Non attendance

[Barrow Boy]

I know exactly what you're saying, but I just don't quite understand one thing. If you're a fan of the club, then surely you watch them wherever they're playing, whoever the opposition are, and however well they're doing WHENEVER POSSIBLE. I accept a lot of people have a lot of reasons for being unable to go, but how can anyone who claims to be a fan totally abandon their club for a number of years just because they don't really like the stadium?

Well perhaps it's an age thing, in a previous post I explained my background to supporting the Albion. Started in the early 60's (fairly regularly) then right through the 70's and 80's (every home game and selected aways). Tailed off a bit in the 90's and stopped once we lost the Goldstone. You get out of the habit of going to games and with the advent of sky's coverage you can tend to get a bit lazy as well. As I said, I salute all of you who do go to the Withdean, and as I don't go then you can say I'm not a supporter. But all I know is that the Albions score has always been the first one I look for and I'm chuffed if they win and pissed off if they lose. And in my mind, with my history of watching them, that makes me a fan. I'm not a glory hunter, if I was then I'd be saying I supported Arsenal, Man Utd or Chelsea. As a previous poster stated let's hope there are a few more like me (hopefully about 15000) who do return to watch the Albion in their new stadium, it'll be a bit quiet if we don't.

 

[Zesh Rehman]

The proof? Reading.

But then again they are in the Premiership!

 

[Zesh Rehman]

I meant over the last 7-8 years you CLOWN, Samuel!

Explain yourself further in future Thomas, yours posts are misleading for idiots like me !

 

[British Bulldog]

I'm not suggesting Withdean's value for money, or that it's a place you would WANT to spend time, but at the end of the day YOUR football team are playing there. Is it really so utterly intolerable for 90 minutes every few weeks or months that you would rather not watch your club at all?

Yeah it is intolerable and it's not just the stadium that makes it like that, Sitting in H block during a recent cup game against Cheltenham if it was'nt bad enough getting soaking wet, me and little bulldog had to endure a whole game listening to a bunch of wankers doing nothing but whinging at the stewards about they're right's to stand up. It really made the money spent and the Match day experience worthwhile NOT. We won't be in a hurry to go back again.

 

[British Bulldog]

But everyone knows H block is full of all the sad egos from on here. Sit anywhere else in the ground, and while there may be moaning, there won't be the pathetic steward aggro. Can't do much about the rain though....

Maybe some of the sad ego's on here want to learn to shut the f*** up then because it's costing the club fans.

 

[Zesh Rehman]

Yeah it is intolerable and it's not just the stadium that makes it like that, Sitting in H block during a recent cup game against Cheltenham if it was'nt bad enough getting soaking wet, me and little bulldog had to endure a whole game listening to a bunch of wankers doing nothing but whinging at the stewards about they're right's to stand up. It really made the money spent and the Match day experience worthwhile NOT. We won't be in a hurry to go back again.

yeh i remember seeing you there looking MISERABLE, understandably! its so repipitive, every game turns into a war with the stewards, with all the sad ring leaders leading the way

 

[British Bulldog]

its so repipitive,

I hav'nt got a clue what that word means but I love it!

 

[Zesh Rehman]

I hav'nt got a clue what that word means but I love it!

it was meant to say repetitive, but there you are, maybe im a genious inventing words, most probably not !

 

[Nemesis]

At Withdean we get a f***ing quiz and a few cd's out of the ark.

f***ing hell-Atilla's bought some new CDs?

 

[sonicyouth]

shit grounds at this level of football are something unique and to be embraced. how dull would it be watching football in an identikit bowl every week?

 

[Yorkie]

Yeah it is intolerable and it's not just the stadium that makes it like that, Sitting in H block during a recent cup game against Cheltenham if it was'nt bad enough getting soaking wet, me and little bulldog had to endure a whole game listening to a bunch of wankers doing nothing but whinging at the stewards about they're right's to stand up. It really made the money spent and the Match day experience worthwhile NOT. We won't be in a hurry to go back again.

Why didn't you move away like I did? There were plenty of other seats to sit in.
J block was empty which is where I went so no-one had their view blocked by my umbrella. I didn't get soaking wet either because the umbrella did a great job.

 

[Yorkie]

I think you may have just earned your bobble hat.

I'd rather wear a bobble hat than support Chelsea.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

I've never had any trouble parking on Mill Road and getting the Park and Ride. It's a necessary evil whilst we at Withdean (not THE Withdean, never THE!) and it's a minor inconvenience, but it's a very good service.

Mind you, not as easy as strolling from home across Hove Park to the Goldstone Ground. In those days people parked all the way up Shirley Drive to the shops. I'd see the guys with the cone van driving past dropping the cones along one side of the road on the morning of a match and would start to get excited.

 

[Silent Bob]

I joined NSC last month to make tentative steps towards getting back into the Albion fold. As a 'lapsed' fan I wanted to try and re-energise my support for the club as I had missed not going out to watch the Albion over the last 11 years. I wanted to learn from NSC posters how to get tickets, how to get to the ground etc. And the general feeling of what it's like to follow the Albion these days. If I am correct I have learnt the following

1. I have to try and book tickets either via the website, from the ticket office in Queens Road or try and do battle with the clubs ticket hotline if I've got the time or patience.
2. I can't drive to the withdean or I will either have my car towed away or at the very least attacked by Greenpeace for leaving too large a Carbon footprint. Or I can drive to Brighton, find somewhere to park if I get a mortgage to pay for it, then get a bus to the Withdean.
3. Assuming I have negotiated these hurdles I can then look forward to sitting in the wind and rain to watch the match as long as I don't
a) Stand up to watch the action
b) Sing in a non-singing stand
c) Look at a steward in a 'funny'way
d) Get caught smoking behind the bike sheds like a naughty boy.
4. I can then look forward to getting a bus back to Brighton, if it turns up, giving NCP my new motgage before driving back to Worthing.
5. And I believe that for the privilege of enduring all of the above and watching a third division side I will pay the princely sum of £22.

Now let me think, why didn't I go to the game?

I'm glad we live in modern times and not in the bad old days when I used to drive to Hove, park about no more than half a mile from the Goldstone. Go to a turnstyle of my choice and say "I'd like to come in and watch the Albion play please", "Certainly sir, give me £4 and you can come in and stand where you like"
Complicated wasn't it! None of this crap about 'singing stands', misfits in stewards jackets, or having to go through an exercise worthy of joining the Masons just to get a bloody ticket.
To sum up,
do I support the Albion?
Yes, but in mind not in body
Does this make me a bad fan?
Yes
Will I be attempting to go to the Withdean?
No f...ing way!
Will I go to matches at the new stadium?
Bloody right I will, probably as a STH
Doesn't this make me a glory hunter?
It's not exactly Chelsea is it?
I seriously have a lot of respect for all of you who do go through all of the above crap, week in week out, I bow down to all you uber fans.
I'm too old to go through all that crap now, at my age I want to watch a game in relative comfort with a roof over my head and decent facilities.
That is all.

Hmmm, you have some valid points but as I read this post, you have only READ on NSC rather than actually doing things yourself? If that is correct then I would advise you to take most of what is posted on here with a pinch of salt.

A few things:
The ticket line is a bit hit and miss, but I've never had as bad an experience with it as some have claimed to have on here. Buying online is easy.

You can drive and there are some places to park around Withdean, the problem with this is that if there is too much fan parking the club gets fined by the council. Nevertheless people still do. The park and ride is not ideal, you do have to wait a while to get a bus. Withdean to Mill Road is not that much of a walk though... There is also the option of the train, which is simple too and free with the ticket. There is a quick from Worthing to Preston Park before games, and vice versa after.

I have not experienced any of these problems, these seem to be "H block" complaints, I thought it was rubbish there anyway the couple of times I have sat in it. Where I sit we stand up when there is goalmouth action, sing (occasionally ), there are no stewards buzzing around because people don't go out of their way to pick fights with them. Obviously you're not supposed to smoke, but then you can hardly smoke anywhere really.

The facilities are shit, no argument there. You're open to the elements, but it has to be said it's been a while since we got a real soaking (in the second season at Withdean it seemed to rain every match, no one minded too much then).

It's also fair to say the atmosphere is shit 95% of the time, but this is the case at most all seater grounds, they are not conducive to an atmosphere and this problem is made worse for us because of the lack of roof and the running track. And it is quite expensive (although the FA Cup third round game is £15 which seems reasonable to me).

Yes, there are problems with Withdean. But is it is much of an ordeal as you seem to think? No, not really. And we're generally playing quite well at the moment which always helps.

 

[Barrow Boy]

Hmmm, you have some valid points but as I read this post, you have only READ on NSC rather than actually doing things yourself? If that is correct then I would advise you to take most of what is posted on here with a pinch of salt.

A few things:
The ticket line is a bit hit and miss, but I've never had as bad an experience with it as some have claimed to have on here. Buying online is easy.

You can drive and there are some places to park around Withdean, the problem with this is that if there is too much fan parking the club gets fined by the council. Nevertheless people still do. The park and ride is not ideal, you do have to wait a while to get a bus. Withdean to Mill Road is not that much of a walk though... There is also the option of the train, which is simple too and free with the ticket. There is a quick from Worthing to Preston Park before games, and vice versa after.

I have not experienced any of these problems, these seem to be "H block" complaints, I thought it was rubbish there anyway the couple of times I have sat in it. Where I sit we stand up when there is goalmouth action, sing (occasionally ), there are no stewards buzzing around because people don't go out of their way to pick fights with them. Obviously you're not supposed to smoke, but then you can hardly smoke anywhere really.

The facilities are shit, no argument there. You're open to the elements, but it has to be said it's been a while since we got a real soaking (in the second season at Withdean it seemed to rain every match, no one minded too much then).

It's also fair to say the atmosphere is shit 95% of the time, but this is the case at most all seater grounds, they are not conducive to an atmosphere and this problem is made worse for us because of the lack of roof and the running track. And it is quite expensive (although the FA Cup third round game is £15 which seems reasonable to me).

Yes, there are problems with Withdean. But is it is much of an ordeal as you seem to think? No, not really. And we're generally playing quite well at the moment which always helps.

Thankyou SB, probably the best reply to my post that I've read so far. I didn't post it just to be controversial it was an honest reply to the thread. And you are right in saying that it was based on what I've read on NSC so far. So, to put my complaints and your comments to the test, I will go to a game and post my impressions on it on here. Due to my work commitments I have to plan well in advance (I work shift, sometimes through weekends) so I probably won't be able to make a game until the new year. Now I no from my short time on NSC that the word 'fixtures' causes great merriment, but where can I see a fixtures list to plan which game I go to.

 

[Dave the OAP]

But everyone knows H block is full of all the sad egos from on here. Sit anywhere else in the ground, and while there may be moaning, there won't be the pathetic steward aggro. Can't do much about the rain though....

slight exaggeration there oh opinionated one