[Albion] Stadium Observations

[Washboard Didgets]

The main transport problem is obviously Southern – on Monday all the trains from Falmer to Brighton were 4 (or 3) coaches, until the 22:29 which had 8 coaches. We had to get on the 22:36 which was back to 4 coaches.

The other problem is that the station is probably TOO CLOSE to the stadium. Most away stadiums I've been to require a good 10 minutes+ walk to the station after the match. Or are positioned between two stations. So the fans spread out over the walk and the queues at the stations are shorter.

Let's just close Falmer station and make everyone walk to Moulsecoomb Station instead!

 

[Wozza]

I've heard that at pretty much every game that I've watched on telly this season - nothing unique to the Amex!

Yes, that's what I meant.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The main transport problem is obviously Southern – on Monday all the trains from Falmer to Brighton were 4 (or 3) coaches, until the 22:29 which had 8 coaches. We had to get on the 22:36 which was back to 4 coaches.

The other problem is that the station is probably TOO CLOSE to the stadium. Most away stadiums I've been to require a good 10 minutes+ walk to the station after the match. Or are positioned between two stations. So the fans spread out over the walk and the queues at the stations are shorter.

Let's just close Falmer station and make everyone walk to Moulsecoomb Station instead!

It's shirley not stephensons rocket science to arrange the limited stock so that, post-match, the 8 carriage trains from Falmer are going towards Brighton fully laden, rather than going in the opposite direction half-empty? The current situation is just a moronic waste of available rolling stock

 

[portlock seagull]

The North stand organisation is the problem. I never realised how bad it was until I started sitting in it. Having two singing sections is utterly bizzarre. Is there another club in world football that have that? What should happen is that the North should be a bank of uniform noise that draws in everyone else. You support the same f***ing team sing the same f***ing songs

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Our atmosphere is pretty poor even by the low standards of Premier league crowds. Given we're literally enjoying the best spell in our history, I can't believe how bad it's been at times. Last night was a huge opportunity to make up ground on the European places yet the atmosphere was like a pre-season friendly.

I really don't think the issue is with the bulk of our fans. The North stand organisation is the problem. I never realised how bad it was until I started sitting in it. Having two singing sections is utterly bizzarre. Is there another club in world football that have that? What should happen is that the North should be a bank of uniform noise that draws in everyone else. You support the same f***ing team sing the same f***ing songs!

You might sit in the North Stand, but you have absolutely no understanding of the make up of that stand. It's nowt to do with the 'organisation' of it. There is no organisation. Barring a couple of pockets of a couple of dozen lively stalwarts, it's exactly the same mix of people as in the rest of the stands. Sorry, but it's never going to be a cauldron of noise, no matter what kind of 'organisation' you might like applied to it. Basically it has nothing whatsoever in common with the North Stand at The Goldstone, other than the name and its the cheap seats behind the goal. Modern football and the stadium design has put paid to that. Maybe the club should just sell the naming rights to the damn thing and be done with it (probably within PBOBE's sights anyway)
And... RELAX!

 

[Bry Nylon]

You might sit in the North Stand, but you have absolutely no understanding of the make up of that stand...Basically it has nothing whatsoever in common with the North Stand at The Goldstone, other than the name

Well quite. And that's before we even get onto the fact that it has nothing in common with the north in general, seeing as it is actually located on the westerly aspect of the stadium.

 

[Stat Brother]

Strange timing for that comment, given just two weeks ago, we were there, with it half empty, with little or no atmosphere!

Little to no atmosphere, are you sure?
The fact that it was half empty and noise was still made, for me made it somewhat surprising.
Halve the AMEX crowd and you've got nothing.

Weirdly I was in a similar position to AMEX, just to the left of the goal.
Only there I could here what is being sung across the stand so we could join in.

Even both Stoke fans could be heard on the occasions they had something to make a noise about.

Monday night, I could sing what was around me and I heard 'library' from the other day end, nothing else.


Since moving into the North (bloody kid refusing to become Peter Pan) I have a lot more sympathy for those fans because for whatever reason chants don't carry across the stand let alone beyond.

 

[jackalbion]

It's shirley not stephensons rocket science to arrange the limited stock so that, post-match, the 8 carriage trains from Falmer are going towards Brighton fully laden, rather than going in the opposite direction half-empty? The current situation is just a moronic waste of available rolling stock

Funnily enough that is also my surname . There's a long boring answer why it doesn't happen and the 8 car trains are the ones that they are and I'd probably have to get the toy trains out to explain it. The easiest answer is, that they should have replaced the 313s before retiring them or not retired them at all.

 

[Stat Brother]

You might sit in the North Stand, but you have absolutely no understanding of the make up of that stand. It's nowt to do with the 'organisation' of it. There is no organisation. Barring a couple of pockets of a couple of dozen lively stalwarts, it's exactly the same mix of people as in the rest of the stands. Sorry, but it's never going to be a cauldron of noise, no matter what kind of 'organisation' you might like applied to it. Basically it has nothing whatsoever in common with the North Stand at The Goldstone, other than the name and its the cheap seats behind the goal. Modern football and the stadium design has put paid to that. Maybe the club should just sell the naming rights to the damn thing and be done with it (probably within PBOBE's sights anyway)
And... RELAX!

ITV4's 70/80's matches has the 3-3 (?) V Liverpool.

The commentator then made reference to just how quiet we were watching that game, on 3 separate occasions.


Rosy specs?

 

[Stat Brother]

Such a myth - just like the Famous Anfield Atmosphere (a couple of times a season) and the famous selhurst atmosphere (because they've got a drum and a wooaa wooaa chant sung by about 100 black-clad knobs)

TBH I didn't know they had a reputation - who the hell pays attention to Stoke?

As said though, considering just how few people were there I was surprised how loud it was (obvs not loud loud, but far from silent).
It also seemed better quality, the acoustic were better, but I'm so far out of my comfort zone I'll have to leave it there.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Funnily enough that is also my surname . There's a long boring answer why it doesn't happen and the 8 car trains are the ones that they are and I'd probably have to get the toy trains out to explain it. The easiest answer is, that they should have replaced the 313s before retiring them or not retired them at all.

That's not really an answer tho Jack. Well, apart from your surname that is

Is there any compelling reason why there's an 8 carriage train going towards Eastbourne / Seaford at half nine or quarter to ten at night on a match night (or probably any night really) and leaving half empty from Falmer while the humungous queue going towards Brighton - ie the clear majority of match night punters - has to make do with pathetic 3 or 4 carriage trains? Wouldn't you agree that's just about the worst use of the limited available resources?

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

That's not really an answer tho Jack. Well, apart from your surname that is

Is there any compelling reason why there's an 8 carriage train going towards Eastbourne / Seaford at half nine or quarter to ten at night on a match night (or probably any night really) and leaving half empty from Falmer while the humungous queue going towards Brighton - ie the clear majority of match night punters - has to make do with pathetic 3 or 4 carriage trains? Wouldn't you agree that's just about the worst use of the limited available resources?

I'm going to guess that the answer is many things; valid, comprehensive, detailed, thoughtful, the list goes on.
But it won't be compelling.

 

[jackalbion]

That's not really an answer tho Jack. Well, apart from your surname that is

Is there any compelling reason why there's an 8 carriage train going towards Eastbourne / Seaford at half nine or quarter to ten at night on a match night (or probably any night really) and leaving half empty from Falmer while the humungous queue going towards Brighton - ie the clear majority of match night punters - has to make do with pathetic 3 or 4 carriage trains? Wouldn't you agree that's the worst use of the limited resources?

I believe those 8 cars towards Eastbourne run as 8 as booked, as the trains are heading to the depot in Eastbourne as 8 carriages. Don't think thats why the Seaford train has 8 carriages, but its mainly to do with splitting and attaching location and the location where the extra stock becomes available. On Seaford services the only place to attach is at Brighton, so where the 8 car appears heading towards Seaford, is likely because the extra stock comes off its booked service at around 9:30 lets say, so that will have to attach at Brighton, and in order for that to come through Falmer towards Brighton at the peak kick out time it needs to run down to Seaford on a circuit and come back, pushing back the time in which the attachment needs to take place at about 1 hour before FT. Likely that stock won't be available at 8:30 as its coming off peak services. The problem with extending the Eastbourne service is similar, however a train that departs Brighton in peak arrival time at the amex will be back at Falmer after going to Ore, just before kick out time. Meaning it won't be very useful. I hope someone can make sense of that . It's much easier to demonstrate with a brio train.

 

[JBizzle]

The atmosphere was quiet last night, you could hear the players at times, home crowds seem to have lost the ability to sing all around the country. I wonder why?

It's too cold

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Can we talk confectionary? The cornerstone obviously of a successful football club in Europe's elite league.

I do like something sweet after my regular cheese burger and - a few games ago - REALLY fancied a Snickers. WSU had none. No bother - went for a Mars bar instead

The following game even a Mars bar was impossible - ended up with a Twix and started to consider my season ticket renewal

Anyway - to my surprise WSU had Yorkie bars last night (couldn’t see anything else) so all was good again. Hung around after the game for the park & ride queues to die down and fancied something sweet to neutralise the bitterness of a 0-0 draw. This time - no Yorkers! No snickers, Mars or Twix - all the frankly embarrassed staff could muster was a vegan KitKat. Really upsetting as we all know how terrible KitKats have become. If I could have gone back to my seat and hurl it in protest - I would have done.

Honestly, how can the club push for top-4 when it’s concourse Sweet provision is so bad?

No surprise they had vegan KitKats left. They taste like they're straight out the vegetable patch.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Couldn't deliver Earle Jr and Grand Jr back to Seaford easily in the car as the road to Newhaven closed AGAIN for 'improvements'. Why must they do it on a match night?

 

[Peter Grummit]

That's not really an answer tho Jack. Well, apart from your surname that is

Is there any compelling reason why there's an 8 carriage train going towards Eastbourne / Seaford at half nine or quarter to ten at night on a match night (or probably any night really) and leaving half empty from Falmer while the humungous queue going towards Brighton - ie the clear majority of match night punters - has to make do with pathetic 3 or 4 carriage trains? Wouldn't you agree that's just about the worst use of the limited available resources?

Except they aren't half empty going Eastbound as there is also a humungous queue there too. Also, because of the choice to travel to Wivelsfield and further north either via Lewes or Brighton, the time spent queuing is, to an extent, self-regulating towards equilibrium.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I believe those 8 cars towards Eastbourne run as 8 as booked, as the trains are heading to the depot in Eastbourne as 8 carriages. Don't think thats why the Seaford train has 8 carriages, but its mainly to do with splitting and attaching location and the location where the extra stock becomes available. On Seaford services the only place to attach is at Brighton, so where the 8 car appears heading towards Seaford, is likely because the extra stock comes off its booked service at around 9:30 lets say, so that will have to attach at Brighton, and in order for that to come through Falmer towards Brighton at the peak kick out time it needs to run down to Seaford on a circuit and come back, pushing back the time in which the attachment needs to take place at about 1 hour before FT. Likely that stock won't be available at 8:30 as its coming off peak services. The problem with extending the Eastbourne service is similar, however a train that departs Brighton in peak arrival time at the amex will be back at Falmer after going to Ore, just before kick out time. Meaning it won't be very useful. I hope someone can make sense of that . It's much easier to demonstrate with a brio train.

Big cheers for lengthy and detailed response mate, even if it leaves me absolutely none the wiser

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Except they aren't half empty going Eastbound as there is also a humungous queue there too. Also, because of the choice to travel to Wivelsfield and further north either via Lewes or Brighton, the time spent queuing is, to an extent, self-regulating towards equilibrium.

I take it you've not seen the numerous photos on NSC suggesting they're doing exactly that then?

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Little to no atmosphere, are you sure?
The fact that it was half empty and noise was still made, for me made it somewhat surprising.
Halve the AMEX crowd and you've got nothing.

Weirdly I was in a similar position to AMEX, just to the left of the goal.
Only there I could here what is being sung across the stand so we could join in.

Even both Stoke fans could be heard on the occasions they had something to make a noise about.

Monday night, I could sing what was around me and I heard 'library' from the other day end, nothing else.


Since moving into the North (bloody kid refusing to become Peter Pan) I have a lot more sympathy for those fans because for whatever reason chants don't carry across the stand let alone beyond.

On the recent visit, yes - they were very quiet indeed - which was surprising, as on my (small sample size of two) previous visits, they've been very loud.