[Albion] What would you do without the albion?

[wellquickwoody]

Interesting question. Had the Albion never existed I may have stuck with my schoolboy crush (*cough* Leeds *cough*), but more likely than not, after moving to Kent in 89, after many years with football not at the front of my mind, I may have drifted towards Gillingham. Or maybe taken up with my dad's team. Millwall.

Luckily however . . . . .

No Albion ever, then probably Wet Sham (Cup Winners 1975). Albion gone under, as someone else wrote earlier, whoever was not too far away, playing well and successful, could change every now and again.

 

[HastingsSeagull]

What is the standard of football like in the Philippines? any good teams in Manila?

Sorry for waffling and fractured reply while I wait for haircut and get driven to the beach for a sunny pre-Christmas BBQ with my dogs and extended family. Probably won’t flow the best……

7-8 years ago when I was first living here teaching, the best players who were close to retirement had been with Brighton until age 12/13. Played 8th tier English Football in London as a sign of level. I was in my 30’s and could play 5/7 a side with a few guys and not be embarrassed. Those days are long gone in my 40’s and post covid though. Things have improved since then too but not to the same degree as a couple other S.E.Asian countries (in my opinion). 10-12 years ago (when I instead lived in HK) the Philippines had a lot of African players working as coaches here, studying in University and trying to break into 6 clubs who were a dire standard. When the odd ex-PL player from the 70s would come coach, he’d bring some lad from his Irish Village or a mate of his son’s over and they’d look a level above (then again about 2 dollars to get in and see 3 matches through the afternoon, with 40pence beers, snack food etc. was a good time (sadly slipped away now although still Sussex Non-League like and a fun, cheap evening with friends).

Internationally they have (or recently had) a glut of good keepers. Neil Etheridge who we liked the look of at Cardiff and Birmingham did play some Prem ball and I’ve chatted briefly to him a couple times even recently (stadium is 1KM from my apartment so I make effort to go when I can to the National Games sporting Seagulls gear all be it not f.k.w. like I promise). Sadly Areola who’s half Pinoy chose to play for France way back in the day during his PSG time rather than Fulham or WetSham times. There was another very solid keeper I’d call Champ standard from Denmark who I believe isn’t currently representing due to being down the pecking order and getting on a bit (although incompetence of non-playing/coaching staff seems rampant so can understand people not traveling 10,000KM to be let down for training pitches, clothing, accommodation or food) and instead training at their club.

Outside of the 6 yard box I’d describe things as very average (though there’s progress as the world wide and Asian ‘average’ improves) but there are growing glimmers of things moving in the right direction. 2nd generation European players have been given chances more and more (good and bad with that) but whether they are not good enough, or fed up with the local administration is hard to know and probably not a consistent across the board answer as I’d say issues are inconsistent and generally moving in the right direction (if not smoothly). Those names who fit get well looked after I think but new players not so much in my experience. Some play every game but others don’t seem to stick in the squad and develop over time and some
lost potential.

Managers have gone a similar way. Sven was here for months after Terry Butcher briefly had the role. Loosing 1-0 to South Korea in an Asia Cup, draws instead of usual very narrow defeats to the likes of Thailand and Indonesia showed they’re competitive, but since then they’ve lost to both sides 1-0. Other recognised names have been hired and not even come to the country as pitches for training, flights, food, accommodation still not organised hours ahead and so people chose not to get on the plane to fulfil their duties (understandably I’d say if others in the chain haven’t done their’s but it all sounds like a lot of business here, sadly). I suspect this happens a lot at every level and the money clearly arrives somewhere.

It’s one reason I’ve not looked into Robert Eaton Memorial Fund money for the sessions I run with local kids (both in the capitol and a province friends are from) as I wouldn’t want to be known as someone who can bring finance in really. Personal income from coaching rich kids (local and expat) partly funds that as a hobby/charity though thankfully.

The National Team do a good job about consistently beating 8-10 other, smaller S.E.A. nations where football is more popular and has more access though. These nations are growing quickly and I have confidence ‘we’ won’t fall behind them. This is I think largely down to the Filipino Diaspora in Europe (for the men’s game, Australia and North America for women’s who qualified for a world cup, did very well for two games but then got smashed in the third) and that there is a lot of money and good intention here it’s just not distributed around the population as well.

The league is poorer than other local nations and most solid players instead earn a solid wage in the Thai league, with others in Indonesia and Japan (where they count as home grown alongside Thai and Indo players I believe) for league rules. Or at least there’s extra places for certain S.E.A. Players in the J-League.

If the likes of Santiago Rublico at Atletico Madrid could become PL quality players then one star would likely get more locals hooked here than even other similar nations as they’re a very patriotic bunch and a lot of pride in the smallest achievement. Basketball, Boxing and a much greater societal split financially all hold back talented youth numbers but it’s a young population, spread round the world as well as at home, so there’s as much potential as Thailand or Indonesia, but much further off from being realized (for now).

If you ever want to watch football in S.E.A., I can highly recommend domestic games (or International) in Thailand, Hong Kong, China (I only saw Guangzhou connected to the metro of H.K.), and Indonesia but wouldn’t say it’s worth the trip to Philippines. It’s more Hastings level / feel than L1-2 (with certain clubs who are attracting 30k in modern stadia) in the other countries mentioned. My hope is to get to places like Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and off the beaten track more in the above half explored nations, rather than exploring further the clubs in my own adopted nation. So that’s likely a sign.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

I would love to be going (literally a few hundred yards away) but got a houseful of guests

“Is that all you house on Boxing Day, is that all you…”

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Spend a lot more time on my track bike.

 

[Blue3]

How long would the novelty last? The odd game could well be enjoyable as a nice change from VAR & £100m twat players etc. Yet week in week out watching players with the first touch of an elephant may get tedious after a while.

I just hope that I never need to find out

 

[essbee1]

Charlton Athletic or Arsenal it would be for me.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

I think I would (perhaps a little sadly) just give up on football. I love where we are, I love our club's meteoric rise from the ashes and I love the current team and manager. But without my love of Albion, my desire to continue watching football would die as I am definitely not in love with all the wall-to-wall coverage, the huge amount of dubious foreign owners and all the razzmataz of the PL. As far as Albion goes, my mojo remains high, without them, nah sorry, the beautiful game is just a distant memory, like Olde England. Perhaps it never existed anyway.

 

[The Hermit Kingdom]

I'd sooner eat shit.


2 teams I have a natural affinity towards, for how good they've been with us is Plymouth and Charlton.

Charlton, who hate Palace, and are near Greenwich would probably get my following, but never be the same as Albion and would never be a true supporter.

Charlton, so ‘good with us’ they put poster up around parts of Sussex when we were on our knees in the 1990s and struggling for our very survival as a football club, trying to court local fans to go and support Charlton instead.

If you look beyond the Palace rivalry pantomime there’s a lot to respect in a smaller ‘organic’ club going up against the big boys, them pretty much the only fanbase to take Newcastle to task for the Khashoggi murder while the majority of the footballing world either stayed quiet or nauseously fawned over the ‘much needed and overdue’ rise of that club.

 

[Stripey808]

Already got a Burgess Hill season ticket so probably go to more of their games.

Are you going Boxing Day? I’m thinking of going along for the first time, and taking my lad. I considered taking in a Crawley game but they are away and for some reason watching another league club feels like cheating.

 

[RandyWanger]

Probably be a few thousand pounds up each year and get less aggro from the wench

 

[MJsGhost]

How long would the novelty last? The odd game could well be enjoyable as a nice change from VAR & £100m twat players etc. Yet week in week out watching players with the first touch of an elephant may get tedious after a while.

But that's the thing isn't it?

Even if/when the performances aren't there, most of us will still be there watching every week because it's about so much more than that.

Maybe it would be different if we dropped down the leagues now as the more spoiled/entitled fans would drift away, but in the hypothetical world of this thread that would not be a thing.

 

[peterward]

I think I would (perhaps a little sadly) just give up on football. I love where we are, I love our club's meteoric rise from the ashes and I love the current team and manager. But without my love of Albion, my desire to continue watching football would die as I am definitely not in love with all the wall-to-wall coverage, the huge amount of dubious foreign owners and all the razzmataz of the PL. As far as Albion goes, my mojo remains high, without them, nah sorry, the beautiful game is just a distant memory, like Olde England. Perhaps it never existed anyway.

All good points

The "meteoric rise" only makes sense now in retrospect, but each stage along that road, when nobody ever considered where are now even remotely possible, was still filled with so many positive emotions and memories.

Stuart Storer and Hereford to survive against the odds after what those c**ts Archer & Belotti did (I never use that word normally, but can't think of anything else strong enough), was a victory no less exciting than anything in PL, getting back to Brighton, in a ramshackle athletics track, then Mickey Adams part 1, was an amazing time in context of Gillingham.
I loved Withdean years! Bobby Z, Lloyd Owusu survival, Muzza, winning Falmer campaign, then watching the stadium build webcam, Gus Poyet, 3-0 performance away at Peterborough, standing on London Rd terrace is at least equal of any PL away day. Walking into Falmer that first time, Will Buckley, balling my eyes out at the emotion of it all, and getting to the PL via the dizzying displays of Knockaert, each stage of the journey getting there was more enjoyable than the fact of being there today.

I'm loving the Europa league, love RDZ, it's an amazing time to be an Albion fan, but equally I was happy at all previous stages on the journey, and if that journey means we are to fall from grace again one day, I don't fear that at all. As long as there is an Albion to support and a venue to support them in, the rest is secondary.

 

[Justice]

I'd watch all of my football at Horsham YMCA, and maybe if the cost of my season ticket in W1G gets even more expensive, l soon will.

You could just move to a cheaper seat?

 

[Justice]

All good points

The "meteoric rise" only makes sense now in retrospect, but each stage along that road, when nobody ever considered where are now even remotely possible, was still filled with so many positive emotions and memories.

Stuart Storer and Hereford to survive against the odds after what those c**ts Archer & Belotti did (I never use that word normally, but can't think of anything else strong enough), was a victory no less exciting than anything in PL, getting back to Brighton, in a ramshackle athletics track, then Mickey Adams part 1, was an amazing time in context of Gillingham.
I loved Withdean years! Bobby Z, Lloyd Owusu survival, Muzza, winning Falmer campaign, then watching the stadium build webcam, Gus Poyet, 3-0 performance away at Peterborough, standing on London Rd terrace is at least equal of any PL away day. Walking into Falmer that first time, Will Buckley, balling my eyes out at the emotion of it all, and getting to the PL via the dizzying displays of Knockaert, each stage of the journey getting there was more enjoyable than the fact of being there today.

I'm loving the Europa league, love RDZ, it's an amazing time to be an Albion fan, but equally I was happy at all previous stages on the journey, and if that journey means we are to fall from grace again one day, I don't fear that at all. As long as there is an Albion to support and a venue to support them in, the rest is secondary.

We were happy at a lower level as we never thought we would ever make it back into the PL after falling out of the old first division. League football at all levels is fun when you are winning, slumming around the bottom half of league 2 is depressing you go out of duty rather than the excitement.

 

[dazzer6666]

Are you going Boxing Day? I’m thinking of going along for the first time, and taking my lad. I considered taking in a Crawley game but they are away and for some reason watching another league club feels like cheating.

Wish I was but I’m on cooking duty It’s very kid-friendly, started taking my lad when he was about 4 - it’s what got him Into football in the first place

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Probably get back into golf.

Got down to 12, but now at least 28, and have only played 3 times in the last 10 years.

 

[rudolf hucker]

One thing is certain. I’d be a lot more relaxed. Far fewer weekends would be spoilt by things I can’t control. But life would be duller.

 

[southstandandy]

I'd carry on supporting my 'real' local side in Shoreham. I have always been an Albion fan for the last 60 years but in recent years became disenchanted with the constant tinkering with the game in the Prem (VAR, changing kick off times, travel issues, expense, to name a few) that since Covid I've spent far more time watching Shoreham FC so would continue to do this in the absence of the Albion. The ability to walk to the games, regular kick off times, seeing real local lads playing for the side, and not spending a fortune to subsidize Prima-donna players has given me more satisfaction in the last few years. As I get old as well just attending the local scene is far easier than getting rammed on a bus or train.

Yes, I still follow the Albion and attend a handful of games a season but to answer the OP' s original question then focusing far more on the non league game is the way to go for me.

 

[raymondo]

There would be a hole in my life that I would have to fill with something else.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

Bloody stupid thread if you ask me...the same as all the what ifs in this world