I don't believe for a second that it's the only reason for the difference. The situation in London is different, but here, it's wildly unrealistic to think that 3,000 on average don't turn up having bought ticket. The club say that's the only reason for the difference, which is another reason to believe the opposite.
The 2,500+ difference between the announced attendance and the actual attendance was actually for the 2015-16 season. I doubt there were many who bought passes for the Championship just to watch the big games.
I was basing it on everyone saying this season that there didn't appear to be anywhere near the amount of people in the ground that the club announced there were.
