Anybody else preparing to opt out next season?

[AthleticoSpizz]

The club that i have paid for since 1973 has achieved things beyond my wildest dreams.

Rumoured (yet maybe in some cases, deserved) wages of £30k/£25k for some of our current players indicates to me, that my £565 season ticket fee will not be missed nor crucial to our future progression.

I have intoduced my kids to their local team (my daughters first game was a Reading reserve game versus Crawley reserves...a 7-1 win at EP.....................my sons first game was a home win against Crewe at the Mad).....they both support Reading, whilst their schoolfriends do the Man U/Chelsea thing.

My job is now done

I have enjoyed the ride, and I wouldn't chop it in for anything...............but next season (despite being in-awe of watching the likes of Gerrard, Rooney,Fabregas,Drogba etc etc), the Premiership will survive without me...and I will not miss it.

I will find solace in watching the grass roots local footy (Reading Town/Thatcham/Windsor/Wokingham and Embrook etc etc.).



Amen

[Elm Park Old Boy]

any particular reason?

[AthleticoSpizz]

any particular reason?

take your pick from many "already intimated".

[Dirk Gently]

I can see the sense of what you're saying, and it's happening at all clubs.

Supporters who turn up week after week are becoming less and less relevant to Premier League football teams - the proportion of income that comes from ticket sales is much less than comes from TV revenue, and so the TV companies call the shots more and more, which places more and more obstacles in the way of real life supporters.

And, of course, this league is so uncompetitive it stinks - everyone knows that only 1 of 4 teams will win the things, and for about half the 10 clubs in the league the only aim is to stay in the league for the next year - that's not what football should be about.

In a time of credit-crunch with the real possibility of recession, all but the most affluent are going to become more and more selective in the matches they attend - it's happening in many places already - witness reduced away attendances and cup attendances.

Let me share a couple of e-mails I've received recently :

The game I love is round the u-bend and I can't reach it anymore.

Just spent a pleasant afternoon watching Reading v Utd in a pub a stones throw from OT. The pub was full. English commentary (not that that’s neccesarilly a bonus).

Went out with £30 came home with £15.

[higher]

Friend of mine said almost the same a few years back and he was a real hard core RFC fan(one of the loudest on the south bank!!).I assumed he would reverse his thinking but not a bit of it.
He goes to a fair few local games and still loves the game at roots level .
All the best Spizz.

[Cemy Junction Expat]

any particular reason?

take your pick from many "already intimated".

Remind us, Athletico?

Any roads (as they say 'oop north) it's an eye-opening suggestion. What exactly do you mean? No longer be a STH? Stop going to games altogether? Stop caring altogether?
Can't believe you mean the latter ...

RFC is for life not just, err, the first 34 years .....

[Jerry St Clair]

I won't be renewing next season for the first time since 1992. The only circumstances in which I would, would be a hefty cut in prices.

I know RFC won't care. But they should.

[Uke]

Bloody Plastic fan Spizz

Agree with what you say about your bucks not being important. However, you won't be able to go completely cold turkey. You'll be turning up for a fix every now and then. Your "dealers" will call you and say they've got a ticket going spare. You know how it works...

You know you love it really!

Bloody Hell this board's wierd. I just had a would you like to review your post in the light of recent post message!

[Russell Street]

JSC you say that every year!

[AthleticoSpizz]

Bloody Plastic fan Spizz

Agree with what you say about your bucks not being important. However, you won't be able to go completely cold turkey. You'll be turning up for a fix every now and then. Your "dealers" will call you and say they've got a ticket going spare. You know how it works...

You know you love it really!

Do you know me.....if not....then you sure know the way I'm thinking?

The truth is....the best team that we ever had is slowly getting disbanded, we have ambition (rightly so) and the charm has gone.

[Uke]

Bloody Plastic fan Spizz

Agree with what you say about your bucks not being important. However, you won't be able to go completely cold turkey. You'll be turning up for a fix every now and then. Your "dealers" will call you and say they've got a ticket going spare. You know how it works...

You know you love it really!

Do you know me.....if not....then you sure know the way I'm thinking?

The truth is....the best team that we ever had is slowly getting disbanded, we have ambition (rightly so) and the charm has gone.

As far as I know I don't know you!

You'll be offered some 'West Stand' and before you know it you'll be in the HNA live chatroom every game...

[Dirk Gently]

Bloody Plastic fan Spizz

Agree with what you say about your bucks not being important. However, you won't be able to go completely cold turkey. You'll be turning up for a fix every now and then. Your "dealers" will call you and say they've got a ticket going spare. You know how it works...

You know you love it really!

Do you know me.....if not....then you sure know the way I'm thinking?

The truth is....the best team that we ever had is slowly getting disbanded, we have ambition (rightly so) and the charm has gone.

You're quite right - and the previous two seasons are the ultimate that football supporters are ever likely to have in their whole lives. Not just the record-breaking Championship year and 8th place in our first Premier League season, but the way it was done - in the right way, and without having bucket loads of cash spent to build that team. No wonder more and more people are finding that everything after that is a bit of an anti-climax.

[Pool and Darts]

As Jesus Jones put it so well, I will just forward it on from them :

"and the problem with success is you become what you detest, how about that?"

Any fan who knows a little bit about how football works in these times will have seen all this coming as soon as we knew we were promoted to the PL.

Yes it is what every team wants professionally (why wouldn't anyone want to be plying their trade at the highest level), but the sad truth is that once you reach the "promised land" everything changes and the clubs themselves,..... well, they are now in the realms of sucking the devil's cock.

All of what you grew to love and believed in is gone.

Money is now king, and the fans, the soul and the integrity can go hang.

That is why I don't go as often as I used to (or as much as I would like to), but if I really think about it, it doesn't seem to matter that much these days.

It all reminds me of my trip to Old Trafford many years ago with a work colleague. (He was actually from Manchester would you believe!).

I remember coming away from the game thinking to myself how soul-less it all was, and clear as day I remember saying to my mates afterwards, that I hope Reading never becomes that big, and never becomes this sort of club. Well, guess what?

[madreadingfan]

[quote="AthleticoSpizz"]

I have enjoyed the ride, and I wouldn't chop it in for anything.[b]..............but next season (despite being in-awe of watching the likes of Gerrard, Rooney,Fabregas,Drogba etc etc), the Premiership will survive without me...and I will no

i would rephrase that to the championship

[Sharpy]

i doubt i will be able to afford the jump up from 16-21 to adult and i maybe living elsewhere for the year anyway. i shall have to see

[Pool and Darts]

Bloody Plastic fan Spizz

Agree with what you say about your bucks not being important. However, you won't be able to go completely cold turkey. You'll be turning up for a fix every now and then. Your "dealers" will call you and say they've got a ticket going spare. You know how it works...

You know you love it really!

Do you know me.....if not....then you sure know the way I'm thinking?

The truth is....the best team that we ever had is slowly getting disbanded, we have ambition (rightly so) and the charm has gone.

You're quite right - and the previous two seasons are the ultimate that football supporters are ever likely to have in their whole lives. Not just the record-breaking Championship year and 8th place in our first Premier League season, but the way it was done - in the right way, and without having bucket loads of cash spent to build that team. No wonder more and more people are finding that everything after that is a bit of an anti-climax.

You are spot on there, my friend.
I still believe that our Championship winning season was a once in a lifetime experience, and that is why I made sure I enjoyed every single minute of it!

Will stay with me forever.

[Beelzebub]

I have enjoyed the ride, and I wouldn't chop it in for anything...............but next season (despite being in-awe of watching the likes of Gerrard, Rooney,Fabregas,Drogba etc etc), the Premiership will survive without me...and I will not miss it.

I will find solace in watching the grass roots local footy (Reading Town/Thatcham/Windsor/Wokingham and Embrook etc etc.).

I can see where you are coming from. My favorite footy days were being served beer by Mike kearney in the Rendezvouz, before attending the game to see a right old slog in the mud by my favorite hoop clad players, while dreaming of seeing my team in the top flight (this was more of a joke than somthing we thought would ever be achieved) After this the action would return to the Royals Rendezvouz, where if we were lucky the players would join us for more beer.
On good days we would then adjourn to the Victory, a curry in the Everest Tandory and back to the Rodexvous for afters.

I would see the same old faces every other week and enjoy their company, win or loose, relegation or promotion, it really did'nt matter, we were having a good time!

Now football is a commercial conveyor belt, all plastic and hype. Win win win....

Yup often I agree with you.

However on Saturday when Man U lined up alongside the super hoops a shiver went down my spine and not for the first time I kicked myself that this was what I have always dreamed of (well since my first game in 1978 anyway)

Nope, in my case you are wrong. A Royal once is a Royal forever- I am sure you will come round just like I do!

If you dont believe me, join me at Loop meadow for a game of Real football watching Didcot Town. They are good lads, but, it aint the Premiership!

[Avon Royal]

The problem for me is that Reading playing in the top flight, the one thing I always dreamed about but never thought I would see, is sucking the life out of my club. Sport is about competition, there is no competition in the Premier League so where's the sport? What is the point of a competition in which 80% of the participants have no chance of winning?

It always makes me laugh when people talk about the need to rid sport of drugs to keep the competition pure. Well, money is football's drug problem and the top four clubs are doped up to their eyeballs on it - the competition is anything but pure. We're not playing against other clubs anymore, we're playing against corporations, against brands, against international trademarks. I for one am sick of it.

What is the point of paying an inflated season ticket price to watch your team struggle to survive, hoping that they stay up so that you can pay even more money the next year to go through the same wretched cycle again? There is no point.

But the real kicker for me is the realisation that it will never be the same. If we get relegated and have to play in the Championship we'll be competing for a prize I don't want.

Until such time as the FA realise that football in this country is slowly drowning and introduce a way of sharing revenue to promote full competition, then I too fear it will have to go on without me either.

I will always be Reading till I die, I just feel that this year something inside passed away.

[AthleticoSpizz]

I have enjoyed the ride, and I wouldn't chop it in for anything...............but next season (despite being in-awe of watching the likes of Gerrard, Rooney,Fabregas,Drogba etc etc), the Premiership will survive without me...and I will not miss it.

I will find solace in watching the grass roots local footy (Reading Town/Thatcham/Windsor/Wokingham and Embrook etc etc.).

I can see where you are coming from. My favorite footy days were being served beer by Mike kearney in the Rendezvouz, before attending the game to see a right old slog in the mud by my favorite hoop clad players, while dreaming of seeing my team in the top flight (this was more of a joke than somthing we thought would ever be achieved) After this the action would return to the Royals Rendezvouz, where if we were lucky the players would join us for more beer.
On good days we would then adjourn to the Victory, a curry in the Everest Tandory and back to the Rodexvous for afters.

I would see the same old faces every other week and enjoy their company, win or loose, relegation or promotion, it really did'nt matter, we were having a good time!

Now football is a commercial conveyor belt, all plastic and hype. Win win win....

Yup often I agree with you.

However on Saturday when Man U lined up alongside the super hoops a shiver went down my spine and not for the first time I kicked myself that this was what I have always dreamed of (well since my first game in 1978 anyway)

Nope, in my case you are wrong. A Royal once is a Royal forever- I am sure you will come round just like I do!

If you dont believe me, join me at Loop meadow for a game of Real football watching Didcot Town. They are good lads, but, it aint the Premiership!

next season, I will indeed join you at Loop Meadow for a game or two

[Beelzebub]

next season, I will indeed join you at Loop Meadow for a game or two

Fair play to you!