Most gutting moment as a Reading fan.

[retro royal]

Walsall for me, couldn't get out of Cardiff quick enough, after the Bolton game you thought the players gave it everything a nd a great season, were do it next year, not the same with the walsall game.

Also up there for me, was the first game of 98/99, first game after going down, first season of the mad stad, losing 3-0 away to Wrexham, couldn't believe it.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Dirkers have you really looked at the end of that season??

M'boro were only 6 points ahaead of the 6th place club, I think you might find it was a matter of bottling it under pressure, with two games to go, there was still a good chance that Barnsley could have caught any of the teams in the play-off places.

we were the form team, simple as, and deserved 2nd place, much as we did not deserve to go up two seasons ago, as we failed to beat Brum in the last game.

The reality was that there was only one place and everyone knew that,

Er, No.

Boro won the league with at least a game to spare. The top 5 was decided prior to the last game, and all teams in the play off zone rested up and only Reading won on the final day. From memory, we jumped 2 or 3 places with Adie Williams last minute winner v Charlton.

memory plays tricks, after 45 games

Boro 81
Bolton 76 +22
RFC 76 +13
Wolves 75 +16
Tranmere 75 +9
Barnsley 72 +13

The promotion was won, but Wolves and Tranmere could have fallen out of the play-offs as well.

Last Day results

Boro 1 Tranmere 1

Reading 2 Charlton 1
Bolton 1 Burnley 1
Wolves 1 Swindon 1
Southend 3 Barnsley 1

With Swindon and Burnley fighting to escape relegation, with Bristol C still in with a chance of staying up, had they won and Swindon lost I think, or something like that

Fair enough, i always thought once Barnsley failed to win a midweek game agaisnt someone the whole playoff picture was done & dusted. Still, 2nd was a bit flattering none the less.

93-95 was prob the best time to be a Reading fan, so unexpected.

Still say Walsall was worse than Bolton!

[rhroyal]

Bolton - the rest don't come anywhere close.
We finished second that season, and deserved to go up.
Failure against Walsall was unexpected, but somehow it didn't seem to matter as much.
Relegation at Derby certainly hurt, but we had all seen it coming for weeks.
Similarly the lingering death of last season's promotion hopes was all too inevitable.

Bolton - I still detest the town and it's football club. Doing the double over them in some style in 2007 was some small measure of revenge. Not that I harbour a grudge or anything ...

I haven't been around long enough to have felt the gutting feeling from that Bolton match.

For me - it has to be the relegation from the Prem. 15 mins away from safety, and Pompey let a goal in... I don't harbour any bad thoughts for Fulham as I actually thought that they deserved it after the great run they had, but I hate Pompey with a passion.

Please note - I do not throw the H word around lightly.

That moment was gutting, but in hindsight it's the whole 2nd half of the season that hurts. An average home performance against Fulham or Bolton (1 point from either would have been enough). Stephen Hunt's chance against Blackburn. The shocking 1st half against a Spurs side with nothing to play for. It was surely one of the most avoidable relegations in the history of football, we should have done better. Like you, I can't remember Bolton. Relegation from the Premiership takes it. Murphy's goal at Pompey was just the knock out punch after a string of body blows.

[loyalroyal4life]

losing brenda todger as manager

[Big Foot]

Reading 0-1 Norwich. Last game at Elm Park.

With everything else theres always the chance it could happen again but we'll never get another "last ever game" at that place again. Everything about the day was an absolute disgrace.

yep that was a pretty shocking day

How so? I wasn't around for that one so perhaps you could fill the gaps m8?

[Royal Lady]

We played appallingly and lost our last ever game at Elm Park basically.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

We played appallingly and lost our last ever game at Elm Park basically.

And the team was made up of last ditch Tommy Burns signings who only played the last few games of the season. And we were set to finish bottom for the only time in our history. And some kids ripped up the turf. Just a pathetic way to bow out basically.

[readingbedding]

I certainly didn't think that the game, or the day against Norwich was a disgrace.

Meanwhile...

[Ark Royal]

I certainly didn't think that the game, or the day against Norwich was a disgrace.

Meanwhile...

Poor Archie! Why did you have to go and post that?

[Maquisard]

You oxf*rd up like that again and it won't be your head I'm pulling hair off

[Kitson12]

losing brenda todger as manager

YARAICMFP.

[AthleticoSpizz]

The sacking of Jimmy Q and Micky G having kept us safe, warm and up for yet another season

....proven not to be one of Sir JM's best moves at the time and the immediate times to come

[floyd__streete]

I certainly didn't think that.....the day against Norwich was a disgrace.

Au contraire - Burns seletced a 'reserve' team comprising several of his failed panic buys including Robert Fleck, who received his player of the season award.....from Norwich fans . Lame surrender on the last day out at the old place, with some lame pre-match entertainment thrown in by a dispirited club management and a subdued post-match pitch invasion by a handful of fans who could muster any enthusiasm at the end of a sad day at the @rse end of an appaling season. Lamentable send-off to mark the passing of 102 years of history.

[chandog]

the loss to fulham in our relegation season was pretty dismal. the performance and depression in the stands were awful. also as turning up to that game we were confident of getting 3 points and being safe.

also losing the play off to burnley. i had already seen us miss out on promotion at the expense of birmingham so for it to happen again only a couple of weeks later was gutting. also by losing that game we knew we would be losing the likes of doyle who was my favourite player ever since he arrived and of course steve coppell leaving

[Vision]

I certainly didn't think that.....the day against Norwich was a disgrace.

Au contraire - Burns seletced a 'reserve' team comprising several of his failed panic buys including Robert Fleck, who received his player of the season award.....from Norwich fans . Lame surrender on the last day out at the old place, with some lame pre-match entertainment thrown in by a dispirited club management and a subdued post-match pitch invasion by a handful of fans who could muster any enthusiasm at the end of a sad day at the @rse end of an appaling season. Lamentable send-off to mark the passing of 102 years of history.

Absofuckinlutely this.

[Sloth]

Relegation in 1988. I was 10 and I cried all the way home.

[Wax Jacket]

I certainly didn't think that.....the day against Norwich was a disgrace.

Au contraire - Burns seletced a 'reserve' team comprising several of his failed panic buys including Robert Fleck, who received his player of the season award.....from Norwich fans . Lame surrender on the last day out at the old place, with some lame pre-match entertainment thrown in by a dispirited club management and a subdued post-match pitch invasion by a handful of fans who could muster any enthusiasm at the end of a sad day at the @rse end of an appaling season. Lamentable send-off to mark the passing of 102 years of history.

Absofuckinlutely this.

yep

the whole atmosphere was one of "couldn't give a toss", which was definitely not how the fans were feeling before kick-off

[Hugo Boss]

The day they stopped serving Pizza Pod's.

[Mad Dog's Ghost]

'International Star signs for Royals' on evening post billboard turning out to be ...


Roy of the Rovers (syndicated for the match programme)

[skipper]

Walking away from Cardiff, after the Walsall game. I'm still saddened now by the thought