This season’s West Brom cult hero, Jayson Molumby, has spoken out on the ‘flat’ atmosphere at The Hawthorns with a warning to fans as the club prepares for the final run of fixtures to solidify their Championship play-off position.
The Republic of Ireland international has become a firm favourite in Tony Mowbray’s side thanks to his tenacious style and it was his late winner against Sheffield Wednesday in February that inspired this season’s most jubilant scenes at The Hawthorns.
Inspired by West Brom fan chants this season, the club then played Zombie by The Cranberries as “He’s in your head, Molumby, Molumby Molumby” echoed around B71.
However, moments like that have been few and far between this season, and it has dominated discussion among fans throughout the Championship season.
Jayson Molumby says West Brom ‘groans’ affect players on pitch
It’s something the club has clearly acknowledged too, as they asked Molumby for his thoughts on the atmosphere in the matchday programme against Hull City ahead of the closing stages of the Championship play-off race.
He said: “It’s been a nice touch at The Hawthorns hearing the Cranberries playing at full-time on a few occasions this season, but there have been times it hasn’t been like that at home.
“Things have gone flat, which is a shame because when the atmosphere is loud and rocking like it was against QPR when we were down to 10 men, we could feel how behind us they were, and it really does help massively.
“Frustrated groans and nervousness can affect us on the pitch, but when the noises around the ground are loud and positive, The Hawthorns is as tough a place as any in this league to come to. So, we absolutely need the home fans on our side for the remainder of the matches this season.”
The Baggies go into the final eight games of the season with four home games where they have generally enjoyed better form throughout the season, knowing positive home results could cement their Championship play-off position.
After dropping points against Hull, Sunderland are the next visitors who could be the opposition for the play-off semi-finals, with a fourth-place finish looking likely for the Black Cats.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Diff | Points |
| 1 |  |
38 | 23 | 11 | 4 | 76 | 25 | 51 | 80 |
| 2 |  Sheffield Utd |
38 | 25 | 7 | 6 | 53 | 28 | 25 | 80 |
| 3 |  Burnley |
38 | 21 | 15 | 2 | 52 | 11 | 41 | 78 |
| 4 |  Sunderland |
38 | 19 | 12 | 7 | 55 | 37 | 18 | 69 |
| 5 |  Coventry |
38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 55 | 48 | 7 | 59 |
| 6 |  West Brom |
38 | 13 | 18 | 7 | 48 | 34 | 14 | 57 |
But the opposition doesn’t matter to Molumby and his West Brom teammates, with the squad keen to “win every home game.”
He said: “It’s not even that we need to win every home game – we want to win every match we play at The Hawthorns in front of our fans. They’re going to be massive for us in these upcoming games if we’re to pick up the points we need.”
Albion to introduce safe standing next season at The Hawthorns
The atmosphere at The Hawthorns has dominated fan discussion online for a while now, with a number of reasons mooted.
One issue that leaves fans divided is transport outside the ground. Traffic issues can lead to long delays home, which tends to see a lot of fans leave early.
This has been a longstanding issue, particularly last season when public transport was especially poor, but has since been resolved mostly.
Other fans suggest the pre-match build-up could be improved, while others blame the lack of derby games and historically dull football.
The truth is nobody really knows what is causing the issue, likely a combination of everything discussed. When you think back to last season’s Black Country Derby defeat to Wolves or the play-off semi-final leg to Aston Villa, it is clear that The Hawthorns has the potential to be one of the best stadiums in the EFL.
It’s something the club is eager to rectify, with the introduction of safe standing at The Hawthorns next season in the Smethwich and Millennium Corner of the ground.
On the development, Managing Director Mark Miles said in February: “The club have long been advocates of safe standing and we are delighted to be introducing it to The Hawthorns for next season.
“A lot has changed since The Hawthorns became an all-seater stadium almost 30 years ago, and we’re confident now is the right time to bring standing back in a safe and controlled way.”
The change to The Hawthorns is the first step to tackling what has been a long-standing issue at the club, but with promotion to the Premier League still a realistic target this season, fans need to play their part.
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