Albion's new goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen will be aiming to be as well thought of by Albion fans as his countryman Michel Kuipers, after signing from Anderlecht earlier this week.
Michel spent ten years with Albion, with his path to becoming a professional goalkeeper one of the more interesting tales you're likely to come across.
How did you end up signing for Brighton, Kuips?
I was playing for Bristol Rovers back in 1999 and came on trial with Brighton during the latter part of that season. The goalkeeping coach was John Keeley and I trained with Mark Ormerod and Mark Walton at the Falmer training ground. My very first game for Brighton was a semi-final match in the Sussex Senior Cup at Eastbourne which we won 4-0. Straight away I enjoyed the atmosphere at the club; John was a great coach and made me feel welcome from the first minute. I went back to Bristol until the end of the season and signed in the summer of 2000 for the Albion.
There was a lot happening off the pitch as well as on it, right?
When I signed, I remember looking out of the window at the training ground and Micky Adams said, “In 18 months’ time we will be playing there, across the motorway, at our new stadium.” I thought that was great, not to know the rollercoaster journey the club was to set on. We had several marches along the seafront when the political party was in town, getting people to sign petitions in support of the stadium, collecting signatures and list of names of people backing our campaign, wearing ‘We Want Falmer’ T-shirts, taking ‘We Want Falmer’ banners wherever we could, sending postcards to the Government, raising awareness during interviews for the newspapers, TV and radio… these are just a few examples of the things we used to do.
Did the club become part of you as a result?
It was an amazing journey together with all the people at the club and all the supporters who played such a huge part, and I turned into a fan of the Albion. On the pitch I would celebrate each goal we scored like I was on the terraces with our supporters. After we had a good result, I was celebrating with the players but always expressed my joy and gratefulness with the supporters.
What was the highlight of your Albion career?
Winning three promotions, and twice as champions, is a great achievement. When we won our first championship, we never thought we were going to become champions a year later again. Going up through the play-offs was also special as well, given the final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff was a great occasion and atmosphere.
What was your best game in an Albion jersey?
It's a hard question because during my years there were so many great games. Home games to Blackpool, Chesterfield, Bristol City, Swindon, Leeds, Ipswich, Stockport. Away to Plymouth, Tranmere, Peterborough, Leicester, West Ham, Wolves, the list goes on and on. But if I had to pick one it has to be the League Cup win over Manchester City. It was amazing to beat the world's richest club and saving City's final penalty from Michael Ball.
Who was the best forward you played against?
He was responsible for the best goal I ever conceded – Robbie Keane for his side volley during Albion's FA Cup tie at White Hart Lane.
You came up against no less than 19 keepers in your time at Brighton, so who provided the toughest competition?
It's hard to pick one because they all had strong points in their games, and we always enjoyed training hard during the week to improve our game together. I am a strong believer in the goalkeepers’ union and still have a good relationship with every goalkeeper I played with. It’s always been nice to catch up with them.
You kept 97 clean sheets in your Brighton career. Are there any that stand out?
The best clean sheet was at Upton Park against West Ham. I think they had 29 attempts and we had one. The score? West Ham 0 Brighton 1 – with big Guy Butters scoring with a header from one of the few corners we had.
Finally, you were known as FDM – Former Dutch Marine. Tell us more…
I had to do my national service [in the Netherlands] but did a six-month marine course instead, which meant I could still play football. I learnt how to use automatic rifles, 50 calibre machine guns, anti-tank missiles and loads of different weapons that you might pick up from enemy troops. I did that from 19 until I was 24 and was a member of the 23rd company, second battalion. It was a life-changing experience, and it laid the foundations for the person that I am today.
What's the most dangerous mission you ever went on?
We had live combat one night in Norway, which was an extremely high-pressure situation but very exciting at the same time. It was so dark, the only way you could see was through night-vision goggles and so you ended up with tunnel vision, making your task even harder. There were about 800 of us on the operation and looking back, that was pretty high risk.
Why did you give it up to play football then?
In my spare hours I played for the Marines team and I also part-time for SDW Amsterdam. We won the regional league for the first time in 25 years, which brought me to the attention of Ian Holloway at Bristol Rovers and I was offered a contract by him. I wasn't sure I could leave the army, but the officers knew I'd put 110% into my job so they were happy to release me. The rest, as they say, is history.