Tickets please

TWENTY fours hours is a long time. Especially if you need to raise several hundred pounds.

Now I admire Albion for cutting season ticket prices. I salute them for making more junior season tickets available. And the early-bird is a fine idea. Not least as the bird has been caged for 24 hours.

But a drama is never far away when it comes to Albion and the selling of tickets. Remember the Wembley phone-lines? Fans waiting for 90 minutes only to be cut off just as they were 'next in the queue'.

The Birmingham Mail has been inundated with supporters who haven't been impressed by what they feel is a 'gun to the head' approach by the club. Basically, raise the cash in time for tonight's 5pm deadline - or lose your seat. Not a problem for those with the means to do so. Less so for others.

These are hard times. People are losing jobs, saving money or prioritising towards other things. A lump sum of several hundred pounds is a lot of money.

Worryingly, Albion fans, unable to raise the cash in time, are being forced to miss out on the early bird scheme and, as a result, lose their usual seats. Clearly there needs to be a deadline - but why so soon, before the season has even concluded? It hasn't been helped by conflicting feedback from ticket office staff. Some fans are being told they can reserve their seats by leaving a £50 deposit. Others being told that isn't possible. The rest probably can't get through.

One Albion fan, Sam from Stourbridge, told me: "I received my weekly Albion newsletter telling me that not only does the Early bird scheme finish on the 30th but also my chance to renew my seat.

"After that date my seat (which I have had for four seasons) was going to be made available for relocations and new applicants.

"Panicking I rang the club to see if I could put a deposit on my seat and was told no. To guarantee my seat i needed to pay in full.

"A friend of mine phoned on and spoke to someone else and was told that you can put a deposit down on your seat and pay the balance by the end of May.

"Hence my disillusionment. One person says one thing another says completely different."

Another fan, Erik from Birmingham, put it even stronger. In an email to us he claimed that he was given little notice that he needed to pay up now - or lose his seat.

"I was given one weeks warning that if I didn't pay u I would lose my seat," he said.

"I have been a season ticket holder for 15 years in the Smethwick End stand and had the same seat. I feel betrayed by the board and I feel let down, they do not know how to treat their loyal fans.

"We have always had till June to renew our season tickets and I thought it would be the same for this/next season. In times like these when everyone is watching the pennies football clubs should show loyalty to their fans.

"However Mr Peace seems to think otherwise. I just cannot afford right now to keep my home and away season ticket for next season.

"For 15 years I have followed Albion all over the country through good and bad times and this is how I get treated for my loyalty. It leaves me sick to my stomach.

"Words can not explain how betrayed, let down, hurt and anger I feel towards the current Board. I have now decided that enough is enough."

Strong stuff indeed.

Albion have brought a lot of good when it comes to ticketing prices - although claiming that you can get potentially four extra games for your money in the event of relegation is akin to swapping a week in the sun for a fortnight in Rhyl - but clearly some fans are feeling let down.

Why is there always a saga when it comes to the sale of tickets?

On the plus side, the club are backing The Bomber Squad, the newly-formed group of supporters who are creating a singing area in the Birmingham Road End. That will get The Hawthorns rocking again next season, regardless of the division. It's just a shame that while the stadium may be louder and noisier, there will be more empty spaces.