Moving away fans - a mistake?

[k2bluesky]

As everyone I'm sure is aware, we score far more goals scored in the north than the south, maybe because we only really make an effort to score in the 2nd half of most games and we are allowed to play into our own fans in that half whoever wins the toss, so the away team can do the same.
Move them to the east and this will no longer be the case and they will possibly choose to make us attack the south in the 2nd half, as Palace did (I can't remember if anyone else has but probably not). The Albion supporters put in the south are unlikely to create the same atmosphere as the North does, as was the case at The Goldstone. Grounds without away supporters behind each goal tend to lack atmosphere too, it's a bad move in my opinion.

 

[Beach Hut]

Not really followed this but will the South Stand be all season ticket when the change happens ?

 

[Simster]

Half of the South will be given over to the away support in situations where they need a bigger allocation - so probably about half of the away support we've seen in this division.

 

[Wilka]

Having our fans behind both goals will only be a positive.

 

[The Optimist]

Following the attacking your own fans helps argument, would we have beaten Blackpool if the away fans were not behind the goal they were attacking in the second half? I know this is just one game and I'm sure we've scored a lot more late goals than we've conceded. I think our late goal record is more to do with our approach to games than anything else.

 

[Butch Willykins]

Myself and those around me enjoy our seats in WSL because we're close to the away fans (block A) and therefore able to enjoy quite a bit of banter with them. I'll definitely miss this if/when the away fans are moved to the SE corner.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

I think it's got more to do with the fact that we're stronger in the second half of games...

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Half of the South will be given over to the away support in situations where they need a bigger allocation - so probably about half of the away support we've seen in this division.

I'm not keeping up with this. When we have the extra seats in, what is the default allocation for a team requesting the full away allocation for league games? I thought it was 10% which will mean 3000-ish seats. I presumed this would be the full south stand plus SE corner and a bit of the east. Are you saying that these 3000 seats will start half-way along the south and wrap around the SE corner and take up a sizable chunk of the East stand?

And if they request a smaller allocation will they just be in the East and East corner?

I know cup games will need a fair bit of the east as the full allocation is higher at 15%.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

I would have thought if would have been easier to keep the away fans in the South and have the south corners as pay-per-match tickets only, and have the current section for that in the East given over to STHs, where theres cup games its then easier as they would get the entire south end.

 

[severnside gull]

The new south east corner with a chunk of south stand (allowing access to the divided concourse) and a small slice of east stand currently used mainly for club tickets will, as I understand it, be allocated to away fans. That comes up a little short of the current space available in south but very few teams actually take their full allocation.

There would then be a gap of unused seats before the new massed ranks of Albion season ticket holders sucking the ball into the south goal in order to even up the stats! The impact away fans are able to make will be reduced and the influence of home fans will be even more aparent (hopefully no more "we were outsung" threads).

From memory we always tended to score more goals in the Goldstone North Stand (same as Liverpool tend to score more in the Kop end) and I suspect that will always be the case where a specific stand behind a goal is occupied by the youngest and loudest fans but the extent to which it is skewed currently is not healthy. If I was an away manager at the Amex I would always make Albion attack the North first half if I won the toss.

 

[JCL666]

After thinking about it, moving the away fans is good for two reasons.

1. Home fans in both the South and North will be great.
2. It will hopefully encourage more people in the East to chant/sing.

 

[Birdie Boy]

I am not sure if it is my fading memory or if I was drunk, or both, but was there one game this season that we kicked into the North Stand in the first half?

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I am not sure if it is my fading memory or if I was drunk, or both, but was there one game this season that we kicked into the North Stand in the first half?

Palace. FFS Murray.

I tapped to talk.

 

[ees complicated no?]

Its good news to move them, east lower should be away fans, east upper should be staff and family stand and south stand family to.

 

[k2bluesky]

'From memory we always tended to score more goals in the Goldstone North Stand (same as Liverpool tend to score more in the Kop end) and I suspect that will always be the case where a specific stand behind a goal is occupied by the youngest and loudest fans but the extent to which it is skewed currently is not healthy. If I was an away manager at the Amex I would always make Albion attack the North first half if I won the toss.'

Exactly the point, lets keep it unhealthy as we tend to win then, take the away fans from behind the south goal and you can bet ALL away teams will make us attack the south in the 2nd half, where the 'suck-in' goals effect will be a lot less than the North, by deduction that all the singers/noisy people have bought in the North already.

 

[bomber130]

Lets get onto the FA to see if we can change games to 45mins duration and then just play towards the North stand for all games. If they don't go for it which I have a feeling they won't we should ban all away fans and just have BHA in all four stands.

This is just my opinion but this thread is useless.

 

[tubaman]

Moving the away support from the south stand may not be a hugh advantage for us but it will be a substantial disadvantage for the away team. Sooner the better.

 

[kingcole]

I'm not keeping up with this. When we have the extra seats in, what is the default allocation for a team requesting the full away allocation for league games? I thought it was 10% which will mean 3000-ish seats. I presumed this would be the full south stand plus SE corner and a bit of the east. Are you saying that these 3000 seats will start half-way along the south and wrap around the SE corner and take up a sizable chunk of the East stand?

And if they request a smaller allocation will they just be in the East and East corner?

I know cup games will need a fair bit of the east as the full allocation is higher at 15%.

For league games it's the smaller of 2000 or 10%, so a slightly reduced away section (south end of east and south east corner) would be just fine. We then have the option to give them half the south stand or if it's a 15% cup game (4500) the whole of the south.

I think for this reason, next season it will be the south stand that will be the general sale area (probably south west corner too) and if the away team has a small following (aka Barnsley) we can get them all in the east, so we can flog south east corner tickets too.

Above everything else, I just hope they get a ticket exchange sorted for next season. If one is not coming, I will likely only renew 3 of our 4 season tickets.

Also, I am guessing one of the areas with the highest number of absentees is the family stand. Considering it's not possible to buy family stand tickets on a match by match basis, this is the only way families can attend in a family area if they are not STH's. Hardly ideal for attracting new blood. I guess there is an argument for making a few hundred family tickets for match by match sales, but if the ticket exchange is in place this will not be necessary for the reasons I just mentioned.

 

[Chamberpot]

I'm not entirely sure where they are planning on putting the away fans but hopefully east stand, bottom tier next to the north stand. I love being next to the away fans.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

I'm not entirely sure where they are planning on putting the away fans but hopefully east stand, bottom tier next to the north stand. I love being next to the away fans.

Cannot see that. Too many season ticket holders in east stand would need moving. The South end of the East makes sense as it would affect complimentary places more.