Watford, Sheff Wed, Coventry, Blackburn and Norwich are all league games that have been available to any Boro fan to buy a ticket for if they have the money and a digital account. I can't remember what happened with West Brom i.e if they made general sale. Sunderland did sell out to season ticket holders, but part of the problem there is Sunderland only giving us around 4% of the stadium capacity, becasue they say they can't cope with more than 2,250 Boro fans.
In the past, fans queued up for 4 to 5 hours at the Riverside/AP for cup tickets in the later rounds of cups. Any tom, d*ck or harry could join the queue and it was impossible for many fans living away from Teesside or working full time to do this - that was totally unfair, but many fans just had to live with it. I would send a envelope and stamped addressed envelope for the reply with a cheque and note explaining why I could not queue and prayed someone in the ticket office would reply with a ticket.
Now we have a system where people who stick with the club thick and thin with a season ticket get priority. They may not be able to get to every home game and they don't know what the season will be like but they pay out the cash. Is that really so bad or so selfish?
Rob is not perfect, but he is there as a representative through thick and thin. He is also probably learning through experience (some fans and club officials obviously had little idea other fans had anxieties over the new way to access the Riverside or what technology some had or didn't have). Some posters are taking their frustrations on Rob possibly over Exeter and Plymouth tickets, its not deserved.