Hooliganism at Reading

[southbank1871]

Where's Libertine when you need him? We could do with starting an old school, internet themed, flame war against the Chronicle, that will last years.

[RoyalBlue]

https://twitter.com/nick_gutteridge

The first part of his surname is so apt! What a complete and utter tosser. I take it he will be getting plenty of hostile tweets!

[SPARTA]

A United fan too apparently.. LFC fans not very happy with their ridiculous Hillsborough link to hooligans, that everyone else knows has since been rubbished.

[P!ssed Off]

Now updated with the response from the Editor of the Chronicle: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/anger-after-reading-newspaper-appears-6857241

The editor of the Reading Chronicle, Maurice O'Brien, said he appreciated why people were angry and that the newspaper had not intended to link Hillsborough with hooliganism or upset survivors of the disaster.

Mr O'Brien said: "There is no question we should ever think that Hillsborough was linked to hooliganism.

"There was no intention whatsoever to cast any aspersions at all and indeed, on page 5 inside the paper, we talk about sickening Hillsborough slurs which have been shouted at football matches.

"It is simply the fact at that time, when it happened, when you said to people 'football hooligans', people said 'Hillsborough and Heysel'.

"We certainly in no way would wish to link Hillsborough with hooliganism. That certainly wasn't our intention.

"We have no intention of upsetting anybody, particularly the survivors, having appreciated everything they have gone through over a considerable amount of time.

"The intention of doing this story was to try and point out to people that the issues are still going on, the problems of hooliganism."

Old Maurice didn't fancy replying to my email.
I'm sure he'll get around to it...
The oxf*rd!

[ZacNaloen]

Sir John hurt by article

Both the Club and I have received a number of complaints today regarding an article in the Reading Chronicle, and I personally share our supporters’ dismay.

In my opinion the nature of the article, and in particular the image manufactured for the front page, completely misrepresents the vast majority of our fans, and their experiences supporting the team both at Madejski Stadium and on the road.

The article itself is an unwarranted and sensationalised attack which undermines everything our club tries to represent. To paint a full picture, last season there was only one Reading fan arrested at Madejski Stadium, and only ten arrests out of nearly half a million home and away fans through the turnstiles, all for minor offences. Those Home Office figures speak for themselves.

I have spent more than a quarter of my life building up this football club on and off the pitch, so I personally take a series of gross misrepresentations in this edition as insults to our club’s good name. No club is perfect, but I and every member of staff work tirelessly to make Madejski Stadium a great place to bring your family and friends and I know Thames Valley Police also take great pride in our exemplary record.

When the Club was named Family Club of the Year by the Football League, it was one of the finest moments of my time here, and remains just as important to me as everything we have achieved on the pitch.

The newspaper also contains a comment relating to the Hillsborough tragedy that has deeply offended many of us in the football family.

With all that in mind, we have decided to suspend our relationship with this particular publication. We have a duty to protect the club’s reputation, and particularly to protect our supporters’ reputation. This is not a decision we take lightly because we value the freedom of the press and have enjoyed excellent relationships with our local media in the past, but we are sure our supporters will agree that we cannot allow the fans’ good name to be besmirched in this way.

So many people have spoken to me today about this article – both supporters and my colleagues here at the club – hurt and disappointed by what they had read. As custodians for Reading Football Club, the right course of action was clear to us all.

Sir John Madejski OBE, DL
Chairman

Read more at http://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/article ... 1f0QJq1.99

[ZacNaloen]

Poor Reading Chronicle.

[winchester_royal]

Beautiful.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Lovely stuff

[Maguire]

Drama.

Suspect this is more to do with trying to avoid the Liverpool backlash than anything else.

[under the tin]

Poor Reading Chronicle.

Damn right. The Chronicle is very poor, and that pile of journalistic sh!t may just have committed commercial suicide.
Well played, Sir John.

[BenReadingFC]

Brilliant

[No Fixed Abode]

[lardydah]

Suspect this is more to do with trying to avoid the Liverpool backlash than anything else.

My thoughts exactly!

I've not actually seen the paper, but was this actually on the front page? If so, how did it get past the editor, sub-editors, etc? One of them must be bright enough to have seen this coming?! I guess not.

[P!ssed Off]

Reading FC's first home victory since January?
Get In!

I guess my email has been answered: "This absurd article not only besmirches the reputation of Reading FC but also the reputation of its fans. Will the club be boycotting the Chronicle for the foreseeable future?"

[TFF]

I really wish I was a chronicle advertiser just so I could withdraw my advertising.

But it's a shite paper, so I'm not.

Article should boost sales though, I'm certainly going to buy a copy for the LOLZ

Gr8 response from Sir John

[No Fixed Abode]

Does anyone know what was said about Hillsborough?

[Cureton's Volley]

Jolly well said Sir John.

LOL @ the Chronical what a load of crap

[Turns8]

The guy is now denying he even wrote the front page!!!

https://twitter.com/nick_gutteridge/status/446685826140110849

[Royal Ginger]

Perhaps we could organise a mass "Riot" and hit each other with Rolled up Chronicles on Tuesday.

[Silver Fox]

Very possibly true