We All Follow the Albion

It's not all about winning, nor about getting to the playoffs, nor even about reaching the dizzying heights of the Premier League. it's about excitement - and that's what has been lacking for the last year or so at the Albion:

• Getting excited about reading on a Sunday night that we were about to spend £2.5m on the leading scorer in our division the previous year.
• Getting excited when Buckley scores a last minute winner against Donny in the first game at the Amex (not to mention the other last minute winners and equalisers in 4 or 5 games that season).

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"One Club. One Vision" - the over-sized words, accompanied by the Albion's current pinup boy, Jake Forster-Caskey, greets Albion fans as they approach the refitted and Nike-d up club shop at the Amex.


There has been some light fun poked at just what the new strap line could mean, which is cropping up on many things the club currently output, as well as some more serious discussion.

"One Club, League One Ambition" has been suggested, as supporters express growing concern at the strength of the Albion's squad after a disappointing season opener whilst "One Club. One Manager a Season." needs no further explanation.

It's a sign of the modern footballing times that many aspects of big business have become associated with football clubs that, in the past, wouldn't have known a mission statement from a SWOT Analysis Matrix (no, neither do we).
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A few words of explanation for the different version of SBTS played out yesterday. The original that is normally played is perfectly fine to sing along to, IF all you’re going to sing is the “chorus” (technically, the refrain) “Good Old Sussex By The Sea…” etc.

But here’s what happens when people try to sing the song right from the very start. It’s the first ...

Albion 0-1 Wednesday


There's something special about the first day of the season. Not only, by decree of the laws of football tradition, is it always hot and sunny, but the air is so full of expectation. Even the most world-weary fan, rendered incapable of expectation, is at least full of hope. This might be the year. This might be our season.

There is always excitement about how the new signings will get on, too. Even if they came from Barnsley. Hearing on a Wednesday fan's match preview, that Chris O'Grady 'always ...

Most Albion fans know Sussex by the Sea only as a single chorus. It’s actually a military marching song with five verses, though hardly anyone knows very much of the real words. You’ll find them all here, along with something of our anthem’s history.

Who wrote it, and when?

Sussex by the Sea is the one football song that's totally unique to the Albion. First published in 1907, it was composed by William Ward-Higgs, a Lancashire-born solicitor who lived for six years in South Bersted, near Bognor Regis. Written to celebrate his sister-in-law's wedding to a captain of the Royal Sussex Regiment, the song soon became an official Regimental march. And later, the county's unofficial anthem. Ward-Higgs wrote many other songs, but none as remotely popular as Sussex by the Sea. After a long and successful career in mercantile ...

I just wanted to post to tell our tale of yesterday evening....

Congratulations on the result however my son was the biggest winner last night and for that I owe all my gratitude to BHA for their efforts that have left an ever lasting ...

Entire forests of newsprint, and terabytes of online opinion, have been devoted to the 'evils' of Premiership footballers' salaries.

We've read how Rio Ferdinand should be addressing the famine in southern Africa, instead of test-driving the latest Bentley, and how Michael Owen now owns North Wales and most of Cheshire. Ashley Cole himself, told us in print, about the time he threw his mobile phone, at the sheer anguish of hearing ...

Seagulls swoop for Mackerel (Smith)

Excuse the tragic pun. My excuse is that my head is still spinning at the frankly incredible news, that the Albion have beaten Leicester and West Ham (and Norwich, QPR and Southampton, depending on who you believe) to the signing, of the much coveted Peterborough striker Craig Mackail-Smith.


CMS. Looks good in stripes! ...

Incredible times to be an Albion fan right now, but disorientating too. Since when did the Albion make multiple seven-figure bids for potential signings, appoint glamorous, world famous personalities as manager or commission the building of state of the art stadia?

Like everybody, I'm desperately excited about the imminent debut visit to the promised land, and revelling in sharing news of ...

Perusing NSC I noticed the subject of the gaps in the back of the South Stand have been raised again.

Given the amazing season ticket sales for the 2011-12 season, many are expecting formal announcement of the expansion of the Amex to be made quicker than was probably envisioned when building of ...

As Ashley Barnes poked the ball home and the Withdean faithful rose to celebrate the Albion’s fifth goal of an incredible New Year’s Day victory over Leyton Orient, a bald man in a cap looked on, frustrated, forgotten, but determined to put things right…



Russell Slade had been appointed Orient manager in April 2010, and, despite having successfully negated ...

…And so it came to pass, Lord Gustavo Augusto Poyet Domínguez lead Brighton on a merry dance to promotion with five games to spare and the title with four, to the promised land of the Championship. In the space of 16 months, he has transformed a team hovering at the wrong end of League One into a sleek passing, ball hogging, tippy-tappy outfit destined for greater things (certainly greater than Round One of the Johnstone Paint Trophy).



Football is a fickle ...