Seagulls Over Burwash Article – December 2024

Christmas Gifts, Atmosphere and a Radio Star

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat and we all must turn our thoughts to the annual dreaded quandary of what gifts to get our loved ones. This is when non-football enthusiasts can benefit directly from their nearest and dearest being a footie fanatic. The array of football-related gifts is enormous! A quick look through the Brighton and Hove Albion shop reveals everything from the traditional replica kits to oven gloves and tooth brushes. Whilst a lot of the merchandise is designed to be a bit of fun, some football merchandise does tend to push the boundaries of good taste to the absolute limit. Generally supporting your football club and, err, how shall I put it….., ‘bedroom activities’, are put into separate life pigeon-holes, yet there is a huge amount of ‘sexy’ lingerie available that is emblazoned with club logos. All very well if you and your partner support the same team but imagine if, in a moment of passion, you discover she/he supports your archrivals! It would likely be the end of a beautiful relationship. Equally odd is football club toilet rolls. Whilst I consider that there is nothing more appropriate to do with the Crystal Palace logo, I wouldn’t want to deface the Albion crest….. how disrespectful would that be? Finally, for the prize for the worst football merchandise that is available this Christmas we must return to the bedroom.  You can actually buy football club condoms! Not only do these exist, they are popular enough to propagate a counterfeit market. A few years ago, more than a million fake football club condoms were seized in West Africa. On one occasion, customs officials in Ghana intercepted a £1.1 haul of 20 crates containing 378,000 packs of Arsenal and Chelsea condoms. These were subsequently destroyed on “health and safety” grounds. This, I feel, was a very wise precaution as, although I was not aware that supporting these clubs was considered an infectious disease, we should make every effort to protect people from such follies.

Now that Brighton and Hove Albion have reached the elevated echelons of the top half of the Premier League, the broadcasters have selected Albion matches for live broadcasts more than ever before in the club’s history. In fact, six of the next ten fixtures are to be broadcast live on UK TV. Why then would any person with a semblance of sense spend a small fortune buying tickets, travelling to the game, eating and drinking expensive beer and pies, in the knowledge that the day may end in disappointment and frustration, when they could sit comfortably in their own front room and watch the same game with the option to switch it off if it goes badly? Whilst the TV cameras can provide replays, multiple view angles, close-ups and statistical graphics, they cannot convey the atmosphere in the stadium that is generated by the teams’ supporters. It is the atmosphere that makes attending football matches, or, indeed, any sporting event, so thrilling.

So, what is ‘atmosphere’? It is hard to define. A good ‘atmosphere’ is generated by numerous influences, including the level of rivalry between the fan bases, the size of the crowd, the importance of the game, the refereeing decisions and even the time of kick-off. However, what is always key is the performance of the players on the pitch. When a team is seen to be giving their all and playing attacking football, the supporters get drawn in to the contest, lose any inhibitions and shout, cheer and holler with the fullest of gusto. Consequently, the atmosphere in a stadium ultimately is determined by the team manager and the footballing philosophy they employ. West Ham, for example, play in the 62,500 capacity London Stadium, a huge cauldron built for the 2012 Olympic Games. Last season, David Moyes was their manager. He employed a defence-first policy and the primary aim appeared to be not to lose. Despite Moyes overseeing one of the most successful periods of recent West Ham history (they won the Europa Conference League, their first trophy since 1980), the football was dull and, consequently, it did not excite the supporters. On occasions, based on the atmosphere at West Ham matches, you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching a chess match rather than Premier League football. By contrast, the Brentford Community Stadium holds only 17,250 supporters yet, under manager Thomas Frank, the Bees play front-foot, high energy football, with all the players visibly fully committed to the cause. As such, the atmosphere in the ground is usually great.

Brighton’s most recent managers, Roberto de Zerbi and current boss, Fabian Hurzeler, both instil a high risk, high reward philosophy to their team and play attacking, passing football which, when it works, can beat any team in the league but, conversely, when the wheels come off, they come off big time. This makes for exciting games and, when you go to watch the Albion, you never know how it will pan out. What can be guaranteed is that the players will give 100 % and, that being the case, the supporters will get behind them and generate a great atmosphere. When the team is firing on all cylinders and the 31,000 crowd is in a state of frenzied excitement, the atmosphere at the Amex Stadium is hard to beat. During the recent match against Champions, Manchester City, with City leading 1-0, the Match Of The Day BBC commentator said “I have to say, the home support has been magnificent today” and following at dramatic second half come back with Brighton leading 2-1, he said “it is deafening, absolutely deafening. If the full-time whistle has blown, no one can hear it!” He had to describe the atmosphere to the viewers as only those who were there, in the ground, could appreciate it. So, if you want to know why hundreds of thousands of people pay to watch games in person rather than on TV, buy a ticket and go along!

For further information on joining Seagulls Over Burwash and details of forthcoming events, meetings or coach travel, please visit our website at www.seagullsoverburwash.co.uk or email me at simon.forster@seagullsoverburwash.co.uk. Alternatively, please feel free to contact our esteemed and venerated Chairman, Mr Teskey O’Neil, on 01435 884344 or tesbar80@btinternet.com. Those of you who listen to Radio Sussex may be familiar with the ’Fan of the Week’ feature in Tim Durrans’ Weekend Warm Up show. Prior to the recent match against Wolves, Teskey was invited to fill the slot and he was delighted to oblige. I heard about this and listened in with much anticipation, expecting the silly old fool to make a spectacle of himself and talk relentless rubbish for 15 minutes. However, I was left disappointed. He came across very well and appeared erudite, intelligent and with a deep knowledge of the game. I felt cheated as the anticipated ammunition for merciless mockery of Teskey for the foreseeable future was not forthcoming. Maybe our dear Chairman has a future career in radio punditry? He has certainly got the face for it!

Happy Christmas and all the best for 2025!

Simon Forster