Thanks Albion fans, from a JCL........

[albie_noobs]

I started watching the Albion in the late seventies and early eighties, the first game my Dad took me to was Hull City because he wanted me to see, in his opinion, one of the greats... Billy Bremner, sadly he didn't play that day but we did see many memorable games. I now take my young lad to The Amex where we have season tickets in the WSL.

I suppose I am a JCL, I didn't go to Gillingham and only went to the Withdean a couple of times, mainly because of traveling and playing football etc.

I would just like to say a huge thank you from my son and I to all the true Albion fans, especially those that campaigned , marched, made banners and gave up all their precious time in the fight to rid the club from Archer and Bellotti and also to bring the Albion back to it's wonderful new home. Sitting in that stadium watching my sons face light up when the North stand start singing is very emotional for me, goodness knows what you guys must feel.

So from all the new and returning Albion fans.....Thank you very very much.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

JCL is a demeaning term IMHO, and doesn't do justice to all the people who used to go to the Albion but for whatever reason stopped for a few years.

JCL is for the people of Milton Keynes, who had never had a football team and now go to watch their Noddy artificial transplanted club. Or even for the extra 10,000 fans Reading have found since moving to the Madejski, who never went to Elm Park in their entire lives. The vast majority of new ST holders at the Amex are returners, of all generations, not local Chelsea fans looking for a bit of lower league entertainment when they can't get into Stamford Bridge. They're people who've never stopped being Albion fans, they just stopped going to games for a bit. It happens.

Welcome back one and all, and may you never waver again

 

[CP 0 3 BHA]

JCL is a demeaning term IMHO, and doesn't do justice to all the people who used to go to the Albion but for whatever reason stopped for a few years.

JCL is for the people of Milton Keynes, who had never had a football team and now go to watch their Noddy artificial transplanted club. Or even for the extra 10,000 fans Reading have found since moving to the Madejski, who never went to Elm Park in their entire lives. The vast majority of new ST holders at the Amex are returners, of all generations, not local Chelsea fans looking for a bit of lower league entertainment when they can't get into Stamford Bridge. They're people who've never stopped being Albion fans, they just stopped going to games for a bit. It happens.

Welcome back one and all, and may you never waver again

hear, hear - although I do find myself sitting next to a Gooner and a Liverpool fan in the WSU but they're showing signs of a profound conversion to the Stripes even at this early stage.

 

[Sir Nigel of Eagleshire]

JCL is a demeaning term IMHO, and doesn't do justice to all the people who used to go to the Albion but for whatever reason stopped for a few years.

JCL is for the people of Milton Keynes, who had never had a football team and now go to watch their Noddy artificial transplanted club. Or even for the extra 10,000 fans Reading have found since moving to the Madejski, who never went to Elm Park in their entire lives. The vast majority of new ST holders at the Amex are returners, of all generations, not local Chelsea fans looking for a bit of lower league entertainment when they can't get into Stamford Bridge. They're people who've never stopped being Albion fans, they just stopped going to games for a bit. It happens.

Welcome back one and all, and may you never waver again

Is this just an assumption ?

Your new fans are all really old fans that have had a little rest and are ready to come back... and all their new fans are plastics..... interesting

 

[Smithy]

It's great to hear of so many returning fans from the Goldstone days.

 

[Tummy Burger]

Is this just an assumption ?

Your new fans are all really old fans that have had a little rest and are ready to come back... and all their new fans are plastics..... interesting

Nigel, Nigel, Nigel. Are you still here ?. I think you are secretly considering changing allegiencies from the dark side. At least that way you will get that ticket you wanted to see a proper team.

 

[Simster]

hear, hear - although I do find myself sitting next to a Gooner and a Liverpool fan in the WSU but they're showing signs of a profound conversion to the Stripes even at this early stage.

Not to mention the bloke in the East with a massive Chelsea tattoo down his left leg.

We have JCLs Edna, but there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[Mackenzie]

Is this just an assumption ?

Your new fans are all really old fans that have had a little rest and are ready to come back... and all their new fans are plastics..... interesting

Difference is, as you well know (unless you really are thick), Reading never had those fans.....what was their average crowd at Elm Park 3000/4000.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Not really. Reading spent the 1980s playing in front of 4,000 people in the lower divisions. They'd never really had any success until Madejski came along, so it stands to reason that people would be attracted by the new found success on and off the pitch. That's fair enough. Granted, Reading isn't quite the example that MK Dons are, but equally our situation is nowhere near the Premier-League-part-timer-fest that you lot try to make out it is.

Most of our season tickets were sold long before we knew what division we'd be playing in this year, and I firmly believe that our crowds would have been not far off what they are so far even if we'd stayed in League One. You genuinely have no idea what this stadium means to supporters of our club after the crap we've endured. It's not like any other club leaving a much loved old ground and getting all nostalgic for it. We've been waiting for this for years and it's the biggest thing to happen for a long long time. I know so many people who always used to go at the Goldstone who fell out of the habit, but who always called themselves Brighton fans if asked. These are the people coming back, and these are the people who will remain Albion, no matter how much you try to convince yourself and your Selhurst chums that all the new faces are simply weekending plastic Spurs or Arse fans. Sure, there will be a few here and there, but in time they'll become Albion fans too (that's what happens when you go to watch a team regularly- how else did you become a fan?) which means a few people out there who will never, ever become Palace.

How can that POSSIBLY be a bad thing?

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Is this just an assumption ?

Your new fans are all really old fans that have had a little rest and are ready to come back... and all their new fans are plastics..... interesting

No assumption-Reading moved from Elm park with an "all time Home average" gate of 7,000
Brighton left from the goldstone with 12,500

Reading's is now 9,000
Brighton's 11.100

Reading have had the new stadium for a number of years now & Brighton's is just open.

For the record the Palace "all time home average" gate is 15,700.(Not bad for the so called Big 35 years int the top 2 club).

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Difference is, as you well know (unless you really are thick), Reading never had those fans.....what was their average crowd at Elm Park 3000/4000.

Reading's highest gate was 34,000
Brighton's 36,747 although we have eclipsed 34,000 on 4 occasions

But years 1947 to 1986 Reading struggled to get 10,000 plus average gates on more than 10 occasions,where as

Brighton's average during this period dipped bellow 10,000 on only 4 occasions

Brighton recorded gates over 30,000 in every decade from 1932 to 1979-Southampton as an example Pre St Mary's only had 31,000 (Once).

 

[Sir Nigel of Eagleshire]

Nigel, Nigel, Nigel. Are you still here ?. I think you are secretly considering changing allegiencies from the dark side. At least that way you will get that ticket you wanted to see a proper team.

Yes, No, there is that i suppose.

 

[Tummy Burger]

Yes, No, there is that i suppose.

You are not being truthful with yourself. Inside every Palace fan, is a more intelligent Albion fan fighting to "come out". We are all gay on here don't you know.

 

[Bwian]

Not really. Reading spent the 1980s playing in front of 4,000 people in the lower divisions. They'd never really had any success until Madejski came along, so it stands to reason that people would be attracted by the new found success on and off the pitch. That's fair enough. Granted, Reading isn't quite the example that MK Dons are, but equally our situation is nowhere near the Premier-League-part-timer-fest that you lot try to make out it is.

Most of our season tickets were sold long before we knew what division we'd be playing in this year, and I firmly believe that our crowds would have been not far off what they are so far even if we'd stayed in League One. You genuinely have no idea what this stadium means to supporters of our club after the crap we've endured. It's not like any other club leaving a much loved old ground and getting all nostalgic for it. We've been waiting for this for years and it's the biggest thing to happen for a long long time. I know so many people who always used to go at the Goldstone who fell out of the habit, but who always called themselves Brighton fans if asked. These are the people coming back, and these are the people who will remain Albion, no matter how much you try to convince yourself and your Selhurst chums that all the new faces are simply weekending plastic Spurs or Arse fans. Sure, there will be a few here and there, but in time they'll become Albion fans too (that's what happens when you go to watch a team regularly- how else did you become a fan?) which means a few people out there who will never, ever become Palace.

How can that POSSIBLY be a bad thing?

You do realise that for all of your efforts to make it as easy as possible to understand-the cretins up the A23 will go straight into 'plastics' mode. Facts are wasted on cretins but thanks for the effort

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

You do realise that for all of your efforts to make it as easy as possible to understand-the cretins up the A23 will go straight into 'plastics' mode. Facts are wasted on cretins but thanks for the effort

They will just have to see it happen-over the next few years,it''s going to be great-good times,good times.

 

[Gullys Cats]

HEAR HEAR!

 

[Sir Nigel of Eagleshire]

You are not being truthful with yourself. Inside every Palace fan, is a more intelligent Albion fan fighting to "come out". We are all gay on here don't you know.

LOL nice psychology but I'm Palace through and through, you really do have some statto freaks on here don't you ? If I ever need to know the average number of Ipswich fans that have a burger at half time as opposed to a hot dog I will know where to come

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

LOL nice psychology but I'm Palace through and through, you really do have some statto freaks on here don't you ? If I ever need to know the average number of Ipswich fans that have a burger at half time as opposed to a hot dog I will know where to come

Honestly Sir Nigel, you absolute sausage!

 

[The_Viper]

I agree that JCL is demeaning. I don't understand where it's come from in all honesty, I had us down as one of the most humble and accepting clubs in the league, now I can barely view this board without the term JCL being plastered across my screen. Where would you class me? I'm 21 and haven't lived in Brighton all my life, my Dad was born there and he turned me blue and white at 8 years old at Sixfields where we lost 2-1 to Northampton town in the Worthington Cup, I've watched us be promoted, relegated, and I never looked back.I remember sitting on my living room floor literally not breathing for several minutes when Tony Cottee on SSN was commentating as we were taking penalties against Man City in the CC, I could literally plough out a 10 page blog on my roller coaster of emotions as a Brighton fan Does the fact that Doncaster was my first home game in 6 odd years make me a JCL? Even if I've travelled all over this island to watch us play away from home as I live much further north?

Does it bollocks, nor does it make any seagulls abroad a JCL when they experience the AMEX for the first time, nor does it make a lad who fancies watching a game of football for the first time who just happens to pick Brighton a JCL. Would you rather the new fans, the distant fans and others all just not bother and go to Arsenal or someone instead? Personally I'm delighted everytime I hear of a newly converted Albion fan, it makes me proud that this club has came far enough to be able to convert people, to be able to welcome people to a beautiful ground and beautiful football. f*** me if sitting there aged 13 with all my Man Utd mates laughing at the state Brighton were in on a Satuday wasn't enough to tear me away from here, no chance will I let myself become some lesser fan because some bloke on here says so.

Please come and watch us, please support us and experience the roller coaster that is Brighton & Hove Albion, were all entitled to it, were all equal, and when were all in that ground or any other on our travels... Were f***ing brilliant, were f***ing brilliant, were f***ing brilliant

 

[StillHateBellotti]

JCL is a demeaning term IMHO, and doesn't do justice to all the people who used to go to the Albion but for whatever reason stopped for a few years.

JCL is for the people of Milton Keynes, who had never had a football team and now go to watch their Noddy artificial transplanted club. Or even for the extra 10,000 fans Reading have found since moving to the Madejski, who never went to Elm Park in their entire lives. The vast majority of new ST holders at the Amex are returners, of all generations, not local Chelsea fans looking for a bit of lower league entertainment when they can't get into Stamford Bridge. They're people who've never stopped being Albion fans, they just stopped going to games for a bit. It happens.

Welcome back one and all, and may you never waver again

Yep agreed im one of them Edna and did my bit to keep the club afloat! Now im back and loving it x