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We hit 5th after seven games (not the most accurate reflection admittedly), 7th after the 10th and 13th games, and 6th in December.
That was as high as we got.
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[Albion] The Mike Bailey Principle
- Thread starter Perry Milkins
- Start date
We hit 5th after seven games (not the most accurate reflection admittedly), 7th after the 10th and 13th games, and 6th in December.
That was as high as we got.
Peter Grummit
Well-known member
9,845 v Birmingham 25/9/82.
I've long believed that more folk would pay to watch a side playing largely winning football in Division X than largely not winning football in Division X+1.
There is always a novelty value with Division X+1, of course, particularly if that division is the Premier League that means teams of world class players visit every few weeks.
I'd commented prior to our own promotion how I'd observed the empty seats at West Brom on MotD, even for visits of some of the larger teams. It looked as if West Brom fans had largely got bored of what mid-table Premier League football was all about. If they are truly challenging at the top of the Championship, I suspect there would not be too many empty seats for most matches.
It will be interesting to see how our crowds go if we manage to stay put for three of four more seasons. Someone else said it on another thread last week, but I wonder if the journey will prove to be better than the destination.
Saturday was great, BTW. Give me that over a third-gear routine 3-0 defeat of a Championship struggler who brought 250 away fans to the Amex any day.
spanish flair
Well-known member
Pay on the gate was much higher back then and the clubs income was being affected by falling attendances, different scenario now with so many ST sold
hart's shirt
Well-known member
Originally Posted by Ernest's Grandson on 29/10/2054
"...back in 2018 it was just a very vocal minority of fans on a fans internet forum who started the myth of Hughton's football being boring..."
Farehamseagull
Solly March Fan Club
I wasn't born then but I know my Dad wasn't happy about the decision at the time and still talks about it today.
Cowfold Seagull
Fan of the 17 bus
Excellent post. Mike Bailey's tenure at the Albion came just before my time supporting the club, but from all that l've read, and heard from fellow fans who were following him at the time, he seems to me to be much underrated, and his departure undeserved.
I'd like to learn more about the man and his tactics. He does seem to have many similarities with Chris Hughton, both defensively minded coaches, both quiet understated men etc.
Ok, cheers
It's interesting to make the historical comparison, but as others have said, there's more differences between now and then than just style of play.
Take, for instance the Brighton 3 Liverpool 3 game of 17 October 1981. It may have cost my dad about only a fiver to get both me and my brother to stand at the front in north end of the West stand behind and slightly below some scaffolding poles, and although I was excited by the result I didn't demand to go every week since by the end I was totally drenched, freezing cold and shivering.
Oh, and the sickening cigarette smoke stench combined with pervasive soaked anorak smell is still evoked.
Ah, the sweet smell of Goldstone nostalgia...
Enjoy your comfy seat, pie, pint and super-seagulls 2018 version everyone!
Take, for instance the Brighton 3 Liverpool 3 game of 17 October 1981. It may have cost my dad about only a fiver to get both me and my brother to stand at the front in north end of the West stand behind and slightly below some scaffolding poles, and although I was excited by the result I didn't demand to go every week since by the end I was totally drenched, freezing cold and shivering.
Oh, and the sickening cigarette smoke stench combined with pervasive soaked anorak smell is still evoked.
Ah, the sweet smell of Goldstone nostalgia...
Enjoy your comfy seat, pie, pint and super-seagulls 2018 version everyone!
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Spiros
Well-known member
I was watching games at the time. We'd had the entertainment of coming close and then going up in 78/79. The first season was one of excitement of seeing all these great teams, quite a few of whom came and thrashed us. Then talk that we needed to be a bit better, but as mentioned the club did not have the money to compete properly with the big boys.
When Mike Bailey came along his style of play was less expansive but did get better results. What made some of the games shockingly bad to watch was the fact that the offside trap was in fashion at the time. Two of the main users of it were Spurs and Stoke City. In those days you didn't need to touch the ball to be offside, just 'seeking to gain an advantage' though I do remember seeing an injured player lying on the floor being flagged for offside.
The offside trap meant that any time your team had a free kick, just as it was about to be taken the opposition would run as one towards the half way line. If just one of your players was too slow then up would go the flag. This was frequent and VERY boring to watch.
Another factor may also have been the removal of the North Stand roof. I do remember a few of my mates saying they weren't going back until they put the roof back on as without it the atmosphere was shocking. Can't remember the years it was removed/rebuilt though
When Mike Bailey came along his style of play was less expansive but did get better results. What made some of the games shockingly bad to watch was the fact that the offside trap was in fashion at the time. Two of the main users of it were Spurs and Stoke City. In those days you didn't need to touch the ball to be offside, just 'seeking to gain an advantage' though I do remember seeing an injured player lying on the floor being flagged for offside.
The offside trap meant that any time your team had a free kick, just as it was about to be taken the opposition would run as one towards the half way line. If just one of your players was too slow then up would go the flag. This was frequent and VERY boring to watch.
Another factor may also have been the removal of the North Stand roof. I do remember a few of my mates saying they weren't going back until they put the roof back on as without it the atmosphere was shocking. Can't remember the years it was removed/rebuilt though
worth noting that WBA are pretty similar to Wolves in that they see themselves way above what they are. Mid table mediocrity to them would mean a lot different to what it would us I'd imagine.
**disclaimer ... maybe not to the newbies **
BensGrandad
New member
I think that if you compare CH style to any manager it is George Grahams Arsenal keep a clean sheet and as Tony Adams once said they knew if they scored they would get a point and if they scored 2 they would win as they rarely let in more than 1 goal. I believe that is the principle on whch CH basis his tactics. I for 1 am happy as i go to see a result which to me is the entertainment that I want.
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Eric Youngs Contact Lense
Guest
My memory, is that John Vinicombe, was firmly behind the Club, and certainly don't remember them stoking the fires on this topic. He mentioned the wishes of some fans to go back to Division 2 in his recount of our 1st season in Division 1 with some disdain and don't recall him getting on the back of MB. My opinion is that we have always had a fickle, wider fan-base. We are fighting relegation until such time we are not : how much better in the PL can we really expect to be, ever, let alone 10 games in of our 2nd season? We have to cut our cloth accordingly - defeats against Newcastle, West Ham and Wolves, however entertaining would leave us with 5 points.. Being hard to beat is a great place to be for the Club right now. I didn't see a great deal of difference about how we set up to play Man Utd than we did against Wolves - we didn't play as well on Saturday, and Wolves were a lot better than United on the day.Good thread. Good replies. But....soon the moaning minnies will be 'don't get me wrong, but'ting all over it.
Can anyone recall how the Argus (a force back then) handled this? Were they stirring about 'crowd displeasure'? I was living overseas at the time so this all passed me by.
..
BensGrandad
New member
I wouldnt put too much credence on what John Vinnicombe wrote as he gave every scenario at different times of the season and when the final outcome was known copied his earlier statement saying the same and that it was as he predicted. He wrote what the fans wanted to hear or read without falling foul of the powers at the club.
D
Deleted member 2719
Guest
Why I watch football is primary entertainment and excitement first, that's why I fell in love with the game.
Winning is important but watching a game when there is no ambition to have a go is plain wrong in my book if I wanted to watch low entertainment I would watch cricket.
Winning is important but watching a game when there is no ambition to have a go is plain wrong in my book if I wanted to watch low entertainment I would watch cricket.
Kalimantan Gull
Well-known member
IF Chris Hughton manages to establish us in the premier league, then in the future we may well have a manager who plays some lovely flair stuff...
But the first part of that equation is a long way from being achieved. Walk before you can run.
But the first part of that equation is a long way from being achieved. Walk before you can run.
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Eric Youngs Contact Lense
Guest
I was only 10 - 14 years old during our Division 1 time, .. can't critique a journalist's output! Did he ever fan the flames of dissent against Mike Bailey';s tactics - that was the question HWT was asking..
Papa Lazarou
Living in a De Zerbi wonderland
As a youngster at the time I remember this period reasonably well, and I recall the removal of the N Stand roof as part of the problem - it did mean that the fire went our of the vocal support, as the old North Stand roof used to focus the sound out onto the pitch.
the other problems were:
Generally apathy after the initial wonder of being among the elite of English football..
Mike Bamber doled out some ridiculous contracts (both in terms of length and numbers) which meant our break even crowd was about 13k (if I recall correctly)
And has been mentioned above by [MENTION=1416]Ernest[/MENTION] this was a time of recession, football violence and a government which actively disliked football, crowds were falling nationally and we didn't buck that trend. Bailey was a scapegoat for a chairman who clearly had his heart in the right place, but did not have the deep pockets that Tony Bloom has. We were running at a loss, one which was being paid for by bank loans (the same debt which would almost kill the club 15 years later) and Bamber panicked, and made the simple decision to replace the manager in a desperate attempt to bring the crowds back.
The rest is the slow descent into deeper debt , which culminated in the sale of the Goldstone and the rise of the Galactic Empire, I mean Bill Archer.
Bamber was more to blame for it all than anyone else, in my opinion.
LowKarate
New member
Discussed this with a Saints colleague today and he said he’d take a few 1-0 wins with dogged performances right now.
The way I look at it is that I take more pleasure in seeing us higher in the table as a result of these performances and that pleasure lasts all week. Having spent decades watching some really really poor football, I am happy to sacrifice performance quality when it delivers results.
The way I look at it is that I take more pleasure in seeing us higher in the table as a result of these performances and that pleasure lasts all week. Having spent decades watching some really really poor football, I am happy to sacrifice performance quality when it delivers results.
Albion Dan
Banned
I'm amazed that this is even becoming a thing.
Whilst I've found our last two games a tough watch I've been delighted with the points. CH has admitted we aren't playing well so it's not like it's a masterplan, we have injuries and we have played some lovely stuff in other games, are people forgetting UTD already? I get as frustrated as the next man that we aren't using our new players that much (are they good enough?) and our general away form but in terms of the bigger picture things have never ever been better.
Whilst I've found our last two games a tough watch I've been delighted with the points. CH has admitted we aren't playing well so it's not like it's a masterplan, we have injuries and we have played some lovely stuff in other games, are people forgetting UTD already? I get as frustrated as the next man that we aren't using our new players that much (are they good enough?) and our general away form but in terms of the bigger picture things have never ever been better.