The Seagull Line

[ExmouthExile]

anyone remember the good old Seagull Line in the days before the internet? I think it was Tony Millard used to say "You've called the Seagull Line on Brighton 8049, that's the number for Albion information every day... 24 hours a day..."

I remember my mum nearly having a heart attack when she saw the phone bill once, and I got a right bollocking.

Is it still going?

 

[Beach Hut]

anyone remember the good old Seagull Line in the days before the internet? I think it was Tony Millard used to say "You've called the Seagull Line on Brighton 8049, that's the number for Albion information every day... 24 hours a day..."

I remember my mum nearly having a heart attack when she saw the phone bill once, and I got a right bollocking.

Is it still going?

I doubt it with internet, Seagulls World etc

 

[BensGrandad]

Wasn't it Tony Millard who did the waffling at the start to take you over the initial time limit so that it cost you money before you ever got any news.

 

[Muhammed (im hard) Bruce Lee]

it was 0891 800 609
36p a minute off peak
48p a minute at all other times

 

[ExmouthExile]

I remember having to listen to shit for about 3 minutes before he got to the bit I wanted to hear

 

[Rangdo]

I remember having to listen to shit for about 3 minutes before he got to the bit I wanted to hear

Yep, they repeated the phone number about 3 times.
I KNOW THE f***ing PHONE NUMBER. I JUST DIALED IT. TELL ME THE f***ing SCORE

 

[Basil Fawlty]

Wasn't it Tony Millard who did the waffling at the start to take you over the initial time limit so that it cost you money before you ever got any news.

I phoned the number once, and got Tony Millard waffling aswell.

 

[Al Bion]

I also got a bollocking off my mum for running up a huge bill ringing 8049 but it was basically the only way to get ticket info and news in those days apart from the Argus.

I'm fairly sure Tony Millard set up the Seagull Line himself (and got the profits), I think the 0891 number came in later on and was run by the club although Millard was still the voicepiece.

I seem to remember there used to be a few bars of Sussex by the Sea played as well as part of the intro just to rack up a few more seconds of listening before you got to the new content.

Those were the days.

 

[Statto]

Yep, its still going. I just diald the number (09068 800609). " youve diald seagulls clubcall....."

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Whaddabout that broadsheet sized Seagulls 'paper' that ran for a couple of editions circa 1987. Have still got them in the loft somewhere, one with a dreamy artists impression of the 30k Waterhall Stadium.

 

[Thimble Keegan]

Wasn't The Seagull Line the first one of it's kind in the country. As in the Albion were the first club to have one of these information phone lines?

Albion & England forever.

Thimble Keegan
Worthing BHA

 

[Easy 10]

My mum and dad thought I'd been phoning a sex line. I had to have them call the number so they believed me.

Although Millard did breathe quite heavily if I recall.

 

[BensGrandad]

Another thing that died a death was the LifleLine set up during Alan Mullery's time to buy players and announced at a theatre in Brighton. What ever happened to that?

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

Wasn't The Seagull Line the first one of it's kind in the country. As in the Albion were the first club to have one of these information phone lines?

The guy who introduced the service at British Telecom was -- and is -- an Ipswich Town fan. But he went to Sussex Uni -- when the Falmer eyesore was just a Polytechnic. He came to the Goldstone a fair amount, and had a soft spot for us. I think that we were two of the first clubs to get this revolutionary service.

Back then, a good alternative way of checking the result was to call one of the Fleet Street papers' sports desks. I used to call the Express on 01-353 3000 and, amazingly, they'd tell you any score you wanted!

Internet? Who needs it?

 

[Billy the Fish]

The guy who introduced the service at British Telecom was -- and is -- an Ipswich Town fan. But he went to Sussex Uni -- when the Falmer eyesore was just a Polytechnic. He came to the Goldstone a fair amount, and had a soft spot for us. I think that we were two of the first clubs to get this revolutionary service.

Back then, a good alternative way of checking the result was to call one of the Fleet Street papers' sports desks. I used to call the Express on 01-353 3000 and, amazingly, they'd tell you any score you wanted!

Internet? Who needs it?

That's quality. I wonder if they still do it?

 

[Albaman]

Ah the seagull line, thats a trip down memory lane. Had to beg me mum and dad to call in - especially in the close season.

 

[Screaming J]

I'll always remember first seaon in 1st division, 1979-80. I was out in Brighton just before Xmas partying in some boozer; the same night we were away at Wolves.

I was in a pub somewhere and at 22:00 I disappeared from the revelry to ring the Seagulls line on a pay phone. "You've rung 8049, the Brighton line, all the news... etc." We'd won 3-1 and Wardy got a hat trick. Less than a week later we'd stuffed the Palace on Boxing Day and never looked back.....

Happy days!

 

[Skintagain 1983]

Albaman... Who are you and where are you??

A splitter no doubt?

I remember calling "The Seagull Line on Brighton 8049" for the first time when I was very young, desperately trying to get a ticket for a game against Palarse. Having been told by a lady on the phone the tickets were sold out, I pleaded for a good 10 seconds with this lady before I realised it was a recording ... just glad I was in a call box!

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

it was 0891 800 609
36p a minute off peak
48p a minute at all other times

I used to phone it and then record the match reports for a short while until a letter popped through the door and a damn god thrashing was issued.

 

[Storer 68]

You've called the Seagull Line on Brighton 8049. The line for albion information everyday, 24 hours a day. Later we'll have news from Wembley where the Albion were playing Manchester United in the F.A. Cup final, but first, the results of Seagull Lottery number 762 drawn by assistant physio Mike yaxley at the Swan pub in Falmer.......



and all at a premum rate