Simster

Too funny. Christ on a bike, I came on here and congratulated you on your promotion. What more do you want? It's not like I've spent months on here winding you up is it? And I'm not quite sure how a Southampton fan can accuse a Brighton fan of being fairweather. I'm not saying your support is fairweather, but given what we've been through over the past 15 years I'd say our support has held up well. We played two seasons in Gilingham (170 mile round trip), and yet the second season saw an average gate of 3,000, for our third successive season of being the 2nd shìttest team in the entire league. Withdean gates have been mediocre, but it is a dire place to watch football and the perception has always been that tickets were difficult to obtain because they were not sold on match day, and you couldn't pay on the gate. On the other hand, you've "suffered" two seasons at this level in living memory, and one of those ended up in promotion. You're in no position to talk about fair weather support, because you really haven't had many bad times to put up with. Don't really care what you think of our manager, tbh. Thank you. I agree there are a large number of muppets on NSC, as there are on most message boards. I see you have a few resident dorks on here. "Lets just settle for the playoffs" - top drawer thread there after losing one game AGES ago! But yes, our NSC Southampton threads have been tiresome, embarrassing, grossly unfair and made our support look feckin small-time. The fact is we've never really had a nasty rivalry with Southampton, and historically we've actually quite liked you, especially as we don't much like the skates either. 2,300 away fans, 1,800 tickets for general sale and club guests apparently. It's an interesting model, but hasn't done Norwich City any harm. They had 21,000 STHs in league 1 and retained them all this season. We won't be returning to no-mark relegation struggler status I'm afraid. We've got money in the bank, thanks to cash up front from those season ticket sales. We do have a stadium to pay for, but Bloom bleeds blue and white and is made of money - the loan is interest free and if not paid back, he gets the value of the club in shares or something. Basically, we're OK there. I am expecting a top half finish, but through gritted teeth will have to admit that I expect you to finish above us. We'll have above average Championship gates, a brand new stadium, and a war chest to spend on players thanks to those season ticket sales. Slightly different from the past 20 years really. And Ken, you are right - 22,500 has proved to be too small, but I'm pleased they've done it that way as restricting supply fuels demand. The ground has been built so that seats can be bolted into the corners and into an unused tier in the East stand to bring ground capacity up to 31,000 which I should imagine would be fine. No structural alterations are necessary to make this happen, it is literally a case of bolting in seats if the demand is there and planning permission is granted. I'd rather the club didn't get ideas about lifting the roof at either end and raising it still further, because we're not going to spend every season in the Premiership or even the Championship and 10,000 rattling around in a 40,000 arena is a horrible thought. We're going see this scenario on a bigger scale with West Ham, aren't we?

For what it's worth, I think your lot did remarkably well getting so close in the end. I am slightly irritated by it, because we had absolutely ****ed the league until the final month, yet the records will show that only 3 points separate the top two teams in the end. Obviously, I suspect our lads were on the beach for the last 3 games but were very much bang up for the Southampton game with an unbeaten home record to protect, which you saw fit to end, so don't let any of my fellow Albion fans tell you otherwise. Once that had gone, I suspect all motivation went too. Congratulations on your promotion by the way, I haven't been on here for a while. See you next season in our shiny new stadium, for which, incidentally, we sold the last of our 18,400 season tickets two days ago. The place is going to be absolutely rammed for most of next season, and I can't wait. It's been a long, long wait to finally be a proper football club again.

I relinquished my season ticket for Withdean a few years back, so can't make it. However my Saints supporting brother is planning on skulking around Withers to see if he can snaffle a spare. Then later that evening his family and mine are all congregating at my Saints supporting dad's house in the New Forest by which time bragging rights will have been decided. Although, even if we somehow lose for the first time at home this season, I'll somehow console myself that we are already promoted and something like 13 points clear, having been the best team in the league by an absolute mile.

Not bothered about it in the slightest, mate. However, I am not your average football player with a probable false sense of entitlement and low IQ. What I am trying to say is that if there was the slightest chance of putting our players noses out of joint, then I'd have shown a bit of class and insisted on making the guard of honour. As I have posted on our site, Adkins impresses me less and less as time goes on. It's one thing to put your foot in it by banging on about another team "keeping up", when you are 8 points behind and half way through the season. But he had a choice with regards to this guard of honour thing: a) Southampton form a guard of honour, fawning at the opposition players in front of their mocking support. Result: a fired up Southampton team with a point to prove. Or: b) Go on Twitter and tweet a couple of days before the match that no guard of honour will be formed. Result: if any Albion players with little to play for did need motivating, well that'll do nicely. The obvious choice would be a), but would require a manager who with a bit of class and a brain. Personally I find this whole guard of honour a crock of shìt to be honest. I hope that makes my position clear.

Meh. Not sure whether the Albion needed extra motivation, but your mong of a manager has just made absolutely sure we are bang up for this one now. Not me, I'm quite pleased really. It's a load of cràp isn't it? But we have won the league by a street, so it would certainly have been a touch of class from the opposing team and manager. Quite. But if anyone at the Albion did feel there was an obligation then there are two observations to make: a) They are wrong. Why should a guard of honour be formed? It's not even the end of the season, FFS. b) Adkins should have used it to minimise any motivation that we have for beating you.

Well we did the same thing only last month against Carlisle so I suppose you could argue that it is. That was a strange game, my last game at Withdean and I because I took my seat 3 mins late, I didn't even know they had scored until we were 2-1 up. lol But you are right - the defence didn't look 100% in that game, and I don't think that would have been the case if Greer had been available. Still, I'd happily take a "not business as usual" 4-3 win against Southampton on Saturday if that's what you're offering

I'm quite surprised that you're still mentioning Posh as a threat to second. With four to play, surely they've left themselves with too much to do? It's down to Hudderfield or Southampton as far as I can see. As for this weekend, we're missing Gordon Greer to suspension. This is a big loss, although you wouldn't think so by looking at our last two results which have been very much business as usual. Apart from that, I think we'll have something like 26 fit players to choose from. I think this is going to be an interesting game - we don't have much to play for (except the 100 points barrier) but you have injury problems.

Best ask Palace fans about that then. It's obvious you don't know anything about football really. *ruffles hair*

It kind of is. It's just not *the* derby for either set of supporters. I too am embarrassed by some of the Southampton threads on our forum, but its not hatred - people just like to see the big clubs struggle, to say nothing of gobby opposing managers. Next season we'll probably go back to quite liking each others clubs.

You're 16/1 for the title which is probably about right. However, Gus will decide whether that represents good value or not. I'm half thinking that he might play his fringe players once automatic promotion is secure, and if that happens then 16/1 would certainly look like a value bet, especially given our fixture list. I'm saying it would make you favourites as we would still have to collapse ridiculously to let you in, but if the odds drift even further after we've beaten Dagenham tomorrow night, I might have some of that as a hedge against being massively disappointed. Up until now, you've been the second best team in the league and I'm pleased you'll probably join us in the Championship. In fact Albion v Southampton on August 6th would be perfect, and a neat symmetry with us being your last opponents at the Dell.

Southampton 8-2 Coventry in 1984 I think. 2-0 at half time and Steve Moran ran riot in the second half. Coventry 1-1 Southampton in 1987, the weekend before Coventry played in the cup final. Sadly, I missed Saints 1-3 Albion last season.

This is completely contradictory to me. We have been fairly average in some of the games through March, no doubt about it. We have done just about enough to win in probably 5 of those games, and been fully deserved winners in the other three. But them's the breaks and as has been said before, winning when you're below par is what makes a good side. But I've read a lot of guff from opposition fans about how Brighton are the most consistent but not the best? I mean, how do you work that out? We haven't really been "toilet" in more than 2 or 3 games all season. Not really toilet, anyhow. We've been below average but not once can you honestly say we've been played off the park, except maybe at Stoke in the first half. Your opinion that you will win easily appears to be based on two matches? I can safely assume those two weren't the home matches against Portsmouth, Peterborough, Plymouth or MK Dons, or away games at Peterborough, Charlton or Watford. It's like me saying we're going to BATTER you at Withdean because I've only seen you twice (cherrypicking say Plymouth & Rochdale at home) and you were gash. None of us have seen every team play 38 times (or whatever), to be able to say with conviction such rubbish as team A is better than team B but team B are more consistent. That's why we let the league table do the talking. And there is no argument about it is there? We're miles better than any other team in the division, and in my humble opinon, Southampton are and will prove to be second best at the end of the season.

It's a bloody long walk from your house, Ben!

It won't make any difference. I'd have thought it will be all about preserving our unbeaten home record from that point on - or indeed securing the Championship on that very day. Of course, it could all be very different a couple of weeks later when Huddersfield come to Withdean...

Is anyone else bored with this Brighton-Southampton pìssing contest? We're not a small club, but we're not as big as Southampton. We are a better football team though, and I think part of the reason for Poyet finding quotes like Adkins' ridiculous "if they can keep up with us" effort is to ensure his own team maintains motivation. Lets be honest, Southampton are the biggest threat to winning the title and that is still the case now with you a massive 15 points behind. It may look like a walk in the park now, but that's because we've won seven straight. In the last week of February, Bournemouth *snígger* were going to go above us for one game, but then their game at Bristol Rovers got called off. What a shame. *snìgger* Before then, and with a busy March, the wheels might easily have fallen off, and nobody in the staff at Albion considers the job is done yet. I do though. Personally, I've always found Albion/Saints to be a fairly friendly rivalry, although given my own personal circumstances this is hardly surprising as Southampton are my second team unless they are a direct rival - my brother is a Saint (and on here), my family is split down the middle between the clubs, my best mate is a Saint, and I lived in Winchester for 3 years and went to VI Form there, and then lived and worked in Southampton/Eastleigh for another 2 years. Until you rocked up in division 3, there were far more people on NSC who detested Pompey than did Southampton. Next season, it'll probably revert to a more friendly rivalry if we both go up, because both sets of supporters will only look for each others fixtures as a second or even third consideration. For you, it'll be all about beating the blue shìte down the road. For us, the Palace scüm.

The bloke calling Albion a tin pot club is embarassing himself with his lack of football knowledge almost as much as the moron on our site who criticised Southampton's support for having 6,000 empty seats in the game at your place in November.

To be honest, I thought Southampton were being managed by Terry Nutkins, they're that far behind us.

No mate, we're ten points clear. But 12 points clear of you. A maximum of 16 points for promotion and 19 for the title now. Look on the bright side. Orient scored in the last minute, meaning that your arch rivals, Bournemouth are really struggling to hold onto a play off place.

Oh, we're coping fine thanks.

I can't believe most of you actually PAY for this rubbish!

Slightly off topic, but we've sold 14,000 season tickets already for next season at the Amex and they haven't even gone on general sale yet. I think they have to be capped at around 18,000 because of initial ground capacity. It'll be nice to be a proper football club again.

I wouldn't rule out a home defeat to Southampton to be honest. Although there are a couple of targets that might give Albion motivation even if we're already up by the time we play you. Firstly and obviously, our unbeaten home record. Secondly, we needed 35 goals in our last ten fixtures to notch 500 Withdean goals. That was looking highly unlikely until we thumped in four in each of the first three games of that run of ten. So seven more games, 23 required...

Firstly, we play Tranmere at home. Tranmere are rubbish whereas we've dropped fewer points at home this season than you did in your first four home games. I think that makes us favourites to win that one. Secondly, you play away to Bournemouth. Bournemouth are second, with a formidable home record. Your away record is decent, so while any of the three results would be unsurprising at Dean Court, the smart money will be on the draw. The gap between Brighton and Southampton could be as low as 7 points, but as high as 13 after Saturday, but in my humble opinion I'd say the gap is most likely to be 12.

That's a big IF isn't it? 9 of our (BHA) remaining 13 games are against teams in the bottom half, and we're the only team in the top 6 with more home games remaining than away games. On Saturday, we're at home to Tranmere, while you're at the second best home team in the league so expect that gap to widen to 12.

I think you'll find we have our fair share. We don't see much of them these days though, but only because we're so far out in front that even the odd 1-0 away can be written off as a bad day at the office. However, they will be back next year even if we're top 6 in the Championship.