No comparison really, football support is traditionally about place, bands have never been like that. They can "play" anywhere for a start.
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No comparison really, football support is traditionally about place, bands have never been like that. They can "play" anywhere for a start.
Not the same at all. I liken it to the World cup, who do you support? England or do you support Brazil cause they are they best team in it? Bollocks, you follow England, no matter how shite they are becaue they are YOUR team. To me, that is how domesic football should work too.
Jackthelad
Well-known member
- Mar 31, 2010
- 1,073
You can't really blame local people that grew up in the 90's for not following Brighton - kids are under huge pressure to "fit in" and supporting a team from the lower league is just not an option and not very cool when your at school. I am a West Ham fan but some of my family were Brighton some were West Ham I picked West Ham mainly as I could never get a ticket for Brighton and no one would take me and all my friends were Tottenham or Arsenal or Man U fans. I feel a little bit like I should have followed Brighton as Iv'e grown up in Sussex all my life but I'm West Ham and I'm too old to change now. I will no doubt go to some Brighton games and IF I have children I will let them choose as I won't be going to the Olympic stadium and no doubt by that time Brighton will be a EPL club and I will have no problem taking my kids to see Brighton or them supporting them. It's all about the next generation as far as Brighton go I have noticed a fair few people that were epl fans that are now suddenly Brighton fans.
BUTTERBALL
East Stand Brighton Boyz
We've lost a generation of fans so in this respect, all new ones are very welcome. To those who "support" a Prem team without any emotional or historical attachment, you will never experience the true joys of the genuine fan.
And for life-long Brighton supporters, this current success is only so sweet for us because we have experienced struggles and hardship for more years than I care to remember and come out the other side. For that reason, we take NOTHING for granted.
And for life-long Brighton supporters, this current success is only so sweet for us because we have experienced struggles and hardship for more years than I care to remember and come out the other side. For that reason, we take NOTHING for granted.
Goldstone Rapper
Rediffusion PlayerofYear
No comparison really, football support is traditionally about place, bands have never been like that. They can "play" anywhere for a start.
You're right, of course. However, the extent to which that is true has been severely eroded over the generations, by TV, advances in public and private transport, and the fact most teams are composed of players from all over the world, rather than mainly from the local area. So with someone born in, say, 1992 and got their fill of the game by watching Sky Sports every other day, the old notions of place won't apply in quite the same way. I'm not saying I agree with it, just that what football supporting has traditionally been founded on, no longer exists or no longer makes sense to a lot of people. The draw of the Amex stadium, of course, is helping to reverse that process!
Northstandite
New member
- Jun 6, 2011
- 1,260
Worse than this, I know of many plastics who've switched clubs (as adults) over the years.
Know at least 2 Arsenal fans who switched to them once they became successful under George Graham. One was a lifelong Ipswich fan and another lifelong Leeds. Now no mention of those old allegiances!
Same with Chelski. Famously, they had some tiny gates in the 1980's and early 1990's. Once Bates then Abram bought trophies, grown men and women switched their support to them. Fact.
It's hated if mentioned.
Funny thing is, some clubs life LFC, MUFC & Albion, I think, have a more loyal fan base. i.e. selected when kids, then loved forever.
Know at least 2 Arsenal fans who switched to them once they became successful under George Graham. One was a lifelong Ipswich fan and another lifelong Leeds. Now no mention of those old allegiances!
Same with Chelski. Famously, they had some tiny gates in the 1980's and early 1990's. Once Bates then Abram bought trophies, grown men and women switched their support to them. Fact.
It's hated if mentioned.
Funny thing is, some clubs life LFC, MUFC & Albion, I think, have a more loyal fan base. i.e. selected when kids, then loved forever.
The one thing that I have thought never helps is buying replica kit. Is there a reason why the club haven't (or can't) sell kit in "outposts" for example in most Sussex towns I could probably find a Chelsea / Arsenal / Manure kit but can you find a Brighton one?
These kids being dragged around shopping by their mothers are seeing replica kits of other clubs before they ever seen one of our own. If their parents aren't wearing them around the home then doubtless they'll never see one!
These kids being dragged around shopping by their mothers are seeing replica kits of other clubs before they ever seen one of our own. If their parents aren't wearing them around the home then doubtless they'll never see one!
Weststander
Well-known member
Exactly. Always Arsenal or Chelsea.
Grown men sneaked a clubs change, when their clubs (Ipswich, Leeds, QPR etc) waned.
Other than odd FACup, Arsenal were not of any interest 1971 to 1987. Chelsea a tiny club 1971 to mid 1990's.
If you went to school in Sussex in the 1970's to 1986, how many fans of those 2 clubs did you know compared to say Albion, LFC, ManU. Met 1 Arsenal fan in my childhood, and Chelski ... zero.
I call them fans. They may support Parathanaikos or Bayern Munich, or whomever, and attend their matches, but it says a lot about the quality of English football that it has so many foreign fans who live abroad. Many of them buy T-shirts and other paraphernalia, which, if they are the genuine article, generate income for those clubs, and for English football in general. Some even come to their matches in England and some attend when they are playing in their own countries. I actually feel the same about people who support their local team, in this case, BHA, but who also support other teams around the country, for whatever reasons they have forged those alliances. Maybe it's a girlie thing and I lack the male idea of belonging to a little private army.
You make a good point rapper, never really thought of it like that. Anyway I blame the following people:
Rupert Murdoch
Maggie Thatcher
Jean-Marc Bosman
As has already been said, we've lost at least a generation. Also there's a lot of ex Londoners who've moved down to Brighton so some of this is inevitable. However all is not lost!! I was waiting in the ticket queue at Brighton station on Sat morning and a couple of Chelsea supporting dads were there with their kids (all wearing Chelsea shirts) but the kids were mesmerized by my Amex opening commemorative shirt to the point where one of the dads got pissed off and tore his kid off a strip for coveting the shirt!! We must look to the next generation!
Weststander
Well-known member
Chelsea had little support for 25 years. Tons of these Dad's were not original Chelsea fans, but jumped on success bank rolled by an £800m gift i.e. not generated by mega fan base. Built on sand.
DT Withdean
New member
- Mar 5, 2011
- 1,089
This.
The Arsenal and Chelsea 'fans' I know were not born in London, and nor were their parents.
Just switched to these 2 clubs during the George Graham, or Hoddle/Vialli/Mourinho eras.
Twinkle Toes
Growing old disgracefully
Hercules Rockerfeller
New member
I find this refreshing and I just smile when they talk so excitedly about how we're playing. We need these people, they're vital to our success and if we keep playing how we are, they keep coming and maybe bring more people with them. I know why it pushes you off, but just remember you were there when it mattered.
My Name Is Gully
Active member
I did exactly this scenario i.e. when I was aged 16 I moved away, although not to Nottingham but to Dorset and age 16 was many, many years ago. Now, I am a parent of three children who currently have Albion kit, are in Gully`s Gang and been to see us at Falmer/away. They all currently support Brighton and I do have a sense of guilt as I also feel they should possibly follow AFCBournemouth as the local team. I am pleased they have never shown interest in supporting a more prolific team or asked for any of the 'big' teams replica kit and they seem to feel a greater sense of pride in supporting a team they have a connection towards and have seen (most of my family still reside in the Brighton area and thus frequent visits often ensue). They are Dorset born and bred and enjoy singing SBTS when we cross from Hants into Sussex - I only hope my indoctrination and brainwashing of all things Albion can last or I might find I have to sway to being a good supportive parent and get season tickets at Dean Court or worse St Mary`s!!
You are correct it is not such an easy answer!!!
Beach Hut
Brighton Bhuna Boy
Great story from Turkey a few weeks back where we had some scousers in our apartment and the bloke asked Junior who he supported so he said BHAFC, scouser said "well someone has to" followed by "that's scouse humour".
Junior looked at him totally deadpan and said "that's not funny at all"
Junior looked at him totally deadpan and said "that's not funny at all"
Goldstone Rapper
Rediffusion PlayerofYear
And there's nothing wrong with fandom. I can happily say that there are many teams I have a soft spot for, like the Hungary team of the 1950s, Ipswich team of Bobby Robson, Ajax team of the 1970s. I just like the football those teams played. Dare I say it, having some kind of appreciation of more than one team is an expression of some wider love for the sport, rather than a sign of disloyalty or plasticity. Similarly, all those Manchester United fans from the far east who only get to see their team on TV are real fans. Not 'plastic fans' - unless they're pretending! To be a fan, you just have to like someone or something. That's all.
Being a supporter, though, that is something else. It requires patience, dedication, a bigger financial outlay, and you get way more back than if you're a fan. However, i think denigrating people for being fans rather than supporters, particularly those that switch their fandom, is missing the point. Fans' starting points are different. You don't like a band as much when their music starts becoming shit. Similarly, someone who 'liked' the Blackburn team of the 1990s would inevitably change their allegiance if the team no longer played the standard of football they were enjoying. From a fans' perspective, it makes sense. What has been heartening for many Albion supporters, such as me, has been the rise of Albion fandom in recent months - people who don't go to games but have started to look out for our team's results or asked questions about tickets. It wouldn't serve the situation to point out they're 'not a true supporter'!
Being a supporter, though, that is something else. It requires patience, dedication, a bigger financial outlay, and you get way more back than if you're a fan. However, i think denigrating people for being fans rather than supporters, particularly those that switch their fandom, is missing the point. Fans' starting points are different. You don't like a band as much when their music starts becoming shit. Similarly, someone who 'liked' the Blackburn team of the 1990s would inevitably change their allegiance if the team no longer played the standard of football they were enjoying. From a fans' perspective, it makes sense. What has been heartening for many Albion supporters, such as me, has been the rise of Albion fandom in recent months - people who don't go to games but have started to look out for our team's results or asked questions about tickets. It wouldn't serve the situation to point out they're 'not a true supporter'!
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Daffy Duck
Stop bloody moaning!
There's a huge difference between supporting a club and loving a club.
Love sometimes happens "at first sight" and I hope that a lot of our new supporters with fall in love after their first game at the Amex.
Other will perhaps take a little longer to get hooked and then forget that they used to support Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelski etc.
I was lucky, it was love at first sight for me.
Love sometimes happens "at first sight" and I hope that a lot of our new supporters with fall in love after their first game at the Amex.
Other will perhaps take a little longer to get hooked and then forget that they used to support Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelski etc.
I was lucky, it was love at first sight for me.