[TiptonThrostle]

I seriously think the fans at home are making such a negative contribution to our results this year. So much moaning and whinging when we are trying to play the ball out from the back. I’m not a massive fan of DM but if the manager wants to play a certain way then the players have to do that but if I was playing at the back for Albion at home I would be petrified every time incase I made a bad pass.

The support at home isn’t what it used to be and that’s really sad to be honest. The days of when the ground would get behind the team all game and make a great atmosphere are long
Gone.

[zippyandbungle]

I seriously think the fans at home are making such a negative contribution to our results this year. So much moaning and whinging when we are trying to play the ball out from the back. I’m not a massive fan of DM but if the manager wants to play a certain way then the players have to do that but if I was playing at the back for Albion at home I would be petrified every time incase I made a bad pass.

The support at home isn’t what it used to be and that’s really sad to be honest. The days of when the ground would get behind the team all game and make a great atmosphere are long
Gone.

Good point
I actually think we played ok yesterday
Holgate was outstanding , most of the others were good , Barry a bit leggy
We lost to a team that got lucky with a cross(the winger didn't even know where the ball would end up) and then we had some very bad refereeing to deal with

I'm have been critical where it's been fair this season, but on the back of 6 points in a few days we have to go again and win at Leeds
There was a serious gap opening, at one point yesterday we would have been favourites to finish the day top....plenty to go for

[Mickyfudge]

Funny different opinions ,I thought Holgate had a terrible game ,his crosses were dreadful,I don’t think you can blame the crowd for players on thousands of pounds not being able to pass a ball

[smosher34]

Holgate was the only one who walked around clapping the fans at the end got a great reception
.

[17GD]

And I think too many fans are focused on others actions. DM asked for fans to make noise and back the team. They did that, and most notably, when utd scored, the Brummie broke out into "Albion, Albion, Albion!" and the singing carried on throughout.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't take kindly to being told my support isn't good enough. Fans have always got frustrated when things go badly. It's not new.

I think some are trying to find anything to blame for our poor home results of late. It's not the fans I can tell you that.

I usually go up on my own, as family have moved away etc so I end up talking to people I'm sat by. I've met some lovely people. And they usually all feel the same way. Frustrated when we play badly and happy when we play well.

I think we have a fantastic fanbase.

[baggiemart]

You can't blame the fans for getting frustrated when you have players on the pitch getting paid more a week than most fans get paid a year when the player has the ball and he doesn't know what to do with the ball so he passes it sideways for someone else to sort the problem out !!. 
This was happening a lot yesterday. 

Since we lost Harvey Barnes this is happening too often.  We lost a lot from the team when Harvey Barnes went.  fans are getting all excited about our away form but look at the sides we beat away , QPR, Villa, Stoke, Ipswich, Swansea, Rotherham,. All teams in the middle or bottom half of the table.  Yes we did beat Sheffield United but that was a win inspired by Harvey Barnes.

[TiptonThrostle]

And I think too many fans are focused on others actions. DM asked for fans to make noise and back the team. They did that, and most notably, when utd scored, the Brummie broke out into "Albion, Albion, Albion!" and the singing carried on throughout.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't take kindly to being told my support isn't good enough. Fans have always got frustrated when things go badly. It's not new.

I think some are trying to find anything to blame for our poor home results of late. It's not the fans I can tell you that.

I usually go up on my own, as family have moved away etc so I end up talking to people I'm sat by. I've met some lovely people. And they usually all feel the same way. Frustrated when we play badly and happy when we play well.

I think we have a fantastic fanbase.

Sorry mate but I completely disagree. A fantastic fan base would be getting behind the team no matter what. Away from home we are fantastic but at home I would say we are average. Like I’ve said DM wants us to play this way and yes I like many others become frustrated when we lose the ball and play misplaced passes but we were 1-0 down yesterday and I just think it does not help the players when it’s constant whining and whinging and getting on the players backs. The negative atmosphere does not help at all and it never used to be like that. I can understand if we are 3-0 down fair enough or vent your frustrations at the end of the game but during the game I don’t understand or agree with it.

We were 1-0 against derby after 5/6 minutes and immediately on the players backs. We have no Devine right to beat teams. The expectation is so high this season when two other relegated teams are not even going to make the play offs. I’ve been to over 10 away games this season and have not seen any negativity at all. What ever the score the crowd get behind the team for 90 minutes. I don’t think that’s difficult really to do and if the home crowd can do that I really think it pushes the team to get that extra few percent out of them which can effect the result rather than all the groaning and moaning when a mistake happens.

Everyone pays their money and is fully entitled to do what they want, I’m not telling anybody what to do I just think it is not a coincidence that our home results have been poor and I don’t feel we get behind the team as much as we should in my opinion.

[TiptonThrostle]

You can't blame the fans for getting frustrated when you have players on the pitch getting paid more a week than most fans get paid a year when the player has the ball and he doesn't know what to do with the ball so he passes it sideways for someone else to sort the problem out !!. 
This was happening a lot yesterday. 

Since we lost Harvey Barnes this is happening too often.  We lost a lot from the team when Harvey Barnes went.  fans are getting all excited about our away form but look at the sides we beat away , QPR, Villa, Stoke, Ipswich, Swansea, Rotherham,. All teams in the middle or bottom half of the table.  Yes we did beat Sheffield United but that was a win inspired by Harvey Barnes.

The sideways passing was happening a lot because we were being pressed by the opposition so in order to keep the ball sometimes you have to play sideways and backwards. That’s just basic football.

[OldburyWBA]

Sorry mate but I completely disagree. A fantastic fan base would be getting behind the team no matter what. Away from home we are fantastic but at home I would say we are average. Like I’ve said DM wants us to play this way and yes I like many others become frustrated when we lose the ball and play misplaced passes but we were 1-0 down yesterday and I just think it does not help the players when it’s constant whining and whinging and getting on the players backs. The negative atmosphere does not help at all and it never used to be like that. I can understand if we are 3-0 down fair enough or vent your frustrations at the end of the game but during the game I don’t understand or agree with it.

We were 1-0 against derby after 5/6 minutes and immediately on the players backs. We have no Devine right to beat teams. The expectation is so high this season when two other relegated teams are not even going to make the play offs. I’ve been to over 10 away games this season and have not seen any negativity at all. What ever the score the crowd get behind the team for 90 minutes. I don’t think that’s difficult really to do and if the home crowd can do that I really think it pushes the team to get that extra few percent out of them which can effect the result rather than all the groaning and moaning when a mistake happens.

Everyone pays their money and is fully entitled to do what they want, I’m not telling anybody what to do I just think it is not a coincidence that our home results have been poor and I don’t feel we get behind the team as much as we should in my opinion.

Its nothing new though, not saying its right at all as its not but we've always had it at home where the crowd get on the backs when things are not going right but its also not the reason for our poor home form. The first game of the season against Bolton showed that. People turned up expecting us to just roll them over, was never going to happen and thats been the theme since with a number of them. Clubs are coming to us and as a big fish in the league they want to try and put us in our place and we are making it was for them with our tactics. Sheffield United came yesterday and did a job on us, they'd done their homework and did the job perfectly. We had no answer to it and thats not down to the fans.

[The Tank]

The sideways passing was happening a lot because we were being pressed by the opposition so in order to keep the ball sometimes you have to play sideways and backwards. That’s just basic football.

The frustrating thing about being pressed, in particular right up to our own penalty area, means there must be gaps in the opponents positions further up the pitch which we are not playing the ball in to. 

[baggiemart]

The sideways passing was happening a lot because we were being pressed by the opposition so in order to keep the ball sometimes you have to play sideways and backwards. That’s just basic football.

I think you will find that going forward and attacking the opposition especially at home is basic football.

If you get the ball forward , look for the spaces, try shots from the edge of the penalty area, press the opposition. These are all things you need to do to win football matches.  We have a better squad than Sheffield United but no way did we show it on the pitch.

We have got to learn to bully teams at home, put them under pressure. If we had started like that yesterday this board would have a different feel to it !!   Remember Sheffield United at their ground. We did all that .

[Atomic]

I think you will find that going forward and attacking the opposition especially at home is basic football.

If you get the ball forward , look for the spaces, try shots from the edge of the penalty area, press the opposition. These are all things you need to do to win football matches.  We have a better squad than Sheffield United but no way did we show it on the pitch.

We have got to learn to bully teams at home, put them under pressure. If we had started like that yesterday this board would have a different feel to it !!   Remember Sheffield United at their ground. We did all that .

Yep I agree. When we played Norwich at home we were ferocious for the first half an hour. The likes of Dawson and Barry were flying into tackles and Norwich couldn't get going at all. That sort of intensity was missing yesterday and that was exactly what we needed early on in such a big game, in fact any game.

If we started every home game like that we'd blow some of the lesser teams away by half time but we don't do it, instead it's all slow, slow, pass it back, pass it wide, goalkeeper taking thirty seconds with the ball at his feet. It doesn't suit us.

[Dan87uk]

The support at home isn’t what it used to be and that’s really sad to be honest. The days of when the ground would get behind the team all game and make a great atmosphere are long
Gone.

The negative atmosphere does not help at all and it never used to be like that. I can understand if we are 3-0 down fair enough or vent your frustrations at the end of the game but during the game I don’t understand or agree with it.

Three years of Pulisball constantly beating the life out of your enjoyment for the game will do that for you. I've said it before on a couple of other subjects, but After the total meltdown of last season and all the internal politics that were going on at the club as a result of that our fanbase was seriously fractured and many; some of which have said on this board; fell out of love with the club/the game.

I also said it would take time to put all the pieces back together again and while this season has definitely gone a long way to doing that, there are still tensions just under the surface of frustration when things aren't quite going our way.

I'm guilty as charged btw, damn right I get frustrated when our goalkeeper; who is on 20k a week; in the 93rd minute when, when you are 1-0 down is flailing his arms about holding onto the ball because no one will come short for him (because they are all waiting for him to lump it up field). Then immediately proceed to fail at completing the one pass you do actually choose, gifting it to the opposition...

As for Moore's message the day before the game, I get what he was trying to do and why, but think the way he did it/what he said was the wrong way of going about it. It got a lot of the fans backs up as if to say "your support is s*** stop moaning". Of course this may also be down to the fact he's rubbish at articulating a sentence when doing interviews for anything.

[Norfolk Baggie]

From where I was siting on Saturday, the noise level and support was very good.  The crowd kept on supporting after the goal went in and did their best to rouse the team.  Having only missed one home game this season, support has been solid, and the noise level and general enthusiasm is miles better than it was under Pulis and Pardew.  Some fans do moan, it is part of the game and part of the excitement.  But it does not make them any less ardent supporters.

[FallOutBoy]

I'm seeing a lot of people blaming the fans for our home form, but the fact is this is just 'holier-than-thou' style posturing.

The players are professional athletes. Moore and Jones are professional coaches. The atmosphere should have little-to-nothing to do with how the players perform, or the tactics are put into place.

It's just another area in which we lack mental strength; the club needs to employ a sports psychologist ASAP. Apparently we're the only club in the top two divisions not to do so.

[Pureade1]

I discussed this at the weekend with my Dad who like me has been going up there for most of his life. The atmosphere in the 90's when we were finishing 14th or so every year in division one was better than it is now with about 15,000 in there every week and my opinion on why is that we have too many fans who 'come to be entertained' this is not unique to us but football in general has become like a trip to the cinema or to watch a theatre show fans attitudes are 'I expect to be entertained and then I may join in with atmoshphere'. This is certainly not all of the fans at the Albion to be fair as quite a few will get behind the team no matter what but I do feel we make the Hawthorns a very comfortable place for visiting teams to play football rather than a noisy Caldron that can help to build home form.

Whilst I'm not comparing the two clubs and wouldn't want an atmosphere like theirs you only need to look at Millwall consistently beating premier league sides at home in the cup to see what fans can do in terms of making opposition teams feel uncomfortable.

[Atomic]

I discussed this at the weekend with my Dad who like me has been going up there for most of his life. The atmosphere in the 90's when we were finishing 14th or so every year in division one was better than it is now with about 15,000 in there every week and my opinion on why is that we have too many fans who 'come to be entertained' this is not unique to us but football in general has become like a trip to the cinema or to watch a theatre show fans attitudes are 'I expect to be entertained and then I may join in with atmoshphere'. This is certainly not all of the fans at the Albion to be fair as quite a few will get behind the team no matter what but I do feel we make the Hawthorns a very comfortable place for visiting teams to play football rather than a noisy Caldron that can help to build home form.

Whilst I'm not comparing the two clubs and wouldn't want an atmosphere like theirs you only need to look at Millwall consistently beating premier league sides at home in the cup to see what fans can do in terms of making opposition teams feel uncomfortable.

No it wasn't. That's nostalgia for you. The atmosphere then was far worse than it is now, nowhere near as loud in general and just as negative. The Brummie Road end was dead for years. At least now they come alive from time to time. Back through most of the nineties most of the noise came from away fans.

[Pureade1]

So you believe the current fans who attend games make a better atmosphere than those during the 90's and not just talking about when we score(which is the only real time i hear the brummie that or pre match).

[17GD]

No it wasn't. That's nostalgia for you. The atmosphere then was far worse than it is now, nowhere near as loud in general and just as negative. The Brummie Road end was dead for years. At least now they come alive from time to time. Back through most of the nineties most of the noise came from away fans.

I don't see it from this angle myself. Yes, nostalgia does play a part to an extent, but I also believe the atmosphere was better back in the 90s. Since the PL era, there's been an air of impatience around the ground, as opposed to the "will we, won't we?" feel.

I mentioned in another post that i remember hearing the Brummie singing as I approached the ground in the 90s with the terracing.

[slate]

I remember the atmosphere being much different.

Back then fans were standing and there was a lot more shouting, particularly much more swearing and many more being ejected from the ground both home and away supporters. Don't see a lot of that now and generally I think that fans are better behaved. Quieter too.

Fans used to scale the high pitch-side fencing to streak or remonstrate with the ref. It's open borders now and nobody ever bothers.

I sit in the East Stand and 30 years ago there were fans joining in with the singing from both the Brummie and Smethwick ends but that doesn't happen anymore.

However, it's been ages since I've heard loud and abusive bad language hurled towards the pitch.

Our fans have evolved to be more civilised.

[TiptonThrostle]

I remember the atmosphere being much different.

Back then fans were standing and there was a lot more shouting, particularly much more swearing and many more being ejected from the ground both home and away supporters. Don't see a lot of that now and generally I think that fans are better behaved. Quieter too.

Fans used to scale the high pitch-side fencing to streak or remonstrate with the ref. It's open borders now and nobody ever bothers.

I sit in the East Stand and 30 years ago there were fans joining in with the singing from both the Brummie and Smethwick ends but that doesn't happen anymore.

However, it's been ages since I've heard loud and abusive bad language hurled towards the pitch.

Our fans have evolved to be more civilised.

Good point mate and i know what you are saying, but i go to away games regular and games on the tv and both experiences there are many grounds that are much much more vocal than the Hawthorns. I think somebody mentioned earlier that we dont really make it uncomfortable for the opposition and i agree with that. its a shame and numerous things have affected the atmosphere.

[FallOutBoy]

When I started going in the '90's, and I remember there being a similar level of discontent to be brutally honest.

While a lot may have happened between now and then, I don't remember hearing any chants of 'You're not fit to wear the shirt', or 'Sack the board' recently, but I did back then.

[BoingFlyer]

Like it or not but pressure affects the performance of players, if they feel more pressurised at home then there performance will dip. Yes they are paid professional athletes and ideally will have the mental strength to overcome such things, however it will still be something that could affect them. I do think that a lot of fans have been very unfair to Darren Moore and this has fed into the home atmosphere.

However, we are also a big scalp this season, the only premier league club to be relegated and pushing at the top of the table, clubs will raise there game against us especially at the Hawthorns.

[BigFrank20]

I realy struggle to understand where all this alleged 'discontent' and 'pressure at home' comes from at the ground
I sit/stand at the back of the Smethwick and they were pretty vociferous in their support from the outset and only got quieter towards the later end of the second half when it was plain to see the game was rapidly slipping away from us
Quieter not moaning please note
Yes the odd WTF (me) and stop f*cking around can be heard but not the mass stuff that seems to be happening around others 
I guess one's impression of crowd pressure on the players or signs of rumbling and mumbling can be heavily influenced by where you are in the ground?   
COYB onwards and upwards

[FallOutBoy]

I realy struggle to understand where all this alleged 'discontent' and 'pressure at home' comes from at the ground
I sit/stand at the back of the Smethwick and they were pretty vociferous in their support from the outset and only got quieter towards the later end of the second half when it was plain to see the game was rapidly slipping away from us
Quieter not moaning please note
Yes the odd WTF (me) and stop f*cking around can be heard but not the mass stuff that seems to be happening around others 
I guess one's impression of crowd pressure on the players or signs of rumbling and mumbling can be heavily influenced by where you are in the ground?   
COYB onwards and upwards

I sit in the Brummie, and to be fair, every time they try playing it out from the back and go nowhere with it there are murmurs and cries of exasperation. Same when the goal kicks go short.