Did the ALBION win a cup or summit yesterday ?

[Albion Rob]

But what about the people FROM Brighton/Hove who choose not to support the Albion?

Are they scum?

My old man who is from Eastbourne grew up following Chelsea because at the time they played decent football. He also went to Spurs, Arsenal, Brighton and Bournemouth.

I don't understand this theory that everybody from Sussex should follow the Albion!!?!

The bottom line is at the moment unless you've got a family connection then you are not going to follow Brighton. We're not very good, we're playing in a shite division and it's not going to get you many cool points from your mates.

I wouldn't change supporting the Albion for anything, but some of you dimlows are unreal!

Sorry mate, where did I say they were scum?

I can't understand why someone would want to support a team they only see on TV and might only see in the flesh five or six times in their lives but if that's what they want to do, that's up to them. It's not the way I choAgree about the Albion being unattractive, but then again, they were during my last year at school (96/97) but that didn't stop a decent crowd of us going everose to do things because, as stated, I used to enjoy going to games at the Goldstone with my mates and have loads of great memories from such nondescript places as Oldham and Peterborough - I can't imagien the average Sussex-based Man Ud fan being able to say the same, but again, as I said, if they get their kicks from watching their boys on TV down the local, that's up to them.

Following the Albion may not be 'cool' at the moment, but then again, it wasn't during my last year of school (96/97) as we were bottom of the league and playing shit. Didn't stop a decent gang of us going to the Goldstone every fortnight and beggin, stealing and borrowing to get to the odd away game too.

I'd suggest it is more to do with society and the opportunity to see more games on TV and therefore feeling a stronger bond between yourself and a team from miles away.

As an aside, I think the word you were looking for at the end is 'dinlo' but that's pretty much by the by.

 

[Kent Seagull]

How many of us support the Albion rather than our local County League side?

Is it any worse for someone who lives in Brighton going to watch Chelsea, than someone from Haywards Heath going to Brighton to watch the Albion? Doesn't that make a lot of us glory hunters?

 

[Rougvie]

My point really was that its only a few years ago when Chelsea won the FA Cup and it barely registered a ripple in Sussex, now if you took a straw poll of Alpha Males on any street in Sussex, its likely that a very high percentage would show allegience to Chelsea.

OK, there will always be a bandwagon, but the force of the media is simply leaving the smaller teams behind, its the Bostons of the world that are taking the early hit, but its working its way up the leagues, lack of interest, lack of support, why pay £20 a game when you can get 7 or 8 live games for that at a far better standard.

In 20 years time it would not surprise me if there were only 30 or so sides left, in a franchise type scenario which makes Falmer all the more important I suppose.

 

[The Large One]

My point really was that its only a few years ago when Chelsea won the FA Cup and it barely registered a ripple in Sussex, now if you took a straw poll of Alpha Males on any street in Sussex, its likely that a very high percentage would show allegience to Chelsea.

OK, there will always be a bandwagon, but the force of the media is simply leaving the smaller teams behind, its the Bostons of the world that are taking the early hit, but its working its way up the leagues, lack of interest, lack of support, why pay £20 a game when you can get 7 or 8 live games for that at a far better standard.

In 20 years time it would not surprise me if there were only 30 or so sides left, in a franchise type scenario which makes Falmer all the more important I suppose.

Precisely.

 

[Arthur]

Can't see how not supporting your home team is justified because they're not very good. If you're Sussex born and bred and have no real London connections then supporting Chelsea is a bit strange if you ask me. But maybe I'm behind the times here and you should just support the best team in the country.

Of course Chelsea are a big club now and many people in Sussex support them. Nobody's saying that's wrong, but the amount of them (and the fact that they've only sprung up in the last 5 years) is as good a reason as any for an Albion fan to get annoyed.

That maybe so, however it's always going to be the case. Success breads following. I really don't get what there is to get annoyed about.

I'm not an Albion fan because I've been brought up in Sussex, I've been brought up and still live in Crowborough, there is a strong case to argue that I am closer to Palarse than the Albion.

I follow them because it was where my old man took me as a kid. If he'd taken me to any other club whether is be Palarse, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham or Barnet I no doubt would feel the same about them.

I'm sure my local will be packed with Liverpool fans on Wednesday (many of which who probably think Lime Street is on the Monopoly board) as will allot of the boozers across Sussex. I certainly won't be losing any sleep over it.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

In 20 years time it would not surprise me if there were only 30 or so sides left, in a franchise type scenario which makes Falmer all the more important I suppose. [/B]

This is what worries me too.

Four or five of the English Big Boys will play in a European league along with Madrid, Barca, Milan, Inter, Bayern etc...

There will be no atmosphere as away fans won't bother to travel after the first couple of years, and the grounds will be full of corporate type bods, if they are full at all.

TV is already in overkill IMO - in a few years the TV deals will completly pay the player's Salaries - tickets will be cheap or even free as people won't be bothered to actually GO to the games when it becomes so predictable.

Personally I hardly watch the Prem - yes of course we should aspire to get there, but the day we have a Diedier Drogbar or a Richardo Carvalho type player playing for us is the day I would jack in watching the Albion.

The funny thing is there are plenty of REAL Chelsea fans who feel the same way about their club.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

How many of us support the Albion rather than our local County League side?

Is it any worse for someone who lives in Brighton going to watch Chelsea, than someone from Haywards Heath going to Brighton to watch the Albion? Doesn't that make a lot of us glory hunters?

Indeed. Brighton & Hove Albion would be screwed if so many people hadn't decided to support their local League side as opposed to their nearest football team.

 

[coventrygull]

The thing that worries me is that two things are happening here. Firstly Football is big business and the whole point of business is to gain customers. So if smaller clubs go out of business and you get their supporters it equals more cash.

Secondly as more Brightonians leave the town of their birth and the cockneys move in. Where is the Albion's future support going to come from

UP THE BRA

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

We tooted our horm after we won the sussex senior cup!!!

 

[mona]

Why should people bother their arses getting so het up about two corporate monoliths?

Not wishing to sound bitter but the Premiership is getting more boring every season. Thoroughly enjoyed watching most of the play offs. Watched about 15 minutes of the cup final and yawned.

 

[chez]

Not wishing to sound bitter but the Premiership is getting more boring every season. Thoroughly enjoyed watching most of the play offs. Watched about 15 minutes of the cup final and yawned.

Very true. The play offs, most of them anyway were a joy to watch. More passion than you would see in a seasons worth of premiership games and some cracking goals too - Morcambes 2nd yesterday and Bristol Rovers 1st the other night spring to mind.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Fair play to parents who try to get their kids to support their local team, rather than a Big 4 outfit.

My son is only 13 months old and I hope he goes on to support the Albion, but if he does I can envisage the time when he'll get the piss ripped out of him by Big 4 shirt-wearing urchins for "supporting a shit club".

 

[Publius Ovidius]

We will always have this though.

Brighton never have been a big club with support like the sides in the old first division and second division. All it shows these days, is that our football has polorised such that the top 4 are miles away from the rest of the premiership and the bottom 3 tend to be yo yo clubs especially with the farce of parachute payments.

I would like to think that a lot of the youngsters now wearing Chelsea/manu/Liverpool/Arsenal shirts will have Brighton as their second team, whereby its so expensive to see these big clubs, and therefore if they want to see football, then they will come to Brighton.

At the moment there is NO incentive at all to come to Brighton. If and when falmer is built then hopefully that will be the incentive - but it must be made easy to do so....pay on the gate etc etc....we must NOT make it a chore to get tickets.

 

[unnameable]

I would like to see someone in a Chelsea shirt enter the Merry Monk, in Lancing.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I don't want us to become a club whose fans regard the Albion as their second team, and who would really prefer to be at the Emirates or Stamford Bridge, rather than Falmer. What would be the point of that?

 

[British Bulldog]

I would like to see someone in a Chelsea shirt enter the Merry Monk, in Lancing.

You see allsorts of shirts around Lancing these days and I've even seen a Palace shirt being worn, Not sure if he made it home in one piece though?

 

[Publius Ovidius]

I don't want us to become a club whose fans regard the Albion as their second team, and who would really prefer to be at the Emirates or Stamford Bridge, rather than Falmer. What would be the point of that?

surely rather that then never coming at all!

most of us have second teams. In most cases, we never get to see them and hopefully with the likes of chelsea etc pricing themselves away from the regular fan, then making it easy to go to Brighton would be better all round

 

[The Large One]

It's an oft-told tale to people who are not bored of me telling it to them...

About 12 or 13 years ago, I remember going into The Bevendean pub (don't ask, it's a long story), and standing at the bar was a bloke - not someone you'd ideally want to cross - whom I recognised as a local. And he was wearing... a Blackburn Rovers shirt.

I asked him - with all politeness - something mudane (although obviously a loaded question) like 'what's the re-built Ewood Park like nowadays? I've never been. 'Dunno, mate. Never been meself. I just f***ing hate United.' A couple of years later I saw him wearing, with all pride, an Arsenal shirt...

 

[Pavilionaire]

We live in an age when Chelsea win 2 domestic cups and the pundits / media say they've had a disappointing season.

Try telling that to Man City, Newcastle and Villa fans who won less than that combined IN THE LAST 30 YEARS!

 

[British Bulldog]

I dont know what some of you would've made of it a while ago if you'd seen little bulldog and his mate in the Albion club shop? little bulldog was in his Chelsea shirt, His mate was in his Man utd shirt and they were buying tickets for an Albion game!

It just goes to show the even 14yr olds have got the common sense to realise you can support a premier league team but still follow your local club as well. It happened when I was a kid as well and it will allways happen.