Although I started off as a sports reporter in the days when Jimmy Greaves scored goals and had hair, it's many years since I switched to politics.

Yet I still get asked more questions about the future of Brighton and Hove Albion than anything else.

That indicates the hold Albion have on many people, not only in the city but also in a substantial part of Sussex.

So it's undoubtedly true that back-to-back promotions and championships for the club have suffused much of Sussex with euphoria. But it would be a mistake to assume, as some fans do, that everyone is rooting for the Albion.

I guess roughly a third of people are pretty keen supporters who either attend matches, listen on the radio, turn to the back page of The Argus before the front, and look for the Albion result first on the box.

Another third are fair weather fans who will turn out and cheer on the big occasions and generally wish the club well in a passive way.

But no one should forget the remaining people who are either not faintly interested in football or who are actively opposed to Albion.

Some of them will be putting their heads above the parapet in the next few months, unafraid of being damaged by Zamora-style shots of abuse from the supporters.

There's no doubt that, in order to survive and prosper, Albion need a new stadium following the sad and preventable loss of the Goldstone ground in Hove. But it is more difficult to find a suitable site down here than anywhere outside London.

Earlier this month I was in York, where there are also problems with the ground.

Looking around the outskirts, there are plenty of places between the built-up area and the ring road where new grounds could be placed. That does not apply in Brighton and Hove, where land is short.

There are problems with all the main sites which have been suggested. Newhaven is too far away. Shoreham Harbour has awful access. Brighton station land is too small. Waterhall Valley is the wrong side of the bypass. Toad's Hole Valley in Hove is owned by a private firm which would want its share of the cash.

Falmer is by no means ideal for a community stadium. It is open land near or on the Downs, depending on your point of view.

It is a rather cramped site for what is proposed and it could cause some problems for villagers.

But in a land-locked city, it is the best site available.

What football fanatics have to realise is that Albion have no God-given right to that site. We live in a democracy, thank goodness, and there is a perfectly respectable argument against it, which is being well rehearsed by conservationists and by Falmer Parish Council.

Even if city councillors grant permission, the decision will almost certainly have to be tested before an independent planning inspector.

For Albion to succeed, it is essential there should be a beautiful stadium for the beautiful game. Other clubs have shown what can be done.

The transport arrangements have to be as good, if not better, than they are at the temporary home of Withdean and community has to be a real word and not one used to make the stadium sound more friendly.

Albion have tremendous potential. They have a catchment area of 1.5 million people and not another League club within sight for the best part of 40 miles.

They have one of the best managers in Britain, wise heads on the board, a spirited team and fans who have been sorely tested during the lean times.

But the struggles of the last two seasons will be as nothing compared with the planning battles ahead.