The King of Thailand

[Nameless]

Surely this discussion is not a judgment on whether the King of Thailand is good and fair ruler or not, but whether it's appropriate for Reading FC to be honouring him multiple times before games. I'd vote absolutely no - not even once. Most Reading fans didn't know of his existence. He has no relevance to the club, this country or football. The owners are still recent and have not yet earned the right to force us to politely indulge them.

The minute silences before kick off should be emotional and relevant, but it has become meaningless and trite.

Sorry, what did they force you to do ?

[Silver Fox]

The minute silences before kick off should be emotional and relevant, but it has become meaningless and trite.

Does upsetting you not count as emotional?

[Forbury Lion]

The first time I tolerated it, the second time I maintained a silence after muttering some curse words at being expected to do it again. Neither time did I feel any emotion.

They better not be planning a 3rd one.

It will be different for our Queen as I'm sure we'll get at least one paid day off work to mourn.

[Winston Smith]

The owners have not yet earned the right to force us to politely indulge them.

You are aware that the minutes silence is not forced? It's completely voluntary.

[tidus_mi2]

The owners have not yet earned the right to force us to politely indulge them.

You are aware that the minutes silence is not forced? It's completely voluntary.

A minute silence isn't exactly the easiest thing to protest, for the record I had no problem with the minute silence against Villa, I was a bit thrown off by the minute silence against Forest, I really don't think we need any more but I have put it down to the owners wanting to get their message of mourning across by covering a Saturday game as well as the initial Tuesday.

I suppose we'll find out if these silences will continue on the 19th.

[Winston Smith]

The owners have not yet earned the right to force us to politely indulge them.

You are aware that the minutes silence is not forced? It's completely voluntary.

A minute silence isn't exactly the easiest thing to protest

There is a fair amount of middle ground between joining in with it and protesting it. Just stay sitting down, carry on reading your match day programme, go for a piss, continue drinking your beer on the concourse etc.

No one is being forced into this at all, and if they don't like it then they can just carry on as they were.

[Mr Optimist]

Fair enough Winston, if the club could just let us know in advance if the video and minutes silence will be happening again v Burton, in advance of the game, and I am sure the minutes silence will be held in front of a couple of thousand Reading fans who hadn't received the advanced warning and 400 bemused Burton fans wondering WTF is going on, while the rest of us can avoid the farce in the concourse without appearing disrespectful to the dead King of a country thousands of miles away who died a month ago and we have already paid our bewildered respect to twice already.

[genome]

If you feel like protesting, scream at the top of your voice and see how that goes down.

[Mr Optimist]

If you feel like protesting, scream at the top of your voice and see how that goes down.

Personally I think I would start applauding someone who did this if the minutes silence happened at the Burton game.

[genome]

Then you're a massive belmonting helmist

[Forbury Lion]

You are aware that the minutes silence is not forced? It's completely voluntary.

A minute silence isn't exactly the easiest thing to protest

There is a fair amount of middle ground between joining in with it and protesting it. Just stay sitting down, carry on reading your match day programme, go for a piss, continue drinking your beer on the concourse etc.

No one is being forced into this at all, and if they don't like it then they can just carry on as they were.

or turn your back to the directors box if your in the East Stand.

[Maguire]

You people are all so weird.

[leon]

Then you're a massive belmonting helmist

check out the Queen of Thailand, over here.

[genome]

I thought that was Lady Sasima?

[Glory Boy]

Could we not do the Icelandic Victory salute instead . Surely more befitting for a King than a minutes silence.

[P!ssed Off]

Customerservice@readingfc.co.uk:
Thank you for contacting Reading Football Club.

As far as I am aware, there aren’t any plans to do any more. Whilst the mourning period officially lasts for a year, the first month is hugely significant, hence two matches which included a minute’s silence.

Across all of the 72 EFL clubs between 12-19th November, there will be a minute's silence to pay tribute to fallen servicemen, women and former players as part of Remembrance Sunday commemorations and the First World War Centenary. This will include our game against Burton Albion on Saturday 19th November and will heavily promoted in the build up to the game.

Thank you again for your email and if you have any further feedback comments or suggestions the please feel free to contact us at any time.

[ladida_gunner_graham]

Across all of the 72 EFL clubs between 12-19th November, there will be a minute's silence to pay tribute to fallen servicemen, women and former players as part of Remembrance Sunday commemorations and the First World War Centenary.

Like the minute silence for Eammon Dolan, Ron Blackman and the young Reading fan who died of cancer recently, this has genuine relevance and meaning for those in the stadium.

[Victor Meldrew]

Glad to see Denny Fulbrook mentioned early on.
I will miss seeing him occasionally at the bottom of Grovelands on match days waiting for his lift to the ground.
I will miss him as part of our communal moaning group outside the club shop.before each game.
He hadn't been a well man for years but attended games at all levels of the club structure and was very popular with players and their families.
I wasn't at the Villa game but had my own one minute's silence for him before the Forest game out of respect for a fan of our club for over 70 years and will do the same before the Burton game out of respect for the earlier-mentioned young man who his family would have liked to have had a chance of supporting the club for 70 years.

[Saaaaaaaammmmmm]

Read an article I think in The Times recently that was arguing against minute silences which I actually agreed with

Having one every game (Burton will make it 3 home matches in a row) just dilutes things and makes those events genuinely worthy of a silence less meaningful

Of course it's respectful, and it's only a minute, but it just feels like football is so desperate to be seen doing the right thing they'll use any opportunity to get good PR by getting involved in stuff that usually has nothing to do with football, and can only have a positive benefit to them

See the uproar over the England/Scotland/FIFA poppy crisis. Do football teams really need to have a poppy embroiled on their shirts? It's really just an empty gesture and the fact that even the PM is getting involved is ridiculous, given the amount of genuinely important issues she should be worrying about instead

On a more important note, this 32-page thread of Mascots Observing Minute's Silences is superb
http://www.wsc.co.uk/forum-index/27-foo ... mitstart=0

[Ian Royal]

Customerservice@readingfc.co.uk:
Thank you for contacting Reading Football Club.

As far as I am aware, there aren’t any plans to do any more. Whilst the mourning period officially lasts for a year, the first month is hugely significant, hence two matches which included a minute’s silence.

Across all of the 72 EFL clubs between 12-19th November, there will be a minute's silence to pay tribute to fallen servicemen, women and former players as part of Remembrance Sunday commemorations and the First World War Centenary. This will include our game against Burton Albion on Saturday 19th November and will heavily promoted in the build up to the game.

Thank you again for your email and if you have any further feedback comments or suggestions the please feel free to contact us at any time.

Belmont.