Fans requested more attacking and free flowing football. Now that they have it, they leave in the droves before full time.

“..To be honest I would rather see us lose a few more games than we draw, as long as the football was more exciting.”

Not an exact quotation from the various local phone-ins, but one that was typical of the sorts of comments which were heard during the reigns of managers like Bryan Robson, Gary Megson and Brian Little.

People often called bemoaning the lack of attacking football that was being played, stating that West Brom were a club that had a tradition of such football and that it was being eroded by defensive, safety first tactics.

It is therefore a strange irony, but not one that should surprise too many observers of what is becoming the most fickle supported sport in this country, that West Brom supporters are now complaining that it is too attacking and gung ho. Indeed the call now is for drab 1-1 draws if it just means that points are accumulated rather than lost.

Fans want a team that wins trophies whilst playing attacking football. The two are not always a natural partnership though. Liverpool and Chelsea have not won the Champion’s League and Premier League by playing free flowing football, but rather they have played to game plans which have negated the opponents and then took their chances. If it were true that the best footballing teams won all the trophies, Arsenal would have won far more than they have recently.

It is with that in mind that it is hard to understand the masses who continually walk out of the Hawthorns 5 -10 minutes before the end of games. On 29th March 2008 West Brom scored twice, after the 90 minutes were up, to win the game 4-3. There were a great many fans that would have walked the length of the Birmingham Road to their cars criticising the defence, team and manager for losing 3-2 to Colchester, got in their cars only to hear the score. On 8th April West Brom scored three times in the last ten minutes to win again. Therefore to see hundreds of people leaving the ground with more than 5 minutes left to play, plus the further 4 minutes injury time, at the game against Watford, is unbelievable. Have they not learned anything from the past two games. Nothing did happen of course, but who knows.

Fans often cry out on the phone –ins for more passion and commitment from teams. They do that from the comfort of their homes at 5:30pm, having left the ground early. All that is apart from those fans that arrive after kick off, go for something to eat before half time, returning after the second half has kicked off and leaving early. There are another twenty-two and a half hours in the day to eat and drink, surely it’s not too much to ask that a supporter actually supports the team for the whole game.

Fans cried out for, nay demanded more attacking football and exciting games. Now you have it at least stay and watch it.


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