John Welsh
When Brighton and Hove Albion secured promotion to England’s top flight in 1979 for the only time in their history, Harry Bloom was the club’s vice-chairman. Today, his grandson Tony is chairman and Brighton supporters are hoping that history might repeat itself for the family. In securing the services of former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet as manager, Tony Bloom is raising the expectations of the club’s fans.
Back in 1979 Brighton played at the Goldstone Ground, a stadium which had been used by Albion since 1902. Promotion to the top flight under the management of Alan Mullery brought the glamour teams to the south coast and for a few years the team flourished, finishing in their highest ever position of 13th in 1982.
Brighton were beaten FA Cup finalists in the following season, but only after the famous Peter Jones quote “…and Smith must score”, when Gordon Smith missed a late chance to win the cup for the Seagulls. That same season Brighton were relegated and have never regained their place in England’s top tier.
A gradual downward spiral followed, culminating in relegation to the lower tier of the Football League and Conference football was narrowly avoided. Precarious finances forced the sale of the Goldstone Ground in 1997 and after a two-year spell at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium, Brighton began using the Withdean Stadium.
Planning permission was eventually granted for the construction of a new stadium in the Falmer area of Brighton, with work beginning in December 2008.
Financial problems remained an issue, but in May 2009 Tony Bloom came to the rescue to provide the remaining funds to pay for the £93M state of the art home. Bloom is a multi-millionaire and property developer who acquired most of his fortune in the internet gambling industry. He is also one the UK’s finest poker players.
At the time Bloom revealed to the Brighton public: “I have been a passionate Brighton fan for 30 years. Once the stadium is built the club will have a long term future”. He was now hoping for a successful team to play in the club’s new surroundings.
Results under manager Russell Slade during the following season were very disappointing and the former Yeovil Town boss’ contact was terminated in early November 2009. Many applications were received for the postm, but as Bloom said: “As soon as Gus Poyet became interested, I became very interested.”
A Uruguayan by birth, Poyet had played for both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League before accepting coaching and assistant manager posts at Swindon, Leeds United and his former club Spurs. As assistant manager at White Hart Lane, the former goalscoring midfielders helped the club to win the League Cup in 2008, but at Leeds he was remembered for engaging in banter with the fans behind the dugout. Leeds chairman Ken Bates once described Poyet as a strong and influential person in the dressing room who “was never shy of a word or two”.
Poyet was appointed to his first managerial role and with former team-mate Mauricio Taricco as his assistant, Brighton won 3-1 at Southampton in his very first match in charge. League One survival was eventually secured that season and Poyet quickly endeared himself to the Seagulls’ fans with his passion and humorous quotes; one in particular: “You only play with one football, and it’s easier if you have it” cemented his reputation as a character in Brighton.
Brighton dominated the same league during the subsequent season, at one time during March winning eight successive matches. The Seagulls had won the title by April and this just happened to coincide with the completion of the new Falmer stadium, which was to be named the American Express Community Stadium (AMEX).
And so Poyet’s men started the 2011/12 Championship season in the AMEX stadium and high expectations, with promotion to the Premier League on the agenda. After an excellent start, the team’s form has stalled prompting to Poyet to play down the club’s chances of an instant leap up to England’s top tier. The Uruguayan has claimed Brighton should aim to finish: “In the top five every year, or in the Premier League would be better”.
Fans are divided are on the future direction of the club, some preferring consolidation in the Premier League rather than the Championship, but it does seem that the majority are backing Poyet, one supporter in particular noting: “He has tremendous motivation, drive and passion for the game and hates losing – he will get it right.” Another was quoted as commenting: “Keeping Poyet is a must.”
Amongst the Seagulls’ players, Kazenga LuaLua preferred another loan move spell on the south coast, rather than fighting for his place with Premier League outfit Newcastle United. LuaLua, a skilful young winger who can also play in a central midfield role, is convinced that his development as a footballer will be further enhanced under Poyet’s guidance.
Bloom has assured fans that further finance will be available should Poyet achieve promotion and there is talk of expanding the stadium capacity to 32,000. In Poyet, chairman Bloom might have a manager who can take the club up to the next level and compete with the bigger fish in the Premier League. By recently signing a five-year contract, Poyet now has to justify the faith shown in him by his chairman.
Securing top flight football is the next challenge for the likeable Uruguayan and there is genuine hope in Brighton that this can soon be achieved.
