[Blog] How To Offend 18,000 People - And Spur On The Opposition

Blog written by tractorboykent
Published: 26th February 2012 16:06

This is an open letter to the people who put together the banner at The Amex on Saturday. It said "Some Things Money Can't Buy... Football Isn't One: The Amex".

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I can only presume that this is related to the fact that the ground is named by an American corporate so the suggestion is that the club is bankrolled that way.

A few facts that you might have better checked first.

1) Amex only sponsor the ground

2) There are some money men behind the club but hardly in the Abramovich league and they have been involved in a long and admirable fight to save the club. If you're suggesting that the club has been acquired lock, stock and barrel by rich businessmen and that that's a bad thing then there are better examples a bit closer to home (have a look at the front of the shirt that you were no doubt wearing on Saturday.)

3) Check your history (read Build A Bonfire) Brighton's previous and long standing ground was sold from under them by two ex-directors and the club just about survived by playing at a 6,000 capacity converted athletics track. During this time a group of supporters worked though endless objections by local councils to every suggested alternative that was put forward until, after a feat of amazing patience and dedication, they got their result and their new ground was built. There are few clubs or fans that have been through as much. It's a proper club.

You did us no favours. The number of Brighton fans I heard trashing ITFC proved that. Look at their boards today too. And for what? As a club we have always had a pretty good reputation for fairness and a decent relationship with most other fans so what do we gain by winding people up where there's no point behind the attack anyway?

In the end it worked nicely for Brighton. Their chants of "can we play you every week" at the station afterwards made sense. Their team had played us off the park (not sure how Paul Jewell thinks we were the better side at any point during the 90 minutes) and they had the chance to ram your insult back down your throats. Happy days for some.

Maybe I - and all the Brighton fans - have got this wrong? Why don't you explain it? In the meantime, unfortunately the rest of us have been tarred with the same brush. Thanks.

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