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'Tony Mowbray will feel let down' after 'pathetic' West Brom scenes v Portsmouth
Tony Mowbray steered West Brom to their biggest winning margin of the season against Portsmouth on Saturday, but it still did not prevent thousands from leaving early.
The Hawthorns was half-empty by the time the final whistle arrived to bring the curtain down on a memorable 5-1 thrashing (25 January), with Mowbray returning to the Albion home dugout for the first time since 2009.
With several thousand supporters heading for the exits considerably prior to full-time, many fellow Baggies fans took to social media to tear into their own in frustration.
Some accused other fans of letting Mowbray down with their "pathetic" actions, and it is understandable to wish a full ground was present at the end to christen the returning boss back home.
West Brom supporters have a right to be aggrieved at fellow fans
As much as any fan has a right to turn up and leave when they wish - a right that comes with the season ticket or match ticket purchase - it is frustrating for some when they stay for the full game and are among the last few thousand to depart.
It is a debate had to the back teeth among supporters of every club in the land. Should applauding the team at the final whistle come at a sacrifice of beating the crowds, avoiding potential issues with traffic or public transport? No-one will ever be in complete agreement; everybody's circumstances widely vary.
On this occasion, it is far more tempting to take the side of those angry that The Hawthorns saw many empty gaps as the final whistle blew. It was a resounding victory, one that offered the entertaining football Albion fans had cried out for through all the drab draws this campaign.
And the foremost factor was that it glossed the return of Mowbray to The Hawthorns after a near-16-year hiatus from the club - a full-circle moment, made all the more a fairytale story given the personal struggles which shackled him from football for the past year.
Albion fans also pointed out the Portsmouth supporters, who remained afterwards in unison to show precious optimism for their team despite having been utterly steamrolled by Mowbray's men on the day.
A long trip down to Devon follows to take on Plymouth Argyle (1 February), but fans will be hoping the atmosphere lasts longer when Sheffield Wednesday visit The Hawthorns the following week.
In other West Brom news, fans are stunned by what they saw from debutant Isaac Price on Saturday.