Gästkrönika av The Goldstone Ghost
Scandinavianseagulls bjuder idag på en gästkrönika av Simon på Brightonfans.com, angående situationen kring Steve Coppell.
It is Thursday evening as I write this, and the last couple of days has seen the world of The Albion thrown into turmoil. Whilst we should have been able to simply sit back and enjoy the feeling that came with Tuesday night's magnificent performance at Rushden and Diamonds, instead, we find ourselves sweating over the prospect of being without Steve Coppell for very much longer.
Mr Madjeski with his big fat wad of cash has come poaching down South, and it's not salmon that he is trying to catch. If press speculation is to be believed, then the deal is already 'done' and by the time you are reading this, Coppell may already be on his way to Berkshire. According to our manager himself, he will still be in charge on Saturday, and we can only hope that that is true.
Whatever happens though, and it could still go either way as far as I am concerned, we still have a very big game on Saturday to concentrate on. Albion fans have come through so much over the years, and every dose of bad medicine makes us stronger. I think, deep down, we all knew that after The Goldstone was sold off, we would be battling for a very long time to get this club back to what it deserves to be. This is now the 'cold war' period we are in. The early battles were all won, and after bloody conflict and much campaigning we managed to out fight, and out-survive Archer and Bellotti and then Gillingham. With Dick Knight in charge we returned to Brighton, albeit in our shambolic temporary home, and then went on to win those two Championships. Against all the odds, and with the worse facilities in the whole league, we built a squad which tore through the lower leagues with a team spirit and fan base which is the envy of most other clubs.
It's no wonder that rich chairmen come to Brighton for their next team boss, because with our situation, we take an already good manager, and make him even better!
Whilst a minority of folk seem to want to criticize Dick Knight, I can only take my hat off to the guy.................
Think about it.
Since 1997 we have come back from the dead and embraced glory in a way we never thought possible. All the time, despite being on the brink of extinction financially, we have been gradually, painfully, edging towards our ultimate goal of Falmer. We are now 6 years nearer to our new stadium, than we were in 1997, and our fighting spirit is still very much alive.
There have been half a dozen different managers come and go, and apart from a couple, they have all have had a great deal of success with the players and fans they inherit or pass on, no more than Micky Adams, but all the time we have been fighting, surviving, improving, winning, fighting again, and surviving some more, not to mention campaigning, who has been constant throughout? DICK KNIGHT!
Ever since the dark days. He's still here, and he is still loyal, and he will take us to Falmer.
As I mentioned earlier, this is the 'cold war' and although the enemies are no longer tearing down our home or banishing us to Kent, they are still around, in the form of mega-rich jealous types, who see what we can achieve with not even a pot to pee in, and they think they can buy that for themselves. They are wrong of course, because glory is earnt on the field of battle, and not purchased in the boardroom, but they'll never learn.
Whatever happens managerially, there is one thing that is glaringly obvious................Whoever has the bottle to stick around with Brighton and Hove Albion until Falmer comes around will be rewarded with a very big club and the best supporters in the league.
I just hope that Steve Coppell realises this, but if not, then maybe a shrewd manager out there will be waiting to bite Dick Knight's hand off, for what will be the best post on the South Coast.
Anyway, que sera, sera. As they say.
Let's try and put the manager thing to one side, and look ahead to Blackpool's arrival at Withdean on Saturday. They are currently 17th in the table, and very inconsistent this season, but not to be taken lightly. We do have the prospect of Steve McMahon jumping around on the touchline, turning himself bright red, and raring up with every official in sight, which is always good for a laugh, so let's get stuck into them and get him all upset. Mind you, to be fair to him, he has tipped us to go up this season, and on Saturday, I see no reason to think that he will have changed his mind.
Tuesday night was delicious in every way, but most pleasing of all was the brilliance of Zesh Rehman on his debut. His glorious goal is still playing in my minds eye, and everyone is looking forward to seeing him perform his magic again. Big Michel Kuipers back in goals has also brought something special back to the side, and despite our off-field dramas, there is no mistaking the fact that we are looking very strong at present. The only way other teams are getting the odd goal is by dubious penalties, or miss-hit crosses, and everything on the playing front reeks of promotion material.
Whatever is going on behind the scenes, all we can do on Saturday is turn up and show the loyalty that only fans can show.
Managers are a commodity, as are players, and balance sheets and cheque books control their movements.
Real fans are the loyal life-blood of a club. They can never be bought, and they will always be there.
Ours are the best.
We must just get on with our job.
Simon, The Goldstone Ghost
