THE TWO TYPES OF READING FAN

[Hoop Blah]

I don't think the longevity of support has any bearing on where fans sit on the spend/not spend/ambition/happy to be here divide.

I know plenty of fans who've been going for 30 or 40 years who have totally opposite views. I also know plenty who are new fans from the last few seasons who are just as patient and undemanding, and visa versa.

[Gordons Cumming]

My first game was in 1963 and it was crap

First game was 1969 and it was great..........hence I stayed.

It was that or Bracknell Town.

I'm clearly No.1

[79Royal]

There are definitely more types of fan, but generally, I think Madejski has made this club what it is and if it weren't for him, we'd still be bouncing around league 1. He's a legend in my eyes. However, he's made it clear that he's not a football man and wants to sell up, so he's going to run the club as a business and do his best not to have to pump anymore money into it. The sooner he does that the better, but I don't blame him for anything.

FWIW, been a fan since I was old enough to realise I was born in Reading and we had a football club, first game in 1988 and I miss the nostalgia of Elm Park.

[rg6royal]

I'm 16...Been watching Reading properly Since the Mad Stad opened. Doesn't make me a plastic.

[YateleyRoyal]

1. Pre Madejeski , used to div 3 or 4 , standing in the rain , making lots of noise for 5k , having a laugh , enjoying the football what-ever. living with fear of financial collapse , avoiding the coins being lobbed at you by away supporters, dozy chairmen , erractic managers , rollercoaster performances. CURRENTLY - amazed at what sir john has done , in awe of the fantastic stadium , over joyed with the premier status for a couple of years , thoroughly admiring the academy , delight at the club's superb financial footing , impressed with chairman's choices of manager (only 2 failures really Bullivant & Burns )
Since Our current chairman has taken charge - THIS club has gone from strength to strength , we would not even exist IMO if it wasn't for John.


2. Plastic , seen a few picture of elm park in a book once , Only been to the mad stat , used to support Man Utd ,normally moans all the way through matches , fairly quiet unless one of OUR players makes a mistake. Currently HATES the chairman , doesn't appreciate 1 iota what he's done for the club , think reading are a "big club" and needs to BUY success at what-ever the cost. Think it's a god given that we should be in the premier league. Critisises current manager after 3 games , critises one of the best managers in english football , who got a low budget team to amass the greatest ever points tally of a british football club etc..

so... what are you ?

Right...I started supporting the club 5 years ago, and never went to Elm Park. However, I have never supported another team, I love going to matches, home and away, and I chant all the way through the match. I have no strong feelings towards Sir John, however I do appreciate everything he's done for the club by building the stadium and financing signings. I am so excited by the future Rodgers is building, and I was still impressed when Coppell was here. I had a season ticket in the 106 season and absolutely o*ford loved it.

So I fit in neither of your categories and think they are both complete bullshite

[Schards#2]

I don't think the opinions that a) Madejski has done a wonderful job and, b) he isn't the best man to take us forward from here, are mutually exclusive.

For many years being chairman motivated and excited him and he was prepared to invest his own money. All of this is no longer the case and he's keen to sell up.

One wise poster on here suggested a year ago that it was hard to see progress for the forseeable future because of Madejski's loss of motivation and his inability to find a buyer. Whatever happened to that visionary.

The club will drift until he finds one or the other.

[Mad Dog's Ghost]

I only really go regularly if we're doing alright. Couldn't be bothered when we were pants in the early Mad stad days. I'm too used to success after seeing us piss Division 4 in 78-79.

[Dorset-Knob]

Can't believe you didn't mention ankle deep urine in the south bank "facilities" or the toggle spanner throwing Millwall "fan" but for what it's worth I think there is only one kind of Reading fan really. It's all of us , all the time, through thick and thin, supporting, moaning or with stoical, silent resignation, supporting the club in our own particular way. Most of us can deal with disappointment, its the usually unrewarded hope, punctuated with moments of pure ecstacy that hurts and delights in disproportionate measure!

[Dave the rave]

1. Pre Madejeski , used to div 3 or 4 , standing in the rain , making lots of noise for 5k , having a laugh , enjoying the football what-ever. living with fear of financial collapse , avoiding the coins being lobbed at you by away supporters, dozy chairmen , erractic managers , rollercoaster performances. CURRENTLY - amazed at what sir john has done , in awe of the fantastic stadium , over joyed with the premier status for a couple of years , thoroughly admiring the academy , delight at the club's superb financial footing , impressed with chairman's choices of manager (only 2 failures really Bullivant & Burns )
Since Our current chairman has taken charge - THIS club has gone from strength to strength , we would not even exist IMO if it wasn't for John.


2. Plastic , seen a few picture of elm park in a book once , Only been to the mad stat , used to support Man Utd ,normally moans all the way through matches , fairly quiet unless one of OUR players makes a mistake. Currently HATES the chairman , doesn't appreciate 1 iota what he's done for the club , think reading are a "big club" and needs to BUY success at what-ever the cost. Think it's a god given that we should be in the premier league. Critisises current manager after 3 games , critises one of the best managers in english football , who got a low budget team to amass the greatest ever points tally of a british football club etc..

so... what are you ?

See http://hobnob2.royals.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=91390&start=20&sid=6fb647c0eb5332e234623a37bcd0aa97

[Arnie_Pie]

Well I have to admit I used to support Liverpool when I was a kid. Typical 70's child living in Surrey with non footballing parents. Moved to Reading when I was nine and badgered my old man to take to see Reading play Chelsea in an FA cup game at Elm Park. Not sure when it was if anyone could enlighten me would me most appreciated. Think is was 91 or 92?

Anyway, we lost the game but I was for some reason hooked. My memory is poor but Ray Houghton was playing. Been a fan ever since.

[BobKnows]

I'm pre-stadium but post-Madejski, in terms of when I started regularly attending games. Longevity of supporting is not the be-all-and-end-all, but would broadly agree that there are two types of fans. I'd divide them into:

*Whinging pcunts with no sense of proportion
*Everybody else

[YateleyRoyal]

I'm pre-stadium but post-Madejski, in terms of when I started regularly attending games. Longevity of supporting is not the be-all-and-end-all, but would broadly agree that there are two types of fans. I'd divide them into:

*Whinging pcunts with no sense of proportion
*Everybody else

Love it

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

You're not a real fan unless you've been made ill by an Elm Park burger....

[southbank1871]

I guess I fit into the first option to an extent, as my first match was in about 1987 when I was 5 and I saw a lot of shit until Mcghee came in. In fact I found the programme from Boxing Day 1989 at my parents' house the other day when I was mascot for the game against Brentford.

However, whilst Madejski has obviously done great things for the club and almost certainly saved us from extinction, that doesn't mean he can do no wrong. I think that the Bullivant and Burns years still weigh heavy on his mind when it comes to spending money, as they wasted so much of it, but we have really suffered from a lack of investment in players over the past few years, particularly our second season in the Prem. Whether this was JMs or SCs fault is another issue altogether.

Although it's obviously not their fault, I don't think people who have only supported Reading since about 2000 can truly appreciate the recent success we've had in the same way people who saw them in the lower leagues can.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Although it's obviously not their fault, I don't think people who have only supported Reading since about 2000 can truly appreciate the recent success we've had in the same way people who saw them in the lower leagues can.

I wouldn't exacty agree with that, but there does seem to be a fair few who seem to regard being an average championship club as failure.

I'd put this less down to not seeing Reading in the lower divisions, and more down to the SKY TV "the premiership is everything" mindset.

[papereyes]

I don't think the opinions that a) Madejski has done a wonderful job and, b) he isn't the best man to take us forward from here, are mutually exclusive.

That's how I see it.

I also don't think questioning the club's attitudes and intentions makes you any less of a fan.

I did note that there were a lot of more cynical fans of a similar age (mid-to-late 20s, pushing 30 ... ) who all started watching RFC at Elm Park but all recognise that the club have moved on. Much of the more-balanced criticism of the second Prem season came from this quarter - maybe a factor of having so much football so easily available.

And, lastly, that we were in the 3rd division in the 1960s and 1970s surely makes no difference to where we are now, given all that's changed. Aston Villa were in the 3rd division with us for one of those seasons.

I wouldn't exacty agree with that, but there does seem to be a fair few who seem to regard being an average championship club as failure.

I'd put this less down to not seeing Reading in the lower divisions, and more down to the SKY TV "the premiership is everything" mindset.

Or maybe that, given the position we were in at the end of 06/07 and the potential we had at that point, the way the club has acted in the following 2 seasons strikes them as a massive missed opportunity?

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

I guess I fit into the first option to an extent, as my first match was in about 1987 when I was 5 and I saw a lot of shit until Mcghee came in. In fact I found the programme from Boxing Day 1989 at my parents' house the other day when I was mascot for the game against Brentford.

However, whilst Madejski has obviously done great things for the club and almost certainly saved us from extinction, that doesn't mean he can do no wrong. I think that the Bullivant and Burns years still weigh heavy on his mind when it comes to spending money, as they wasted so much of it, but we have really suffered from a lack of investment in players over the past few years, particularly our second season in the Prem. Whether this was JMs or SCs fault is another issue altogether.

Although it's obviously not their fault, I don't think people who have only supported Reading since about 2000 can truly appreciate the recent success we've had in the same way people who saw them in the lower leagues can.

I got a great picture of me sitting on Martin Hick's knee. I don't like to talk about it though..........

[papereyes]

I got a great picture of me sitting on Martin Hick's knee. I don't like to talk about it though..........

I've seen several RFC players naked.

Including this one.



The smile is no longer as friendly as it was.

[Hoop Blah]

My beef has always been that I want the club to be trying to move forward and make the most of the opportunity and resources it has available.

Personally I think we stopped doing that for a while under Coppell. That might not have been completely down to him, but I apportion a lot more of the 'blame' on him than I do the other powers that be.

[Kieron1981]

Elm Park with my mum when i was about 8 then used to spend my pocket money every week to go when my mother became unable... so about 1989-1990 i think

Although i was also at the first Ever mad stad match too....