Away Support

Everything I am about to say is from my own personal experiences, so please don't think I'm being unfair or deliberately condescending!

As many of you know, the last three seasons I have been regularly attending away games have only missed one this campaign. You tend to get a feel of the usual group of supporters who go week in week out and it makes for a much nicer atmosphere when you tend to know most people around you.

The outcry that the club decided not to take the full allocation of tickets for next week's trip to Everton may be justified in that it has become possibly our biggest game of the season with a race for a European place on the cards (still, it feels funny as an Albion fan to think of Europe as a real possibility!!) when a 3000-strong following could be achieved, much like at West Ham a few weeks ago.

That said, had the London Stadium not been a new ground to visit, would we have sold as many tickets? Maybe not. This season, our average away attendance hasn't been anything to shout about and it isn't like there has been the demand for tickets. Granted, we have had a few lunchtime kick-offs (Chelsea and Tottenham) a Boxing Day fixture (Arsenal) and a game on New Years Eve (Southampton). Some of our other fixtures haven't sold out even when put on general sale (Sunderland, Bournemouth, etc).

It is often said that taking a full allocation helps improve the atmosphere massively and whilst I would love to agree with that sentiment, from my own experiences it hasn't always been the case. I can count on one hand the amount of away games I've been to in recent years where the atmosphere has been electric with a bumper following. Being around people who I recognise and feel comfortable around, as well as enjoying myself and singing loud and proud is what makes the day fun for me. Everton last season when we took around 900 is still one of my favourites (which, may I add, was also a 3pm kick off on a Saturday)!

Our last two FA Cup exits are prime examples of my hesitation in us taking a full allocation for the sake of it. It is obvious that when we are doing well there is the potential for more fans to "jump on the bandwagon", and whilst I feel extremely sorry for those who have genuinely missed out and wanted to go and support the team, sometimes it's worth noting that at least it will be less likely to attract the sorts who caused trouble in those cup games.

Personally I hadn't seen that many supporters had missed out on tickets, but instead those who had already got tickets were confused by the allocation. If so many had in fact missed out it should be noted by the club.

Don't think that I am opposing taking a large away following, as there is no doubt the team love to see huge support when it is needed, but I'm sure whether it would have been a couple hundred or a couple thousand fans we'll do our best to outsing the home crowd.

Just to reiterate, if you don't agree with my thoughts it's fine. They are exactly that: my thoughts.