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Todays Liverpool Echo



liverpool_one

New member
Feb 12, 2004
360
Liverpool, United Kingdom
im an albion fan who has been living in liverpool for ten years now and used to post on this site but mainly just view it now.
anyway to the point, the liverpool echo today ran a full page story on the albion about the falmer campaign and the past troubles at the club it was very in depth and explained the reasons why this is so important not just for the albion but for all of football.
the story had the heading, why fans must unite, and at the end of the story it even had the dpm addresss for letters and the e-mail address. and urged people to write and e-mail as soon as possible as, as we are all very aware a decision is imminent.
and it also included a picture of young fans at the last ever goldstone game with reefs saying goldstone rip.
thought i should let you know about this as it is another enormous amount of people from the other side of the country who are now aware of what is going on and hopefully will start writing to the dpm.

james chapman:clap2: :clap: :clap2: :clap: :clap2: :clap: :clap2: :clap:
 




Robot Chicken

Seriously?
Jul 5, 2003
13,154
Chicken World
Here's the article:

Why football clubs need your support
Feb 11 2004
Liverpool Echo

Brighton and Hove Albion face a crucial week in the club's history.

Big deal, you might think. But football fans everywhere should be alarmed at the problems the south coast clubs are faced with.

Last month I wrote about how supporters are prepared to set aside rivalries to help out another club in need.

And right now there are few clubs more in need than Brighton.

The Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott is expected to decide soon whether or not the club will be allowed to move to a new - permanent - home at Falmer.

Around 1,600 fans staged a peaceful sit-in after Saturday's game at Wycombe Wanderers in support of the plan. But they need support from all those across the country who love football.

Brighton's then-owners sold the club's traditional Goldstone Ground home in 1995 with no plan B. As a result, they have led a nomadic existence since, first sharing Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium for two years before moving to the Withdean Athletics Stadiumin 1999.

The search for a new home has cost the club £5m since 1997 - money a second division football club cannot afford to be without.

The Priestfield Stadium was 70 miles from home, whilst the Withdean is wholly inadequate for a Football League club with any ambition. But the club's plans to move to a new home have been constantly thwarted by a whole host of 'not in my back yard' merchants.

Brighton's application to move to a site in Falmer has gone to a public enquiry after the Local Plan Inspector ruled the site unsuitable. This despite the fact that the local council had originally earmarked the site itself and voted 11-1 in favour of granting planning permission.

Apparently the politicians regard this as a local, not a national issue.

They are wrong. Exactly seven years and three days ago today, Brighton were even further in the mire.

Faced with extinction, and desperate to get rid of the board that had sold them down the river, they pleaded with supporters from across the country to show up at Brighton's home game with Hartlepool United, wearing their own club's shirts, in a show of unity.

Officially, 8,500 did, although with stewards letting plenty more in for free so not to swell the chairman's coffers too much, it was certainly far more than that.

THAT'S why this is a national issue.

Football clubs across the country are being hamstrung by the refusal of local residents to allow them to escape from dilapidated, land-locked grounds that are simply holding them back.

Before you know it, it could be your club. And when it is, you'll no doubt be crying out for support from supporters like those at Brighton.

Liverpool's plan to move across Stanley Park and Everton's hopes of a new home at King's Dock both met with widespread opposition from the "NIMBY" crew.

Tranmere fans were facing the prospect of seeing Prenton Park sold for housing development had Stephen Vaughan been successful in his bid to buy the club last season.

Being evicted from your own home is bad enough, but had they failed to get planning permission for a new ground at Cammell Laird, it would have been even worse.

Moving to a new ground is not always the cure-all to a club's problems. Unfortunately, Darlington have proved the point this season.

But one only needs look at the success of Bolton, Charlton (now back at the Valley) and Middlesbrough this season to see the benefits it can have. Lower down the scale, Hull City, in Mr Prescott's home town, have not looked back since moving to the Kingston Communications Stadium in Christmas 2002.

Nobody ever wants a football stadium in their own back garden, but they have to be built somewhere. Wimbledon would not be in the mess they are now - or Milton Keynes for that matter - had they just been able to find somewhere - anywhere - in the Merton district of London willing to accommodate them.

A whole host of clubs are trapped in grounds which were fairly high-tech when they were built at the start of the last century - but have been horribly neglected ever since. Most are hemmed in by housing and the like, unable to expand or develop, despite being in desperate need of it.

It is in everyone's best interests - even those people who might find themselves tutting through their net curtains at the noise and litter being generated by all those nasty football fans - if these clubs find a new home and get a fresh start. The benefits of a purpose-built, modern stadium for the community and wider economy outweigh the annoyances.

So for that reason, all football fans should get behind Brighton and let Mr Prescott know that this is an important national issue.

* You can write to John Prescott at: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 26 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2WH, or email planning.general@odpm.gsi.gov.uk. You can also sign Brighton's online petition at www.PetitionOnline.com/Falmer

Do it now, because a decision is imminent!
 


Yorkie

Sussex born and bred
Jul 5, 2003
32,367
dahn sarf
I wish that could be published in every national daily

:clap: :clap:
 


Everest

Me
Jul 5, 2003
20,741
Southwick
Mighty fine piece.

:clap2: :clap2:
 








balloonboy

aka Jim in the West
Jan 6, 2004
1,100
Way out West
I am in awe - really puts the local press in Bristol to shame - I've been badgering them about Falmer all week, but they're completely uninterested.

I am forwarding this article to the Bristol Evening Post NOW!!
 




Bwian

Kiss my (_!_)
Jul 14, 2003
15,898
Now, how do we get that day's Echo to Johnny 2 Jags? James?

Thanks for bringing it to our attention James.:clap: :clap: Great article from a great paper. Chester will see that too.
 


JJ McClure

Go Jags
Jul 7, 2003
10,812
Hassocks
That's top stuff. Should help make JP aware of the national importance of it.
Cheers Scousers :clap:
 










SeagullSimon

New member
Jul 5, 2003
854
Kent Uni; Bexhill
well done liverpool echo :clap2: :clap2:
 






edna krabappel

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 7, 2003
47,228
I will never say anything derogatory about Scousers again.:bowdown:

Well not for a few weeks at least, that is just brilliant. Let's hope a few of them sign the petition- if only a tenth of their average home crowd signed it (not to mention Everton too) we would double the size of the petition overnight.
 




marvin

New member
Jul 5, 2003
1,670
The corner quietly rusting
If only we could get the Argus too print something like that!
 









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