Then why did they put the whole stadium on sale for day 1 for the Palace cup game last season, when anyone who has their finger on the pulse of fan sentiment could have told you it was going to be a very low attendance?
Nah - it would have been spot on if they'd opened all areas of the ground at the same time. I know a few people who are annoyed they bought lower tier and then looked on in dismay as the upper tiers were opened one by one.
I really don't think I can be convinced that the club have got the free-for-all approach wrong.
This is exactly the sort of game where those who don't come to Albion games much/at all will do so, in many cases with season ticket holders. By allowing anyone to choose any (released) seat, then it...
I think the "free for all" approach is the best one, as it allows people to bring along friends and family that might not be STHs and they can all sit together.
If you do bide your time for an upper tier, there is every chance you will be able to get your own seat as 18,000 other Albion fans...