"For England and Albion" - Ian Ridley in today's Observer

[Soton Seagull]

Excellent exposure, demonstrating a genuine understanding of our predicament and the decision facing 2 Jags.

 

[kevinsmith]

Excellent article. Another nail in the NIMBY Coffin?

 

[Rich Suvner]

Fantastic article - just sent reply to Observer:

To the editor,

I am writing to congratulate you on publishing Ian Ridley's elequent summation of the problems my football club, Brighton and Hove Albion, are experiencing gaining permission for our new ground at Falmer. Albion supporters have now spent a decade fighting together in order to pull our club back from the precipice and we thoroughly appreciate the assistance such coverage provides. I understand there is currently a housing shortage on the south coast, but how can this family of many thousands be denied a home any longer?

Thank you again,

Peter Thompson

 

[Schrödinger's Toad]

If only Hoile had done his research as thoroughly. Top Bananas

 

[cheshunt seagull]

I may have got this badly wrong but 3 weeks ago I seem to remember Ian Ridley writing a piece on Crawley v Wemouth, due to his links with Weymouth. He made no mention of the Falmer campaigning in that article. That disappointed me as he would have been aware of it given the Albion presence that day.
It would seem that the Falmer campaigners at Crawley on Falmer day have played their part in this , excellent, high profile article.

 

[Braders]

never usually read the observer but that is a top article

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

He mentions 'growing up on the South Coast' Is he an Albion fan?

 

[On the Left Wing]

Good piece ian

 

[South Stand Zealot]

IAN RIDLEY'S ARTICLE

BRILLIANT

I have sent him a congratulatory email and asked him to send copies of his article to Blair, Prescott and Keith Hill Minister for Housing and Planning

KEEP THE PRESSURE UP EVERYONE - IT IS HAVING AN EFFECT !!

WE MIGHT ALL HAVE WRITER'S CRAMP BUT THERE'S NO GAIN WITHOUT PAIN

I'VE JUST SENT A 5 PAGE LETTER TO NICHOLAS SOAMES WITH COPIES TO BLAIR, PRESCOTT , HILL, CAPLIN, JULIE KIRKBRIDE AND PETER PIKE (EDM 889)

I'M SENDING A COPY OF THIS CORRESPONDENCE TO BOBBY CHARLTON TOO !!!!

BLAIR ADORES HIM COS THEY'RE BOTH GEORDIES - SORT OF !!!!!

 

[sams dad]

Superb article-"Premiership potential",that man knows what he's talking about

 

[Strike]

Yeah top article he knows what his talking about, for sure. Lets hope Blair and Prescott read this message.

 

[Hilton]

 

[SussexSpur]

Top article.
He became the chairman of his local side Weymouth about a year ago, appointed Steve Claridge as player-manager and appears to be doing pretty well, though.

Great defence of not only Albion but football in general.

And makes a nice change from his usual, incessant mentions of his mate Donkey Adams!

 

[cab]

He was at the Crawley-Weymouth game of course, and being a true football fan as well as a shrewd business man I would think he took the time to read up on Falmer after the game. He did, after all, have 800 Weymouth fans to worry about being cramped into our humble little stadium! That and the fact that his team lost after all, no wonder it has taken him a couple of weeks to write such a good article.

 

[balloonboy]

Re: IAN RIDLEY'S ARTICLE

BRILLIANT

KEEP THE PRESSURE UP EVERYONE - IT IS HAVING AN EFFECT !!

WE MIGHT ALL HAVE WRITER'S CRAMP BUT THERE'S NO GAIN WITHOUT PAIN

Definite writer's cramp setting in today - just run off a couple of dozen letters to send to relatives/friends for their signature regarding EDM 889 (unfortunately as they all live in a mix of Labour/tory/Lib Dem constituencies, the letters needed to be slightly different.

Also had a serious row with one of my wife's friends who refused to sign the letter I'd carefully typed out for her!!

 

[desprateseagull]

how many tix left...

how many tix will be left for the fans,
for the falmer debut game, after all the
brown nosers have been paid off?

good work fella!

 

[Turkey]

 

[Shizuoka Dolphin]

Shiver-down-the-spine brilliant! Almost brought a tear to my eye - superb writing.

 

[Yorkie]

Top article.
He became the chairman of his local side Weymouth about a year ago, appointed Steve Claridge as player-manager and appears to be doing pretty well, though.

That must have been the article my next door neighbour read.

I wonder if Robbie Pethick gave him some of the background info?

 

[Spicy]

Excellent article.