Harty SOCKS it to Barber in the Worthing Herald

[drew]

Wimbledon got relegated and went down to leagues their support was correct for and then MK stole their club.
Charlton - a far bigger club who get 10,000 less paying punters than us when higher in the same division. More successful, but not bigger.
Wigan - Agreed

None of what you post alters the simple fact that fans look around at clubs with smaller supports than Brighton and think, why, oh why did Brighton have to go into serial decline since 1984, have to have Archer, Gillingham, Withdean and then after all that, the club gets back on its feet, have 26000 paying every week but still a club like Burnley and Palace can reach the top flight but the Albion are in the lower leagues. I understand, parachute payments and the like but really, it is galling and natural for people to just shake their head and think "same old Brighton, never have had and never will have any desire for a bloody good team".

I know all of that, and despite all of that success (hence a big, great ground at the Valley with a large record attendance), they do get 10,000 less than Brighton when in the same division. They are a more successful club, they are not a bigger club. Imagine if Brighton had even a sniff of success, just one trophy to add to the Charity Shield. Brighton have had nothing, well next to nothing but get now and in the past big big gates. What a remarkable support we have, recognise it. The team never just never matches the support and that is why its natural for Brighton fans to just shake their head and say "typical Brighton" with the rubbish they have been served with this season.

Seems your only criteria for measuring the 'size' of a club is the size of the crowd!!

Or stop wasting money on players that don't appear to fit into the plans of the manager, either in terms of tactics or talent.

Harley, Agustien, O'Grady, Toko, Dobbie to name a few.

I would be interested to know the total transfer + wages cost of these players who appeared poorly considered buys, as there was clearly so little But-in from manager at time to make transfer work.

Every club buys a few donkeys. Look at Liverpool, Carroll and Balotelli spring to mind. No club has ever only signed great players!

He did transform struggling Brighton and Hove Albion, then 19th in League One under Russell Slade (of being English fame), and within a season and a half lead us to win the League One championship. I guess we'll never know.

Fortunate to have a treasure chest bigger than any manager before him!

 

[Rich Suvner]

Seems your only criteria for measuring the 'size' of a club is the size of the crowd!!



Every club buys a few donkeys. Look at Liverpool, Carroll and Balotelli spring to mind. No club has ever only signed great players!



Fortunate to have a treasure chest bigger than any manager before him!

Of course not. And there's plenty of other players in recent seasons who you'd add to the didn't cut it list.

The point is, we have an insanely bad ability at signing players who seemingly fall out of plans after 1-5 games (or weren't ever really in them). That suggests the recruitment system has some wasteful/incorrect elements.

Players like CMS, Stockdale, Barnes etc have been more subjective re their successes. But clearly part of plan. Players like Rodriguez didn't work out but appeared to be clearly driven by managers wishes at time. And I have less an issue with that than players like those in my original list who seemingly are purchased with only tenuous link to managers plans.

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

IMHO Harty's article just reinforces the very good point that the club can provide all the fancy facilities that the Fickle Floating Fans demand, but 'the hardcore support of 8,000-10,000' KNOW that as soon as the club take their eye off the ball on the playing side, the FFF will vanish as easily as they appeared.

Come, come now, that's NOT what we tell all those cynical Palace fans, is it?

 

[spanish flair]

Well while that is the period that the clubs playing stats picked up, agreed. It does bother me that whilst a number of Gus fans are keen to heap praise on him solely, is it purely by coincidence that upturn in playing performances coincided with Tony Bloom putting his hand so deeply into his pocket ?

This sum TB gave him, was the budget Gus had in the first season at the Amex. we were informed as fans that this playing budget must be maintained and was one seasons reason for ST prices increasing. I have never heard it announced that Oscar and Sami have had to deal with a smaller budgets than Gus had.

My theory is that Gus brought players to this club and players wanted to come and play for him. We have in fact made a small fortune in transfer fees out of the players that came here for Gus. What players that have been brought here by Burke, since he has had sole control of identifying the players needed, that will attract those sums of money in transfer fees for the club?

 

[Lenny Rider]

Thanks for all the feedback both positive and negative, to reiterate whilst I don't want to wish unemployment on anyone I cannot see any kind of sustainable future for Sami at this club, I'm sure he's a nice bloke, as were Jeff Wood and Martin Hinshelwood, but he is, like they were before him , in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Even if we were to win today, and I sincerely hope we do, would it only paper over the cracks for another couple of weeks?
And could Hypia prove me and a lot of others wrong? Who knows but my main concern, which I hopefully got across in the column is the loss of the butterfly supporters, if we are losing almost a million a month with a reported 23,000 season holders, will the losses be worse with only 10,000-15,000 watching?

El Pres Mrs Harts been down to Asda this morning and got you a flak jacket which doubles up as a stab vest.

 

[chaileyjem]

if we are losing almost a million a month with a reported 23,000 season holders, will the losses be worse with only 10,000-15,000 watching?

ST holders this season, according to the club, are about 21K+ . Down approx 6% on last year's 23K. Both these figures are astonishing though and far bigger than anyone ever predicted pre-Falmer.

The "£1m+ losses per month", which the club now hint is less than that, are related to ticket sales but sponsorship, TV rights (income) and wage bill (spending) are far bigger factors. Also, gulp, player sales.
The implication that 10K-15K crowds are inevitable in the future if Albion finish mid table or fight relegation this season isn't proven and there's not much evidence for it. And for a number of a clubs a promotion winning L1 season sometimes increases attendances. Of course none of us actually know. This rather gloomy scenario might come to pass.

PS: If we win today we will only be 3 points off where we last season after 14 games.

 

[spanish flair]

Where is it now hinted by the club that the figure only given by Barber a couple of weeks ago, is now less than that.
Have you got a link I would love to read some good news.

 

[chaileyjem]

A month ago at a fans forum Tony Bloom said this...
"We lose a lot of money each year, approximately £10 million so if we reduce those losses and have a very good squad then that’s even better.”
More detail, source via http://www.buzzfeed.com/jems2/16-things-bhafc-fans-learnt-from-tony-bloom-and-p-f8gc

(agreed its not much difference)

 

[chaileyjem]

[[Sorry for the multiple posts]]

 

[Return of the Rev]

st holders this season, according to the club, are about 21k+ . Down approx 6% on last year's 23k. Both these figures are astonishing though and far bigger than anyone ever predicted pre-falmer.

The "£1m+ losses per month", which the club now hint is less than that, are related to ticket sales but sponsorship, tv rights (income) and wage bill (spending) are far bigger factors. Also, gulp, player sales.
The implication that 10k-15k crowds are inevitable in the future if albion finish mid table or fight relegation this season isn't proven and there's not much evidence for it. And for a number of a clubs a promotion winning l1 season sometimes increases attendances. Of course none of us actually know. This rather gloomy scenario might come to pass.

Ps: If we win today we will only be 3 points off where we last season after 14 games.

I think proper fans realised the potential crowd figures at a super stadium,also losing 6% of fans after a very good season is not great! Of course a winning side has always been well supported down here but at the walk up prices it might not be as many as hoped!

 

[Return of the Rev]

a month ago at a fans forum tony bloom said this...
"we lose a lot of money each year, approximately £10 million so if we reduce those losses and have a very good squad then that’s even better.”
more detail, source via http://www.buzzfeed.com/jems2/16-things-bhafc-fans-learnt-from-tony-bloom-and-p-f8gc

(agreed its not much difference)

Two million difference!

 

[jimbob5]

Harty is 100% spot on here - the management need to be very careful that the 'new' and floating supporters don't start to leave in their droves. This is not a small town where the team and match is everything, there are plenty of distractions and if people don't feel its good value or even entertaining they will stay away. PLR is all good and well but perhaps Paul B needs to better understand just how floating the fan base here actually is because if he doesn't and the team and product continues to be disappointing to the majority, then the Amex will be 10-15,000 max and the losses will get far worse and far more quickly.

As a fan of some 45 years i confess to being very fickle in terms of shelling out for the club. I was pleasantly surprised the gates had been so high in recent seasons. I knew full well they would plummet if the double sammi occurred [above inflation price rises not justified by the football].

 

[TrickyOne]

Very good post.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Who's not going today
regards
DR

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I think proper fans realised the potential crowd figures at a super stadium,also losing 6% of fans after a very good season is not great! Of course a winning side has always been well supported down here but at the walk up prices it might not be as many as hoped!

Of course, but do you not think the quality and type of football served up last year was so boring people have been turned off?

Remember Mike Bailey took us to 13th with a dour style of football and attendances dropped.

Sometimes its the product being served up, having read Harty's article, I tend to agree with a lot of it. I love The Amex, but primarily I go to see a winning team, whether its at the Goldstone, Priestfield or Withdean.

 

[spanish flair]

Two million difference!

Frightening that the two senior people running the club can't agree on the figure.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Of course, but do you not think the quality and type of football served up last year was so boring people have been turned off?

Remember Mike Bailey took us to 13th with a dour style of football and attendances dropped.

Sometimes its the product being served up, having read Harty's article, I tend to agree with a lot of it. I love The Amex, but primarily I go to see a winning team, whether its at the Goldstone, Priestfield or Withdean.

I think a boring team in the premiership picking up the cash and surviving is our ultimate goal tbh

 

[Return of the Rev]

Who's not going today
regards
DR

dartford away!

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I think a boring team in the premiership picking up the cash and surviving is our ultimate goal tbh

Step forward Tony Pulis?

 

[Weststander]

Step forward Tony Pulis?

Who was unhappy with the PL budget Parrish gave him, so wouldn't last 5 minutes in being handed CMS, Colunga, JFC, and then being told that "because of FFP" we must sell our best player/s each season "to balance the books".