He played in a pretty city on the English coast, one with a famous beach, great nightlife, and plenty of things to do. For a professional soccer player, Brighton was a wonderful place to live - and that was the problem. It was easy to get comfortable, easy to get complacent, and before long it was easy for the nation's Football Association to boot Brighton out of its premier division.
"There were a lot of distractions, and they ended up working against us," said Chris Ramsey, who played for the Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club from 1980-84. "We ended up getting relegated, because people weren't as focused as they should have been."
Ramsey is now the head coach of the Charleston Battery, and he sees a lot of similarities between his new team and the one he played for two decades ago - a famous beach, great nightlife, and plenty of things to do. Throw in Blackbaud Stadium, one of the finest soccer-only facilities in the nation, and an owner who's not afraid to open his checkbook, and there are plenty of reasons for a player to get ... comfortable.
Ramsey doesn't want that to happen. The Battery hosts the Dallas Burn of Major League Soccer tonight at 7:30 in an exhibition match, the first of two MLS exhibitions Charleston will play before opening the A-League season April 27. As far as the new head coach is concerned, complacency isn't part of the game plan. "The players here have to realize that this is a great town to live in, this is a great franchise. They do pay their bills and mortgages by playing soccer. The owners have put a lot of faith into them, and put a lot of money up to win an A-League championship. The players have got to show the desire," said Ramsey, hired in November to replace Alan Dicks, who was reassigned after last season.
"The players have got to realize that without such great backing, they could be playing for one of a number of A-League teams where they'd have to find additional jobs in order to pay their bills. I'm not saying it's gone on in the past, but I've understood this from my experience, and I've seen situations where people have become comfortable within an environment, and they become fat cats and then don't take care of business on the field. I'm not saying that's going to happen, we're not going to let it happen. But I think on some occasions it can happen in situations like this."
So far, so good. Battery forward Paul Conway said preseason training has been more upbeat than in the past, which is to be expected as players try to solidify their positions under a new coach.
"I think anytime a new coach comes in, whether you're a veteran or a new player, you have to prove yourself," said Conway, who scored 27 goals last season and is the reigning A-League Most Valuable Player. "I think other players would tell you the same thing, that this is a game where you need to prove yourself every day. You can't rest on your laurels. I think the guys have put it in for Chris, but as professionals, that should be the case for any of us."
A 39-year-old native of England, Ramsey takes over a Battery program that has recently enjoyed solid regular seasons but struggled in the playoffs. Last year Charles-ton finished the regular season 11-2 at home and entered the playoffs seeded fifth - but was ousted in two games by 12th-seeded Pittsburgh. It was the third time in four seasons the Battery had been eliminated in the first round of the postseason.
"It's not like I'm coming into a failing team," Ramsey said. "We're coming into a good franchise that wants to do better, which is good. They're not expecting to win because we've got a good franchise and a good stadium. They actually want to go that one step better. I understand that we probably need to tighten the defense up a little bit. Scoring is a habit, and letting goals in becomes a habit. They go hand-in-hand."
Ramsey began his career as a player in 1978, and competed in all four English pro leagues. After 17 years and 10 operations - on his knees, back, ankles, and nose - he made the calculated decision to go back to college, the first step toward a second career in coaching. Since then, he's worked for various English clubs and the Football Association (the governing body of English soccer), where he served as head coach of the under-20 national team.
Most recently, Ramsey worked with clubs Luton Town and Leyton Orient (both currently in the English third division) and as a private consultant before taking the job with the Battery.
"He's come right out of the fire in terms of his work with the Football Association, and his work with Luton Town," Conway said. "He brings the cutting edge of world soccer to us."
Now the Battery wants him to bring them closer to an A-League championship.
With Conway and the recent addition of Eric Wynalda, a three-time World Cup participant and the U.S. national team's all-time leading scorer, Ramsey has the makings of what shapes up - on paper, at least - as one of the Battery's most talented clubs in its 10-year history.
And as recent history has indicated, simply qualifying for the playoffs isn't good enough.
"I think as a coach, you're under pressure," Ramsey said. "I'd certainly rather be under pressure with a good team than with a team that has no hope before it starts. Yeah, I think there's pressure. But that's the nature of the job."
BATTERY AT HOME
• What: Charleston Battery in exhibition against Dallas Burn of Major League Soccer
• When: Today, 7:30 p.m.
• Where: Blackbaud Stadium, Daniel Island
• Tickets: $6-$12, stadium ticket office opens at noon
• Promotion: Easter egg hunt at halftime
