The Albion Mag
Issue 2 - November 2016
Made with pride since 2014 in Brighton’s first (legal) distillery
Proudly sold in all good independent off licences in Brighton & Hove, and beyond
WWW.BRIGHTONGIN.COM
CONTENTS
Albion
THE EDITOR Huge thanks and appreciation to our good friends at Absolute Brighton for helping us to launch; we couldn’t have done it without their help and support. As from now, we are The Albion Mag. Our first edition has been incredibly well received, which makes all the hard work worthwhile. We’ve listened to your valued feedback – thank you – and have recruited two female writers. In this content-packed edition, Nick Szczepanik discusses impartiality on the job (as a journalist), the Albion Roar adopt a Dutch accent to take a look at their famous guests, Nic Outterside recalls a trip of solidarity to Wrexham, Brett Mendoza laments the merits of Vicente and Knockaert – Tom Stewart backs one – while Victoria Cooper talks about being a young woman at the football. BN45 compares Labour’s travails with the Albion’s past, Steve Brewer analyses whether there’s a need for LGBTQ supporter clubs, Allardyce’s greed is dissected by Simon Levenson, Rotherham’s press facilities are fondly remembered by Jason Thackeray, and Aliens and Withnail & I actor Ralph Brown reminisces with former Gull’s Eye editor Ian Hart. Each Albion game since the last issue has been succinctly reported on by Joe McBride, being an away fan is championed by Vicki Lank, Halloween Albion options are brought to you by We Are Brighton, and the social side of Albion life is described by Cain Suleyman.
p3: The Editor p4/5: Nick Szczepanik p9: Simon Levenson p12/15: AITC p16/17: BN45 p19: Cain Suleyman p20/21: Brett Mendoza p23: BLAGGS p24: BBOAH p25: Vicki Lank p26/27: Steve Brewer p28: Leon Cox p29: BBOAH p31: Nic Outterside p32: Joe McBride p34: Ralph Brown p35: Victoria Cooper p36: We Are Brighton p37: Alan Budgen p38/39: NSK p40: NSC p41: Joe McBride p42: Tom Stewart
A big thanks to Duncan Muir for the excellent images we used for the Museum piece in issue one, and many thanks also to Danny Last, for the ace pic on the cover of this edition, taken from concourse art at the stadium. The Albion Mag is brought to you, the fans, by us, the fans. But, unfortunately, the magazines don’t print themselves! If you’d like to support us through advertising, please email info@thealbionmag.com. Without wishing to jinx anything, I think it is safe to say the Albion, as a club – both on and off the pitch – has never been more unified and focused than now. And long may it continue. UTA! Dan Tester The Albion Mag is owned and produced by FFP, 6 Marlborough Place, Brighton BN1 1UB All content enquiries, please email: info@thealbionmag.com
Editor - Dan Tester: dan@absolutealbion.co.uk Designer - Pete Hayward: Southbeachmedia.co.uk Cover illustration: Instagram: lastdanny
Printed by the Magazine Printing Company, London.
The Albion Mag
3
Albion
MUCH MORE THAN A
NICK
Szczepanik t’s hard having to be neutral. Just imagine the mental strength required of a football reporter covering the Albion not to refer at every possible opportunity to the brave, talented and handsome Brighton players, their visionary and tactically astute manager and the breath-taking Amex Stadium, always full of fair-minded fans. And try making a report of a play-off defeat read as if you haven’t just had your entrails kicked out by a blind referee. It’s easier at a midweek match. Onthe-whistle deadlines means that you have to get the facts of the score, scorers and consequences into your
4
intro and there’s usually not enough room for much else. But reporting a weekend game, when the deadlines are a little more relaxed, or a Saturday match for a Monday paper when you can let resentment stew overnight, you have to be extra careful that partisanship doesn’t creep in. For example, the temptation to begin my report of Albion’s play-off final victory over Bristol City at the Millennium Stadium in 2004 for The Times with – ‘YEESSSS!! GET IN!!!’ – was strong but temporary. It lasted until I remembered the football editor was
a City fan and had probably been cidering himself up elsewhere in Cardiff to drown the despair while I was listening to Mark McGhee telling the press how we had beaten his team. So I settled for beating the drum a little for the new stadium and pointing out that a club that took 30,000-plus fans to a foreign country for a single match needed somewhere bigger and better than Withdean to put them on a weekly basis. Just the facts, in other words. There are considerations other than keeping your job. On the rare occasions Albion are playing a
club who have more fans than we do – and therefore more potential readers – the opposition point of view may have to be taken into account. So when we eliminated Newcastle from the FA Cup in 2012, I was reluctantly forced to consider the possibility that more people would read the paper I was now working for, The Independent On Sunday, on Tyneside than in Sussex. (In fact, not enough people used to read it anywhere, which is why it no longer exists, but that’s another story). And this doesn’t mean that non-Albion games are not also a minefield. I was covering an FA Cup tie between
Nick has a new book out, Pulp Football. Football is about goals, great players and glory. But it’s also about own goals, goats and the game gone wrong. The book looks at the comedy rather than the beauty of the world’s favourite sport.
Arsenal and Blackburn Rovers at The Emirates in 2013 when Colin Kazim-Richards scored the only goal of the game to inflict on the Gunners their first home defeat by a club from a lower division during Arsene Wenger’s tenure as manager. Naturally, I felt in my heart that this was the story of a star spotted by the Albion who had finally come good (if you think playing in the Champions League for Fenerbahçe doesn’t count). But, before I started trotting out my Coca-Cola Kid clichés, a cold logic descended and reminded me that Arsenal were, and would always be, the story – especially in the light of what was then their long trophy drought (I didn’t abandon the clichés altogether). Even when there’s no obvious Albion angle, you have to conceal other personal prejudices that have grown up over the years. Some of these are almost rational. For example, there are clubs I could do without because dealing with them on a professional basis can be so difficult. But I also bear grudges against several smaller clubs simply because they have somehow scrambled their way into the top flight since we were last there. Uncommitted football fans regard their stories as romantic while a voice inside me screams: it should have been us! But there’s one club in the Premier League that I loathe and always have (no, not the one you think). I hope I manage to hide this dislike (and the large fanbase factor comes into play here as well) but feared my cover was blown when a pal directed me to a comment under the online version of my report on one of their matches on the Indy website. It read: ‘**** off back to Warsaw, you biased Polish ****.’ We’ll leave aside the fact that my family aren’t from Warsaw, but there you go. However, when I read it again, I was relieved, because it dawned on me that he (or she) hadn’t mentioned which team they thought I was biased against! Palace are not that club, but I admit that whenever I have to go to Selhurst Park or their training ground in Beckenham (which, you may be happy to hear, is not a patch on the Albion’s HQ in Lancing) I always make a point of wearing something blue and white, striped if possible. You can take this neutrality nonsense too far. @NickSzczepanik #PulpFootball
Uncommitted football fans regard their stories as romantic while a voice inside me screams: it should have been us!
5
Kellerwood Jewellers Fine Jewellery Since 1986
Specialists In Rare Coloured Gem & Fine Diamond Jewellery
Kellerwood, 12D Meeting House Lane, Brighton BN1 1HB T. 01273 324524 E. Info@Kellerwood.Com W. Kellerwood.com
•
SIMON LEVENSON•
Simon works for BBC Sussex as a producer on home matchdays. He previously presented the non-League round up on Saturday evenings and has been following the Albion since 1962, and rates winning promotion to the old First Division at Newcastle as his favourite Albion moment. And Hereford, the most stressful. When he’s not following football, Simon writes for Brighton’s satirical Treason Show.
HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED IN THE BANK?
U
ntil the recent revelations that Sam Allardyce needed a part-time job to help him survive on his £3 million a year England manager’s salary, I’d always had a sneaking admiration for the man. His success in establishing Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League, bringing European competition to the Reebok Stadium, and attracting the likes of Jay-Jay Okocha and Ivan Campo to the club were remarkable achievements. Keeping Sunderland in the Premier League was a minor miracle and looking at the Premier League table I bet there are many West Ham fans who would have him back tomorrow. Certainly, Big Sam can look back on his career as a manager with justifiable pride. Sacked
from his dream job, he claims to regret an “error of judgement”. No Sam, it was sheer, naked greed. And your greed means you won’t be remembered for the success of the teams you managed but as the England manager who lost his dream job because £3 million a year was not enough. Allardyce is not the first to succumb to temptation and he surely won’t be the last, but it begs the question of how much money does anyone need in their bank account. A certain former Albion chairman who regularly makes The Sunday Times rich list springs to mind. The average working man can only dream of earning in a lifetime what even Premier League squad players are earning in just one
year. Yet, having landed your dream job, instead of concentrating on how to turn England into a team the country could all be proud of, all you wanted was to increase your bank balance. Money has always talked, of course. It’s not a new phenomenon. Back in 1970, the then Albion boss Freddie Goodwin, having narrowly missed leading the club back to the Second Division, was lured by money to then First Division Birmingham City. Fans were angered by the Blues’ arrogance in poaching Goodwin at the time, but in an era where players and managers were not building huge pension pots his decision was wholly understandable. For me, though, the true spirit of the game was
evoked by Goodwin’s successor, Pat Saward. With the club unable to afford the quality of player needed to win promotion, he launched a Buy a Player fund and various initiatives amongst supporters began to bolster the club’s coffers. These events culminated in a huge sponsored walk along the seafront on Valentine’s Day 1971 which which enabled the Albion to buy their first ‘People’s Player’ Bert Murray. Saward’s attacking philosophy saw the crowds flock to the Goldstone, and the Albion win promotion the following season. A far cry from bungs, third-party ownership and millionaire agents. Simon Levenson @Kampervan
9
Albion
The Albion Roar
One important point Ady Packham and I have to make to any guest is the show is ‘only’ an hour long. To the uninitiated – the ‘Roar Virgins’ – that sounds like an epoch. We know this because they tell us. However, and almost everyone runs to form on this, once anyone gets going on their favourite subject (their love affair with Brighton & Hove Albion), there’s rarely any stopping them, and the hour flies by.
And then there was this time…
So what of our more famous guests – those who are used to having a microphone stuck under their noses? Extreme namedropping follows… Dick Knight was the first person from the club we managed to encourage into the studio – in those days in North Street, Brighton. He was, of course, late. He also rabbited. A lot. Wind him up, and he goes for hours. When we had him on for the second time – and by this time we’d moved to Old Steine – we recorded two hours. I think we asked him about three questions in that time. We could have gone down the pub, and come back, and he’d still be going.
10
On balance, maybe we should have gone to the pub.
Ex players Michel Kuipers, the former Dutch marine, was appalled when we told him we’d be recording for an hour. *Adopts Schteve McLaren voice*: ‘That’sh crazhy, man. There’sh no way we can talk about my career for an hour...” We started recording and eventually ran out of steam 86 minutes later, with Kuipers incredulous that we’d been talking that long. The sight of FDM in shock in such close confines is pretty scary. Andy Rollings, who has been on twice, and John Templeman are pure pleasantness and calm. Rollo seems to have a permanently relaxed
air about him, as if he is about to serve you the best cup of tea of the day. His old pal, Chris Cattlin, has a wonderful turn of phrase, is extremely sharp-witted and very supportive of anything anyone around him does, especially in the name of the Albion. Once the mics are turned off, however – blimey, the 1970s’ gossip we got to hear from their playing days at The Goldstone... I’m saying nothing, alright?
Not getting the Palace rivalry
We’ve found other explayers to be courteous, polite and happy to talk over old war stories when they’ve visited the Radio Reverb dungeon, and later, rabbit hutch. Garys Chivers, Hart and O’Reilly all had their
experiences to offload; Chivers was hilarious, Hart very humble, while O’Reilly tut-tutted our continued scorn for Crystal Palace. “Isn’t it about time you moved on from that...?” Guy Butters is also very supportive of the show, and we appreciate his appearances (three at the last count). As he is working for Albion in the Community, there is an entirely new career to talk about, and we’re happy to promote his latest awareness or fundraising venture. Incidentally, Calde just made us swoon.
A journalistic jinx?
Fellow TAM contributor, Nick Szczepanik has been on a few times, though his first three or four
appearances coincided with Brighton offloading their manager. “Would you like to come on this week, Nick?” “What, are we getting a new manager?” Two hours later. “Yes, we are. I’ll see you in the studio...” He was guests with Paul Hayward when we took the show on the road – Dyke Road. I don’t know about the paying audience, but we had a blast (It was excellent, Ed). With such distinguished guests, it’s not surprising it went down so well. Of all the guests we’ve had on over the past six years since Ady and I took over the show completely – and we’re probably talking about over 200 people – four have since passed away. It was an honour for us that they accepted our invitation to be our guests, and a privilege to meet and talk to them.
The best of a very good bunch
One of those, John Vinicombe, remains my all-time favourite guest. He was 81 at the time, and fairly sprightly when he came to our studio in the Old Steine. He was enlightenment itself. We talked about his time at the Evening Argus from the early 1950s until his retirement in the 1990s. The conversation on air mostly covered his relationships with the myriad managers the Albion had had during his tenure. It was a delight to hear such stories, and these tales – some a bit more salacious than he offered on air – continued in the Red Roaster coffee shop round the corner afterwards. The point about meeting your heroes, or even those you’ve come to admire from a certain distance, comes with its own warning of disappointment. Thankfully, all of those who said they would be our guests, did so with great charm, and in some cases, enthusiasm. In that regard, we’ve been remarkably lucky. So who have been our worst guests? That would be telling. And rotten. Alan Wares @albionroar
“
Thankfully, all of those who said they would be our guests, did so with great charm, and in some cases, enthusiasm.”
11
Albion
Albion in the Community (AITC) AITC has launched a new fundraising campaign to coincide with the Seagulls home game with Norwich City on October 29th. Albion in the Community is the largest provider of disability football opportunities in the area and run more than 35 regular football sessions for people living with a disability. Attended by hundreds of people of all ages, the charity also runs a number of teams that compete both regionally and nationally.
Champions League Brighton & Hove Albion Powerchair recently enjoyed their best-ever season – finishing fifth in the country’s top division and earlier this month competed in the powerchair version of the Champions League in Denmark. Generous supporters raised more than £2,500 to help pay for the team’s travel and accommodation, with AITC topping that fund up to £5,000. The players themselves also contributed to the overall cost.
Football for everyone AITC also runs a cerebral palsy team, an amputee team, a second powerchair team and a deaf team – all of which compete in regional or national competitions against teams from all over England. This means plenty of travelling and occasional overnight stays. As a result, the charity’s specialist minibus, generously funded by the Robert Eaton Memorial Fund (REMF), is always in demand. AITC has launched its Get us to the Match campaign with the aim of raising enough money to lease a second wheelchair accessible mini bus for the next three seasons. The vehicle will cost around £30,000 but the good news for AITC and its players is that a generous long-term supporter of the charity has offered to match every pound raised by the campaign – leaving AITC with a £15,000 target. A magnificent gesture.
12
Paul Brackley, AITC’s disability manager, hopes as many people as possible back the campaign. “Our teams have to travel a long way to play their games,” he said. “The powerchair team play their fixtures in Nottingham, while our other teams regularly travel to London and beyond. Having a second accessible minibus would mean more players from our disability sessions could take part in matches and tournaments and get the chance to represent Brighton & Hove Albion.”
Albion on the road And, in an effort to help more of the Albion’s disabled supporters attend the Seagulls’ away games, AITC plan to make the bus available for away travel when not being used by the charity’s teams. Jadey Yesilada, AITC’s official ambassador, plays powerchair football and is a season ticket holder. He helped come up with the idea for the campaign and is clear a second bus would make all the difference to supporters as well as players. The 24-year-old, who has cerebral palsy and uses a motorised chair, said: “It is difficult to make away games and can be expensive. A second bus would mean more disabled fans could travel to games and get to enjoy cheering on the Albion.” Anyone who wants to donate to AITC’s Get us to the Match campaign can do so at the Norwich City game where there will be a bucket collection, or by visiting: www.albioninthecommunity.org.uk.
AITC player focus – Sam Marsden Albion in the Community currently run two FA regional talent centres for blind, deaf and partially-sighted footballers – providing expert coaching to promising young footballers with the aim of supplying future internationals to the England teams.
Sam Marsden, who only took up goalkeeping in October last year, has been training with the full England blind squad at St George’s Park and now looks set for a starring role in the National Blind League.
AITC teamed up with the FA last season and the partnership has already proved successful, with a sighted goalkeeper from AITC’s blind football programme now earmarked for international recognition.
He has also been given a place to study at the University of Bristol and been approached to play futsal for Bristol City. Paul Brackley, AITC’s disability manager, is delighted at Sam’s progress but admitted it presents the charity with a new challenge – to find a goalkeeper to take his place.
Sighted goalkeepers play a key role in partially sighted futsal and blind football, not just for their ability to keep the ball out of the net, but also by directing and organising the outfield players.
“Sam has done brilliantly and everyone at AITC is very proud of his achievements,” he said. “We now need to find someone to fill his gloves. It is a great opportunity and Sam is a perfect example of what it can lead to.” Sighted goalkeepers must be aged between 13 and 21 to qualify for the talent centres but can come from any football background. Goalkeepers who make it onto AITC’s programme will receive two hours of dedicated goalkeeper training each week as well as working alongside either the charity’s partially sighted and deaf futsal players, or its blind footballers. For more information on the talent centres, email: paul.brackley@albioninthecommunity.org.uk.
13
Albion
AITC project focus: Amputee football Brighton & Hove Albion Amputee FC (BHAAFC) is the newest team run by AITC’s award-winning disability department. The squad only launched in April and were given a baptism of fire in their first ever game – a 4-0 friendly defeat to Arsenal on the American Express Community Stadium pitch. However, the team has enjoyed a productive pre-season and are in confident mood heading into their debut England Amputee Football Association National League campaign. Their attention is now firmly fixed on November 20th and season-opening games with Arsenal, Peterborough United and Portsmouth. That first fixture at the Amex, however, clearly had an impact on the team. Chris Emmett played in that first game and said: “It was a learning curb really because we spent most of the game in awe of the team. They’ve been together for a very long time. Some have been playing for 14 years so they are very experienced which allowed them to know exactly what to do and how to play as a team.” But despite the scoreline, the experience of playing at the Seagulls’ stadium was overwhelmingly positive. “It was incredible,” continued Emmett. “When you’re coming out of that tunnel the feeling you get is unexplainable. It was just a surreal experience.” Danny Hemsley, who also played in that debut game and has become a key figure in the Albion squad, is confident the hard work of the summer will pay off. He said: “We are doing a lot of work on tactics but fitness is crucial. We need to be able to go the distance to challenge the top teams in our division.”
14
BHAAFC are one of more than 20 disability football teams run by AITC and train weekly at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre in Lancing. For more information on BHAAFC or AITC’s other teams, email: disability@albioninthecommunity. org.uk.
New cerebral palsy and frame football session AITC’s disability department is launching a new regular cerebral palsy and frame football session. It will take place on Saturday mornings from 10.30am at the University of Brighton’s sports centre in Falmer and the session is for junior players aged up to 18-years-old. AITC’s FA-qualified coaches will deliver the sessions, which will aim to help players develop their football skills in a fun and safe environment. Sessions will last for two hours. For more information email AITC’s disability development officer Phil Broom at: philip.broom@albioninthecommunity.org.uk.
What’s On at AITC AITC hold a number of fundraising events throughout the year, including: October 29th: Albion in the Community takeover day at Brighton & Hove Albion v Norwich City. Don’t forget to take your Get us to the Match donation! December 4th: Seagulls Santa Dash at the American Express Community Stadium: 1.30pm. February 26th: Brighton Half Marathon (places available). April 9th: Brighton Marathon (places available). April 9th: BM10k. April 23th: Warrior Run – a 7K obstacle course. June 16-18: European Cycle Challenge. June 29th: BHAFC Golf Day at East Sussex National Golf Club. For more information, or to get involved, email: fundraising@albioninthecommunity.org.uk.
Recent fundraisers Warrior Run Around 70 people took part in the Warrior Run – the UK’s muddiest obstacle course – at the start of October, raising more than £4,000 for Albion in the Community. The AITC participants included a team of 22 colleagues from Sawyer & Co. Sales and Lettings and a number of participants who completed the 7k obstacle course have already signed up for the next run in April next year.
Footgolf Another recent fundraiser – a footgolf tournament at Mid Sussex Golf Club – raised around £800 for AITC, with 17 teams taking part. For more details of future AITC fundraising events: @AlbionintheComm www.albioninthecommunity.org.uk.
15
Albion
Love’s Labour’s Lost? Ok. Let’s get the shoe shuffling out of the way. I’m coming out. I’m one of those rare specimens within Labour’s broad church – I’m a Blairite. Not in the lick spittle, sycophantic, cultish way that’s seemingly in vogue. But, also not in an all forgiving manner which turns a blind eye to ‘illegal’ wars or grotesque bromances with Bush or the bankers, but, philosophically at least, I am, for want of more acceptable terminology, a Blairite. Why? Because in my bones I believe in working towards a fairer society, I abhor privilege and in particular the way ‘public’ schools deploy semantic gymnastics to (legally) interpret charitable status to their own advantage. I embrace the concept of community and I think that every child should have the opportunity to be whatever they can be. I also believe in entrepreneurship, wealth creation, responsible capitalism and the concept of the soulful corporation.
16
The recent history of the Albion has remarkable parallels with that of the Labour Party. Cast your mind back 19 years: the 72 hours spanning Thursday 1st May to Saturday 3rd May 1997 will never be forgotten by any leftleaning Brighton fan. In the week the Tony Blair-led Labour Party ended 18 years of Tory rule winning 419 seats (the most the party has ever enjoyed and one which included 101 women), securing a majority of 179 – the highest of any party since 1935 – Albion required just a final-day point at Hereford to reverse what for a long, long time had appeared to be an inexorable slide into the predominantly semi-professional ranks of the Nationwide Conference. Albion stayed up with 47 points and even on election night managed to get a mention, when
in a soundbite strangely resonant with ’the even Heskey scored’ chant, Blair said he knew something special was taking place, when he saw that even Hove had gone Labour (to an Albion season ticket holder). Blair’s first administration went on to do some good things – the minimum wage and independence of the Bank of England to name just two. Labour didn’t lose a by-election for six years and Blair’s personal approval rating soared, at one stage, registering above 90%. Meanwhile, the Albion limped on, courageously overcoming indifference, obstruction, Nimbyism and decade upon decade of neglect. Driven by a ’not on my watch’ mentality, seasoned with wit and enabled by an intoxicating partnership between the charismatic Dick Knight and supporters who simply refused to be bullied by vested interests.
Direct action undertaken by ordinary people doing extraordinary things, is surely part of Labour not Tory folklore? The Gillingham years, those two awful, awful seasons spent travelling 140 miles to endure (barely) professional football, attracted (sic) average attendances of 2,329 and 3,253 respectively. What other club could have attracted so many, to travel so far, so frequently to watch such appalling fare? But, that’s what the Albion diehards did and they should never, ever be forgotten. So, with Blair in the ascendancy and the Albion, in footballing terms, struggling to retain its deposit, where does that leave the analogy? Labour’s downfall can be traced back to September 2010, when in a piece of Burkesque recruitment, the party picked the wrong Miliband. Playing David in ‘the hole’
What other club could have attracted so many, to travel so far, so frequently to watch such appalling fare? But, that’s what the Albion diehards did and they should never, ever be forgotten. instead of the gangly Ed, would have handed him the number 10 shirt and consigned Cameron and his chums from the Bullingdon academy to pin-striped careers in commerce. As a result of Ed’s inability to shine, Labour now finds itself with Jeremy (why is it that people who really dislike him, insist on calling him by his Christian name?). But, you have to acknowledge that the boy Corbyn has played a blinder. I agree with putting the railways into public ownership, fighting wars only as a last resort, pegging private rents to average household incomes, investing in the NHS, a properly funded comprehensive education system and so on. But, and it’s a massive but, for the country at large, JC is not an electoral genius. ‘But, Jeremy has helped grow the Labour Party membership to 600,000 – the biggest political membership in Europe and we’re on course to break seven figures’ scream his acolytes in momentum or is it unison? ‘Furthermore, he’s won a leadership election not once but twice, in the course of a year, the second time with an increased majority.’ And, you can’t argue with any of that. Party members, like the people who braved the journey to Gillingham and were forced to make The Cricketers their local, are essential. Without them the organisation, whether it’s a football club or a political party, will simply cease to exist. As someone who had a season ticket for both years at Gillingham (the first was given to me by Jeff Wood for getting a kit and glove sponsorship deal for Mark Ormerod and the
second by Martin Perry in lieu of the fan survey I helped undertake which steered the campaign for Withdean), I honestly believe that I am worth ten of some of my fellow supporters, who, for whatever reason, turned their back on the club when it needed them most. But, am I honestly expecting the football club to focus on me and the 3,000 or so footballing Tolpuddle Martyrs, who trudged to arguably the most dispiriting town in the south east, when it has 30,000 seats to fill? Of course I don’t, despite resenting the serotonin kick they get from watching a talented, successful team: football’s equivalent of unearned income. Labour’s got to do the same. It has to respect its activists at all times, respect their hard work, respect their canvassing in all weathers. In 1984, I was branch organiser in the Campden Hill ward in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea when I was more likely to be questioned by the police hanging outside gated communities on a Sunday morning than I was to find a Labour Party sympathiser. But, you cannot retreat into the bosom of people who agree with you all of the time. Having 600,000 members is undeniably brilliant for democracy but the UK electorate numbers over 46 million, 33.6 million of whom voted in the EU Referendum. For Labour to have a workable majority in 2020, and taking into account the inequitable findings of the Boundary Commission, it will need to win seats such as Kensington and Chelsea. By the time of the next general election, if Tony B’s master plan is successful, the Albion will be playing at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. I bet our odds of winning in Chelsea will be an awful lot shorter than Jeremy’s! BN45
17
Not just for life. A way of life.
For a real sensory experience where exquisite food is central to the theme
Open seven days a week 11.30am until late Phone 01903 227780 for reservations
To celebrate our new kids menu
kids eat for ÂŁ1 on Sundays Terms and Conditions apply Not including bank holidays and Mother's Day
s es n p r me Ex ch ÂŁ7 un
www.protorestaurantgroup.com
Cain Suleyman, 17, is a student at the BRIT School, London, studying Musical Theatre and Photography.
It’s Saturday morning and I’m preparing myself for another Albion game. I get the train as usual with my old man and travel to the stadium. Then, we grab a pie and a pint, or a soft drink when I wasn’t old enough, before going to our seats to watch Albion play another game of football. This is a routine I have been familiar with, as a fortnightly ritual, for the past eight years. It was always a nice thing to do with my dad because he’s passing his love and passion of the local club from his generation to mine. This is a story that most Albion fans, both young and old, can relate to. This is a familiar tale of how most Albion fans discovered the club that would go on to mean so much more to them than they may have first thought. It’s nice for all the parents to see both their club, that is kept in their hearts so fondly, and their kids growing and changing side by side. In today’s society, this has developed from a typical father and son activity to a whole family event. There is something really special about how football has progressed because it has turned into a bonding experience for the whole family, regardless of age or gender. Football has always been more than a sport. The social element is arguably one of most importance aspects of the game.
Each home game, before the match starts, the most common thing we do is have a drink with our mates around us. Everyone who started supporting Albion from a young age will have gone through the same stages of pre-match socialising. At the beginning, we never got involved in the banter because we were too young to understand it all. The closest thing I came to banter was my dad and his friends joking about me having a crush on Gully’s Girls during their pre-match routine. That was certainly embarrassing! As time went on, and I grew older, I would be more involved with the banter and socialising with the usual bunch before a game. This is one of the biggest aspects of the game that makes it so important for young supporters like me. It’s a new social group they have been around since they started going to the games. All of this has made the whole matchday experience so important, not just for young supporters, but for everyone.
The Albion Mag
19
Albion
Is he or isn’t he? •
“We’ve got Knockaert, Anthony Knockaert,” is the catchy, if somewhat unimaginative, chant you here sung by our fans. Factually incorrect, as he cost more than ‘a mill’, and highly debatable if he is actually better than Mesut Ozil, the chant is still sung with pride, as indeed, we have got Anthony Knockaert.
for £2.5million in January, the mercurial Frenchman has played 29 games, racking an impressive ten goals and nine assists. Without those magnificent stats, it’s the ‘wow’ factor he brings to the party. He is so good, he could find room in a single bed with Gemma Collins.
He may not be better than aforementioned World Cup-winning, £42 million, German superstar, but he may well be the greatest player to ever play for us?
The low centre of gravity, the twists, the turns, his passing vision, and magical dribbles make him stand out more than any other. For me, it is also his work rate, the tracking back, the tackling and the pure passion to be a winner that makes me love him even more!
Since he signed from Standard Liege
His attitude is something else that
The greatest?
20
BRETT MENDOZA
•
strikes me. He comes across as humble, having time for fans, taking new players out for dinner and generally being quite down to earth. On the pitch, he is ridiculously confident, without being arrogant; a fine balance indeed! Man crush levels may be through the roof, but I believe, that in Knockaert, we have the best player in the Championship. There isn’t another player I would swap him for!
At number nine was…
He is without doubt ‘Premier League ready’. He is one hell of a player, but is he our greatest ever? We may as well start with the man widely regarded
as Brighton’s best ever player, Peter Ward! Wardy’s name is still sung on the terraces today, despite leaving the club 33 years ago. To me, Wardy is an old git I go drinking with for one week a year. I never saw him play. The only evidence I have of him is grainy YouTube footage and tales from my more senior Brighton supporting mates. The footage and stories are great though. Ward and Knockaert are fans’ favourites, whose dribbling caught the imagination of the adoring crowds. Fans flocked to the Goldstone just to see Ward play. Both have many of the same exciting attributes, but Wardy’s eye for goal is where
Brett grew up a couple of minutes from the Goldstone Ground and is currently in his 30th season watching the Albion. He is REMF Vice Chairman and manager of The Windmill Pub, Upper North Street, Brighton.
he differs from Knockaert. Playing in a more advanced roll, Wardy banged in 81 goals in 194 appearances, so it’s hard to compare the two.
Vicente
Before Knockaert, I said Vicente was the greatest footballer I have seen play for the Albion. The 41-times capped Spaniard had played in the Champions League, scored the winner in the Uefa Cup final and won La Liga twice, yet somehow ended up with us! Majestic on the pitch, his first touch and vision was like nothing I’d seen before. He would ghost past players without seemingly trying. He could even go past players without touching the ball. He was a class above anything we, and the division, had. There was that run and shot against the bar versus Derby County, the wonder goal at Ipswich Town, and the whole box of tricks on show every time he’s on the pitch.
The nearly men
Then there are players who have played for Brighton, who have enjoyed much more decorated careers than Knockaert, but not necessarily caught the eye as much. We’ve had players who’ve played in World Cups, like Wayne Bridge, or even Chris Burchill, and scored too, like Matt Upson and Gerry Armstrong. We’ve had players play in the Champions League (Bruno and Steve Harper), and a whole host have starred in the Premier League. Numerous players have been selected for international duty and players have cost us more than £2.5million.
The nearly men
None of the above could be said about Knockaert! At 24, he is still young and can achieve anything he wants. He has the hunger and desire, and a FIFA 17 rating of 75 to back up his undoubted talent. He could well go on to be the greatest we have ever had. But, he wasn’t won anything of note yet, bar a Championship promotion medal with Leicester City. One of those would be ideal with us at the end of this season! How do you quantify who is the greatest ever? Technical skills? Honours won? Goals scored? International caps? Transfer value? There isn’t a single player who stands out in every category.
When he played was the issue, seemingly eternally injured, although later claiming otherwise. In two seasons, El Punal only managed 31 appearances, scoring five times.
Comparison
How does Knockaert compare to Vicente? If Vicente had a run of games like Knockaert, I still think Vicente would have entertained more, but he didn’t have the heart or work ethic of Knockaert. Goalscoring heroes always get the fans’ attention, but are they the greatest players? There’s the club record scorer Tommy Cook to consider with an impressive 123 goals in 209 games. Glenn Murray, Bobby Zamora and Garry Nelson’s goalscoring efforts earned them plaudits from the fans too. Leonardo Ulloa scored a hatful, was sold for a record £8 million, and could also claim to be our greatest ever player too!
So after all of that, my answer as to whether Knockaert is the greatest Albion player ever is: I don’t think so, but I don’t know who is. I say that as I don’t think he can be judged as he hasn’t been with us even a year yet. All I know is that we have a brilliant player wanting to fight for our cause, and I for one am so glad he is here!
@BrettMendoza
21
The Albion is the biggest football club in Sussex, but there are hundreds of others, of all shapes and sizes. In the first of a new feature in The Albion Mag, this month’s club focus is on BLAGGS… The Brighton Lesbian & Gay Sports Society (BLAGGS) has been playing a wide range of sports across the city for nearly two decades… They’ve enjoyed an action-packed year so far and are preparing to celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2017. In July, the Pride Diversity Games were a great success. Held over a weekend when thankfully the bad weather stayed away, there were football, cricket and golf tournaments held on the Saturday, with teams from around the country taking part. On the Sunday it was ‘Fun Day’ with a school sports style event held at Preston Park, with everything from an egg and spoon race to tossing a handbag! Non-competitive sporting events were on offer too, including yoga, Petanque, tennis for beginners, Pilates and walking. The Pride Diversity Games may have been the highlight of the year to date but there’s always something going on with BLAGSS. A wide range of sports are available to play in and around the city of Brighton and Hove, and beyond. Several of our sports clubs have weekends away, or travel to take part in tournaments at home and abroad. It doesn’t matter what skill level you’re at, just come along and have a great time.
Several of the individual sports have coaches that can help you improve your game. Earlier this year the BLAGSS Golf Society ran a ‘Rusty Irons’ course and the cricket team received coaching from Sussex County Cricket Club. If you’re new to tennis, then why not join the Tennis Virgins group? It’s not just about playing sport. There’s a great social side too and joining BLAGSS is a great way to make friends, especially if you are new to the area, as many people are. “I joined Blagss a year ago and have since become the joint sports rep for BLAGSS Football,” said member Monica Jackson. “We are always on the lookout for new players to join us but most importantly we want new members to have fun, get involved and feel safe as part of our LGBTQ sport society.” Membership costs just £15 a year. Come and join us! BLAGGS www.blagss.org Want your club to be featured in The Albion Mag? Drop us a line at info@thealbionmag.com
23
Joe McBride’s Albion round-up ALBION 5-0 NORWICH CITY – 29/10/16 Albion demolish calamitous Canaries A Glenn Murray hat-trick and a goal each for Knockaert and Dunk rounded off a fine October for Brighton. It was an afternoon to forget for Norwich keeper Michael McGovern as he was to thank for three of Albion’s five goals but the away side never threatened, mustering a poor two shots on goal during the whole match. Despite Murray scoring after just six minutes, Norwich defended well in the first half and went into the break just a goal down but three goals in 15 minutes midway through the second half turned the game on its head. Knockaert’s fine chipped finish five minutes from time perfectly summed up the difference in class and the Albion kept their tenth clean sheet in 15 games, the most of any team in the top four divisions.
Transfer Deadline Blues S
ometimes a manager’s post-match comments can be bland, cliché ridden nonsense of ‘the lads done great’ variety. Sometimes they tell you everything. This was Chris Hughton on Murray after the Barnsley game: “Glenn went through a few games where he wasn’t at this level. That was when we were trying to bring in another player.” Add that to the fact we had to drop Stephens for more games than I would have liked (plus the fallout from his tweet) and I think we’d agree having a transfer window open in the first month of the season sucks. I bet Hughton would agree.
24
The window needs to shut at the start of the season, at least in the UK. With no loan window this would force teams to do business quickly, concentrate agent’s minds, but most importantly not allow other teams to unsettle their rivals with false bids. I’m not sure Burnley ever wanted Stephens. I just think Dyche wanted to annoy us. Starting the season when you know your own relative strength seems entirely sensible. Why let spurious transfer dealings – now murkier than ever it seems – dictate the results of football matches? Jason Thackeray brightononlyathome.wordpress.com
Albion away fans – this one’s for you
T
he dramatic finish to the 2015/16 season saw the Albion’s shattered players miss out on Premier League glory – and disappointed fans who dreamed of seeing them run out at the Emirates, the Etihad and other similarly glamorous venues (and also Selhurst Park). The smallest of consolations for Albion’s travelling supporters is the Championship remains a source of excellent away days, and this season is arguably better than ever in that respect. Losing Burnley, Hull and Middlesbrough from the calendar broke few hearts, whilst the addition of Newcastle, Aston Villa and Norwich City had the Albion community reaching for diaries and poring over train timetables. It’s not just the bigger clubs either: visits to less celebrated venues such as Burton-upon-Trent and Rotherham, in recent years, have proved to be up there with the best of away-day experiences. There’s something quite special about being part of a large away crowd, of boarding a train to find it already packed with folk in blue and white, drinking Marks & Spencer lager or clutching a medicinal coffee and breakfasting on Doritos at some ungodly hour. Or, of pulling into a motorway service station and spotting the full spectrum of Albion shirts clustered around Costa (Coffee, not Liz). The
happy hum of as-yet-unchallenged optimism is at its finest in these early, pre-match hours. I’ve always had a soft spot for the more challenging midweek away trek. The Tuesday night fixture that might as well be on the moon: the one where only the rich, the retired, the locally-residing, and the ultra-loyal few dare to tread. The faces of the 300 or so ‘wherever, whenever’ hardcore group become comfortingly familiar. You nod to each other in passing: unspoken acknowledgement of your shared bond and questionable sanity at taking the day off work to drive to Plymouth and back for an hour and a half of football. Even in the worst of winter weather conditions, the reassuring sight of the Supporters Club bus ahead of you is a sign the game is definitely on and that somehow, everything will be alright in the end. Rewards for such loyalty tend to be few and far between, so to every one of you whose unceasing optimism in the face of all logic took you, once again, to Hillsborough recently, graveyard of Albion ambitions for over a hundred years: that win was yours, all yours. I hope you enjoyed the journey home! Victoria Lank @ThickBlueLine
The Albion Mag
25
Albion
Steve Brewer Do we need to differentiate?
Manchester City, Millwall, Norwich City and Crystal Palace. Don’t worry; this entire column isn’t just going to be a list of seemingly random football clubs… What follows is, in fact, a few examples of clubs from across the country whose fans have set up specific groups for LGBTQ supporters (Canal Street Blues, Pink Lions, Proud Canaries and Proud & Palace, respectively). In this article, I’m going to be discussing whether these kinds of groups are a good thing or not, and whether we should be surprised that there isn’t a similar group for Albion fans. On one hand, it can definitely be argued that these groups provide a positive and welcoming atmosphere in which LGBTQ fans of a given club can get to know each other and support their teams. On the other hand though, you could just as easily argue that the need for such groups, and indeed for a national organisation like the Gay Football Supporters Network, serves only to highlight a problem in the wider culture of football fans where supporters from our community still feel somehow separate from other fans when they
26
go to support their team on a Saturday afternoon (or in this day and age of Skyinfluenced kick-off times, more likely a Friday night or Sunday lunchtime!). Surely, what we should actually be aiming for is an atmosphere at all clubs, much like we are lucky enough to have at the Albion, where fans of all kinds can support their club on an equal footing without the need to sub-divide ourselves into groups? That being the case, it could be said that for all the good these groups do on a local basis, the bigger picture is that they’re actually harming the acceptance of LGBTQ fans at football by marking themselves out from their fellow supporters, when in fact their sexuality has no bearing on their support for their team. Just imagine, for example, that supporters groups of the kind being discussed here were set up exclusively
Surely, what we should actually be aiming for is an atmosphere at all clubs, much like we are lucky enough to have at the Albion, for black fans or for female fans, to take just two examples. Such groups would quite rightly be seen as anachronistic and divisive in this day and age, yet groups for LGBTQ supporters seem to be seen as something to be proud of. I belive a lot of this perception comes from the general failure of the footballing authorities in this country to tackle the issue of homophobia in football in the same way as they have worked, and continue to work, to eradicate racism and sexism from the game. My feeling is that homophobia in football is just not taken as seriously at the highest level as racism and sexism, and so you still have situations where LGBTQ fans at certain clubs feel the need for groups like those mentioned to raise awareness of the wider issue.
chanting, for example? Do they treat it seriously or metaphorically stick their fingers in their ears and pretend it doesn’t exist or matter?
I think clubs where supporters have taken the step of forming groups like this need to look at themselves and see whether they are really doing enough to make LGBTQ fans feel as comfortable as anyone else when going to a game. How do they deal with incidents of homophobic behaviour or
This can’t just come from the supporters though, it needs clubs, the FA and the Football League to take an example from clubs like the Albion and address this issue head on to make the football supporting experience better for us all.
To take a positive example, if you look at the ‘Terms & Conditions’ on the Albion ticketing site, you will see this under the ‘Ground Regulations’ section: “Racial, homophobic or discriminatory abuse, chanting or harassment is strictly forbidden and will result in arrest and/or ejection from the ground.” By contrast, if you look at the same thing on the Crystal Palace ticketing site, it simply reads: “The use of threatening behaviour, foul or abusive language is strictly forbidden and will result in arrest and/or ejection from the ground.” That might seem like a small semantic detail, but as an LGBTQ fan I know which one would make me feel more comfortable and welcome when going to watch a game and does indicate a difference to me in how seriously the two clubs take the same issue. I look forward to a day where anyone of any sexuality, gender, ethnicity or any other characteristic can go to support their team without the need to be part of a group or to mark themselves out in any way. It seems to me the best purpose LGBTQ groups can have is to create the situation at their club so there is simply no need for the group to exist.
@SteveJB84
27
Albion
Leon Cox
Leon is an obsessive fan of videogames, cats and the Albion. A regular at the Goldstone, Withdean and Amex since the 1983/84 season, he firmly maintains there's nothing wrong with hero-worshipping footballers and wearing replica shirts well into middle-age.
I
can tell from my unimaginative user-name I used to set up my Bet 365 (other gambling websites are available) account 12 years ago. I was never comfortable going into betting shops. I don’t understand their language or their etiquette. So, long before Ray Winstone was cajoling potential punters to risk their hard-earned in his chummy, if somewhat menacing, way, I took advantage of the option to gamble from the safety and comfort of my home computer. I’m certainly no addict – I reckon I top up my account with the minimum £5 maybe a dozen times a year, if that. I know that for many football fans, betting against your own team is sacrilege, but I do it most weekends as sort of an emotional insurance policy. Listen, I would always trade money for three points for the Albion – if I could. I don’t mean by bribing the opposition or officials, I mean some abstract pact with whichever fictitious deity it is that controls these things. However, if the Albion are going to lose, I’d at least rather spend the Monday after doing some guiltfree online shopping with my ill-gotten gains. Thing is; only betting on Brighton’s opponents isn’t enough. I only ever bet a measly quid at a time, and even in these relatively heady times for the Seagulls, a single result against us isn’t going to net me enough cash to make the pain of defeat worthwhile.
28
So, I increase my selections to reflect the worst case scenario for the boys, working my way as far down the table as I can before there are conflicts. For example, looking at the round of Championship games this weekend coming (at the time of writing), obviously I don’t want Bristol City or Brum going above us, so with them playing lowly Cardiff and Forest respectively, they are no-brainers. On Sunday, Huddersfield play Wednesday and while I don’t want the Owls to catch us, I’m more concerned about the runaway Terriers stretching their lead. It’s a similar situation with Newcastle playing Brentford on the Saturday. Finally, Rotherham losing at Carrow Road seems inevitable, but if that’s the one that busts my coupon then I’ll be laughing (at Norwich). I know, this whole scenario is folly; this betting ‘strategy’ hardly ever pays dividends, and by the time you read this you’ll know if I’ve frittered away yet another pound. However, one awful weekend when everything conspires against the Albion and you’re feeling blue, at least I’ll have a few hundred nicker into which I can gently weep. Adopts cockney growl: Always gamble responsibly. caneandrinse.com @ratsoalbion
Brighton But Only at Home’s Classic Away Days
W
hat makes a classic away game? Sometimes it’s an important result, a great destination. But it’s fair to say that Rotherham doesn’t fall into this category. And, 1994 isn’t a classic period either. Sometimes it’s just the day out.
Let the train take the strain In those days we travelled by train. No names, no pack drill, but so few went to long distance away games at the time that you’d have known our faces. You’d certainly have spotted us here as most of us couldn’t stand up properly. The problems started on the train up. We met some youngsters we’d got talking to the previous week. Said youngsters were in possession of quite a lot of Mad Dog 20/20 and they were not going to let the fact that it was nine in the morning stop them drinking it. They were carried off the train.
Early opening Fortunately, pubs in Rotherham open at 11am do not have the same entry standards as West Street at ten at night. The lads were allowed to slump in the corner. Not the first time this pub had had people slumped in it I’d wager.
We staggered to the game which was a complete blur, save Robert Codner scoring a brilliant low shot right in front of the away fans. I did a lap of honour of the away end – there was enough room for it.
Top blagging We held on to win 1-0 and the players came over en masse to celebrate with us. We charged to the front and then it got really weird. Just as I was attempting to shake Codner’s hand, something he didn’t seem overly keen on, I spotted a familiar face on the pitch. One who’d been on the train with us. Having somehow blagged his way in to the press box he’d now blagged his way on to the pitch. To the bemusement of everyone he got a steward to let him in to the away end and join us in bouncing round like loons. Afterwards, we celebrated by finding a pub in Doncaster that had a bar that was taller than all of us. Was it for giants? Not when you finally saw the stairs. Jason Thackeray brightononlyathome.wordpress.com
29
the cost of your legal fees!
Moving house? Use Mayo Wynne Baxter when you buy or sell your house and you could get back the cost of your legal fees in our Conveyancing Cashback Draw!
Click or Call us on 0800 84 94 101
Albion •
Nic Outterside
•
N
ic is entering his 50th season supporting the Albion. His first game was on a sunny Saturday in September 1967 - a 1-0 home victory against Bury at the Goldstone in front of 13,413 crowd. His favourite Albion player of all time is Kit Napier and the best manager during all those years: Chris Hughton. Nic was a multi-award-winning investigative reporter and newspaper editor for 28 years, until retiring from journalism in 2013. He is an author, poet, lifelong socialist, obsessive Bob Dylan fan and now a blogger and political commentator. SPENDING A PENNY FOR THE ALBION There is nothing quite like having an intimate moment with your heroes. And it was so unexpected. I have been an obsessive fan of Brighton & Hove Albion since I was a small child and watched many victories and defeats over those years. My baptism as an 11-year-old was standing in the North Stand at the Goldstone on a sunny Saturday in September 1967 to see this team in blue and white beat Bury 1-0, with a goal from my soon-to-be hero, Kit Napier.
The smell of almost of victory The chanting, bustle and atmosphere immersed me. I was hooked and soon queuing after training sessions to obtain the autographs of these footballing gladiators: Charlie Livesey, Norman Gall, Wally Gould, Nobby Lawton and, of course, Christopher Napier. I can still smell the Bovril and cigarette-soaked air of my first evening game one year later and taste the pride and disappointment of the 1983 FA Cup Final. So I cheered on my heroes from the legendary Peter Ward to icons such as Brian Horton, Steve Foster, Bobby Zamora and Jimmy Case.
Pit stop Yes, Brighton & Hove Albion are, and have always been, an integral part of my life. But nothing prepared me for that moment on the M1 motorway, on Friday 28th March 2008. My Aunt Val had died suddenly, and as next-of-kin I had driven to her home in north London to sort out her affairs. Her death was unexpected and I guess
my mind was focused on getting everything right. After dealing with the formalities with her solicitor and the funeral celebrant, I hopped into my car to make the long journey back to my home in north Wales. I stopped at the M1 Toddington Services, just north of Luton, for petrol, a coffee and a toilet break.
Stage fright I was vaguely aware of a smart coach pulling in next to me in the car park. The loo called first, so I made my way to the gents. I stood by the urinal trough and was just about to relieve myself when more than a dozen guys in dark blue tracksuits walked in. They assembled in various positions to answer the call of nature. As I started to pee I looked up at the guy next to me. He had a Brighton & Hove Albion badge on his tracksuit top. I silently gasped and looked along at the rest of the guys… it was the entire Albion first-team squad! That was the OMG moment and I got instant water retention. I was peeing with my heroes… or in my case not! I had to stop looking or they might get the wrong impression!
Memory blank As I exited the service station toilets I turned to the player next to me – our full back Andrew Whing – and politely asked: “What are you guys doing in Luton?” “We are on our way to Leeds, we play them tomorrow,” was the reply. “Do we?” I answered stupidly, still desperate for a wee. Nic Outterside @seagullnic
31
Joe McBride’s Albion round-up ALBION 2-0 BARNSLEY – 24/09/16 Albion brush aside Barnsley with ease A brace from Glenn Murray in each half helped Brighton extend their winning streak to three and make it 290 minutes since David Stockdale last conceded a league goal. Knockaert, Skalak and Murray were influential in attack while Dunk, Duffy, Bong and Bruno frustrated the visitors, allowing them to have just one shot on target during the match.
IPSWICH 0-0 ALBION – 27/09/16 Quiet night at Portman Road The points were shared in Ipswich as neither side managed to make an impact on the game. The closest either side came to breaking the deadlock were with long-range shots just before half-time from the home side’s Knudson and Skuse. Albion were reduced to ten men with eight minutes remaining as Dale Stephens received a second yellow card for a foul on Jonathon Douglas but even with the extra man, Ipswich never looked like capitalising on the advantage.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 1-2 ALBION – 01/10/16 Historic win at Hillsborough Albion beat Wednesday away for the first time in the club’s history in a juicy encounter. Just five months ago, the Owls won 2-0 at Hillsborough in the play-offs. Revenge was on Brighton’s agenda from the get-go as they played a tactical game and were disciplined in both attack and defence. Their patience and maturity paid off as Sam Baldock scored a delightful lob over Keiren Westwood after a sublime 40-yard pass from Lewis Dunk. Knockaert scored after half-time with a tidy finish to double the advantage but Hooper pulled one back for Wednesday. Too little too late, however, as it was essentially with the last kick of the game.
32
FRESH on Brighton’s restaurant scene
64 King’s Rd, Brighton, BN1 1NA www.thejetty-brighton.co.uk @JettyBrighton TheJettyBrighton
R a l p h
B r o w n
Ralph Brown saw his first Albion game in March 1971. An actor by trade, he has appeared in over 200 films and TV shows including Withnail & I, Alien 3, Life On Mars, Nighty Night, Mean Machine and Him & Her. He also sings with The Brighton Beach Boys. Here, he chats to Ian Hart, editor of legendary Albion fanzine, Gull’s Eye.
What was it that made you want to start an Albion fanzine?
one of the greatest flair players the Football League had ever produced, Liam Brady.
“Bizarrely: the ‘Chelsea Independent’. We sat in Chapman’s pub in Worthing in July 1988 with a copy, we felt now was the time for the Albion faithful to have a voice. The first issue cost £300. We ran 3,000 copies and gave it away as a loss leader and recouped our costs with issues two and three. Sir Alan Sugar would have been proud.”
He duped many people, including me. Thankfully we cottoned on fairly quickly but not without the loss of the Goldstone. The Mansfield game (October 96), which we boycotted before breaking back in, was one of those landmark moments, as was the York City abandonment (April 96). Originally, it was supposed to be at half-time but a number of the ‘foot soldiers’ got drunk, invaded the pitch and broke the
Tell us about the Archer/Stanley and Bellotti years? “Bellotti was originally lauded by the Albion faithful. He sacked Barry Lloyd, who at the time was unpopular, and replaced him with
34
crossbar, so 13 minutes it was. The overriding thing for me is the three life sentences they all had, one of which Bellotti took to his grave. Both Stanley and Archer know wherever they are in the world there’s a chance they might bump into a Brighton fan. When did Gull’s Eye finish, and why? “The last game at the Goldstone Ground. Meanwhile, Bill Smith at The Latest had taken me under his wing which ended up with me on the wireless for
Albion
11 years and with a newspaper column. Everything has its time, as fanzine editors go, we were in the right place at the right time, and if HMRC are reading this we never made a bean! For all the ups and downs, slings and arrows, we – the Albion – are still a family but a serious concern I have is that we’ve become customers rather than fans. Like the few remaining D Day veterans who watch the Jeremy Kyle show, the Albion faithful must sometimes wonder if it was all worth it. But then Sussex By The Sea fires up at the Amex and the answer is a resounding yes!”
Albion
Victoria is 24 and a civil servant. She is an ESU season ticket holder and has been going to the Albion since 1999.
Y
es I know the offside rule…
at Withdean to the first match against Doncaster Rovers at Falmer, I’ve watched us play all over the country. However, I do get tired of the ‘are you enjoying you’re first game?’ rhetoric.
Football is a male dominated sport. From the incomprehensible big-money investors, to the majority of those in the stand being ‘dads with their lads’. But, I’m OK I keep tabs on the with that. Brighton Women and will watch the LionessFor 17 years, I’ve been go- es when they are on ing to the Albion with my TV. But, it just isn’t the mum. From the rainy days same as men’s football.
I can’t deny that I do occasionally make comment if a footballer is a good looking chap. But, when it comes to watching the game, I am one harsh critic and can hold a tactical chat. Most importantly, I know the offside rule.
fan. Football is always my first choice on the television. It has to be a life or death situation for me to miss a home match and I do love an away day. But, at the end of the day, yes, I do make a good bacon sandwich.
In my opinion, being a female football fan isn’t any different from being a male football
Victoria Cooper
COMING SOON
Aston Villa
A
lbion will meet Aston Villa for the 21st time, in front of the television cameras, on Friday 18th November at Falmer. The very first meeting between the two clubs was at Stamford Bridge on September 5th, 1910. The west London home of Chelsea had only been open five years and in
those far-off days the venue was used for cup finals, and Charity Shield contests.
Villa won the title by five points from Liverpool, Arsenal were still based in In the first few decades of Woolwich, and Chelsea the 20th century, the Charity were relegated. Albion Shield was a big deal. The clinched the Southern winners of the Football League title by the same League would take on the margin as Villa, while champions of the Southern Croydon Common and League to be crowned Reading went down. ‘Champions of England’.
So, Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion, in front of 13,000 fans, met in London. In his third season on the coast, Charlie Webb scored the winner 18 minutes from time. Brighton & Hove Albion were champions of England.
35
Pumpkin Players H
alloween has recently passed, dear reader, and you know what that meant?
Party time! Unless you are one of those sad types who won’t celebrate anything commercialised that our American cousins have given us, then it is a great excuse to dress up, sink some beers and have a good time. If you are reading this, then presumably you must have some passing interest in Brighton & Hove Albion? Now what if I was to tell you there is way you could combine these two great things? Brighton & Hove Albion, and Halloween. Well, there is! Ladies and gentlemen, drum roll please, it’s the Brighton & Hove Albion Themed Halloween Party. The venue This is very important. Perhaps most associated with Halloween is the idea of a haunted house. Or in this case, an Ian Hauntedhouse. Seeing as it is named after him, Ian Culverhouse will play the role of host. Setting Although we can’t legislate for the British weather, a cold and crisp night is preferable and one thing that is nonnegotiable is a Craig Full Noone high in the sky.
Creatures of the night Many of the costumes worn on Halloween are from gruesome creatures of the night. Among those we are encouraging are a Zombie Zamora, a skeleton creature who is known as Nathan Bones, the Alex Devil and a Darren Demon. Seeing as it is a Craig Full Noone, it would be rude for an Ian Bairdwolf not to make an appearance. There is bound to be somebody who takes the party as an excuse to bring World of Warcraft into the real world and for them it’s the Sam Warlock. Finally, a Stuart Mummy. Seeing as nobody actually knows what 1990s defender Stuart Munday is up to these days, it isn’t entirely unfeasible that we could get him in for the actual role. Animals and props Props can make or break the party. Wherever there is a witch waving around her Peter Wand, you can be sure a Chris Black Cattlin will follow. An Inigo Cauldron is a must for conjuring up spells (and punch), lots of Danny Cobwebs need to be spread around and if you are particularly flushed with cash a Jake Forster-Casket wouldn’t go amiss either. And, don’t forget the most important thing of all: a John Pumpkin. Johnny Pumpkin Halloween Genius. www.WeAreBrighton.com
Players featured in this article Ian Culverhouse – defender: 1998-2000 Craig Noone – midfielder: 2011/12 Bobby Zamora – striker: 2000-2003 & 2015-2016 Nathan Jones – midfielder: 2000-2005 Alex Revell – striker: 2006-2008 Darren Freeman – striker: 1999-2002 Ian Baird – striker: 1996/97 Sam Baldock – striker: 2014-
36
Stuart Munday – defender: 1990-1996 Peter Ward – striker: 1975-1980 & 1982 Chris Cattlin – defender: 1976-1979 Inigo Calderon – defender: 2010-2016 Danny Webb – striker: 2001/02 Jake Forster-Caskey – midfielder: 2010John Crumplin – defender: 1992-1996
The Albion Mag
Prints available. Please contact: Alanbudgen@gmail.com
The Albion Mag
37
BHA RUFFIANS
T
he concept of football fans organising won’t
and respect how each and every Albion fan
be unfamiliar to Albion supporters. We
enjoy their match day. Every type of Albion fan
need only look at our club’s recent history to see
has played their part getting us to where we are
the benefits of fans being united in a common
today, and long may this continue.
cause. We’ve organised to fight against owners and boards, so why not organise within the
We firmly believe Albion fans joining and
stands? Whilst this might feel unnecessary to
working together can and should be a force for
some, for us it provides a positive
good in our communities, and
outlet to support the Albion with
in the stands. Our hope is we
noise, colour and a good measure
can get fans to link up more and
of humour.
work together on improving the atmosphere in our fantastic
The North Stand Kollective, or
stadium. It can be great, but
NSK, is a motley crew of Albion
with a bit more co-ordination,
fans who have met through the
we could make it consistently
years at the Goldstone, Priestfield,
amazing and we welcome new
Withdean and Falmer. In essence,
voices and input to help us get
a supporters group like any other,
there.
but rather than being linked to an area of Brighton & Hove or Sussex one that
We’re lucky the Albion are open to engaging
feels a strong connection with the North Stand,
with fans. This has given us the opportunity
where the majority of our members congregate.
to have some input into our stadium – the big
Loosely based on the European/South
Stand or Fall banner being one example. We’ve
American style of ‘ultras’, but with a very much
got some exciting projects in the pipeline,
Brightonian head; bringing a heavy dose of vocal
including a giant carry-over flag, new artwork
support, a clear message of inclusivity along
in the concourse and another giant semi-
with a growing collection of flags and banners
permanent banner (celebrating the Albion’s
to celebrate our club, Brighton and Hove, and
various badges). Any money we raise is re-
Sussex.
invested into these projects… donations always welcome! We know many donated towards the
38
For us, the enjoyment gained from actively
big flag and we thank you for your patience – the
supporting from the stands is equal to that of
club were keen to ensure everyone is on board
the game itself. That said, we understand this
with it so we’ve included a question about it in
style of football experience isn’t for everyone
the fan survey – due out soon.
The Albion Mag
A recurring issue seems to be the spread of
appear to be ready to listen to the fans and
singers across the North Stand. This is an
consider leading the way should the law change.
unintended consequence of the original back four rows policy which has spread vocal fans
Whilst a standing section won’t resolve
too thinly, rather than being concentrated into
everything, we do strongly believe bringing
one block as you’ll
standing, singing people
find at most other
together would be a
grounds. This can
benefit to everyone.
make it difficult for
Again, when the time
songs to spread. Our
comes we really hope
suggestion to the
all fans engage in the
club has been to find
discussion in an open-
somewhere within
minded way and show
the North Stand
their support for safe
to bring the vocal
standing, even if you
support together. If
personally prefer to
other fans support
sit. We know this type
this idea please let
of support isn’t for
the club know. The
everyone, but our view
club want to hear
is that there should be a
other voices on this and we have included some
place for everyone in our stadium, and if putting
additional questions around ‘atmosphere’ into
the ruffians altogether improves their/our and
the upcoming fans’ survey. It’s really important
everyone else’s football day out then it’s got to
fans complete the survey as the club will be
be a positive thing.
using this to see how fans feel. The results could influence how open they are to moving vocal
More than anything, we are always up for
fans together and other projects in the future.
meeting new people, sharing a pint or three and discussing other ways to bring colour, noise and
Another issue we’ve raised with the club before
good times to the Albion. So come up and have
is safe standing, and we’re delighted that it’s
a chat (North Stand N1C) or join us on social
now being discussed more openly by the Albion.
media…
With the law as it stands (in England) obviously
Twitter/Instagram - @nskbha Facebook – NSK BHA nskbha.bigcartel.com
their hands are tied but it’s really positive they
The Albion Mag
39
N O R T H
S TA N D
C H AT
Guardiola Out!
It was like a horrible flashback to the if-itcould-go-wrong-it-willgo-wrong days of Sami Hyypia’s Albion reign. Back in October, two of Albion’s most dependable performers conspired to gift Preston North End the opening goal they so richly didn’t deserve and put Chris Hughton’s men into early recovery mode. Bruno, surely the most skillful full-back to grace any of Albion’s four homes, lofted a high backpass to David Stockdale who, having advanced off his line in the modern goalkeeping way, was faced with having to deal with the ball at an awkward height.
40
The ex-Fulham stopper is a confident sort with the ball, and despite the difficult position he in which he found himself, he fancied his chances of tidying up with a little bit of flair and panache. Time seemed to slow down as Stockers went about his sweeping duties but, SHOCK HORROR, he found himself robbed of possession by Jordan Hugill, who wasn’t going to look this particular gift horse in the mouth. David Stockdale looked on, and an agricultural row Z clearance has never felt like such an attractive option. Hindsight, eh?
In the personal accident industry, where there’s blame we are told there’s a claim. In the cut and thrust of the Championship, where any single point could be worth circa £200m, where there’s a howler there needs to be a scapegoat. And, probably some vilification just for good measure.
white though, and so it proved. These are the results of the NSC jury:
As such, there should be little surprise that NSCers took to their keyboards in the hours immediately following the disappointing home draw to decide who was the chief culprit of this particular gruesome moment.
You might well be wondering who or what else may be at fault for this goal.
These things are rarely black and
The Albion Mag
Who was to blame for the first [Preston] goal?
Bruno: 34.8% Stockdale: 21.7% Both Bruno and Stockdale: 42.5% Someone or something else: 1.0%
Brexit, possibly? Surprisingly not. The Palace coach driver? Not this time. www.northstandchat. com
Joe McBride’s Albion round-up ALBION 2-2 PRESTON – 15/10/16 Preston punish the Albion Brighton dominated a game in which two costly mistakes by David Stockdale and Shane Duffy handed Preston a point. Stockdale blundered a lofted backpass from captain Bruno which gave the visitors an undeserved lead just ten minutes into the match. Albion battled and controlled the game and began to make the most of their chances after the break. Sam Baldock and Glenn Murray turned the game in Brighton’s favour and they deservedly lead just 20 minutes into the second half. However, after failing to put the game to bed, Preston grew in confidence and in the second minute of injury time Duffy failed to beat Makienok in the air and the striker managed to place his header into the bottom corner.
ALBION 1-0 WOLVES – 18/10/16 Brighton edge mediocre match Albion kept up their recent good form by beating 15th-place strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers after Sam Baldock scored the only goal of the game in the 14th minute. Gaetan Bong’s pinpoint cross from the left wing was excellently headed across goal and beat Carl Ikeme with the help of the underside of the crossbar. Glenn Murray couldn’t put his header on target from close range and David Stockdale was to thank after he tipped over a long range effort from Costa just before half time. Despite a late resurgence from Wolves in the final minutes, Albion held on after defending four corners in quick succession and move up to third in the table, three points adrift of leaders Newcastle United.
WIGAN 0-1 ALBION – 22/10/16 Albion move up to second Dale Stephens’ second-half strike earned the Seagulls all three points at the DW Stadium as Wigan suffered their seventh defeat of the campaign. The home side dominated the majority of the game. Brighton didn’t create many chances but after Michael Jacobs squandered a good opportunity, and David Stockdale saved two shots from point blank range, it didn’t seem like it was going to be Wigan’s day. After half time the deadlock was finally broken when Stephens slotted away a curled effort from the edge of the area on 68 minutes and Albion held on to stay within three points of leaders Newcastle. Norwich slipped up losing at home to Preston, setting up a tasty second versus third fixture the following Saturday at the Amex… was essentially with the last kick of the game.
The Albion Mag
41
Albion
Tom Stewart has supported the Albion since he was taken to a thrilling 0-0 draw against Brentford in 1995 – there wasn’t a single shot on target. He considers himself to be a leading authority on Albion cult heroes and flair icons.
Cult Heroes: 1. Vicente Fans of a certain generation will have been first introduced to Vicente Rodriguez through TV coverage of La Liga or the Champions League. He could be regularly seen tearing it up and down the left wing for Valencia, where he earned 38 caps for Spain, two La Liga titles, a Uefa Cup, Uefa Super Cup and the Copa del Rey. However, after a series of injuries, he was released in 2011 after 11 years of service. Somehow, he found himself at a small suburban Italian restaurant, sat opposite Gus Poyet and Mauricio Taricco with the Uruguayan loudmouth trying to persuade him that Sussex was the right place for him to continue his career. So, on the 2nd September, 2011, Vicente – the player I once spent £54m on in Championship Manager 2003 – signed a one-year deal with Brighton & Hove Albion. Here was a foreign player that I’d actually heard of signing for my team. This was no Cristian Baz, this was Vicente. He made his debut as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in the League Cup where he was fouled by Jamie Carragher to earn his side a penalty, and scored his first goal against Ipswich ten days later with a fine solo effort. But, due to injuries, he didn’t make another
42
appearance until February. The second half of the season was a happier time for Vicente. He had his best performances during this period, particularly against Portsmouth and Derby County where he was simply on another planet to the other 21 players on the pitch. Unfortunately, the second term was not a happy one. Vicente managed just 12 appearances during the season and was inexplicably left on the bench for both legs of the play-off semi-finals against you-know-who. Relationships between Vicente and his hot headed manager, Gus Poyet, had seemingly broken down and upon his release on the 16th May, 2013 he referred to the Uruguayan as “the worst person I’ve come across in football”, “selfish” and “egocentric”. His career with the Albion will ever be remembered as a series of ‘what ifs’ and in truth the team often played better without him. One thing is for sure, though, Vicente will always be remembered as one of the most talented players ever to pull on the blue and white stripes and is without doubt the ultimate Albion Cult Hero. Tom Stewart @OfficialTStew
The Albion Mag
Join Brighton & Hove Albion FC’s official business club and entitle your company to host of exclusive benefits. Powered by Albion’s business club partner, Network My Club, Network Albion provides one of the most exciting networking opportunities in Sussex for business of all sizes.
BENEFITS OF JOINING • 1 x place at monthly networking events at the Amex Stadium • Company listing in the match day programme for every Albion home match (approx 9,000 sales per match) • Company profile page on the Network Albion website • Promote offers to other members, local businesses and Albion fans on the Network Albion website • Exclusive use of the Network Albion logo • Be part of a group of local trusted suppliers for Albion fans • Monthly members e-newsletter • Discounted rate to join or attend business clubs powered by Network My Club throughout the UK
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP PER COMPANY £600+VAT (one month free) or £55+VAT per month
JOIN To join the business club, please contact the Network Albion team at Network My Club at info@networkalbion.co.uk or visit www.networkalbion.co.uk.
.,7
$9$,/$%/(
12:
6($*8//6',5(&7 &2 8.
72*(7+(5