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And Its Smith

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I don't understand why anyone would applaud opposition fans?

Seen it done when there is a witty song sung, or when they join in a minutes applause etc.

Do people actually turn / walk over to opposition supporters and clap?

Last season when we played Barnsley I had the joy of sitting right next to the netting. There were some lads who spent the whole game giving my mate huge amounts of abuse and we gave some back. Full time, game drawn we reached over and shook hands and they even bumped into my mate in KFC and bought him some chicken. I like the hostility before and during the game, but come full time they're, like me, just football fans who follow their local team and so that is a shared identity. 

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I'm with Red Dave on this one.

I might be anti violence, but there is nothing wrong with providing a hostile and threatening atmosphere for away fans.

It's partly what football is about and should be expected when going to away games.

the football family namby pamby guff is partly what makes football these days not what it once was.

It's quite possible to show respect and provide facilities without being welcoming and friendly.

I am surprised considering your posting history but 100% agree with that!

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You are a bitter dinosaur who supports a very unsuccessful football team.

Atmosphere last night was not great while we were 1-0 down against a team of timewasters and playing well below our normal standard.  Name a stadium in the country where that wouldn't be the case and I'll give you a new drum and euro banner display.

I and 23,000 other Brighton fans had a brilliant time last night at The Amex thank you very much.  Many others will, like me, be hoarse this morning from overdoing our noisy celebrations - while you were standing in the train queue I was drinking decent real ale watching the match highlights and singing Bobby Zamora songs...!!!

I was just about to post agreeing with most of what you said but you're getting on my nerves now. Timewasterrs? If you watch the game a bit more closely rather than singing  yourself hoarse you'll notice that every awAy team slows the game down once they've gone ahead  - We got used to that last year. Oh and I'm sorry we couldn't stay for a drink and had to get a train - it's a long way home on a Tuesday night.

BTW thought AMEX was great, your point about the struggle for your own ground well made. And Harvey's is truly one of the greatest of English beers. 

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There's something rugger-bugger esque about this post. Cotton traders, bootcut jeans and smart-casual loafers all round.

My wife would love that comment.  Scruffy jeans and trainers for me.

This "family day out at" stuff is always going to divide opinion.  I totally get the beers and sweary aggression stuff - I have done lots of that over 40 years and still enjoy it on big away days and that for me is where it still has its main place.  As a family man I also really enjoy being able to take my son, wife, Mum, niece, nephew, etc etc to The Amex and be confident that they will have a great time.

If it leads to grounds being like libraries or cricket matches then that is a problem.  I know I'm not going to get agreement on here but you will just have to take my word for it that in our part of the stadium (North end of West Stand Upper) we enjoy a very good atmosphere. 

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You are a bitter dinosaur who supports a very unsuccessful football team.

 Many others will, like me, be hoarse this morning from overdoing our noisy celebrations 

Ha Ha, this is known as Leedsitis. Supporting a team that was succesful in a different century, but for some reason still believe they are something in the footballing world!!

I assume that you saw what we did last season? TWO TROPHIES ! wouldn't call that an unsuccessful team

But I am glad you admit that you are hoarse from celebrating the winning goal and NOT from singing etc throughout the game

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I was just about to post agreeing with most of what you said but you're getting on my nerves now. Timewasterrs? If you watch the game a bit more closely rather than singing  yourself hoarse you'll notice that every awAy team slows the game down once they've gone ahead  - We got used to that last year. Oh and I'm sorry we couldn't stay for a drink and had to get a train - it's a long way home on a Tuesday night.

BTW thought AMEX was great, your point about the struggle for your own ground well made. And Harvey's is truly one of the greatest of English beers. 

Apology for my very ungenerous comment about your team who I actually thought were very dangerous and played some good stuff.  Thank you for your kind comments about The Amex and our beloved Harveys...! 

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My wife would love that comment.  Scruffy jeans and trainers for me.

This "family day out at" stuff is always going to divide opinion.  I totally get the beers and sweary aggression stuff - I have done lots of that over 40 years and still enjoy it on big away days and that for me is where it still has its main place.  As a family man I also really enjoy being able to take my son, wife, Mum, niece, nephew, etc etc to The Amex and be confident that they will have a great time.

If it leads to grounds being like libraries or cricket matches then that is a problem.  I know I'm not going to get agreement on here but you will just have to take my word for it that in our part of the stadium (North end of West Stand Upper) we enjoy a very good atmosphere. 

In fairness I thought the home atmosphere actually sounded pretty good over the radio, acoustics obviously good. Pretty unimaginative repertoire of songs but pretty noisy at times.

Agree mostly, a volatile atmosphere is partly what makes football better than rugby/Cricket etc in my opinion. Important to encourage it almost. "Family day out" is such a horrible phrase though, wish clubs wouldn't use it. Ours try it with their choice of music before kickoff and angry attitude towards swearing. Luckily we've still got a good group who create an old school noisy atmosphere which will hopefully increase in number.

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Agree mostly, a volatile atmosphere is partly what makes football better than rugby/Cricket etc in my opinion. Important to encourage it almost. "Family day out" is such a horrible phrase though, wish clubs wouldn't use it. Ours try it with their choice of music before kickoff and angry attitude towards swearing. Luckily we've still got a good group who create an old school noisy atmosphere which will hopefully increase in number.

I think there's room for both.  Clubs have to market themselves at families to fill stands away from the hard core support areas.  Our club have, largely thanks to the generosity of Tony Bloom and the facilities, been extremely successful in this.

I agree with you that there must always be a good number at football grounds (often younger blokes but some not so young..!)  who maintain the traditional atmosphere.  Like you we do have this element of our support (e.g. we often take 4,000 to away games in London and are mainly fairly old school in approach) but they are not located anywhere near the away fans at The Amex - so I understand the perception of it all being a bit too family friendly.

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Horrible ground?! It must be one of the best new grounds in the country. They've avoided the "soulless bowl" trap and architecturally it's unique and magnificent. And more importantly it's also capable of making a good atmosphere - the Brighton fans were quiet but the roar when Zamora scored was huge. I'm not sure what more you could want from a modern stadium.

I don't like the ground either,just something not quite right,can't put my finger on it,just didn't feel right.the lack of a real "home end" might have something to do with it.

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If Brighton is a showcase for the future then leave me out.  A nice looking ground but that's about it.

The negatives:

1.  Indie band playing outside before the game.  Just not football

2. No boozer within a mile of the ground.  I don't want to have to drive into Brighton and get a train in and out and then have to drive to London

3. Posters welcoming us to the ground on arrival.  I don't want to feel welcome thank you very much

4. £4.10 for a pint.  The options are Strongbow, Fosters or Kroenenburg.  I opt for the latter and get given Strongbow.  Three sips later and I am nearly sick

5. 10 minute wait for hot food at half time.

6. The attendance gets announced and the guy tells everyone how many City fans have attended.  This is fine.  But then all the Brighton fans start applauding us.  We're not part of your crappy football family.  

 

For once we have the same opinion. Everything about yesterday was cringeworthy. Their live band, the opera music before the game. The fact they didn't sing all game, I'm 20 and I wish we could go back to grounds like Ninian Park and Vetch Field to name to I went to with hostility and atmosphere.

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Last night was a bit strange for me. I got more grief from my fellow (home) supporters. As it was a school night a lot of seats were taken by people who were there only because we are top of the table....I could see and feel the difference straight away when I got onto the concourse and went to buy my beer. Some people had no idea how things worked and just got in the way of a serious ale hound! Obviously this experience extended to my surroundings up in the stands - you get used to stuff when along come a load of 'tourists' and spoil your fun. 

Hats off to City....I generally put up a photo on FB before games and last night it was one to show your very decent turnout. Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday will bring more but they have fans in large numbers in London ( and indeed Sussex) The London clubs themselves will bring numbers too of course. I'm sorry to read that some of you experienced travel problems but I really think it's pretty good at our place especially on a Saturday. I can think of much worse grounds on that score - Bolton, Wednesday, Leeds, Burnley, Reading all spring readily to mind for different reasons.

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Sounds a bit prawn sandwich brigade - not for me and most die hard City fans.

Rather have dodgy "cheese and onion" and good old fashioned raw hostility when going away.  Very rare nowadays but you did get a real buzz from awaydays!!

Sterile football grounds can be a real "MK dons" event which is not good for football.

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It is dull.

The stadium targets the same demographics as most if not all new builds i.e The more monied middle class who like sanitised comfort rather than noise.

Hopefully Bristol Sports idea of replaced and redeveloped stands at Ashton Gate following concepts of Market Place, Tradition and Corporate can also find 10% of the capacity for those who prefer parts of old Ashton Gate to these American Express homogensised facilities being bult everywhere.

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Just to retreat from my own criticism of the AmericanExpress Chip&PIN Rewards Card stadium, the subject of hostility has been raised, and I can tell you there was plenty. Directly on the left of the away fans (though probably normally behind the away fans when they're more generous with the netting), there was this bizarre two row gallery (upper tier?) about 15 feet up in the air, with two very old semi-senile blokes repeatedly peering over and shouting something sarcastic about City.

I felt the hostility.I also felt not a million miles removed from....

muppet_statler_waldorf.jpg

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Welcome to 21st century footy! The experience at Ag is just as sanitised, as it is all over the country. I'm glad families are able to attend (cost permitting) these days, more needs to be done to allow people who want to have a more traditional experience however. Lets see what Ag is like after this year before we criticise the Amex, which has to be so much better than what they had at the withdean!

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Welcome to 21st century footy! The experience at Ag is just as sanitised, as it is all over the country. I'm glad families are able to attend (cost permitting) these days, more needs to be done to allow people who want to have a more traditional experience however. Lets see what Ag is like after this year before we criticise the Amex, which has to be so much better than what they had at the withdean!

I don't think AG is as sanitised.. Yet. Far from it.

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It is dull.

The stadium targets the same demographics as most if not all new builds i.e The more monied middle class who like sanitised comfort rather than noise.

Hopefully Bristol Sports idea of replaced and redeveloped stands at Ashton Gate following concepts of Market Place, Tradition and Corporate can also find 10% of the capacity for those who prefer parts of old Ashton Gate to these American Express homogensised facilities being bult everywhere.

These sorts of criticisms are clever and strike home.  After all who wants their football club to be dull and middle class (or even worse considered similar to Reading...)....?

There is some quite decent evidence for the defence. 

The Amex is not The Emirates - you can get travel and your seat for less than £20 a match (£5 for children).

Brighton and the Sussex coast has a high percentage of areas/towns with working class traditions and you don't see many green wellies or Barbour jackets at The Amex (probably get more at Bristol?).

Brighton has always had a good number of the type of fan you obviously see yourself as being.  They weren't sitting in the lower tiers at the South end of the ground but they are there.

Guaranteed that you will go through all of this yourselves in due course.  Easy to give it Jack the Lad stuff when you are used to 12,000 gates.  Try and double that number without things getting a bit diluted.

 

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These sorts of criticisms are clever and strike home.  After all who wants their football club to be dull and middle class (or even worse considered similar to Reading...)....?

There is some quite decent evidence for the defence. 

The Amex is not The Emirates - you can get travel and your seat for less than £20 a match (£5 for children).

Brighton and the Sussex coast has a high percentage of areas/towns with working class traditions and you don't seem many green wellies or Barbour jackets at The Amex (probably get more at Bristol?).

Brighton has always had a good number of the type of fan you obviously see yourself as being.  They weren't sitting in the lower tiers at the South end of the ground but they are there.

Guaranteed that you will go through all of this yourselves in due course.  Easy to give it Jack the Lad stuff when you are used to 12,000 gates.  Try and double that number without things getting a bit diluted.

I think the demographic in London satellite towns is always slightly wealthier, I know Brighton is a unique place in its own right and unlike reading are a proper football club with a good core support. Rent in Brighton is extortionate which demonstrates this.

You're right though, real test for us and how we fare in sanitisedness' will come if we doubled our gate and had a lot of new people.

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