It was 5 years ago today.....

[Svlad Cjelli]

That season looks more and more special as time goes on whereas when it happened we kinda took promotion for granted as early as February.

The good thing is Coppell and the players didn't.

I seem to recall Gordons Cumming spent most of that season saying Leeds could still catch us!

I remember thinking right up until we played 'Boro that something would happen to stop us - most likely a national Bird Flu epidemic meaning the whole league programme was cancelled.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

I seem to recall that when tickets for Leicester went on sale there was no mad rush as people thought was too early to happen, then with a week to go it was sold out and folk moaning they had missed out.

[Big Foot]

The stewards were superb and just pretty much allowed everyone to do as they wished.

If you look at the footage of Coppell throwing his jacket in the crowd, there's a chap who gets shoved onto the running track and gets hauled out of the ground by stewards. I understand he gave his name as "Gary Lineker".

I think it was Wally Downes who ran after the bloke getting carted by the stewards and told them he was part of the RFC staff and to let him go - which they duly did

[Svlad Cjelli]

I seem to recall that when tickets for Leicester went on sale there was no mad rush as people thought was too early to happen, then with a week to go it was sold out and folk moaning they had missed out.

Yep - at that stage it looked massively unlikely that we could be promoted that day, and even at the start of the day it was still a long-shot. Results went exactly our way for a couple of weeks.

[Aubery Boyce]

so glad we had the foresight to get tickets for this as soon as they were available. Wouldn't have missed it for the world.

20+ years of watching Reading, we had finally achieved soemtihng that looked a virtually impossible dream for all but 1 of those years.

will never ever forget that day or that season. the game itself was insignificant.


This can never be beaten for me as the best day ever supporting Reading. Whatever we achieve in the future.

[Maguire]

Yeah it was a fun day but I put my back out by lifting up Dungeon Master after the game and haven't been the same since

[Millsy]

I know this might be a little unpopular but...

I wasn't there that day but do remember being not that bothered by it. I mean, by that point we knew for sure we were going up and it was just a case of when. That it happened that day as opposed to a week or two later was irrelevant to me. I'd rather the big day be at home so more of us could see it perhaps.

One day we'll go up again and without Sir Steve and Madejsi of old, it's unlikely to be such a clear cut thing, which means it'll be more exciting I suspect - a last minute winner at Wembley perhaps?

Waiting for the good days to come back....

[brendywendy]

i was sure it would be the next game where we went up, and spent the evening listening on the radio and shed a small tear at the end.
wish id gone now.

[Terminal Boardom]

i was sure it would be the next game where we went up, and spent the evening listening on the radio and shed a small tear at the end.
wish id gone now.

Plastic

I phoned Ark Royal at the final whistle and shared the atmos with him. Got interviewed by Radio Berks on my way out of the ground and got onto 606 on the way back to Reading. Never had a more proud moment watching Reading either before or since. Long may the memories last.

[Hugo Boss]

Was one of the best days of my life I must say. Spent the day banging a tidy Dutch bird who was over here working as an au pair. She wanted to get serious but luckily got sacked a few days later as she fell out with the family and ended up going back to Holland.

I did flick on Soccer Saturday though to see we'd been promoted and had a cheeky pint that night in celebration.

[southbank1871]

[TheRouge]

Yeah it was a fun day but I put my back out by lifting up Dungeon Master after the game and haven't been the same since

its a good reminder that we owed a lot of that promotion to the half backs

[Svlad Cjelli]

But 5 years ago ... today :

[floyd__streete]

Reading 5-0 Derby to clinch the title was the footballing equivalent of getting pissed up on free booze in the sunshine on a bank holiday.

[Svlad Cjelli]

You couldn't have organised it better if you'd written the script - promotion achieved away in front of the away travellers, and then the Championship won at home the very next week in front of everyone.

Those were truly remarkable days.

[KC Royal]

Heard Ashes by Embrace on the radio the other day and it put me in a really good mood. That song always reminds me of that season.

Wish we still played it before games

Interesting you say that, didn't they play it before the game yesterday? Wasn't paying much attention, it was definitely Embrace. Makes me wonder if someone had seen this thread beforehand. Also reminds me of that season too.

Personally i wish they still played Insomnia when the players come out of the tunnel.

[Royal With Cheese]

Reading 5-0 Derby to clinch the title was the footballing equivalent of getting pissed up on free booze in the sunshine on a bank holiday.

That 2nd half display will live with me as one of the finest footballing halves you could expect to see from a Reading team. It typified everything about that season.

I, like Brendy, shed a tear when we got promoted at Leicester. I gave up the chance to go to the Walkers in favour of the Mad Stad as my options for attending games were (are ) limited. On balance I think I made the right choice.

[KC Royal]

Its strange really, in the time that Coppell was manager that day felt so vivid it could easily have happened at any point in that particular year. Now it does feel like 5 years ago, which feels a long time ago for me generally! Wasn't at Leicester but i'll never forget that weekend. Went out with a couple of friends that night and got pissed. It wasn't quite the big night i had planned but i'm just glad i went out. Could easily have stayed out all night with no problem at all, i'm amazed i got a pretty good nights sleep at the end of it, i was absolutely buzzing when i got home. Its still one of the best weekends ever, so goodness knows what it would have been like if i'd been at Leicester or out in the 'Ding afterwards!

As far as games missed go that Derby game is my biggest regret. I was offered tickets in the Upper West for a match and chose the Watford game a month earlier. I've never been quite sure why, actually thought we might clinch promotion that day as well. Tried to get a ticket for the game later on but they'd all sold out

I'll echo the comments on the thread thats been mentioned, "Absent Friends". One of the best threads on any forum anywhere, let alone on here. Think i saved it at the time, definitely printed it off. Always remember fighting back the tears when i read it the day after promotion, with the enormity of the achievement starting to sink in (although it took until 2 or 3 years ago to fully appreciate it - as i knew at the time) and feeling privileged to have been around to see it happen. Somewhere down the line the power of that thread was forgotten. Its easy to forget how lucky we have been in the last 5 years, 2 seasons in the top flight and the 2 best FA Cup runs the club has had in 80 years.

I actually thought about this thread just before the game yesterday and i'm glad i did as it gave me a nice positive vibe going into the game

[brendywendy]

Heard Ashes by Embrace on the radio the other day and it put me in a really good mood. That song always reminds me of that season.

Wish we still played it before games

Interesting you say that, didn't they play it before the game yesterday? Wasn't paying much attention, it was definitely Embrace. Makes me wonder if someone had seen this thread beforehand. Also reminds me of that season too.


Personally i wish they still played Insomnia when the players come out of the tunnel.

ashes gives me shivers every time i hear it.
and it was great to hear before the game on saturday- more of this please!


and bring back the royals anthem too.and sigur ross.

[brendywendy]

You couldn't have organised it better if you'd written the script - promotion achieved away in front of the away travellers, and then the Championship won at home the very next week in front of everyone.

Those were truly remarkable days.

then the script writer went and cocked it all up by saying something utterly ridiculous would happen like murty scoring the penalty that got us the record points on the last day of the season vs QPR. totally unrealistic.



oh