Wonder what the players make of our supporters?

[krakatoa]

You see, that's the f***ing problem. I try and start songs in the morgue that is F Block and every time I get looked at like I'm a half-wit. Seriously, if I had a pound for every look of derision I get from people on the edge of E Block when I try to start a song, I'd be a f***ing rich man. If the season ticket holders at Withdean, who sit silent all game, only to cheer briefly when a goal is scored, are the season ticket holders at Falmer, then god help us. We need the away support, the non-stop singers and chanters as season ticket holders.

The lack of a roof at Withdean has always been a bollocks excuse for the lazy can't-be-arsed-to-get-behind-the-team fans to hide behind. We can have a fantastic atmosphere at Withdean when people make an effort. Sadly, far too many ST holders can't be arsed.

Not wrong there. Anyone who thinks the withdean atmosphere is sometimes ok needs to get out more. It's generally dire.

 

[krakatoa]

I always do. People are way too quick on this site to have a go at our support. Look at that picture someone who went to Swindon v Orient has posted of the away stand. They had about 200 there. I was watching Swindon v Bristol Rovers the other night and Rovers had 600 there. We had 1,400 at that ground, despite being further away than either of those clubs. And that's just one example. Look at what the support will be like at Peterborough on Saturday. Ok, we're top so it's easier to attract a big crowd, but we'll be one of two clubs who fill that stand this season.

Quite simply, with the exception of Sheffield Wednesday our support is the best in the division, and every one of those players who has done the rounds at other lower league clubs will realise this is the one chance they'll get to play for a proper club.

Southampton?

 

[Notters]

Couldn't agree with you more TCB. It's being a proper club that kept us going in '97 and at Gillingham. You've just made me realise that i take it for granted. Pretty much every away game I've ever been to with the Albion, including Carlisle, Hartlepool, etc has had a bit of an atmosphere. But what I've never really considered is: it's probably not normally like that. When Swindon play orient, or Rochdale play Colchester, it's probably, well, crap.

I guess the reason for all of this is that for the best part of the 18 years I've been going we've been a shit team and it's been hard to see that potential.

 

[Notters]

Southampton?

That's only a relatively... Well ok 30 years thing. There's no reason why they should be bigger than us.

 

[krakatoa]

I agree, but sadly they just are.

 

[Notters]

To be fair, I reckon the Worthing stand probably halves the away support, but you're right, it's a good indicator.

 

[krakatoa]

Southampton built up a decent support during their many years in the top div, still got 21,000 for a nothing much game yesterday. I doubt very much we'd get that, even at Falmer. Mind you, the city of Southampton must be the most dreary place of its size in Britain.

 

[Bwian]

You see, that's the f***ing problem. I try and start songs in the morgue that is F Block and every time I get looked at like I'm a half-wit. Seriously, if I had a pound for every look of derision I get from people on the edge of E Block when I try to start a song, I'd be a f***ing rich man. If the season ticket holders at Withdean, who sit silent all game, only to cheer briefly when a goal is scored, are the season ticket holders at Falmer, then god help us. We need the away support, the non-stop singers and chanters as season ticket holders.

The lack of a roof at Withdean has always been a bollocks excuse for the lazy can't-be-arsed-to-get-behind-the-team fans to hide behind. We can have a fantastic atmosphere at Withdean when people make an effort. Sadly, far too many ST holders can't be arsed.

What a sanctimonious load of bollocks.

What makes you think that the away support aren't season ticket holders? Oh I get it-season ticket holders don't make any noise do they?

I'm getting pissed off with all of this "Withdean is like a morgue" bollocks. People in the North Stand and a whole host of previous managers have all commented about the noise from the South Stand. What will it take for the moaners to understand that unless the whole stand is making a noise-in unison-it will seem as though there's no noise. That is Withdean. There will be between 3000 and 4000 at Peterborough. It will be loud for the whole game. The majority will be season ticket holders. The only difference is the stadium.

It's also very difficult to generate real intense atmosphere at Withdean when the visitors bring less than a hundred.

You do what you like to do at Withdean, enjoy the games(s) and stop criticising others for doing what they like to do. We're having our best start to a season in over 80 years and what do we get? "Boo Hoo, not everybody sings when I want them to". FFS, grow up-not everybody considers you to be the unofficial choirmaster.

 

[krakatoa]

The first half hour yesterday the crowd were inexplicably silent though, you surely can't deny that. It was so quiet it was eerie.

 

[krakatoa]

Our away support is excellent, no doubt about it.

 

[severnside gull]

I put my hand up to being a bad fan as I only get to Withdean 3 or 4 times a season. On the other hand I travel to between 10 and 15 away games every season.

Have to say that home games are usually way less enjoyable than sitting among the travelling support who are always awesome.

Sure it is partly (largely?) the ground to blame and Falmer will be better. And I dont care who you support, away fans always but always make more noise (gotta justify the journey somehow). But the players must notice it and I think their appreciation at away games is both apparent and genuine

 

[mona]

Home support was dire again yesterday, the 95 Yeovil fans out-sung us for most of the match, despite us being top of the league and another tremendous performance in parts by our boys. Am sick of it.

If the 'shoosh' brigade are in force at Falmer, I'm really concerned that the Amex will just be another Withdean, only with comfier seats and a roof!

.

Now I'm really worried. I must have a hearing problem. I never heard the Yeovil fans yesterday. There wasn't a torrent of noise from Albion fans but at least you could sometimes hear them.

Perhaps at Falmer we could get the English National Opera and the Glyndebourne mob to turn up, with Gareth Malone, so that no one out-sings us.

 

[Chester Drawers]

Wonder what they think. At home our support is woeful, you can hear a pin drop sometimes, even hear the wind whistling threw the trees. When I see players laughing I often think, are they saying - ‘did you hear that fart in the crowd’.

That was me again sorry ....

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

With due respect, the 'we are singing ' is bollocks.

Yeserday, it just didn't happen in the South stand.

Block H? There's more rock at Chris Catlin's place.

So who were the people singing Albion, Albion that I heard on the radio? Yeovil fans?

 

[Superphil]

That's just Bull! I sat in the North Stand for the first time yesterday-normally in the South. Really surprised and impressed by our fans noise at times and never heard the Yeovil fans at all. Why do we keep picking on each other?

Exactly this, I sit in the North Stand, and you can hear the Albion fans plenty well enough, and so can the players, it's nothing to do with well placed radio mikes.

The BIG problem is, the singing section DON'T sing enough. We can see you and hear you when you do, you just don't keep it going for any length of time (in enough numbers). I think the people on hear constantly moaning about this need to adress their own performance before they perpetuate a myth that 95 Yeovil fans out-sung Brighton. You just need to sing more, FFS, you're in the f***ing singing section, so f***ing sing. You'll probably enjoy it more than winding up the staff, and complaining that no-one else is singing.

Oh, and if the laughably named 'singing section' improved its perfomance, then the G, F, E, D (etc) Blocks might also join in, just like they do at away games when the singers get going so well. Plenty of those who attend our away games are STH, and they possibly sit in an area of Withdean away from H & J blocks, but they join in on the road, they would at Withdean too if there was something to join in with..

 

[KneeOn]

All this shit about being out sung...

Yes yeovil fans sung probably more than we did in the first half but it was because they were in effect winning. (Their objective was a 0-0 draw, while that was on they were going nuts) Also, the quality of what they sung. I recall hearing "Top of the league and you still won't sing", and that was about it.

Outsung my arse! Barely heard them from the edge of H.