The Albion Mag - Issue 8 by The Albion Mag

Issue 8 August 2017

ontents C P3: Editorial P4/5: Nick Szczepanik P6/7: We Are Brighton P9: BHAWFC P12/13: Joel Essex P14/15: Anthony James P17: Frank Batt P19: Cain Suleyman P20/21: Brett Mendoza P22/23: Albion Roar P24/25: Mike Ward P26/27: Steve Brewer P29: A Palace perspective P30/31: Sandra Murphy P33: Leon Cox P34/36: Jason Thackeray P38/39: Cult Heroes P41: Dean Kilford’s Non-League round-up P42/43: FirmBalls P44/45: Simon Levenson P46/47: Dan Tester P50/51: Nicola Davies P54/57: AITC P58/59: Goldstone Wrap P60/61: Ian Hine P63: GOSBTS P64/65: Nic Outterside

The Editor I first edited an Albion-related publication 20 years ago. We were playing fourth-tier ‘home’ games in Gillingham (73.9 miles away by road), trained at the University of Sussex and attracted crowds of 2,500 – if we were lucky. The sheer will of the supporters, led by Dick Knight, kept the club alive. In the summer of 1998, as a student, I helped out at the club. Ian Culverhouse and I were tasked with ironing on numbers and initials to the training kit. I had to purchase the iron from Boots. If you’d suggested then that we’d be entertaining the world’s richest club on the opening day of the season, at our world-class stadium, I would have laughed almost as much as I did when I discovered the aforementioned numbers and initials had peeled off after the first wash. The Manchester City fixture marks a real dream come true for everyone connected with

Brighton & Hove Albion. The story would have been declined as a film script; such were the highs, extreme lows and sheer absurdity of much that happened en route to Saturday 12th August 2017. Tony Bloom is the envy of clubs’ fans across the country. One of us, our chairman loves the Albion and has invested over £200 million in pursuit of reaching the top division. He’s built a solid team – on and off the pitch – to ensure we have the best possible chance of staying in the Premier League. That sense of unity and teamwork is palpable throughout the club, and on the terraces. We’ve waited 34 years to be among the elite of English football again so enjoy it, be realistic, get behind the team and, most importantly, keep the faith. Up the Albion!

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P12 P38

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Dan Tester

@TheAlbionMagUTA

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P60 Editor - Dan Tester: editor@thealbionmag.com

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Ian Hine is a self-confessed Albion was in August 1968 and he’s been madness eight years ago, he thoug collection. He’s still scanning!

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Brighton Up In the promotion issue of this august publication, I mentioned I was writing a book, and that the title was yet to be decided. Well, I eventually settled on Brighton Up, which probably gives you a bit of a clue about the subject. It’s due out later this month and covers the past two seasons in the history of our favourite football club, both momentous in their ways. Spoiler alert: it has a happy ending. And let’s be honest, it would never have been written if the story hadn’t turned out well, as not many people would want to read about two

the key elements and characters and how much access to players, coaches, et cetera the club was prepared to allow me. And I like to think that my track record was in my favour. Of course, whenever we won a few games in a row I began to hope that I’d be able to make a start as early as mid-March. And after we’d lost at Huddersfield and then almost come unstuck at Brentford, I was worrying I wouldn’t be able to get the

“ We are lucky enough to have some very intelligent footballers, who get what the club is about and are among the least big -time of any of the players that I’ve met.”

consecutive failures by the Albion to achieve promotion. Not many people outside Croydon, anyway. I did the deal with the publisher on condition the Albion went up, and I refused to write a single word of it before promotion was actually guaranteed so as not to jinx us. So there was no sample chapter, just an outline of some of

writing under way until after the play-off final, if at all. In the end it all worked out and I got a text from the publisher while on the Amex pitch about five minutes after the final whistle had blown in the Derby-Huddersfield game to confirm that everything was going ahead. The manuscript was

more or less finished a week after the parade along the seafront. The club was extremely helpful, letting me speak to pretty much anyone I wanted, including Bruno, Lewis Dunk, Glenn Murray, Solly March, Steve Sidwell, head of recruitment Paul Winstanley, goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts, assistant manager Paul Trollope, and, of course, Tony Bloom, Paul Barber and Chris Hughton. Plus some bloke called David Stockdale. Whatever happened to him, I wonder? And I also managed to get to talk to Anthony Knockaert, Liam Rosenior, Sam Baldock, Colin Calderwood and Calde at various times. I actually spoke to Liam during the bus ride, when the media were allowed downstairs while the players were on the top deck. All I can say about that journey beyond the brief details that appear in the book is that what happens on the bus stays on the bus. Between the one-to-one chats I had and what other players said at various pre-match and post-match press conferences, I managed to get all the big

Nick Szczepanik is a football and NFL writer whose byline has appeared in every national daily paper (yes, even that one) but mostly in The Times and The Independent. An Albion fan since the 1960s, his ambition is to report on the club in Europe. Brighton Up is available from www.bitebackpublishing.co.uk.

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(Image: The Argus)

moments described by the players themselves, or Chris or Tony, with a bit of historical context from Alan Mullery, Brian Horton, Dick Knight and Attila the Stockbroker. Paul Barber’s take on Shoreham was, frankly, emotional. And there were unexpected insights from Calderwood, who spoke about the players’ ambitions before the 2015/16 season; Roberts, who provided background to Stockdale’s three big penalty saves; and Winstanley, who explained a lot about how we managed to land key performers such as Knockaert and Shane Duffy. What can I tell you that doesn’t appear in the book, either because these are just my impressions or because people wanted to keep some things off the record? Paul Barber has a real enthusiasm for what he’s doing. The club are very, very thorough in the research they

carry out into prospective signings. Bruno is a leader and a thinker, and I hope he plays on until he’s 40. Glenn Murray is guarded but genuine. We are lucky enough to have some very intelligent footballers, who get what the club is about and are among the least big-time of any of the players that I’ve met. Then there’s the gaffer. Thoughtful, respectful, calm, realistic – everything you imagine and more. He had to be persuaded that he deserved to be given the freedom of the city, which tells you everything you need to know about the man. Is it any good? I’ve had to read it through for corrections and revisions so many times that I no longer have any idea. All I can say is that I set out to write the book I would have wanted to read – not just about a single successful season, but how we overcame the disappointment

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of the Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday games. How the Shoreham air crash affected the club. How Chris stays so incredibly composed on the touchline. I hope people enjoy it and feel that it tells them a few things they didn’t know, or reminds them of a few things they’d forgotten. Above all, I hope they feel it’s worth the slightly eye-watering cover price (which was the publisher’s idea). The precedent was a book entitled Up, Up And Away about the Albion’s previous promotion to the top flight in 1978/79, by the late former Argus journalist John Vinicombe. He got to do a sequel, Super Seagulls, about how Mullery’s team stayed up at the end of their first season. Here’s hoping I might get the chance to do that too. TAM. Nick Szczepanik

@NickSzczepanik

@TheAlbionMag

Best of the Beards It’s 34 years since Brighton & Hove Albion last played top flight football. Such a long gap in time can be illustrated by the many cultural changes that have taken place in society in the intervening period. You know the sort of things we are talking about here. You’ve probably seen countless of them since that glorious Monday in April when promotion was confirmed. ‘Last time Brighton played top flight football, this was number one, these were in fashion and an unpopular female Prime Minister won more seats and votes than socialist led Labour.’ Ok, bad example that last one. One changing area nobody seems to be focusing on - and goodness knows why - is beards. The 1980s were a great time for fantastic facial topiary as any highlight reel of football from back then will show you. By the 1990s, the era of the beard had sadly passed unless you were a secondary school maths teacher. Joyfully, the turn of the

century has seen them make a strong and welcome comeback. Brighton & Hove Albion has a long tradition of players with fantastic beards. Every captain to have led the club into the top flight has been bearded, as have two of the three men to have led the team out at Wembley. So, as we return to the highest tier of English football for the first time since 1983, what better way to celebrate than harking back to those glorious halcyon days by looking at the 10 best Brighton beards? Tony Grealish 1981-1984 The only Albion player to have captained his country, he was only 26 years of age when he led the club in the FA Cup yet his beard, light brown or sometimes even ginger in appearance, was so bushy and developed he looked well into his 30s. There was never a danger danger of him getting IDed to get into a bar on West Street on a Saturday night.

(Image: North Stand Chat)

Steve Foster 1979-1984 & 1992-1996 More famous for his white headband than his beard, he was a mainstay of Brighton’s Division One defence before returning in less happy times when he listed the highlight of

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Martin Chivers 1979-1980 Scored 13 times in 24 appearances for England and arrived at the Goldstone for a six-game spell at the age of 33 in March 1979. His ginger beard was curly like his hair leaving a startling resemblance to actor Seth Rogen, star of such modern classics as Knocked Up, The 40 Year Old Virgin and Sausage Party. Inigo Calderon 2010-2015 Little was known about the Spaniard when Gus Poyet signed him in January 2010 other than he was the first player in a generation to sport a beard. His facial hair matched his swashbuckling play from right back, with the under chin piece and moustache accompanied by stumble around the sides completing the Jesus Christ look. Kit Napier 1966-1972 Fourth on the all-time scorers list with 99 goals, the Scottish forward was a skillful ball player who has a big favourite during his six years at the Goldstone.

Despite wild hair that fanned out at the sides, he kept a finely trimmed beard, sometimes even dabbling with the moustached look. Bruno 2012The second man to have captained Brighton to the top flight, he arrived at the Amex in 2012 from Valencia looking like a boiled egg. Over time, he grew a hipster beard which has become as synonymous with him as the number 2 shirt and stepovers from right back. He has paved the way for other players with their heads on upside down such as Darren Bent and Niki Mäenpää to play for the club. Brian Horton 1976-1981 Captain during the club’s most successful period as we climbed into Division One for the first time. A popular player who popped up with plenty of goals, he sported a goatee style beard with a stubble accompaniment which, when combined with a combover, produced a startling effect. Chris Ramsey 1980-1984 Hard-tackling full back who was sent

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off five times in 37 games for the Albion and a member of the side who reached the FA Cup Final. Reckless on the pitch, he was far from it when it came to his beard which had such wild growth that it spanned his entire cheek bones. Paul Clark 1977-1982 ‘Tank’ was known for his bone crunching tackles, fierce shooting and a swashbuckling style in either defence or midfield. A rarity in the list in that his beard was straw coloured, he also combined it with a moustache and Country and Western sideburns to great effect. Kemy Agustien 2013-2015 Arrived at the Albion with 39 points on his driving licence, he spent two seasons being paid to take selfies. His one positive contribution was to grow a long goatee beard which he would then dye the corresponding colour of the kit the Albion were wearing. Unfortunately, he hardly ever made it onto the pitch so the chances to marvel at it were limited. TAM.

(Player Images: The Goldstaone Wrap, The Argus & Wikipedia)

his career at the Goldstone as seeing David Bellotti chased from the Directors’ Box. His beard was jet black, big and menacing.

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HERE W THERE’S POWELL, (Image: Connect Sport )

there’s Hope!

It took nearly a year but on July 19th, Brighton & Hove Albion Women made a real statement of intent when they appointed Hope Powell as their new manager.

She will take charge of the women as they embark on their debut campaign in the WSL2 this September and brings with her the experience of managing the England women’s national team for 15 years. Not to mention taking charge of the GB team at the 2012 Olympics. You sense there is a real ambition within the club to make sure that the momentum of the men’s team’s success can be used to propel the women’s team forward and create two teams that will (hopefully) eventually stand side by side at the highest level of their respective sports. Of course, this is still one step of the ladder away for the women’s team and we shouldn’t jump the gun. That being said, back in 2015, a five-year plan was put in place which would

see the women’s team not only competing in WSL1, but also qualifying for the UEFA Women’s Champions League. By my calculation, two years in and they are half way to achieving their goal and the appointment and experience of Powell will ensure the standard of players and quality of football will only improve. The five-year plan seems to be achievable. There was a Spring Series, which saw the team (under the interim management of George Parrish) gain experience at this new level and during the course of the season you saw how the women adapted, settled and ultimately found a confidence that was certainly proven during their brilliant display at the Amex, on the final day against Sheffield Ladies.

Hope, herself, is very excited about the challenge ahead and delivered a very positive statement on the day of her appointment: “I am delighted to be back in management at a club that has so much ambition, with an amazing infrastructure – both on and off the pitch. I have followed the club’s progress closely and I was thrilled to hear news of their well-deserved promotion to the FA Women’s Super League last year. The team had a solid campaign in this year’s Spring Series, and the task is now to build a side capable of mounting a challenge for promotion into FA Women’s Super League 1! To me, that is a real statement of intent! TAM. Dean Kilford

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A healthy dose of mince A few weeks back, I stumbled across a segment on Sky Sports News that seemed to sum up the Premier League circus which the Albion now find themselves in. In keeping with their bombastic approach to presenting transfer ‘news’, the SSN graphics team had produced a graph displaying the monthly number of Google searches for Patrick Aubameyang over the last six months. The premise of the story seemed to be that the increased number of searches for the Borussia Dortmund striker in May and June were rightly fuelling the extortionate levels of money being mentioned in the bidding war for his services between the Premier League’s wealthiest clubs. Those all too familiar with Sky Sports’ shtick when it comes to summer transfer news will know this sort of reporting reaches its peak, or nadir, on transfer deadline day when an overexcited reporter, usually with an annoying habit of over-accentuating his vowels,

will bark on about how the money spent by Premier League clubs in this summer’s window has ‘smashed’ last year’s total. Now, I’ve no doubt this season will be an amazing ride for Albion fans given the journey they and the club have been on since that famous day at Edgar Street just

“ Following the Albion may get a tad too serious at times this season. A spoonful of mince every now and then could be the perfect antidote to it all.”

over 20 years ago. However, I suspect there may be times when some light relief from the unwelcome excesses of the Premier League is needed. If, and when that happens, then may I suggest such medication comes in the form of the thing of beauty that is ‘Athletico Mince’, the podcast creation of Bob Mortimer (Middlesbrough fan) and Andy

The Athletico Mince podcast can be found, listened to and downloaded at www.athleticomince.com.

Dawson (Sunderland fan), who if any doubt about his Sunderland roots is regularly reminded of them in broadcasts by Bob’s references to the popularity of ‘chicken dippers’ and ‘blue fizzy drinks’ in the town. To call it a football podcast is stretching things a little. You

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won’t hear ad nausea debate on the prospects of Tottenham/ Arsenal/Manchester City/ Liverpool (delete where appropriate) claiming the fourth Champions League spot or the machinations surrounding Jose Mourinho’s latest post-match press conference. What you do get for around 45 minutes every couple of weeks or so is a podcast in which Dawson (the man behind the Get in the Sea website/phenomenon) largely plays the erstwhile straight man to Bob’s joyous flights of football fancy. A very dear friend of mine, who sadly passed away last year, once said to me of Mortimer; “His is a voice I need

to hear regularly, everyday if possible.” With Sam’s taste being as impeccable as it was it’s a mantra I have tried to follow recently so I gleefully snapped up tickets for the Brighton leg of the latest run of Athletico Mince live shows which toured the country last month. For those not familiar with their podcast oeuvre, such flights of fancy include the ongoing and absurd tales of a drunken and increasingly desperate Robson Green pursuing a chance meeting with Rafa Benitez through the conduit of Mark Lawrenson and the evil forces trying to come between Steve MaClaren and his pet snake, Casper (all characters uniquely played and voiced by Bob and Andy). But for my money by far their best creation is the ‘Gangs of the EPL’, a regular fictional tale which more often than not pitches the Spurs gang, ‘The

White Hearts’ featuring leader Harry Kane, ‘Debbie’ Ali and Eric Dier with their battle cry ‘feel our ferocious heat’ against Arsenal’s ‘Peeky Gooners’ of Theo Walcott, Jack Wiltshire and Santi Cazorla, who makes an occasional but hugely worthwhile appearance in the storylines. We’ll surely know that Albion have made

it in the Premier League if a version with our heroes in the stripes pitted against south London’s finest emerges on the podcast this season. The live shows (there was an early and a late performance) at the Sallis Benney Theatre featured all these favorites and

more with Bob on fine form and seemingly in rude health. Like anything that bears his imprints, it was a show charmingly, and I’ve no doubt at times, deliberately shambolic in nature. Musical interludes saw Bob mistiming opening words to backing tracks and also needing a series of attempts to perfect the accent of ‘Ricing Sugar’ a fictional South African security guard. Following the Albion may get a tad too serious at times this season. A spoonful of mince every now and then could be the perfect antidote to it all. And, if you’re wondering about Patrick Aubameyang, he signed a new contract with Borussia Dortmund with the club confirming that he won’t be leaving this summer. Take that Sky Sports Transfer Centre! TAM. Joel Essex

@Jsussex

As far as he knows, Joel is the only Welsh speaking, freelance sports PR consultant and Latin percussionist in Brighton. Then again, knowing this town he might not be. When not doing any of the above and writing for The Albion Mag, he can also occasionally be heard on 1 Brighton FM.

www.athleticomince.com

@TheAlbionMag

We’re almost there Monday 17th April still feels like yesterday. But it wasn’t. Three months have passed and Brighton & Hove Albion are about to kick off in the biggest and most famous league in the world.

Unbelievable! As a result of this calm before the storm, my latest TAM offering doesn’t have a specific topic. It lacks a precise purpose. It’s simply eight-hundred (or so) words to convey my excitement, along with a couple of extra things that mean a lot to me as a result of promotion. I’d like the start with how the club has distributed our new season tickets – I think ‘phenomenal’ sums it up appropriately. Whatever happens after our first season in the Premier League, every Albion ST holder spanning multiple generations will have a personal keepsake from the time our story had its happy ending. I pre-ordered and received the new home shirt. I find myself just staring at it on the wall, patiently waiting to wear it on August 6th. I look lovingly at those Premier League badges adorning the sleeves and impatiently wait for the 12th of August. It’s a fantastic looking shirt and we can all wear it with pride. Whilst on the subject of the Albion kit, it’s no secret the ‘alternative kit’ is dividing opinion – none more so than this fan. In some photos, it looks

incredible. In others, not so much. However, I almost feel compelled to purchase it at some point throughout the forthcoming campaign, to both support the club and give myself another Premier League debut momento. Away from real-life footballing glory, I am an avid gamer. As a result, I’m one of these ‘sad cases (to quote my girlfriend)’ who finds himself at Tesco at midnight on release day, queuing with the rest of the brotherhood for the latest incarnation of FIFA on the PlayStation 4. For those of you reading that don’t play, the franchise has an agreement with the Premier League that stadia for each of the 20 top-flight teams are recreated in the game… I probably don’t have to tell you what this means. But I still will. It means that on Friday 29th September, Anthony James will sign for Brighton & Hove Albion and walk out in front of 30,750 people at the American Express Community Stadium. Wow.

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Moving swiftly on, the club’s transfer business is drawing various opinions on social media. I understand everyone only wants one thing for the club – the best. But at the same time, it is very important to maintain a level head and keep the faith in the recruitment process we have in place. At the time of writing the Albion have one pre-season friendly left – the visit of Atletico Madrid to the Amex. We have had an impressive pre-season. Solly March looks hungry for success. Pascal Gross and Marcus Suttner look like they’re ready to pick up where they left off together at Ingolstadt and a new striker is top of Chris Hughton’s shopping list. Another big post-season change has seen the advent of the new website. ‘Seagulls.

www.1BrightonFM.co.uk and 101.4 on your FM dial. You can expect Albion news, special guests, and a non-league segment. Presented by regular TAM contributor Dean Kilford, we’re always looking for the wider Albion community to get involved so drop us a line: info@thealbionmag.com. Lastly, enjoy the games against Atletico Madrid and the Premier League curtain-raiser against Manchester City. There is no pressure in either of these games. Concentrating on the latter of the two, we are huge underdogs who are widely expected to return to

the Championship at the first time of asking. I have made a promise to myself to keep the faith, enjoy the ride and see how this all plays out. I hope that you do too. TAM.

(Image: Footy Headlines)

co.uk’ is no more. Instead ‘Brightonandhovealbion.com’ is your new official source for all things blue and white stripes. I like the new website and genuinely feel it has a much more professional feel about it. One thing that I don’t like is Seagulls TV. I really really don’t like Seagulls TV. Aside from the pre-season games I have been to live, I believe I’ve actually managed to view approximately 13 minutes of action through this new ‘service’. The club know it’s shocking at the moment and things will get better. I’d also like to highlight The Albion Mag Radio Show on 1BrightonFM –

Anthony James

@AJ_BHAFC

@TheAlbionMag

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The six-year-old from King’s Cross, London, was inspired to create his own publication after reading his dad, Matt’s, copy of TAM5.

The football sticker pages brought back a lot of memories here at TAM Towers! Keep up the good work young man! TAM.

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Pascal Groß and Markus Suttner… Two very exciting prospects for the Albion, in the build-up to our first season in the Premier League. These are the players who will help in our fight to maintain our position in the best league in the world. But let’s be honest. I think we would be lying if we said we knew them and their abilities on the pitch. I, for one, had never heard these names before they were linked with us. When we gained promotion I think fans were expecting us to sign lots of £10m+ players and so far this hasn’t been the case. It’s always nice when we see our club being linked with big names but in recent years we haven’t signed any big fee, big wage players. Last season we missed out on signing Alex Pritchard and Swansea City beat us to Tammy Abraham’s signature this season. Looking at our track record, I don’t believe we will sign big players with high wage fees because

MARKUS SUT TNER

that doesn’t seem to be the way we do things. This, understandably, puts some fans at unease, but if you look at previous signings, this strategy has worked well for us. We signed Connor Goldson from League Two club Shrewsbury Town and he has turned out to be a very good centre back, before his injury and heart scare. We also signed Ashley Barnes for a low fee, who was one of our top strikers in League One and the Championship, and now he is having a great time in the Premier League for Burnley. So when rumours come around, how do we know if these lesser known players are any good? We haven’t

seen them play and if they play abroad, we can’t exactly catch them on Match of the Day or the Football League Show. During each transfer window, we suddenly see a rise in YouTube videos containing footballer’s goals and skills reels. North Stand Chat is always quick to the mark by posting almost every video of any player we are linked to before a signing is confirmed. This becomes the key basis of our opinions because this is the only snippet of each player’s ability we see before they – potentially – play for us. TAM.

PASCAL GROß

Cain Suleyman, 18, is a student photographer whose work has been shortlisted in the National Portrait Galleries’ annual photographic competition.

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SILLY MONEY UP FRONT

It’s weird being so ridiculously excited about a season in which we have absolutely zero chance of winning the league. Success will now not be being in the bottom three come 5pm on May 13th. A stark contrast from the last three decades, where success meant being in the top two or top six. Come what may at the end of the season, if we stay up or go down, I just want us to be competitive and do things trying hard and attempting to win. Middlesbrough, who stopped us going up last year, went back down scoring just 27 goals in 38 games, with the negative play that attracted lots of criticism from their fans, as well as afar. I just hope that’s not us! But, how do we compete in a league where we are so far behind in terms of finances? Just look at the gap between us and our first opponents Manchester City. Their back four of Kyle Walker, Otamendi, John Stones and Mendy cost a combined total of £182m, which is more than the cost of the Amex, the training ground and all of our signings in the club’s history put together. Just ridiculous! This doesn’t even take into account a £34m goalkeeper,

Stephen Dobbie

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Adrian Colunga

the cost of Aguero, De Bruyne and all the other stars they’ve bought, most of which were well over £25m each. As for us, our club-record signing Matt Ryan cost £5.2m, Knockaert was £2m, Murray £3m and Duffy £4m. Our squad cost in the region of £25m. Is it good enough to stay up though? We had a very good group last year, used to winning and we’ve improved it, with two attacking options, a keeper and a younger full back. But, is the step up too big? Against teams outside the top six, I can’t see us getting too many hidings, but scoring is what unnerves me a little. In my opinion, we have the weakest strike force in the division, one which needs the addition of a goalscorer to make us step up to the next level, someone with pace ideally! Hughton has already gone on record saying players valued at five to eight million at the start of window have already doubled in estimated value.

Just look at Naby Kieta; Arsenal were told they had to pay £27m in March, now Liverpool have had a £66m bid turned down just four months later. In a market inflated by Everton and City spending silly money, Lukaku going for £75m, and Neymar potentially signing a contract where his weekly wage would be double that of our entire squad, finding value is going to be very hard! Expecting a kid to progress through the youth ranks and be a star in the top division is asking the impossible too. On a recent tour of the training ground, I found out there were 160 kids in our academy. On the wall of their canteen is a mural of all the players who’ve made it to play in the first team since 2001. Just 27 players appear on that wall, that’s 27 players in 16 years, with most of those barely making 20 appearances between them. The obvious inspirations are Dunk and Solly March, who incidentally I think is going to be our stand-out player this season! The odds of making it as a footballer are so small. The odds of being a much sought-after one are even smaller, so you can see why the prices go up and up. Barber has already gone on record saying the value is in the foreign market, no matter how much they want an Englishman to lead the line. Our record for buying strikers isn’t too great in recent years. Zamora for £100k, Murray for

£300k, Ulloa for £2m being the only notable ones with success. Strikers we’ve recently paid money for include Craig Mackail-Smith, Will Hoskins, Jonny Dixon, Liam Dickinson, Craig Davies, Adrian Colunga, Roland Bergkamp, Elvis Manu, Stephen Dobbie, Sam Baldock and Ashley Barnes. The last two can claim to have had some kind of impact, but the rest have ranged from average to toilet, but that’s still about £8m of wasted investment. It’s the gamble we have to take, and this time on a larger scale. Buying is much better than relying on a loan player. Purchasing someone who is value for money on our small budget is hard, but then paying more for someone who will keep us up is a great investment. It’s a very tough job for Paul Winstanley and his team that’s for sure! If we get the right man, I believe we will stay up! Here’s to a fun season of trying! TAM. Brett M

@BrettMendoza

Will Hoskins

@TheAlbionMag

Farewell to a true Albion great We were all very saddened to hear of the death of our good friend Ed Bassford (aka ‘Lord Bracknell’ on North Stand Chat). I, like everyone who ever met him, had many wonderful conversations, debates and drinks with Ed ‘inveterate talker’ on a wide range of subjects, and always found him charming and engaging. Ed was, among many other things, a member of the Falmer For All team who worked so hard campaigning for the new stadium. An expert in so many areas of local government, Ed was able to offer his opinion and knowledge to the club on matters involving ‘City Hall’. For us mere mortals, he would attend the Public Inquiry hearings at Brighton Town Hall, make copious notes, and turn the hours of legal and argumentative gibberish into plain English. Not only did

he do that, but every time it seemed the NIMBYs had scored a point, or claimed a victory, Ed was able to correct these lies (sorry – misunderstandings), and point everyone back into the direction of the real world. It was a service he performed because not only did he clearly know what he was talking about, but he was also well aware of the anxiety us Brighton fans were feeling for the future of our football club. He didn’t do it for the mere love of the club (though that may well have come into it), he did it because he felt it was the right thing to do. For all of us. I remember, during the midst of a battle with Lewes District Council (a battle which got quite nasty at times), Ed was invited

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onto the BBC South East Sunday politics show to debate the matter with a Lewes District councillor. Needless to say, Ed absolutely wiped the floor with him, even at one point looking over his end-of-nose perched glasses at his adversary and giving him a look whereby the hithero kindly-schoolmaster air immediately dissipated, to be replaced with a withering ‘you stupid boy’ glance. Textbook. Such was his dedication and commitment he even stood for local government in Lewes for The Seagulls Party – that determined was he that Brighton & Hove Albion should have its prize. It was a joyous occasion when the stadium finally opened in 2011, and Ed and Roz could take satisfaction from knowing that they did their bit. Scratch that – they did an awful lot... My first real time of getting to know him was after North Stand Chat sponsored a match at Lewes FC in December 2005. We had a great time drinking (too much) Harvey’s on the terraces of the Dripping Pan – and Lewes won 5-4, after

“We, as Brighton fans, have so much to thank Ed for. First, last and always Ed was a great friend, a fine gentleman, and the honour was just in knowing him.”

being 4-0 down. Ed and Roz pitched up at our place later for the evening. They were, of course, delightful company, and a close friendship was born. They would also be our guests for several New Year’s Eves in a row, whereby we’d happily lay on a feast, ready for the stroke of midnight, then head up to the top of Blakers Park where Roz would offload her fireworks with all the enthusiasm of a six-year-old in a sweetshop. Ed would merely stand back, offer his cheeky grin, raise his eyebrows and sup the Champagne we’d opened to celebrate the New Year. It was down to that NSCsponsored match that the REMF matches moved to Lewes. I felt the Dripping Pan was a better

place to have the matches than Southwick, and I suggested as much to Ed. He put me in touch with the people running Lewes (Ed knew almost everyone in Lewes – and those whom he didn’t know certainly knew him). As a result, the REMF challenge matches have been played there every year – save for one at the Amex – ever since. Fast forward to four years ago. His illness obviously slowed him up physically, but his mind stayed as sharp as ever. The stubbornness with which he fought for so many causes (including Falmer) meant he had the tools within him to fight this battle with such tenacity. Even when that wretched disease came back for a re-match, Ed held out till until he had seen his beloved

Brighton & Hove Albion get promoted to the Premier League. We, as Brighton fans, have so much to thank Ed for. First, last and always Ed was a great friend, a fine gentleman, and the honour was just in knowing him. We raise a glass of Brunello di Montalcino (Ed’s favourite red wine from his days in Tuscany in 1970), or maybe a pint of Harvey’s to the sun, and offer our own thanks for who he was, and all he did for Brighton & Hove Albion. Our deepest condolences and all our love to Roz, Dan, Tom and Megan. We will all miss him very much. TAM. Alan Wares

@albionroar

@TheAlbionMagUTA

Oh, why must the summer end so soon? God, don’t tell me it’s the new football season already. Really? Must we? I was having such a nice summer. Decent weather, nice holiday (Portugal, since you ask), reading a few good books, buying myself a few records (yes, actual records: you should try them – a new vinyl album these days will set you back little more than, say, a

especially now. How appallingly ungrateful must I sound, now that we’re in the top flight, a mere 38 games away from Champions League qualification. Shouldn’t I be bursting with excitement at the prospect of what lies ahead? The Manchester Cities, the

“ I care way more than is good for my mental health. Going to the football gets me far too stressed – too tense, too edgy, too stupidly wound-up.”

three-bedroom mid-terrace near Preston Park), and generally having myself a bit of a chill. It’s been great. And now we have to go and spoil it, do we? How miserable is that? Blooming football. See, I appreciate that’s not the right attitude. In fact, it could hardly be wronger,

Liverpools, the Arsenals, the Chelseas etc. (even though there’s really only one of each of those clubs, and doing that thing where you talk about them in the plural is the hallmark of an utter twonk). Well, yes, of course I should. Be excited, I mean. And listen, I shall be, I promise, once I get

properly back into the swing of things. It’s just that, well, football turns me into a different person from the person I am during the close season. And, I don’t mean that in a good way. It’s not that I don’t care. Honestly, it’s quite the opposite, that’s the point I’m trying to make here. I care way more than is good for my mental health. Going to the football gets me far too stressed – too tense, too edgy, too stupidly wound-up. It turns me into a bit of a numpty. Or rather a lot of one. “Enjoy the game!” my wife will often merrily chime (or words to that effect) as I head off to the Amex on a Saturday. That, or maybe even: “Have fun!” To either of which I invariably reply: “Don’t worry, I won’t.” It’s almost become our ritual, that. Hilarious, sure, but also frustratingly true: I almost certainly won’t “enjoy” the game. Or at least no more than a few moments of it.

Mike Ward is TV Critic of the Daily Star, the Daily Express Saturday magazine and talkRADIO. You can read his regular column at www.mikeward.tv and download his weekly podcast, The Woolly Mammoth Revival, from iTunes and Soundcloud.

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come up to Goodison, actually rang me within minutes of the fixtures coming out, saying something along the lines of: “I bet you’ve put that date in your diary already, haven’t you?!” And I hated to disappoint him but I had to confess that, no, I hadn’t. In fact, I had no idea when we and Everton were even due to play, either home or away. Keep this to yourself but as I sit here and write this I still haven’t. But like I say, once we’re up and running with all this stuff then I’m fine. I reconnect. I accept that it’s going to be painfully tense for much of the season, same as ever, and that more often than not this will make me ultra-crabby. But what I do is come to embrace all that, to accept that it’s just the kind of fan I am, that I’ll always suffer more than celebrate – I’m sure I’m not alone in that – but

(Image: Pexels)

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll enjoy an actual goal, especially if it’s from Muzza or Sam Baldock or Anthony Ker-nockaert as I assume Sky Sports and BT will still insist on calling him. I’ll enjoy that almost as much as whoever scores it. I roar like an absolute animal whenever we score, I really do, you should hear me (I can never understand it when you see fans who just smile and politely clap a goal, as if they’re at a crown green bowls match). And naturally I enjoy the final whistle when we win, if only out of sheer, blessed relief. But the rest of it? Enjoy? Sorry, but I really don’t think that’s the word. I wish it were, but in all honesty I think “endure” would be more apt. So yes, I’ve not been able to join in all the feverish pre-season anticipation. Shame, really. An Evertonian mate of mine, who can’t wait for me to

that ultimately it all comes from a good place. My primeval roar whenever we score is effectively my release, my emotional outpouring, the bit where all that tension comes flooding out – rather like, oh I dunno, lancing a boil or piercing an ugly spot, if you’ll forgive the rather unpleasant analogy. And if we don’t score – or heaven forbid, don’t win – then I just have to find an alternative but socially acceptable way to get it out my system, such as getting sarcastic with the poor car park stewards. That bit I obviously do look forward to. But not half as much as they do, I’m sure. TAM. Mike Ward

@MikeWardOnTV

@TheAlbionMag

Keeping in touch Up until now, I think I’ve done fairly well at keeping the homesickness under control, but as we get closer and closer to the big day, I can’t help but feel a tinge of regret that I won’t be there to see it. Of course, things are much better for us far-flung fans than they used to be. If you go back only a couple of decades to 1997, when we left the Goldstone, in the

Manchester City to send us top of the table (I can dream, right?). All the technology certainly makes it easier to keep up with all things Albion. But, I’m not sure it will come close to replicating the feeling of getting off the train at Falmer, turning the corner and walking up the ramp with that glorious view of the Amex in front of you. And I don’t doubt for a second there will be a lump in my

“ All the technology certainly makes it easier to keep up with all things Albion. But, I’m not sure it will come close to replicating the feeling of getting off the train at Falmer”

days before smart phones, Twitter and football score apps, and when sites like North Stand Chat were in their infancy, my only options would have been either to hope that the Teletext or Ceefax signal was strong enough to make out our score when the page finally got there, or waiting for Final Score at 4:45 to find out how we’d done that day. These days, all I have to do is wait for my watch or phone to vibrate and I can find out at a glance who has put our fifth goal – without reply – past

throat when I see the stadium on Sky or Match of the Day, and more than a touch of jealousy towards those experiencing it for real. I also don’t doubt that when I sit down to watch us put those five goals past City on MotD, I’ll be cursing myself for choosing to be up here instead of there. As I have found out through the wonders of NSC, however, I am by no means the only Albion fan in exile in this part of the world, and so at least there is the comfort of knowing I’m probably not alone

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in that jealousy or those feelings. Of course, it is always nice to think there are at least a few people around who wouldn’t need our rivalry with Crystal Palace or our hatred of Mike Dean explained to them, and I hope to get the opportunity to meet up with some other fans as the season progresses. I’m under no more illusion than most other supporters that this season is going to be a tough one for the Albion – you only have to read the newspaper prediction columns and associated articles to see the general consensus seems to be we’re set for an immediate return to the Championship, while the mood among the locals here when it comes to the fortunes of their own newlypromoted team is far more upbeat. I even heard one fan talking, in all seriousness, of his belief that they’ll be in Europe this time next season! If I’ve learnt one thing from my years as a Brighton fan though, it’s that we’re not a club to be written off so easily and I feel sure that, whatever the eventual outcome to this season, we’ll have sprung a surprise result or two along

– from a distance the way. Should we take six points from a certain flock of Magpies... well, let’s just say I for one wouldn’t be complaining! I would like to close this column on a poignant note. A few days before I put pen to paper, it was announced that Albion fan Ed Bassford, or ‘Lord Bracknell’ as he was known to those of who frequent North Stand Chat, had passed away after a period of illness. I only met Ed in person a couple of times, but I know the incredibly dedicated work he and many others put in, including a few more no longer with us, that played such a vital role in securing our permanent home, and the launchpad for the Premier League adventure we’ll have started by the time you read this.

To Ed, and to all those who have fought so hard to get us to this point – thank you. TAM. Steve Brewer

@SteveJB84

@TheAlbionMag

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From the other side To those on the outside looking in, Crystal Palace’s rivalry with Brighton is a curious thing. Plenty make the mistake of thinking it’s purely down to geography whilst others write off its ferocity without a second thought. But to those on either side of the fence, there is no denying the hatred the two clubs have for one another. Given the fact that you’re reading this magazine, I’m sure I don’t need to explain the roots of this relationship but with the Albion all set to take on Palace again this season, I have been asked to give my perspective on what games against your lot truly feel like for those of a red and blue persuasion. Whilst clashes with the likes of Charlton and Millwall are always intense and fit far more neatly into the stereotypical parameters of a ‘derby game’, the majority of our fan-base will

freely admit to experiencing a greater sense of hatred for Brighton & Hove Albion than any other football club and if my own personal experiences are anything to go by, it’s a feeling that is reciprocated just as fiercely from your side of the divide. At 28, I can’t pretend to have been a part of the spell which kicked everything off between the two clubs but as someone who takes a great deal of interest in my team’s history, I am well versed in the origins of it all. For me, the blue-touch paper was truly re-lit when Brighton regained their place in the Championship under the guidance of Gus Poyet; a year which saw you move into your newly built home and lose Glenn Murray to us for the grand total of zilch. After years of unbalanced tension between us, it finally felt as though we were on something of a level playing field, which only served to ratchet up the stakes each time we met. From a personal point of view, I count our 3-1 win at the Amex in 2011 and our 2-0 play-off semi-final win on the same pitch in 2013 as two of my best ever experiences as a

fan, with the latter arguably the happiest I’ve ever been with a 90-minute performance in my life. I know it will be painful for you to read this but to beat you away from home, with two goals from an academy product when no-one had given us a chance really was as close to perfection as I think it’s possible to get. The lows are horrendous when you lose but conversely, there’s nothing quite like the buzz that’s created when you win a game of such magnitude. It may be a lesser known rivalry to many but as we head into the new season, both sets of supporters are sure to make their feelings on each another crystal clear. I’ve already got that nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach but I wouldn’t have it any other way. TAM. @HLTCO

@TheAlbionMagUTA

A two team teaser Let’s talk about conflict. Not something the English are normally keen to do; as a rule we’d much prefer to keep a lid on it, keep a stiff upper lip, turn the other cheek, all those wonderful clichés we hear so often which – to be honest – rarely work or help. But when it comes to football it’s a different story; the beautiful game is all about conflict, about beating the opposition. Whether we’re at the Amex as part of the Albion

outcome of the match? Then there’s the slightly less emotive issues, which is the best team in the league, what do you think of the ‘alternative’ kit? We see conflict in many guises: the good – physical battles to win a ball; the bad – trolling of players via social media; and, the downright ugly – Luis Suarez taking attacking to a whole new level. So, what impact does this have on our kids who watch, play and come to football matches with us, and what are the lessons to be learned?

“ For us, the new season is going to introduce conflict at a different level. Like many, we’ve always had our favourite Premiership side – in our case Arsenal. ”

faithful, on a wet and windy field supporting our kids, or down the pub with fellow fans we shout, scream and sometimes cry with joy, with anger and so often with frustration. It’s all so emotional, so un-English. And it doesn’t stop at the match. How many arguments have started post-match over a pint; was that goal offside, was the ball handled into the net, did he dive and the ultimate argument, did it change the

Think back to Knockaert heading across the pitch in pursuit of the ref when decisions went against him, physically restrained by Bruno intent on saving his team-mate from a booking or sending off. Clearly we empathise with the injustice of those incorrect decisions – no bias here – and understand why our midfield hero behaved as he did. But, has anyone ever got the ref to reverse a decision? Go back to March 2014, remember Chelsea v Arsenal, Oxlade-

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Chamberlain committed the offence (handball in the area), Gibbs left the field, regardless of admissions of guilt by the protagonist, protestations by the team, management and, of course, fans by their hundreds from the away end. Is it ever worth the argument? For us, the new season is going to introduce conflict at a different level. Like many, we’ve always had our favourite Premiership side – in our case Arsenal. But October will see us visit the Emirates, with the Gunners heading to good old Sussex by the sea for the rematch next March. And like most teens, mine shies away from difficult conversations, particularly with parents. Throw into the mix that his Dad is a lifelong Gooner and you start to understand why this

is such a quandary for the teen. For me there’s no question about who I’ll be supporting but for him, understandably, it’s a case of divided loyalty. The underlying issue here is not just about the team, it’s about the whole family dynamic. In football, we witness the centuries old tradition of tribal conflict, thankfully now most often verbal, as opposing supporters jeer and insult each other. Most of us understand that what can be shouted across segregated terraces is of a time and a place. Sure, we can abuse our fellow footie fans in the immediate vicinity of the football arena but as we move away from

the stadium this is no longer acceptable according to the usual societal norms. This in turn can help teach our teens the subtleties of adapting behaviour to suit the environment. So is all of this a good thing? In my view, it can be. As adults we all know there will be times when we have to accept other people’s opinions, judgements or values. At work, in school and at home there will always be occasions when we don’t agree with instructions we’re given or what is said by colleagues, teachers, friends or family. Sometimes we have to go with what we’re told, no arguments permitted, but there are occasions when we

need to put forward our view, even if it brings us into conflict with those around us. Learning which battles to fight, and which to walk away from, is one of life’s great lessons. On those many occasions last season when Knockaert’s heart got the better of his head, wasn’t the greater hero – and maybe the better role model for our kids – Bruno, El Capitán? Seeing the bigger picture, keeping the team together? Lots to be learned about the value of good leadership right there. TAM. Sandra Murphy

@BizDocSxCoast

Sandra loves living in Brighton, where she works as a Business Doctor. Now heading for her second year as an Albion season ticket holder, she’s optimistic the success she brings to local businesses, working with them to build teams and achieve goals, will be replicated on the pitch.

@TheAlbionMag

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“ So how do you think they’ll get on?” As I’m sure is the case for many of you reading, this is the question I am now conditioned to hear whenever someone spots my Albion hoodie, bag, wallet, season ticket or keyring. From the moment promotion to the top flight was confirmed, presumably until about 17.25 on August 12th, it’s been the question that folk who aren’t BHAFC season ticket holders have been pointedly asking me. I say ‘pointedly’, because as far as I’m concerned it’s a loaded question. Or at least my long-held insecurities make me hear it that way. “So how do you think they’ll get on?” is euphemistic for, “Do you think little old Brighton can possibly hope to avoid getting relegated from the richest and Best League In The World?” Each time I answer truthfully; I don’t know. We all know we might struggle to compete, but equally we all know that plenty of mediocre teams accrue enough points to survive in the Premier League each and every season. We know that, statistically, more teams actually stay up in their first season than immediately return to the

Championship, but we also know that statistics mean nothing. We also know that Leicester City narrowly survived in their first season (after winning the Championship comfortably despite us beating them twice) before going on to illustrate perfectly that our desire to join the elite division does not necessarily sentence us to years of hoping to finish 13th at best. If I knew how to predict football I guess I’d be a rich man. So much of it is circumstantial and at the mercy of the whims of fate and the reign of chaos that is human existence. Like the rest of us, all I can do is hope.

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I hope we make a good fist of it. I hope we keep all our best players fit and hungry. I hope we don’t go on a run of defeats that sucks all the belief out of both the squad and the fans. I hope that no-one unsettles Anthony Knockaert or poaches Chris Hughton. I hope that we don’t get humiliated 8-0 on live TV on the opening day. I hope… I hope… So, how do you think they’ll get on? TAM. Leon Cox

@ratsoalbio

@TheAlbionMag

(Image: Seagulls TV)

(Image: The Mancunian)

Vicarage Road

Ian Chapman

BRIGHTON BUT ONLY AT HOME’S Classic Away Days Not a place that evokes fond memories in many people. It’s where you get off the train for the Warner Brothers tour, there’s an Intu shopping centre – and that’s about it. Yet I remember my trips there – or at least small portions of them – vividly. For one thing, Watford had their own songs. I don’t mean

(Image: sportingheroes.net)

Ian Chapman

Watford

their fans were amazing at creating football songs and reciting them so the roof nearly came off the stand. I mean WE had special songs for them, because they were a) a ‘family’ club in an era when you could still get beaten up for wearing your colours to an away game and b) Elton John was their chairman. Therefore we sang ‘we’re going to nick your sweets and lollipops’ (we couldn’t as we were caged in a rotting terrace in front of a power station) and ‘Elton John is a homosexual’ which, frankly, was just a statement of fact and therefore a bit pointless. And homophobic. Terrace wit in the 1990s eh? But, on the particular day this story is really about what I didn’t sing. Why? Because I was amazingly well adjusted for my age and realised they were ridiculous? Of course not. It was because I was in the seats in the main stand, the Rouse Stand.

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How we’d got in there I don’t remember but it may have had something to do with press passes. The date was Tuesday 31st March 1992 and we’d spent the afternoon, as you do, watching The Budget on the TV of some dodgy backstreet pub behind a shopping centre. At some point a friend of mine, who had a little sideline blagging his way in to grounds by requesting press passes using totally made up letter heads belonging to a fake newspaper: a) this was before the internet; b) how much of a field day would Donald Trump have with that? He’d gone to Vicarage Road to pick up the pass he’d been promised and, on his return, it transpired that he’d not only succeeded but had gained a couple of extra passes to boot. It says a lot for the culture surrounding journalism in the 1990s that he managed to secure what can only be

continued on page 36 >

(Image: Watford Observer)

Sir Elton described as a bonus for rolling straight to the ticket office from the back bar of the Robert Peel. So we ended up taking them and had a seat more or less on the halfway line in the main stand, a perfect view – if not a perfect place – for reciting the Elton John song. Now 1991/92 was not a season you actually wanted to see us play football in that much detail. Having sold Mike Small and Johnny Byrne we were horrible throughout the campaign and eventually got relegated. At the end of March we were pretty close to going down already and were not expected to get anything from the trip to Watford. It may be that I’ve blanked almost the entire season (or that I’d spent the afternoon in the boozer) but I can’t remember much of the game detail (interestingly, discussing this the other day with my friend Steve, he finds it incredible I can remember

Sir Elton and Rod Stewart

anything from 1992 at all, but I digress). But I do remember that we won 1-0, that our goal came from a fantastic long range strike and that Watford unluckily hit the bar. Or that we scored a lucky goal and Watford hit the bar from a long range strike. One of the two. But we won and local boy Ian Chapman was in the team. I definitely remember being hit by a car park barrier on the way back to the station. Having successfully navigated the emerging car by going behind it I had absolutely forgotten that the barrier would be coming down again as it left, right where I was standing. So. To sum up. I have been posing as a journalist, watching an unlikely victory by an Albion team who were collectively signalling the beginning of the end, and I was possibly concussed. We decided to celebrate with more beer. Cans were bought for the train. Cans

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of Stella. This is important. Having navigated our way uneventfully back to Brighton we decided to go clubbing, as you do on a Tuesday night. At this point I had forgotten that I still had the match programme in my back pocket and a can of Stella in my coat pocket. Security not being tight on Tuesday nights I got both in to the club. And there was Ian Chapman. We almost literally walked in to him and he saw the programme in my pocket. We got talking. He was genuinely nice, thanked us for our support and offered us another beer. “Two more cans of Stella, yeah?” This was when the barman at The Event told him they didn’t sell cans of Stella. “But…” you could hear him saying to the barman, pointing in our direction. We hid them behind our backs. Waste not want not. TAM. Jason Thackeray

Cult # heroes Paddy McCourt

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ne day there will be a film made about Paddy McCourt, but for now you’ll have to make do with reading my ramblings about him as my latest cult hero. Remember that disgraceful spell we had when Sami Hyypia was manager and we completely forgot how to even vaguely play football? Yeah, that wasn’t actually that long ago was it? Do you also remember that fans were genuinely pinning their hopes on a player that couldn’t pass, shoot, cross, head a ball, tackle and had terrible positioning and game awareness? That player was a Northern Irish midfielder called Paddy McCourt who looked like someone who may bother you for spare change and played like that bloke on your Sunday League team who turns up five minutes before kick-off with a hangover – and he’s forgotten his boots. There was so much to admire about McCourt. I do genuinely feel if he’d been born about 20 years earlier he would have been a superstar (well, perhaps ‘superstar’ is pushing it a bit). He played like he should have been filmed in black and white on a boggy pitch with defenders trying to kick lumps out of him and a ludicrously posh commentator waxing lyrical about his dribbling skills. He was a real throwback to a time when fitness and tactical

awareness were less of a deal. An era when players would prepare for a game with a cigarette and a cup of tea before hanging out with the fans in the pub after the game. His dribbling ability was actually pretty good and he could beat a player with absolute ease. Unfortunately, he couldn’t always do a huge amount after that. In his, albeit brief, Albion career he didn’t contribute a single goal or assist and floated in and out of games. Now, that isn’t all entirely his fault. Our strikers that season were abysmal and putting chances on a plate for them would hardly have changed that fact. In fact, I do remember one time where McCourt played a glorious pass into a perfect area only for Chris O’Grady to be stood about ten yards out of position. McCourt’s best years were at Rochdale, Derry, Celtic and Barnsley. For Celtic he acquired the nickname ‘The Derry Pele’ which is perhaps one of the most audacious nicknames of all time, but it did reflect the fact that he had a pretty decent time north of the border – scoring nine goals in 66 games. McCourt was always going to be one of those players who would be capable of scoring great goals – and a very ‘YouTube friendly’ player – although having said that I’ve just watched a compilation where it’s just clips of him dribbling and either blasting shots over the bar,

hitting it straight at the goalkeeper or diving. In 2013, he moved south of the border to Championship side Barnsley. He had a decent season in South Yorkshire, despite his side being relegated. The highlight was his sensational goal against Middlesbrough; a sublime solo effort that was absolutely ‘vintage McCourt’ and was shortlisted for goal of the season. He also had a great game against the Albion that year when Barnsley defeated Oscar Garcia’s side. He signed for Brighton the following summer in what was generally an absolute shambles of a transfer window. For readers who may have missed Hyypia’s spell, it’s actually hard to put into words just how poor we were. The fact McCourt was a real ray of sunshine in that period was an indication of how bad it had got. When things aren’t going well fans are likely to cling on to anything they can. This is how cult heroes are born. Our complete inability to score goals was frustrating fans to the point where sections of support were chanting for the introduction of the ‘Derry Pele’. Fans would start to buzz with excitement when he was warming up – not too dissimilar to the reaction that Vicente received (I’m not even joking there). But, those who saw McCourt in action quickly realised he wasn’t

the answer. His dribbling ability was exciting but he had no end product whatsoever, looked pretty unfit and his tendency to wander out of position did more harm than good in a team that was remarkably fragile in midfield. Cries for his inclusion soon died out. Chris Hughton rapidly shifted McCourt out on loan to Notts County for the remainder of the season and he joined Luton Town that summer. After one season there he returned to his homeland for personal reasons and is currently playing for Irish side Finn Harps. He will probably be fondly remembered by most fans and he was a hugely likable chap. If only he’d learned how to pass he’d be an Albion legend. TAM. Tom Stewart

@OfficialTStew

BRIGHTTON ON BRIGH & N VE AL ALBIO HOVE BION & HO PA DDYY MC OURT MCC CO PADD UR T

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Pre-Season

Rob O’Toole in action for Shoreham

By the time the ink dries at the printers on this article the non-league season will be well underway. Teams will already have been knocked out of the Pre-Preliminary round of the FA Cup and the very thin hopes of getting to their ‘final’ – the FA Cup First round proper – will have been crushed. When we think of pre-season, the mind tends to turn to last year’s team getting together after a holiday, doing fitness training on the beach (or some far away exotic country like Austria) with a couple of friendlies to bed in the new signings. But, when it comes to non-league, it is far more difficult than that as players move around more frequently and almost entire new squads have to be formed. So far I’ve heard… • A young (very accomplished) player has left his team

because he doesn’t like the extra travelling since they were promoted. • One player was wanted by another club and said he would only come if his mate could sign up as well – his mate played in the following friendly without having previously trained with the team. • T he ageing ex-pro who will leave it until the last minute to choose which team will have the benefit of his experience. • T hen there’s the story of young players who decide to stop playing and concentrate on university. On top of that, professional clubs come in and offer players two-to-three week trials and leave the non-league club somewhat in the lurch whilst they decide if he’s good enough to join their ranks. There are many more stories, but I have seen the difficulties

(Image: Shoreham Herald)

Non League Matters first hand in how hard it is to keep a steady squad at non-league level. On a final note, one player I think deserves a mention is Rob O’Toole, who recently signed for Horsham, his sixth different club in the past six seasons. The real story here is that he has won the league at each of his last five clubs over that period: Peacehaven & Telscombe, East Preston, Burgess Hill Town, Haywards Heath Town and, of course, last year in controversial circumstances with Shoreham. That earns him the title of ‘most consistent non-league player’ and possibly the most successful’. If I was a betting man I’d be sticking a couple of quid on Horsham winning the league this year… You read it here first! TAM. Dean Kilford

@TAMRadioShow

Dean Kilford is a presenter and football commentator who has his roots firmly planted in Sussex. He hosts The Albion Mag Radio Show on www.1BrightonFM.co.uk and 101.4FM with guests covering all things Albion, as well as shining a spotlight on our non-league clubs.

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Where football really is the business Ask any Albion fan, of any age, if they’d like a chance to play on the Amex’s hallowed turf and the resounding answer will a solid ‘yes please’. Having featured in a staff match while working for AITC four years ago, I can vouch for the once-in-a-lifetime experience it really is. Admittedly, it was made all the sweeter by scoring a 20-yard half-volley, from the edge of the South Stand box, against a very agile Palace fan between the sticks who desperately tried to keep my piledriver out of the top corner. But, I don’t like to talk about it so we’ll leave that magical moment right there. Helping young men across the county achieve their football dreams, FirmBalls teamed up with Albion in the Community to

host the ultimate 7-a-side tournament at Falmer back in May. Twenty local companies descended on the real Theatre of Dreams to see what it’s like to grace the grass where Knockaert ghosts past defenders, Murray nets winners, and thousands of fans celebrated Premier League promotion just the month before. FirmBalls head honcho, Sam Thomas, kicked off proceedings at 10.30am as 200 players – in four divisions of five teams – competed in the three-hour long group stages. Much like most major football tournaments, the top two teams

in each group progressed to the quarter finals, the knockout stages. Not before Albion mascot Gully had made a guest appearance with his trademark gangly walk, silently interacting with the players and their supporters. After five hours of excellent football, very much played in the right spirit, it was semi-finals time. Who needs Wembley Stadium when you have the Amex? First up was Precision Homes (Hastings) against My Sales (Brighton), then Dine-Amos (Brighton) faced Mazars (London). As you’d expect from four teams making the last four, the contests matched their

Tournament winners: My Sales.

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surroundings, as each team sprayed the ball around as if they played there every other week for years. But, on the day, it was My Sales and Mazars who made it through to the showpiece final. Both teams did the tournament justice and, after a tight encounter, My Sales just edged the exciting final 2-1. “We really appreciate all the support we have received from Sam and the team at FirmBalls over the last two years. The funds they help raise such a

Runners up: Mazars.

huge contribution to supporting everything we do here. We look forward to continuing to work with them in the future,” said Emma Brockhurst, AITC fundraising executive. Sam Thomas has the final word on the tournament: “I was overwhelmed by the support for our event, which was a truly great spectacle. It raised nearly just over £13,500k for AITC

Carr & Priddle.

and it was fantastic to see the business community come together through the power of sport to really make a difference.” TAM. Dan Tester

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Hart Brown.

Firmballs – the five-a-side football leagues for businesses and professionals. With over 20 leagues across Sussex and more nationwide – including women’s and veterans – it’s the perfect place to build your business network while keeping fit and healthy. Find your nearest league here: www.firmballs.com

www.www.firmballs.com

@Firmballs1

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A Brighton fan in Croydon When the rivalry with our good friends from up the A23 started in earnest during the 1976/77 season, I was living 6,000 miles away in Cape Town so missed the beginning of the infamous relationship between the two clubs. When I first watched the Albion in the 1960s it was Luton who were rivals in the era of Malcolm Macdonald and, due to their proximity, Portsmouth for a time, although we played them rarely in those days. If we’re brutally honest, Crystal Palace have enjoyed the greater football success in the past 40 years, although they had the distinct advantage of not having their ground sold from under them, relocating to Gillingham for two seasons or playing for over a decade at a converted athletics track. A couple of flirtations with bankruptcy, yes, but apart from two glorious seasons in the early 1980s following their ignominious relegation with just six wins in 1980/81, they have somehow managed to remain at least on a par or a division or two above us. They even reached the FA Cup final, prompting Attila the Stockbroker to write the brilliant Donkey Derby in tribute. However, the gory days of the late 1990s meant Albion fans had other matters with which to concern themselves

and whatever Palace were up to temporarily took a back seat. Leyton Orient briefly became the team to hate following the 4-4 draw at the Goldstone 1997, before finally the Albion made it back to the second tier of English football and the proper rivalry resumed.

and the supermarket car park full of police vans. Kick-off was delayed 15 minutes to accommodate the sell-out crowd – a rarity at Selhurst in those days. Repeating the score line here is painful, but Albion were outclassed from beginning to end and to be frank 5-0 was a fair

“ There is nothing worse than having people who wouldn’t know the difference between the Premier League and the Ryman League taking the proverbial because someone told them it would be funny.”

In October 2002, I had just started working for what was then Southern Counties Radio and was invited to the game to assist with Ian Hart’s post-match phone-in show. My knowledge of the back streets of south London meant that I drove commentator Andrew Hawes to the ground and found a parking space where I assured him that all four wheels on the BBC car would be in place on our return. The atmosphere before the game was tense to say the least

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reflection of the match. Working in Croydon made the result even more unpleasant for me. There is nothing worse than having people who wouldn’t know the difference between the Premier League and the Ryman League taking the proverbial because someone told them it would be funny. Three years later Paul McShane gave us something to cheer and it was my turn to gloat and wear an Albion shirt to work the following day. “Dare to dream”, shouted Andrew Hawes as the winner hit the back of the net. The Evening Standard printed the following: ‘For Palace fans, being beaten by Brighton at home is as bad as it gets. For reasons totally unfathomable to the rest of the football nation, the two sets of

supporters detest each other with a passion rarely seen outside the Balkans. No wonder Iain Dowie was “angry and disappointed” after the feeble midweek display.’ To this day I sign the occasional email with these two lines. Puerile yes, but I know it annoys the recipients. Palace fans will gleefully point to their play-off success and subsequent promotion. I console myself with the knowledge that the vast majority of them have to live in the cultural wasteland that is Croydon To me the rivalry isn’t simply about the football. It’s about the enormous difference in attitudes

between Brighton and Croydon. For example, I watched men of middle age outside Selhurst Park teaching small kids to sing ‘We scored three, they scored none, Brighton take it up the bum’ which to most people is unacceptable in this day and age, although I am sure there are decent Palace fans who would abhor that type of behaviour. Burning down half the place in the 2011 riots did nothing to endear the town to anyone. The marvellous Pip Henderson nails these differences in the song Croydon, a parody of Alice Cooper’s Poison, and is a must-watch on YouTube.

Just occasionally, though, the rivalry is set aside for good causes. I confess to rattling a collection box with a Palace fan wearing one of their shirts to raise money for the Martlets Hospice. And of course there’s the annual REMF fixture. Sometimes there are more important things in life than football. However, for many reading this November 28th cannot come soon enough and the resumption of hostilities. May the spirit of Spanish Dave be with us so I can hold my head high the following day! Simon Levenson

@sasta68

An Albion fan since 1962, Simon worked as a matchday producer for BBC Sussex at the Amex for five years. Nowadays, he concentrates on writing for Brighton’s Treason Show and London’s Newsrevue. He has also written two shows; Mein Kampervan and recent Fringe sell out Southern Fail the Musical.

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A little trip down memory lane… There is one thing we can definitely say about our football club – it’s never boring! The following excerpts are taken from my book Brighton & Hove Albion: On This Day, and feature a few windows into what life used to be like in Albion world.

first time, with a sponsor – British Caledonian Airways. While another – crooked one – was soon to be sent packing 17 years later.

Saturday 15th August 1970 Peter O’Sullivan made his Albion debut in the 0-0 home draw with Torquay United. Joining the club as a 19-year-old, the Welshman graced the left flank with distinction during his 11 years with the club. A full Welsh international, ‘Sully’ scored 43 goals in 491 appearances. A former chairman found a way of alienating the Goldstone faithful:

Saturday 16th August 1980 At the risk of incurring the wrath of every Albion fan, Mike Bamber dispensed with Good Old Sussex by the Sea in favour of Gonna Fly Now from Rocky, after a visit to San Diego Sockers in the North American League. The crowd of 19,307 saw the team run out in all blue shirts adorned, for the

Saturday 16th August 1997 Albion’s first ‘home’ league game at Gillingham – a 1-1 draw watched by just 2,336 fans – was also Macclesfield Town’s first in the Football League. A thoroughly depressing day for everyone connected to the Albion.

Sammy Nelson and Steve Gatting. The 28,604 crowd was the fourth highest that season; Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs attracted 29,000plus. Only the visit of Stoke City recorded a sub-20,000 Goldstone gathering. Twenty years earlier, a 30,000+ crowd was in attendance for the first match of the campaign. Take note those who constantly refer to ‘little’ Brighton & Hove Albion!

Saturday 22nd August 1959 Another first: the inaugural match in the top division.

Saturday 18th August 1979 Albion’s first game in the First Division was at home to FA Cup holders Arsenal. Unfortunately, the Gunners hadn’t read the script as Republic of Ireland international Frank Stapleton, bubble-permed Alan Sunderland (twice), and future Albion boss Liam Brady all netted in the 4-0 win. Future Brighton players in the Gunners squad included

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The biggest crowd for an opening game at the Goldstone, 31,828, for the visit of Aston Villa, newly relegated from the top flight. The West Stand was under construction. Record £13,000 purchase, Bill Curry, made his debut in the 2-1 reverse. The striker arrived from Newcastle United and netted 26 times, including three hat-tricks, in his first season. He left for Derby County for a £12,000 fee in September 1960.

(Image: The Goldstone Wrap)

Another healthy 20,000+ crowd – in the fourth tier – to witness an unlikely debut:

Saturday 22nd August 1964 Just six months earlier, Bobby Smith had been banging in the goals for First Division Tottenham Hotspur, and England. Today, the big centre forward made his debut for Brighton & Hove Albion… in the Fourth Division! A Goldstone crowd of 20,058 were not disappointed as the striker bagged a brace as Archie Macaulay’s team swept aside Barrow 3-1. The barnstorming hitman had scored 208 goals in 317 senior games for Spurs, 33 of them in the club’s double-winning season. He and his strike partner Jimmy Greaves are the only Spurs players to have reached the double-century mark for the north London club. Bobby scored 13 times in 15 outings for England, the last run-out coming just a few months before his Albion debut.

Saturday 26th August 1922 George Moorhead, the first player to represent Albion who was born outside the UK and Ireland – in New Zealand – made his one and only appearance in the 0-0 home draw with Norwich City. A fine example of club loyalty…

Saturday 30th August 1919 One of the most important men in the club’s history, Charlie Webb began his managerial career with a 2-1 defeat at Brentford in the Southern League First Division. The Irishman played three times for his country during a seven-year Goldstone playing spell that saw 79 goals in 275 appearances at inside-left. On demob after World War I in 1919, Charlie took on the immense task on rebuilding the Albion. In the proceeding 28 years, the great man built many a fine team on a shoestring budget and turned down the chance to take

charge of Tottenham Hotspur to stay at the club he loved. More drama than a soap opera...

Saturday 3rd September 1983 Chelsea fans in the 20,874 crowd celebrated their 2-1 Second Division victory by snapping the North Stand crossbar at the Goldstone. Opposition full-back Chris Hutchings was arrested for refusing to leave the pitch on police orders. By the time he was convicted by Hove magistrates he was an Albion player! It would be the last 20,000-plus crowd for a home league fixture until the first game at Falmer in 2011. TAM. Dan Tester

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2016/17 I’ve been an Albion fan since I was a kid, and the first few years were filled with heartache. My dad took me to my first match on the back of his motorbike when I was 11. We lost 3-0 to Blackburn Rovers, and at the end of the season (1991/92) Jack Walker’s club were promoted to the newly formed Premier League, while we were relegated from Division Two to what would have been Division Three but became the new Division Two. Obviously what was to follow was a bleak period in the club’s history. From then it’s been an arduous road to success, and it doesn’t quite seem real that we’re going to be playing in the Premier League alongside some of the greatest players in

the world. I designed the infographic on the opposite page as a permanent reminder of what I consider the most pivotal season since I’ve been watching the Albion. Although many of us are bitterly disappointed we weren’t promoted as champions, the graphic highlights some of the lesser known facts about the season which helped get some perspective: such as the fact that no club in the Championship had more clean sheets than us, and there were 12 teams who spent more than us in transfer fees in the last five seasons. Nicola Davies

Nicola is donating £1 of every print sold to Kick It Out, the campaign to end discrimination – such as racism and homophobia – in football. Order your print here – www.artoffielding.co.uk/bha. At the ‘checkout’, type in the code: Digweed.

www.kickitout.org

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ALBION IN THE COMMUNITY

Meet

Albion in the Community Dan Garrett Dan Garrett is AITC’s PE and school sport development officer. He works in the charity’s schools team, co-ordinating a group of coaches who deliver physical education in a growing number of local schools. He has worked for AITC since 2011 and been in his current role since September last year.

Describe an average day in your role? “We have schools all over Sussex so I travel around a bit. We have a great set of coaches who are the frontline of our relationships with schools so I like to get out as often as I can to see them delivering and look at how we can support them. I might even support the odd PE lesson myself. I spend time with the schools to maintain our relationship and meet with new schools to look at how we might be able to help them.”

Do you have any special qualifications for your job? “I am a Level 2 football coach and I have a Level 3 Certificate in Supporting the Delivery of PE & School Sport. Having this qualification allows me to have a

much better insight when working with coaches on their delivery and also be more familiar with the requirements and expectation of a school.”

What do you find inspiring about the work you do within schools? “Every day I work in an environment that supports children to achieve more, become more active and improve their overall health and wellbeing. Seeing what children can achieve even in the face of some significant social or developmental challenges is a huge motivation for me.”

What is the best thing about working for Albion in the Community? “I’ve supported the football club since I was six years old. The Albion is in my blood. There are not many football fans out there who wouldn’t love to work in and around the club they support so I regard myself as very lucky.”

How can people reading this help? “If you’re a parent of a young child, especially at primary age,

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simply encouraging your child to engage with sport and exercise can make a massive difference. Half our battle is motivating kids to take part and parents can play a huge role in helping drive that.”

What different benefits do you feel your role provides local schools? “Primary school teachers in particular often qualify as teachers with little training or experience in delivering PE lessons. Often schools rely on

AITC events: August – December Throughout August: Brighton & Hove Albion Soccer Schools. Venues include Brighton, Billingshurst, Eastbourne, Uckfield, Worthing, Steyning, Newhaven, Hassocks and Worthing. Book online at: www.albion inthecommunity.org.uk.

August – December: Fortnightly football for people who are partially-sighted. University of Brighton, Falmer. Email: disability@albion inthecommunity.org.uk.

August – December: Fortnightly football for people with autism.

American Express Elite Football Performance Centre, Lancing. Email: disability@albion inthecommunity.org.uk.

August – December: Fortnightly football for people with cerebral palsy or who use a frame. University of Brighton, Falmer. Email: disability@albioninthe community.org.uk for details.

teachers who have an interest in sport to take the lead in driving sport unless they are lucky enough to have a PE co-ordinator in place, but with increasingly tight education budgets, this is a luxury many schools can’t afford. My role helps to bridge this gap by building relationships with schools and placing qualified and experienced coaches in a school to deliver high-quality sport while helping the teachers improve their confidence and ability to run a PE lesson.”

As a charity AITC obviously encourages people to do some fundraising? What would you say to anyone thinking about fundraising for the charity? What difference does their support make? “I would feel pretty confident in saying that AITC will deliver a programme that could impact anyone reading this article’s life whether it’s directly or through a friend or family member. To be able to do that takes money.” Every pound we receive counts.

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9th August and each subsequent Wednesday afternoon: Brighter Outlook Walking Football, Preston Park, Brighton. Walking football for people who have, or have had cancer. Email: brighteroutlook@albioninthe community.org.uk to book.

16th August: Free football day for people who have Down’s syndrome. American Express Elite Football Performance Centre, Lancing. Email: disability@albioninthe community.org.uk to book.

19th August: Junior amputee football session. American Express Elite Football Performance Centre, Lancing. Email: disability@albioninthe community.org.uk to book.

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ALBION IN THE COMMUNITY

Football for everyone As one of the largest providers of football opportunities for people with a disability in the south, AITC helps hundreds of people to play regular football throughout Sussex. The charity runs more than 25 inclusive football sessions for junior and adult players each fortnight at venues in Brighton, Worthing, Horsham, Lancing, Burgess Hill, Eastbourne and Chichester. These include regional talent centres for players who have cerebral palsy, are partially-sighted or deaf, plus an elite player pathway for local players who have a disability. AITC also has a growing number of teams that compete in either the Sussex Disability Football League or on a regional or national level. The national league teams play under the banner of Brighton & Hove Albion and include Brighton & Hove Albion Powerchair FC, who came third in the highest powerchair league in the country, and Brighton & Hove Albion Cerebral Palsy FC. Many of the teams also train at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre. There are also new sessions for people with autism and young players who use a frame. Being able to provide people who have a disability with the chance to play regular football at a range of levels is an important part

of AITC’s work. It is also an area that has a genuine and significant impact on people’s lives. Danny Hemsley is one of the many people who play football with AITC. He is also a perfect example of the positive impact football can have. His story will be familiar to regular readers when he featured in TAM 3, after being called up to the Great Britain squad. Since then he has being presented with the Sarah Watts Inspiration Award at last season’s Brighton & Hove Albion player awards. He was certainly a worthy recipient. Danny, for those unfamiliar with his story, lost a leg when he tripped and fell through a glass table while helping a friend move furniture. He was rushed to hospital by helicopter and surgeons spent five days trying to save his leg. When their attempts were unsuccessful, Danny benefitted from amazing support from his friends and family and then decided he would do all he could to not let his injury stop him living his life to the full. He explained: “I just got it in my head that you’ve got one leg, just get on with it.” Having heard about a new team being launched by Albion in the Community,

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cont... 31st August: Free football day for girls. Danny found himself attending a launch session at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre. Now he is heading into his second season as a BHAAFC player. For Danny, being given the chance to play the sport he loves again is something he will always be grateful for. “I’ve played football since I was five years old. Being part of AITC has given me a new lease of life,” he said. “You’ve got your team and you’ve got your friends. I couldn’t imagine life without football.” Danny is not alone in benefiting from AITC’s football programme. In fact, more and more people are taking part in the charity’s regular sessions. And, like Danny, more people are being given the chance to compete on a national or regional level as part of AITC’s teams. While many of AITC’s sessions are inclusive, meaning anyone with a disability can take part, many national competitions are disabilityspecific. Over the last 12 months or so

the charity has therefore tried to establish competitive pathways for players with a disability – a move that has resulted in a number of new disability-specific teams being formed. This season has seen AITC launch Brighton & Hove Albion Down’s Syndrome FC (BHADSFC). The plan is for the squad to play regular, competitive matches and AITC is also in discussions with a number of other football clubs’ community schemes in an effort to establish a league. The team have now played two matches – one at the American Express Community Stadium and the other at The Valley, home of Charlton Athletic – and have begun training at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre in Lancing. Around 20 players are now regularly attending the training sessions, which take place either on the community pitch, or inside the club’s football dome. And they were given a surprise recently when Liam Rosenior, who is one of AITC’s official ambassadors, took time out of his pre-season preparations to attend a session. It was filmed by the BBC and a feature on AITC is scheduled to appear on one of the Sunday morning editions of Match of the Day in the opening weeks of the new Premier League season.

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American Express Elite Football Performance Centre, Lancing. Email: soccerschools@albion inthecommunity.org.uk for more details.

7th September: Footgolf tournament to raise money for AITC.

Mid Sussex Golf Club, Ditchling. Email: fundraising@albioninthe community.org.uk to book a team of four.

18th September to 20th November. Shape Up at the Stadium.

Weekly free healthy lifestyle course for men. Email: health@albioninthe community.org.uk.

14th October: Albion in the Community takeover game. Brighton & Hove Albion v Everton.

American Express Community Stadium. Bring a donation for the AITC bucket collection and help fund the charity’s work throughout Sussex.

9th November: Albion in the Community Quiz Night.

American Express Community Stadium. Email: fundraising@ albioninthecommunity.org.uk to book a team.

December: Seagulls Santa Dash festive fundraising fun for all the family. Date to be confirmed. Email: fundraising@albionin thecommunity.org.uk for more information.

August-December: Albion in the Community’s Speak Up Against Cancer.

The team is available to visit your workplace to talk about signs and symptoms of cancer. Email: health@albioninthe community.org.uk.

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Brighton & Hove Albion 1982/83 Back row:

Middle row:

Front row:

Steve Gatting. Defender. 23. Dropped after 16 League games before returning to right-back towards the end of the season.

Glen Wilson. Kit manager. Long servant at the Goldstone, having previously been a left-half at the club.

Jimmy Melia. Manager. Chief scout who grabbed the limelight as caretaker manager. Started with an emphatic 3-0 win over Norwich City.

Gary Stevens. Defender. 21. His cup-final equaliser capped a Man of the Match performance at Wembley.

Chris Ramsey. Defender. 20. Re-introduced to the side in December but Whiteside’s horrific challenge ended his Wembley experience.

Perry Digweed. Goalkeeper. 22. Played in the famous 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield in the FA Cup fifth round.

Gerry Ryan. Utility player. 26. Had a decent stint at right-back after replacing the withdrawn Ramsey in the Final.

Graham Moseley. Goalkeeper. 28. Made two outstanding late saves in the semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday.

Gordon Smith. Forward. 27. Put the Seagulls 1-0 up in the FA Cup Final but missed a glorious chance in the last minute of extra-time.

Sammy Nelson. Defender. 33. A World Cup 1982 left-back who lost his place to Graham Pearce in January. Michael Robinson. Forward.

24. Robbo got the winner at

Highbury and set Smith up for his famous last-ditch chance. Andy Ritchie. Forward. 21. Left for Leeds in March in a straight swop with Terry Connor.

Graham Pearce. Defender. 23. Made his Albion debut in the 1-1 draw with Ipswich on the opening day of the season. Giles Stille. Defender. 23. A fringe player who made just nine League appearances in 1982/83 Mike Yaxley. Physio. Joined the Albion staff in 1968/69. A fully qualified FA coach.

Other players who made appearances for the Albion in 1982/83 were Terry Connor, Gary Howlett, Neil McNab, Kieran O’Regan, Michael Ring, Chris Rodon and Don Shanks. Ages correct on 1st August 1982.

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Tony Grealish. Midfielder. 25. Tenacious ball winner who captained the Seagulls in the FA Cup Final. Jimmy Case. Midfielder. 28. Scored important goals against Manchester City, Liverpool, Norwich and Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup run. Steve Foster. Defender. 24. ‘Specky’ scored his first Albion goal in the cup match against Manchester City. Peter Ward. Forward. 27. Got the FA Cup run underway with an unexpected winner against Newcastle in January. George Aitken.

Assistant Manager.

Was appointed joint temporary manager along with Melia but played a deputy role. @GoldstoneRapper

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Albion v Manchester City – A history in programmes We have played Manchester City 17 times in our history: eight in the top flight, six in Division Two, twice in the FA Cup and once, on a memorable night at Withdean, in the Carling Cup. The first meeting was way back in 1924, in the third round of the FA Cup. The Goldstone was packed, with 24,734 inside. Programmes for this game are ultra rare so if you have one, please let me know. I don’t want (can’t afford) to buy it, I just want to touch it! We were hammered 5-1 and some brief footage of the game is held in the British Film Institute archive. You can see it at: http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/ watch-football-the-cup-actionfrom-the-third-round-of-the-facup-1924/ Fast forward 55 years and we travelled to Maine Road for just our second ever away game in the top flight.

Programmes were not the slick professional publications we see today but they did, however, give a brilliant insight into days gone by. In 1979 Manchester, you could have a Sunday lunch in the Bell Waldron restaurant for £2.50. Or how about a pair of ‘punched mudguard’ shoes for £19.95? No, I don’t know what they are either! In welcoming Albion to Maine Road, the editorial speaks to Alan Mullery, getting his reflections of the previous week’s game against Arsenal. He was disappointed but said: “We’ve got to be realistic and accept punishment for making mistakes.” In ‘Captain’s Corner’, skipper Brian Horton talks to Peter Gardner of the Manchester Evening News. Nobby was annoyed at people “writing us off in this way” and also says “we are not a small town club”. He also explains his rise to the top flight with the Seagulls.

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The following season, City’s programme hadn’t changed too much, although the ‘visitor’s dossier’ took up four pages. John Roberts of The Daily Mail gave a ‘Special Eye View’ of the Albion. He looks at the struggle at the foot of the Division One table, which also featured City that season. He also focuses on the partnership between manager Alan Mullery and chairman Mike Bamber, with “both going through a critical phase for their club”. We survived by the skin of our teeth in 1980/81 and the following season, our clash with City was a top-half fixture. City were fourth, behind top club Southampton, and Albion were eighth. ‘Facts and figures about Brighton’ take up the centre pages of the programme, with a brief piece about the troubled Albion career of Micky Thomas. In 1982/83, we travelled north for the pre-Christmas fixture. City’s programme cover was covered in seasonal trees and holly, but the picture of the first-team squad gathered around a couple of Saab cars, wasn’t

particularly festive. John Roberts again penned a piece, entitled ‘The Mail Man’s message’. Mike Bailey had just left his role at the Albion and Roberts talked about the ‘fresh approach’ to be applied by Mike Bamber. Albion and City were relegated at the end of 1982/83 and the next two visits to Maine Road were for second-division fixtures. In November 1983, Joe Corrigan was returning to Maine Road as an Albion player. The City programme paid tribute to the big man, who played 476 times for City in a 16-year career. They wished him “one of the warmest welcomes” but obviously didn’t

tell the players, as City won 4-0. The following season brought promotion for City and when we went to Manchester in February 1985, we were in with a chance of going up as well. City were third, which was where they eventually finished, being promoted on goal difference ahead of Portsmouth. We were seventh and a 2-0 win for City was to cost us dear. We finished two points behind City and Pompey, with a superior goal difference to Portsmouth. City’s programme that day contained adverts for revolutionary products such as Canon personal copiers and from Philips, automatic washing machines and microwave ovens. We again came together in Division Two at the end of the

1980s. In 1988/89 we were back in the second tier and travelled to Maine Road at the end of September. City used the programme to advertise their new hi-tech ‘dial-a-seat’ service, whereby fans could book tickets for home and away games via telephone “from the comfort of their home”. Just two pages were given over to the Albion, by that time managed by Barry Lloyd. The return fixture at the Goldstone on 1st April 1989 was the last time we played a league fixture against City. The meeting since then was that incredible night at Withdean in September 2008. All this means that in the run up to Saturday 12th August 2017, we are unbeaten against Manchester City in nearly 30 years!! Ian Hine

@Hiney2708

Ian Hine is a self-confessed Albion anorak now living in Southampton. His first game was in August 1968 and he’s been collecting programmes ever since. In a moment of madness eight years ago, he thought it would be a good idea to digitise his whole collection. He’s still scanning!

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Good Old Sussex By The Sea Now is the time for marching, Now let your hearts be gay, Hark to the merry bugles Sounding along our way. So let your voices ring, my boys, And take the time from me, And I’ll sing you a song as we march along, Of Sussex by the Sea!

Sometimes your feet are weary, Sometimes the way is long, Sometimes the day is dreary, Sometimes the world goes wrong; But if you let your voices ring, Your care will fly away, So we’ll sing a song as we march along, Of Sussex by the Sea.

Chorus

Chorus and Refrain

For we’re the men from Sussex, Sussex by the Sea. We plough and sow and reap and mow, And useful men are we; And when you go to Sussex, whoever you may be, You may tell them all that we stand or fall For Sussex by the Sea!

Light is the love of a soldier, That’s what the ladies say – Lightly he goes a wooing, Lightly he rides away. In love and war we always are As fair as fair can be, And a soldier boy is the ladies’ joy In Sussex by the Sea.

Refrain Oh Sussex, Sussex by the Sea! Good old Sussex by the Sea! You may tell them all we stand or fall, For Sussex by the Sea. Up in the morning early, Start at the break of day; March till the evening shadows Tell us it’s time to stay. We’re always moving on, my boys, So take the time from me, And sing this song as we march along, Of Sussex by the Sea.

Chorus and Refrain Far o’er the seas we wander, Wide thro’ the world we roam; Far from the kind hearts yonder, Far from our dear old home; But ne’er shall we forget, my boys, And true we’ll ever be To the girls so kind that we left behind In Sussex by the Sea. Chorus and Refrain

Chorus and Refrain

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PREMIER LEAGUE ALBION WILL HANG ON TO HUGHTON

(Image: North Stand Chat)

A FOOTBALL MANAGER’S LOT IS A PRECARIOUS ONE. And being manager of Brighton & Hove Albion is no different from being the gaffer of any other professional club in the country. With the exception of Arsene Wenger, now into his 21st season at Arsenal, and 66-year-old Grimsby Town boss Alan Buckley, who has been in football management since

1979, the rest are cannon fodder at the whim of each chairman. If we ignore caretaker managers such as Martin Hinshelwood, Nathan Jones and Bob Booker, since I started following the Albion in 1967 we have gone through 28 managers in 50 years. That is an average tenure of 21 months each! If we

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take Barry Lloyd out of the equation, who was the boss for an amazing seven years, that average drops to 19 months each for the rest. Yet, we have had some amazing managers along the way… Brian Clough, Peter Taylor (the first one), Alan Mullery and Micky Adams, all spring to mind.

Some departures were quick and expected. Martin Hinshelwood’s disastrous start to the 2002/03 season was almost matched by Sami Hyypia in 2014. Both were unsurprisingly sacked. But others have been unexpected: Cloughie departing for Leeds United after just nine months in 1974, Alan Mullery leaving in 1981, while we were still holding our own in the First Division, Dean Wilkins stepping aside for Adams’ second spell in 2008 and, of course, Oscar Garcia leaving after guiding the club to a play-off semi-final in 2014. Probably the most sensational was Gus Poyet, sacked just 12 months earlier, after four years transforming the Albion from third-tier relegation fodder into a team challenging for the Premier League. So what odds now Chris Hughton? With the season kicking off, one bookie has already made him the early favourite in the Premier League sack race. Yet, this time things may be very different. There is a general feeling among supporters that Hughton is guaranteed to still be Albion’s manager this time next year, irrespective of what happens. Tony Bloom is an ambitious chairman and his plan is for the Albion to eventually establish themselves as a Premier League club. He will appreciate the size of the task confronting the manager and the team this season, and a 17th-place finish will be a success.

And there is no way Hughton will be made a sacrificial lamb for perceived failure, in the way Russell Slade, Mark McGhee or even Pat Saward, once cruelly were. He was abandoned with indecent haste by Newcastle after he guided them to promotion. The same will not happen at Albion, even if they are struggling. Bloom will ignore the knee-jerkers calling for the manager’s head, as some no doubt will if Albion are bottom after the first eight games. For Bloom, the 58-year-old boss is a good long-term bet and he recognises he is holding a winning hand. Hughton has vast experience and a huge amount of credit in the bank after overseeing a transformation of the Albion from relegation material to history-makers. And his pedigree is immense. From June 1993 to October 2007 he coached the first team at Tottenham Hotspur, working closely with managers of the highest calibre including George Graham, Glenn Hoddle, David Pleat and Martin Jol. His inaugural managerial position was at Newcastle United where he guided the club to the Premier League as champions at the first time of asking. But, despite a positive start to the 2010/11 season, owner Mike Ashley saw fit to sack Hughton with the club 11th in the Premier League, and replace him with his friend and ultimate

managerial failure Alan Pardew. Without any bitterness, Hughton then enjoyed an excellent season in charge at St Andrew’s where he guided the Blues to fourth in the Championship. In a mammoth season, Birmingham played over 60 matches, as a result of their first European campaign for 50 years. Birmingham narrowly missed out on a place at Wembley in the play-off semi-final. Hughton then moved to Norwich, and in his first campaign in charge at Carrow Road, guided them to an 11th-place finish, to improve on their position in their second season back in the Premier League. Once more he was cruelly sacked by a chairman who failed to give him the time he needed. But that won’t happen here. Sure, we are going to lose a lot of matches but 5-0 thrashings are likely to be reasonably rare with Hughton’s eye for detail and organisational skills. And if the worst happened and we go straight back down? Who better to have in charge than a manager promoted automatically twice from the Championship with two clubs and who reached the play-offs with the other. Chris Hughton is now entering his fourth season as Albion manager, and in my humble opinion he is the best we have had in more than 50 years. TAM. Nic Outterside

@seagullnic

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Albion fans soak up the pre-season action against Atletico Madrid

(Image: Paul Hazlewood, BHAFC)

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