Forget Achievements.What Has Been Your Favourite RFC Season

[Royal Lady]

2005/06 for me too - a fantastic season where we just kept winning and then at the end of the season, the knowledge that for the first time ever, we'd be competing against all the "big guns" - nothing will EVER live up to that season for me, unless we got into the Champions League I think.

[Caskeys Lovechild]

I want to be original and say that it was 01/02. Someone has said to me that we could draw every game to the end of the season about 9 games from the end.... In celebrating Curo's promotion winning goal, I made sure I gave him a good dig in the ribs for his stupid comments......

But for me, it is, and always will be the 05/06 Season - everything consipired to make it the most incredible year - not just football wise - I would say friendships which had been forged over 10 years of travelling through some of the nastiest places in the country for football, were at their peak at that time. Since then, they've all fallen apart for various reasons, and there's just a few of us left at games - but being footloose and fancy free at the time, meant that for the last 4 home and 4 away games, we consistently got smashed and had a big party. On the day we won the league, we decorated the pub in Blue and White - the town was buzzing - it really was, the most special season. Add to it that a life long supporter and family member had died the year before, and never saw us make it to the Premier League, and you've got a combination of Joy, Sadness, Excitement, Fear, and spontenaity, that I don't think could ever be beaten.

[Royal Rother]

93/94 - I could, quite literally, not believe what I was seeing. The season after was a better team, against better teams, but after a decade and a half of watching ugly and by and large mediocre football, it came as a rather pleasant surprise.

One touch, slick, pass and move, er jumpers for goalposts isn't it eh etc but still, the team went out with total self-belief, tried to play passing football, had a credible plan B (hoof it for Gilkes to run after), had predatory strikers, a gigantic and hugely talented and also utterly charming goalie, and there was plenty of local lads in the team.

Almost exactly what I was going to say when I saw the thread.

I remember standing there watching and just applauding the football with tingles going up and down my spine - "Fcuk me, this is Reading, I can't believe it!"

[The Beardy Man]

93/94 - I could, quite literally, not believe what I was seeing. The season after was a better team, against better teams, but after a decade and a half of watching ugly and by and large mediocre football, it came as a rather pleasant surprise.

One touch, slick, pass and move, er jumpers for goalposts isn't it eh etc but still, the team went out with total self-belief, tried to play passing football, had a credible plan B (hoof it for Gilkes to run after), had predatory strikers, a gigantic and hugely talented and also utterly charming goalie, and there was plenty of local lads in the team.

Almost exactly what I was going to say when I saw the thread.

I remember standing there watching and just applauding the football with tingles going up and down my spine - "Fcuk me, this is Reading, I can't believe it!"

Yeah for me the period 93-95 is still the one I look back on more fondly than any other, the 106 included.

The football we played was breath taking, and on a budget that would get people screaming about a 'lack of ambition' these days.

the 442 in 93/94 was like being the Man Utd of the 3rd tier and the 352 of 94/95 felt at the time like we were doing something sides at our level just weren't doing...

[Royalee]

93/95 for me too, my first game was Leyton Orient at home in 93.

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

last seasons run was remarkable and all the stories surrounding us from our playoff defeat, losing longy, starting the season horribly, going on that amazing run, and being practically unstoppable. id say it was my favorite season since ive been a supporter. the 05/06 season was pretty amazing too!

[soggy biscuit]

Cant split 93/94 & 94/95.

Such classy exciting football, like nothing I have seen at Reading since.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Division 2 Champions in the 1993-94 followed up with the 1994-95 sesason when we finished runners up in by Division 1.

The Xmas fixture versus Stockport who were second at the time when we won 2-0 sticks with me.

[General B]

93/94 - I could, quite literally, not believe what I was seeing. The season after was a better team, against better teams, but after a decade and a half of watching ugly and by and large mediocre football, it came as a rather pleasant surprise.

One touch, slick, pass and move, er jumpers for goalposts isn't it eh etc but still, the team went out with total self-belief, tried to play passing football, had a credible plan B (hoof it for Gilkes to run after), had predatory strikers, a gigantic and hugely talented and also utterly charming goalie, and there was plenty of local lads in the team.

And if you wanted to see your drunken Welsh international centre-half chatting up ropey looking jailbait and then falling down the stairs in Utopia, well every Saturday was your lucky Saturday.

Ah fuck it I'm getting old.

What he said.

[royal_ross]

05/06 absolutely. Amazing season, Lita, Doyle & Kitson were on fire that season, will never forget Little's chip away to Plymouth and the way Steve Coppell threw his jacket into the crowd at Leicester. Gutted I missed that game but Forest last season made up for it.

[grey_squirrel]

For me it's

85/6
then
75/6
then
05/6

...........a few years to wait for the next one then (15/6 !)

[Royal Biscuitman]

106 Season - some incredible football played that season.

Next up was division 2 with Butler & Cureton scoring for fun, some high scoring victories too. Can't remember the exact season but can probably look it up.

[Fox Talbot]

Nice to think it's a hard choice with several great promtion seasons, all of which have been mentioned.

For the non-promotion seasons I'd give a thumbs up to 2000/01 too (and 69/70 obvs).

[Ian Royal]

Season before we got relegated in the late 90s I think... 97 ish?

Elm Park was a fantastically atmospheric little ground when it was busy and the fans felt like getting going. We struggled but survived and we stuck one over on Wolves in extremely satisfying fashion. Might have been the same season we beat Bolton (facing them for the first time since the playoff) and we did it with Quinny in goal.

Otherwise, it's hard to beat the sheer joy of winning most weeks so 2005/06.

[melonhead]

last season at elm park- relegation to the now 1st division

dunno why

went to pretty much every game for the first time, loads of really funny games, wins against X managers, away win at swindon, lamberts goal Vs forest, singing loudy at slappers in white(possibly-cant remember what year that was), pitch invasions etc

first time i realised i truly loved RFC

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Another vote for the 93-95 period. It would be difficult for any of our fans under the age of 30 to understand how it felt, we have all got so used to watching 'winning' football since we left EP. Outside the Prem, we have finished every season in the top half since we moved to the Madejski. It was largely the complete opposite of that throughout the 80s and early 90s with crowds plummeting. you just couldnt see the 1994 title coming, & to finish 2nd in what is now the Champ was just off the scale.

If I had to single out 1 moment from that period it would be the Bolton game on the Friday night in April 1995. My favourite Reading game. A lock out, Reading fans in the away end, Osbourn's flying leap to head the ball off the line and total pandamonium when Nogs scored the winner. Never heard the Southbank in such voice, im sure that was the 1st time any Reading fan thought we might just make it to the top flight.

[Ark Royal]

Another nod to the 93/94 and 94/95 seasons. There were hints of what was to come during 92/93: we were brilliant in the League Cup tie at Watford, Gilkesy destroyed Fulham on a Friday night and we scared the shit out Citeh in the FA Cup. The pairing of Jimmy Quinn and Archie Lovell by McGhee was inspirational; Shaka Hislop was a wall in goal, two good footballing centre backs in Adie Williams and Jeff Hopkins and Mick Gooding and Kevin Dillon provided guile and nous in the middle of the park. Even so, some of the football that we played in those two years was incredible and Quinn scored some stunning goals - he never seemed to get tap-ins.

Highlight for me was Blackpool away when we totally gubbed them 4-0 and the home supporters applauded us off.

[Terminal Boardom]

Another nod to the 93/94 and 94/95 seasons. There were hints of what was to come during 92/93: we were brilliant in the League Cup tie at Watford, Gilkesy destroyed Fulham on a Friday night and we scared the shit out Citeh in the FA Cup. The pairing of Jimmy Quinn and Archie Lovell by McGhee was inspirational; Shaka Hislop was a wall in goal, two good footballing centre backs in Adie Williams and Jeff Hopkins and Mick Gooding and Kevin Dillon provided guile and nous in the middle of the park. Even so, some of the football that we played in those two years was incredible and Quinn scored some stunning goals - he never seemed to get tap-ins.

Highlight for me was Blackpool away when we totally gubbed them 4-0 and the home supporters applauded us off.

And Tom Jones wore the last pair of shorts out of the kit bag. 93/94 was special. Quality football and big crowds at Elm Park. But my favourite has to be 94/95 as that was the first time that the promised land was realistically within reach. On top of that, there was the greatest goal ever scored by Mick Gooding

[floyd__streete]

94/95. The first and only time I owned a giant foam hand.

[Christof]

2005/6 - best team we've ever had, and the feeling that we were never going to lose (especially after Derby on New Year's Eve, thank you Shane).
Closely followed by 2011/12 - best run of form since the 80's, belief in the manager and the team as a unit, some great away days and superb results (apart from Peterborough away).

So, to summarise, everybody loves it when we are winning, and nobody has mentioned the Premier League seasons at all. Seems like relegation wouldn't be the worst thing ever for a lot of us...