So who are these 'fan groups'?

[wellquickwoody]

Just had a look at the website of the Brighton and Hove Albion Supporters Club website, sorry but I am using a tablet and am unsure how to put links up. Anyway, having had a nose at their Facebook page, I can only come to one conclusion, what a sad bunch of muppets they are! Half the page is spent comparing their paintings of the Amex, sad, sad people.......oops careful now, that might be artophobia!

 

[jackanada]

It does seem that all you need to get some press attention is a name for your organisation (complete with shoddy logo), a bit of research and stats that most year 7 kids could do and some whining prose to make a press release, and finally an elderly mentalist to read some of it out.

So good folk of NSC, with the aim of getting someone on telly saying something like: "Our research clearly showed that over 90% of brighton fans would find attending matches a poorer experience if they weren't asked about their boyfriends knowledge of their whereabouts, or advised that their entwined phalanges were visible." What do we do next?

 

[mistahclarke]

Just had a look at the website of the Brighton and Hove Albion Supporters Club website, sorry but I am using a tablet and am unsure how to put links up. Anyway, having had a nose at their Facebook page, I can only come to one conclusion, what a sad bunch of muppets they are! Half the page is spent comparing their paintings of the Amex, sad, sad people.......oops careful now, that might be artophobia!

203 people like their facebook page, less than 1% of the Amex capacity. There are more members on NSC so surely our opinion is better representation of the fans.

 

[melias shoes]

Liz Costa has literally made us a laughing stock. Cheers.

Correct.

 

[dougdeep]

There's nothing wrong with the supporters club. They supply coaches to every away game, they did a hell of a lot to help the club during the Gillingham and Withdean years and did more than most in getting us to Falmer.

 

[wilko1]

What gives Liz Costa the right to speak on behalf of us ....we all know what the supporters club and its membership are like.

I am not offended by the chants, and think the vast majority, are not offended either

The quotes and interviews from LC makes us look ridiculous, and pathetic...it makes us a laughing stock
It's banter, we do it, whether we are calling people Pikeys, Sheep Shaggers, Benefit claiming northerners, Pie eaters, inbreds
you name it

Costa should stop preaching.....I know she feels she is the self proclaimed spokesperson for all the fans...she has over the years come out with so many emabarrasing quotes...clearly got little else going on in her life

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

Argus has a poll on this story, currently 51/49% find it offensive
I say get on there now and vote for banter

 

[Deanbha]

There's nothing wrong with the supporters club. They supply coaches to every away game, they did a hell of a lot to help the club during the Gillingham and Withdean years and did more than most in getting us to Falmer.

Maybe not but maybe they should keep their mouths shut for once.

 

[melias shoes]

How many people actually belong to the supporters club? What percentage of the home support do they represent? Has the supporters club ever sought your opinion about anything?

Don't be silly they're not interested in majority views only minority gets listened too these days.

 

[Everest]

As their flag says, "proudly independent".
Yet they still think they speak for ALL of us.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

There's nothing wrong with the supporters club. They supply coaches to every away game, they did a hell of a lot to help the club during the Gillingham and Withdean years and did more than most in getting us to Falmer.

Of course, but when they open their mouths it basically represents all fans to the media - better off reading NSC for fans views.

 

[wellquickwoody]

There's nothing wrong with the supporters club. They supply coaches to every away game, they did a hell of a lot to help the club during the Gillingham and Withdean years and did more than most in getting us to Falmer.

Well done to them for that. Now stop inferring to speak for the majority of Albion fans.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

There's clearly a massive difference between racist chanting or abuse directed at individual black players or fans, and homophobic chanting directed in some general sense towards Brighton's (accurate) reputation as a town with a relatively large population of gay people. However I still have some problems with it for two reasons:
First -- some of it is, actually, directed at individual fans: particularly the kinds of chants (which I've witnessed on several recent occasions -- Palace and Millwall matches come to mind), which is aimed at men with their young children, implying child abuse and paedophilia etc. There's an example in the Argus article
"Following the home game against Millwall on December 18 last year, a father and son were targeted outside the Amex with away fans reportedly asking: “do you pass him around?” "
Second -- even if many (most?) Brighton fans are not generally offended by the homophobic chants, I suspect the knowledge that such abusive chanting continues contributes to maintaining and reinforcing the general culture which makes it difficult for gay footballers to come out, and may well discourage gay fans from attending or discourage gay youngsters from following football. As a middle-aged heterosexual male and long-term fan, I'm not particularly offended by the chants, but my (female) partner, who is now a STH, certainly is offended. Now maybe she's the kind of JCL (also lefty, feminist, middle class... etc) that some people on here think is spoiling the atmosphere at matches and whom we could do without as part of our fanbase. Personally, I think it's a shame, because apart from this kind of thing, she really enjoys the football and the AMEX experience, is becoming an enthusiastic and increasingly knowledgeable supporter.

This.

 

[Beach Hut]

What a total embarrasment to all BHAFC fans, is this the Groovy Gang

 

[melias shoes]

There's nothing wrong with the supporters club. They supply coaches to every away game, they did a hell of a lot to help the club during the Gillingham and Withdean years and did more than most in getting us to Falmer.

I'm not in the supporters club but I wrote letters,went on marches and protested very loudly. Yes they did their bit but so did a lot of us.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Maybe we really need to up the ante on Saturday against Leicester? We will without doubt be on the receiving end of some banter from the away fans following the misguided actions of the supporters club. I propose MASSIVE responses of our usual comebacks, 'You're too ugly', "1-0 to the batty boys' and 'You're just bi-curious' etc etc. Any takers? Oooer.....

 

[Titus]

What a total embarrasment to all BHAFC fans, is this the Groovy Gang

What's really embarrassing is people posting on here when they're on holiday.

 

[Deanbha]

What's really embarrassing is people posting on here when they're when on holiday.

Huh?

 

[melias shoes]

There's nothing wrong with the supporters club. They supply coaches to every away game, they did a hell of a lot to help the club during the Gillingham and Withdean years and did more than most in getting us to Falmer.

I'm not in the supporters club but I wrote letters,went on marches and protested very loudly. Yes they did their bit but so did a lot of us.

 

[Beach Hut]

There's nothing wrong with the supporters club. They supply coaches to every away game, they did a hell of a lot to help the club during the Gillingham and Withdean years and did more than most in getting us to Falmer.

Do one, big time.

Uncle Tony made the dream happen not a bunch of yawning supporters who think they represent everyone