This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
West Bromwich Albion have been one of the early-season pace setters in the Championship this campaign.
After making the play-offs and recording their highest finish since being relegated from the Premier League in 2021, the mood which surrounds the Albion fanbase is one of optimism at this moment in time.
With Carlos Corberan in charge, the Baggies’ fortunes have changed drastically, with the Spaniard revered as one of the best tacticians across the division.
This has been backed up by the positivity fuelled by Shilen Patel, who took over in The Hawthorns’ boardroom in late February, ending Guochuan Lai’s tumultuous tenure as owner of the club.
The B71 outfit have always recorded relatively strong numbers in terms of attendances throughout the years, and it’s fair to say that as a result of the aforementioned factors, crowd numbers at least, have reached a new level in comparison to recent seasons.
West Brom fan pundit issues verdict on the Baggies’ home support
Football League World quizzed our Albion fan pundit, Callum Burgess, on what the attendances have been like in this quarter of the West Midlands so far this season.
Whilst there has been a marked improvement in terms of attendance figures, Burgess stated that aspects of the crowd could still improve as the season progresses.
| West Brom – Attendance Figures since returning to the Championship | Spectators | Average Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 503,119 | 21,875 |
| 2022/23 | 531,553 | 23,111 |
| 2023/24 | 529,136 | 23,006 |
| 2024/25* | 123,985 | 24,797 |
| All Data as per Transfermarkt (*Correct as of 09/10/24) | ||
So far, the attendances at The Hawthorns have been really promising,” he began. “In the games where Albion haven’t been able to sell out, it’s been very close to doing so.”
“This shows that under Shilen Patel, the atmosphere around the club is really positive at the minute.”
“Under Guochuan Lai, there were a few occasions where empty seats were a common occurrence, and you’d be able to see that on TV whenever we played at home,” Burgess added.
“Since the beginning of this season, the stands have been much more full, and it’s been quite difficult to spot any empty seats when travelling to The Hawthorns and seeing the stadium absolutely packed. It’s a really good sign that the fans are behind the team.”
“But, in terms of the atmosphere, I would say that pretty much all of the home games I’ve been to this season, it’s been a bit disappointing,” our fan pundit stated.
“Whilst they’re making an effort to see the team, the fans need to try and be more vocal.”
“There’s been times where you’ll hear the occasional moan or groan about something. I think if people put in the effort to support the team like they do when moaning at playing out from the back, the stadium would be an absolute fortress.”
Burgess concluded: “Overall, the attendances have been good, but the atmosphere can be lacking at times.”
