Adrian Goldberg has expressed his belief that the atmosphere created by West Brom fans at The Hawthorns is even less vibrant than that of Forest Green Rovers, a League Two team.
Last Saturday, West Brom played to a goalless draw against Plymouth Argyle in front of a crowd of 24,736, including nearly 2,000 away supporters. Goldberg, a former BBC presenter, shared his observations on The Liquidator Podcast on October 23rd, where he mentioned the lackluster atmosphere within the stadium.
Goldberg compared his recent experience at a Forest Green Rovers match, where only 3,000 people were present, yet they managed to generate more enthusiasm than the 24,000 attendees at The Hawthorns.
This situation can be seen as a classic example of a vicious cycle where supporters are expected to cheer for their team, but the team itself needs to provide something worth supporting. The game against Plymouth featured only two attempts on target at each end and ended without any goals.
Goldberg acknowledged that there is a group of fans inside The Hawthorns, accompanied by a drummer, who are eager to create an atmosphere. However, the players also need to step up during home games. In the last three matches played at The Hawthorns, only one goal was scored, which was John Swift’s effort in the 1-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday.
Time to create a noisy #wba Ultras section?@GoldbergRadio tells @chrislepkowski The Hawthorns has become like a library, lined with copies of 'Great Expectations'.
Check out the new Liquidatorhttps://t.co/ppdFJ8na7s
— TheLiquidatorPodcast (@TheLiquidatorP1) October 23, 2023
In addition to the Sheffield Wednesday victory, there were goalless draws against Millwall and Plymouth Argyle, leaving little to be excited about. With QPR scheduled to play at The Hawthorns on October 24th, there is hope that the fans in attendance can create a more vibrant atmosphere than what was witnessed during the Plymouth game.