Marlton & Hove Albion
New member
== AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION FANS ==
How about this team for Saturday vs. Chesterfield.
Henderson or Kuipers
Ingimarrson Virgo McShane Lynch
Sidwell Hammond Carole
D Henderson Zamora Kazim Richards
Subs: Butters, Mayo, Robinson, Knight, Sullivan
Manager: Adams, Taylor, Coppell or McGhee
Attendance: 8,000 Sell Out
Do you think that team would be sitting above Cardiff right now? Funny thing is, that team was all very very possible with an ambitious team running the club. This team would have cost us no more than 500K-750K with most of the money spent on McShane and Sidwell. Could we afford the wages? Probably not right now but who knows. A club knocking on the door of the Premiership would attract enormous attention, improved sponsorship, better gates and possible investment. Look at Pompey and look at Reading.
I have never posted on this board before but have been a die hard exiled fan for 30 years and often read some of the postings (usually laughing at the idiotic nonsense). I thought it time to stop reading and to begin to contribute to a dialogue that I hope will ultimately result in a better club.
I have been very fortunate in business and the US has been good to me since I left Brighton 20 years ago. I suppose I should be in a position to put my money where my heart is and invest in the club but I wouldn't until Mr. Knight decides there are other options to improve the standing of the club.
I watched and participated (Fans Utd) in the removal of Archer and Bellotti and would not wish the club to return to those dark days of ownership in the hands of spiteful and selfish men. But isn't it time we move on? Isn't it time to encourage broader participation and more than a request for investment (from fans) but without a matching say in the development of the club? Should we expect a board of investors who can and will invest in the business? I think a team costing no more than 750K, that I detail above, is a reasonable expectation and one that we could all be proud of.
On the pitch is what matters most. Having a beautiful new ground can also ensure you join the Darlington, Swansea and Huddersfield club and no guarantee of solvency or success. Falmer is PART of a future but not without a squad that is truly capable of entertaining the fans and competing at a decent level. Can we have both? That is a question that must be answered. Will we kick our first ball at Falmer in League Two (Division 4) or worse? Perhaps the crowds will dwindle to the much discussed 4,000 core and the business plan for Falmer will be all there is to show for 8 years of effort and millions spent with lawyers?
Mr. Knight should consider whether he is part of the problem or part of the solution? No one should doubt his work and commitment to the club. In the same way I wouldn't begin to criticize the love and passion of countless men who have tried to run their businesses but for lack of funding or skill have run their company's into the ground.
This letter isn't about opening old wounds or contributing to prejudices held by different fan factions. It is my opinion on the state of the club and a potential future if we continue on our present course. I would suggest that the fans (if this is an open club) expect more from the board. Dean Wilkins is not going to achieve miracles with the resources he has. We have had some of the finest managers in the country in Taylor, Coppell, McGhee and Adams. What do they have in common? They did all they could under the constraints imposed upon them by a paradigm created by the Chairman and when they could do no more they moved on.
As fans we have a right to voice sensible opinions. As owners, the Chairman and board have a right to ignore them. That is how all business is run. But the paying customers then have the right to reject the business and vote with their hard earned money. The club risks ruin by marching ahead as we are.
I appeal to the board and to Mr. Knight to give serious thought to a new future. Perhaps it is time to move on. The gratitude for removing Archer, for bringing us back to Brighton and the fight for Falmer will never be forgotten.
We need more than a new manager, we need new ideas and new leadership.
Sincerely,
One Loyal Exiled Fan
How about this team for Saturday vs. Chesterfield.
Henderson or Kuipers
Ingimarrson Virgo McShane Lynch
Sidwell Hammond Carole
D Henderson Zamora Kazim Richards
Subs: Butters, Mayo, Robinson, Knight, Sullivan
Manager: Adams, Taylor, Coppell or McGhee
Attendance: 8,000 Sell Out
Do you think that team would be sitting above Cardiff right now? Funny thing is, that team was all very very possible with an ambitious team running the club. This team would have cost us no more than 500K-750K with most of the money spent on McShane and Sidwell. Could we afford the wages? Probably not right now but who knows. A club knocking on the door of the Premiership would attract enormous attention, improved sponsorship, better gates and possible investment. Look at Pompey and look at Reading.
I have never posted on this board before but have been a die hard exiled fan for 30 years and often read some of the postings (usually laughing at the idiotic nonsense). I thought it time to stop reading and to begin to contribute to a dialogue that I hope will ultimately result in a better club.
I have been very fortunate in business and the US has been good to me since I left Brighton 20 years ago. I suppose I should be in a position to put my money where my heart is and invest in the club but I wouldn't until Mr. Knight decides there are other options to improve the standing of the club.
I watched and participated (Fans Utd) in the removal of Archer and Bellotti and would not wish the club to return to those dark days of ownership in the hands of spiteful and selfish men. But isn't it time we move on? Isn't it time to encourage broader participation and more than a request for investment (from fans) but without a matching say in the development of the club? Should we expect a board of investors who can and will invest in the business? I think a team costing no more than 750K, that I detail above, is a reasonable expectation and one that we could all be proud of.
On the pitch is what matters most. Having a beautiful new ground can also ensure you join the Darlington, Swansea and Huddersfield club and no guarantee of solvency or success. Falmer is PART of a future but not without a squad that is truly capable of entertaining the fans and competing at a decent level. Can we have both? That is a question that must be answered. Will we kick our first ball at Falmer in League Two (Division 4) or worse? Perhaps the crowds will dwindle to the much discussed 4,000 core and the business plan for Falmer will be all there is to show for 8 years of effort and millions spent with lawyers?
Mr. Knight should consider whether he is part of the problem or part of the solution? No one should doubt his work and commitment to the club. In the same way I wouldn't begin to criticize the love and passion of countless men who have tried to run their businesses but for lack of funding or skill have run their company's into the ground.
This letter isn't about opening old wounds or contributing to prejudices held by different fan factions. It is my opinion on the state of the club and a potential future if we continue on our present course. I would suggest that the fans (if this is an open club) expect more from the board. Dean Wilkins is not going to achieve miracles with the resources he has. We have had some of the finest managers in the country in Taylor, Coppell, McGhee and Adams. What do they have in common? They did all they could under the constraints imposed upon them by a paradigm created by the Chairman and when they could do no more they moved on.
As fans we have a right to voice sensible opinions. As owners, the Chairman and board have a right to ignore them. That is how all business is run. But the paying customers then have the right to reject the business and vote with their hard earned money. The club risks ruin by marching ahead as we are.
I appeal to the board and to Mr. Knight to give serious thought to a new future. Perhaps it is time to move on. The gratitude for removing Archer, for bringing us back to Brighton and the fight for Falmer will never be forgotten.
We need more than a new manager, we need new ideas and new leadership.
Sincerely,
One Loyal Exiled Fan
