[Albion] Terrible support, terrible facilities, terrible day.

[Bold Seagull]

There seemed to be lots of people who had brought mates/partners/relatives which is to be expected given the priority given to the STH guests. The problem with that is that you have a number of people just there for a day out, and the STH is also likely to be more subdued (I felt the guy next to me was regretting bringing his wife after about 10 minutes of questions about what was going on )

Whether it is ST guests, purchase history, whatever windows I think our support across 38k isn't going to suddenly change. Let's remember by the time the ST guest window opened availability was mainly spread around the back of the upper tier. All our Priority 1, 2, 3 fans got the bulk of the lower tier and best seats in the upper tier. Lower tier sold out well before any guest windows.

 

[Deleted member 37369]

How are you so sure it was a tourist? It could be a season ticket holder from East Upper, for example.
It takes all sorts to make up a football crowd, and you will always get anomalies.
We sold 38000 tickets, which is just 7000 more than our capacity. You’re always going to get non regulars, but I bet they were friends and family, rather than tourists.

Precisely!! I had an old boy sat next to me yesterday. He was there on his own ... travelled up my train. Really enjoyed my conversation with him before the game started and at HT etc. He told me he was at the 83 cup final - but was in the United end as he went with a few United friends. He cheered when we scored, which didn't go down well with some of the reds around him. One rather large Manc stood in front of him, turned around and urinated on his shoes!!

He left swiftly after the winning pen. He needed to make his way back via the scrummage to get on a tube/train etc. Does not standing and clapping for 10 minutes make him a bad fan?!

 

[BN9 BHA]

Those half and half scarves on sale yesterday were shite and up there with the worst I’ve seen, I saw someone in the section I was in wearing one and I could only see red and blue as the team’s names were hidden…….looked like a Palace scarf.

 

[sully]

Maybe my memory isn't what it was but I was in a similar place in 2019 semi final and i am sure we were all stood. The ground doesn't lend itself to creating an atmosphere (or buying anything or going to the bog or getting to) but it generates a cinemaesque feel to the game sat down as opposed to support. Certainly it seemed the same united sections were stood up.

I can't be certain, but I don't remember standing in 2019 either and was also in a similar position. I could easily be wrong, though (apart from being in a similar position).

 

[Iggle Piggle]

I found the “Wembley experience “ very frustrating. I was back row of standing area and trying to get any singing going was hard work. Why do supporters go in that area if they don’t want to get involved? Having said that It was much better than the City semi final In 2019. I think in future for Wembley games the club should take the lead and actually designate a singing section so more like minded supporters are grouped together. I’m looking forward to Wednesday night at Forest as the atmosphere in the away end will be far better than yesterday.

For all the other arguments, this is the key one. If you don't want to sing and definitely if you want a seat, don't go in the safe standing section. Maybe, as you say, brand it a singing section or something.

 

[Oh_aye]

I hate Wembley. It’s an all round awful experience win or lose.

It’s terrible to get to.
They blast you with PA music trying to manufacture an experience.
The food is crap and the queues and service make the Amex look like express lanes.
The music is shite - Cyndi f***ing Lauper belting out girls just wanna have fun at half time is not what I want to hear.
The toilets are terrible.
The choice of announcements after the game awful - “a bar that is not on your level is open for another hour. Enjoy.”
Turning the whole stadium into the colours of the winning team and belting out their song on the speakers in both halves of the stadium does nothing to dampen emotions.

And, an FA Cup semi on a Sunday at 4.30pm is disgraceful. The number of pissed up people mixing with kids who need to get home with school in the morning. Dear FA, try thinking about the fans for just a second.

And I pity teams from the North who have to travel all the way to that hole of a place.

I've never been so glad to choose a game not to drink at, than yesterday. Especially at 10pm on the red eye home, looking at other albion fans who's hangovers were already visibly kicking in.

 

[Bozza]

Maybe my memory isn't what it was but I was in a similar place in 2019 semi final and i am sure we were all stood. The ground doesn't lend itself to creating an atmosphere (or buying anything or going to the bog or getting to) but it generates a cinemaesque feel to the game sat down as opposed to support. Certainly it seemed the same united sections were stood up.

Because of some ticketing jiggery pokery, I was high up in block 550 and everyone sat. I was surprised when I glanced to my left half-way through the first half to see the United fans in the upper tier just beyond the stewarding line were all standing.

In fact, just before the game some drunk bloke came in by himself and then told the people behind him that he was going to stand all game, and they just had to deal with it. They said that wasn't particularly fair on those behind him, after which he became abusive to those around him. He followed this up by telling the same people he would recognise "real fans" and they weren't. They were.

In the end some stewards came along and found him a seat elsewhere, as it was very obviously going to end with blows being exchanged had he remained where he was.

 

[Oh_aye]

How do these people manage to get to away games and yet they couldn't get a ticket for yesterday? Genuine question.

Indeed. Tickets for every away but can't get a ticket at a 35k semi final.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Because of some ticketing jiggery pokery, I was high up in block 550 and everyone sat. I was surprised when I glanced to my left half-way through the first half to see the United fans in the upper tier just beyond the stewarding line were all standing.

In fact, just before the game some drunk bloke came in by himself and then told the people behind him that he was going to stand all game, and they just had to deal with it. They said that wasn't particularly fair on those behind him, after which he became abusive to those around him. He followed this up by telling the same people he would recognise "real fans" and they weren't. They were.

In the end some stewards came along and found him a seat elsewhere, as it was very obviously going to end with blows being exchanged had he remained where he was.

My memory isn't what it was then. Probably a sign of things to come.

Whatever the for/against of standing there is nothing worse than the person who wants to be a complete twat about it.

 

[Bozza]

My memory isn't what it was then. Probably a sign of things to come.

Whatever the for/against of standing there is nothing worse than the person who wants to be a complete twat about it.

Sorry - I'm not correcting you on 2019. We were lower tier (132, I think) and did stand throughout. I have no idea what the deal was in the upper tier.

I was just highlighting the difference in United/Albion fans yesterday with United fans, at least in part, all standing in the upper tier, but I couldn't see any of that in the upper tier in the Albion sections.

 

[Weststander]

Can anyone explain why they choose to play generic pop music as loud as possible right up until kick off? It makes it much harder to build up any sort of pre-match atmosphere.

I loved that set.

 

[Deleted member 37369]

 

[Deleted member 37369]

 

[Deleted member 37369]

GOSBTS!

 

[BN9 BHA]

I have only been in the upper tier on a tour of the stadium, I’m not actually sure I would feel comfortable standing up in those blocks.
I did notice our fans in the lower tier from the corner flag to the halfway line (opposite the tunnel) were sitting and across the divide the United fans standing.
Against City I went in the back section of the lower tier and got told to sit down

 

[Hamilton]

Because of some ticketing jiggery pokery, I was high up in block 550 and everyone sat. I was surprised when I glanced to my left half-way through the first half to see the United fans in the upper tier just beyond the stewarding line were all standing.

In fact, just before the game some drunk bloke came in by himself and then told the people behind him that he was going to stand all game, and they just had to deal with it. They said that wasn't particularly fair on those behind him, after which he became abusive to those around him. He followed this up by telling the same people he would recognise "real fans" and they weren't. They were.

In the end some stewards came along and found him a seat elsewhere, as it was very obviously going to end with blows being exchanged had he remained where he was.

Hopefully it was a seat on an early train home.

 

[Oh_aye]

Sorry - I'm not correcting you on 2019. We were lower tier (132, I think) and did stand throughout. I have no idea what the deal was in the upper tier.

I was just highlighting the difference in United/Albion fans yesterday with United fans, at least in part, all standing in the upper tier, but I couldn't see any of that in the upper tier in the Albion sections.

I was in 552 and everyone was sat down. I would have preferred to stand but I knew when I was getting that ticket there would be a good chance a lot would sit. I had a row of sitting old dears in front and kids behind me so would have been a bit of a helmet, standing there all game. I'm not particularly comfortable with some of the tone in this thread about there being a single way to support the team. People pay their money and want to do things their way. Some people scream and shout, some people want to watch the match, others are old or young, some go with crippling anxiety issues and others on 8 pints and a line of coke. I usually get involved with most singing but sometimes want to take in what's happening. Yesterday I kept finding myself slightly crippled by nerves and not feeling it.

At one point I was a bit worried about my heart rate and had to have a walk round the concourse at the back and was eyeing the defibrillators nervously, but I think it was closer to too much caffeine and a borderline panic attack about impending penalties. Not sure I would have appreciated a superfan TM imploring me to sing properly at that point.

If we'd have won no one would have been arsed about acoustics, sitting, standing or anything else.

 

[Oh_aye]

I have only been in the upper tier on a tour of the stadium, I’m not actually sure I would feel comfortable standing up in those blocks.
I did notice our fans in the lower tier from the corner flag to the halfway line (opposite the tunnel) were sitting and across the divide the United fans standing.
Against City I went in the back section of the lower tier and got told to sit down

I did getbgenuine vertigona few times and there is literally about 10 inches to the seat in front. Mass pissed up standers up there could be genuinely dangerous. That said we all stood for the penalties and it was alright!

 

[W3D]

i expect to get flamed for this but we have too many old farts .....i'm 57 but i get involved at the football, too many people who wouldn't get involved in a chant/song if their life depended on it , in a word ....lightweight.

Well I'm 63, and feel the same, and behave like I did back in the north stand when I was 18.
Rest of the time I behave like a 63 year old.

 

[Nicks]

Will be nice to see everyone up at Forest....................Oh

Be even more going to Newcastle........... Oh