I've hated this season

[skipper]

-We've had sell out crowds and atmosphere has been a bit better

Atmosphere has been better than the season where we won the Championship, for only the 2nd time in our history? I'm not sure that the atmosphere has been better imo

[jazz]

I’d excepted that it was highly likely that we’d go down before a ball was kicked, and once you have that expectation it makes losing easier to take. Generally this season within a couple of minutes of games finishing I’ve got over the result itself and moved on to thinking about more important things (such as what’s going to be TV).

What has made this season depressing, and has brought me close to not attending some games is having to listen to a dozen or so fans within shouting distance that just don’t get it. Shouting abuse at McDermott, Leigertwood and McAnuff from very early in the season, continually calling for a player who literally refused to play for us ahead of last years goal scoring hero. One bespectacled ginger adolescent constantly standing up, arms aloft and shouting idiotic abuse such as ‘get im off bwian, he’s wubbish’, presumably in the belief that his ‘peers’ would think, ‘wow, what an inspirational, pioneering deep thinker’. The sheep mentality of abusing McAnuff for literally everything that happens.

It doesn’t make attending the Madejski a very enjoyable experience, and life back in the championship, winning more games than we lose, with at least half of these idiots at home watching soccer Saturday instead, will be much more enjoyable.

Spot on CC. Your para #2 describes exactly my experience for games I have watched at the Stadium this season.

[Twix]

What has made this season depressing, and has brought me close to not attending some games is having to listen to a dozen or so fans within shouting distance that just don’t get it. Shouting abuse at McDermott, Leigertwood and McAnuff from very early in the season, continually calling for a player who literally refused to play for us ahead of last years goal scoring hero.

It doesn’t make attending the Madejski a very enjoyable experience, and life back in the championship, winning more games than we lose, with at least half of these idiots at home watching soccer Saturday instead, will be much more enjoyable.

Totally agree, I could take the performance of the team if it wasn't for everything else around it.
The idiots you mention are the main issue but there's also the oxf*rd band, the viagogo deal, the change to the way away tickets are sold, the oxf*rd band, even slower drinks/food service and more congestion outside, some shocking refereeing, the timing of McDermott's sacking and the oxf*rd band etc.

That's on top of things that are already a problem in the championship but gets worse in the premier league like people getting in the way because they're leaving early, kick-off time changes, the "back the boys" man and some high priced away tickets.

[Libertine]

What I have hated the most this season is the shitty reffing from the supposedly best officials in the best league in the world. Every single game changing call has gone against us in favor of the more established teams and players who these refs know better than our team and lads. It has made excruiciatingly tough losses even more difficult to swallow. It isn't sour grapes when it happens over and over and over and over again...

[AirRaidSiren]

What I've hated most about this season is.....the fact we can't pass the oxf*rd ball 3x successfully. Simple training ground rules did not apply on the pitch.

So annoying

[Royal Prince]

What I've hated most about this season is that in the Championship you could lose a game and nobody would mention a word, whereas in the Prem you just can't escape it....

Our performances are taken apart all over the media; TV, papers, radio, internet etc. You try to escape it by popping down the pub but there are always a bunch of pricks who despite being born and raised in Reading support Chelsea/Arsenal/Man Utd and they can't wait to rip your team apart despite never having watched a live game of football in their sorry little lives. After the weekend is over you walk into work on Monday to find that every man and his dog wants to offer their 'expert opinion' having watched 2mins of highlights at the end of Saturday night's MOTD or having read the latest shit in the back of the Sun. Even people who don't particularly follow football will fill up your social media feed with clueless condemnation of their local side.

At least in the Championship all you have to put up with are 30seconds of shit highlights, conveniently hidden just after midnight when nobody else is watching, followed by a throw-away comment from some 'has been' like Steve Claridge, then come Sunday morning you can simply forget about it all and get on with your life.

Rant over!

[PeteH1985]

I’d excepted that it was highly likely that we’d go down before a ball was kicked, and once you have that expectation it makes losing easier to take. Generally this season within a couple of minutes of games finishing I’ve got over the result itself and moved on to thinking about more important things (such as what’s going to be TV).

What has made this season depressing, and has brought me close to not attending some games is having to listen to a dozen or so fans within shouting distance that just don’t get it. Shouting abuse at McDermott, Leigertwood and McAnuff from very early in the season, continually calling for a player who literally refused to play for us ahead of last years goal scoring hero. One bespectacled ginger adolescent constantly standing up, arms aloft and shouting idiotic abuse such as ‘get im off bwian, he’s wubbish’, presumably in the belief that his ‘peers’ would think, ‘wow, what an inspirational, pioneering deep thinker’. The sheep mentality of abusing McAnuff for literally everything that happens.

It doesn’t make attending the Madejski a very enjoyable experience, and life back in the championship, winning more games than we lose, with at least half of these idiots at home watching soccer Saturday instead, will be much more enjoyable.

The championship is much more fun but Your criticism of other fans for noticing And criticising how ow poor macnuff has been the season is unfair he is sitting captain and should have shown leadership throughout has not Their attitude isn't a sheep mentality Just offloading frustration at the player in the hope they may respond

[Big Ern]

A real damp quib of a season. Apart from our little purple patch in January, the writing has been on the wall since the 3rd game of the season for me.

Absolutely no realistic chance of avoiding the drop and having to build again which willtake time. Same mistakes as before and a team versed in terrible football leaves little hope. Without hope or something realistic to achieve I fail to get excited about games now. Will still watch all the games I can, but really takes the enjoyment out when there is nothing to play for.

[Colin Cheeselog]

The championship is much more fun but Your criticism of other fans for noticing And criticising how ow poor macnuff has been the season is unfair he is sitting captain and should have shown leadership throughout has not Their attitude isn't a sheep mentality Just offloading frustration at the player in the hope they may respond

I think this has pretty much been discussed to death elsewhere, but the point is McAnuff has actually been one of our better players and being appointed captain doesn't automatically improve somebody's technical ability further. He seems to have been singled out by many ‘fans’ and I genuinely don’t understand why.

Exactly what did people expect from a 31 year old that's spent his entire career in the Championship?

In the history of human kind shouting abuse at somebody has never improved that person's ability or morale. It only serves to antagonise them and others, and show up the abuser for a lack of intellect and self awareness.

Regardless of whether the criticism and abuse is justified or not, and whether it achieves its objective or not, it makes the match day experience less enjoyable for many other fans.

[Vic_Flange]

From 1921 - 1985 this thread (had the internet been available I know) would have been about going down, or struggling to stay up in Division 3/ League 1, not the Premier.

Reading 1 Spurs 3

Or

Doncaster Rovers 7 Reading 5

I don't know if we will come straight back up until we see the set up and who ever it is, we will get more bad luck but come on, let's get some sort of perspective.

Play offs here we come. Now that IS something to hate.

[Maguire]

Come on now, it hasn't been all bad...

..did you forget about this:

There is just so much going on in this gif, it's amazing.

Mr A flicking the Vs
A guy in front looking through binoculars (wtf?!)
The bloke on the right in the brown jacket doing a bit of freestyle MCing
The old lady in the row behind give it the double maracas celebration
The Rouge looking like a belmont

[Colin Cheeselog]

A guy in front looking through binoculars (wtf?!)

Is that Andy Bernal? Age hasn't been kind to him.

[Victor Meldrew]

What I've hated most about this season is that in the Championship you could lose a game and nobody would mention a word, whereas in the Prem you just can't escape it....

Our performances are taken apart all over the media; TV, papers, radio, internet etc. You try to escape it by popping down the pub but there are always a bunch of pricks who despite being born and raised in Reading support Chelsea/Arsenal/Man Utd and they can't wait to rip your team apart despite never having watched a live game of football in their sorry little lives. After the weekend is over you walk into work on Monday to find that every man and his dog wants to offer their 'expert opinion' having watched 2mins of highlights at the end of Saturday night's MOTD or having read the latest shit in the back of the Sun. Even people who don't particularly follow football will fill up your social media feed with clueless condemnation of their local side.

At least in the Championship all you have to put up with are 30seconds of shit highlights, conveniently hidden just after midnight when nobody else is watching, followed by a throw-away comment from some 'has been' like Steve Claridge, then come Sunday morning you can simply forget about it all and get on with your life.

Rant over!

I agree with most of this.
I don't want people feeling sorry for me on a Monday morning after yet another defeat.
I don't want to have to explain why our club has sacked that very nice manager of ours.
I don't want people to ask why we don't spend any money on players.
I don't want people reminding me that we might well be playing Bournemouth again next season.

You are dead right about the Championship happening under the radar but for all of that I've still enjoyes watching some of the star players from other teams even if it is against our club.
Watching some of the Championship football on Tv might be competitive but the quality just isn't there.
I'll be watching us again next season in the hope that we get back up again sooner rather than later and with a side ready to compete at the higher level.

[Stuka]

Come on now, it hasn't been all bad...

..did you forget about this:

There is just so much going on in this gif, it's amazing.

Mr A flicking the Vs
A guy in front looking through binoculars (wtf?!)
The bloke on the right in the brown jacket doing a bit of freestyle MCing
The old lady in the row behind give it the double maracas celebration
The Rouge looking like a belmont

The lady next to Mr. A (Mrs. A?) looks less tham impressed

[Still Hate Futcher!]

I’d excepted that it was highly likely that we’d go down before a ball was kicked, and once you have that expectation it makes losing easier to take. Generally this season within a couple of minutes of games finishing I’ve got over the result itself and moved on to thinking about more important things (such as what’s going to be TV).

What has made this season depressing, and has brought me close to not attending some games is having to listen to a dozen or so fans within shouting distance that just don’t get it. Shouting abuse at McDermott, Leigertwood and McAnuff from very early in the season, continually calling for a player who literally refused to play for us ahead of last years goal scoring hero. One bespectacled ginger adolescent constantly standing up, arms aloft and shouting idiotic abuse such as ‘get im off bwian, he’s wubbish’, presumably in the belief that his ‘peers’ would think, ‘wow, what an inspirational, pioneering deep thinker’. The sheep mentality of abusing McAnuff for literally everything that happens.

It doesn’t make attending the Madejski a very enjoyable experience, and life back in the championship, winning more games than we lose, with at least half of these idiots at home watching soccer Saturday instead, will be much more enjoyable.

Couldn't agree more. The big Guthrie love in is just perplexing - even forgetting his disgraceful refusal to travel to Sunderland, he just isn't that good. As for the vitriol aimed at players and a manager who have always given their all - it is just pathetic. McDermott moulded a group of decent Championship players into a title winning side last season, brushing aside clubs with far bigger budgets and he and those players have had nothing but abuse this season as thanks.

I have a horrible feeling that those fans who've always wanted Madejski out might soon see that the rich foreign owner isn't such a great thing either.

[BraisingsteakRoyal]

Sounds like I'll be on the pitch on my own the next time we get promoted then.

[Alan Partridge]

Come on now, it hasn't been all bad...

..did you forget about this:

There is just so much going on in this gif, it's amazing.

Mr A flicking the Vs
A guy in front looking through binoculars (wtf?!)
The bloke on the right in the brown jacket doing a bit of freestyle MCing
The old lady in the row behind give it the double maracas celebration
The Rouge looking like a belmont

Bloke in the grey jacket doing some weird point whilst knocking one out is also skillz

[Maguire]

alol

[melonhead]

not been the greatest, but had worse.


its always a rollercoaster though.
people pay good money for this kind of emotion laden experience

[melonhead]

I’d excepted that it was highly likely that we’d go down before a ball was kicked, and once you have that expectation it makes losing easier to take. Generally this season within a couple of minutes of games finishing I’ve got over the result itself and moved on to thinking about more important things (such as what’s going to be TV).

What has made this season depressing, and has brought me close to not attending some games is having to listen to a dozen or so fans within shouting distance that just don’t get it. Shouting abuse at McDermott, Leigertwood and McAnuff from very early in the season, continually calling for a player who literally refused to play for us ahead of last years goal scoring hero. One bespectacled ginger adolescent constantly standing up, arms aloft and shouting idiotic abuse such as ‘get im off bwian, he’s wubbish’, presumably in the belief that his ‘peers’ would think, ‘wow, what an inspirational, pioneering deep thinker’. The sheep mentality of abusing McAnuff for literally everything that happens.

It doesn’t make attending the Madejski a very enjoyable experience, and life back in the championship, winning more games than we lose, with at least half of these idiots at home watching soccer Saturday instead, will be much more enjoyable.

Spot on CC. Your para #2 describes exactly my experience for games I have watched at the Stadium this season.

yep. painful

if this is what success brings, give me a half empty stadium with some room to run about in any day