[Albion] Fallen out of love with The Albion

[willalbion]

I started watching the Albion as a nipper in the mid 70s. Some seasons have been a struggle, some have been joyous, most have been just ‘another’ season. But I really can’t understand when people say they’ve fallen out of love with the Albion. They’re the team I support. The team I was born to follow. Whatever happens on the pitch I’ll still say I’m a supporter, crikey we expect the Albion to continually let us down, don’t we? We know the script, surely. That’s what makes the occasional success all the sweeter.
I think your disappointment at the way things have panned out this season, combined with COVID etc have just made it a struggle to get motivated about them, I’m not sure that’s the same as falling out of love.

Well put sir.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

I am falling out of love with football in general, COVID, VAR and cheating players and totally inept refs. Plus so frustrating that teams who are so poor to watch are above us in the league, so maybe they have it right and us wrong.

This, This, This....

+ A Massive factor not being at the ground to vent all these frustrations, ahhhhh
The release is something we all miss and oh so important.

De La Zouch is missing the experience of being at the ground, we all are...
Don’t forget so are the players, who respond to a cheer, or swear word directed at them....


Three points today boys please...

We Won’t be Druv....



Chin up Zouch

 

[GREASED WEASEL]

One word

Unconditional

 

[nwgull]

Slightly contradictory to my earlier post, but I reckon most people will have periods in their lives where football takes a back seat. For me it was a combination of personal stuff and then setting up my own business, but after the play off final win I was so distracted by non-football stuff that I only attended 2 games over the next 5 seasons and did nothing more than check the results on a Saturday and read match reports on NSC. Getting to the Amex restored my mojo and I started attending again and finally got a season ticket at the start of 2016, ironically after our worst season there when we were favourites for the drop!

 

[usernamed]

COVID, VAR and moronic rule changes around offside and late flags have poured cold urine on a lot of my enjoyment of the game. My support feels dutiful rather than enthusiastic atm.

I have put this down to the wider malaise I’m feeling around Covid and the continuing descent of our politics into US style over-simplistic, antagonistic, polarised stupidity. (on both sides)

I hope you feel you can re-engage with Brighton soon, and get some real pleasure out of that support. If you can’t, please look after yourself, I hope you’ve got good people around you and can find pleasure in other activities.


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[darkwolf666]

I started watching the Albion as a nipper in the mid 70s. Some seasons have been a struggle, some have been joyous, most have been just ‘another’ season. But I really can’t understand when people say they’ve fallen out of love with the Albion. They’re the team I support. The team I was born to follow. Whatever happens on the pitch I’ll still say I’m a supporter, crikey we expect the Albion to continually let us down, don’t we? We know the script, surely. That’s what makes the occasional success all the sweeter.
I think your disappointment at the way things have panned out this season, combined with COVID etc have just made it a struggle to get motivated about them, I’m not sure that’s the same as falling out of love.

Sums it up perfectly for me!

I also don’t get the criticism of Potter for not being passionate!

To the OP - do you have to eff and Jeff and be in the refs ear all the time to be a passionate manager? If that’s your thing, go and support Burnley, see how quickly you fall out of love with their style of play!

 

[Murray 17]

I'm all for Graham Potter though. Love the football on show and think we are so close to becoming a very successful side. In fact, even if we go down I think there's a bright footballing future at the club.

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I think that if we go down, Potter will leave. Many clubs have seen what he has done with the players he has at his disposal, and are wondering what he could do given a few more decent PL players.

Then we're back in the Championship, and although not exactly back to square one, looking to get out of a very competitive division without 3 or 4 of our best players.

We need to stay up.

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[Stat Brother]

It's the hope that's killed me.

I'm a 40+ year Albion fan:-


Watching my team be proper shite comes with membership card.
Watching my team surpass themselves in a cup game is joyous.
Watching my team get it's act together and winning trophies is rare and thrilling.
Watching my team grind out hard fought points, against the odds, is inspiring.


But I never NEVER EVER signed up for:-


Watching my team be the very best I've ever seen and still be absolutely f**kin shitehouse.


Seeing teams take points off the Albion, whilst looking like they've never played the game before, has completely done me in.
It totally diminishes the 'pain and suffering'* needed to get to this point.

I'll be watching today.
I'll be assuming we'll look fantastic.

I know we'll lose 2-1.


The very definition of stupidity.




*No actual pain and suffering was required.

 

[Peteinblack]

I've certainly lost some of my love for the Albion this season, having supported them as a school-boy in the 1970s (was at the Wembley FA Cup Final in '83, and the Play-Off Final vs Bristol City at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in 2004.

Our p***-poor strikers and lack of clinical finishing in front of goal, our inability to defend or extend 1-0 leads, the waste-of-money or sick-note signings of recent years (Andone, Locardia, Jahanbakhsh), and Potter's excellent impersonation of a manager who is out-of-his-depth and his tape-loop response in post-match interviews "We'll learn from this defeat, and take the positives" - all of these mean that I've started not to care as much as I used to.

I've become a bit 'meh' about us this season. I rather we didn't get relegated - especially after Tony has invested so heavily in us - but I genuinely don't think we're good enough for the PL (this is the 4th consecutive season that we've struggled, and hovered just above the drop-zone), and are probably a top 10 Championship side.

 

[RossyG]

I am In the Potter out camp (which doesn’t make me a bad or intellectually challenged person) but crikey it runs deeper than that! Clearly Covid is a factor, football without fans is kind of pointless. I also have to do my best to protect my mental health and this season has run against that. I find our style of play just that purely a style with virtually no substance. I want leadership that reeks of passion from our manager and i find listening to him simply depressing, where is the inspiration?

Surely if you’ve fallen out of love then this stuff wouldn’t rankle. But it clearly does.

What you are is frustrated and wondering why the hell you put yourself through the wringer each week for a team that can’t bloody win lead by a man who has the emotions of a Vulcan.

5c please.

 

[Rambo]

It's the hope that's killed me.

I'm a 40+ year Albion fan:-


Watching my team be proper shite comes with membership card.
Watching my team surpass themselves in a cup game is joyous.
Watching my team get it's act together and winning trophies is rare and thrilling.
Watching my team grind out hard fought points, against the odds, is inspiring.


But I never NEVER EVER signed up for:-


Watching my team be the very best I've ever seen and still be absolutely f**kin shitehouse.


Seeing teams take points off the Albion whilst looking like they've never played the game before has completely done me in.

I'll be watching today.
I'll be assuming we'll look fantastic.

I know we'll lose 2-1.


The very definition of stupidity.

This totally sums it up for me too.

 

[A1X]

The way Covid has made football something remote and out of reach has had a big impact. However I think the lack of passion from Potter is well made. If he does care he doesn’t look / sound like it.

 

[DJ NOBO]

This is a really weird feeling. I have totally fallen out of love with the club I have followed since I was 7. I have been there through thick and thin: cup final, 2 play off finals, Gillingham, the promotion game, our first win in the Prem and 2 wins vs Utd, but I’m done.

I am In the Potter out camp (which doesn’t make me a bad or intellectually challenged person) but crikey it runs deeper than that! Clearly Covid is a factor, football without fans is kind of pointless. I also have to do my best to protect my mental health and this season has run against that. I find our style of play just that purely a style with virtually no substance. I want leadership that reeks of passion from our manager and i find listening to him simply depressing, where is the inspiration?

Will I call back in love with Brighton? I won’t fall in love with another team but I’m considering a dalliance with non league footy next season.

Anyone else experiencing similar feelings, or is it just me?[/QUOTE


Ups and downs. Always been the way with following a football club

 

[Tony Le Mesmer]

I'm contemplating not watch the game today. May just have it on in background, while I make use of two hours. We'll see.

I did this last week against Leicester and I wasn't so deflated after I found out the result.

I get so wound up by the predictable way things pan out on the pitch, it can't be good for my health. Contemplating doing the same today.

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[de la zouch]

I can totally understand your feelings which I'm sure quite a few will agree with.

I made the decision not to renew my ST for next year purely through my hatred of VAR, so if we got relegated I might regret that decision.

All I would say is give your local non-league side some support as I have done recently with Shoreham. Yes, Covid has obviously hit the non league too but for me I found it a far more pleasurable experience. Being able to stand at a match, no rip off prices, and the ground is for me just a 15 min walk from home. There is much to be said for supporting your real 'local' side so give it a go. It might rekindle your love of the game.

I'll always be an Albion fan (35 years a ST holder will do that to you) so will always follow our fortunes, but for me the local scene is far more enjoyable and rewarding. Players playing for the love of the game and not obscene wages. Give it a try.

You have nailed it there, yes I will always support the Albion, but no love right now. Just got to find the right non league club to lend my support to next season. Thx

 

[Seasider78]

I have to confess to finding the PL a tough watch since promotion as clubs like us are purely there to make up the numbers. Part of that is watching Brighton climb up and slide down the lower divisions was a lot of fun and I find it hard to get excited about the pinnacle being the hope of a top ten finish.

This season whilst frustrating is hard to get too worked up about and if anything it has proved how important attending games are as it gives you a connection to the team and manager you don’t get in your armchair.

For the reasons above I am more interested in getting back to attending and watching games and the match day experience and what division that is in will be what it is

 

[nwgull]

I've certainly lost some of my love for the Albion this season, having supported them as a school-boy in the 1970s (was at the Wembley FA Cup Final in '83, and the Play-Off Final vs Bristol City at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in 2004.

Our p***-poor strikers and lack of clinical finishing in front of goal, our inability to defend or extend 1-0 leads, the waste-of-money or sick-note signings of recent years (Andone, Locardia, Jahanbakhsh), and Potter's excellent impersonation of a manager who is out-of-his-depth and his tape-loop response in post-match interviews "We'll learn from this defeat, and take the positives" - all of these mean that I've started not to care as much as I used to.

I've become a bit 'meh' about us this season. I rather we didn't get relegated - especially after Tony has invested so heavily in us - but I genuinely don't think we're good enough for the PL (this is the 4th consecutive season that we've struggled, and hovered just above the drop-zone), and are probably a top 10 Championship side.

Andone didn’t cost us that much in terms of fee relative to standard PL transfers, did he? And the goals he scored in his one season with us were all vital in the context of the games they were scored in so probably kept us up, and he also got some important goals in the cup run that year, so probably 5-6m well spent.

 

[DJ NOBO]

This is a really weird feeling. I have totally fallen out of love with the club I have followed since I was 7. I have been there through thick and thin: cup final, 2 play off finals, Gillingham, the promotion game, our first win in the Prem and 2 wins vs Utd, but I’m done.

I am In the Potter out camp (which doesn’t make me a bad or intellectually challenged person) but crikey it runs deeper than that! Clearly Covid is a factor, football without fans is kind of pointless. I also have to do my best to protect my mental health and this season has run against that. I find our style of play just that purely a style with virtually no substance. I want leadership that reeks of passion from our manager and i find listening to him simply depressing, where is the inspiration?

Will I call back in love with Brighton? I won’t fall in love with another team but I’m considering a dalliance with non league footy next season.

Anyone else experiencing similar feelings, or is it just me?

Ups and downs. Always been the way with following the Albion.
The difference between now and the Priestfield days though, is our problems are currently of the first world kind.

 

[de la zouch]

Its a strange time and not actually being at games is bound to affect people in different ways.
I am a little surprised by the comments around passion, given that the club haven't appointed a manager who projects passion since Poyet. What do you want a manager who gets sent to the stands twice a season who jumps into the crowd when we score and who is continually fined for post match comments.
The deadpan approach is the modern way but it does mean that passion isn't there and it is no doubt displayed on the training pitch and in the dressing room.
Style of play for many is really a substitute for results. Win and the style is fine lose and it's not great. From you time supporting the Albion you will know that we rarely do mid table No pressure football. So the glass is nearly always full or empty.
Hopefully crowds will be back in large numbers shortly and you will be tempted along and recover your Albion mojo.

So when I say passion, I don’t mean kicking and screaming. For me many of the modern day managers are full of passion:
Pep, Kilopp and Tuchel the other day when he subbed the guy after 20 mins- that’s passion! Potter has the charisma of a letting agent in Solihull!

 

[de la zouch]

If you really believe that Potter speaks to his players and comes across the same way he conducts those incredibly dull press conferences, I’d question your statement about not being intellectually challenged.

Every manager puts on a certain face for the public, there’s no way he’d be able to drill a side to create the hundreds of more chances we saw under CH if he spoke to them like he speaks to the hacks (which I’m sure is the only experience you have of him). The fans are the ones who are meant to bring the passion and emotion. I want the manger to be the ‘grown up’, to be calculating, strategic and calm. I think I might fall out of love with the Albion too if we had the sort of emotionally charged wreck you seem to be advocating? You have Keegan, I’ll keep Potter thanks.

Wow, you really should look in the mirror when talking about intellect.