What the papers say - Burnley Washout

[Forbury Lion]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 213943.stm

Reading P-P Burnley
Saturday's FA Cup third round tie between Reading and Burnley was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch at the Madejksi Stadium.
The tie will now be played on 9 January with all tickets from the original game valid for Tuesday.

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Reading: Federici, De la Cruz, Sodje, Ingimarsson, Golbourne, Ki-Hyeon, Oster, Bikey, Convey, Lita, Long.
Subs Not Used: Hahnemann, Hunt, Kitson, Harper, Pearce.

Burnley: Jensen, Thomas, McGreal, Foster, Harley, James O'Connor, Akinbiyi, Hyde, Elliott, Jones, Noel-Williams.
Subs Not Used: Mahon, Garreth O'Connor, McCann, Lafferty, Spicer.

Postponed: Due to waterlogged pitch

Ref: R Styles (Hampshire).

[Arch]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/6213943.stm

Reading P-P Burnley
Saturday's FA Cup third round tie between Reading and Burnley was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch at the Madejksi Stadium.
The tie will now be played on 9 January with all tickets from the original game valid for Tuesday.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reading: Federici, De la Cruz, Sodje, Ingimarsson, Golbourne, Ki-Hyeon, Oster, Bikey, Convey, Lita, Long.
Subs Not Used: Hahnemann, Hunt, Kitson, Harper, Pearce.

Burnley: Jensen, Thomas, McGreal, Foster, Harley, James O'Connor, Akinbiyi, Hyde, Elliott, Jones, Noel-Williams.
Subs Not Used: Mahon, Garreth O'Connor, McCann, Lafferty, Spicer.

Postponed: Due to waterlogged pitch

Ref: R Styles (Hampshire).

Finally, a fair and accurate assessment!

[Woodcote Royal]

A bit unfair on the pitch I thought.

[Row Z Royal]

The more I think about it the more embarrassed I am about our 'Premiership' pitch. I didn't think that the rain had been as bad today as we've recently, but it didn't cope.

I don't think that the report is unfair on the pitch - that warthog was quite extensive.

[Millsy]

To be fair for the first time I can say I think Oster didn't put a foot wrong.

[Billy The Fish]

http://www.clarets-mad.co.uk/news/loadnews.asp?cid=TMNW&id=317746

Fans were last to know

Reading play their football in the Premiership, but nothing has changed at the Madejski and off the field this club are still very much non-league with their approach.

Their pitch was declared unfit for play this afternoon and for those of us inside the ground it didn’t take a lot of working out with surface water right across the playing surface which was getting worse by the minute.

From the time I got inside at around 2:10 p.m. I knew there must be some doubt and as the players warmed up things only got worse. The only positive news was seeing Ade Akinbiyi out there and being able to confirm that he was in the starting line up.

Both teams were warming up, the match officials came out a couple of times, but we could only assume the game was on because we certainly weren’t being told anything. Of course the playing surface was fine for the fourth official, Flood Warden Andy Hall who has allowed games to go ahead in far worse conditions than this.

There were obvious doubts for match referee Rob Styles though. Yes Rob Styles, and yes I know I reported yesterday that the match referee was Chris Foy. The FA’s own web site had told us it was Foy, a courtesy call yesterday to the FA and they confirmed it was Foy, yet this was no late change, Styles was listed in the match programme whilst Foy was at the City Ground in Nottingham for Forest’s tie against Charlton.

So the FA’s communication wasn’t very good, but what about Reading’s? The players went back in after warming up, but we’d heard nothing. Then text messages from home were telling us that kick off had been delayed thirty minutes. What did we get from Reading Football Club? Nothing.

More text messages followed telling us the game was now off. What did we get from Reading Football Club? Nothing. After receiving this news our players and staff came out to applaud the travelling support, but still no announcement, and then suddenly the words ‘MATCH ABANDONED’ appeared on the scoreboard behind us. They even got that wrong, the match had been postponed, and not abandoned. I left the stadium and still there had been no announcement other than those two words on the board. What a shocking way to treat paying customers.

And things have got worse. Immediately Supporters’ Clubs were arranging coaches for a week on Tuesday to take Burnley supporters there again, only for us to receive news that it will now be played this Tuesday. Some notice, and that means it is going to be difficult for a lot of Burnley fans to get there. It could well be too short a notice for some to arrange and as for transport, there will only be one coach and I am led to believe that has now been filled. That will make it difficult for some to make the journey to Reading.

But who gives a damn about the fans – we only pay our money.

Had we played, the teams would have lined up:
Reading: Adam Federici, Ulises de la Cruz, Ivar Ingimarsson, Andre Bikey, Scott Golbourne, Seol Ki-Hyeon, John Oster, Sam Sodje, Bobby Convey, Leroy Lita, Shane Long. Subs: Marcus Hahnemann, Alex Pearce, Steve Hunt, James Harper, Dave Kitson.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Wayne Thomas, Stephen Foster, John McGreal, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, James O’Connor, Micah Hyde, Steve Jones, Gifton Noel-Williams, Ade Akinbiyi. Subs: Alan Mahon, Chris McCann, Garreth O’Connor, John Spicer, Kyle Lafferty.

[M4 Junction 11]

this club are still very much non-league with their approach.

It's difficult to deny that Reading FC got this wrong and need to learn from their mistakes.

[Royal Lady]

With replays due the week after next, surely it wasn't difficult to realise that the game would be played BEFORE any replay? Can't blame Burnley, but I do blame the Club a bit here. As I stated on another thread, contingency plans must have been made for a date to play the game in the exceptional circumstances that the game didn't go ahead and this should have been communicated - if there were no contingency plans - maybe the club will learn from this.

[Gordon Cumming's right ho]

It may be seen as being culpable for a crime but I was thinking this morning that it would be a great gesture of goodwill if RFC was prepared to pay for Burnley's supporters coaches on Tuesday. It would only cost a couple of grand tops....

[PieEater]

The Burnley report is right about the lack of communication over the tannoy before the game was postponed, you would think they would announce the obvious pitch inspections that were taking place and the element of doubt about the game starting.

There were clear announcements when the scoreboard came up with "Match Abandoned" though, at least in the East stand, and I'm pretty sure they said the replay date and that all tickets would be valid.

[RIP ELM Park]

It may be seen as being culpable for a crime but I was thinking this morning that it would be a great gesture of goodwill if RFC was prepared to pay for Burnley's supporters coaches on Tuesday. It would only cost a couple of grand tops....

A better gesture would be if Burnley paid for them, we're not a charity nor can we control the weather.

What real difference does it make that the fans had to wait 5 mins after the ref officially called off the game before being told of the decision? A case of looking for someone to blame where the guilty party is only the weather.

[Royal Lady]

Technically it wasn't abandoned though - so they even got that wrong! That's probably why Betfair aren't crediting back any bets - an abandonment is different to a postponement.

[Black Basque & Suspen]

It may be seen as being culpable for a crime but I was thinking this morning that it would be a great gesture of goodwill if RFC was prepared to pay for Burnley's supporters coaches on Tuesday. It would only cost a couple of grand tops....

Readings policy on transport is very clear, they will not pay to help their own fans out, why should they pay for Burnleys.

ps
Reading fans have been caught out by postponements due to weather conditions in the past, some of them have been long trips, its unfortunate but

[Dirk Gently]

Anyone who came on an official coach from Burnley will not be out of pocket - because they are covered by the FSF's insurance scheme to cover exactly this sort of eventuality.

Incidentally, we've been criticised before by the same Burnley website - the guy who runs it has an violent and irrational dislike of Reading and everything we do, so he'll always post negative things whatever happens.

In fact, if RFC arranged for a hooker to go round and fellate him every morning he'd probably post on his website that she wasn't attractive enough.

[shadesrwrf]

In fact, if RFC arranged for a hooker to go round and fellate him every morning he'd probably post on his website that she wasn't attractive enough.

If he does turn her down...

[zac naloen]

More text messages followed telling us the game was now off. What did we get from Reading Football Club? Nothing. After receiving this news our players and staff came out to applaud the travelling support, but still no announcement, and then suddenly the words ‘MATCH ABANDONED’ appeared on the scoreboard behind us. They even got that wrong, the match had been postponed, and not abandoned. I left the stadium and still there had been no announcement other than those two words on the board

Other than the fact most of this paragraph is a blatant lie due to the safety annoucement of

"Due to unsafe playing conditions this match has been called off, arrangements for a replay will be announced in due course, Tickets from today will be valid." or something vaguely like that..

And that was before "match abandoned" appeared on the board. That announcement was also made at least 3 times whilst I was still in the ground.

That report is fairly accurate otherwise though..

[Dirk Gently]

More text messages followed telling us the game was now off. What did we get from Reading Football Club? Nothing. After receiving this news our players and staff came out to applaud the travelling support, but still no announcement, and then suddenly the words ‘MATCH ABANDONED’ appeared on the scoreboard behind us. They even got that wrong, the match had been postponed, and not abandoned. I left the stadium and still there had been no announcement other than those two words on the board

As I say, the author of this has a rabidly anti-Reading bias so it's exactly as I'd expect.

[Millsy]

I'd be upset if I was him.

How is it that fans in the ground were the last to know? Not professional enough.

[Dirk Gently]

I'd be upset if I was him.

How is it that fans in the ground were the last to know? Not professional enough.

Why? What difference did the extra 15 minutes make to you?

Ever thought they might have spent the time warning stewards, car park people, busses etc? Everyone suddenly leaving at 2.30 whilst lots were still on their way in might have caused even more chaos.

[Gordon Cumming's right ho]

In fact, if RFC arranged for a hooker to go round and fellate him every morning he'd probably post on his website that she wasn't attractive enough.

Errrr, or that she didn't swallow.....