It is an AMAZING to be an Albion fan but could some fans adopt a little humility and perspective?
1. We are not suddenly the 9th best supported club in the land........ We have sold a phenomenal number of season tickets which is brilliant but we are on a crest of a wave and capacity is limited compared to many larger clubs. Let's enjoy where we are but lets not get arrogant and too big for our boots.
2. There but for the grace of god...... We know our unfortunate history and it is a great feeling having put it behind us. Other football fans are not so lucky. Have we really forgotten how painful it is and how helpless you can feel when your club goes down the tubes. So many fans of so many their clubs backed us when we were in the shit. Are we so heartless with such short memories that we choose to gloat at others misfortune?
3. Careful how you treat people on your way up; you might meet them on the way down....... We are SO fortunate to have a genuine fan supporting our club. But (no disrespect to TB implied) how many Albion fans have inspected the accounts, looked at the business plan or carried out due dilligence on the Board? Probably few if any - not least because we are so happy! Yet some criticise Pompey fans for failing to do this. They are fans of their club just like we are of ours. Football finances are become more and more precarious. No one should assume that it can't happen to them whether for the first time or again.
4. Not every signing has to be a Vicente..... Obvious but some people are setting the bar higher and higher and expectations are going crazy. Maybe it doesn't matter but we need to be sustainable first and foremost. If the PL comes great but not at any cost. Let's not lose sight of our past as we dream of the future.
5. We have a great stadium..... But not everyone else's is suddenly a crap hole. Some would love a new stadium, some would just like better pies but all grounds were better than Withdean. Again, have some forgotten where we have come from?
As a club and a set of fans we made many friends over the last 20 years. We are out the other side but others are in the midst of have some tough times ahead. We can be an inspiration and a beacon of hope or we can turn our back on our roots becoming arrogant and disliked by all.
Ok,now shoot me!
Whilst I agree with the sentiment of the op I do think that as part of NSC we can worry a little too much about how a handful of deluded nutters posting on here are perceived in the wider football community. The vast majority of football people know to take message boards with a bucket of salt. What matters is how we behave at games and in public in general. On that count we have little to worry about.
And unlike some on here, I'd find little to celebrate in Pompey actually going out of business
I'd rather they were just shit.
It is an AMAZING to be an Albion fan but could some fans adopt a little humility and perspective?
1. We are not suddenly the 9th best supported club in the land........ We have sold a phenomenal number of season tickets which is brilliant but we are on a crest of a wave and capacity is limited compared to many larger clubs. Let's enjoy where we are but lets not get arrogant and too big for our boots.
2. There but for the grace of god...... We know our unfortunate history and it is a great feeling having put it behind us. Other football fans are not so lucky. Have we really forgotten how painful it is and how helpless you can feel when your club goes down the tubes. So many fans of so many their clubs backed us when we were in the shit. Are we so heartless with such short memories that we choose to gloat at others misfortune?
3. Careful how you treat people on your way up; you might meet them on the way down....... We are SO fortunate to have a genuine fan supporting our club. But (no disrespect to TB implied) how many Albion fans have inspected the accounts, looked at the business plan or carried out due dilligence on the Board? Probably few if any - not least because we are so happy! Yet some criticise Pompey fans for failing to do this. They are fans of their club just like we are of ours. Football finances are become more and more precarious. No one should assume that it can't happen to them whether for the first time or again.
4. Not every signing has to be a Vicente..... Obvious but some people are setting the bar higher and higher and expectations are going crazy. Maybe it doesn't matter but we need to be sustainable first and foremost. If the PL comes great but not at any cost. Let's not lose sight of our past as we dream of the future.
5. We have a great stadium..... But not everyone else's is suddenly a crap hole. Some would love a new stadium, some would just like better pies but all grounds were better than Withdean. Again, have some forgotten where we have come from?
As a club and a set of fans we made many friends over the last 20 years. We are out the other side but others are in the midst of have some tough times ahead. We can be an inspiration and a beacon of hope or we can turn our back on our roots becoming arrogant and disliked by all.
Ok,now shoot me!
Good post.
Which highlights why we should not gloat at what is going on down the road at Portsmouth. Not the fault of their fans.
Agreed with almost all of that, except parts of point 3.
I completely trust Tony Bloom to know how much he can spend and to only spend what he has, so I don't feel the need for any of us to check the accounts. He hasn't splashed out a ridiculous amount on players yet and I'm led to believe our wage structure isn't extremely generous let alone unsustainable.