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[Albion] Falmer Watch 10th Anniversary – Today, October 31st 2018.



Jack Straw

I look nothing like him!
Jul 7, 2003
6,847
Brighton. NOT KEMPTOWN!
October 31st 2008. After years of fighting the residents of Falmer, the Green Party, Lewes District Council, and others, the time was finally here. After years of campaigning, storming in and reclaiming our territory (Mansfield, home), storming out (Hereford, home). Sitting in at Walsall, Orient and Wycombe, marching (Fulham, home and away), letter writing, snow-balling, boycotting (Forfars), chasing, (Bellotti at Rochdale), frightening off, (Bellotti at Wigan, and Darlington, home), balloon tying and ribbon hanging. Turning up at Archer's house to tell him what we thought, and Christ knows what else we got up to whilst playing at The Goldstone, Gillingham and Withdean. There are probably loads of other shenanigans I’ve forgotten – after all, it was all well over ten years ago, but in October 2008, the time had finally come!

Before and during this period, we will all have our memories – at least those of us still here to tell the tale.

I refer to some of our key supporters who throughout the War Years, kept the pressure on those that be with their constant stream of innovative ideas in order to keep the plight of our football club, and the fact we had no home to go to, fresh in everyone’s minds. I would like to mention some of our dear departed heroes in Sarah Watts, Roy Chuter, Paul Welch, and of course, our very own Ed (Lord Bracknell) Basford. Just as important too, the “ordinary” fans, the bread-and-butter supporters who stuck with the Club, joined in with the protests and attended games seventy five miles away at Gillingham, and sat in pouring rain in freezing temperatures at Withdean. Some of them too, are sadly no longer with us.

What was all this about? It was all about getting our famous football club back home to Brighton. Our spiritual home. Our geographical home. Our proper home where our proud roots lie, where we belong.

Ten years ago today, the reward for all that effort from the Falmer for All team, all our loyal fans, Dick Knight and Martin Perry, was there for all to see - A DIGGER IN A FIELD!

So excited was I to see this, I had to record this special moment with my camera. Having driven past the proposed stadium site at least five times each week for years on the way back from work (I’ve since retired), I was beginning to wonder if I would ever see the day, but now, it was finally happening. Our new stadium was about to be built.

I thought perhaps members of North Stand Chat might like to see the photos? The rest as they say, is history. Thank you Tony Bloom!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/128321708@N03/albums/72157651087142822
 

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Wilko

LUZZING chairs about
Sep 19, 2003
9,921
BN1
I absolutely LOVED your Friday pictures Jack and want to say a thank you again for all your sterling work. My Friday was spent regularly clicking refresh awaiting your new pics with anticipation and excitement. I am sure I was not the only one.
 


strings

Moving further North...
Feb 19, 2006
9,965
Barnsley
I used to look forward to Falmer watch every Friday. I think it finally dawned on me that things were happening when Jack Straw posted pictures of his high speed chase, following a lorry with a section of arch in the back!
 


Wrong-Direction

Well-known member
Mar 10, 2013
13,395
Great photos on link!

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk
 


Brovion

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 6, 2003
19,322
Ten years! Like others I absolutely loved your Friday photos, it was fantastic to see our new ground slowly taking shape. I go past it twice a day on the bus going to and from work and I still stare at it and fall in love with it again every day. It (and the PL) is everything I dreamed it would be.

"And when our new ground's built and we are storming back, a bunch of happy fans without a care".
 




spence

British and Proud
Oct 15, 2014
9,811
Crawley
Wow time flies. Great times these were seeing our stadium rise from the ground. The buzz was phenomenal. I wonder how much costs have rocketed since then? It's costing Spurs an extra 250 over budget to complete there stadium.
Palace want to build one stand at a 100 million. More than our entire ground.
To build the AMEX now would cost?

By the way great surname
 
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indy3050

Well-known member
Jun 22, 2011
1,298
I too drove past this site twice a day before, during and after the build and I used to love the photo updates to get a glimpse of what I couldn’t see from the road. Can’t belive it’s 10 years already!
 


clippedgull

Hotdogs, extra onions
Aug 11, 2003
20,789
Near Ducks, Geese, and Seagulls
I still have my calendars JS!

As others have said, anticipating Friday's with your update pictures were exciting.

If only we had personal drones back then, I'm sure you would have been swooping in and out of the construction site, snapping away!

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. :)
 




Thunder Bolt

Ordinary Supporter
Fridays with Jack Straw's photos, and posts from Swansea fan, natterjack, who was working on the build. Memories eh?
 


rudolf hucker

Active member
Jul 26, 2009
132
Hove
Excellent work Jack. Like many I eagerly opened NSC every Friday to see the latest updates as the stadium (and our excitement) grew.
Nice piece today as well
 






Boroseagull

Well-known member
Aug 23, 2003
2,055
Alhaurin de la Torre
Gosh - was it really ten years ago that the series of Friday pictures started? I think back to the excitement of Friday's latest photos and boring Mrs. B with 'look how it's progressing'. Now just look at the finished article and the team that plays there, what a progression that everyone can be so proud of. Thank you.
 


Not Andy Naylor

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2007
8,787
Seven Dials
Great memories. My stadium ritual was usually Sunday lunch at the Roedean Cafe followed by a drive up Falmer Road, parking at Brighton University and peering through the hoardings at the top corner of the site (until the West Stand grew so big that it blocked the view).
 


jimhigham

Je Suis Rhino
Apr 25, 2009
7,699
Woking
Didn't we all lose it slightly when the arches turned up? :amex:

Thanks for everything Jack. For a time Fridays were every bit as exciting as Saturdays.
 




Curious Orange

Punxsatawney Phil
Jul 5, 2003
9,933
On NSC for over two decades...
Didn't we all lose it slightly when the arches turned up? :amex:

Thanks for everything Jack. For a time Fridays were every bit as exciting as Saturdays.

Yes we did, there were some posters stalking them down the A23! :lolol:
 


Taybha

Whalewhine
Oct 8, 2008
27,135
Uwantsumorwat
I always thought something would go tits up at every stage i was expecting a 3 toed newt to be discovered or the steel was made in Taiwan and therefore very liable to attract fruit bats , the clincher for mr was the Grass , i actually punched the air when i saw that photo , and this photographic library is a genuine piece of albion history which you should be proud of , well done sir .
 


Fignon's Ponytail

Well-known member
Jun 29, 2012
4,106
On the Beach
First time I've seen these photos as I wasn't on NSC ten years ago...superb.

Made even more poignant with "Ashes" by Embrace coming on Spotify as I sat looking through them....brought a tear to my eye to think how far the club has come.
 


Couldn't Be Hyypia

We've come a long long way together
NSC Patreon
Nov 12, 2006
15,898
Near Dorchester, Dorset
I still have my calendars JS!

As others have said, anticipating Friday's with your update pictures were exciting.

If only we had personal drones back then, I'm sure you would have been swooping in and out of the construction site, snapping away!

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. :)

Me too!! Jack Straw, club legend.

And as others have said....10 years.....bloody hell.
 









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