From the arcades to the Amex: When Leicester City won at Brighton and Hove Albion
In 2006, Leicester City faced Brighton and Hove Albion in a game with severe consequences at the wrong end of the Championship. But, as ever, we’re going to start a long time before that.
February 1979. Britain is experiencing the winter of discontent, with strikes dominating the headlines and cold weather sweeping the country. Leicester City make their first ever trip to the south coast to play Brighton and Hove Albion.
Brighton win 3-1 at the Goldstone Ground on their way to promotion while Leicester toil in the bottom half of the second division. A stone’s throw away at the Brighton and Hove Greyhound Stadium, preparations are made for race night.
And in the arcades of Brighton, while his grandfather gets his dogs ready, an eight-year-old named Anthony is making his first foray into the world of gambling.
The Goldstone Ground in 1976
Anthony’s good with numbers. Towards the end of the 1980s, his A-levels are maths, further maths, statistics and economics. He gambles in his spare time at university, then goes through jobs at accountancy firms and on the City trading floor before taking the plunge and becoming a professional gambler.
In 2002, Tony Bloom sets up a bookmakers called Premierbet. He sells it for what he later calls “a tiny amount”, which turns out to be £1million.
In January 2006, he sets up a new company called Starlizard. He gives an interview to the former England cricket captain turned Times journalist Mike Atherton for a book Atherton is writing called “Gambling”. In the book, Atherton says: “I am told that he has a large team working for him in north London and that he employs an army of analysts, statisticians and researchers. [One] player in the business told me it was not unusual for Bloom to bet £250,000 a go on football matches.”
The eight-year-old who put pennies in the slots in Brighton’s arcades has become one of the most accomplished gamblers in the world.
February 2006. Leicester make the trip south again to face Brighton. Both sides are battling relegation to the third tier. Leicester are 21st, Brighton 22nd.
Three points separate them and three points are on offer to a Brighton side managed by former Leicester boss Mark McGhee, who had left Filbert Street under a cloud eleven years earlier. Another Scot, Craig Levein, has just departed the Leicester hotseat. The caretaker manager is Rob Kelly, who is taking charge of his third game.
Leicester fly out of the traps and captain Paddy McCarthy heads the visitors in front after just four minutes. Iain Hume makes it two a minute later, rounding Brighton goalkeeper Wayne Henderson to delight the travelling Foxes fans.
McGhee’s side pull one back ten minutes into the second half when Leicester goalkeeper Rab Douglas gifts a goal to Brighton midfielder Alexandre Frutos but the hosts can’t find a leveller. Future Leicester midfielder Dean Hammond is sent off for Brighton in the closing minutes and Leicester see out the victory.
Withdean Stadium in 2010
In May 2006, Brighton are relegated and spend five consecutive seasons in League One. In 2007, Tony Bloom becomes a silent investor in his local club.
In 2008, Brighton are joined in League One by Leicester, falling to the third tier for the first time in the club’s history, but only for one season. Brighton fans don’t see the best of Nigel Pearson’s title-winning side, who lose 3-2 at the Withdean in October after leading 2-0 and only manage a goalless draw in the return fixture.
In 2009, Leicester are promoted and Tony Bloom buys a 75% stake in Brighton and Hove Albion, becoming chairman. It marks the start of a rise with very few backward steps for Brighton. 2011: Promotion back to the Championship. 2017: Promotion to the Premier League.
21st May 2023: Qualification for Europe for the first time ever.
Leicester are old hands in Europe by 2023, having competed in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League between 2016 and 2022.
But seven days after Brighton celebrate the prospect of Europa League football, Leicester are relegated to the Championship. These contrasting fortunes highlight the differences between the two clubs in the present day. Despite all the success and silverware of the past 15 years for Leicester City under King Power’s ownership, it is Brighton who are quoted endlessly as the model Leicester should aspire to emulate.
Poor decisions have dogged Leicester. It’s all we’ve written about in the three years since we started The Fosse Way. At the heart of the trouble has been the financial regulations - FFP, PSR etc. A previously well-run club has been run into the ground.
A long litany of shambolic decisions both on the field and off it all led up to one telling moment on Monday when a 15-year-old was our best option off the bench and he couldn’t have the crypto casino sponsor on the front of his shirt.
Brighton, on the other hand, are shrewd operators.
Right now, they are in the strongest position of all Premier League clubs with regard to PSR. The rules may heavily favour the big clubs, but if you’re clever enough you can put yourself in the driving seat.
Amex Stadium in 2012
Back in 2006, Tony Bloom told Mike Atherton how and why he made a success of himself through gambling. It reveals much both about the approach he’s since instilled at Brighton and the contrast with what Leicester City’s leadership have overseen over the past few years.
“I had a long, hard look at the losers around me and I promised myself that I wouldn’t become one.
Some gamblers are addicted to losing and they get a thrill from going to solvent to broke and back again. That never appealed to me.
At university I made myself a promise that I would become fiercely disciplined. I wanted to gamble, because I enjoyed it, and therefore I needed to do it properly in order to win.
I didn’t want to lose my money.”
