Ryan Leister hits out at West Brom after new development v Wolves
BBC West Midlands pundit Ryan Leister has hit out at West Brom for their ticket pricing ahead of the FA Cup derby clash with Wolves.
The self-proclaimed pundit has claimed the prices are based on the club wanting to avoid the embarrassment of not selling out for the fixture which is an early kick-off and on TV.
He has labelled the decision as petty, as a replay would be most beneficial to the club money-wise, but they would rather lose money by giving Wolves the 4000 allocation requirement and leaving seats empty.
Writing via his Twitter account on 17 January, Leister shared: “I’m surprised nobody is talking about the pricing for this game. Some will want to credit Albion and think they are doing fans a solid when actually it’s a price that screams they don’t want to be embarrassed by not selling out (TV/early kick-off).
“Having a replay is what will suit Albion the most (£), so it’s amusing they’d rather lose money by only giving Wolves the 4000 requirement & leaving seats unsold. It’s very petty and I’m all for it.”
Reading far too deep into it
Leister’s claim that West Brom selling tickets for a cheaper price than expected is due to fears over not selling out, rather than simply having cheaper ticket prices for what is a huge game for the club, is a bizarre and strangely pessimistic take.
The Black Country Derby is the biggest game of the season, perhaps even of the last three seasons, for Carlos Coberan’s side and for the Albion fans. They will need no second invitation to buy tickets, so any concerns over selling out would be instantly erased.
Since the draw was made, and especially now Wolves have overcome Brentford in their third-round replay, this fixture is all the fans have been speaking about, and with a date set for 28 January, it is edging ever closer.
Regardless of the reasons for selling tickets at a cheaper price point, the fact is fans will be able to attend a huge game for a lower price, and that should always be praised in an era where clubs have no hesitation ripping off their fans.
In other West Brom news, a talkSPORT journalist has been speaking about the fixture.