1993-1995 vs 2005-2007

[Ark Royal]

93/95 for me. We had Elm Park and we were regarded as a small club. We had some brilliant players and played with class. Smashing Blackpool 4-0 away with Tom Jones wearing the last pair of shorts out of the bag. Being applauded off the pitch by the home fans was special. The good versus evil draw away at Stockport County was a massive night of football and the Tilehurst End never went quite as mental ever again after Lee Nogan's late winner on THAT Friday night against an exceptional Bolton team.

2005/07 we were a bigger club because of the Mad Stad. 2 defeats all season, 106 points and 99 goals was unbelievable but being the Mad Stad it was never as intimate as Elm Park.

I approve this message and I fondly remember Stockport's annual battle against promotion.

[Kuhl_Runnings]

2005 spawned the dawn of the Soccer Am mongdiv Reading fan so 93-95 was definitely better.

I remember us giving West Ham under Pardew an absolute (on pitch) shooing in 2005, we were 3-0 up and the East Stand starting seal-clapping and chanting EA-SAY EA-SAY which I found amusing as it wound up the WHam fans no end. The I discovered it was a set piece from that absolute aberration of a television programme Soccer AM and our fans continued to do it for 2 or 3 years to come Worth mentioning though that the goon responsible for it on that ghastly show was a Chelsea fan

To be fair to Reading supporters, they have largely rejected gimmicks imposed on them by the club. Rumblestix and clapper boards were panned and generally discarded onto the pitch. Conversely, QPR and Leicester fans took to Rumblestix and clapper boards respectively with real vigour and both were on regular display and well used at their respective grounds So to say it is just Reading fans who have contracted the Soccer AM Disease would be false.

Two very good posts here (possibly a world first from No Fixed Abode!)

I wonder what next for the new football fan. It's gone from Soccer AM lad to pyro hooligan/casual. Football is one big gimmick though, surely? Young man's game methinks

I agree with these two so much. I don't like of the new breed of football fan at all, the brush haircut 16 year olds in full Adidas tracksuits sitting next to the opposition fans for "bants" and thinking they're amazing just because they've started a chant about how the other team are "inbred cu1nts" or whatever really get on my nerves. Soccer AM is at it's absolute worst currently too.