[Albion] The lost generation

[philgull25]

Was thinking about this last night too. My first Albion game was a 1-0 win over Hartlepool at Withdean on a cold November day in 1999.

In my secondary school (I went to Willingdon near Eastbourne) I was one of the only Brighton fans - the others in my year were a friend of mine and my brother, both of whom begrudgingly got dragged along to games by me.

I live in SE London now and go to park runs occasionally on Sat mornings, where I often get talking to other Brighton fans,

It’s mad how things have changed. Without the perseverance of people like Dick Knight, Martin Perry, Tony Bloom, et al, we might still be there, if even here at all.

 

[brighton_tom]

Couldn’t agree more with the sentiments on here. My first game was Wigan at home 1997. We won 1-0. All my friends at the time were Arsenal, United, or Spurs fans. I’m 37 now & have been going to games with Dad ever since. What other team could I have chosen to support that would have provided such an amazing journey through the leagues to playing European football?! From losing our ground to having such a beautiful new stadium. From Division 3 to the Premier League. Truly a special unique football experience.

During my twenties I couldnt help but notice that our club wasn’t exactly flush with supporters my own age, the lower league withdean era meant they were all off supporting Prem teams. But nowadays we see lots of young kids coming to games with their families. My hope is that these golden years are with us long enough that all the youngsters become hooked like I was, continue coming to games, and help the future growth of this club.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

My boys are 8 and 10 and huge Albion fans but at their age have only know us in the PL, and in recent years when we have been good. After the Fulham and Roma games last week the youngest turned round to me and asked "why are we such a rubbish team Dad?"

The lost generation to the privileged generation! Said it before, feel like loaning them out to a Rochdale or Gillingham to follow for a few years to earn their stripes!

 

[WestYorkshireSeagull]

Completely with you @Munkfish
Wycombe at home, Boxing Day 2003 was the beginning and last night was another landmark. I've 'converted' mates who ultimately were 'lost' but now they're getting deeper and deeper into the Albion lifestyle.

I was asking myself "what did I hate more?"... Losing 7-1 on a Tuesday night to Huddersfield in 2009 or 4-0 to Rome last week? To be honest they both hurt

But the journey continues. Bloom is at the top and the atmosphere last night made me proud to be a part of that journey.

 

[Curious Orange]

I don't get why tonight is the end of a journey? This is only the start...surely you know that as long as you've been supporting, to my mind the statement this morning for me is "we go again"...it might not be next season, it might be the season after...but we will go again....and thats what we do....

I like to think of it more as a pause for breath, which of course we actually physically have now we don't have a game until after the international break.

 

[dazzer6666]

My boys are 8 and 10 and huge Albion fans but at their age have only know us in the PL, and in recent years when we have been good. After the Fulham and Roma games last week the youngest turned round to me and asked "why are we such a rubbish team Dad?"

The lost generation to the privileged generation! Said it before, feel like loaning them out to a Rochdale or Gillingham to follow for a few years to earn their stripes!

Brilliant idea. First sign of privilege or entitlement and any fan gets loaned out to a League 1 or 2 team. ‘Sorry son, you’re just not ready yet. A year with Doncaster will sort you out’.

 

[jimhigham]

Youngest (5) was upset whilst choosing a top for non uniform day as someone in his after school football class told him Brighton are not a real team.

The little shit was wearing a PSG shirt apparently!

I'll let him off if he's from Paris...

 

[stewart12]

Was thinking about this last night too. My first Albion game was a 1-0 win over Hartlepool at Withdean on a cold November day in 1999.

In my secondary school (I went to Willingdon near Eastbourne) I was one of the only Brighton fans - the others in my year were a friend of mine and my brother, both of whom begrudgingly got dragged along to games by me.

I live in SE London now and go to park runs occasionally on Sat mornings, where I often get talking to other Brighton fans,

It’s mad how things have changed. Without the perseverance of people like Dick Knight, Martin Perry, Tony Bloom, et al, we might still be there, if even here at all.

I am around your age by the looks of it, maybe slightly older. I went to school IN BRIGHTON and there was only a handful on Brighton fans in my year. It was mostly Man U, Arsenal and a bit of Liverpool (Man U definitely number 1 though- absolutely unbearable when they won the treble). A lot of those people seem to support Brighton now.

Now I live in East Preston, which is on the periphery of Brighton's catchment area really, and lots of the kids at my sons school have Brighton shirts, rucksacks etc.

It's been a brilliant turnaround.

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

I visited my sister in Hassocs before the game last night. I was walking close to a school near the junction of the main street and Grand Avenue at the time kids were being collected from primary school.
My dismay/apoplexy was significant when this 30 something bloke with a silly haircut was collecting his kid. He(Dad) was wearing a Chelsea shirt! What chance has his son got!

 

[jackalbion]

I’m confused by the title of this thread as the OP doesn’t mention ‘the lost generation’ once, just pats himself on the back a bit.

Forget the Amex for a minute, go past football training on Saturdays at any Sussex rec and you’ll see dozens of Albion kits where 10 years ago you’d have maybe seen one or two. Stay around where we are in the EPL and the Amex won’t be big enough in 10-15 years time.

I know its crazy, when I was at school (in Hove!) for a period I was the only season ticket holder in my year, now everyone has one, its great, everyone has a kit, I love what this club is becoming.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

They will all have vanished once we are relegated to the Conference in 2030.

 

[the wanderbus]

When my eldest , now 25, was at primary school she was one of two kids that wore a Brighton shirt for PE . Her teacher( also a Brighton fan) told me that a kid in a Chelsea shirt decided to take the piss , the teacher was laughing when he told me what she said……..”At least I support a proper team with proper fans”. Funny what kids pick up from their parents!

 

[Commander]

My boys are 8 and 10 and huge Albion fans but at their age have only know us in the PL, and in recent years when we have been good. After the Fulham and Roma games last week the youngest turned round to me and asked "why are we such a rubbish team Dad?"

The lost generation to the privileged generation! Said it before, feel like loaning them out to a Rochdale or Gillingham to follow for a few years to earn their stripes!

My boys are 8 and 10 as well. It’s insane what they have seen. Especially the 8 year old. The lowest point he has seen is probably last night.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I visited my sister in Hassocs before the game last night. I was walking close to a school near the junction of the main street and Grand Avenue at the time kids were being collected from primary school.
My dismay/apoplexy was significant when this 30 something bloke with a silly haircut was collecting his kid. He(Dad) was wearing a Chelsea shirt! What chance has his son got!

Just imagine being the sort of person who would consider John Terry an idol and a role model. Console yourself with the knowledge that this is not you.

 

[Kuipers Supporters Club]

The lost generation is those born mid 80s - 2008ish.

 

[Exilegull]

As one from the new generation I miss the old days as much as boomers miss the old days of wiping your arse with the hand. We're all lost or not

 

[ManxSeagull]

My son who was born is 2004 mentioned this to me in the north stand concourse last night before the match. It hadn’t occurred to me that we potentially lost out on a lot of young fans through the 2000’s who couldn’t or didn’t want to get to a game. Or worse older fans who changed allegiance

Fortunately I brainwashed my son and he wouldn’t support any other club.

 

[The Grockle]

It's certainly been a rollercoaster and whilst I always believed we could grow I never dreamt we'd hit these levels.

As a teenager and throughout my twenties telling people I supported Brighton was met with one of ridicule, bemusement or a condescending "oh that's great you support a small club"

Our transformation has been extraordinary but it feels we still have much of the soul we had as a smaller, unfashionable club down on it's luck in the 90's. Then at the helm we have a family man who despite his vast riches, has an air of modesty and feels like one of the us, someone you're more likely to see reading a match program on the train than rock up to the training ground in a helicopter on skysports news.

 

[Sirnormangall]

It’s not all been plain sailing, but it’s wonderful to reflect that in the last 12 months or so we’ve beaten Liverpool (twice), Chelsea (twice), Arsenal, Spurs, Man U (twice), drawn with the European champions (Man City), beaten Ajax (twice), Marseilles and Roma. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d be posting something like this. Oh ….and we beat Palace 4-1 too.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I don't get why tonight is the end of a journey? This is only the start...surely you know that as long as you've been supporting, to my mind the statement this morning for me is "we go again"...it might not be next season, it might be the season after...but we will go again....and thats what we do....

It is the end of the journey to being what we never dreamt of being.

But we are, now, on the cusp of it. No going back.

Douglas Adams mused on the three stages of existence: Survival, enquiry, sophistication.

We are about to taste the new experience of sophistication.