On being the 9th best supported team in ENGLAND.

[Silent Bob]

Trying to make out we're a bigger club than Leeds =

Believing that our 'hardcore support' is everyone who bought a season ticket =

Our hardcore support is the 5k who turned up week in, week out at the withdean, wind, sleet or shine. And even more so the ~600 who made regular trips to shitholes like Oldham and Hartlepool year in, year out.

What about those who made regular away trips to shitholes but hardly ever went to Withdean?

 

[upthealbion1970]

Those that turn up whatever the situation, and don't wait for a shiny new stadium and a few quid before suddenly declaring themselves 'fans'
eg : those that stayed at the Amex until the final whistle on 27th Sept, I'd say they were the Withdean faithful wouldn't you? Proper fans those, and the ones that get the respect of other clubs fans for putting up with the Withdean, proper hard core.

Compared to the selhurst 8

 

[Foster House]

I don't like the money thing. Coach prices for away games don't vary that much. I think most just can't be arsed.

Or have other, more important things, they need to be spending their money on....

 

[HastingsSeagull]

Send Leeds / Wednesday down not just to L1 but L2. Make them play for a couple of years at some run down MIDLANDS stadium 75 miles away for a couple of seasons. Keep them down at that level another 10 years but playing in a non league athletics stadium in Yorkshire. Then in that 12th year see how many fans they are getting on a rainy, freezing Tuesday night.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

No, you had to be a bit of a special case to go to gillingham week in, week out. But yes, I would say that the 5k that went to withdean each week are our hard core. People who will go whatever tripe is served up.

I'm not saying this in order to prove myself or to belittle anyone else, but the facts are that when we have a shirt team in shit conditions, around 5000 people can be expected to turn up. This was certainly true at the Goldstone as well as at Withdean.

I wonder how many would turn up regularly to 'bigger clubs' like Leeds, etc if they had their ground sold, their club asset stripped and had a few seasons in the basement division fighting relegation to non league and only able to buy tickets in advance rather than turn up on the day? especially as some have far more alternative clubs to be able to travel to and watch instead (especially in the Midlands)

If it was dire for so long like we had it, then it wouldn't surprise me if their attendances dropped to similar levels we had, especially if they had limited attendances like Withdean had for so long.

We had the feel good factor when we returned to Withdean but couldn't get enough fans in and many were put off from trying to get to games in the seasons to come because of the myth that it was near impossible to get tickets, if we had the facilities of the Amex available then, we may have been in the same position we are now far earlier and may have grown our fan base even more to be bigger than we are now.

Edit - posted after reading as far as the post i quoted and hadn't seen that someone had made a similar comment about playing for an extended period at the lower levels.

 

[Simster]

I wonder how many would turn up regularly to 'bigger clubs' like Leeds, etc if they had their ground sold, their club asset stripped and had a few seasons in the basement division fighting relegation to non league and only able to buy tickets in advance rather than turn up on the day? especially as some have far more alternative clubs to be able to travel to and watch instead (especially in the Midlands)

If it was dire for so long like we had it, then it wouldn't surprise me if their attendances dropped to similar levels we had, especially if they had limited attendances like Withdean had for so long.

Very good point. Wolves plan to expand their ground to hold 37,000 yet I remember the late 80s when under 4,000 were rattling around in Molineaux, after 3 straight relegations and their first season (ever?) in division 4.

 

[Mental Lental]

Blimey there's a lot of boring gits on this thread. It's not about whether we are actually the 9th biggest team in the land or not. Of course we aren't. I'm just saying that it's REALLY fun winding up your mates with the season ticket holders stat.

Seriously, spark up an argument among rival supporters (Forest/Leicester, Villa/BirCity, Leeds/Blackburn etc) about who has the most hardcore support. Suggest that the amount of STHs is an accurate indication of a club's supporter base and after eliciting agreement from both sides on this point, drop in the Brighton STHs stat whammy.

Honestly, they may as well have giant clockwork keys sticking out of their back.

Go on, have a go.

 

[Sainsburys3tescos1]

Now you are taking the p*ss ! - Palace have consistently taken less to away matches than we did in the lower leagues. Look at the "hardcore" that showed up when they faced liquidation - about 200. Being based in South London they have a huge catchment area which means their home attendances are usually above 10k - but their hardcore is pisspoor.

You do talk some utter B-locks Majorette I have just looked at away attendances and other than the last 2 seasons which BHA have been successful you trail us .
The truth is a lot of JCL have jumped on your success and boosted those figures ,there is not much between our away supports ,and Palaces this season is actually up on our last 5 years turn outs.
But carry on talking Sh-te if it makes you feel better.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

The actuall attendances are what matters,so we're far from being 9th

100% WRONG it's all about revenue, anyone could get 30k for a quid a go...so lets play with 2600 1901 (+500 on list seats by Xmas) paying say a £1200 a year you could count as treble a normal fan so 22k + 9k = 31k equiv ST holders....Massive

 

[Notters]

What about those who made regular away trips to shitholes but hardly ever went to Withdean?

People keep mentioning this but its clearly bollocks. I should think there are 100 people at the very most who went away regularly but didn't go to withdean

 

[Dav]

Blimey there's a lot of boring gits on this thread. It's not about whether we are actually the 9th biggest team in the land or not. Of course we aren't. I'm just saying that it's REALLY fun winding up your mates with the season ticket holders stat.

Seriously, spark up an argument among rival supporters (Forest/Leicester, Villa/BirCity, Leeds/Blackburn etc) about who has the most hardcore support. Suggest that the amount of STHs is an accurate indication of a club's supporter base and after eliciting agreement from both sides on this point, drop in the Brighton STHs stat whammy.

Honestly, they may as well have giant clockwork keys sticking out of their back.

Go on, have a go.

Brilliant!

 

[tgretton87]

Gillingham + Withdean = Lost Generation of fans. Do you think that my Mum and stepdad who have been season tickets holders for 7 years wanted to take me to the withdean where to be honest I played in better stadiums as a county footballer. No so as soon as the AMEX gets built my mum gets me a ST for the final year at Withdean so I can defo get a seat at the Amex.

I will never give up my seat at the AMEX ever. Last season I went to Southampton Palace Birmingham West Ham Liverpool Nottingham Forest away and planning to do lots more this season.

Fact is football has been at a premium in Sussex and now with a stadium that younger fans love the crowds can only get bigger. My son is 3 in November and has yet to visit the Amex im sure when he does he will be blown away where as visiting the Withdean would be boring.

 

[Gullys Cats]

Our hard core support is about 5k.

Must be a bit more than that, the true supporters must miss the withdean*

 

[Working class pride]

Send Leeds / Wednesday down not just to L1 but L2. Make them play for a couple of years at some run down MIDLANDS stadium 75 miles away for a couple of seasons. Keep them down at that level another 10 years but playing in a non league athletics stadium in Yorkshire. Then in that 12th year see how many fans they are getting on a rainy, freezing Tuesday night.

Spot on and none of us should tire of reminding the Nigels that unlike palace who had a "protest" with 200 spotty teenagers being laughed out of The City, we had a campaign of national proportions and the York City home game. Palace? As Mullery said, not worth a fiver. Brighton? Top ten supported club in the country as our away attendances even in the dark years proved, 3000 odd to places like Chesterfield says it all.

 

[Gullys Cats]

The club is experiencing greatness, enjoy it, to many its a new club to others its an old friend.

 

[Albumen]

I respect the fans that have been there done it for years and years but my god some don't half play the martyr.

 

[Jack Daniels]

I respect the fans that have been there done it for years and years but my god some don't half play the martyr.

Tbf some probably do have a case. When you include marches, protests, meetings and the like.

It's been a long hard road. Something I guess at least 15000 of Amex attendees have little to no concept of.

Just a shiny amex beamed down from space one day. On top of this these people will moan that the wine gums are too expensive or the hotdogs have run out by HT.
Or
I have to wait in the train que for 20mins. Not isn't it great we don't have to run 20mins to the station like bloody Blackpool.

These are the people that are getting to me. Did sweet FA to get us to the Amex. Jump on the gus bus and all they do is moan about triviality.

And those martyr's you refer to. Have every right to get annoyed with these types of people.

 

[Sainsburys3tescos1]

Spot on and none of us should tire of reminding the Nigels that unlike palace who had a "protest" with 200 spotty teenagers being laughed out of The City, we had a campaign of national proportions and the York City home game. Palace? As Mullery said, not worth a fiver. Brighton? Top ten supported club in the country as our away attendances even in the dark years proved, 3000 odd to places like Chesterfield says it all.

But took 200 to Hull last season when you had a chance of the play offs,brilliant support.
Don't you know Millwall call us Nigel's ?
Try and think of something yourselves or is that beyond your mall brain capacity?

 

[El Presidente]

Spot on and none of us should tire of reminding the Nigels that unlike palace who had a "protest" with 200 spotty teenagers being laughed out of The City, we had a campaign of national proportions and the York City home game. Palace? As Mullery said, not worth a fiver. Brighton? Top ten supported club in the country as our away attendances even in the dark years proved, 3000 odd to places like Chesterfield says it all.

Stuff like that makes me cringe.

Top ten my arse. We averaged 1,609 at away grounds last season, which was good but not spectacular. The average was 1,332.

Saints managed 2,311 and two clubs in the division BELOW us managed 2,000+.

 

[upthealbion1970]

But took 200 to Hull last season when you had a chance of the play offs,brilliant support.
Don't you know Millwall call us Nigel's ?
Try and think of something yourselves or is that beyond your mall brain capacity?

Palace jcl alert