[Albion] Leaving before the full time whistle

[el punal]

You can’t win, can you? Good fan me, stayed behind, clapped the team off, had a post match drink in the concourse, ambled down to Falmer station just as the Brighton train pulled in - goody. Twenty minutes to catch my 5.00pm connection back to Southampton. Then - the train leaves and stops. Apparently there’s a land slip in the area and trains are permitted to travel at only 20mph. Wonderfully, we make it to Brighton and arrive at 5.01pm - just in time to see my Southampton train heading off into the sunset. That pretty much summed up the day, the weather, the game, the result, the ref, and everything in between.

 

[stewart12]

Are cases of EarlyLeaverIsm getting worse?

It feels like it, but it may be a bit of a vicious circle: with people needing to leave earlier and earlier to get ahead of the crowd, which has more and more early leavers.

As I posted on a thread after Ajax, I left slightly early, possibly the first time I've ever left an Amex game before the final whistle. I timed two-and-a-half of the "minimum of three minutes added time" and then legged it all the way to The Bridge to get the car out before it became gridlocked.

I only considered doing this after reading someone else on here saying they do it. I don't know how much time it saved - possibly up to an hour - but I did feel guilty about it. I'm not sure if I'd do the same again.

wonder if it's due to the lack of Saturday 3:00 kick off's? They're the ones less affected by this as people are more inclined to stick around

 

[dsr-burnley]

I honestly don't think that would work either, it won't make a blind bit of difference, folks will naturally still want to be first in line.

If you go by car, there will still no doubt be a delay waiting in a traffic jam and people will still leave early to avoid this. But on the other hand, some of the people who leave early to avoid standing out in all weathers might be more inclined to stay to the end, if their option is to sit in a car with the heating on, in the dry.

 

[Titanic]

Because I missed out on the usual Uni/Bridge parking, we had a park on my drive in Coldean.

OK it was a 30 min walk, in the pissing rain, but it cost less than the Bridge and we stayed to clap the players off, which we don't usually do, because those 5 minutes cost at least 30 more in the car park gridlock.

I will definitely look for this option again in future rather than the Bridge car park.

Booked for Brentford, Burnley and Spurs

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Won’t post the link as it’s from The Daily Hail (it’s probably wrong, or bullshit or blames immigrants in some way) but here goes.

 

[Weststander]

Are cases of EarlyLeaverIsm getting worse?

It feels like it, but it may be a bit of a vicious circle: with people needing to leave earlier and earlier to get ahead of the crowd, which has more and more early leavers.

As I posted on a thread after Ajax, I left slightly early, possibly the first time I've ever left an Amex game before the final whistle. I timed two-and-a-half of the "minimum of three minutes added time" and then legged it all the way to The Bridge to get the car out before it became gridlocked.

I only considered doing this after reading someone else on here saying they do it. I don't know how much time it saved - possibly up to an hour - but I did feel guilty about it. I'm not sure if I'd do the same again.

I wonder if a combination of rail strikes, the removal of the huge bendy-buses and a greater stadium capacity (31.8k, just 20,219 at the Will Buckley game) all exacerbating this, then it’s a vicious circle of folk judging how many have departed. We used to stay to final whistle until say the Hughton era.

It’s been a big thing from the very beginning. The first few season/s before they filled in the NE corner, from WSU from we’d witness after 70 minutes big numbers running to the train station. Some wits here described the jogging as Benny Hill.

 

[Acker79]

In previous seasons, I would stay to the end. Clap off the team, then head out. The stand (WSU) would be near empty as I left. The stairs would be empty and I could get down to the station before there being congestion of fans trying to walk back toward the bridge car park.

This season, I do the same, but have found it much more crowded than before. More people still lingering in the stand. Stairs would have a lot of people still walking down them, crowds still outside the entrance to the north stand/club shop.

Odd to see discussions like this, when my experience is more people staying late.

 

[Shins]

As someone who comes down from London and sits in West Upper, unfortunately it can make all the difference in leaving a few minutes early, or at 90 minutes, or whenever required to get a decent train back up. It takes an extra few minutes to get down from WSU and I meet a mate who's in West Lower, so it's needs must.

If I stayed until the end every time and strolled down the stairs with everyone else that would easily put an extra hour minimum to my journey home, possibly more.

I don't like it, but an extra hour or two at home is more important than 5 minutes of football, especially the later games. I'd definitely stay until the end if I knew I could get back to Brighton within 30-45 minutes of the final whistle.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

In previous seasons, I would stay to the end. Clap off the team, then head out. The stand (WSU) would be near empty as I left. The stairs would be empty and I could get down to the station before there being congestion of fans trying to walk back toward the bridge car park.

This season, I do the same, but have found it much more crowded than before. More people still lingering in the stand. Stairs would have a lot of people still walking down them, crowds still outside the entrance to the north stand/club shop.

Odd to see discussions like this, when my experience is more people staying late.

I stayed late after the Liverpool game which was also a Sunday 2pm kick off. Had a leisurely pint, strolled down to the station - only to find a train queue much longer than if I hadn't bothered. F**k that for a game of soldiers. Modified my post-match behaviour accordingly for the Fulham game. Thousands will doubtless have done the same reasoning. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me...

 

[Gabbafella]

Actually, I think it has created a part answer in a simple form.
Feedback on the thread shows that when Pyecombe and EDF are operating it reduces the stress on Mill Road due to it providing more options.

We basically need further P&R options and more buses, we currently don't have enough capacity to move people away from the stadium in a set window of time if we want fans to stay until the final whistle.

Who pays for the additional services and where they are located is the solution that needs to be found.

I used to get the bus in and the bus back home but sometimes I've waited for over an hour just to see bus after bus drive straight past. I now drive to the racecourse and jump on the p&r, easy as pie getting to the stadium but can be a massive ball ache leaving, hence sometimes leaving a few minutes early, especially midweek games as I get up at 4:30 for work.
And I do agree that another p&r, or possibly even two more, would help immensely.
I just don't get why people get chastised for choosing to leave early. People moaning that it kills the atmosphere and has a detrimental effect on the team, but then also being told they've missed out on loads of late goals. Which one is it?
I usually stay till the end but there are occasions that I leave early, I have a life outside of the amex which means I don't always have a spare hour to stand in a queue. Unfortunately real life gets in the way sometimes.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I used to get the bus in and the bus back home but sometimes I've waited for over an hour just to see bus after bus drive straight past. I now drive to the racecourse and jump on the p&r, easy as pie getting to the stadium but can be a massive ball ache leaving, hence sometimes leaving a few minutes early, especially midweek games as I get up at 4:30 for work.
And I do agree that another p&r, or possibly even two more, would help immensely.
I just don't get why people get chastised for choosing to leave early. People moaning that it kills the atmosphere and has a detrimental effect on the team, but then also being told they've missed out on loads of late goals. Which one is it?
I usually stay till the end but there are occasions that I leave early, I have a life outside of the amex which means I don't always have a spare hour to stand in a queue. Unfortunately real life gets in the way sometimes.

Simple truth is NOBODY should be expected to stand in a queue for an hour, often in the rain, just to get away from a poxy football match. Just say NO folks

 

[Greavsey]

I stayed late after the Liverpool game which was also a Sunday 2pm kick off. Had a leisurely pint, strolled down to the station - only to find a train queue much longer than if I hadn't bothered. F**k that for a game of soldiers. Modified my post-match behaviour accordingly for the Fulham game. Thousands will doubtless have done the same reasoning. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me...

Yeah I've found there is absolutely no benefit in staying back for an extra pint anymore. There used to be a discernible difference in the early days of the stadium (perhaps this proves that more people were leaving early back then, OR the trains were more efficient!?). You need an extra four or five pints to see any benefit to that strategy these days!

 

[Weststander]

I stayed late after the Liverpool game which was also a Sunday 2pm kick off. Had a leisurely pint, strolled down to the station - only to find a train queue much longer than if I hadn't bothered. F**k that for a game of soldiers. Modified my post-match behaviour accordingly for the Fulham game. Thousands will doubtless have done the same reasoning. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me...

My AEK mistake.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

It won't stop everyone, obviously, but i think it would certainly help the mass exodus in the 85th minute.

For example, if i am using Mill Road, i try to leave 30 seconds before the whistle (to avoid the congestion getting out of the stands) otherwise the queue will be backed up to the South Stand. Even doing that, i will still miss the initial round of buses and have to stand and wait for them to return. I don't mind, but people are leaving early to avoid this. Everyone who gets one of the first (8?) busses must be leaving before the whistle.

When Pyecombe is available, i can stay in my seat until all the players have left the field, take a stroll up the steps and get straight onto a bus.

Relieving the pressure on Mill Road can only help.

Where does the Pyecombe drop and collect from at the Amex, is it a different area from the Mill Road P&R or just two queues?

Do the buses start leaving when immediately full or is there a minimum time of exit from the Amex?

I’m a ST Travel user but the Pyecombe would be an option for us if t was more regular.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

If you go by car, there will still no doubt be a delay waiting in a traffic jam and people will still leave early to avoid this. But on the other hand, some of the people who leave early to avoid standing out in all weathers might be more inclined to stay to the end, if their option is to sit in a car with the heating on, in the dry.

Don’t know who’s on 606 these days but. Jamie O’Hara does the phone in on TS on Saturdays and this might put people off

 

[Justice]

As I say to others you do you, if you want to leave on 80 mins I really don’t care, the players don’t care and I doubt the club care.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

As I say to others you do you, if you want to leave on 80 mins I really don’t care, the players don’t care and I doubt the club care.

This.

 

[Happy Exile]

Don't really care what others do but the two chaps next to me who leave before the 80th minute every game have missed so much entertainment I feel a bit sorry for them. It's up to them what they do and they obviously get more out of going than staying I guess.

Yesterday they missed over 20 minutes of despair at the ref, disbelief at the tactical falling over of Fulham, OH FOR [insert profanity of choice here]'s SAKE shouting at Brighton players, and general disappointment, but Mac Allister's penalty against Man United last season would have made me question my early-leaving tendencies if I was them let alone some of the other drama and post-match celebrations.

(I confess I left 60 seconds before the final whistle against Athens though. As a bad fan I didn't fancy standing in the rain for a bus for too long after a day that had begun at 3am.)

 

[dazzer6666]

In previous seasons, I would stay to the end. Clap off the team, then head out. The stand (WSU) would be near empty as I left. The stairs would be empty and I could get down to the station before there being congestion of fans trying to walk back toward the bridge car park.

This season, I do the same, but have found it much more crowded than before. More people still lingering in the stand. Stairs would have a lot of people still walking down them, crowds still outside the entrance to the north stand/club shop.

Odd to see discussions like this, when my experience is more people staying late.

Hadn't thought of this but you're right.........I always stay to the end and clap the boys off (I'm not dependent on trains or buses usually so don't need to balance missing out on a few mins with getting home an hour or more earlier), but queues on the steps to exit are a least as bad as ever after that

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

As I say to others you do you, if you want to leave on 80 mins I really don’t care, the players don’t care and I doubt the club care.

196 posts and the 'debate' has finally been put to bed