Worst three matches watched

[bloody Volvo driver]

1. Agree with all the sentiments regarding the Walsall cup game. Only time I can ever recall wishing the other team to score as we approached 90 minutes so as to avoid 30 more minutes of pure boredom. To cap it all, we went out and I found that some scrot had done over my car in the meantime.

Couple of others to throw into the mix

2. Blackpool 0 Reading 0 - October 6th 1989. A Friday night in a (then) dump of a ground with the wind howling off the North Sea and 2 teams who simply didn't want to come out of their changing rooms. A dire game of football.
3. Macclesfield Town 2 Reading 1 - 26th September 1998. This game was, in my opinion, where Reading FC hit rock bottom. Having watched them since the early 70's, I cannot ever recall feeling as p*****d off as after this shambolic performance. Not only were we completely crap (and in 35 years, I have seen some dross), but it was the gutless nature that really hit home. Upon getting back to the station, we were informed that our train was 60 minutes late (although this was somewhat brightened up by some idiot local trying to take on about 10-15 Reading and coming off second best) and then having to endure hassle from some WBA fans on the train returning from Stockport. A REALLY bad day at the office.

[Dirk Gently]

...
2. Blackpool 0 Reading 0 - October 6th 1989. A Friday night in a (then) dump of a ground with the wind howling off the North Sea .....

Bloody hell, that was one strong wind!

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Swindon 4 Reading 0. 87/88. My first derby game. I'd been really looking forward to it. We were outplayed from start to finish.

Reading 0 Port Vale 3. 97/98. The Oxford match a couple of weeks later was more embarrassing, but before this match against Vale, who were bottom before kick-off, I still had hope we'd stay up. A calamitous display made all there realise there was little doubt the slide was terminal and we were on our way down.

Reading 0 West Ham 3. 07/08. The manner of the defeat had relegation written all over it and I felt we were odds on to go down. It put me off football completely for a couple of weeks, so much so that I couldn't face even watching another match in that time - a time in which I had a rather expensive England v Israel ticket.

[cavroyal]

Three worse games:

Reading 0 Chesterfield 0 (1982-83) Early season and a terrible game. We went down that year, we should have seen what was coming.

Reading 0 Swindon 1 (1987-88) Boxing day, absolutely dire, again we were heading down and it showed

Watford 1 Reading 0 (2003-04) Last game, and clinging to a remote chance of nicking the last play-off position, nobody seemed bothered...

Not really the worse games, but some possible worse perfomances:

Reading 1 Bishops Stortford 2 (1982-83) FA cup, to be honest, I had never heard of them!

Walsall 6 Reading 0 (1985-86) Memorable in many ways, we were p#ssing the league, they p#ssed on us that day, and it snowed!

Reading 0 Wigan 3 (1988-89) We were sliding towards div4 and fellow strugglers Wigan were in town. What better way to get out of the mess, and boost confidence etc... if you were a Latics fan!!

[From Despair To Where?]

Reading 0 Wigan 3 (1988-89) We were sliding towards div4 and fellow strugglers Wigan were in town. What better way to get out of the mess, and boost confidence etc... if you were a Latics fan!!

IIRC, that was the first home game after Hillsborough, played the following midweek. A truly depressing game of football on a truly depressing night but, to be fair, the result and performance just didn't seem to matter and neither team seemed overly enthused about playing. There was even less enthusiasm on the terraces. The game was of no importance in the wider circumstances and I 'd forgive the players a poor performance on that occasion. It wasn't a football match, it was a memorial service.

Don't want to sound melodramatic but having been caught in a fairly unpleasant crush at the Rec 3 weeks earlier due to the incompetance of Hampshire's finest, (official attendance conservatively declared near as damn it bang on capacity with about 3,000 Royals crammed into half the cowshed behind the goal, people being crushed up against the dividing fence and pulling jokey choking faces, police wading in and indisciminantly nicking people left right and centre with little regard for safety, that sort of thing), I remember thinking "There but for the grace of God..." that night.

[SHORT AND CURLY]

POMPEY POMPEY POMPEY Various dates over the last 35 years

Virtually every time I have been there, we have been beaten, got soaked, windswept, moaned about the away end and been totally pizzed off with the whole thing.

I don't know why I bother going, in fact this years 7-4 was the first Pompey match I have missed in years. (suppose they had a roof his time)
We really are over due a memorable win at that dump

[tilehurstender]

Hendon 1 Reading 0. F.A.Cup in about 1975.We were heading for promotion that year but you would never have guessed from this shambles. Robin Friday was suspended and Gary Peters played upfront. Load of Tottenham hoolies there as they were playing up north somewhere.

Reading 1 C.Palace 6. One of the most comical defensive displays in living memory. Baldy Boris in goal and looking anything but one of the best keepers in the world cup.

As already mentioned Chesterfield 7 Reading 1. Dave Shipperley puts us 1 up and that was as good as it got. Sat in the seats with Chesterfield fans around us and had a big fat woman poking me in the back everytime they scored to remind me that "That's 4" "Thats 5" " Thats 6" You get the picture.

[bobbybottler]

3. Macclesfield Town 2 Reading 1 - 26th September 1998. This game was, in my opinion, where Reading FC hit rock bottom. Having watched them since the early 70's, I cannot ever recall feeling as p*****d off as after this shambolic performance. Not only were we completely crap (and in 35 years, I have seen some dross), but it was the gutless nature that really hit home. Upon getting back to the station, we were informed that our train was 60 minutes late (although this was somewhat brightened up by some idiot local trying to take on about 10-15 Reading and coming off second best) and then having to endure hassle from some WBA fans on the train returning from Stockport. A REALLY bad day at the office.

Good one. I drove to that one so cannot compete with your train tales of woe. What I wanted to say was that although I knew pre-match that we were shite, and so were Macc, and that we all knew that it was going to be a real stinker of a match, I was really looking forward to playing new opponents and seeing a new ground, and I was utterly dejected when the match finished.

I can't see the Wycombe 3-5 defeat (Howey's match) on this thread - a shocking omission IMHO. I was going to kill someone if I heard that Red Indian music again.

[The Faith Healer]

Reading 1 - 5 Bury, late 60s or early 70s, sorry can't be more precise. George Jones scored 4 goals against us. Bury were poor and Jones only ever scored against us but they were something of a bogey team to us.
The only game I have left well before the end, which actually wasn't easy to do as the gates were closed to prevent people sneaking in.

Just logged on and it it didn't take long for the name of George Jones to seep up from the depths of my subconscious, but have never spoken to anyone else who remembers the bloke.Then I thought I'd read the thread before venting the years of pent-up misery...
Well anyway, I'm actually pleased that I'm not alone in this. I reckon it was from 69ish to 73ish - my no-doubt-exaggerated horror-memories have us losing and him scoring against us every time we played. And they were always rubbish!! And he always scored!! And we always lost!!!

And then there was that Dave Roberts of Shrewsbury.........

I'll get my coat

[The Faith Healer]

Cardiff away one year. Can't even remember the score, but it was so cold that the Police made us go into the covered stand with the Cardiff fans for fear of us dieing of exposure!

Port Vale at home 1982- lowest league home crowd for Reading ever, and I was there! lost 2-3!
Got a program in the roof I believe- to be honest I can hardly remember the game itself, it was almost Immaterial !

Last is a run of games rather than one in particular, but in the early 80's I seem to remember Reading set a record for the most amount of 0-0 draws on the trot, and we would spend the whole game chanting "all we are saying is give us a goal" to the tune of Give peace a chance.

If you'd got your Port Vale programme, as I did, from a normal programme seller, you might have seen more of the game. I bought mine from inside the Tilehurst Road gate and had no problem seeing the game. You presumably spent most of the time haggling, over the price of some "bootleg" programme, with a bat.

[size 12]

1. Agree with all the sentiments regarding the Walsall cup game. Only time I can ever recall wishing the other team to score as we approached 90 minutes so as to avoid 30 more minutes of pure boredom. To cap it all, we went out and I found that some scrot had done over my car in the meantime.

Couple of others to throw into the mix

2. Blackpool 0 Reading 0 - October 6th 1989. A Friday night in a (then) dump of a ground with the wind howling off the North Sea and 2 teams who simply didn't want to come out of their changing rooms. A dire game of football.
3. Macclesfield Town 2 Reading 1 - 26th September 1998. This game was, in my opinion, where Reading FC hit rock bottom. Having watched them since the early 70's, I cannot ever recall feeling as p*****d off as after this shambolic performance. Not only were we completely crap (and in 35 years, I have seen some dross), but it was the gutless nature that really hit home. Upon getting back to the station, we were informed that our train was 60 minutes late (although this was somewhat brightened up by some idiot local trying to take on about 10-15 Reading and coming off second best) and then having to endure hassle from some WBA fans on the train returning from Stockport. A REALLY bad day at the office.

Oh yes, Macclesfield away, Mark Reilly

That name still send me into apoplectic rage every time I hear it - what on earth was Burns thinking when he signed that useless piece of cr@p?

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Port Vale at home 1982- lowest league home crowd for Reading ever, and I was there! lost 2-3!
Got a program in the roof I believe- to be honest I can hardly remember the game itself, it was almost Immaterial !

If you'd got your Port Vale programme, as I did, from a normal programme seller, you might have seen more of the game.

You'd have also noticed Port Vale was spelled P-R-E-S-T-O-N that day!

[The Faith Healer]

Port Vale at home 1982- lowest league home crowd for Reading ever, and I was there! lost 2-3!
Got a program in the roof I believe- to be honest I can hardly remember the game itself, it was almost Immaterial !

If you'd got your Port Vale programme, as I did, from a normal programme seller, you might have seen more of the game.

You'd have also noticed Port Vale was spelled P-R-E-S-T-O-N that day!

Were they trying to symbolise a chant or something? Like P-I-F-C-O. ?
Beats me. It's a long time ago.

[bcubed]

Amazingly not that long ago, Rotherham 5 Reading 1
The ground so awful, the place not much better, the performance desparate
Where do we go from here, I thought

Wimbledon 3-0 defeat has been mentioned several times

and Luton 3 Reading 2 in the Championship winning season
so disappointing to lose the undefeated run in such a sh1t hole

[AbovetheI]

Forgot to mention the game in Stoke where Peter Hoekstra got a hattrick.

[Daniella]

Leicester when they battered us at home when they won promotion. Can't remember the score, just remember they were an awful side to watch and we had no clue how to deal with their physical presence. Horrible midweek game and was throughly frustrated. Dickov scored and so did matt heath their defender, think it might of been 3-0 or something. Shit night, absolutely boring as hell watching them.

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

There is only one contender for this. Oxford. "Taxi for Bullivant". Total, utter shambles.

[Broxroyal]

POMPEY POMPEY POMPEY Various dates over the last 35 years

Virtually every time I have been there, we have been beaten, got soaked, windswept, moaned about the away end and been totally pizzed off with the whole thing.

I don't know why I bother going, in fact this years 7-4 was the first Pompey match I have missed in years. (suppose they had a roof his time)
We really are over due a memorable win at that dump

Funnliy enough I have a decent record with Reading down at Fratton Park but it is nearly 30 years since I have been to that dump. I was at our 2-0 win in 1976 (see my post on Ard as nails thread). In December 1978 we were away to Pompey two Saturdays running, the first time in the F.A. cup and the second time in the league. I was there for the first one as we won 1-0 (scorer John Alexander) but could not make the second one (dislocated knee) and we duly lost 4-0 or 4-1.

[earleyroyal]

Leicester when they battered us at home when they won promotion. Can't remember the score, just remember they were an awful side to watch and we had no clue how to deal with their physical presence. Horrible midweek game and was throughly frustrated. Dickov scored and so did matt heath their defender, think it might of been 3-0 or something. Shit night, absolutely boring as hell watching them.

Good shout, 3-1 I think. Hughes got a consolation if I remember rightly?

[wolsey]

Reading 1 - 5 Bury, late 60s or early 70s, sorry can't be more precise. George Jones scored 4 goals against us. Bury were poor and Jones only ever scored against us but they were something of a bogey team to us.
The only game I have left well before the end, which actually wasn't easy to do as the gates were closed to prevent people sneaking in.

Just logged on and it it didn't take long for the name of George Jones to seep up from the depths of my subconscious, but have never spoken to anyone else who remembers the bloke.Then I thought I'd read the thread before venting the years of pent-up misery...
Well anyway, I'm actually pleased that I'm not alone in this. I reckon it was from 69ish to 73ish - my no-doubt-exaggerated horror-memories have us losing and him scoring against us every time we played. And they were always rubbish!! And he always scored!! And we always lost!!!

And then there was that Dave Roberts of Shrewsbury.........

I'll get my coat

The Bury game was 1972 (my Dad had got us tickets in the "C" stand for my birthday) - we also lost the away game by the same scoreline. I used to despair of ever watching us not lose to them (They were even the first team to beat us in the 85/6 season 3 - 0 at Gigg Lane)

- Perhaps the abandoned cup game against was a little bit of compensation for all the misery that hey had heaped upon us for the previous 20 odd years!