head clash with Steve Foster which, I think, was the original cause of the head protection worn buy Foster from then on...

This has come up before and I do beleive the cause of the injury was none other than Andy 'Women should stay at home' Gray whilst playing for Wolves. Deffo wasnt Fash.

 

[dunno]

This has come up before and I do beleive the cause of the injury was none other than Andy 'Women should stay at home' Gray whilst playing for Wolves. Deffo wasnt Fash.

Yep I seem to remember it was Andy Gray

 

[The Large One]

Mike Yaxley treating Foster for that very collision with Andy Gray.

 

[Storer68]

Could it have been a pre-season friendly? 8 August 1985?

Yup I saw that.

We all thouhght the league would be an absolute walkover after that

 

[Storer68]

Thanks for all your replies to my questions about Fashanu.

This is what I understand about his knee injury, taken from pres cuttings. He was given a three year contract even though there was an exclusion clause on his right knee. So when he had to retire at the end of the season, Brighton had no insurance to cover the cost. Alan Mullery had to deal with it and the club offered Fashanu six months salary, basically to go away. I wonder if Cattlin got criticised within the club for allowing this situation to occur and whether it contributed to his dismissal.

Yes, I do know about John getting a lot of publicity for denouncing Justin after he came out.

So did Fashanu put in some decent performances when he was fit?

My recollection, for what it was worth, is that we weren't very impressed. He cost a huge sum , came with a big reputation (we'd all seen the Goal of the Season that he's scored for Norwich v Liverpool ) - never looked like the player he had been there . But there was talent there undoubtedly. He didn't play very often and we were never told why

 

[kevtherev]

I think its fair to say we never saw the best of him. Sure we played Forest(as has been mentioned), Liverpool and Arsenal in pre season, all at the Goldstone. Fashanu scored a scremer in the Liverpool game, in front of over 9,000 think we lost 1-4..But for the fact he was clearly not 100% all the time he was with us, I think he would have been a fantastic player for us. Alas we will never know, did not realise he was only 25 when forced to retire from the game. Before coming back a few years later for short spells here and there....Jesus we had some strikers around that time 85/86 season, Dean Saunders, Terry Connor, Alan Biley, Justin Fashanu and who can forget Mick "Fergie" Ferguson....oh the memories.