Fans United

Albion Roar · **Joined:** Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:55 am **Posts:** 4

Hi all

Im a Brighton fan and today we are coremorating 20 years since we held the first fans utd at The Goldstone. It was a massively important day in the history of the Albion and saw thousands of fans of other clubs from all over the world decend on the Brighton to help us try to save our club from its evil overlord owners. Without it there may not even be a club anymore.

Our opponents that day were.....Hartlepool

Can any of you remember it ? What were your memories of it?

TalbotAvenger · **Posted:** Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:00 pm

Albion Roar wrote:

Hi all

Im a Brighton fan and today we are coremorating 20 years since we held the first fans utd at The Goldstone. It was a massively important day in the history of the Albion and saw thousands of fans of other clubs from all over the world decend on the Brighton to help us try to save our club from its evil overlord owners. Without it there may not even be a club anymore.

Our opponents that day were.....Hartlepool

Can any of you remember it ? What were your memories of it?

Fans united my arse, I was there and apart from the 'pools fans the rest of the ground was populated by cu.n.ts

Aberdeen Pools · **Posted:** Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:15 pm

Had it been an unfashionable Northern club then nobody would have heard anything about it.

pooliecrab · **Joined:** Tue Dec 16, 2014 9:31 pm **Posts:** 6028

TalbotAvenger wrote:

Fans united my arse, I was there and apart from the 'pools fans the rest of the ground was populated by cu.n.ts

MutleyRules · **Posted:** Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:26 pm

Good job Parmo doesn't post on here still....his head would explode!!!!

Albion Roar · **Joined:** Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:55 am **Posts:** 4

Aberdeen Pools wrote:

Had it been an unfashionable Northern club then nobody would have heard anything about it.

I disagree. Ours was the 1st but we have always supported in numbers similar fan utd up & down the country. ....including unfashionable Northern clubs.

We were grateful for the support we recieved from EVERY club, including yourselves.

Mick Tait's Head Bandage · **Posted:** Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:32 pm

MutleyRules wrote:

Good job Parmo doesn't post on here still....his head would explode!!!!

Didn't Mr Parmo chin a Southampton fan that day, for suggesting clubs like Pools should make way for bigger clubs like Brighton? :laugh:

Albion Roar · **Joined:** Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:55 am **Posts:** 4

Stains fans arn't the brightest to be fair

Mr Irrelevant · **Joined:** Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:25 pm **Posts:** 22671

Welcome to the board Mr Albion. As you will have gathered that day is still raw with those who were there. I don't think it's particularly aimed at Brighton fans more towards the hoards of media luvvies who got on board.

I don't remember the same outcry when Halifax and Scarborough went bust though.

ElvisC · **Joined:** Mon Aug 15, 2011 9:55 am **Posts:** 4504

They were also the very first team to play at The Vic wearing......what???? BIG question. It was late 90s.

yloop · **Posted:** Thu Feb 09, 2017 8:37 am

Albion Roar wrote:

Hi all

Im a Brighton fan and today we are coremorating 20 years since we held the first fans utd at The Goldstone. It was a massively important day in the history of the Albion and saw thousands of fans of other clubs from all over the world decend on the Brighton to help us try to save our club from its evil overlord owners. Without it there may not even be a club anymore.

Our opponents that day were.....Hartlepool

Can any of you remember it ? What were your memories of it?

Complete stitch up, wish you'd went bust instead.

Hope this helps.

ed-t-ball · **Posted:** Thu Feb 09, 2017 9:12 am

ElvisC wrote:

They were also the very first team to play at The Vic wearing......what???? BIG question. It was late 90s.

Thermal long sleeved and long legged undergarments?

Hartleblue · **Posted:** Thu Feb 09, 2017 9:17 am

ElvisC wrote:

They were also the very first team to play at The Vic wearing......what???? BIG question. It was late 90s.

A beard?

Benny the Ball · **Joined:** Sat Sep 15, 2007 8:27 pm **Posts:** 185

yloop wrote:

Albion Roar wrote:

Hi all

Im a Brighton fan and today we are coremorating 20 years since we held the first fans utd at The Goldstone. It was a massively important day in the history of the Albion and saw thousands of fans of other clubs from all over the world decend on the Brighton to help us try to save our club from its evil overlord owners. Without it there may not even be a club anymore.

Our opponents that day were.....Hartlepool

Can any of you remember it ? What were your memories of it?

Complete stitch up, wish you'd went bust instead.

Hope this helps.

It was absolutely shocking, and Des Lynam used his position to promote the event and make sure everyone wanted them to survive. Nobody anywhere cared about the team that would go out though. As long as Brighton survived. It wasnt fans united. Its was fans united in favour of Brighton over everyone else.

thetownendfaithful · **Posted:** Thu Feb 09, 2017 9:34 am

Benny the Ball wrote:

yloop wrote:

Albion Roar wrote:

Hi all

Im a Brighton fan and today we are coremorating 20 years since we held the first fans utd at The Goldstone. It was a massively important day in the history of the Albion and saw thousands of fans of other clubs from all over the world decend on the Brighton to help us try to save our club from its evil overlord owners. Without it there may not even be a club anymore.

Our opponents that day were.....Hartlepool

Can any of you remember it ? What were your memories of it?

Complete stitch up, wish you'd went bust instead.

Hope this helps.

It was absolutely shocking, and Des Lynam used his position to promote the event and make sure everyone wanted them to survive. Nobody anywhere cared about the team that would go out though. As long as Brighton survived. It wasnt fans united. Its was fans united in favour of Brighton over everyone else.

Can anyone explain to the younger generation what happened this day?

Pooly_Imp · **Joined:** Fri Jun 03, 2011 1:36 pm **Posts:** 2887

Mr Irrelevant wrote:

Welcome to the board Mr Albion. As you will have gathered that day is still raw with those who were there. I don't think it's particularly aimed at Brighton fans more towards the hoards of media luvvies who got on board.

I don't remember the same outcry when Halifax and Scarborough went bust though.

To say the least.

Benny the Ball · **Joined:** Sat Sep 15, 2007 8:27 pm **Posts:** 185

It wasnt just what happened that day. Hereford got relegated last game of the season at home against Brighton. From memory there was a few dodgy decisions went Brightons way. They finished level on points and Hereford had a better goal differenec but still wnet down. Maybe it was goals scored that season?

Brighton were in freefall and skint but they managed to get a movement going nationally through the media to support their cause. Led by Des Lynam. They chose the home game against pools for the actual day. Which was disgraceful as pools were in just as much trouble. But the media support meant nobody cared about pools hence was the fans united motto was so shocking. Pools suffered on the day and only survived by 4 points.

Poor Hereford were the biggest losers though. And again nobdoy cared as long as Brighton survived. Including the FA, Referee on the day, and the football league. It was disgusting.

yloop · **Posted:** Thu Feb 09, 2017 10:42 am

ElvisC wrote:

They were also the very first team to play at The Vic wearing......what???? BIG question. It was late 90s.

Rugby studs as west had fucked up our ground?

accrington fan · **Joined:** Wed Jan 20, 2016 3:22 pm **Posts:** 19903

no problem with the average brighton fan or any other for that matter its just some of the dicks that support em. the thing with brighton is that the place itself seems a permanent film and t.v. set. you never seem to go through a day without it being mentioned or shots especially of the burnt out pier being shown in drama,s. gets more publicity than donald trump.

The Colonel · **Joined:** Mon Aug 21, 2006 8:49 am **Posts:** 4891

MadJohn wrote:

It's understandable that people are going to see things from their own club's perspective. To a Brighton fan, the events of that day will bring fond memories;* to us it was infuriating. The media coverage surrounding Fans United was obnoxious in the extreme. It was tragic that a club with Brighton's proud history could stand in peril, while the likes of Hartlepool continue to struggle year in year out with no long term prospect of success. It would be better for football if Poor Old Brighton (TM) survived and some less worthy club failed instead.

That was a tough time for us. It was the season of (look away, Poolies) Adie Mike and David Clegg, of part-time goalkeepers working nights. We came damned close to losing our league status that season, and a match when the whole of football seemed united against us in favour of a relegation rival didn't sit well with us. Brighton fans would argue that it was the only fixture when so many clubs had no match of their own. Pools fans would respond that they should therefore find some other of publicising their club's plight and gathering support. It wasn't as if they didn't have sympathetic coverage in the media. You might have won the match anyway. You'd already won at the Vic. We were a poor side.

I wouldn't wish characters like Archer and Bellotti on my worst enemy and I'm glad for Brighton's fans that they turned it around, but we had problems of our own. So did Hereford United, and the years since 1997 have not been kind to them.

For Pools fans with an interest in football in general, and what was happening at Brighton in particular, I would recommend "Build a Bonfire" by Stephen North and Paul Hodson.

* semi-colon usage sponsored by borntoulouse

Hey John

I have just looked this up on in the mad crowd. Is your league table wishful thinking at the time?

http://www.inthemadcrowd.co.uk/UI/Seaso ... id=1996/97 :laugh:

Albion Roar · **Joined:** Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:55 am **Posts:** 4

Thanks for your views.

It was a massive day for us. and arguably the scoreline that day is what kept us up.

We make no bones about it. If we had gone down the club would have ceased to exist. The board had sold the ground & the conference isn't the '5th division' it is now. Without a ground we would have been refused admission to that league anyway.

in regards to other clubs that have been in trouble we are always the first to offer help.

We helped organise a Fan Utd at Scarborough, Plymouth, Blackpool, Charlton & now Millwall.

A football club is the lifeblood of a community & not all owners realise that

StocksfieldPoolie · **Joined:** Tue Feb 10, 2015 12:48 pm **Posts:** 324

Chip Fireball wrote:

Too soon to bring up that fucking awful day. Next thing you know he will be bringing up that game at the Withdean where 2 fans died of hypothermia in the snow.

I'm actually still recovering from that 0-0 draw when they played at Gillingham where due to rail engineering work we didn't get there till half time.

To be fair to them they always brought good numbers of fans to the Vic, even when they were really struggling.

Didn't Stevie Howard miss a sitter right at the end.

Yossarian · **Joined:** Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:29 pm **Posts:** 801

ElvisC wrote:

They were also the very first team to play at The Vic wearing......what???? BIG question. It was late 90s.

Lipstick?

poolieinnottingham · **Posted:** Thu Feb 09, 2017 7:16 pm

ElvisC wrote:

They were also the very first team to play at The Vic wearing......what???? BIG question. It was late 90s.

Numbered shorts?

ed-t-ball · **Posted:** Thu Feb 09, 2017 7:24 pm

Curly perms

MutleyRules · **Posted:** Thu Feb 09, 2017 7:46 pm

Pink ribbons????

congress_tart · **Posted:** Thu Feb 09, 2017 8:01 pm

ElvisC wrote:

They were also the very first team to play at The Vic wearing......what???? BIG question. It was late 90s.

Squad numbers?

Yossarian · **Joined:** Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:29 pm **Posts:** 801

Fluorescent/Coloured boots?

pooliecrab · **Joined:** Tue Dec 16, 2014 9:31 pm **Posts:** 6028

I've heard about this story, it was late 90s and after they game they were discovered in the changing rooms all wearing strap-ons and given each other a right seeing to. I checked inthemadcrowd and they were definitely the first to do so.

ElvisC · **Joined:** Mon Aug 15, 2011 9:55 am **Posts:** 4504

congress_tart wrote:

ElvisC wrote:

They were also the very first team to play at The Vic wearing......what???? BIG question. It was late 90s.

Squad numbers?

Correct!!!!!!

The Colonel · **Joined:** Mon Aug 21, 2006 8:49 am **Posts:** 4891

It took a lost weekend in a hotel in amsterdam
And double pneumonia in a single room

Fans United

Gadgies online