Finally, a Stadium..

L1011

...for the Albion. Ten years after the stadium was flogged from under the club, 8 years since starting playing in exile and 6 since returning to a rented, converted athletics stadium; Brighton and Hove Albion are allowed to start building the new stadium

Since us fans started campaigning for the stadium I can think of at least ten other UK stadiums where planning started after Falmer, and which have been approved. The club has also been financially crippled by the tiny gates (maximum possible is 6973...) and rent, policing costs, etc, etc at the hellhole that is the Withdean. And yet have still managed to recover the club from the bottom of Division three to just above the drop zone in the Championship in eight years, with no money.

I'm intensely, intensely relieved today. Future of the club secured, basically.

speriamo

MYOB wrote:

...for the Albion. Ten years after the stadium was flogged from under the club, 8 years since starting playing in exile and 6 since returning to a rented, converted athletics stadium; Brighton and Hove Albion are allowed to start building the new stadium

Since us fans started campaigning for the stadium I can think of at least ten other UK stadiums where planning started after Falmer, and which have been approved. The club has also been financially crippled by the tiny gates (maximum possible is 6973...) and rent, policing costs, etc, etc at the hellhole that is the Withdean. And yet have still managed to recover the club from the bottom of Division three to just above the drop zone in the Championship in eight years, with no money.

I'm intensely, intensely relieved today. Future of the club secured, basically.

Can definitely sympathise with that. BTW who is "us"?

L1011

speriamo wrote:

Can definitely sympathise with that. BTW who is "us"?

I try avoiding using posessive terms for a football club, but in this case, "us" refers to the multiple thousands of fans who spent 4+ years involved in the Falmer For All campaign (google for it, and note that the racehorse is named after the campaign). Ranges from people who chucked a few quid in collection buckets and signed petitions through to those that recorded (and those that bought) a campaign single that got into the UK Top 20.

MrJoeSoap

speriamo wrote:

Can definitely sympathise with that.

I presume he means his fellow Brighton fans by "us".

Big Nelly

MYOB wrote:

...for the Albion. Ten years after the stadium was flogged from under the club, 8 years since starting playing in exile and 6 since returning to a rented, converted athletics stadium; Brighton and Hove Albion are allowed to start building the new stadium

Never heard about this? what exactly happened!!

speriamo

MrJoeSoap wrote:

I presume he means his fellow Brighton fans by "us".

Ah I see with Kildare being a suburb of Brighton:D

MrJoeSoap

Don't start any of this bs mate. People are free to support whoever they want. The guy obviously has a strong passion for the club, is that not good enough?

Big Nelly is a strong Sheff Wed. fan, kensutz is a regular at Norwich, I'm a big Southampton fan. Get used to it.

YeatsCounty

I'm happy that Brighton will finally get their own stadium again, every football club deserves a proper place that they can call home.

Big Nelly

MrJoeSoap wrote:

Don't start any of this bs mate. People are free to support whoever they want. The guy obviously has a strong passion for the club, is that not good enough?

Big Nelly is a strong Sheff Wed. fan, kensutz is a regular at Norwich, I'm a big Southampton fan. Get used to it.

Well said man!!!

Thanx 4 The Fish

You and I have already had this discussion a couple of times speriamo. Please stop continually spamming other threads with your why don't you support your local team diatribe, it is getting tired.

speriamo

Thanx 4 The Fish wrote:

You and I have already had this discussion a couple of times speriamo. Please stop continually spamming other threads with your why don't you support your local team diatribe, it is getting tired.

Obviously you all missed this::D

Joesoap I'm not your "mate"

Thanx 4 The Fish

Nobody missed it, we are just used to you using it as a device to enable you to get away with snide remarks about the teams that other people support.

Tantamount to saying

Football in ireland is rubbish *

Would you appreciate that ? I have a smiley there surely that makes it ok.




* Comments do not necessarily reflect the views of Thanx or any species of fish that may be involved in the users name. Any offence caused is definiteley negated by the smileys.

MrJoeSoap

speriamo wrote:

Joesoap I'm not your "mate"

Cool.

speriamo

Moderators have no sense of humour

Would you appreciate that ? I have a smiley there surely that makes it ok.

L1011

Big Nelly wrote:

Never heard about this? what exactly happened!!

Starting in 1992, Bill Archer and Greg Stanley get control of the club just as a winding up order is to be issued - club are skint after spending most fhe 1980's fighting to get back into the top flight and loosing out in the first playoffs for the Premiership.

Fast forward to 1995, they tell us that the Goldstone has been sold (it has), that we're groundsharing with Portsmouth (we aren't) and that a new stadium will be built soon (it won't). This was done after changing the clubs articles of association to allow directors to remove cash from the club.

Supporters fight it tooth and nail, most notably the "Fans United" day to which fans of, its believed, all 92 league clubs as well as foreign teams came, giving a probably actual attendance of about 20K - the club were cooking the books on ticket sales to avoid giving players bonuses, etc.

They eventually get very much pressurised by the FA and FL into selling some (Archer) and all (Stanley) of their stake to a new consortium led by Dick Knight (still our chairman). By this stage the club had stopped paying the lease on the Goldstone, last game is played againt Doncaster, and then the next weekend Brighton stay up by virtue of drawing with Hereford, sending them down. To the Conference.

Two years in exile, in a different county, another 23rd of 24 escape, and the club manage to get a "stadium" in Brighton, the Withdean Athletics Stadium. Its the wrong shape, the wrong size, too small, no parking... but it does have an on-site pub (not stadium bar, full blown pub). And its in Brighton

An application for a new stadium was lodged, sucessful, appealled by NIMBY's, unsucessful appeal, appealed again, etc, etc, etc - eventually it went to a full, extremely costly public enquiry to decide it - one of the NIMBY's claiming that "it might make the bastards go bankrupt" - which it probably would have had it not been for the promotion prize money, serious player sales (Virgo to Celtic, Harding to Leeds, Zamora to Spurs, Darren Currie, Danny Cullip, etc, etc) and the donation of hundreds of thousands to the club by fans.

Theres also been an insane sucession of managers since Liam Brady left in 1995 - Jimmy Case, Steve Gritt, Brian Horton, Micky Adams, Peter Taylor, Martin Hinshelwood, Steve Coppell, Mark McGhee

Theres a very book about the 1995-1997 crap that we had to go through: "Build a Bonfire: Or how football fans united to save Brighton & Hove Albion" - South Dublin libraries have a copy or two.

bullrunner

good luck to the Brighton team and fans with their new stadium.

Being a Shamrock Rovers fan (as well as other teams) i can sympathise with their plight...hopefully rovers will also have a new home of our own in the near future!!

speriamo

Interesting.

It's very important to know who is running your club and to this end expect more fans in the future to wise up to chairmen who use their position as some sort of political or community clout with no real understanding of what it means to be a fan or what the club means to the fan.

L1011

speriamo wrote:

Interesting.

It's very important to know who is running your club and to this end expect more fans in the future to wise up to chairmen who use their position as some sort of political or community clout with no real understanding of what it means to be a fan or what the club means to the fan.

Mentioning political clout, the MD at the time was a Liberal Democrat councillor, formerly an MP.

Explains why Brighton is pure red electorally now.

[Jackass]

I know you dont like the whole "support your own club" comments...but I can't resist...Why would you devote so much time, effort, money, blood, sweat and tears to a problem over seas, when the exact same thing is on your doorstep? And a simular level of football probably (I dont know since B&HA are now championship & i've never seen them play).

But it makes me think, what kind of reaction would there be if bertie held massive rally's and raised taxes, and made a "save the african kids" campaign if we were a 3rd world country?? It's absolutely bizzare...why would we try to solve the rest of the worlds problems and ignore our own (or even contribute to them).

I'm not having a go, I'm just absolutely baffled

therecklessone

DubGuy wrote:

I know you dont like the whole "support your own club" comments...but I can't resist...Why would you devote so much time, effort, money, blood, sweat and tears to a problem over seas, when the exact same thing is on your doorstep?

Maybe he's originally from Brighton. Or maybe his family are from there? Or maybe he played for them? Or maybe, just maybe, at some point in the past he happened to attend (or watch on TV) a Brighton match and was so enraptured by what he witnessed that he's drawn to the club ever since, despite his best efforts. Supporting a football club is not a logical exercise, never has been, never will be.

I'll leave the last word to my good friend Ulysses Everett McGill

Only a fool looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart.

L1011

DubGuy wrote:

Why would you devote so much time, effort, money, blood, sweat and tears to a problem over seas, when the exact same thing is on your doorstep?

Because I support BHA, thats why.

And a simular level of football probably (I dont know since B&HA are now championship & i've never seen them play).

To be totally honest, not a chance. High League Two teams regularly mince Eircom Premier teams in friendlies. However, thats not why I support them - if I was utterly shallow and just wanted to support/see a team that play impressive football, I'd be one of the thousands and thousands of glory-hunting, team-jumping liverpool-united-leeds-united-chelsea fans that fill this country.

I don't have an affinity to any Irish clubs, its as simple as that. I also have no "local team", nearest league one was founded less than two years ago, beyond that it'd be Pats.

Dr. Nick

MYOB wrote:

Because I support BHA, thats why.



To be totally honest, not a chance. High League Two teams regularly mince Eircom Premier teams in friendlies. However, thats not why I support them - if I was utterly shallow and just wanted to support/see a team that play impressive football, I'd be one of the thousands and thousands of glory-hunting, team-jumping liverpool-united-leeds-united-chelsea fans that fill this country.

I don't have an affinity to any Irish clubs, its as simple as that. I also have no "local team", nearest league one was founded less than two years ago, beyond that it'd be Pats.

What city/big town people don't understand is that there was never a 'local' team for young fans outside those areas. There could have been, if the FAI had bothered all those years ago to reach out.
My 'local' club would have been either Bohs or Drogs. Big difference. Anyway my Dad neither had the money nor the inclination to bring me 25 miles plus to see soccer when it was easier to go see the local GAA club.

I used to go to the odd Drogheda game a few years ago when I lived 45 minutes away and had no kids, I'd like (and will) to go to Cork City games when my lad is big enough now that I live down south.

In recent years, Drogheda have looked to the Meath and District League for support, which is a positive. Don't know if it's happened similarly in other areas.

Lemlin

Dr. Nick wrote:

What city/big town people don't understand is that there was never a 'local' team for young fans outside those areas. There could have been, if the FAI had bothered all those years ago to reach out.
My 'local' club would have been either Bohs or Drogs. Big difference. Anyway my Dad neither had the money nor the inclination to bring me 25 miles plus to see soccer when it was easier to go see the local GAA club.

I used to go to the odd Drogheda game a few years ago when I lived 45 minutes away and had no kids, I'd like (and will) to go to Cork City games when my lad is big enough now that I live down south.

In recent years, Drogheda have looked to the Meath and District League for support, which is a positive. Don't know if it's happened similarly in other areas.

Well said, I grew up in Cavan. Where was our local team there?

Slash/ED

MYOB wrote:

High League Two teams regularly mince Eircom Premier teams in friendlies.

that is simply complete and utter nonsense

Töpher

MYOB wrote:

High League Two teams regularly mince Eircom Premier teams in friendlies.

Huh? Care to give examples? It's not that long ago that Shelbourne beat a full strength Premiership Leeds Utd side...

MrJoeSoap

Lemlin wrote:

Well said, I grew up in Cavan. Where was our local team there?

Monaghan United or Drogheda/Dundalk probably.

MYOB wrote:

High League Two teams regularly mince Eircom Premier teams in friendlies.

Rofl. As the other lads have said it just isn't true. Not even close to be honest. I even saw my beloved (and full-strength) Southampton team beaten by St. Pats a good ten years ago. Since then Shels have pushed Middlesboro (including Juninho and Gazza amongst others) to a 2-3, and many many other good results.

blu_sonic

all this said we don't tout the EL as world beaters just solid footy teams, as a SRFC (only) fan i sympatise with you my man, glad to see the wheels are rolling in your favour.

ps feck the begrudgers i'm an EL only type of chap your entilted to support whoever you want, be it B&HA or boca juniors your call nobody elses, i thin many EL fans see it as an insult when people don't support EL and in effect feel your slagging the EL off (which MYOB you did)

Slash/ED

Einst&#252 wrote: »

Huh? Care to give examples? It's not that long ago that Shelbourne beat a full strength Premiership Leeds Utd side...

And Bohs beat Spurs, not to mention out of season Shels beating in season Hartlepool 3-0 away from home last year too. It's not like we play English teams regularly either.

L1011

Einst&#252 wrote: »

Huh? Care to give examples? It's not that long ago that Shelbourne beat a full strength Premiership Leeds Utd side...

In the season the went down, if I remember correctly. And then proceeded to come dangerously close to going down again.

Maybe not League 2, but the average Championship side would be, in a normal match rather than a 'fighting for pride' match, able to beat pretty much any team in the ELP, and every team in Division One.

blu_sonic wrote:

i thin many EL fans see it as an insult when people don't support EL and in effect feel your slagging the EL off (which MYOB you did)

Stating that its significantly behind the leagues in most other countries is fact, not slagging. However, its only relevant in that someone else claimed that I'd be able to find "similar quality" football locally. "quality" is something I really couldn't give a damn about once the players are something above the average pub-organised sunday league level.

Or otherwise I wouldn't be support Brighton now, would I - Torquay on a Tuesday night (that doesn't sound anywhere near as effective when the other club is on the south coast...) doesn't class as better than what you're going to see at the average EL match, to be honest...

MrJoeSoap

MYOB wrote:

In the season the went down, if I remember correctly. And then proceeded to come dangerously close to going down again.

Leeds United: Martyn, Mills, Domi, Camara, Matteo, Morris, McPhail (Woods, 45), Barmby (Milner, 45), Wilcox, Sakho (Lennon, 45), McMaster.

How many of those still play regular Premiership football? 5, I think...

(not to mention that most of the others still play in the Championship or at a similar level)

Slash/ED

MYOB wrote:

In the season the went down, if I remember correctly. And then proceeded to come dangerously close to going down again.

You remember incorrectly, it was during the summer and they had stayed up. They were a premiership side ffs.

Maybe not League 2, but the average Championship side would be, in a normal match rather than a 'fighting for pride' match, able to beat pretty much any team in the ELP, and every team in Division One.

Probably but it would be fairly even between the top sides in the country and an average championship side. A far cry from the factually incorrect, utterly made up nonsense (That as usual when it comes with Irish people and the EL has no basis in reality whatsoever and is said by experts who simply are not basing it on either knowledge or experience) being spouted about imaginary friendly results.

Töpher

Yes, Leeds went down the following season, so what? They were a Premiership team at full strength and comprehensively beaten.

You have still to back up your claim that: "High League Two teams regularly mince Eircom Premier teams in friendlies."

Yes, it is a fact that in comparison to other top flight leagues it is behind them, but saying it is behind the old English Division 3 is a bit shocking and unfounded, especially when you look at the results between English teams and Irish teams. Nothing like you suggest.

Lemlin

MrJoeSoap wrote:

Monaghan United or Drogheda/Dundalk probably.

Yes, so I can make an hour trip there and then back again to watch my 'local' team.

Slash/ED

MrJoeSoap wrote:

Leeds United: Martyn, Mills, Domi, Camara, Matteo, Morris, McPhail (Woods, 45), Barmby (Milner, 45), Wilcox, Sakho (Lennon, 45), McMaster.

How many of those still play regular Premiership football? 5, I think...

(not to mention that most of the others still play in the Championship or at a similar level)

Even funnier is if you have a Shels line up. Iirc, it wasn't even full strenght, and Ger Rowe was one of the goal scorers. Shels also had a third disallowed that looked onside to me.

Töpher

Lemlin wrote:

Yes, so I can make an hour trip there and then back again to watch my 'local' team.

I've recently moved and make a two hour each way trip to watch my team, and its worth every second!

L1011

Slash/ED wrote:

You remember incorrectly, it was during the summer and they had stayed up. They were a premiership side ffs.

Thats arguably in the next season

And they were 3 points above the drop, and with an ever weakening team for cash reasons. It may have been full strength but it was full relegation strength for the next season.

Slash/ED

Games like tonight are simply unmissable

MrJoeSoap

Slash/ED wrote:

Even funnier is if you have a Shels line up. Iirc, it wasn't even full strenght, and Ger Rowe was one of the goal scorers. Shels also had a third disallowed that looked onside to me.

Shelbourne: Williams (Bennion, 79), Heary (T. McCarthy, 45), Crawley (Gannon, 45), Rogers, Kenna, Morgan (Graydon, 61), S. Byrne (Geoghegan, 45), Hoolahan (Bough, 70), R. Baker (Kinsella, 80), J. Byrne, Rowe (D. Baker, 54).

Lemlin wrote:

Yes, so I can make an hour trip there and then back again to watch my 'local' team.

I'm only answering the question you asked. Surely Monaghan isn't an hours drive from Cavan is it? Not that it really matters.

blu_sonic

your taking the quote out of its context, you in effect said most 4th div teams in the UK would beat any EL team, i'm not having a go, infact i tried to back you up but your statment "High League Two teams regularly mince Eircom Premier teams in friendlies" is an out and out insult to the league WE support and its things like thid and the occasional EL is crap etc. that wind up the EL fans and have them (us) ranting about it.

now hear this so there is no mistakes:
support who you want i think thats grand, its nobodies place to hassle anyone about their team

by making silly snipes at the EL like the one you made is going to get a rise, its unfounded and untrue, any EL team would generally hocky most L2 teams and in effect,

i thik EL teams could live in the championship albeit struggle or be a yo-yo team, the prem is after all considered to be the worlds greatest league

Töpher

MYOB wrote:

Thats arguably in the next season

And they were 3 points above the drop, and with an ever weakening team for cash reasons. It may have been full strength but it was full relegation strength for the next season.

From the Premiership, not League One or Two! So, have you accepted that your "High League Two teams regularly mince Eircom Premier teams in friendlies" comment was completely innaccurate and flawed yet and has no basis whatsoever? Afterall, that does seem to be what has dragged this thread in this direction.

Slash/ED

MYOB wrote:

Thats arguably in the next season

And they were 3 points above the drop, and with an ever weakening team for cash reasons. It may have been full strength but it was full relegation strength for the next season.

And this equates to it being at the level of a fourth tier team?

L1011

Einst&#252 wrote: »

From the Premiership, not League One or Two! So, have you accepted that your "High League Two teams regularly mince Eircom Premier teams in friendlies" comment was completely innaccurate and flawed yet and has no basis whatsoever? Afterall, that does seem to be what has dragged this thread in this direction.

It was an overstated response to an overstated claim (that EL was at the same level as the English leagues, which its not).

Töpher

Slash/ED wrote:

And this equates to it being at the level of a fourth tier team?

No, he claimed 4th level teams regularly mince our teams, so he's saying infact Leeds were even worse than League Two...

MrJoeSoap

Also may I point out the line-ups when Bohs beat Spurs (3-1, but could have been far worse).

Bohemians: Kelly, Lynch, Webb (Oman 87), Hunt, Hawkins, McGuinness (McNally 61), Ryan (Morrison 61), Caffrey, Keegan (Doyle 49), Pereplyotkin, Rutherford (Lester 80).

Tottenham Hotspur: Sullivan, Carr (Marney 81), Taricco (Jackson 64), Toda, Thatcher, King (Thelwell 64) , Anderton, Etherington (Freund h/t), Doherty, Sheringham (Ricketts 72), Acimovic.

Lemlin

MrJoeSoap wrote:

Shelbourne: Williams (Bennion, 79), Heary (T. McCarthy, 45), Crawley (Gannon, 45), Rogers, Kenna, Morgan (Graydon, 61), S. Byrne (Geoghegan, 45), Hoolahan (Bough, 70), R. Baker (Kinsella, 80), J. Byrne, Rowe (D. Baker, 54).


I'm only answering the question you asked. Surely Monaghan isn't an hours drive from Cavan is it? Not that it really matters.

Its not an hours drive from parts of Cavan but when you live on the Cavan/Meath border it is. I'm merely pointing out the fact that this person, like myself, may not have had a 'local' Eircom league team when he was growing up. I know I didn't.

Fact is I'm not interested in the Eircom League at all. I watch football to be entertained. IMO Eircom league games are not entertaining (from the ones I've watched anyway), that's why I follow Blackburn in the PL, and First Division for a few years, and have done for the last 13 years.

Slash/ED

MYOB wrote:

It was an overstated response to an overstated claim (that EL was at the same level as the English leagues, which its not).

It was a lie to counter argue a point about something which you lack experience, knowledge or interest to maintain a decent argument eitherway.

Töpher

Slash/ED wrote:

It was a lie to counter argue a point about something which you lack experience, knowledge or interest to maintain a decent argument eitherway.

Actually, out of interest, when was the last time any Irish team played someone from League Two (or Divison 3, may it RIP)?

Slash/ED

MrJoeSoap wrote:

Pereplyotkin

God I forgot all about him. Bohs fans were convinced he was the new Shevchenko initially, I think he was let go midway into his first season with them in the end.

MrJoeSoap

Lemlin wrote:

IMO Eircom league games are not entertaining (from the ones I've watched anyway),

Thats fair enough, not going to preach to you.

Slash/ED

Einst&#252 wrote: »

Actually, out of interest, when was the last time any Irish team played someone from League Two (or Divison 3, may it RIP)?

I can't remember what divison Hartlepool were in a season or two back when Shels beat them 3-0 when it was Shels off season and their mid season in their own ground, but it could well have been league two. If it wasn't it was higher, otherwise I can't think of (m)any times an EL team has played one.

MrJoeSoap

Slash/ED wrote:

God I forgot all about him. Bohs fans were convinced he was the new Shevchenko initially, I think he was let go midway into his first season with them in the end.

Yeah he was supposedly the next big thing at Southampton too. Don't know what ever became of him.