A special episode of Latest TV reporting on Brighton and Hove Albion's trip to Roma with Sam Morton, Mark Dunford and Derren Howard.
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00:00 [Music]
00:29 [Music]
00:31 Hello and welcome to Latest TV News.
00:33 I'm Sam Morton and today we have a special episode for you
00:36 focusing on Brighton-Hove Albion's latest European adventure.
00:40 This week, Albion travelled to Italian heavyweight Roma
00:43 in the Europa League Round of 16.
00:45 The two teams face off again in the second leg
00:48 at the Amex on Thursday 14th March.
00:51 Stay tuned as we discuss the results at Stadio Olimpico
00:54 and see if you can spot yourself or someone you know
00:56 in our fan interviews.
00:58 [Music]
01:04 I'm okay. I'm more concerned about my two other friends to be honest.
01:09 I feel like what happened to them was a lot worse.
01:12 I'm a little bit nervous, a little bit shook up, but I'm okay.
01:16 I'm not too bad.
01:17 So we were just walking down the street from the pub,
01:19 just casually, wasn't chanting or anything,
01:22 from what I'm aware of anyway.
01:24 And we just got jumped from behind by about six guys in balaclavas
01:28 and all dressed in black, so they're all covered.
01:31 Just jumped from behind, hit me in the head two, three times.
01:33 I fell on the floor.
01:35 They're kicking me in the head, kicking me in the ribs,
01:37 in the arm, in the legs, literally everywhere.
01:39 And then I think they caught my two friends up the street
01:44 and stabbed them.
01:45 And one of my mates got his wallet and his passport taken away.
01:49 Yeah, it's dreadful, yeah.
01:51 - Yeah, you just mentioned this now, your friends,
01:53 do you feel a little bit apprehensive about going to the game tonight?
01:55 - A little bit.
01:56 I'm still going to the game because I'm here to support my team.
01:59 I'm proud to support them, you know what I mean?
02:01 I'm always going to be there to support them.
02:03 So I'm obviously still going to the game,
02:05 but just a little bit edgy, a little bit edgy.
02:08 - Yeah, it must be.
02:09 How are your friends doing?
02:11 Have they got work?
02:12 - One of them's in hospital still.
02:14 He's got to have a consultation later on.
02:16 He's not been released yet.
02:18 And my other friend has been released,
02:20 but I'm not sure his whereabouts at the moment.
02:22 I think he's in the hotel.
02:24 I'm not sure.
02:25 He might have gone out.
02:26 But yeah, just quite nervous, you know?
02:29 Quite nervous.
02:30 - Yeah, so I guess you weren't wearing any of the bicep colours?
02:33 - No, no, we were all neutral.
02:35 I was wearing the exact same as I am now.
02:37 We were all just dressed like normally, normal clothes, no colours.
02:40 We didn't attract any attention.
02:42 And yeah, they just--
02:43 I think maybe they heard that we was English maybe,
02:46 and they took advantage of that.
02:48 But yeah, what can you do?
02:52 It all happened very quickly, to be honest.
02:54 It was--because I didn't even see it coming.
02:56 I got hit from behind, so I didn't have a clue.
02:59 The first thing I remember is me being on the floor trying to cover up,
03:03 and they're just kicking me, kicking me, punching me on the floor.
03:07 And lucky I've not got any marks.
03:08 My jaw's really sore,
03:09 and I've got a couple of internal bruises, I think.
03:12 But yeah, it was quite terrifying afterwards
03:15 because you're a bit shook up.
03:17 And we all got separated as well,
03:18 and you're in a strange city, you don't know where you are.
03:21 So yeah, we were pretty shook up.
03:23 - Was anything stolen from you?
03:24 - Nothing was stolen from me.
03:26 Luckily, I think I got away with it, to be honest.
03:29 But yeah, my mate got robbed.
03:31 He got his wallet and his passport taken.
03:35 - Have the club been good to have, been supportive?
03:37 - I haven't spoken to the club,
03:39 but I think Andy, my other mate, has spoken to the club, I think.
03:44 - Have you contacted the police?
03:45 - I haven't contacted the police because Andy spoke to the police last night,
03:49 and they were basically blaming us.
03:52 So I don't see any point in me contacting the police
03:54 because they won't help us.
03:57 I think because we're English, maybe,
03:59 and they'll just blame it on us for being football fans.
04:03 - I'm Dunford here from Sussex World.
04:06 I've got my passport, shut down the computer.
04:11 It's packed, and I'm now ready to go to Rome.
04:16 Brighton versus Roma in the Europa League last 16.
04:19 So see you there if you're Brighton fans,
04:22 and yeah, here's my journey.
04:26 So I've just left my home,
04:30 now walking to the bus stop to get to Gatwick.
04:33 Going to the north terminal where I'll meet my other reporter, Sam Morton,
04:37 who's going to be in Rome with me
04:39 as we follow the Brighton fans around, follow the team news,
04:44 got a live blog going.
04:47 So yeah, there'll be a video highlights package at the end of this,
04:51 so hopefully you'll enjoy the journey.
04:55 (traffic noise)
04:58 So just here, outside departures at Gatwick North Terminal,
05:12 and Sam Morton is just arriving.
05:16 How excited are you, Sam?
05:18 Are you excited? - Very excited.
05:20 - Good stuff, excellent.
05:22 (crowd noise)
05:25 (crowd noise)
05:40 (traffic noise)
05:52 (crowd noise)
06:20 (crowd noise)
06:23 (crowd noise)
06:28 (traffic noise)
06:33 (traffic noise)
06:48 (traffic noise)
06:51 (announcement in foreign language)
07:05 - After you. - Thank you.
07:16 (announcement in foreign language)
07:20 - We made it to Rome.
07:31 The time's half past 11,
07:34 and now we are going to go and find our hotel.
07:37 - Yeah. - Can I get your name, sir?
07:39 - Yes, I'm Charlie. - I'm Daniel. - I'm Alex.
07:41 - And you're all Brighton fans, right? - Yes.
07:43 - I'm so excited to be here in Rome for the match. - It's great, it's crazy.
07:46 - Dreaming, really. - Yeah, I mean, how long have you been Brighton fans for?
07:49 - Since I was born. - How many of us have been Brighton fans?
07:51 - How old are you guys? - 19. - 19.
07:53 - Amazing. I mean, did you go to the other games, didn't you?
07:55 - Europe, as well. - We went to Marseille.
07:57 - I went to Amsterdam as well.
07:59 - Yeah, it's just unbelievable, really.
08:01 It's a completely different, like, main places around Europe.
08:04 - Yeah. - It's been great.
08:05 - It's an incredible experience, just going to Europe and being able to watch
08:08 the team play. - Yeah. - It's unbelievable.
08:10 - It is hard to believe, isn't it, how far Brighton have come in such a short period of time
08:13 and competing with some of the best clubs in Europe.
08:15 It just must be a bit of a pinch-yourself kind of moment.
08:18 - Yeah, it is. It's ridiculous. The thing that we've just...
08:20 We've been to Rome, we've been to South France,
08:23 we've been to Amsterdam and Athens now.
08:26 It's like, you couldn't have asked for a better tour, really.
08:28 - Yeah, yeah. - It could keep going. It might not start.
08:31 - It's a tough game, but hopefully it keeps going.
08:33 - Yeah, yeah. I mean, how do you see the game going against Roma?
08:36 - It'll be tough. I reckon we could potentially get a draw
08:39 and then win it at the Amex. - Yeah.
08:42 - That's about it. - What players do you feel really need to step up
08:45 for the occasion? Who are you looking to see a goal from?
08:48 - We need someone to score a couple of goals, don't we?
08:51 That's the problem, isn't it? Let's go with more senior players.
08:54 I reckon Danny Welbeck could step up and get a couple of goals for us.
08:56 - Yeah, because I think Jal Pedro has been the one scoring all the goals.
08:59 Obviously, he's injured at the moment, so I feel like Danny Welbeck
09:02 or maybe even Evan Ferguson could step up. - Yeah, 100%.
09:05 - I hope so. - Yeah, absolutely.
09:07 - Do you feel like you're looking bright going into the competition?
09:09 - All the way. - Yeah, why not? All the way. Let's go for it.
09:12 - Good stuff. Good stuff. Thank you so much, guys.
09:15 How have you found Rome? Are you enjoying it? - Yeah, it's been good.
09:17 I mean, it's our first day in Rome, actually. We've been staying a bit further out.
09:21 It's been great so far. The weather's just sort of sorted itself out a little bit.
09:25 But yeah, it's been all right. - Good stuff. That's great.
09:28 - So what are your guys' names? - I'm Adam. - I'm Nanette.
09:31 - And how long have you been Brighton fans for? - So 45 years.
09:36 And, well, since we've been together, so nearly 20 years.
09:40 - Amazing. I mean, this must be up there as one of the best kind of times to be a Brighton fan, I guess.
09:44 - Absolutely. We both went to IEx and I've been away game.
09:48 You know, I don't care about the results.
09:50 Being in Europe, being in Amsterdam, it's absolutely amazing.
09:54 - How do you see this one going in Rome? - It's going to be a tough one, I think.
09:58 Very tough. But you never know.
10:01 - Yeah. Who needs to step up? Because obviously, Jair Pedro has been the top scorer,
10:04 scoring lots of goals in Europe, so now he's injured.
10:06 Who do you think really needs to step up? - Ferguson, really.
10:09 - Ferguson, yeah. - Definitely.
10:11 We'll just enjoy it regardless of the result. We're not that worried, really.
10:18 It's just the sort of things that we never really thought would happen.
10:21 So just having a time, enjoy it. See what happens.
10:25 - You must be a real pinch for the moment, though.
10:26 I mean, to go to all these European places, following Brighton,
10:29 just scarcely believable, isn't it?
10:31 - Yeah. It's something we never expected. So, yeah, enjoy it.
10:35 - Enjoy the cities, enjoy the place, and just have a good time.
10:39 - Amazing. How long are you guys here for?
10:41 - We fly back Friday. - Friday.
10:43 - When do you get over? - Yesterday.
10:45 - Yesterday, OK. Yeah, brilliant.
10:47 Great. Well, have a great time, guys, and enjoy the game.
10:49 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:17 - OK, we're delighted to be joined today by Sussex World reporters
11:21 Mark Dunford and Sam Morton, who are in Rome ahead of Brighton's
11:26 Europa League Round of 16 clash against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
11:31 So, Mark, can you give us a flavour of how the atmosphere is over there
11:36 and how it's building up?
11:38 - Yeah, so we're currently on the Spanish Steps, as you can see.
11:42 So, yeah, it's a great atmosphere here.
11:44 But it's funny because we've bumped into quite a few Brighton supporters,
11:50 but they're not allowed – they've been advised by police not to wear colours
11:55 and stuff so they don't draw attention.
11:58 But we've managed to spot a couple.
12:00 There are a couple wearing their football shirts just coming out of their hoodies
12:03 a little bit at the bottom, untucked.
12:05 So we've managed to sort of follow them and track them down kind of thing.
12:08 So there isn't that sort of group – you can't hear groups of fans cheering
12:11 for Brighton in there at the moment.
12:13 But there's supposed to be 3,500 coming here.
12:17 On our live blog that we're doing, we've been sharing tweets of fans on their way,
12:23 fans in Rome and that.
12:24 So there's plenty about, but we're going to try and hunt some more down later,
12:27 aren't we, Sam?
12:28 - Yes, yeah, absolutely.
12:29 As Mark was saying, it's quite funny really.
12:31 At the Coliseum earlier, trying to see if we can spot some fans,
12:33 it really was a case of seeing if you can hear an English accent
12:36 and just guess that they might be Brighton fans.
12:38 And we have pretty much struck gold every time we try, haven't we?
12:41 - We have, yeah.
12:42 - So, yeah, we've had some good interviews with them and they're all really excited.
12:47 And it's just a real sense of, as it has been in all of the trips to Europe,
12:51 really just a sense of belief that they're even here.
12:54 And I think there's not so much confidence they're going to get a result as there has been,
12:58 especially when I was in Amsterdam.
13:00 There was a lot of confidence that the Brighton were going to win on the day,
13:02 and obviously they did.
13:03 But this time around there's some nervous fans around wondering what the score will be.
13:09 But I think there definitely has been a sense of people not being too worried about the result
13:13 and just enjoying the experience of being in Rome
13:16 and really just savouring that opportunity that they have.
13:19 And I think that's fantastic that that's the kind of –
13:24 - The attitude, yeah, absolutely.
13:26 - – the kind of attitude they've got.
13:27 So I think that's definitely a plus too.
13:29 - Brilliant.
13:30 You've put on the Classics World website some of your videos with the fans.
13:34 And you're right, they are a bit cautious.
13:37 Do you think that is down to their sort of iffy results lately
13:40 or because Roma are such a strong team under De Rossi?
13:44 - Yeah, I think it's a bit of both.
13:45 I think Brighton obviously haven't been in the best of form of late,
13:48 most recently losing 3-0 at Fulham.
13:51 So they really are struggling for consistency, really.
13:55 I think they have a good result, then they lose, and then they win again, then they lose again.
13:58 So they haven't been able to put a run of form together.
14:01 But that's no surprise when you consider the players they have unavailable.
14:04 None more so than obviously Karim Atoma and João Pedro,
14:07 that are just two such influential players.
14:09 Especially Pedro in Europe, who's obviously the top scorer.
14:12 And it really is gutting that he's not here for this one.
14:15 And that's one question I've been asking fans really is
14:17 what player needs to step up in João Pedro's absence.
14:20 And Evan Ferguson and Danny Woelbeck have been mentioned.
14:23 And there's some hope that Valentin Barco as well could maybe come in.
14:26 Although it's obviously quite early in his Bryson career, he's still a young lad as well.
14:29 So yeah, I think obviously Ante Fatih, from my opinion,
14:32 I think Ante Fatih really needs to step up.
14:34 And he has been probably better in Europe than in the league.
14:37 So hopefully we can see more of that from him
14:40 and really show why he was so highly rated at Barcelona.
14:44 And there'd be no better occasion to do it than in Rome.
14:47 Yeah, and obviously Roma, like you say, they're a strong side.
14:50 They've had some good results, now with Daniel De Rossi,
14:53 Lukaku, Dybala, Chris Smalling, I say Chris Smalling,
14:57 comparing him to Lukaku and that.
14:59 But yeah, they've got a good side.
15:01 And obviously it's going to be quite an intimidating atmosphere, I imagine, as well,
15:05 at the Stadio Olimpico.
15:06 So yeah, we're going there later for the press conference with De Serbi.
15:10 So it'll be interesting to see what he's got to say about coming back to his home country.
15:14 Yeah.
15:15 Yeah, it's a big occasion for him.
15:17 And obviously, Mark, De Serbi's been linked to some of the top jobs
15:21 around Europe as well.
15:23 Do you think this is like a really big occasion for him
15:26 so he can test his mettle against one of the...
15:28 He's an Italian and he's going to want to do well against the top Italian team, isn't he?
15:32 Absolutely. And it'd be a good...
15:35 I think all the clubs who are reportedly interested in him
15:39 will be interested to see how they do get on.
15:41 Because if he can beat Roma over two legs, get a result here,
15:44 a draw would be a good result here, wouldn't it, Sam, I think?
15:47 Get a draw here with a little bit of a tactical masterclass, as it were,
15:51 then that just puts his stock even higher, doesn't it?
15:54 And I mean, I know the reports are all about Man United today, aren't they?
15:57 But we've heard lots of different... Real Madrid, we've heard lots of different rumours with De Serbi.
16:03 But yeah, this is a real test for him, given how bad it's been.
16:07 Well, not how bad it's been, but the last result, the last performance.
16:10 Has he put all his eggs in one basket with this game?
16:13 Or picking a slightly weaker side for them?
16:17 Yeah, but it's a real test for him.
16:19 And yeah, I mean, if he can get a result here, obviously, like you say,
16:22 his stock gets higher. Even bigger clubs will become interested.
16:25 But yeah, we'll see. We'll see.
16:28 We'll see. Yeah, no, it's going to be a big occasion.
16:31 What sort of sense did you get from the fans as well with their travel, Sam?
16:35 Was it an easy trip over?
16:37 Because I know, like yourselves, you flew into Milan and then got the train down to Rome.
16:42 How have some of the other Brighton fans tackled their journeys?
16:45 Yeah, it definitely sounds like we had one of the longest trips over here, didn't it?
16:48 Yeah.
16:49 I think they've come over the last few days.
16:52 I think someone came over on Monday. They've really made a week out of it.
16:55 So that's good to hear.
16:57 But I think there have been some delays, actually, from Gatwick Airport.
16:59 I think Mark, first thing in the morning, was doing his daily Gatwick flight update.
17:04 And I think there was a few delays from Gatwick to Rome.
17:07 So I think there may be some disruption for fans.
17:10 So hopefully they can get here on time for the match.
17:13 But the ones we've spoken to seem to have had a smooth journey, which is good.
17:17 So, yeah, hopefully more will continue to arrive over the next few hours and into tomorrow.
17:22 Yeah, yeah. It looks a lovely, lovely day where you are at the moment.
17:26 Can you give us a little bit of a feel as to what's going on over there and what you've been up to?
17:32 Well, we have been to all the major attractions today.
17:37 McDonald's, where we sat for two hours and did some work.
17:41 I mean, as you can see, I've got to bring you over here.
17:44 It's quite busy at the bottom of the Spanish Steps there.
17:46 We've been to the Coliseum. We went to the Trevi Fountain.
17:50 Yeah, and it is a glorious day. There was a huge hailstorm first thing, wasn't there?
17:54 When we were in the hotel room, made a hell of a racket on the roof.
17:57 But then, yeah, it's been absolutely lovely.
18:00 And I think tomorrow's forecast is really good as well.
18:02 So, yeah, I mean, it's a really nice atmosphere.
18:04 There's loads of school groups around, on tours, guided tours, etc.
18:08 Around the Coliseum was absolutely rammed, wasn't it?
18:10 And the Trevi Fountain. So, yeah.
18:14 Hi there. Mark Dunford here with Sam Morton.
18:16 We're in Milan. We got off our eight-hour coach journey from Rome straight after the game last night
18:22 where Brighton were humbled 4-0 in their last 16-year Oper league first-leg tie against Roma.
18:28 Sam, where did it all go wrong for Brighton last night?
18:31 Yeah, it was a tough one, Mark. It was one that didn't go well from the first whistle, really.
18:37 I think it started to be a bit of an end-to-end game.
18:41 I think Roma were having such big chances straight away.
18:44 I think Lukaku had a headed chance very early on that was saved brilliantly by Jason Steele.
18:49 But straight away you felt what was coming.
18:51 The defensively, they weren't fully up to scratch.
18:54 And they did quickly concede that first goal.
18:57 We powered the ball up, it was in form and obviously one of the top players on the team.
19:01 It was a great run, wasn't it? Great run.
19:03 They timed it perfectly.
19:04 They could beat the offside trap.
19:05 Obviously, Brighton were playing quite a high line and you took it around Jason Steele and finished.
19:10 It didn't look like it was offside. It was given as offside.
19:12 But a quick VAR check determined it as a goal.
19:16 And you felt Brighton needed a quick response.
19:19 But unfortunately, they fell 2-0 down.
19:21 It was a huge mistake from Lewis Dunne that caused it.
19:24 You're not sure what he was trying to do with a long ball.
19:27 You know he was trying to control it rather than just kicking the ball into touch.
19:30 And Lukaku took full advantage in taking the ball and powering it past Jason Steele who had no chance to win the goal.
19:38 But they'd been in that position before, obviously in Marseille, 2-0 down at half-time.
19:42 So all hope wasn't lost.
19:44 And obviously they had the second leg to come.
19:46 But the worst possible thing happened and they conceded two further goals in the second half.
19:51 And it was a shame really because the third goal in particular did come after some improved performance.
19:57 It looked like they were on the ascendancy.
19:59 And Idinga in particular was looking really lively.
20:02 But even in the first half he looked really good putting some crosses.
20:05 And Danny Welbeck missed quite a few chances, mainly headed chances.
20:09 But definitely a shining mark was Idinga in the game.
20:12 It was just a shame they couldn't get that goal to half the deficit before falling 3-0 down.
20:16 And obviously there was some controversy with that goal because it didn't look offside.
20:20 It did look really offside, yeah.
20:22 Yeah, I'm still confused.
20:23 The replay showed it as being onside really.
20:26 But yeah, crucial moment in the game and Roma to have put advantage in.
20:30 Well, a clear deserved win, as you say, and a humbling result for Brighton.
20:34 Yeah, and 'deserved'.
20:35 He had some interesting comments afterwards.
20:37 He was saying that there's a lot of lessons to learn for the club, for everybody in the club,
20:41 including Tony Bloom, which seemed quite a big statement, didn't it?
20:44 It was. Yeah, it was a big statement.
20:46 And the first time he's been so blunt in saying something outright like that,
20:49 I think he's hinted at it maybe a few times, but this is the first time he's outright said
20:53 the owners have to take some blame as well.
20:55 I think that's just referring to the fact they didn't make any big signings in January
20:59 to fill the gaps in their team due to the huge injuries they have.
21:03 And it's a real shame, really, when you consider the number of players that were out,
21:07 even Gael Petro, Karim Otoma, Soddy March, just key players, really.
21:13 And you just wonder what they could have done if all those players were fit.
21:17 So it's a case of what if.
21:19 But they just had the players there to do some damage, at least get a goal or two,
21:23 and they had the chances as well.
21:25 You can't say they didn't have the chances.
21:27 So a real frustrating evening.
21:30 I think the worst thing is it does kind of make the hope go a bit in the dead.
21:33 Is there no hope at all, do you think, next week?
21:35 I think it'll be a miracle, if anything, if they were to get four goals,
21:40 take it to extra time, or obviously five to win it.
21:43 But you never know.
21:45 We'll hope for a miracle, I guess.
21:47 Yeah.
21:48 Thank you for watching Latest TV News.
21:50 For more stories from across the county, please visit sussexworld.co.uk.
21:54 [Music]