A question to our travelling fans.

[Albionic68]

To the likes of BaggieBlood,Albionic68,BaggieAl and the rest.

Get yourselves a life and give up this hopeless addiction!

Seriously boys,

The travelling faithful are always the best barometer of any football club.

I admire you all greatly for the wholehearted way you lot keep following the club home any away.

Is their a general consensus amongst the away fans as to what’s going on and what the solution is?

Is there any groundswell of anti feeling towards Lai yet?

Is there a feeling that neither DM or Shan have a clue as to how to select a team and what tactics are required?

I’d be interested to know what the overriding “vibe” is in these testing times.

Do we need to invest in another coffin yet?

Hello Mick, please bear with me as this reply covers several areas. I can’t speak for others but I enjoy the company, banter and camaraderie of away days as for the most part they’re a real laugh. The hope and desire to be ‘there’ when it goes well drives’ me. Friendships made along the way and a love for the Albion keep me ‘there’. Other motivations are too complex and personal to explain.

I don’t go to games in expectation of winning them all. We’re being hamstrung by the decisions taken (or in this case not……) by those above though. We are currently leaderless, rudderless and drifting. I actually feel sorry for James Shan, an honourable and talented young coach who’s currently having his pants pulled down by the board’s inertia and the indifference/apathy of several players.

As with James Shan I feel the club take our continued home and away support for granted. This is now being reflected by increased frustration in the stands at away games. The tide was turning regards Jenkins and Lai before DM’s dismissal. Last night’s first half chants of ‘sack the board’ weren’t heard before as we were still in contention for the automatics. Those chants will grow in volume and intensity to home games should frustrations and anger mount.

Chants will have little to no effect on Jenkins though. Neither would a coffin with his or Lai’s names on. The bloke cares little for life’s payers beyond their/our funds. The problem with addictions are their nature, they’re habitual. Once a habit’s broken you quickly find other ways to spend your time and money; as was the case when I picked and chose my away days a few seasons back. Having missed four games home and away in all competitions over the last three seasons I’m no super fan. Two absences were unavoidable, two weren’t.

I’ll miss a number of fixtures home and away next season through work and may miss more through choice. Habits are being broken and money’s being saved. I’ll always love the Albion but I don’t like being taken for granted. I’ve also been falling out of love with ‘the modern football experience’ for years too. Work influenced absence may spread to matches I don’t feel up for. If this happens the HST will go without the bat of an eyelid. And for the most part away days would become a fond yet distant memory. I hope this goes some way to answering your questions Mick, all of the very best to you and yours.