Exactly 30 years ago today, I watched Albion live for the first time. Aged eight years old, I saw a 1-1 Easter Monday draw with Portsmouth at The Goldstone.
Unfortunately, I fear the comparisons won't end there because two weeks later Pat Saward's team were relegated from the old Division Two after a season which included a run of 12 straight League defeats.
Even I, the eternal Albion optimist, realise the game may be up this season. After Monday's draw against Sheffield Wednesday, a couple of readers reminded me that back in August I'd stated there were six teams worse than the Albion in Division One.
Micky Adams, the greatest Albion manager of them all, once said: "The league tables don't lie." But I still maintain that had Albion put Steve Coppell in charge after his orginal interview in June, there would be eight to ten teams between them and 24th place. Adams also said: "Fail to prepare, prepare to fail."
So where do Albion go from here and will Steve Coppell be in the dugout when the new season starts in August?
I have a feeling Coppell already knows what his next move will be. If it's to leave Withdean and the relegation issue is settled this weekend, he should go next Monday morning, with all our thanks, thereby giving the club an opportunity to prepare properly for next season, unlike last summer.
Ten managers in ten years suggests being Albion manager is a precarious occupation but the club's obvious potential will always attract candidates.
They may go for a first-time manager with playing experience at the highest level, possibly an international, someone with lots of contacts and a motivator. Sounds like the current Albion goalkeeper to me!
As for Bobby Zamora, if he never plays for the club again, he will always be an Albion legend. I would like to thank him for giving me some of my greatest Albion moments. His complaints about the club in a national newspaper were not very well timed ahead of two vital matches over the Easter weekend but were not that far away from what a lot of other high profile figures have said in the past.
I reckon we could get between £2-3million for him, Bristol Rovers will get their cut and, hopefully, the board will let the manager, whoever he is, have the rest to build a team to get us out of Division Two next season.
The anti-boxing fraternity is made up of narrow-minded and misinformed individuals.
I had the privilege and pleasure to attend a boxing dinner at the Metropole Hotel, Brighton, last week which emphasised what a great sport boxing is and how much good can come from it.
A wonderful night of entertainment raised thousands of pounds for local charities and, most importantly, lads of all ages proved boxing instills discipline sadly lacking in other areas of society.
How many youngsters have been kept on the straight and narrow by boxing?
Frank Bruno admits he would have ended up in prison had he not taken up the sport. Perhaps some of the anti-brigade should attend a similar show before screaming for boxing to be banned.
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