Tourist Brits reaction to Reading FC....

[seahawk10]

My wife works at Dodger Stadium (an American professional baseball team, think cricket with shorter games) running one of the merchandise booths. She is a Yank like myself, since her job is to sell over-priced rubbish she tries to develop a rapport with the customer. Whenever she hears a British accent she starts talking about me and my love for Reading FC. She has done this about a dozen times this year. This morning she asked me, 'Why does everyone dislike Reading?' What do you mean I asked and she told me the general reaction of Brits when told of my affection for Reading FC are as follows:

"Reading?! Why Reading?"

"What? You've got to be joking!"

"Yes, waaaay under!" (Response to her answer that I like to root for the 'under' dog instead of a front-runner)

I asked her to start asking which football club these people support. I am guessing that most of the people coming to La La land are your typical Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea supporters. Another idea I had is just that with so many local clubs in England that if someone doesn't support your club then they can just oxf*rd off. I presented her with that as a possibility and she said 'Well, it's obvious I haven't met anyone from Reading yet!' and I had to laugh.

[Ian Royal]

To be fair, supporting a team with such little historical success is a bit mad for someone with no tie to that club.

[Mike Hunt]

haha - I get it all the time here in Australia all the time...

"How does an Aussie go for Reading ? "

All the time...

Sorry - I think all Australian fans of Man U, Chelolsea, Aresenal, Liverpool are real plastics... I have little respect for them...

But when someone says "Aston Villa", or get this "Swansea" I respect them...

[PREMIERSHIP_ROYAL]

haha - I get it all the time here in Australia all the time...

"How does an Aussie go for Reading ? "

All the time...

Sorry - I think all Australian fans of Man U, Chelolsea, Aresenal, Liverpool are real plastics... I have little respect for them...

But when someone says "Aston Villa", or get this "Swansea" I respect them...

swansea?...full credit to them i guess.
went to spain recently and no lie met a reading fan, a charlton fan that has much respect for our recent years of "fame", a die hard liverpool fan, and a man united fan thats never been to manchester. little suprise really that it was the man u "fan" that gave me the most stick about being a reading boy

[seahawk10]

To be fair, supporting a team with such little historical success is a bit mad for someone with no tie to that club.

I think winning the CCC in record fashion and finishing 8th in the Premiership is enough success to attract additional followers. But what do I know? I AM a bit mad!

[FiNeRaIn]

People are a bit ignorant when it comes to reading fc usually over the following:

* we bought our way to success--- complete and utter pish, and if they researched this fact they'd be embarrassed.

* We have plastic fans-- Only half true, there are a lot of genuine long term fans who get overlooked.

* Chairman-- comes across as a bit of a snobby look at me character and a lot dislike him.

* Stephen Hunt incident- a lot of media focus on said incident, ridiculously IMO.

* No history- who the hell are we to entertain a notion of a promotion/relegation system in english football. Clearly notts forest, leeds, sheff wed should all be in the prem by default. A lot of fans like the oldies in there because they are morons. In about 30 years people may accept reading as a prem club.

I'd bet most of the fans your wife meets are probably your average clueless prem fan, its probably not a matter of dislike, just " why the hell isn't he supporting someone good".

Its usually the above reasons I find with fans over here though that I meet.

[Jackson Corner]

To be fair you get the same reaction when you go anywhere in this country. If you don't support one of the big four or at least a prem club then there is something wrong with you. When I went to Cyprus this year meet up with a mob from Bristol City and we got on great, as we were the genuine fans who supported our local teams rather than the rest of the plastics on the resort wearing their big four shirts, claiming to be life long fans even though they had never been to a game in there life.

[hiro]

Dear Seahawk, I respect your secret analysis work at Dodger stadium.
Something in common between Dodgers and Royals, is the team colour, blue.

I often wear blue and white hoop when I travel to Asian countries.
Nobody really cares about my Reading Kit, but sometimes British tourist notice it and they seem to look confused. Their face tells me that "why Reading?" and “why Asian guy wearing that?"

We are very much minority outside Berkshire, but as long as such Tourist British people don't show the disrespectful manner, I am comfortable announcing "I am URZ" everywhere I go.

[seahawk10]

Dear Seahawk, I respect your secret analysis work at Dodger stadium.
Something in common between Dodgers and Royals, is the team colour, blue.

I often wear blue and white hoop when I travel to Asian countries.
Nobody really cares about my Reading Kit, but sometimes British tourist notice it and they seem to look confused. Their face tells me that "why Reading?" and “why Asian guy wearing that?"

We are very much minority outside Berkshire, but as long as such Tourist British people don't show the disrespectful manner, I am comfortable announcing "I am URZ" everywhere I go.

Very nice Hiro! You take the Pacific Rim and I will tackle the States and we will convert a good many to our cause before it is done. This is another reason why I would like to see Reading back in the Prem, not for any justification of my choice of a club to support but more so that they can be back on TV more and the worldwide popularity can grow. URZ!

[Royalwaster]

To be fair you get the same reaction when you go anywhere in this country. If you don't support one of the big four or at least a prem club then there is something wrong with you. When I went to Cyprus this year meet up with a mob from Bristol City and we got on great, as we were the genuine fans who supported our local teams rather than the rest of the plastics on the resort wearing their big four shirts, claiming to be life long fans even though they had never been to a game in there life.

I get the same with my kids - whenever an adult asks them who they support and they reply 'Reading', they get looks like 'Are you crazy?' or even replies like 'Reading, why Reading?' with the assumption that any 'normal' person would support either Chelsea or ManUtd.

[Einstein agogo]

i saw a family in northumberland wearing reading kits and everyone up there supports newcastle, practically the whole county . they were not from reading either , quite surreal. they were walking around the shops in a town called "ashington"

[Rawlie19]

I've started on Africa. When I went to Uganda the only 2 teams supported were Manchester United or Arsenal. Now there are 3 in a little village called Wakiso just outside Kampala.

[papereyes]

To be fair, supporting a team with such little historical success is a bit mad for someone with no tie to that club.

lol

Most fans I've met seem to appreciate that you can't just 'follow' a team like Reading, you have to actually support them. You might not go to every game, you might lapse for a season or two, but you really have invested something in them. Time, money and emotions. In every city I watched games in the states, the home 'rival' fans appreciated that I had supported RFC in a manner that they'd never support 'their' club.

I've only met a handful of oxf*rd and, by and large, they're both BIG FOUR fans and they're pretty clueless about football beyond the quarter finals of the Champions League.

Much like Kes on here, I guess.

[Uke]

I've started on Africa. When I went to Uganda the only 2 teams supported were Manchester United or Arsenal. Now there are 3 in a little village called Wakiso just outside Kampala.

What happened to the other four? (which given the location is a question I dread asking...)

[Thaumagurist*]

* No history- who the hell are we to entertain a notion of a promotion/relegation system in english football. Clearly notts forest, leeds, sheff wed should all be in the prem by default. A lot of fans like the oldies in there because they are morons. In about 30 years people may accept reading as a prem club.

I hate it when people say we have no history, despite us being in existence since 1871. When we were in the Premiership, we were the oldest club in the Premiership! Oh and no team should be anywhere by default. They have to earn it....

I've started on Africa. When I went to Uganda the only 2 teams supported were Manchester United or Arsenal. Now there are 3 in a little village called Wakiso just outside Kampala.

Spacey likes this. Convert the other fools.

[Rawlie19]

I've started on Africa. When I went to Uganda the only 2 teams supported were Manchester United or Arsenal. Now there are 3 in a little village called Wakiso just outside Kampala.

What happened to the other four? (which given the location is a question I dread asking...)

I meant there are 3 teams that are supported. Sorry, it wasn't very clear, as I'm not an accomplished writer like some on this board I hope I can be forgiven... I can probably try and find a stat to help support how well each team are supported in Wakiso... But I'm not a sad little twat.

[Ian Royal]

Football is a massive sport, and many feel like they should "support" a team just because it's so popular. Many enjoy watching it on the tv, but have very little actice interest. Because they like football they feel duty bound to pick a team.

Those people will always pick a big and successful club. At the outside they'll pick a sleeping giant because they like an underdog, but they know there's a chance they'll awake.

REAL football fans understand why you'd support your local team, or a team you have specific ties to instantly. They might be a bit confused about a foreigner who's never been to the place and got no family ties supporting them. But with a quick explanantion they'll understand.

Because they'll know that feeling of the bug biting them too.

I honestly don't think fans with an active interest and passion for a club have a choice about who they support. One way or another they are captivated. From then on it's that club or no one.

[Stranded]

i saw a family in northumberland wearing reading kits and everyone up there supports newcastle, practically the whole county . they were not from reading either , quite surreal. they were walking around the shops in a town called "ashington"

I have a friend who is originally from Ashington who lives in and supports Reading. It could well have been his family and some of them have been converted.

[RobRoyal]

I've started on Africa. When I went to Uganda the only 2 teams supported were Manchester United or Arsenal. Now there are 3 in a little village called Wakiso just outside Kampala.

Superb

[Forbury Lion]

I've started on Africa. When I went to Uganda the only 2 teams supported were Manchester United or Arsenal. Now there are 3 in a little village called Wakiso just outside Kampala.

I can understand Leroy Lita wearing an England shirt but not Lloyd Owusu!