Robert Townsend, with wife Jayne, celebrate reaching Europe as part of his unique four decades following the club (Image: None)
Robert Townsend, with wife Jayne, celebrate reaching Europe as part of his unique four decades following the club (Image: None)
Manchester United have their Theatre of Dreams, Albion had their Theatre of Trees.
Now it turns out both had their own versions of the hairdryer treatment.
But, in a new book by a Seagulls fan and former employee, we learn those two versions were rather different.
United boss Alex Ferguson used his ‘hairdryer’ type delivery when in a rage with stars like David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and pretty much anyone it seems except Eric Cantona.
Albion staff used an actual hairdryer to warm up their ticket-printer at Withdean.
Very different times for the club now third in the Premier League and operating out of a stadium and training complex which are both state of the art.
But quite a story to tell for former Argus columnist Robert Townsend, who worked behind the scenes for the club at the Goldstone, Gillingham, Withdean and the Amex.
Long Way Together captures what it was like for an Albion fan who worked for the club (two perspectives which, it is clear, did not always mix too well).
Robert said: “My favourite chapters are probably the War Years ones at the back end of the Goldstone.
“I was kind of a peripheral staff member but I was still sort of behind the scenes while (chief executive) David Bellotti was there.
“And then going to Gillingham and selling merchandise off trestle tables was ridiculous.
“And then Withdean. I think it was probably my favourite time working at the club because there weren't many of us, we just had to get on with it.
“Even though it was really difficult, we just had this spirit amongst us that. We were just a team.
“It was a mad time, having to warm the ticket printer up with a hairdryer because otherwise it wouldn't print any tickets on a matchday and things like that.
“Like a lot of things in life, the funniest things are often when things are at their darkest.”
Robert contributed a weekly column for The Argus for ten years and going back over them helped convince him there was a book to be written.
He said: “When I started writing it, I kind of realised that there is a whole load of universal themes that aren't just specific to Brighton and Hove Albion.
“Things like joy, despair, belonging, routine, familiarity, superstition.
“There are themes of family and adulthood and childhood and I thought about the shifting dynamic of a person and something they cared about for a few years.”
Robert’s relationship with the club has been as close as it gets – but also distant in terms of miles at times.
He recalls moving to Australia and expecting to be able to watch a rare televised match against Blackpool in League One.
“I traipsed around the streets of Sydney and I couldn't find a pub that was showing it.
“I think we ended up in an internet cafe just watching the BBC video printer and we lost 3-0.
“It was a pretty miserable introduction and then a few seasons later I was watching us play Middlesbrough in the last game of the season in a casino in Sydney with about 100 fans.
“We didn't win the game but it was just an incredible experience.
“Not just the growth of support but more the fact that people are much more connected.
“We didn't have Facebook, we didn't really have Twitter or anything when I first went to Australia and, by the end, the Seagulls Down Under club was getting hundreds of people to watch the game in.
“Or 100 people to watch the game in a casino in Sydney.
“But it's a different kind of loyalty following a team when you're overseas.”
Robert recalls the luxury of being able to watch the early kick-off on TV over a beer in the concourse when the club first got to the Amex.
As well as the obvious highlights and great days, he recalls incidents only regular fans will recall or identify with.
Like Vicente’s shot against the bar versus Derby, Reading’s aborted pitch invasion in 2014 and celebrating promotion in a very special style with his Albion-mad family.
One thing which comes to mind reading the book is how the tough days feel better because they led to something.
“You kind of have fond memories of your first one-bedroom flat with a mould on the ceiling, but you wouldn't want to move back there if you had to,” Robert said.
“I think having an occasional rose-tinted reminiscence is fine, bearing in mind the team are third in the Premier League.
“But, if we were still scrapping around in the mud in the bottom two divisions, it probably wouldn't be much fun.”
Long Way Together by Robert Townsend is available on Pitch Publishsing (£19.99) via pitchpublishing.co.uk.