worst relegation ?

[Questions]

This will be the 8th relegation since I started supporting the Albion and in many ways is by far the worst I have had to witness.
This one hurts more because we thought that we had a real chance of promotion at the start of the campaign. Others relegations have either been on the cards because we were stretching ourselves to compete with richer and bigger clubs or our club was in complete disarray and we could see our demises (the gory years) from the start of the seasons.
I have had no trouble accepting the 2 recent championship relegations but this one has really pissed me off.
It should never have happened IMO.

 

[Gwylan]

This is my 7th and I don't think it's the worst.

1992 was painful cos we'd been in the play-off final the previous season and to be relegated after that was a shock. My worst was 1973, partly because it was my first and partly because we'd started off OK, it was only when we went on that long run of defeats that we were doomed. But I don't think it was true to say that we were struggling with our resources that season - there wasn't such a big gap between divisions in those days.

This season I thought we'd be in midway/lower half (I think I said 14th when pushed) so it is so much of shock to be relegated? Personally, I thought we were in trouble once Steve "bookies' friend" Claridge tipped us for promotion.

 

[Questions]

This is my 7th and I don't think it's the worst.

1992 was painful cos we'd been in the play-off final the previous season and to be relegated after that was a shock. My worst was 1973, partly because it was my first and partly because we'd started off OK, it was only when we went on that long run of defeats that we were doomed. But I don't think it was true to say that we were struggling with our resources that season - there wasn't such a big gap between divisions in those days.

This season I thought we'd be in midway/lower half (I think I said 14th when pushed) so it is so much of shock to be relegated? Personally, I thought we were in trouble once Steve "bookies' friend" Claridge tipped us for promotion.

Actually I forgot how unexpected 92 was as well. Mind you we were at the beginning of our fall then weren`t we ? We had little funding in 72 and 73 though. I remember the walk to buy Bert Murray the season before ......10k wasn`t it ?

 

[Gwylan]

We had little funding in 72 and 73 though. I remember the walk to buy Bert Murray the season before ......10k wasn`t it ?

True, but there were a lot of smaller clubs in Division 2 and while we were never going to set the league on fire, we had better gates than many other clubs. Remember, that were just four points from safety at the end and that was after a run of 12 defeats in the middle of the season, if we could have pulled out of that spiral a few games earlier we might just have done it.

 

[Icy Gull]

If only for the reason that most of our players aren't even up for pride in wearing the shirt, I actually don't really care that much about this relegation. It's like somebody else's team getting relegated. I'll care again when we get some players who care, you know ones like those we had last season before the board f***ed up...

I reckon the last time we went down to the bottom tier was the worst.

 

[1234andcounting]

My seventh and definitely the worst. Partly because it is now, but more than anything else it is by far the most obviously self-inflicted. The quality of football served up all season has been appalling, not just by Brighton but by virtually all the opposition we have seen (possible exceptions would be Peterborough and Milton Keynes at Withdean); grief, even Man City were pony which is why I didn't get carried away after our win.

Also, my realistic expectation for the club, based on experience of 40 years of following the club is for it to be upper third, ie challenging for promotion, or mid-to-lower second tier. Therefore, relegation from the second (or even the top) tier is never so painful. 95-96 doesn't count as there were so many things going on.

However, had Mr Reinelt not saved us from relegation in 1997, I think that might have been the worst.

 

[Brovion]

I'd say 1992 was the worst and this is second. 'Best' one was 1983 as we had the consolation of the Cup Final - and we thought we'd bounce back straight away!

 

[Questions]

'Best' one was 1983 as we had the consolation of the Cup Final - and we thought we'd bounce back straight away!

Ah the naivety of young men. If only we`d known.

 

[Ernest]

The 1992 was expected by true supporters like myself who went to every game as before the start of the 91/92 season we sold our strike force of Byrne and Small so who was going to get the goals as we were reliant on Farrington, Wade and a very injury prone Mark Gall.
Unlike this season where we had invested big money for us in signings the 91/92 season we were a selling club and getting to Wembley had only papered over the cracks.
This seasons relegation is down to Dick Tight and his piss poor performance of on field matters.

 

[Bwian]

For me this will be one of the worst relegations because the majority of the players just don't seem to give a shit.

Most other relegations have been inevitable because the team was simply not very good-but they always appeared to give 100%. This current squad should have been pushing for the playoffs this season-even with a bunch of loanees coming and going all season. Sadly, they (with one or two exceptions) are gutless, spineless, lacking in motivation and are an embarrassment to us all.

 

[Storer68]

How come no-one here has mentioned 86-87. That was shockingly bad - certain to be relegated by February - on a par as this one in terms of dreadfulness.

Oh and both had the false dawn of a returning managerial legend who got the sack and took us down.

 

[Gwylan]

The 1992 was expected by true supporters like myself who went to every game as before the start of the 91/92 season we sold our strike force of Byrne and Small so who was going to get the goals as we were reliant on Farrington, Wade and a very injury prone Mark Gall.

That's not true. We sold Small but Byrne played for us in 1991/92, we didn't sell him until October and immediately replaced him with Gall. You forgot Raphael Meade, of whom we expected better things.

Perhaps the worst decision was getting rid of Garry Nelson after he'd fallen out with Lloyd - we couldn't have ignored the cash for Small but that was shooting ourselves in the foot.

But, at the start of the season we had Byrne, Wade (who'd scored four goals in one game remember), Meade and Farrington, an unknown to us but someone who was worth a punt. That didn't strike me at the time as a shabby strikeforce.

 

[Ernest]

My relegations I've seen are

72/73 - Expected as we just didn't bridge the gulf between 3 and 2 and a lot of players had got old.

82/83 - The Cup Final papered over the cracks but had Bailey been allowed to carry on building the team from the back we wouldn't have gone down nor we would we have got to the Cup Final though. Whether history would have changed and would we have stayed in the Top Division for much longer who knows but a new ground or a renovated Goldstone might have happened sooner if we had have stayed up and history might show this was the worst relegation as the financial crisis that enveloped the club emanated from this relegation and players contracts etc.

86/87 - Not really unexpected once Mullers was sacked and LLoyd started flogging off the team and playing the likes of Tiltman but at least we bounced straight back from this one.

91/92 - Not really unexpected as we were always going to struggle once Byrne and Small were sold and the debt mountain was swamping the club.

95/96 - Totally expected as the club was in chaos once Brady departed and it was mayhem on and off the pitch.

02/03 - Totally expected once Tinselhead became manager and injuries done Zamora and we only bought in the useless Butters , Kitson and Barrett. But at least we bounced back and had the day in Cardiff.

05/06 - Expected once we sold Virgo and Dick Tight refused to strengthen the team whilst spunking away money on the likes of Turienzo, in a way the next bad one as we could have stayed up if Magoo had been allowed to get a few players as the early season results weren't too bad.

08/09 - Not down yet but as good as and totally down to who decided to sack Wilkins, employ the useless Adams and waste f*** knows how much money on endless loans of wank players such as Savage. I bet Magoo had tears in his eyes as he saw how much money was wasted on players this year yet 3 years ago he was given nowt when a fraction of what has been wasted this season would have kept us in the championship.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

How come no-one here has mentioned 86-87. That was shockingly bad - certain to be relegated by February - on a par as this one in terms of dreadfulness.

Oh and both had the false dawn of a returning managerial legend who got the sack and took us down.

That was the one when Barry Lloyd took over from Mullery, and promptly showed off his legendary PR skills by announcing he "didn't give a toss" about relegation

 

[Ernest]

That's not true. We sold Small but Byrne played for us in 1991/92, we didn't sell him until October and immediately replaced him with Gall. You forgot Raphael Meade, of whom we expected better things.

Perhaps the worst decision was getting rid of Garry Nelson after he'd fallen out with Lloyd - we couldn't have ignored the cash for Small but that was shooting ourselves in the foot.

But, at the start of the season we had Byrne, Wade (who'd scored four goals in one game remember), Meade and Farrington, an unknown to us but someone who was worth a punt. That didn't strike me at the time as a shabby strikeforce.

I forgot Byrne played until October but Meade was useless, Gall was already crocked when we bought him which was a tragedy as he was or could have been a great goalscorer, Wade had already shown the Newcastle game was a fluke and Farrington was always useless and had never shown an iota of ability.

 

[Icy Gull]

. I bet Magoo had tears in his eyes as he saw how much money was wasted on players this year yet 3 years ago he was given nowt when a fraction of what has been wasted this season would have kept us in the championship.

So true, no wonder he went mad, given no money and too many over expectant twats hurling abuse from the terraces. Still gutted all these years later personally...the only decent manager we've had in 20 years who actually wanted to STAY but being twats we drove him out, maybe there's some poetic justice in what's happened to us .

 

[Gwylan]

I forgot Byrne played until October but Meade was useless, Gall was already crocked when we bought him which was a tragedy as he was or could have been a great goalscorer, Wade had already shown the Newcastle game was a fluke and Farrington was always useless and had never shown an iota of ability.

Yes. But at the start of the season we didn't know that Byrne would go and that Meade would turn out to be poor.

Just checked Wade's stats: he scored 9 goals in 18 games (only 12 starts), that's not that poor a performance, taking away the Newcastle game - that's five goals in 11 starts - scarcely a flop.

Certainly, midway through the season, we were struggling but at the start of the season, I wasn't expecting us to be anywhere near relegation.

 

[durrington gull]

My relegations I've seen are

72/73 - Expected as we just didn't bridge the gulf between 3 and 2 and a lot of players had got old.

82/83 - The Cup Final papered over the cracks but had Bailey been allowed to carry on building the team from the back we wouldn't have gone down nor we would we have got to the Cup Final though. Whether history would have changed and would we have stayed in the Top Division for much longer who knows but a new ground or a renovated Goldstone might have happened sooner if we had have stayed up and history might show this was the worst relegation as the financial crisis that enveloped the club emanated from this relegation and players contracts etc.

86/87 - Not really unexpected once Mullers was sacked and LLoyd started flogging off the team and playing the likes of Tiltman but at least we bounced straight back from this one.

91/92 - Not really unexpected as we were always going to struggle once Byrne and Small were sold and the debt mountain was swamping the club.

95/96 - Totally expected as the club was in chaos once Brady departed and it was mayhem on and off the pitch.

02/03 - Totally expected once Tinselhead became manager and injuries done Zamora and we only bought in the useless Butters , Kitson and Barrett. But at least we bounced back and had the day in Cardiff.

05/06 - Expected once we sold Virgo and Dick Tight refused to strengthen the team whilst spunking away money on the likes of Turienzo, in a way the next bad one as we could have stayed up if Magoo had been allowed to get a few players as the early season results weren't too bad.

08/09 - Not down yet but as good as and totally down to who decided to sack Wilkins, employ the useless Adams and waste f*** knows how much money on endless loans of wank players such as Savage. I bet Magoo had tears in his eyes as he saw how much money was wasted on players this year yet 3 years ago he was given nowt when a fraction of what has been wasted this season would have kept us in the championship.

Ern,

This IS the worst season without doubt - i've been going since 1978 and this is the pits!!!!!!!

 

[SurreySeagulls]

Relegation is part of football as are the promotions and you just have to take them on the chin. Yes, the players have not done themselves justice this season and some of them won't wear the stripes next season. But as with everything else life goes on and I will be there next season supporting the team. So lets look forward and not backwards and if we are in League Two next season just count ourselves lucky we have a team to support and not worried about them going to the wall such as Southampton, Bournemouth to name but two.

 

[Ernest]

Ern,

This IS the worst season without doubt - i've been going since 1978 and this is the pits!!!!!!!

To be honest I've given up and this season is the least I've gone since I started watching the Albion in 1969, just doesn't seem like my club anymore with endless loanees who don't give a f*** here today and gone tomorrow to be replaced by more.