[Albion] The "West Brom cup game - waiting for the upper tiers" thread *** all areas open! ***

[R. Slicker]

And to add, on the way out, popped into the South west for a wee and a pint as usual, completely forgetting it was the away fans today.


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[crookie]

Wish I had swerved it too. V poor performance

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[METALMICKY]

I will be desperate to fall back into the welcoming embrace of my regular WSU seat. Was in the North stand today about level with the crossbar. On a positive note I bet it's nice and noisy when full of its regulars. However, today I was surrounded by too many newbies and kids just more interested in packing away the sweets than really watching the game. And in my case compounded by two young girls who kept standing on their seats. Had to politely ask them twice to sit down whilst their parents did nothing and in the end they only relented when a steward had a word.

Of course the keen pricing was a smart move and totally appreciate that we might convert some of those newbies and kids into the season ticket holders of tomorrow. And perhaps critically I just love my central elevated view from my WSU seat where I can really appreciate the pattern of play. I'm protected from the elements and it's lively enough for me.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

30,775 capacity, less 27,001 sold, less 323 unsold = a missing 3,451

The announced crowd was surprisingly low given that the ground looked very full apart from the empty section in the SW corner and The Shelf...

 

[Weststander]

The announced crowd was surprisingly low given that the ground looked very full apart from the empty section in the SW corner and The Shelf...

27,001 tickets sold including 1901. If anything, less attended, late decisons on rain, manflu, etc.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

27,001 tickets sold including 1901. If anything, less attended, late decisons on rain, manflu, etc.

Yes. The announcement was 27,001 tickets sold including 1901.

I was surprised by that number given that WSU appeared to be very full and all tickets elsewhere were pretty much sold out by Thursday...

The empty bit in SW corner can't have been more than about 1500 tops and The Shelf c.500? So I don't understand where the other 1750 unsold seats were...

 

[Weststander]

Yes. The announcement was 27,001 tickets sold including 1901.

I was surprised by that number given that WSU appeared to be very full and all tickets elsewhere were pretty much sold out by Thursday...

The empty bit in SW corner can't have been more than about 1500 tops and The Shelf c.500? So I don't understand where the other 1750 unsold seats were...

WSU always seem full, come rain or shine.

 

[Hastings gull]

Yes. The announcement was 27,001 tickets sold including 1901.

I was surprised by that number given that WSU appeared to be very full and all tickets elsewhere were pretty much sold out by Thursday...

The empty bit in SW corner can't have been more than about 1500 tops and The Shelf c.500? So I don't understand where the other 1750 unsold seats were...

I may be able to shed some light on this, though couldn't account for such large numbers. I went to Hastings station to catch the usual 12.37 -looked during the week for planned engineering work, and there was none - so get there on time to be told that the trains leaving on 37 minutes had been cancelled; as an aside the chap said that Southern Rail had not even informed the station staff. the train leaving at 1pm to arrive at Falmer consisted, unbelievably, of only 4 coaches, so by Eastbourne was so full, that literally no one could get on. Hundreds were stranded at Polegate and Berwick (their only train to get them to the match in time) so it is possible that they went home!
In fairness to Southern, in all the years I have been using them to got to Falmer, the service has been pretty good (yes, I know that others have been badly let down, but I can only speak as I personally find) but this was shambolic. On the way home, at Lewes, I was amazed to hear right next to me, someone from Southern hand a member of the crowd control team, who seemed quite puzzled, a phone to let them know how many coaches were on each train going to Brighton, so that they were prepared at Falmer. Clearly the rail company employees had little idea.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

I may be able to shed some light on this, though couldn't account for such large numbers. I went to Hastings station to catch the usual 12.37 -looked during the week for planned engineering work, and there was none - so get there on time to be told that the trains leaving on 37 minutes had been cancelled; as an aside the chap said that Southern Rail had not even informed the station staff. the train leaving at 1pm to arrive at Falmer consisted, unbelievably, of only 4 coaches, so by Eastbourne was so full, that literally no one could get on. Hundreds were stranded at Polegate and Berwick (their only train to get them to the match in time) so it is possible that they went home!
In fairness to Southern, in all the years I have been using them to got to Falmer, the service has been pretty good (yes, I know that others have been badly let down, but I can only speak as I personally find) but this was shambolic. On the way home, at Lewes, I was amazed to hear right next to me, someone from Southern hand a member of the crowd control team, who seemed quite puzzled, a phone to let them know how many coaches were on each train going to Brighton, so that they were prepared at Falmer. Clearly the rail company employees had little idea.

Shambolic is the word. Took us two hours to get home to Eastbourne only about 20 miles away. The queue for Brighton on the way back was massive but quickly disappeared as many trains went by, all 8 coachers whilst few went eastbound and were all but one 4 coachers. I have had a few bad experiences lately with the trains and yesterday was the final straw. I am not using that service again as it's not fit for purpose.

 

[ManOfSussex]

Shambolic is the word. Took us two hours to get home to Eastbourne only about 20 miles away. The queue for Brighton on the way back was massive but quickly disappeared as many trains went by, all 8 coachers whilst few went eastbound and were all but one 4 coachers. I have had a few bad experiences lately with the trains and yesterday was the final straw. I am not using that service again as it's not fit for purpose.

It did state on the pre-match brief that Southern were running an 'enhanced service' not a 'full match day' one. I grimaced when I read that and expected the worst and got it like you did.

 

[Hastings gull]

Shambolic is the word. Took us two hours to get home to Eastbourne only about 20 miles away. The queue for Brighton on the way back was massive but quickly disappeared as many trains went by, all 8 coachers whilst few went eastbound and were all but one 4 coachers. I have had a few bad experiences lately with the trains and yesterday was the final straw. I am not using that service again as it's not fit for purpose.

Yes, thanks. It may be just coincidence but on reading the club briefing, the wording about the trains was that the service would be enhanced, and I thought that was strange, as they always talk of a full match-day service. The cancellation of that train going to Falmer also seemed odd and was asking for trouble. This is pure conjecture on my part, but might the noticeably poorer service by match-day standards have been something to do with a recognition in the pre-match liaison that cup games are not the same as league matches? As I say, I have no evidence of this, and no one would ever admit it, but I just wondered.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

It did state on the pre-match brief that Southern were running an 'enhanced service' not a 'full match day' one. I grimaced when I read that and expected the worst and got it like you did.

Unfortunately, I have 'enjoyed' similar experiences on other matchdays. I've just had enough lol!

 

[portslade seagull]

Papers giving the crowd as 20,000. Was there 10,000 empty seats?

 

[Bob!]

I may be able to shed some light on this, though couldn't account for such large numbers. I went to Hastings station to catch the usual 12.37 -looked during the week for planned engineering work, and there was none - so get there on time to be told that the trains leaving on 37 minutes had been cancelled; as an aside the chap said that Southern Rail had not even informed the station staff. the train leaving at 1pm to arrive at Falmer consisted, unbelievably, of only 4 coaches, so by Eastbourne was so full, that literally no one could get on. Hundreds were stranded at Polegate and Berwick (their only train to get them to the match in time) so it is possible that they went home!
In fairness to Southern, in all the years I have been using them to got to Falmer, the service has been pretty good (yes, I know that others have been badly let down, but I can only speak as I personally find) but this was shambolic. On the way home, at Lewes, I was amazed to hear right next to me, someone from Southern hand a member of the crowd control team, who seemed quite puzzled, a phone to let them know how many coaches were on each train going to Brighton, so that they were prepared at Falmer. Clearly
the rail company employees had little idea.

That may well have affected the attendance. but won't have made a difference to Tickets sold, which is what the club announce.

 

[Hastings gull]

That may well have affected the attendance. but won't have made a difference to Tickets sold, which is what the club announce.

Yes, of course. I was referring to the empty seats which you could see, and seemed odd, given that folk had to make a conscious decision to buy the ticket.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Papers giving the crowd as 20,000. Was there 10,000 empty seats?

No. It was announced at the ground as 27,001.

And I still need this number explaining to me as yesterday morning the club were talking about only a few hundred seats left and the prospect of a sell out by kick off.

I wouldn't be so puzzled but for the fact the crowd in the ground appeared to indeed be filling all areas apart from WBA unsold SW corner, a small segregation zone in W1A and The Shelf. These areas do not add up to anything like the 3,749 shortfall...?

 

[timbha]

There was an empty seat next to me and another one in front. That’s 2 more