[Brighton] New Fan: Where to Start?

[Seagull58]

Background: I am an american living in Florida my boss lives in the UK and is a lifelong Wolves fan and my buddy/coworker who also lives across the pond is a lifelong Liverpool fan. So I decided to take the first bit of this season to decide on which team to adopt and after some research into ownership, respect around the league, organizational stability etc. things that I admire in my american football team the steelers I decided that Brighton was the team for me. I am not thrilled that the team is three words long, but I am now here to learn so lets start there. My jersey is ordered and on the way, I should have it before the Ashton Villa game. So, do we use all three names in casual conversation? Do we just use Brighton? Why is it three words long in the first place? What is a good book to read to learn more of the team history? Who is our best player in team history? Who is our best current player? Do have any in game traditions like songs or chants? I am ready to dive in and come over and see my first in person have this spring so thanks for having me and being my Sherpa in this journey.

-Justin

4 words long
Shirt
Aston Villa

Welcome and enjoy the ride. You picked a great franchise and the name problem would be solved if we moved to Gatwick or Horley or Chichester. Hopefully, we will get a bid from one of those towns soon.

 

[AlbionBro]

How many in here would support a non-league club instead of Brighton if they supported their local club?

The reason why 30k people go the Amex to watch Brighton and 242 people go and watch Whitehawks FC is because one of the clubs are good and the other is shit. Or to use your words, Brighton is more shiny.

Whitehawk had 550 today, maybe some of our fans are drifting to the non league?

 

[Zeberdi]

Ok I'm not reading this but I know what it says. It says "bla bla bla" and "something something Graham Potter" and more "bla bla".

People support clubs because someone made them do it. A manager, a mother, a father, a brother, sister, friend, favorite player, the boss who gave you a job in a different location, the TV programme introducing the team, radio reports. Whatever, wherever.

The number of fans who just walked out blindly into the streets finding themselves a football club they had no previous knowledge or relation to... well, they're few.

Sure, there's a lot of people who might say "I followed my HEART and my DREAM and RAN INTO GOLDSTONE GROUNDS and KISSED the toilet floor", but generally that kind of person is full of shit. In reality its usually more "well, my brother used to go and he dragged me there and now I'm f***ing stuck for the next 50 years with this hopeless football team that will never win anything".

Everyone is inspired by someone. In Yankeetown it is a common practice to "choose a team" and it sounds very weird to us in Europe because we'd like to think there was some sort of magic that made us find ours. So we look down on the yankee way of doing it, DESPITE them actually CHOOSING the club for its beauty rather than getting forcefed with it because of some family tradition or whatever. Quite funny.

Nah I say welcome the lad in! The right to remain merely a local matter was one of the things that was traded off when Tony bought the club. There will be Brightonians everywhere... just accept it.

Ok I'm not reading this but I know what it says. It says "bla bla bla" and "something something Graham Potter" and more "bla bla".

People support clubs because someone made them do it. A manager, a mother, a father, a brother, sister, friend, favorite player, the boss who gave you a job in a different location, the TV programme introducing the team, radio reports. Whatever, wherever.

The number of fans who just walked out blindly into the streets finding themselves a football club they had no previous knowledge or relation to... well, they're few.

Sure, there's a lot of people who might say "I followed my HEART and my DREAM and RAN INTO GOLDSTONE GROUNDS and KISSED the toilet floor", but generally that kind of person is full of shit. In reality its usually more "well, my brother used to go and he dragged me there and now I'm f***ing stuck for the next 50 years with this hopeless football team that will never win anything".

Everyone is inspired by someone. In Yankeetown it is a common practice to "choose a team" and it sounds very weird to us in Europe because we'd like to think there was some sort of magic that made us find ours. So we look down on the yankee way of doing it, DESPITE them actually CHOOSING the club for its beauty rather than getting forcefed with it because of some family tradition or whatever. Quite funny.

Nah I say welcome the lad in! The right to remain merely a local matter was one of the things that was traded off when Tony bought the club. There will be Brightonians everywhere... just accept it.

TL;DR

No mention of Graham Potter in my post at all - you’re having wet dreams now - you really need some help mate

 

[Zeberdi]

I'll remember that.

Anyway, if any Whitehawk fans are offended... well, isn't that the purpose of modern life? Anyway, I of course meant nothing bad about Whitehawk. I meant "shite" as in "worse at football than some other teams".

Compared with other local community league teams or the Premier League?

If the latter you’re comparing apples and oranges. Completely different game and misses the point of why some Brighton fans enjoy watching teams like Whitehawk as well as Brighton.

 

[Han Solo]

Compared with other local community league teams or the Premier League?

If the latter you’re comparing apples and oranges. Completely different game and misses the point of why some Brighton fans enjoy watching teams like Whitehawk as well as Brighton.

Ok... its... well.
Nvm.

 

[Bodian]

Sure, there's a lot of people who might say "I followed my HEART and my DREAM and RAN INTO GOLDSTONE GROUNDS and KISSED the toilet floor", but generally that kind of person is full of shit.

If any of us had kissed the floor of the Goldstone North Stand toilets, I very much doubt if we'd still be alive to be a fan anymore.

 

[Zeberdi]

If any of us had kissed the floor of the Goldstone North Stand toilets, I very much doubt if we'd still be alive to be a fan anymore.

We took our lives in our hands buying chips and greasy burgers from the brick hut too but hmmm, the smell

 

[BadFish]

Where were you when we were shit?

He's here!

 

[BadFish]

I'm going to make a reveal video for my boss and coworker so I hope this squawking and flapping is a thing otherwise I may never live this down lol

Can you send us some practice videos so we can critique your performance, you wouldn't want to embarrass yourself at the ground.

A sure fire way to out yourself as a noob.

 

[BadFish]

How many in here would support a non-league club instead of Brighton if they supported their local club?

The reason why 30k people go the Amex to watch Brighton and 242 people go and watch Whitehawks FC is because one of the clubs are good and the other is shit. Or to use your words, Brighton is more shiny.

They moved our local club for a while and a lot less people went.

Then, I moved myself and still support. Although if I was still in Brighton I would probably be frequenting Whitehawk or Lewis. All this shiny success business doesn't sit well with me.

 

[Van Cleef]

Ok I'm not reading this but I know what it says. It says "bla bla bla" and "something something Graham Potter" and more "bla bla".

People support clubs because someone made them do it. A manager, a mother, a father, a brother, sister, friend, favorite player, the boss who gave you a job in a different location, the TV programme introducing the team, radio reports. Whatever, wherever.

The number of fans who just walked out blindly into the streets finding themselves a football club they had no previous knowledge or relation to... well, they're few.

Sure, there's a lot of people who might say "I followed my HEART and my DREAM and RAN INTO GOLDSTONE GROUNDS and KISSED the toilet floor", but generally that kind of person is full of shit. In reality its usually more "well, my brother used to go and he dragged me there and now I'm f***ing stuck for the next 50 years with this hopeless football team that will never win anything".

Everyone is inspired by someone. In Yankeetown it is a common practice to "choose a team" and it sounds very weird to us in Europe because we'd like to think there was some sort of magic that made us find ours. So we look down on the yankee way of doing it, DESPITE them actually CHOOSING the club for its beauty rather than getting forcefed with it because of some family tradition or whatever. Quite funny.

Nah I say welcome the lad in! The right to remain merely a local matter was one of the things that was traded off when Tony bought the club. There will be Brightonians everywhere... just accept it.

"Fans" from around the world is something that a lot of us still find slightly bemusing, bearing in mind we've spent many decades scuffling about in the lower leagues. But we all went along to our local LEAGUE football team with a Dad or Brother and that's how it starts. Like a crusty family hair loom. No alchemy involved.
Can't say I fancied supporting Southwick at 7 or 8.

 

[Questions]

Background: I am an american living in Florida my boss lives in the UK and is a lifelong Wolves fan and my buddy/coworker who also lives across the pond is a lifelong Liverpool fan. So I decided to take the first bit of this season to decide on which team to adopt and after some research into ownership, respect around the league, organizational stability etc. things that I admire in my american football team the steelers I decided that Brighton was the team for me. I am not thrilled that the team is three words long, but I am now here to learn so lets start there. My jersey is ordered and on the way, I should have it before the Ashton Villa game. So, do we use all three names in casual conversation? Do we just use Brighton? Why is it three words long in the first place? What is a good book to read to learn more of the team history? Who is our best player in team history? Who is our best current player? Do have any in game traditions like songs or chants? I am ready to dive in and come over and see my first in person have this spring so thanks for having me and being my Sherpa in this journey.

-Justin

f*** off

 

[Quebec Seagull]

Some reactions here are predictably harsh. You're 'plastic' if you didn't grow up in Sussex or support The Albion during the Wilderness years? I'd been watching the PL and Ligue 1 for many years as a neutral before circumstances and coincidences seemed to be pushing me towards Brighton. (The Brighton transplants here in Ottawa will vouch for my sincerity, and I provided a detailed explanation in one of my first NSC posts.)

I've flown over from Canada and attended 6 home games and 1 away game in the past 20 months. Granted, each match is an activity in a calendar full of fun stuff I enjoy doing in the UK, but Brighton has become my English home away from home -- for many reasons, as I alluded above, and not least because my eldest daughter and I are proud members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

The real plastic fans, at least from abroad, are those who only want to cheer on winners and/or their national team players. Here in Canada and the US,, where we produce very few European league-calibre players, I'd wager that at least 95% of people wearing EPL, L1, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A shirts support The Top 6, PSG, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Münich, Juventus and the two Milans. SO... if a long-time soccer/football neutral in, say, Winnipeg decides to finally latch their wagon to Brentford without prior connection whatsoever to anyone or anything at the club, they are most definitely not plastic. They will have felt a very real affinity with the fan base, the borough/city, the size/style/philosophy of the club, its history, etc. that overtakes any inclination to root for a perennial (and super-rich) winner.

I'll apply the same logic to the NSC folks who follow the NFL. If you're a Patriots or Chiefs fan, for example, you're obviously 'plastic'; if you support the Jaguars or the Browns, you're the genuine article. (Any exceptions prove the rule! )

P.S. If you appreciate immigrants who choose to settle in your country, plant new roots and make it a better place, why wouldn't you embrace new fans? The analogy is hyperbolic, but for us former colonies, it's quite apt.

.

 

[Questions]

I’m half Italian by blood and I’ve never had to pick an Italian team. It would be Perugia if anyone… but sometimes you have love to give.
You have to full in love when you first go there and how the fcuk can it happen the other way round.. It’s f***ing weird but welcome aboard if you’ve got the guts for it. It’s amazing, it’s astounding, it’s so f***ing maddening, weekend ruining, ecstatic, I could go on…. But if you join it’s for life.

 

[Eeyore]

We took our lives in our hands buying chips and greasy burgers from the brick hut too but hmmm, the smell

And the out of date crisps. I remember taking a pack back to kiosk and being looked at like I was Oliver Twist, the assistant grumpily throwing another bag in my general direction.

 

[Quebec Seagull]

I’m half Italian by blood and I’ve never had to pick an Italian team. It would be Perugia if anyone… but sometimes you have love to give.

That explains the Chico avatar!

Bear in mind that many soccer/football fans on this side of the pond prefer European leagues to MLS. They may have just the one favourite club, or a favourite in each league they follow. Others, like me, also enjoy MLS and all levels of local and regional sports teams, down to the minor hockey house leagues our 7-year-olds play in. They all get a piece of my pocketbook, as my sig shows, lol.

.

 

[Eeyore]

Some reactions here are predictably harsh. You're 'plastic' if you didn't grow up in Sussex or support The Albion during the Wilderness years? I'd been watching the PL and Ligue 1 for many years as a neutral before circumstances and coincidences seemed to be pushing me towards Brighton. (The Brighton transplants here in Ottawa will vouch for my sincerity, and I provided a detailed explanation in one of my first NSC posts.)

I've flown over from Canada and attended 6 home games and 1 away game in the past 20 months. Granted, each match is an activity in a calendar full of fun stuff I enjoy doing in the UK, but Brighton has become my English home away from home -- for many reasons, as I alluded above, and not least because my eldest daughter and I are proud members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

The real plastic fans, at least from abroad, are those who only want to cheer on winners and/or their national team players. Here in Canada and the US,, where we produce very few European league-calibre players, I'd wager that at least 95% of people wearing EPL, L1, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A shirts support The Top 6, PSG, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Münich, Juventus and the two Milans. SO... if a long-time soccer/football neutral in, say, Winnipeg decides to finally latch their wagon to Brentford without prior connection whatsoever to anyone or anything at the club, they are most definitely not plastic. They will have felt a very real affinity with the fan base, the borough/city, the size/style/philosophy of the club, its history, etc. that overtakes any inclination to root for a perennial (and super-rich) winner.

I'll apply the same logic to the NSC folks who follow the NFL. If you're a Patriots or Chiefs fan, for example, you're obviously 'plastic'; if you support the Jaguars or the Browns, you're the genuine article. (Any exceptions prove the rule! )

P.S. If you appreciate immigrants who choose to settle in your country, plant new roots and make it a better place, why wouldn't you embrace new fans? The analogy is hyperbolic, but for us former colonies, it's quite apt.

.

If ever I choose a team to follow in another country I always do so as an 'un-glory' hunter. There's no fun in being a plastic. As a child I supported Aston Villa but they became far too good for my liking. I went off them after they won the title. When I came back to watch football full time in 1990 I was traveling the country watching Villa one week and Albion the next. So I can vouch for the different feelings it gives you. Villa were buried with an RIP. I still like to see them doing well (but not at Albion's expense) but there is nothing like supporting your local team or one you have a proper affiliation with.

I'm still Aston Villa when I play Subbuteo though. That's a 45 year old tradition.

 

[Han Solo]

If ever I choose a team to follow in another country I always do so as an 'un-glory' hunter.

Same here, I always pick the worst shit I can find.

 

[Questions]

I thought you were a manager groupie

 

[Quebec Seagull]

If ever I choose a team to follow in another country I always do so as an 'un-glory' hunter. There's no fun in being a plastic. As a child I supported Aston Villa but they became far too good for my liking. I went off them after they won the title. When I came back to watch football full time in 1990 I was traveling the country watching Villa one week and Albion the next. So I can vouch for the different feelings it gives you. Villa were buried with an RIP. I still like to see them doing well (but not at Albion's expense) but there is nothing like supporting your local team or one you have a proper affiliation with.

I'm still Aston Villa when I play Subbuteo though. That's a 45 year old tradition.

North American sports have no pyramids, as you all know. However, being an Ottawa Senators hockey fan since their return to the NHL in 1992 as a ridiculously weak expansion team, I know what it's like for Albion fans who stuck with the club from the bottom of the EFL all the way up to the PL. Sussex football lovers who wanted to support a top-flight team went with Liverpool, Man U, Arsenal... These local fans -- and their children -- have mostly remained loyal to that club and refused to change allegiance.

Since Ottawa had no NHL team from 1932 to 1992, hockey fans here migrated to either the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montréal Canadiens. To this day, when those teams come to play in our home, the arena is split 50/50 between home and away support... even, astonishingly, when we occasionally meet in the playoffs. (There is no segregated seating, of course; but none is required. Doesn't mean it's not frustrating, though -- but it forces us to pump up the volume vs the 'away' fans, and those games are always the loudest and most exciting!)

That's just 1 of many things Brighton and Ottawa professional sports have in common.

.