Fans United (8 February, 1997) - 10 years ago today!

My, doesn’t time fly? Figure it’s a good time to share some pics and stuff…











(Bottom four pics are © Stewart Weir - don't use or abuse without permission.)

See also: http://www.northstandchat.biz/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13122

THE STORY OF FANS UNITED
In February, football fans travelled from all over the world to attend a unique event born out of an idea on the Net. Warren Chrismas wasn't just there, he helped organised it

ON February 8, an estimated 10,000 supporters travelled to the Goldstone Ground to watch Brighton & Hove Albion take on Hartlepool United in what was to be, on paper at least, just another third division game. But you've read the heading above [the original magazine article was called Internet United - Warren]. What, you may well be asking, has this got to with the Internet? The answer is everything.

This wasn't just another football match. This was Fans United _ an event which saw football fans gather from all over Britain, continental Europe and beyond, to show solidarity with the much beleaguered Brighton supporters, struggling to save the club from unscrupulous owners and the threat of extinction. An event which was formulated from a few messages posted to a website in December. An event which was unique in every way.

Brighton fans have been fervently protesting against the club's board _ and in particular chairman Bill Archer, a Blackburn-based businessman who bought his way into club for just £56.25 - since the summer of 1995, when it secretly sold the Goldstone Ground for development as a retail park, without securing a site for a new stadium. Soon after, it became known that the club's constitution had been altered, contravening FA rules intended to prevent shareholders from profiting from the sale of grounds, thereby safeguarding clubs from asset-strippers. The board would never be trusted again.

By the end of last season there were still no plans in place for a new ground in the town (without such plans the Football League would refuse to sanction a groundshare). With time running out, the new owners of the Goldstone offered to lease it back to the club for one more season, but the offer was declined. On April 27, 1996, fans attended what they believed would be the last ever game at the ground, with the future of the club's existence in serious doubt. Frustrations boiled over and thousands poured onto the pitch, forcing the match to be abandoned. Three days later, David Bellotti, the club's chief executive, finally signs the lease agreement... just minutes before deadline.

This season, with the club's future still in the balance, supporters have mounted an unprecedented, and often highly innovative, campaign in an attempt to force the board to resign - petition signing, pitch invasions, marches, demos, boycotts and much more besides. Thanks to the efforts of Gary Crittenden, who runs the an Albion website - the Seagulls Server - from his home in the Isle of Man, and Tim Carder, an unofficial club historian who contributes comprehensive information on the campaign, fans all over the world have been able to watch the often complicated developments via the Net.

In November, with public sympathy for the cause growing rapidly, Gary added a Guestbook on the site for fans of other clubs to leave messages of support. More than 100 messages were left in the first 12 days. "If a player gets banned for 10 months for kicking one fan, what do you do with people who have kicked every single fan the club has?" wrote Stuart, a Wycombe Wanderers supporter. "No-one wants to see a famous club like yours disappear," said Jim from Swansea. And so it went on. Meanwhile, Richard Vaughan, a sympathetic Plymouth fan, has an idea: "I think it would be a good idea if loads of fans from different clubs turned up at Brighton (with their shirts on). It would show that we're all behind you a hundred per cent."

The suggestion is met with relatively little enthusiasm initially, but I took to it and, along with Gary, gave the event a name, selected an appropriate date and delivered a package to Danny Baker at Radio Five, containing a print-out of the Campaign Guestbook and a letter explaining the concept behind what we had dubbed 'Fans United'. Of course, the protest wasn't just about Brighton and it's board. It was about the apathy of the FA. It was about greed and corruption in football as a whole. The message: we're in trouble now, but it could be your team tomorrow.

Baker came on air at 10pm that night, and immediately enthused about the planned event. Things rapidly snowballed from there. In less than eight weeks, what had started as a handful of e-mail messages, had become a major event, complete with adverts in magazines, commemorative souvenirs and fanzines, and not inconsiderable press coverage. Meanwhile, the Guestbook had been filled with more than 1,000 supportive messages, of which only ten or so were derisory. You'll find a report on the event from a Watford fan further on.

If it wasn't for the Internet, Fans United would never have happened. Much of the organising was done via e-mail and the Seagulls mailing list; we distributed posters around the country via the Web; and thousands of fans could easily find out information simply by following links from their own team's sites. But the Guestbook was the fundamental key, adding vital credence to the idea from the very beginning. Without it, Danny Baker may never have taken us seriously. Indeed, few Albion followers would have believed that we had the kind of support among other fans to make such an event possible.

But Fans United wasn't just about the Internet. Considerable "real-world" work was put in by supporters' groups - everything from sending out letters to fanzines to liasing with the police and local council. We relied on conventional media to promote the event beyond the minority on the Net. And, ultimately, the whole aim of Fans United was to gain as much mainstream coverage as possible. Of course one day, when the Internet is truly mainstream itself, it might well be possible to setup such an event entirely on-line, almost over night. Maybe we'll see something much bigger organised. Maybe something more radical. Maybe something truly global.

Whatever, we didn't change the world on February 8. In fact, in terms of the campaign to oust the Brighton board, we really didn't achieve much at all, bar gaining a little extra publicity. But, on a drizzly, misty Saturday afternoon in February, Fans United put a smile on an awful lot of faces. The Albion players had obviously read the script, as they romped home to a 5-0 victory - Brighton's biggest league victory for twelve years. The crowd sang: "It's just like watching Brazil." Uplifted by the fantastic response of other fans, this was a time for us to celebrate, not demonstrate. It was a truly unique event and few who were there will forget it.

The story has a happy ending - of sorts. Lead by lifelong Albion fan Dick Knight, the consortium which has been attempting to take-over the club since last April entered a series of mediation talks with Archer, and as I write, a deal appears to have been struck. Full details aren't yet known, but it looks as if the consortium will take control with Archer retaining a small, minority shareholding. After nearly two years of struggle, it's not quite what we'd hoped for, but it'll do for now. The thing is, did it really have to be like this?

DIARY OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO FANS UNITED
Coming up with an idea for a protest is one thing, actually putting the idea into action is another. Here are just some of the events, that I'm aware of, which lead up to Fans United. Bear in mind that with dozens of others becoming involved, this isn't even half the story.

Nov 29, 1996: Campaign Guestbook opens on Gary Crittenden's Albion website, the Seagulls Server. E-mails are sent to dozens of other football websites, asking the maintainers to provide a link to the pages.

Dec 11: Guestbook already contains over 100 messages from fans offering moral support. Danny Baker hits out at the FA on his Radio 5 show, for deducting two points from Albion after a peaceful pitch demonstration by fans in October: "It's like finding someone has terminal Cancer and poking them in the eye." His rant and the actions of the FA provoke even more messages. Richard Vaughan, a Plymouth fan, writes: "I think it would be a good idea if loads of fans from different clubs turned up at Brighton (with their shirts on). It would show that we're all behind you a hundred per cent."

Dec 14: A few people back the idea but, as no-one has taken the initiative, I post a message to the North Stand Chat area of the Web site claiming that a protest - dubbed, off the top-of-my-head, Fans United - is being planned. Not strictly true at this point (!), but I figure it will prompt discussion of the idea. [additional note: the name was inspired by a exhibition called Football United, held during Euro '96 - Warren]

Dec 16: Receive just a few responses but announce that "we" are still pushing ahead with plans. Post a message - to the website and the Seagulls mailing list - asking for information on supporters' groups contacts and people's opinions on a date for the event (the game against Hartlepool United on Feb 8 was the obvious choice, as there were to be no Premiership games on that day). Also outline a few key ideas on how the event should be organised. Gary replies within just a couple of hours. We speak on the phone and Feb 8 is set as the date. Gary agrees to set up a Fans United page on the website.

Dec 18: Send package containing a print-out of the Campaign Guestbook and a covering letter explaining the concept of Fans United to Danny Baker. Sign off as a representative of Internet Seagulls (the name used previously by members of the Seagulls mailing list) to make out that I'm part of some big, organised pressure group. It works! He mentions the event soon after going on air, giving it his full support.

Dec 19: Speak to Liz Costa, vice-chairman of the B&HA Supporters' Club, for the first time. The SC fully supports the idea and agrees to co-organise events. E-mail Jackie Mooney, editor of Seaside Saga fanzine, who agrees to help out too. (Later contact key members of the Brighton Independent Supporters Association, so they know what's going on.)

Dec 20: Gary puts a provisional Fans United page on the website. I send package of information to David Mellor at Radio Five.

Dec 21: Danny Baker and Chris Evans appear as guests on Sky TV's Soccer AM and give Fans United a plug promising, along with presenter Helen Chamberlain, to attend the event. Baker gives it another plug on his lunchtime show on Radio 5. Mellor fails to mention the idea on his evening show and states that Brighton "have a problem with their supporters", but enthusiasm among Internet Seagulls grows considerably.

Dec 22: A Southend fan appears with a Fans United banner at Albion's game at Orient! Details of the event appear on newswires albeit with some misinformation. Story appears on ITV's Teletext.

Dec 23: A few newspapers, including The Times, give Fans United a mention, and an e-mail from Gary appears on the letters page of Sky Sports Teletext. With the input of other Internet Seagulls, I begin work on a 3,000-word document for the website, out-lining what the event is all about. The central message: "Help Save Brighton, Help Save Football."

Dec 30: Michael Boult, an Albion fan living in Philadelphia, e-mails to say that he's coming over for the event.

Jan 1, 1997: Full information on Fans United finally goes 'live' on the website on a dedicated page. Gary e-mails dozens of football mailing lists with the details.

Jan 2: Gary adds a Fans United guestbook to the website, specifically for fans to pledge their attendance at the event.

Jan 4: Supporters' Club hold a meeting and discuss ideas for spin-off events. Ideas include a football programme fair and a five-a-side tournament. Details emerge of a Half Man Half Biscuit gig the night before Fans United, organised by John Baine, founder of the Brighton Independent Supporters Association.

Jan 7: The Evening Argus, the local Brighton paper, reports that messages of support from all over the world have been sent to the Seagulls website. Danny Baker gives a further plug on his radio show.

Jan 9: Peter Jackson, an exiled fan in Malaysia, e-mails to say that he will be travelling 6,000 miles to attend.

Jan 11: Meet with the Supporters' Club committee and discuss plans face-to-face for the first (and last!) time. Ideas include inviting celebrities to attend, tying up cheap hotel deals for travelling fans, organising an exhibition of Albion photographs, producing commemorative T-shirts, badges and stickers, and organising a human chain around the ground before the game. Meanwhile, Jon Sherlock, an Internet Seagull, appears on TV during the World Darts Championship holding up an "Archer Out" banner!

Jan 14: Jamie Theakston, presenter of BBC's Live & Kicking and Albion fan, e-mails me with a message of support.

Jan 15: A Cardiff City fan representing Football Fans Against the Criminal Justice Act leaves a message on the Campaign Guestbook warning that the planned protest could be illegal. Several supporters become concerned, so Gary decides to remove the message, censoring the Guestbook for the first (and last) time. Ironically, Supporters' Club representatives speak to Hove Police the same day. They are happy with plans and agree to co-operate.

Jan 20: Several Internet Seagulls e-mail Paddy Ashdown recommending that ex-MP David Bellotti is kicked out of the Liberal Democrats for his actions at Albion. Pantsdown replies: "The matter you raise in a private business matter not a political issue, and it is therefore inappropriate for me to comment on it."

Jan 21: News on Fans United appears in football magazine 90 Minutes. Seaside Saga's Jackie agrees to become a public contact for those not on-line, asking: "How annoying can a few phone calls be?" I produce a series of 20 Fans United posters, each featuring a comment from the Guestbook, to be distributed around the country via post and the Net.

Jan 22: A representative of BAFF (Federation of Active Football Fans) e-mails to announce that a mini-bus full of will be coming over from Germany.

Jan 23: An Internet Seagull calls the club and, worryingly, finds that there are still plenty of seats left for the game.

Jan 24: Tim sends-out 50 professional-looking press packs to the media, containing print-outs of the Guestbooks and lots of background information.

Jan 29: Fans demonstrate in Eastbourne and Bellotti is deselected as a Lib Dem candidate for his ward. The Face features a page on the Goldstone crisis. After recent articles in Loaded and Time Out, are Albion suddenly becoming trendy!?! [see quotes]

Jan 30: The 10,000th 'hit' on the Campaign pages. TV programme cyber.café invites Gary to discuss his site on a forthcoming show.

Feb 1: Mellor finally gives Fans United a small mention on Radio Five. John Peel does the same on Radio One the following day.

Feb 4: A half-page advert for Fans United - organised by an Albion fan at an advertising agency, with the space donated by the magazine - appears in 90 Minutes. Ad features a toilet roll in the form of an Albion scarf and the message: "Available soon in your club's colours." Gary and Tim take part in an innovative live public interview on Virgin Net, discussing the campaign. Sadly, few 'attend'.

Feb 5: Fans of West Brom and Birmingham City appear live on BBC Radio West Midlands to promote Fans United. The duo are interviewed for some 15 minutes! Attilla calls into Radio Five and Baker gives Fans United yet another plug.

Feb 6: Another half-page advert appears, this time in BBC's Match of the Day magazine. Even better than the first, it features drawings of Albion's home and away strips and a businessman's suit, with the caption: "Asset Strip". Liz, John, Tim, myself and others are interviewed as Radio Five's Inside Edge features a short piece on Albion fans' innovative protesting methods.

Feb 7: The Independent runs a news story on the event, again highlighting the innovation angle. Albion fan Roger Gray convinces Melinda Messenger and Danny Baker to pose with a Brighton scarf backstage at TFI Friday.

Feb 8: At last, the big day. Internet Seagulls meet in local pub where we catch up with Peter from Malaysia. The media - local and national - are everywhere. Albion win 5-0!! The Pulse, a local radio station covering West Yorkshire, call me for a live interview post-game.

[This article on Fans United was written shortly after the event and first appeared in the May/June 1997 issue of Escape, a ‘cult’ Internet/lads’ magazine once published by Dennis Publishing. Not to be reproduced without permission.]

Shit, I'd forgotten!

Excellent day. I remember flogging T-shirts in the rugby club (campaign HQ) for most of the morning, and then meeeting my Palace supporting mate Julian and going to the game. Whereupon we shouted comedy abuse at John Humphreys all afternoon. Brill.

REVIEWS FROM FANS OF OTHER CLUBS

Review by Watford fan Ian Grant
The Albion fans' protests have taken many forms, but this was the most ambitious idea yet. No-one had ever attempted to gather fans together in such a way, no-one really knew whether it would work.

Sitting in pub at midday, there was one Watford fan. By the time we left an hour and a half later, there were fans of Brighton, Charlton, Portsmouth, Southampton, Ipswich, Norwich, Man City, Man Utd, Preston, Carlisle, Spurs, Blackburn, Wolves, others I've probably forgotten - all drinking together in total harmony. Arriving at Hove station, the fans poured off the train with chants of "Sack the board".

When we'd been to see Brighton beat Rochdale two weeks earlier, there had been next to no-one in the ground half an hour before kick-off. This time, at about two o'clock, there were people everywhere. I could try and list the fans of different clubs I saw but, to be honest, it'd be easier to list the ones that I didn't see. In addition to English clubs, there were fans from Europe - Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Madrid, Red Star Belgrade.

The official attendance for the match was about eight and a half thousand. But it was more than that - a gate was forced open, allowing hundreds of fans to stream into the ground without paying (as an Albion fan explained, we were their invited guests and they didn't see why we should have to give money to Archer).

On the main home terrace the atmosphere was phenomenal. Anti-Archer chants mixed with Albion songs, banners were paraded, there was no hint of any trouble. It's difficult to convey just what it all meant. Unless you've been going to football matches all your life, you wouldn't understand the significance of seeing fans of dozens and dozens of clubs united behind a common cause. It's a memory that will stay with me, and everyone else who was there to witness it, for a very long time. You really should've been there, you know...

The team responded. Hartlepool, their opponents, were on a hiding to nothing. The game ended 5-0, a scoreline which did Brighton a bit of a disservice. Two things to bring a lump to my throat at the end: The Albion fans, in brilliant voice (by full time, their proud, defiant songs were ringing round the ground), started up a chant of "Thank you for coming, we'd like to thank you for coming." No, thank you for making us so welcome. And, secondly, Craig Maskell, scorer of an excellent hat-trick, ran to the home end with his match-ball, kissed it and threw it into the fans - a marvellous gesture.

A wonderful day, then. It won't shift Archer, who was more entrenched than ever on television the following day, and it won't spur the FA into doing something to earn their wages but, in some ways, it wasn't about that. To me, it was about expressing support for the Albion fans, it was about showing them that they're not forgotten by the rest of the football world. The most appropriate song of the day was 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.

The original, unedited version of this article can be found on Watford FC: Blind, Stupid and Desperate.


Review by Sheffield United fan Charlotte Harris
Our home game against Norwich had been put back to the Sunday so BIFA decided to run a coach to this game. Twelve Blades set off from Bramall Lane car park at 9:30am to travel down to Brighton where we had arranged to meet up with about ten Southern-based Blades.

When we arrived outside the meet-up pub, we were greeted with a huge round of applause from hundreds of people all in different club shirts and they insisted that we stop the van to take photos. After we had parked up, we walked back to the pub with our three banners and were greeted with yet more cheering and camera flashes. At that point, we were all very glad we had made the five hour trip.

Next was the march down to the ground where thousands of other fans were waiting and in the park opposite the ground, fireworks were being let off. It was quite a carnival atmosphere and I felt like I was back at a Euro '96 match with the ground being nearly full. Everyone was standing singing and talking to their neighbours, no matter what club they supported.

The football served up was excellent, with Brighton playing a nice passing game and John McDonald, one of the Brighton wingers, looked like he could be the a useful buy for someone as time and time again he whipped in by-line crosses. But it was the fans who made the day by lifting the players to a 5-0 thrashing of Hartlepool.

Many songs were made up, but it was a Chelsea fan who deserves all the credit as he would make up a song, jump on his mates shoulders, urge the stand to be quiet and then lead his new chant. There were plenty of songs about the Brighton board, the (sweet) FA and what should be done to them.

There were representatives from the majority of clubs and quite a few foreign representatives. We were very impressed and just before full-time, we were treated to a round of "We'd like to thank you for coming" by the Brighton fans.

Clubs whose fans turned up in numbers were The Blades (of course), Charlton, West Ham, Burnley, Liverpool, Everton, Sunderland, Northampton Town, Chelsea, Norwich, Leeds and Aston Villa. I also now have a great deal of respect for the supporters from the German, Spanish and Dutch sides (I never got close enough to read the shirts) who made the effort from overseas. I saw shirts from Lincoln, Derby County, Mansfield Town. Portsmouth, Plymouth, Celtic. Even though there were only one or two shirts on view from these clubs, these supporters had sacrificed watching their own team play that day to go to the Goldstone ground. I also witnessed two Manchester City supporters who were singing their heads off with a stunned Leeds United fan between them.

On the way home, we listened to 606 where Brighton fans phoned up and praised us personally for turning up. David Mellor was dismissive of the Brighton fans' claims about the blatant disregard for the situation from the FA during the first call. He changed his mind by the second call and decided to have quite an honest question and answer session with one Brighton fan about the type of demonstrations that were rumoured to be going to happen next. The fan said that they had tried peaceful ones and the FA had taken no notice and that more violent ones may follow to force the FA to sit up and take notice. Needless to say, Mellor disapproved, but didn't offer to help in any way.

I won't forget my day out in Brighton. It is not such a long time ago that we had a mountain of debts and it was with this in mind that I sacrificed my spare Saturday to show that I felt strongly about the situation. In a conversation I had with a Chelsea fan at half time, we guessed that the Fans United may be going on a tour round the country to help other clubs such as Bournemouth and that the show of unity from fans was the start of a new supporter power.


Review by Lincoln City fan Alistair Grant
On Saturday 8th February 1997, most City followers were at Sincil Bank watching the Imps knock Fulham from their perch at the top of Division 3. However, at least one loyal Imp took part in the greatest show of supporters' unity this decade; the Fans United event at the Goldstone Ground. Alistair Grant was there.

Now, be honest. After Lincoln City completed the double over Brighton, could you have foreseen anyone in red and white with three Imps flags spending a game in the Goldstone Ground kop and not going home in a Sussex ambulance? No, neither could I. However, this and more happened on a pioneering afternoon in mid-February.

As one of the privileged 8,412 to have been in Hove for this protest, it would be no exaggeration to estimate that over 75 clubs in England were represented; from Plymouth to Norwich and Hereford to Newcastle. Oh, and Brighton to Lincoln.

What could have become one of the most savage battles between fans for many a moon was instead a glorious demonstration of what unity can achieve for any cause. There was never a hint of trouble from any of the 3,500+ fans from so many clubs, as well as all the Seagulls, just friendly banter and many a pint.

Going down with the Rovers many hope will be the Brighton Board who have sold the ground (in order to survive) to a supermarket, then paid thousands to loan it back, and have not got anywhere to play next season, except for a possible groundshare with Gillingham. The Albion fans are none too happy. The fact that some Brighton fans are prone to violent pitch invasions has led to very slack security at the Goldstone. The stewards and police have realised that they cannot control the crowd, and sensibly choose to supervise without interfering. However, no body searches were carried out, nor bags checked. And I've never seen so many empty beer cans in a ground in my life.

Anyone who can remember what the real terraces were like would have savoured the atmosphere in the North Stand - over three thousand fans crammed into the vast Kop end (packed by 2:10pm). The true attendance was in excess of 9,000, numbers being swelled by the Archer-hating stewards reducing his income by opening the gates, allowing up to 1,000 fans in for free. The constant sway on the giant terrace was a reminder of the eighties.

Oh, by the way, the Gulls offered a throwback to the last decade themselves with the 5-0 thrashing of Goofy Joe's mercenaries - Brighton's biggest victory for five years. Banners were allowed, reading anything from the frequent "Archer and Bellotti out" and the remarkable "Real Madrid says Archer out", to the stupendously wonderful "Lincoln City FC - The Imps Barmy Army" and "Lincoln Imps on tour." Surely the friendliest atmosphere ever to pervade a game of football, Lincoln's representation was cheered as if our fans had never uttered the sadly-inappropriate "One Billy Archer, There's Only One Billy Archer" only three weeks before this game.

You know those moments in life when you think "I'm never going to forget that"?. Well here's one. At half-time, with Brighton 3-0 up and Tubby Joe having been particularly fat, I waded through wave after wave of fans, to retrieve the Union Flag with "Lincoln Imps" emblazoned across its front. At the rear of the Gulls' kop is an old TV gantry. Sensing opportunism, it was climbed and the City flag proudly displayed to 3,000 craned necks below. It got a "We love you Lincoln, we do" before their fans remembered Ainsworth's last minute goal, and the "love" was replaced with "hate"! A quality moment would have been achieved if the half-time, telling of a famous Lincoln lead, came across the Tannoy at that moment. True to form, "Lincoln 1, Fulham 0" flickered through the wires and a huge cheer erupted. Well, they are meant to hate Fulham!

Craig Maskell duly became our first hat-trick scorer for over three years. Sorry, "our" in the communal sense; it really was 9,000 home voices against 70 monkey-hanging fans and their ten left on the pitch. Radiant sunshine would have burst through the fog had Fat Joe been the man to get the red card, but everyone there (yes, it's not just us, every club hates him!) had to be content with Lardy Joe missing a volley in front of an open goal from one yard. That's 90cm. Did we laugh? Yep, and the famed "You're not very good" chant echoed loud and clear.

What was so special about this day, that will live in my mind forever, was the sense of togetherness against a pervading force (i.e. Chairman Archer, Chief Exec Belotti, Director Stanley and Co.) A giant terrace crammed with fans from all over the country, as well as Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and France, charging forwards five times in one ninety minute period was awesome.

Top chant: the tricky "Sit down if you hate archer", the chaotic "Stand up if you hate Archer" and the bouncy "Jump around if you hate Archer." I'll tell you now, the sight of thousands of fans, all around the Goldstone, jumping up and down was something to behold!

Any Five Live listeners on Saturday afternoon would have heard the deserved mention of Imps followers at the Goldstone. Was it just me, or did anyone else don the red and white in deepest Sussex? A remarkable day, that can only be likened to the atmosphere at Maine Road for its pure intensity and sheer passion. Fear not, my allegiance still lies firmly with Lincoln, but sympathy should be felt for the Seagulls - remember where we were last season.

To cap off a fabulous occasion, there was a small group of Fulham fans huddled around a radio at 4:55pm. 'What was the score then?' The reply was 'You've won, mate.' And he shook my hand. It was that kind of day - fans weren't restricted to their own clubs, but to the whole aura that football offers.

Last word to 9,000 voices - "You'll Never Walk Alone" followed by "Thank you for coming". Brilliant.


Review by Jonathan Hull, a Colchester United fan
Well, it was an alcoholic weekend and in the first real ale pub (Evening Star) we met a Charlton fan - one of many. They had two huge banners in the ground on the opposite side from us. We caught the train to Hove and right outside the station was a large pub one of two meeting places which was absolutely heaving this is where we saw the Wycombe fans amongst others which included a minibus full of Sheffield United fans.

We walked to the ground and there were at 2.15 already thousands of people outside Ipswich, Southend, Man City, Hereford, Tranmere, Norwich, Preston, Burnley and more, so we went to a pub nearby and had to queue up to get in but inside there were fans from everywhere (didn't see any Man Ure though) and a great atmosphere.

We stood at the side where the seats are (like our main stand). Behind us were some Real Madrid fans and in the Brighton 'end' was a fan from Eintract Frankfurt among the thousands of others. Throughout the game the fans in that stand sang songs criticising the FA ("the FA's done f*** all") and "jump around if you hate Archer" which was good with thousands in the end doing just that.

They burnt an effigy of Archer (earlier and away from the ground) as well as singing that he is a c**t. There were collections outside the ground and numerous fanzine sellers and they appreciated the support from elsewhere. The fans near us said we could come again if they played like that. Poor old Hartlepool never stood a chance, but then again they were crap with the most toothless forward line around.

April 27th is apparently their last game at the Goldstone so they don't have much time left. All in all it was a great weekend, in the town in the evening we were thanked by Brighton fans for supporting them as we were by a couple of bar owners! And the place seemed to be full of Charlton fans. It was good to see the Premiershite represented by West Ham, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton.

Saturday showed that Fans United can be a positive force. Whether Brighton can succeed against two hated men - one of whom lives in Blackburn and hasn't been seen in Brighton for a year and another, Bellotti, who has been advised by police not to go to the ground - remains to be seen. We wish them all the best and hope they stay up.

This article originally appeared at ColuWeb.


Review by M Gordon, a Spurs fan
Approaching Brighton we saw signs everywhere (hung from motorway bridges, on lamposts etc) welcoming us to Fans United and giving us much-needed directions. When we got to our seats, a Brighton fan next to us explained who all the players were, which ones were terrible and pointed out the guy who has been organising the Brighton fans' campaign.

Pretty soon the chanting and singing started, including: "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Football united will never be defeated", "Brighton, we are Brighton" and, to the tune of Go West, "Jump around, if you hate Archer" (the entire crowd got up and jumped around). Later on when Brighton had scored four, this became "Score five if you hate Archer"… which they duly did!

At half-time all got out their flasks and sandwiches rather than hand over more of their money to Archer and Bellotti. The guy we were sat next to even shared his tea with us (that doesn't happen at White Hart Lane).

In the ground, and after the game, we saw fans from Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, and Arsenal as well as many others I can't now remember! But, on top of that, there were fans from Holland, Germany, Spain and America. As we were leaving the ground people came up to us and thanked us for coming...

It was an amazing afternoon, when a great feeling of solidarity with all fans was around. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Football united will never be defeated.

Ironic that one Baker championed our cause, but another seems intent on destroying all the hard work done 10 years ago...

I'm welling up. What a day.

What memories that all brings back.

Little did we know then that ten long years later we would still be fighting for a ground. Archer and Bellotti have so much to answer for.

But we must always remember FANS UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED - get those postcards sent to Ruth Kelly - one glorious day all our protests are going to be made worthwhile

We never knew at the time how important those 5 goals would turn out to be.

I've got tears in my eyes reading all that, I was only ten... I hate what those people did to our club, but the feeling of all the fans rallying round to help, well, it really meant something. Oh and WHAT a game!

What a day; brings it all back to me.
It was an extra special day for me as my niece had been born the day before and I'd just been to see her for the first time.

I was in the North Stand that day and it was the best match atmosphere I've ever experienced: better than any promotion or the Cup Final.

Well done to Wozza and the others who organised it. It's a memory that will stay with me for ever.

Brighton 5 - 0 Hartlepool
Baird 8
Maskell 22
Maskell 45
Hobson 48
Maskell 56

Looks like a fanstastic day in the history of the football club. Much more imaginative a protest than any postcard campaign.

Withdean Wanderer said:

Looks like a fanstastic day in the history of the football club. Much more imaginative a protest than any postcard campaign.

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Completely different targets and different crises. You can't compare either campaign.

remember it well - what a day and felt so proud to support the Albion

The best day to be an Albion fan EVER - nothing, but nothing -nope, not Highbury, not Wembley, not Cardiff - has ever come close. I honestly still get shivers down the spine thinking about it. Slightly different weather that day - I kept thinking the fog might have caused the game to be stopped.

I just remember thinking "maybe this will have a few away fans dotted around the place, which will be quite nice", then coming out at the top of the North stand and seeing everyone in Hove Park and realising what a massive deal it all was. Un-f***ing-forgettable - every single Albion fan still owes bucketloads of debt to the organisers and every single away fan who came.

Too bad the current campaign couldn't have made better use of this hugely significant anniversary.....

Apologies if the FFA team have done something that I missed.

Al Bion said:

Archer and Bellotti have so much to answer for.

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So does THE scumbag that set the whole thing rolling in the first place.

Stanley-rot in hell you piece of shit.

Ernest said:

We never knew at the time how important those 5 goals would turn out to be.

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Quite - if it was goal difference back then, we'd have been bollocksed.

What a day - I've put my memories in the other thread, the one on NSC Gold. But it was a vital red letter day in the club's history, and one which - really - ought to have been marked better, if not by the club, then certainly by us fans.

Over 13 years since the famous 'Articles of Association' EGM, and we're still having to fight for our existence. What is it with some people that they are so determined to see Brighton & Hove Albion go out of existence? It's something I just cannot get my head round.

If the club's existence really offends them, go somewhere else and do something else - but f***ing leave us alone.

Barrel of Fun said:

Completely different targets and different crises. You can't compare either campaign.

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Could a 10 year reunion be reorganised, along with the support of the club.
Reduce ticket prices to those of 1997 for the day, for the publicity it could attract the drop in revenue for the game could be worth it.
Communicating the event, and organising it would be far easier today than 10 years ago, especially with the backing of the club that was obviously not there back then!