On the way back from the game - City.

[Bacon Double Cheese]

I was glad when we finally got past them all (counted 25, so assume I managed to beat a few out of Manchester) and arrived at Warwick services ahead of them. Had just got our coffee from Starbucks when all the coaches arrived and disgorged their passengers like a plague of locusts!! Staff at the services didn't know what hit them!!

And to complete my hat-trick of posts our coach did the whole journey non-stop. Top driving

[RoyalBlue]

I was glad when we finally got past them all (counted 25, so assume I managed to beat a few out of Manchester) and arrived at Warwick services ahead of them. Had just got our coffee from Starbucks when all the coaches arrived and disgorged their passengers like a plague of locusts!! Staff at the services didn't know what hit them!!

And to complete my hat-trick of posts our coach did the whole journey non-stop. Top driving

Perhaps it was him who was half asleep and carved up the car driver!!

[Elm Park Old Boy]

Got back this afternoon (stayed over in the City Centre, had a nice curry and ran into two fellow Royals who'd broken a cycling trip in Wales for the game).

My son and I definitely got our £15 + £5 worth for the tickets (don't mention the train and hotel!). Great noise from the Reading fans throughout and great fun. Clearly our team lacked the quality and cutting edge that City had, but really is anyone surprised? What they didn't lack was spirit, togetherness, tenacity. I was proud of them, and sure there were mistakes, but think what they were up against.

So the pleasure for me came in the small cameos - the occasional flashes of panic as Kebe ran at the defence (early on they didn't double-team on him, later there were sometimes three), even if it was a pity he never made the killer final pass; the tigerish battling of Leigertwood and Tabb against that midfield line-up; Gunnarsson - yet again - rolling back the years and barely putting a foot wrong against a player who regularly terrorises Premer League defences.

So I really can't understand any Reading fan being sniffy about that. Maybe - as a neutral - it wasn't a spectacle, but personally I'm not a neutral. I was proud of them.

I know it isn't as simple as to translate that into league performances, but I definitley haven't given up hope of the play-offs. And I really think this team would not bottle it if they came. (By the way, I hope someone is making sure our loan players could participate in the play-offs if they came....)

[Compo's Hat]

Still, this was a memorable day out at the end of another excellent cup run. The half time rave in the concourse will long be remembered, brilliant scenes! The players had a huddle with McD at the end before coming over to us and you’d hope hew as saying “12 more performances as resilient as this and we’ll be at Wembley anyway, lads”. Fortunately for us, we won’t be facing such expensive class again this season.

+1! The beer shower and the tribute to Armstrong were great, as was 'Brian, give us a song' to Mcermott's double and his reply with 'He's our Georgian international...'

anyone got any video of the half time frolics?

Bill Oddie followed by pints flying everywhere had me in stitches for the first ten minutes of the 2nd half, i stank of booze!

Personally i didn't think McAnuff looked fit but City's performance shows just how poor a season the Prem is.

LOLoving the FLTLR hate!

[pace=forster]

Half time frolics was definitely the biggest lol i've had all season, absolutely drenched!

[Compo's Hat]

Also slightly annoyed having now seen the goal again that nobody was on the near post for the goal. Had a feeling that was the case as we didn't have anyone for defending any corners first half either.

[Row Z Royal]

I LOVE YOU BRYN

[LWJ]

Compo did you hear me chanting 'compo start a song, Compo Compo start a song?' that fltr guy just moaned about Huntley was quite amusing.

[Compo's Hat]

LOLz!

So that's who you are! Plenty of song starting by yours truly but didn't hear you over me.

[Royalshow]

Still, this was a memorable day out at the end of another excellent cup run. The half time rave in the concourse will long be remembered, brilliant scenes! The players had a huddle with McD at the end before coming over to us and you’d hope hew as saying “12 more performances as resilient as this and we’ll be at Wembley anyway, lads”. Fortunately for us, we won’t be facing such expensive class again this season.

+1! The beer shower and the tribute to Armstrong were great, as was 'Brian, give us a song' to Mcermott's double and his reply with 'He's our Georgian international...'

anyone got any video of the half time frolics?

Bill Oddie followed by pints flying everywhere had me in stitches for the first ten minutes of the 2nd half, i stank of booze!
/quote]

+1 made my day and a video of the whole thing was taken.

[Compo's Hat]

+1 made my day and a video of the whole thing was taken.

Get this online!!!

[BenReadingFC]

^^^^^^

[Gav]

Nice to meet TFF and see BDC and Mrs BDC again after so long.

I was sat next to BDC. Nice guy, I probably irritated the p*ss out of him though!

I sat next to Gav. He's oxf*rd loud but a nice guy. The hearing in my right ear is back now

Oops, sorry BDC! I think I was overcompensating for the lack of noise in the top tier... Caught me on an overexcited mega-volume day!

[S09Royal]

Looks like we're now hated by Man C fans...

http://forums.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/viewt ... 4&start=60

I couldn't help but LOL @ 'Makes me laugh with a little bit of more class infront of goal i.e. yaya, silva twice, tevez backheel this game could of been four or five, from them to suggest they deserved a replay is laughable, i felt if we needed to we could ran rampant after the richards goal.'

Not with Alex McCarthy in goal They didn't score from open play so I fail to see how they could've 'ran rampant'

[RoyalBlue]

Looks like we're now hated by Man C fans...

http://forums.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/viewt ... 4&start=60

I couldn't help but LOL @ 'Makes me laugh with a little bit of more class infront of goal i.e. yaya, silva twice, tevez backheel this game could of been four or five, from them to suggest they deserved a replay is laughable, i felt if we needed to we could ran rampant after the richards goal.'

To be fair, they're not all like that. I received the following PM from one of the Mods on Bluemoon. He's a mad City fan and so well known amongst the City following that if you asked for him in Shambles Sq, they would be able to point him out!

thanks for that mate, your team and your fans were a credit to your club.
lets hope you make the and well get down to your place, even though its worse than ours to get away from:)

all the best.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Some Half Time videos for you....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgR4QF6uA7w - Zurab at Half Time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwHBYJIpiXc - McDermott WOOOOAAAHHH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYDheR3e52w - Blue Army

[Big Foot]

FWIW re: H/T

Newcastle 2006 > Man City 2011

[rfcjoe]

I was there....Singing James Harper my lord on the concourse... right?!

[Row Z Royal]

I was there....Singing James Harper my lord on the concourse... right?!

I wasn't. It took me until 10mins into the 2nd half to get up the bloody stairs.

[LUX]

even I was at Newcatle away that night (Tuesday in December iirc, excellent turnout too). Think I met Bigfoot in the concourse at HT that night(?). With Alan Partridge and Floyd (?).

Hazy, happy memories.