Where were YOU when we were sh!t?

[prostak]

First game 90/91, had a season ticket from 92/93 to about 2001. Went less frequently for various reasons until I happily managed to be in Poland for much of the 106 and following seasons. Whilst there I did adopt a new team who'd recently had a not-entirely-embarrassing run in Europe - obviously they instantly collapsed and spent much of that time fighting relegation. Fortunately, I was back in Reading for the second half of the relegation season and virtually every game of Coppell's final year.

I can't help but feel I've missed out. At least I can say I've seen Grzegorz Rasiak turn out for 5 different teams. I'll always have that.

[comeonyouroyals]

First game was vs Leicester in the Fa Cup in 2005, losing 2-1 in last minute.
First away game was vs Leeds in 2005 and losing 3-1 to a Rob Hulse hat-trick but a cheeky backheel from lloyd Owuso made it worthwhile, coldest I have ever been mind.

[silas]

First game 93/94 season, Exeter home 1-0 Uwe Hartenberger scored!

[LUX]

First game was vs Leicester in the Fa Cup in 2005, losing 2-1 in last minute.
First away game was vs Leeds in 2005 and losing 3-1 to a Rob Hulse hat-trick but a cheeky backheel from lloyd Owuso made it worthwhile, coldest I have ever been mind.

I was there at Elland Road that day. Sandwiched between No 17 Bus and Barry White.

ps that cheeky backheel did NOT make it worthwhile.

[Royal Lady]

I'm pretty sure we've had this before! But my first game was October 1981 - so my 30th anniversary is fast approaching, I'm expecting the club to mark this auspicious occasion by selling Kebe and/or Long a few months prior to this.

[East Grinstead Royal]

First game was 1967 at home to Swansea Town, we won 2-0.

Started going to every home game in 74/75. First away game was at Exeter that season, we won 2-0.

First ST was 75/76, promotion year. I was at Cambridge when we drew 2-2 to clinch promotion.

Stopped being a STH late 70s as work took me away from the area and I couldn't get to mid-week games.

Got back into being a STH early 00s, purely so I could get away tickets if we were in the promotion race. That turned out to be a great idea, as I was there at Brentford when we went up (01/02).

My two sons are also STHs with me in the North Stand.

Like others, I miss Elm Park. I've been toying with the idea of watching Crawley (nowadays my local side) next season, just to see if the 4th tier is still what it used to be.

[floyd__streete]

I was there at Elland Road that day. Sandwiched between No 17 Bus and Barry White.

Random . How very Noel Fielding.

[Colin Cheeselog]

At the time I wasn't aware of anybody ever having a season ticket at Elm Park and I'm always sceptical of people who claim to have had one, as it generally wasn't necessary. Even southbank cards weren't really needed, they were just nice to have!

[watfordroyal]

Moved down in 86 and went to a few games til posted away in 90,
back in 96 and regular since.

[Terminal Boardom]

Watching us lose 1-0 away to Chester at Macclesfield in front of 631.
Seeing Martin Hicks score another og - this time for the shite from the edge of the box with a header in an utterly dismal 3-1 defeat.
Losing at Colchester in the FA Cup when they were non league
Losing 7-1 at Chesterfield and getting thrown out of Saltergate 1 hour before kick of by the OB. Paid to get in again. WHY???

Wasted a small fortune over the years but I don't begrudge a penny of it.

[prostak]

At the time I wasn't aware of anybody ever having a season ticket at Elm Park and I'm always sceptical of people who claim to have had one, as it generally wasn't necessary. Even southbank cards weren't really needed, they were just nice to have!

You're right - I also remember the lack of a suitable support ranking system leading me to miss out on the visit of Manchester United. How fortunate we are that this has been rectified with the Royalty Points. A simple guide to who is the best fan.

[Royal Lady]

I remember having a ST book where you tore out the page for the game number you were attending. There WERE STs at Elm Park.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

First game was vs Leicester in the Fa Cup in 2005, losing 2-1 in last minute.
First away game was vs Leeds in 2005 and losing 3-1 to a Rob Hulse hat-trick but a cheeky backheel from lloyd Owuso made it worthwhile, coldest I have ever been mind.

I was there at Elland Road that day. Sandwiched between No 17 Bus and Barry White.

ps that cheeky backheel did NOT make it worthwhile.

Carla is nothing like Barry White.

[Bandini]

I remember having a ST book where you tore out the page for the game number you were attending. There WERE STs at Elm Park.

Yep, and with a couple of "free" cup tie tickets in there.

RIP the old days.

[Royalee]

First game was Leyton Orient Home in the 93/94 season, been a regular ever since...can't say I enjoy it as much as I used to though.

[Victor Meldrew]

So far nobody in the same decade as me-nothing particularly to be proud of but as some say...FACT.
First game-Reading 4 Norwich 4. March 27th 1954.
One of my proudest moments was on January 23rd 1982 watching my son run on the pitch as mascot with Kerry Dixon,Neil Webb and Lawrie Sanchez-to think we had 3 of our best ever players turning out but only drew 2-2 v Plymouth in front of just 3024 and could only finish that season in 12th place in Div 3.

Looking back over the years Reading were not very good but generally we had a reasonable home record and as we hardly ever travelled away apart from FA Cup games Reading won more games than they lost at home in most seasons.
In that my first season Reading scored 57 league goals at home in 23 games which is somewhere near our best return and conceding 33 meant an average of just under 4 goals in every home game-no wonder I was hooked.

As with some of the others on here I am not so intense any more about RFC and don't quite have the same passion about the club.
I think it comes down to 3 things:-
My age
The long-ball game that we play
And the poor effort I thought the club made to retain our Premier League status.

[Jackson Corner]

I had a season ticket aat EP and you used to get a nice plastic blue cover to put your book in to which I wish Ihad kept as a nice piece of memorobelia.

[AthleticoSpizz]

we surely had a sh1t pitch back in 72/73

nice ramshackle ground but a

bald mudpatch sh1t pitch tho'

It amuses me...

back then, there was no internet to broadcast opinion, and not even any fans-mags. No proper fan segregation, more terrace troubles and players that had to take other jobs to subsidise their wages.....yet on a Saturday at 3 o'clock they were heroes for beating Workington or Southport.

We were sh1t, but it was our sh1t

[Jackson Corner]

So far nobody in the same decade as me-nothing particularly to be proud of but as some say...FACT.
First game-Reading 4 Norwich 4. March 27th 1954.
One of my proudest moments was on January 23rd 1982 watching my son run on the pitch as mascot with Kerry Dixon,Neil Webb and Lawrie Sanchez-to think we had 3 of our best ever players turning out but only drew 2-2 v Plymouth in front of just 3024 and could only finish that season in 12th place in Div 3.

Looking back over the years Reading were not very good but generally we had a reasonable home record and as we hardly ever travelled away apart from FA Cup games Reading won more games than they lost at home in most seasons.
In that my first season Reading scored 57 league goals at home in 23 games which is somewhere near our best return and conceding 33 meant an average of just under 4 goals in every home game-no wonder I was hooked.

As with some of the others on here I am not so intense any more about RFC and don't quite have the same passion about the club.
I think it comes down to 3 things:-
My age
The long-ball game that we play
And the poor effort I thought the club made to retain our Premier League status.

Sorry I don't get that. If you have witnesed all those grim years of treading water in the lower leagues as I did in the 70's and 80's. Then you would apriciate the fact, that even now we are punching above our weight in the 2nd tier of English football.
I also don't think we are a long ball team I would say going back as far as Mcghee we have had managers who have had the team play a passing game.
Pardew, Coppell, Mcdermot even Rodgers

[prostak]

Not having seen too many live games this season, I feel ill-qualified to absolutely call us a long-ball team. However, in those games I have seen we do seem very quick to resort to hoofing it. There seems to be little patience, and to be honest I think I preferred the style we were aiming at under Rodgers. I'll add the proviso that we had about 2 players suited to that style though.