Tickets sold against Birmingham

[perseus]

Good (numbers rather than noise) Amex crowd today. Anything over 26,000 is good.

 

[El Presidente]

Brighton spent 79 to 83 in the top flight. All crowds had dipped and that is why "we didnt sell out in the top flight"" and wehy this is the most pointless statistic trotted out about the Albion..

How strange.

The last three matches at the Goldstone in 1977/8 attracted a cumulative attendance of 97,281.

In 1978/9 the highest attendance was 32, 634, yet you claim that within a few months we were unable to attract a crowd of 30,000 in the top division because 'all crowds had dipped', despite the club being in the top flight.

Something very strange must have happened during the summer of 1979 for this to be the case.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Announced as "fans inside the stadium" ....??

 

[Working class pride]

How strange.

yet you claim that within a few months we were unable to attract a crowd of 30,000 in the top division because 'all crowds had dipped', despite the club being in the top flight.

Something very strange must have happened during the summer of 1979 for this to be the case.

Where do I claim that? I state that from the late 70's to the the early 80's crowds up and down the country had dropped off. Hooliganism and also people of a generation above me just doing different things for the first time. This making hooliganism worse as less families went. Football then just dropped out of fashion, families did other things. Brighton were no different. This also explains why Palace got 50,000 for one game in 79 when they also got promoted (they could fit them in, we couldnt at Brighton) but by 1984 they struggled to get much more than 4000 for Wimbledon at home. It also explained why by around 84/85/86 Chelsea could see themselves playing in front of 6,000 odd for Carlisle at home. There was a shift and why this pointless statistic is trotted out ton try and say Brighton's crowds would be the only crowds that wouldnt rise by between 8,000 to 15000 in the premier league is just well absurd. Why would Brighton be any different? The only thing that makes Brighton different to most clubs is that they also get people to watch them in the Championship.

 

[El Presidente]

Where do I claim that? I state that from the late 70's to the the early 80's crowds up and down the country had dropped off. Hooliganism and also people of a generation above me just doing different things for the first time. This making hooliganism worse as less families went. Football then just dropped out of fashion, families did other things. Brighton were no different. This also explains why Palace got 50,000 for one game in 79 when they also got promoted (they could fit them in, we couldnt at Brighton) but by 1984 they struggled to get much more than 4000 for Wimbledon at home. It also explained why by around 84/85/86 Chelsea could see themselves playing in front of 6,000 odd for Carlisle at home. There was a shift and why this pointless statistic is trotted out ton try and say Brighton's crowds would be the only crowds that wouldnt rise by between 8,000 to 15000 in the premier league is just well absurd. Why would Brighton be any different? The only thing that makes Brighton different to most clubs is that they also get people to watch them in the Championship.

Oh sorry, I didn't realise that hooliganism didn't exist in 1977/8, when we attracted 97,281 to the Goldstone over three consecutive home games, including one against Spurs, and also didn't exist the following season when over 32,000 watched the Albion play against West Ham.

It clearly started in August 1979, which is why we never managed a crowd of 30,000 against the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and the Champions of Europe Nottingham Forest.

Silly me.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

It clearly started in August 1979, which is why we never managed a crowd of 30,000 against the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and the Champions of Europe Nottingham Forest.

Silly me.

We didn't manage a 30000 crowd in the top flight due to police restrictions.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

We didn't manage a 30000 crowd in the top flight due to police restrictions.

Didn't one of our board members at the time, express his disappointment at not achieving a 30k crowd. Almost sure our capacity was around 30,5000.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

We didn't manage a 30000 crowd in the top flight due to police restrictions.

Indeed, with two months to sell tix we could have sold 15,000 to Arsenal if we'd had abbigger ground for opening game

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Didn't one of our board members at the time, express his disappointment at not achieving a 30k crowd. Almost sure our capacity was around 30,5000.

I don't believe so.

 

[drew]

Where do I claim that? I state that from the late 70's to the the early 80's crowds up and down the country had dropped off. Hooliganism and also people of a generation above me just doing different things for the first time. This making hooliganism worse as less families went. Football then just dropped out of fashion, families did other things. Brighton were no different. This also explains why Palace got 50,000 for one game in 79 when they also got promoted (they could fit them in, we couldnt at Brighton) but by 1984 they struggled to get much more than 4000 for Wimbledon at home. It also explained why by around 84/85/86 Chelsea could see themselves playing in front of 6,000 odd for Carlisle at home. There was a shift and why this pointless statistic is trotted out ton try and say Brighton's crowds would be the only crowds that wouldnt rise by between 8,000 to 15000 in the premier league is just well absurd. Why would Brighton be any different? The only thing that makes Brighton different to most clubs is that they also get people to watch them in the Championship.

The last time Chelsea played Carlisle was 25th Feb 1984 in front of 16,543! Their average over the three seasons you refer to was 83/84 21,120, 84/85 23,065 and 85/86 21,985.

Now, if you are going to make bold statements get your facts right. The previous season there were only 6,667 that watched Chelsea at home against Carlisle but it was more likely to do with the fact that Chelsea were having a shit season, were out of the promotion race and finished 2 places above the relegation zone. That is more likely the reason they only got 6k, not any reference to violence and other distractions as you suggest.

 

[El Presidente]

I don't believe so.

I do recall Bamber being very disappointed in the crowd against Arsenal, which was 28,604. The price increase for admission may have been a factor.

The capacity was reduced to 24,000 a season later, due to the South Stand fire, and increased to 28,800 by the time of our final season in the top division.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I do recall Bamber being very disappointed in the crowd against Arsenal, which was 28,604. The price increase for admission may have been a factor.

The capacity was reduced to 24,000 a season later, due to the South Stand fire, and increased to 28,800 by the time of our final season in the top division.

But wasn't the attendance at the first game a result of miscommunication in that the police believed the ground was full at 2.30pm, hence a lot of supporters missing out?

Equally it may just be that my memory is failing me. I do know they moved season ticket holders out of the North and into the South for the first season.

 

[El Presidente]

But wasn't the attendance at the first game a result of miscommunication in that the police believed the ground was full at 2.30pm, hence a lot of supporters missing out?

Equally it may just be that my memory is failing me. I do know they moved season ticket holders out of the North and into the South for the first season.

It was a complete shambles that day, a bit like our first half performance.

The Argus had claimed beforehand that there would be a lockout which may have put some off, along with the ticket price rises, but still room for an extra 5,000 inside the ground.

 

[Hastings gull]

But wasn't the attendance at the first game a result of miscommunication in that the police believed the ground was full at 2.30pm, hence a lot of supporters missing out?

Equally it may just be that my memory is failing me. I do know they moved season ticket holders out of the North and into the South for the first season.

I recall the day well. The crowd could have been bigger had the club bothered to make it all-ticket, which was the obvious thing to do, given the likely demand. Instead they didn't and fans started queuing really early, spilling into the Old Shoreham Road. I remember driving past to check on the queues and got there something like 12 o clock to be on the safe side. And whilst we were outside for several hours, the team was inside arguing over money, so it emerged . .The ticketing arrangements are so much better nowadays.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

I do recall Bamber being very disappointed in the crowd against Arsenal, which was 28,604. The price increase for admission may have been a factor.

The capacity was reduced to 24,000 a season later, due to the South Stand fire, and increased to 28,800 by the time of our final season in the top division.

I stand corrected then. I was only 12 at the time.