Human Values

And so it ends - the era of BHA’s greatest manager, and our first season in Europe.

I can only apologise for the negative mindset that drives this writing but, even putting my personal and ongoing struggle with poor mental health aside, this season has left a lot to be desired, on many fronts.

RDZ’s statement following the announcement of his departure has left me concerned in one small, but pivotal, area. The following line has left me sensing that my own feelings regarding the way the team is developing aren’t that far off the mark:

“We have agreed to end my time at Brighton so that the club and I can continue to work in the way that suits each of us best, following our ideas and visions, as well as our work and human values”.

For De Zerbi to state that his human values are not consistent with BHA’s left me wondering exactly what he meant. Human values are an established system and, while I accept that there may have been something lost in translation, I am also sure that he would have made every possible effort to ensure that his views were accurately and effectively translated.

Human values, according to Shalom H. Schwartz, include self-direction, power, conformity, tradition and benevolence.

I do not pretend to have the intelligence or expertise to accurately dissect or explain all of these but I feel that some of them must have been the lynchpin that focused RDZ’s mind on his need to depart this team, after so strong and committed a display of capability in developing this team towards a higher power within football circles.

From my perspective in viewing BHA from the outside, as a fan, I can only imagine that his positions within self-direction, power, and conformity must have been highly-influential on his decision.

RDZ’s well-publicised views on BHA’s (in)activity in securing a deeper squad, a better squad, and a squad consistent with his desire and ability to take the team where he wanted them to go, could have left him deeply disillusioned with the lack of direction he was able to exert on his squad, and the power (or definite lack of) to change things for the better (in his view).

These limitations on the values he surely wanted to be able to apply may be a large contributory factor to his need to seek pastures where his human values would be better respected by those in charge.

Where ‘those in charge’ are concerned, I cannot truly state that the lack of expenditure on new players was wrong. I don’t know Tony Bloom’s mind, I don’t know his vision of just how quickly the team must develop, and I don’t know the full position he faces where finances (personal and for the team) are concerned. We are all committed members of ‘team Bloom’ but, unfortunately, I find myself wondering whether RDZ has found himself feeling the same way that I have over the past couple of seasons.

Any brief glance at team comms, fan forums, or the actions imposed upon fans, only serve to reinforce my opinion and view that ‘we’ are currently seen as the dutiful subjects of an all-powerful authority figure who can do no wrong, can admit no wrong, and whose decisions cannot be questioned without the meting out of scorn (and perhaps even punishment).

We have fans banned for events that are subsequently assessed as too harsh by an independent body (The IFO); we allegedly have fans who are banned virtually instantaneously without any chance to appeal the position before the ban commences; we have a Fan Advisory Board who are told at almost every turn that the CEO views their presence as unnecessary, and who are treated with disregard by the club that they are supposed to be in a position to influence. For example, the recent introduction of a ‘singing section’ for the women’s team was never discussed with the FAB, despite a meeting with BHA about the women’s team only a week before the announcement.

We also have said CEO telling a fans forum that it is up to the fans to generate the atmosphere, while every request for a realignment of North Stand singers is refused or ignored. As contentious as a drum is for many, the same CEO spoke with pride (allegedly, at a fans forum) about how he had removed the drum from the Spurs fans, while telling us it was our choice if we wanted to use one (handily ignoring the fact that such a request had been denied previously).

We have had surveys full of leading questions asking about safe-standing that have been issued to all season ticket holders, utilising the results from across the whole stadium to justify why those who wanted safe-standing were too small a population to make it worthwhile. We were never told which section of the stadium those positive responses were from but I can’t help thinking that they were probably from the North Stand.

The positive spin placed upon all things BHA is as risible as the environmental policies that were so negatively and incorrectly responded to at another fan forum (as expertly dissected within a recent issue of Dogma by Fred Waine).

BHA and the Premier League operate a ‘closed shop’ policy in so many ways. The team win awards from the PL for achievements in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion while never publicising the content of any submissions (simultaneously collecting fans’ diversity data without doing anything with it, that I can find), while both parties continue to ‘backslap’ each other for a performance that is truly risible compared to public sector standards and requirements (even though the legislation is the same).

I should clarify that this position is entirely the fault of the Premier League, who assess submissions and make awards without ever requiring teams to publish anything at all (like I said, a closed shop), announcing who has won what without any scrutiny.

All of which has taken me some way away from the subject of Roberto De Zerbi and why he felt it was better to leave than continue to swim against the tide. If only we, as fans, had the same option, but we don’t. We can’t terminate our contract without destroying our own mentality and psyche where football and life are concerned and, trust me, the powers that be know that all too well and will continue to exploit our mentality until… well, until they run out of decisions to impose upon us that we are powerless to discuss, influence, or change.

I wish you well, Roberto, but I blame you not one iota for escaping when perhaps it all became just too much for you to bear.

Personally, my decision to not attend any games since the end of January has been influenced by many, many things but, my disaffection with the shabby way that we fans are being treated and the bullshit that we must continue to endure, has been a small but significant influence.

The Albion have simply stopped being ’there for me’, in any way, shape or form, no matter what they might suggest about themselves whenever the opportunity is available.

I expect my season-ticket will soon be suspended and I will be told to watch my mouth.

JBD (he/him/wanker)