The more I read about the Prem...

[Sussex Nomad]

... the more I dislike it.

I spent no time at all around the Prem until we got there, and to be honest I only care about us being top flight again and not the shit that surrounds it. But the more I read, the more I hate it. The pulling of supporters videos of us in the 70/80s for a start, that has really pissed me off. But now the 'big six' wanting more of the dosh, is this about football any more? At least in the Football League they had a little more grace about their (very little) riches. I feel like we have been caught up in some giant circus of greed. The Great White of footballing divisions. It just opens it's mouth and eats everything in sight. I find myself increasingly reading about money and not football. I am old enough, and fortunate enough to remember 1979 and went at the time. It was Division One and devoid of this money merry go round back then.

I am from a very big non league football background, but that asides, having observed the Prem for two months I find this division crazy and it is more about money than football, it is a different monster from anything I have experienced in sport. Inflated wages and transfers were to be expected, no brainer. But now that I read more about it, because we're in it the more I think this is not about football. I'm probably getting old but I'll do another season (if we survive this one) and call it a day. I don't care much for corporate football. I'm sure Arsenal find it fantastic.

 

[Triggaaar]

The pulling of supporters videos of us in the 70/80s for a start, that has really pissed me off.

I thought that was currently going ok? GR didn't have the rights to those videos, but I don't think fans are losing access to them. I'd wait and see on that.

But now the 'big six' wanting more of the dosh, is this about football any more?

Was it about football when our ground was stolen?

I feel like we have been caught up in some giant circus of greed.

Well yeah, a lot of the clubs are owned by those wanting to make a profit, while others are owned by those so rich they don't need a profit, but want profile instead. We're lucky to be owned by a fan, and the quality of football is good, so let's enjoy that.

I find myself increasingly reading about money and not football.

Stop reading.

I am from a very big non league football background, but that asides, having observed the Prem for two months I find this division crazy and it is more about money than football

Don't worry about the money, just enjoy the football.

In another week you'll need to add another L to your user title. What's not to love?

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I thought that was currently going ok? GR didn't have the rights to those videos, but I don't think fans are losing access to them. I'd wait and see on that.

Was it about football when our ground was stolen?

Well yeah, a lot of the clubs are owned by those wanting to make a profit, while others are owned by those so rich they don't need a profit, but want profile instead. We're lucky to be owned by a fan, and the quality of football is good, so let's enjoy that.

Stop reading.

Don't worry about the money, just enjoy the football.

In another week you'll need to add another L to your user title. What's not to love?

Sometimes I want to punch you Trig

Why are we both up at 3am? Why am I feeling like our identity as a club is getting the shit kicked out of it?

Actually I am up at 3am, as I was yesterday because I work my bollocks off during the week and treasure my home hours. I don't want to sleep them. But that's an aside.

I can't answer all your questions but I still feel like I did in my initial post. I am losing the reason for the soul of football at the highest level.

 

[BadFish]

... the more I dislike it.

I spent no time at all around the Prem until we got there, and to be honest I only care about us being top flight again and not the shit that surrounds it. But the more I read, the more I hate it. The pulling of supporters videos of us in the 70/80s for a start, that has really pissed me off. But now the 'big six' wanting more of the dosh, is this about football any more? At least in the Football League they had a little more grace about their (very little) riches. I feel like we have been caught up in some giant circus of greed. The Great White of footballing divisions. It just opens it's mouth and eats everything in sight. I find myself increasingly reading about money and not football. I am old enough, and fortunate enough to remember 1979 and went at the time. It was Division One and devoid of this money merry go round back then.

I am from a very big non league football background, but that asides, having observed the Prem for two months I find this division crazy and it is more about money than football, it is a different monster from anything I have experienced in sport. Inflated wages and transfers were to be expected, no brainer. But now that I read more about it, because we're in it the more I think this is not about football. I'm probably getting old but I'll do another season (if we survive this one) and call it a day. I don't care much for corporate football. I'm sure Arsenal find it fantastic.

Its a poison challis alright.

if i still lived in Brighton i can see myself going to Whitehawk or Lewis games ( i know a lot of people that have made the choice). I read about the big 6 wanting more money or they would go and form a European Superleague and my reaction was.... **** off and do it then. Lets have a top division of proper clubs who are all in with a shout of winning it.

For me though it means that i can watch more Brighton games and people have heard of us. This of course means that they can talk to me in a condescending manner about little Brighton after having picked their Premier league team from the top of a league table in the paper.

I guess we just enjoy the ride and hope that we don't lose our identity and become another Premier League franchise bankrolled from afar.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I guess we just enjoy the ride and hope that we don't lose our identity and become another Premier League franchise bankrolled from afar.

I think we are losing our identity already and there is f'uck all we can do about it, whilst caught up in this chasm of money.

 

[BadFish]

I think we are losing our identity already and there is f'uck all we can do about it, whilst caught up in this chasm of money.

I am not sure about this, I think our identity for many years has been defined by the shit we went through 20 years ago. Maybe it is time t redefine that in terms of how we measure success. If we can continue to produce youngsters and live within our means. Maybe win a cup or two along the way i will be fairly happy.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I am not sure about this, I think our identity for many years has been defined by the shit we went through 20 years ago. Maybe it is time t redefine that in terms of how we measure success. If we can continue to produce youngsters and live within our means. Maybe win a cup or two along the way i will be fairly happy.

You make a good point my friend, but I am talking about the off field shite that clubs at the top level endure, I dislike it totally. The fact that a club is about money, about what Sky can milk. This is where the identity is being lost. It no longer becomes a supporters club but a corporate raking of everything we knew about the club. As I said, Arsenal love this, they make an absolute killing from non Arsenal supporters happy to stump up 1% of their city earnings. The real Arsenal supporters have long since passed.

Goldstone Rapper has a totally innocent youTube home of over 400 videos from our past. He had no pressure to get rid of this due to 'copyright infringements' until this season. Why this season? Why not the last or the one before? And then we find out that they will be available to us, but on Seagulls TV at a cost. Why? We have watched these videos free, and rightly so for many years, why all of a sudden, we now can't watch them without a price?

I love watching my team, have done for over 5 decades now, although to be fair I missed a few due to my non league commitments, but I don't feel anything about Brighton now that is Brighton, I just see a corporate machine that is relentlessly moving on in the direction of most Prem clubs that only use supporters, and price them out... eventually.

I have a bleak future for us, stay up and watch sterile football watched by sterile supporters. Look at the Emirates, look at most of these so called big Prem sides, no atmosphere at their games, they're all tourists. I'm not saying we'll ever be a top six, I'm just saying we are now in a league without football supporters at many clubs in this division. But this league is all about money and nothing about football. It's soulless and a bit destroying.

 

[BadFish]

You make a good point my friend, but I am talking about the off field shite that clubs at the top level endure, I dislike it totally. The fact that a club is about money, about what Sky can milk. This is where the identity is being lost. It no longer becomes a supporters club but a corporate raking of everything we knew about the club. As I said, Arsenal love this, they make an absolute killing from non Arsenal supporters happy to stump up 1% of their city earnings. The real Arsenal supporters have long since passed.

Goldstone Rapper has a totally innocent youTube home of over 400 videos from our past. He had no pressure to get rid of this due to 'copyright infringements' until this season. Why this season? Why not the last or the one before? And then we find out that they will be available to us, but on Seagulls TV at a cost. Why? We have watched these videos free, and rightly so for many years, why all of a sudden, we now can't watch them without a price?

I love watching my team, have done for over 5 decades now, although to be fair I missed a few due to my non league commitments, but I don't feel anything about Brighton now that is Brighton, I just see a corporate machine that is relentlessly moving on in the direction of most Prem clubs that only use supporters, and price them out... eventually.

I have a bleak future for us, stay up and watch sterile football watched by sterile supporters. Look at the Emirates, look at most of these so called big Prem sides, no atmosphere at their games, they're all tourists. I'm not saying we'll ever be a top six, I'm just saying we are now in a league without football supporters at many clubs in this division. But this league is all about money and nothing about football. It's soulless and a bit destroying.

You are bang on mate.

Certainly not the game that i fell in love with years ago. Such a shame .

 

[HastingsSeagull]

I agree a fair few negatives come from being up in the PL. I was only born in '83 so as long as I can remember we've averaged out as a decent league 1 side, with possibly the most Promotions and Relegations of any club in that time. It's been incredible and this year feels strange. BUT I think there are an equal number of positives too so whilst I can agree with both sides I think rather than better or worse it's just different.

 

[whitelion]

Football League Forum.

Followed the Albion on this website in the Championship in the Amex era. Avoided Premier forum but this season is hilarious.

There's posters on there with probably two halfpennys or minimum wage at minimum discussing multimillion pound transfers as if it's their money and they are financial directors of their clubs.

 

[whitelion]

Its a poison challis alright.

if i still lived in Brighton i can see myself going to Whitehawk or Lewis games ( i know a lot of people that have made the choice). I read about the big 6 wanting more money or they would go and form a European Superleague and my reaction was.... **** off and do it then. Lets have a top division of proper clubs who are all in with a shout of winning it.

For me though it means that i can watch more Brighton games and people have heard of us. This of course means that they can talk to me in a condescending manner about little Brighton after having picked their Premier league team from the top of a league table in the paper.

I guess we just enjoy the ride and hope that we don't lose our identity and become another Premier League franchise bankrolled from afar.

Loving the poison challis analogy

 

[B.W.]

... the more I dislike it.

I spent no time at all around the Prem until we got there, and to be honest I only care about us being top flight again and not the shit that surrounds it. But the more I read, the more I hate it. The pulling of supporters videos of us in the 70/80s for a start, that has really pissed me off. But now the 'big six' wanting more of the dosh, is this about football any more? At least in the Football League they had a little more grace about their (very little) riches. I feel like we have been caught up in some giant circus of greed. The Great White of footballing divisions. It just opens it's mouth and eats everything in sight. I find myself increasingly reading about money and not football. I am old enough, and fortunate enough to remember 1979 and went at the time. It was Division One and devoid of this money merry go round back then.

I am from a very big non league football background, but that asides, having observed the Prem for two months I find this division crazy and it is more about money than football, it is a different monster from anything I have experienced in sport. Inflated wages and transfers were to be expected, no brainer. But now that I read more about it, because we're in it the more I think this is not about football. I'm probably getting old but I'll do another season (if we survive this one) and call it a day. I don't care much for corporate football. I'm sure Arsenal find it fantastic.

You are a miserable old git...

The football Man City and Arsenal produced was sumblime, and we are making a good fist of it... would you rather be supporting Crawley, or an amateur team? FFS...

 

[Ecosse Exile]

Its difficult isnt it, im also old enough to have enjoyed our old first division days and the promotions under Mullery to get there, and even then the journey was better than the destination.
Part of supporting your team is wanting them to win, to be good, to be enjoyable to watch, otherwise whats the point? But that inevitably leads to where we are now.
The other part is indeed social, a day out with your mates, you can indeed get that at Whitehawk or Lewes but it wont be the same, will it? They are not the clubs you grew up loving.
I agree completely about the premier league money grabbing corporate machine, that's not what we grew up with either and maybe that's the problem, we've just got old. Maybe the youngsters think its fantastic.
Going back to the 79-83 period i remember thinking it was fantastic being at the same standard as Man Utd, Liverpool, Nottm Forest, Arsenal etc. But i remember many older fans saying they wanted the old days, when we were playing real football in divisions 2 and 3. What they meant, imo, was winning, so you get that back and you end up back at the top table.
I do hope our club doesn't sell its soul to the devil, in some ways i (and I'm sure plenty of others) think it already has but its inevitable i suppose, Bloom wont be here forever and who knows what comes after. It also has to happen if they want to compete at the right end of this league.
Until the day Sky pulls it's millions, then clubs at the top table will become the paupers, with contracts of multi millionaire footballers unable to be honoured, then maybe it will become a more level playing field but until then the greedier just keep getting greedier and the old fans just keep getting fleeced.

 

[B.W.]

You make a good point my friend, but I am talking about the off field shite that clubs at the top level endure, I dislike it totally. The fact that a club is about money, about what Sky can milk. This is where the identity is being lost. It no longer becomes a supporters club but a corporate raking of everything we knew about the club. As I said, Arsenal love this, they make an absolute killing from non Arsenal supporters happy to stump up 1% of their city earnings. The real Arsenal supporters have long since passed.

Goldstone Rapper has a totally innocent youTube home of over 400 videos from our past. He had no pressure to get rid of this due to 'copyright infringements' until this season. Why this season? Why not the last or the one before? And then we find out that they will be available to us, but on Seagulls TV at a cost. Why? We have watched these videos free, and rightly so for many years, why all of a sudden, we now can't watch them without a price?

I love watching my team, have done for over 5 decades now, although to be fair I missed a few due to my non league commitments, but I don't feel anything about Brighton now that is Brighton, I just see a corporate machine that is relentlessly moving on in the direction of most Prem clubs that only use supporters, and price them out... eventually.

I have a bleak future for us, stay up and watch sterile football watched by sterile supporters. Look at the Emirates, look at most of these so called big Prem sides, no atmosphere at their games, they're all tourists. I'm not saying we'll ever be a top six, I'm just saying we are now in a league without football supporters at many clubs in this division. But this league is all about money and nothing about football. It's soulless and a bit destroying.

Right, if that's how you feel, why don't you just **** off? There is a togetherness at this club like NEVER before, and I've been watching the Albion since the early '70's... to blandly describe our club as 'corporate' is simplistic BS... we are playing at the highest domestic level and I, for one, am enjoying it, a lot... you, on the other hand, need to go watch some amateur football, compare and contrast, and rethink your overly negative attitude...

 

[spence]

Right, if that's how you feel, why don't you just **** off? There is a togetherness at this club like NEVER before, and I've been watching the Albion since the early '70's... to blandly describe our club as 'corporate' is simplistic BS... we are playing at the highest domestic level and I, for one, am enjoying it, a lot... you, on the other hand, need to go watch some amateur football, compare and contrast, and rethink your overly negative attitude...

With you on this. Loving all the exposure we are receiving from the media etc. Packed out stadiums and large away supports. Decent football,Match of the Day,spending millions on players etc.
I'm actually enjoying it more than i thought i would.

 

[el punal]

I think we are losing our identity already and there is f'uck all we can do about it, whilst caught up in this chasm of money.

Absolute rubbish!! We are losing our identity? How so? If you had travelled to our away games this season and been to the home games as well you will have noticed the atmosphere and noise levels have gone up a few gears. Every match has been a sell out and our fans have been brilliant and backed the the team all the way. Hardly a club that has lost its identity. For that description I point you in the direction of Arsenal, having been there last Sunday with the 3,000 raucous Albion fans and some 56,000(alleged) silent Gooners, now that is a club that has definitely lost it's footballing soul.

 

[Bob'n'weave]

Totally agree with the OP on the downsides of 'corporate' Football clubs with sterile atmospheres, leaching owners who treat teams like assets - stripping the life out of the clubs we have grown up loving.


Thank **** we are BHA.

 

[Buzzer]

I think we are losing our identity already and there is f'uck all we can do about it, whilst caught up in this chasm of money.

Oh do stop being such a drama queen.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Quite enjoying it and taking it one match at a time...the numpty pundits are gradually getting up to speed

 

[Triggaaar]

Sometimes I want to punch you Trig

Why are we both up at 3am?

I'd just finished a mammoth box set session. I'm a night owl anyway.

Why am I feeling like our identity as a club is getting the shit kicked out of it?

Time of the month? Of course the money in football as a whole is crazy, but we're fan owned and I still feel like it's our club.

I can't answer all your questions but I still feel like I did in my initial post. I am losing the reason for the soul of football at the highest level.

Well at least I tried.