bobby1413Jackson Corner Let me just tell you why this club will always struggle to attract new fans. Or at least have a more dedicated loyal fan base. For me it was summed up by a gentleman I was chatting to on the on the train going to Paddington.
"You going to the game mate". ( I was wearing my Reading colours) " yes mate" I replied.
Him "See the game Saturday I thought my Gunners p.....d all over Chelsea "
Me " your Gunners what part of North London are you from?"
Him "Tilehurst"
Me " so why are you coming today?.
Him " Here for the f.......n crack, don't give a toss about Reading. Don't get me wrong I hope they win be nice to take me boy to see the Gunners next season".
As this conversation of two intellectual minds progressed, I later found he could not name a Reading player and had only been to about 5 games at the Mad Stad. Turned out he didn't know that much about Arsenal either.
That story doesn't say anything or have any relation to why Reading will apparently struggle to attract new fans.
All you've done is provided a great example of the typical, ignorant, and irrelevant opinions or a big club fan.
Someone who is a "massive supporter" but look at you confused when you ask them "great result for you guys, did you go?" Or who talk fondly of the time they went to the Arsenal game 3 years ago. They always have the latest shirt though and also subscribe to ArsenalTV.
RFC can and has attracted new fans. The longer we maintain championship football (In my opinion a high level of football) the better. Even more so with PL obviously.
The towns changing. It's bigger and is more populated. As generations go on then we can accumulate more fans.
See my "does reading do enough around town" thread. Going into schools, open days, an actual presence in town helps.
Random shoppers should not be able to walk through town for the day without seeing adverts for football, or a poster or a tv screen showing the fixtures or how to buy tickets.
The point I was trying to make is I have come across many people like this in and around the town. Claim to be football fans, yet have a perfectly good team on the doorstep, and can't be arsed to watch them. I don't have a problem with people supporting big clubs. But I know people who are anti Reading FC and even though they live in the town seem happy to se them fail which I will never understand.
