So, I read the following on some godawful Pompey site, written by, as it turns out some little scrote that I know, and then decided to reply to him in person:
"Despite what the Brighton fans would love you to believe, the atmosphere in the ground is awful. The acoustics are awful and it's impossible to get any songs/chants going.
The food and beer is overpriced, £7.50 for some fooking chicken noodles. No burger vans outside the ground, no pubs anywhere near either.
Cushioned seats FFS? Give me Peterborough away over that corporate piped bollox any day.
The players tried hard but what more can we expect when we're shipping out all our players?
Luckily for me it's only a bus ride home and the bus stops right outside the ground, that is the only positive I can take from today."
I then replied, quoting the above.
Oh Olly, deary me. Now, having stood at proper grounds supporting my team - The Goldstone from 1976-1997, then Priestfield from 1997-1999 - then having sat at a shit athletics stadium supporting my team from 1999-2011, I have to say that sitting in our new "corporate" home on my cushioned seat, is absolutely wonderful.
Now, if you weren't spending 36k a week on your ex-premiershit stars and had thought a little bit more about your long term future as a club, possibly you could have what we have. Ok, so the atmosphere isn't quite as intense as having 3,000 packed under a tin roof at Peterborough, but the difference being that Peterborough are skint too and would love to have what we've got. We have a lovely ground, where a large number of our supporters arrive at least 90mins prior to kick-off to stand in our numerous bars on our huge concourses and drink and eat. I sit with my mates in the upper tier of the West stand and our concourse is as big as Wembleys. We spend a fortune on drink and our fabulous pies and so give our club a f*** load of money to plough back into paying reasonable wages for hungry players.
After 14yrs of absolute shite, endured because we paid our debts and lost our ground as a result - whereas you have kept your historic Fratton shithole and gone bust three times, I really don't see how you can slag us off. As for no pubs around the ground, words fail me. Do you not realise we spent over a decade trying to get planning permission for the ground - there was no room in Brighton or Hove for a new stadium, in other words no room to build a ground close to the Citys pubs. You lot may find yourselves in a similar position if you ever get back to a point where building a new ground becomes a reality.
Calling us corporate when you spent a f***ing fortune chasing the premiershit dream with flash Harry at the helm, ha. Yeah, you lot are right, we ain't never won anything, but then you only won the FA Cup because you ripped off a tonne of local businesses.
But hey, hating how corporate footie has become ain't gonna worry you lot any more, cos as you'll find out, League one and two are pretty much corporate free. Enjoy it down there. We, on the other hand, are gonna enjoy getting better and better over the next few years, safe in the knowledge that our money making ground, that is open all day, all week, pays for it without us getting in to debt. Brilliant.
He replied:
"Hit a nerve did I Dave haha? The Amex was very disappointing after being told how great the atmosphere was by every Brighton fan I talk to. Reminded me on some way of the Etihad or whatever it’s called now… apart from just one side of it.
In my view the one good thing that has come out of all of this is that we haven’t built a fancy new stadium out of town with no atmosphere and no soul. Yes we’ve wasted money on Premiership pricks and not on things like our training ground but this doesn’t really have anything to do with The Amex having no atmosphere. Of course it must be a luxury compared to what you’ve had for years but you can still build a new ground that can generate an atmosphere.
Explain to me why they are not allowing pubs and food vans around the ground, something which also improves match day atmosphere. It’s because as you put it the club want you to spend a fortune so they can spend silly money on over-priced fairies, you wanted kitson at one point.. one of the worst players to have played for us in recent years. Well if you can afford to pay wages for twats like him then good luck to you. They’re even trying to close down that burger van outside the station, not everyone can afford to spend a fortune on hong kong noodles and fancy pies.
Bitter fans of other clubs can say we ‘cheated’ to win the cup or whatever but the truth is we were being bank rolled by our rich owner at the time and everyone was being paid fair. Just like most other teams who are running at a loss we could afford it because our owner could. It’s not the fans fault that he then pulled the plug and when selling the club he unknowingly sold it to one of his creditors who has since used us to try and get his money back. To say we cheated our way to the cup win is ludicrous.
I’m very much looking forward to league one and two, in fact it’s my own personal opinion that it would be better for us to be liquidated and start again from the blue square south. Having experienced the Premier league, Europe, the new Wembley 5 times, I would not swap it all again for trips to Doncaster and Peterborough. Football in the premier league and even now in the championship is not football that I fell in love with, £50 to watch your team whilst sitting there like good boys being watched by the authorities to make sure you don’t stand up or swear.. you’re welcome to it because I can’t think of anything worse.
I will enjoy the lower leagues and I’m sure I’ll enjoy them a lot more than a did the majority of the time we were in the premier league and if sitting in a soulless stadium each week paying rip off prices to watch your team(full of overpaid foreign wankers who didn’t know brighton existed before they were offered 20k a week to play for them) is what you want then fair enough. You got lucky that you have a wealthy fan that is prepared to bank roll you without asking for it back, at the moment we are working on possible fan takeover or involvement in takeover of the club, not millionaires but just enough to run our club properly and with what we can afford. Despite your rant, you probably agree with me on the atmosphere and corporate bollocks but that is football now. I just feel sorry for football fans in general that this is the way it’s going."
I then replied:
Oh, come on Olly, you can surely do better than that. Can't you? So let's take your points paragraph by paragraph.
The atmosphere where I sit - in the upper tier of the 12,500 main stand (read that and weep, Fratton boy) is as good as any ground I've ever been to. By the way, American Express have been a huge employer in Brighton for at least 35yrs now, so they have a link to our City, unlike Etihad, or whatever it's called, which has no integral link to Manchester.
So, are you really saying that the only good thing to come from your time mixing it with the big boys, is the fact you didn't invest any of the hundreds of millions on a new ground or training facility? Let's get this right, you are happy that instead of providing yourself with a future, you preferred to spunk it on players (and Harry's) wages? It's that kind of thinking that has got you where your are.
Right, even if I accept your argument that the Amex is just another soulless new build (and I don't) where exactly is it that you think we should have built our new ground? On the bmx ramp on the Level? On the grass area next to the Pavilion perhaps? Or maybe at the entrance to the disused West Pier? You tell me, Olly. It may have escaped your notice that our historical home, The Goldstone Ground, was sold from under us by a bunch of asset stripping scumbags - but then as a lower league lover with a hatred of all things corporate, you'd know that, wouldn't you? Then we waited almost a decade and a half to build a new ground in the most inconvenient site, just to piss off Pompey fans.
This brings me on to the part where I have to explain to you why no pubs have been built around the ground. Ok, I'll try. For starters we've only been open 8months. Secondly, the ground is open, what, 32 days a year (max) for games and the students who live nearby have their own student bars. I reckon even Wetherspoons would baulk at spending any cash on opening a pub in the vicinity, don't you?
Onto Kitson, then. Maybe we did want him. But the reason we didn't get him was because we wouldn't pay his inflated wages. Instead we preferred to employ an overpaid ex-Spanish international who, as you probably correctly say, didn't know we existed before (and here I'll correct you) we offered to pay him 10k a week. And for less than a third of Ben Haims wages he quietly destroyed you. Ha!
I'm so glad for you that you are looking forward to Blue Square South - in fact I really f***ing envy you. Yeah, right. Personally I prefer to swear my head off every home game in the Championship, and let me tell you, it only costs me £20 a game, not £50. Yep, £20 a game to abuse Palace and Pompey fans from the safety of my lovely padded seat! Still, I'm sure Dorchester Town or Weymouth will turn out to be fantastic new rivals for you -- so much better than the Saints or Brighton.
Finally, as for closing down the burger van at Falmer Station. Really, what would that have to do with BHA.FC? You seriously think we'd try to sway the authorities so that some cheeky chappy loses his £100 a week business? Though of course let me remind you that you said there weren't any burger vans outside the ground anyway!
Olly, I have spent my entire life trying to escape corporate bollocks, that's why I do what I do for a living. What I don't, or would never dream of doing is working for a f***ing bank.
Now, the question is, have I put him in his place?
"Despite what the Brighton fans would love you to believe, the atmosphere in the ground is awful. The acoustics are awful and it's impossible to get any songs/chants going.
The food and beer is overpriced, £7.50 for some fooking chicken noodles. No burger vans outside the ground, no pubs anywhere near either.
Cushioned seats FFS? Give me Peterborough away over that corporate piped bollox any day.
The players tried hard but what more can we expect when we're shipping out all our players?
Luckily for me it's only a bus ride home and the bus stops right outside the ground, that is the only positive I can take from today."
I then replied, quoting the above.
Oh Olly, deary me. Now, having stood at proper grounds supporting my team - The Goldstone from 1976-1997, then Priestfield from 1997-1999 - then having sat at a shit athletics stadium supporting my team from 1999-2011, I have to say that sitting in our new "corporate" home on my cushioned seat, is absolutely wonderful.
Now, if you weren't spending 36k a week on your ex-premiershit stars and had thought a little bit more about your long term future as a club, possibly you could have what we have. Ok, so the atmosphere isn't quite as intense as having 3,000 packed under a tin roof at Peterborough, but the difference being that Peterborough are skint too and would love to have what we've got. We have a lovely ground, where a large number of our supporters arrive at least 90mins prior to kick-off to stand in our numerous bars on our huge concourses and drink and eat. I sit with my mates in the upper tier of the West stand and our concourse is as big as Wembleys. We spend a fortune on drink and our fabulous pies and so give our club a f*** load of money to plough back into paying reasonable wages for hungry players.
After 14yrs of absolute shite, endured because we paid our debts and lost our ground as a result - whereas you have kept your historic Fratton shithole and gone bust three times, I really don't see how you can slag us off. As for no pubs around the ground, words fail me. Do you not realise we spent over a decade trying to get planning permission for the ground - there was no room in Brighton or Hove for a new stadium, in other words no room to build a ground close to the Citys pubs. You lot may find yourselves in a similar position if you ever get back to a point where building a new ground becomes a reality.
Calling us corporate when you spent a f***ing fortune chasing the premiershit dream with flash Harry at the helm, ha. Yeah, you lot are right, we ain't never won anything, but then you only won the FA Cup because you ripped off a tonne of local businesses.
But hey, hating how corporate footie has become ain't gonna worry you lot any more, cos as you'll find out, League one and two are pretty much corporate free. Enjoy it down there. We, on the other hand, are gonna enjoy getting better and better over the next few years, safe in the knowledge that our money making ground, that is open all day, all week, pays for it without us getting in to debt. Brilliant.
He replied:
"Hit a nerve did I Dave haha? The Amex was very disappointing after being told how great the atmosphere was by every Brighton fan I talk to. Reminded me on some way of the Etihad or whatever it’s called now… apart from just one side of it.
In my view the one good thing that has come out of all of this is that we haven’t built a fancy new stadium out of town with no atmosphere and no soul. Yes we’ve wasted money on Premiership pricks and not on things like our training ground but this doesn’t really have anything to do with The Amex having no atmosphere. Of course it must be a luxury compared to what you’ve had for years but you can still build a new ground that can generate an atmosphere.
Explain to me why they are not allowing pubs and food vans around the ground, something which also improves match day atmosphere. It’s because as you put it the club want you to spend a fortune so they can spend silly money on over-priced fairies, you wanted kitson at one point.. one of the worst players to have played for us in recent years. Well if you can afford to pay wages for twats like him then good luck to you. They’re even trying to close down that burger van outside the station, not everyone can afford to spend a fortune on hong kong noodles and fancy pies.
Bitter fans of other clubs can say we ‘cheated’ to win the cup or whatever but the truth is we were being bank rolled by our rich owner at the time and everyone was being paid fair. Just like most other teams who are running at a loss we could afford it because our owner could. It’s not the fans fault that he then pulled the plug and when selling the club he unknowingly sold it to one of his creditors who has since used us to try and get his money back. To say we cheated our way to the cup win is ludicrous.
I’m very much looking forward to league one and two, in fact it’s my own personal opinion that it would be better for us to be liquidated and start again from the blue square south. Having experienced the Premier league, Europe, the new Wembley 5 times, I would not swap it all again for trips to Doncaster and Peterborough. Football in the premier league and even now in the championship is not football that I fell in love with, £50 to watch your team whilst sitting there like good boys being watched by the authorities to make sure you don’t stand up or swear.. you’re welcome to it because I can’t think of anything worse.
I will enjoy the lower leagues and I’m sure I’ll enjoy them a lot more than a did the majority of the time we were in the premier league and if sitting in a soulless stadium each week paying rip off prices to watch your team(full of overpaid foreign wankers who didn’t know brighton existed before they were offered 20k a week to play for them) is what you want then fair enough. You got lucky that you have a wealthy fan that is prepared to bank roll you without asking for it back, at the moment we are working on possible fan takeover or involvement in takeover of the club, not millionaires but just enough to run our club properly and with what we can afford. Despite your rant, you probably agree with me on the atmosphere and corporate bollocks but that is football now. I just feel sorry for football fans in general that this is the way it’s going."
I then replied:
Oh, come on Olly, you can surely do better than that. Can't you? So let's take your points paragraph by paragraph.
The atmosphere where I sit - in the upper tier of the 12,500 main stand (read that and weep, Fratton boy) is as good as any ground I've ever been to. By the way, American Express have been a huge employer in Brighton for at least 35yrs now, so they have a link to our City, unlike Etihad, or whatever it's called, which has no integral link to Manchester.
So, are you really saying that the only good thing to come from your time mixing it with the big boys, is the fact you didn't invest any of the hundreds of millions on a new ground or training facility? Let's get this right, you are happy that instead of providing yourself with a future, you preferred to spunk it on players (and Harry's) wages? It's that kind of thinking that has got you where your are.
Right, even if I accept your argument that the Amex is just another soulless new build (and I don't) where exactly is it that you think we should have built our new ground? On the bmx ramp on the Level? On the grass area next to the Pavilion perhaps? Or maybe at the entrance to the disused West Pier? You tell me, Olly. It may have escaped your notice that our historical home, The Goldstone Ground, was sold from under us by a bunch of asset stripping scumbags - but then as a lower league lover with a hatred of all things corporate, you'd know that, wouldn't you? Then we waited almost a decade and a half to build a new ground in the most inconvenient site, just to piss off Pompey fans.
This brings me on to the part where I have to explain to you why no pubs have been built around the ground. Ok, I'll try. For starters we've only been open 8months. Secondly, the ground is open, what, 32 days a year (max) for games and the students who live nearby have their own student bars. I reckon even Wetherspoons would baulk at spending any cash on opening a pub in the vicinity, don't you?
Onto Kitson, then. Maybe we did want him. But the reason we didn't get him was because we wouldn't pay his inflated wages. Instead we preferred to employ an overpaid ex-Spanish international who, as you probably correctly say, didn't know we existed before (and here I'll correct you) we offered to pay him 10k a week. And for less than a third of Ben Haims wages he quietly destroyed you. Ha!
I'm so glad for you that you are looking forward to Blue Square South - in fact I really f***ing envy you. Yeah, right. Personally I prefer to swear my head off every home game in the Championship, and let me tell you, it only costs me £20 a game, not £50. Yep, £20 a game to abuse Palace and Pompey fans from the safety of my lovely padded seat! Still, I'm sure Dorchester Town or Weymouth will turn out to be fantastic new rivals for you -- so much better than the Saints or Brighton.
Finally, as for closing down the burger van at Falmer Station. Really, what would that have to do with BHA.FC? You seriously think we'd try to sway the authorities so that some cheeky chappy loses his £100 a week business? Though of course let me remind you that you said there weren't any burger vans outside the ground anyway!
Olly, I have spent my entire life trying to escape corporate bollocks, that's why I do what I do for a living. What I don't, or would never dream of doing is working for a f***ing bank.
Now, the question is, have I put him in his place?
