The English Football League 2016/2017

[braveneutral]

Well done Brighton.

[Durhamfootman]

well done Chris Hughton

if he can keep Brighton up and get them handily placed in about 12th position in the premier league, he'll be expecting to get the sack again

[sussexpob]

I was 16 when Robbie Reinalt slotted home that equaliser against Hereford. The momentary silence as he went for the rebound, the thump of boot on foot, the distant sound of a ball hitting net, the roar and pandemonium that ensued. If Reinalt had hit post like Maskell had seconds before, we might have asked "who are Brighton and Hove Albion"......we wouldn't have probably existed now. Just like Hereford. It was a fight to the death, someone had to go. That time, we got lucky.

As a crazy mad football teen bred by an equally football mad father, I'll never forget that day. My dad was Sunderland through and through, but exiled in the south, he had to have live football. It's how we bonded. When Brighton were at home, we went there, when they were away we travelled together for Sunderland games.

The last week of April 1997 and the following week will always be the most memorable of my life. Sunderland got relegated while we watched the bittersweet tones of Brighton keeping themselves alive at the Goldstone ground by beating Doncaster 1-0. The last game at Goldstone, a place that for me is, and always will be, the spiritual home of the club...even though they turned it into a burger king.

I probably wasn't old enough to travel alone but the old man couldn't make it that day in Hereford. Sunderland hosted their last game at Roker that week, he needed to say his goodbyes.....in 7 days we both had to say farewell to the places we learned to love the beautiful game.

While the result went for us that day, it felt scant consolation. Any day you felt that the club would announce it no longer existed. The fans were angry,.the owners typically greedy and inept. We got docked points that year for crowd trouble. One game got called off as people threw fireworks at the directors box.

People in Brighton didn't give a toss. We were the drop out kids of the town, the hooligans, the weirdos. We didn't fit in with the organic coffee houses and liberal feel. We were homeless and unwanted.

The footballing community is owed a great debt by Brighton. I can remember selling badges to away fans before games to raise money, and people always bought....and they turned up in their droves in their own colours that day Brighton smashed Hartlepool 5-0 after a plea for Fans United to get fans in the gates to help save us. Guys wearing Chelsea and Palace shirts in Brighton enclosures chewing us on. It started the comeback from certain death to safety. Never let anyone tell you football pre-TV days was a dark place of violence.....it was a community too! Hell, I remember giving a tenner I could not afford at the time to help save Wrexham...alas, they weren't as lucky.

I'd hazard a guess very few people in the Amex last night recall that. Or campaigned for the right to build that stadium with their own time and energy. Or supported that team through a decade of relegation, no top half finishes and 4 consecutive 23rd place finishes.

And now, an exile myself, I can't claim to support Brighton like others do. I can't go to games, get involved, feel the same enthusiasm. Yet there is still a lot emotion, that all those years back it wasn't for nothing, that we kept the team alive, and now it flourishes!

We did it! I can't believe it really. Today I feel very homesick! No doubt I'm missing a hell of a party. It would have been nice to grow up in an era where football can united the town, than fight for its right to exist.....

But what ends well....I guess!

Up the Albion!

[Aidan11]

'Arry is the new Birmingham City boss.

[Gingerfinch]

Triffic!

Bournemouth to Birmingham will be a bit of a trek for ole Arry!

[budgetmeansbudget]

Triffic!

Bournemouth to Birmingham will be a bit of a trek for ole Arry!

He's only got the job for a fortnight so he can stay up there in a Premier Inn!

[Durhamfootman]

I'd forgotten that SP was a Brighton fan

congrats to SP too

[Alviro Patterson]

We're getting closer to leaving the league.

Epic rant by Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/ ... r-saturday

[budgetmeansbudget]

Good old Jeff.

62 years old now, he looks pretty good on it. Grecian 2000 doing a good job!

[budgetmeansbudget]

What i would say to Aidan and Jeff is that although it is technically leaving the football league, the national league top division is pretty much FL div 3 these days with the amount of coverage it gets.

Obviously then dropping into national league north would be falling into obscurity!

[Alviro Patterson]

Standards are very high in the National League, i'd argue it gets more coverage than League 1 & 2 by virtue of it being on BT Sport. Even the North Division is a very difficult league to compete in, Altrincham have faced back to back relegations.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Unusual first half at Carrow Road this evening where Norwich have gone 2-0 up against Brighton.

Both goals have gone down as own goals by Brighton's keeper, both shots from Pritchard coming off the woodwork and hitting him on the back and going in. One is unusual but two in the half is ridiculous.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Just noticed only 4 points separate 5th to 13th place in div two.

Wycombe (Finchy's team) have still got a great chance of making the playoffs.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Standards are very high in the National League, i'd argue it gets more coverage than League 1 & 2 by virtue of it being on BT Sport. Even the North Division is a very difficult league to compete in, Altrincham have faced back to back relegations.

My local team, Poole Town, got promoted into National Lrague South last season and are currently sitting in the last playoff place. A few weeks ago they were nailed on playoffs but sadly recent results have been poor and they might get pipped by Hungerford.

Mind you probably won't make any difference as the powers that be have decreed that they can't take their place in the play offs due to ground deficiencies. They have spent quite a bit on upgrades this season just to stop them being thrown out of NLS.

[Gingerfinch]

Just noticed only 4 points separate 5th to 13th place in div two.

Wycombe (Finchy's team) have still got a great chance of making the playoffs.

Maybe? Would be nice!