Lost the passion?

[Horses Arse]

What a load of complete bollocks.

The Amex matchday is brilliant from start to finish.
All we need are home wins and all of this stupidly entitled whinging will be quickly sidelined again.

I wish

 

[Westdene Seagull]

After all that we have been through, the Mullery years, Wembley, the war years and the arrival at The Amex, the Poyet years, the AMEPC (training ground to you and me) - I have lost the passion.

Where did it go wrong?

No it's not the big corporate animal itself that has ground me down, it's things like:

- The spin;
- The number of disaffected ex-employees and ex-suppliers, loyal individuals, who are highly critical of what's gone on over the last 4 years;
- The disconnect with players (no settled squad, too many money grabbing loan rubbish);
- The utter lack of passion on the pitch (barring a few heroic individuals like Calde and CMS - who sadly don't possess enough skill); and
- The very poor quality of play on the pitch.

Money can't buy everything of course - we are so very lucky to have The Amex and The AMEPC - which of course are the envy of most football clubs. But if I'd spent £30m on a new state-of-the-art training ground, I'd want a pretty quick return on my investment. To see set pieces of the quality we have had this season would make me weep.

No team has the right to be successful and win trophies or be in the top 10, but every team should be united and passionate.

I haven't looked forward or been excited by an Albion match for months (years?). I don't want to leave the ground early or miss a home match but my loyalty is being severely tested. The Board would do well to listen, read and understand what supporters are saying, instead of sugar coating everything. Yesterday I received an email pushing the Player of the Season Awards Night - really? That's up there with giving the 'pretendance'. Who are you kidding? In my view, it shouldn't be held. Yes invite sponsors to a dinner, fair enough - use it as a real debriefing session. But who (other than a couple of players) are worthy off receiving any kind of award?

Football (but not exclusively football) is about opinions. They'll be people who will totally disagree with me. Some will be constructive in their arguments, others will be abusive and refer back to 'the inner sanctum' rubbish. I derive absolutely no pleasure in seeing the Club (that we fought so hard to bring back from the brink) being disunited or underperforming. I have always thought that by being united we can (and indeed have) achieve - and clearly the Club agree with their 'Together in 2015/16' strap line. But we aren't a Club that's 'together' - things need to be fixed.

Will I go on Tuesday, if my youngest doesn't want to go - I won't go. I've got lots of other things to do. Will anyone care, of course not and there's no reason why anyone should. Except I daresay there may be many other supporters, who might just be thinking along similar lines - and that should be of concern to the Board.

I'll present the reverse side of your coin. For last season and this I've been unable to go to matches ( reasons for which are far too depressing and boring for here ). A very kind NSC'er gave me a ticket for the match last night. Yes, it wasn't the best match etc etc .... BUT .... I suddenly realised how much I missed going. Simple things like getting a decent pie, the discussion about the Albion past and present with my host, the chatting with a couple of Bournemouth fans while in the queue to get back to Mill Road, a pint in the sun at the Swan pre-match and most of all, that warm fuzzy feeling of seeing the blue and white stripes enter the field of play.

I get it's been a bad season but I can honestly say you won't realise how much you miss it until you stop going ( either by choice or it being forced on you ).

 

[bobby baxter]

Am sure in their own way BL and AM did have passion.

They certainly did, players like Steve Burtenshaw, Jimmy Collins and Dave Turner were as hard as nails, if others werent showing commitment, these guys would let them know about it.

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

Agree totally, been supporting the Albion for 40 years and i have never felt less enthusiastic. Watching 5 loan players out there last night just about told the story.

 

[nwgull]

What a load of complete bollocks.

The Amex matchday is brilliant from start to finish.
All we need are home wins and all of this stupidly entitled whinging will be quickly sidelined again.

Correct. I distinctly remember threads being started about peoples' Albion Mojo returning after some of our good performances this year, such as the 2-0 against Leeds and the 3-2 against Ipswich, even though we had no realistic chance of even threatening the top half by then. Probably easy to find if you can be bothered to do a search.

 

[n1 gull]

Agree totally, been supporting the Albion for 40 years and i have never felt less enthusiastic. Watching 5 loan players out there last night just about told the story.

The loan player thing really pisses me off. We are sh1t and they are not even our players

 

[bobby baxter]

The soul has been sucked out of the club since the amex opened,not bothered about players,style of play and all that,its irrelevant as the 45 years of following the Albion has seen some pretty poor football.With the only goal left is the premiership and to be honest i would rather watch div 1 footie than be the whipping boys for the top 6. Nothing left to play for game over cash beats football!

I disagree, the ground, the crowds and matchday experience are top notch compared with The Goldstone, Priestfield and Withdean.
Unfortunately, particularly this season, most of the footballs been dire since the Palace play off defeat.

 

[spence]

Ungrateful? When someone like Henfield One feels like this, the club needs to be worried, he did so much in saving this great club in the past. How people forget so easily how hard some fought I find unbelievable.

Most people feared the worse when it came to season ticket renewals after a poor season. The take up has been excellent according to Barber. So when you say the club needs to worry about people like Henfield who has lost his passion it sort of blows his post out of the water.

When we are winning the Amex the is a cracking venue and i still enjoy rocking up to it. People are miserable because of the shit being served up this season myself included. Instead of whinging about it and saying i've lost my passion and i can't be bothered anymore etc i'm prepared to write this season off and give the club the benefit of the doubt. Mistakes were made but hopefully we have learnt from it. It's also pointless judging Hughton either.
A good season and everything will be rosy again. The only gripe i have is ticket prices. That will be the only reason i'll stop going. Not a bad season on the pitch as these things happen.
I can't never lose my passion for BHA. I can be very pissed off with them though.

 

[spence]

I disagree, the ground, the crowds and matchday experience are top notch compared with The Goldstone, Priestfield and Withdean.
Unfortunately, particularly this season, most of the footballs been dire since the Palace play off defeat.

I wouldn't waste your breath on that tit.

 

[Working class pride]

Sounds like you are moving to a new stage of supporting the Albion. You will always follow them, look out for the results, hope they do well and go every now and again or as you are local, maybe keep your season ticket. But its not the be all and end all. Welcome to this bright new world and let the over excited passion remain where it should be, the teenagers and 20 somethings.

 

[Seagull58]

By all means have the player of the season awards dinner. Give the award to NOBODY Then Hughton and Bloom can kick the players collectively up the a**e in public and explain what they're doing to ensure next season is much, much better.

 

[Hastings gull]

Correct. I distinctly remember threads being started about peoples' Albion Mojo returning after some of our good performances this year, such as the 2-0 against Leeds and the 3-2 against Ipswich, even though we had no realistic chance of even threatening the top half by then. Probably easy to find if you can be bothered to do a search.

Last night was depressing not the least because at no time did it ever look like were going to score and the match comes after many games this year which have been truly disappointing, with perhaps three exceptions. Together in 15/16 seems very hollow after this season and like many folk I just can't wait for it to end, assuming we are safe, which I think we will be. Hardly looking forward to Tuesday night at all, and if my mate cries off, then I will too. The striking situation must be the worst ever experienced and I have followed the Albion 55 years.

However, I think it is also fair to say that we are being very fickle. This has not been the only depressing season and I can recall similar low points at the Goldstone when we did not have so many loan players, and the corporate rubbish that we now have. Football tends to go round in circles and an astute summer transfer window could change everything, and the enthusiasm will return, as it has done repeatedly over the years. Great mistakes were made last summer - we all know that - and out of the gloom will hopefully come more optimism. I am prepared to put this season to rest, but if, however, we start in September with more loans and cheap alternatives, meaning another struggle to stay in the league, then this will cheese me off totally. Given the expiry of the 1901 deals in summer 2016 and that the purse strings under FFP are loosened, I would expect a greater outlay, though it is not my money and of course all too easy to say that TB should spend mightily. An interesting and defining summer awaits us!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

By all means have the player of the season awards dinner. Give the award to NOBODY Then Hughton and Bloom can kick the players collectively up the a**e in public and explain what they're doing to ensure next season is much, much better.

Bit of an ill-deserved kick in the teeth to True Spirit Of The Albion players like Calderon and Kayal tho eh? They deserve better than that. IMHO, like.

 

[Mackenzie]

None of us have taken the easy option by following Brighton. This season has been really bad, but I've still got that fire in my belly every time the team walks on the pitch.

Next season will be better.

 

[Ernest]

I agree with all the sentiments by the OP, watching that pile of crap Best amble about can't be bothered to even try sums up last night. Barber has torn the soul of the Albion apart and no matter how much spin is put on it I'd rather still be at Withdean with everyone together punching above our weight than seeing this load of under achievers anymore

 

[Prince Monolulu]

I agree with all the sentiments by the OP, watching that pile of crap Best amble about can't be bothered to even try sums up last night. Barber has torn the soul of the Albion apart and no matter how much spin is put on it I'd rather still be at Withdean with everyone together punching above our weight than seeing this load of under achievers anymore

You head off back to the running track then..........

 

[nwgull]

Bit of an ill-deserved kick in the teeth to True Spirit Of The Albion players like Calderon and Kayal tho eh? They deserve better than that. IMHO, like.

Yes they do. The drive that those two bring to the pitch has probably been the difference in us being 9 points clear of the bottom 3 instead of in it.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Sounds like you are moving to a new stage of supporting the Albion. You will always follow them, look out for the results, hope they do well and go every now and again or as you are local, maybe keep your season ticket. But its not the be all and end all. Welcome to this bright new world and let the over excited passion remain where it should be, the teenagers and 20 somethings.

A very good point that people seem to overlook. People have lots of things going on in their lives these days and with football being so expensive it's as expendable as any other hobby. Everyone had the odd down period when they're not feeling it. You either choose to drop it from your life or soldier through in the hope that you'll love it again. it's no big deal, it's just life!

 

[Lincoln Imp]

If it was just about the football the original poster and so many people on here wouldn't have gone week-in week-out to Gillingham; wouldn't have stood, soaking wet, at doomed relegation seasons at the Goldstone and Withdean.

For me, I still love the Albion but I no longer have a clue what it is I love about it.

A few weeks ago there was a thread on here called "I hate football". What was interesting about the contributions was how many posters - many well-known names - have fallen out of love with the professional game but still keep coming to the Albion. It's what they've always done. They don't always enjoy it but they keep, for the moment, doing it. As season ticket holders it is a relatively painless process but I doubt so many of them would shell out 35 quid for last night's disappointment, and then another 35 for Tuesday. I wouldn't.

Board members, especially the ones the present chairman brought in - five of them, all with finance backgrounds, none an Albion supporter - don't understand the mindset of the average man on the Falmer omnibus. People with a sense of place and community and empathy for a provincial football club might as well be Martians as far as they are concerned.

There is a dislocation between those running the club and the people who follow it. The former don't understand the latter. Example - instead of being grateful for and nurturing the Albion's huge STH base Paul Barber and his men seemed to take it for granted, concentrating instead on getting new, ah, customers in and making the present ones wallets sweat. It's a classic marketing approach but if you try it in a provincial football club many of your existing customers will drift off and replacing them will be very hard. (It's all right at Spurs of course - if you pee off 5,000 supporters you just send out to Harpenden for replacements.)

After a lifetime in an Albion-supporting family I too feel very flat.

The problems the original poster talked about are real and I suspect widespread. The board and those reporting to it must start communicating and stop spinning. And if they can't understand ordinary supporters - and they clearly can't - they should employ people who do.

 

[glasfryn]

Thought you'd be frothing at the bit to get your miserable view about everything on here.

so whose fault is it that we are in the position we are in ..................you love having your go about me, why do you not make a contribution to the thread question clever clogs
what the hell was so miserable with my post eh?

AND FEEL FREE TO HAVE A GO AT ALL THE OTHERS WITH THE SAME VIEWS