The road from here....

[Barney]

Firstly, don't bother sending me pelters. Just hear me out.

This ain't a great season. We all agree on that. But for some folks to say it is the worst ever takes some questioning.
1) If you are reading this, and you have been watching RFC for around 10-15 years...then you have been EXTREMELY lucky.
2) If you are reading this and you go back around 20 years, then please remember the gut wrenching last season at Elm Park and the antics of Tommy Burns,
3) If you are reading this and you go back 30 years, you'll recall 1989 when we survived relegation to the fourth division on the last day of the season.
4) If you are reading this and you go back 40 years, you'll recall the 1977 relegation to Division 4.
5) And if you go back 50 years, then you will NEVER of even dreamed of Reading playing in the top flight, or regularly in the 2nd tier, or reaching an FA Cup semi final...and three FAC quarter-finals.
6) And if you go back longer than that, what you've seen with Reading FC is beyond what you EVER imagined.

As a season ticket holder for almost 40 years now, I am not enjoying this season. But I didn't enjoy Taxi boy. I didn't enjoy Tommy Burns, But as a READING fan you take the good times with the bad times.

I will never ever ever boycott a game, or stop going. Why would I ?? I am a Reading Football Club fan and have seen many many managers, and far more players. Some "fans" on here have no idea. I have had WAY more good times than bad times.
If you support your club, that is what it is all about. The dreadful times make the great times feel even better.

Maybe Stam should go. Quite probably, maybe the players should take a look at themselves.

Getting a new manager in now MAY be a nightmare. No transfer window to work in, and a team of poor-performing players.

My point is...I will (hopefully) be around watching Reading long past Stam, and the next manager, and the next manager. So please think who you are throwing your anger against. The club ? The management ? The players ?

And if you are REALLY blue and white through and through, then think about where you want RFC to be next season. And the season after that. And after that.

Am done. Another can of Speckled Hen please. And tell you what....I would LOVE it if we win on Tuesday, then batter Millwall on Saturday.

[tidus_mi2]

Love your post Barney, completely agree, even as someone who would fit in the first of category of Reading fans, I've only been to one tier 3 Reading game and that the very first game my Dad took me to, Reading 0-0 Brighton.

[The Reverend]

This football is worse than anything Bullivant or Burns ever served up.

At least those clowns let the players play football.

Last season was shit too by the way.

[peterroyal76]

I’d be number 3 in your categories, for me though it’s not about taking the rough with the smooth or dealing with being rubbish. I’ve never been so bored in my life and for that reason I’m out.

[Rusty royal]

I go back 53 years so can agree with all of that. Sadly my days of watching the Royal are becoming less and less due to illness, but I can honestly say the roller coaster ride has been something else but mostly fun. Who would have thought when watching Dickie Habbin scoring goals or Robin Fridays wonder goal (yes I was there), Martin Hicks leading the team out at Wembley, Being 2:0 up against Bolton (so near yet so far), moving the Mad Stad and into the Prem with 106 that in my life time I would witness all this and more.

Don't give up as there will be good times ahead.

[peterroyal76]

I go back 53 years so can agree with all of that. Sadly my days of watching the Royal are becoming less and less due to illness, but I can honestly say the roller coaster ride has been something else but mostly fun. Who would have thought when watching Dickie Habbin scoring goals or Robin Fridays wonder goal (yes I was there), Martin Hicks leading the team out at Wembley, Being 2:0 up against Bolton (so near yet so far), moving the Mad Stad and into the Prem with 106 that in my life time I would witness all this and more.

Don't give up as there will be good times ahead.

I’m not giving up on the team, just Stam. I don’t mind losing or being shit, but I do mind being bored stupid.

[The Reverend]

I don’t mind losing or being shit, but I do mind being bored stupid.

powerpost

[Henley Royal 1]

Category four here whilst i agree we have had worst sides this crew have had far more resources than those previous .I am fed up of listening to the same old SH*T after every game Stam we will have maybe one or two chances to score in 90 mins but the opposition make it difficult .Find a way to create more chances that is what you are extremely well paid for otherwise resign .

[paddy20]

I'm a number 6 with 55 years. Probably only missed about 7/8 games at home in that time despite living in the north for 3 years and on the south coast for 2 years. Ive also visited over 65 different grounds away from home.
Despite this I don't remember ever feeling so depressed about our present situation. Yes we've been in lower leagues during a lot of it but the thought of going back there scares me to death. I just think if we continue to sleepwalk into Div 1 we could easily end up losing our team altogether.
Lets just hope something happens to help us survive

[tmesis]

I’d be number 3 in your categories, for me though it’s not about taking the rough with the smooth or dealing with being rubbish. I’ve never been so bored in my life and for that reason I’m out.

Exactly the same. I've not stopped going, yet, but the Stevenage replay was very close to being that game.

The football at the moment offers nothing. It's boring. It was boring last season too, but we were at least winning. Now we are losing half of the time, and usually never look like scoring. There's no atmosphere because the fans are bored, and expect to be bored. Quite simply, other than meeting up with a couple of mates, there's no point going. It just feels like a waste of my time.


I was at that game at Chesterfield in 1989, when we nearly went down. It was odd, as a number of results had to go against us for it to happen, so it wasn't that tense. It wasn't until I saw all the results and the final table in a sports paper at Sheffield station that I realised we'd have gone down if we'd lost.

The funny thing is, we probably would have lost too, had it (apparently) not been for someone going into the Chesterfield changing room at half time and letting it slip that a number of team they needed to lose were winning. They came out deflated, and their 2-0 lead swiftly became a 2-4 deficit.

[From Despair To Where?]

I've see us play in all 4 divisions and yes, I've seen much worse teams and more inept performances but I do worry about the repercussions of relegation. This is a very different club to the one I supported in the 80's and 90's.

We've got an £18m wage bill and I don't think we'd be in a great position to absorb it financially. Yes, academy players would get a chance but we'd need a fire sale of players who, let's face it, haven't performed and relegation could jeopardise our continued Cat 1 academy status.

Much as the dewy eyed nostalgia for trips to the likes of Walsall and Peterborough to watch a team full of academy graduates playing for the shirt appeals greatly, relegation is not an option.

[Zip]

I’m in category four and find the match day experience a complete chore these days. The atmosphere is dead and our play laborious and tedious. I know that when the opposition score first we will huff and puff and lose.

I will continue to attend games this season but will no longer plan my Saturday afternoon around watching Reading as my priority. I won’t be renewing my ST either. It’s only £22 for me and my lad to watch games in the ED Stand so an ST isn’t particularly good value for money. I will pick and chose my matches next season rather than drag myself on a 150 mile round trip to the Mad Stad purely because I have paid for the privilege.

I have no connection with the squad and manager. There is nothing there.

[warrpp]

18 million wage bill

Where did you get that figure from ?

Thought the last available accounts had us with a 30 million wage bill ?

[Forest Gump]

Hi Barney, I go back around 45 year and ishree with a lot of what you say.
However, I still think that a change is needed or rather has been needed for several months now.
I think it’s actually reached the point that it doesn’t matter what they do with the manager as the players morale is so low and the fans apathy towards them so bad that it’s virtually irreparable.
The only new thing that we are learning now is that, contrary to Sir JM’s boast about deep pockets, the new owners are not bothered what happens to the football side of the Club.
If they were, they would have ended this nonsense while there was enough window for a new team to strengthen for survival.
Despite the fact that I share the contempt that many Reading fans feel for this team I do not want them to fail.
And I will not boycott but I want the Dutch to go soon - all of them.

[Lower West]

Been watching football for 55 years. Never give up the faith. One good signing could transform this team. Remember when Spurs bought an ageing Terry Yorath. Suddenly everything clicked. This squad is lacking leadership. Far too many inexperienced heads.

[Jackson Corner]

Next season will be 40 years for me. I do chuckle to myself when people say this is the worst Reading team in 40 years. The only difference I would say was back then we new were we stood. The club were shit. the ground was shit, the players were shit, the players even new they were shit, we new they were shit, they were on shit money playing in front of shit crowds. Life was simple. It's just now we have a shit team on very good money and a shit manager waiting to be sacked so he gets a massive pay off. For what? Being SHIT

[Sutekh]

Altogether now, we're on the



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWtCittJyr0

[blueroyals]

Relegation to League One would set this club back 5-10 years. I still think Stam has a great future and I want him to turn it around but we can't risk relegation - so he has to go.

[The Royal Forester]

I think the owners and Gorley should be made to read all these comments on this thread. Most of them appear to be fed up with the style of football being played, and some giving up going to the Mad Stad. It would give them food for thought and perhaps they would react to the views of the very long term supporters and react in the right way. I am in the 55+ years bracket, but nowhere near Paddy,s (and other people's) records, as I am now what some of you would call a non-supporter as circumstances mean I no longer go to the games, but you cannot keep Reading FC out of my system and still listen to IFollow commentary for most games.

[From Despair To Where?]

18 million wage bill

Where did you get that figure from ?

Thought the last available accounts had us with a 30 million wage bill ?

£18m or £30m, I suppose with relegation it's the difference between being fcuked and being well and truly fcuked.

I'm not even one of these fans who seem the Premiership as the be all and end all, I don't actually give a shit what division we are on as long as we are enjoyable to watch and it's financially sustainable.

We've painted ourselves into a corner where I feel that relegation is absolutely not an option and it all started with that twat Zingarevich.