Chairman Backing

[Wimb]

My contribution was a rebuttal for the assertion that the 106 team was assembled for less than the current one, no more.

I believe if I could be bothered to trawl through certain poster's contributions, some maintain that seasons should not be looked at in isolation, because there is a process of evolution taking place. Therefore, if a playing asset has been on the books for 3 or 4 years, it makes no difference as long as they are still part of the team that turns out today, so to speak.

Whilst it is laudable to point out the players we got in for buttons, it is a trick of memory and hindsight to suggest that "the Reading way" consists solely of picking up rough diamonds and polishing them.
If any of us were to sit down with a pint with JM, I have absolutely no doubt that he would able to tell us the exact amount of very serious money that has been spent on building the team over the last twenty years.

For me, it all boils down to a mixture of luck/chemistry/ the x factor, call it what you will.
Sometimes the cheap punts come up trumps, sometimes they're Bennett.
Sometimes the marquee signings justify the price tag, sometimes they're Emerse Fae.

Good post tin.

[Handsome Man]

Much as I berate Madejski, unless there's someonw willing to put money in it's pointless him going.

And the saddest truth of all is thanks to our sortsighted little Reading mentality 60% of Reading fans can't look beyond what he did in the past and haven't found a way out of his rectum yet and this perpetuates the problem of making do with a chairman who is less than we deserve, as the largest town in the UK, one of the most affluent places in the UK with an enormous catchment area.

*bangs head against brickwall of Rectum-inhabiting mongs*

I thought you lot were the mongs

Reading is the 17th biggest connurbation in the country with no history before 2006 of first-tier football. It is only 30 mins from London, and unlike Oxford or Plymouth even, there is no working class fan-base: being in the Championship means we are punching above above our weight at the moment. The only reason we are doing as well as we are is becuase every year for over a decade we were bankrolled by one man. It is dangerous to continue to rely on that becuase should that one man die or go bust, the club could die or go bust with him.

Sit tight and Madejski will get bored of being frugal and start spending again. When we can again buy players like Lita and Sean Evers, get Kitson or Ferdinand on loan, and maybe even get a big-name manager in like Tommy Burns, our losses will be massive again, and hopefully everybody will be happy.

[PEARCEY]

Handsome Man. Have you been shopping at GeneralisationsRUs today?

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Reading is the 17th biggest connurbation in the country with no history before 2006 of first-tier football. It is only 30 mins from London, and unlike Oxford or Plymouth even, there is no working class fan-base: being in the Championship means we are punching above above our weight at the moment.

I can't totally agree with that.

I doubt the area is noticeably any less "working class" than places like Oxford or Plymouth, nor do you necessarily need working class people to be football supporters. The idea that unless you live in a 2 up 2 down and work in factory you'll be a politely applauding fairwearther fan, is nonsense.

Despite their appararently great working class fan base, Plymouth's support in the championship was shit compared to ours, and Oxford also got less fans at the manor than we got at elm park.


Given the size of our crowds, it is also daft to suggest that being in the championship means we are punching above our weight. It actually shows we are a now a typical championship club. We moved on since leaving Elm Park, and moved on a long time ago. 13 years of significantly increased crowds is not a blip, and I've no idea why some seem to feel were are the same club now as the one that would think 5500 in the third tier as being a big crowd.

[Royal Rother]

Kitson had a decent record when he signed, albeit at lower leagues. Shorey was always for the future, we already had a LB at the time in Matt Robinson. Doyle was surely just a punt in the dark.

Indeed, but I think it's fair to say that Williams, Morrison and Manset, collectively, and at the point of signing for RFC, had achieved pretty much the same in their careers as those 3 I'd say.

[Handsome Man]

Reading is the 17th biggest connurbation in the country with no history before 2006 of first-tier football. It is only 30 mins from London, and unlike Oxford or Plymouth even, there is no working class fan-base: being in the Championship means we are punching above above our weight at the moment.

I can't totally agree with that.

I doubt the area is noticeably any less "working class" than places like Oxford or Plymouth, nor do you necessarily need working class people to be football supporters. The idea that unless you live in a 2 up 2 down and work in factory you'll be a politely applauding fairwearther fan, is nonsense.

Despite their appararently great working class fan base, Plymouth's support in the championship was shit compared to ours, and Oxford also got less fans at the manor than we got at elm park.


Given the size of our crowds, it is also daft to suggest that being in the championship means we are punching above our weight. It actually shows we are a now a typical championship club. We moved on since leaving Elm Park, and moved on a long time ago. 13 years of significantly increased crowds is not a blip, and I've no idea why some seem to feel were are the same club now as the one that would think 5500 in the third tier as being a big crowd.

It's not the class of the support so much as it has always been there for other clubs. If you compare Reading with other large places like Leeds, Nottingham or Sunderland, then whoever gives them money is making less of a risk, becuase there is a huge fanbase that has been going to the club for generations. Reading is different: we do have a massive catchment area, but our 16,000 current die-hards are close to being our full potential and many of them are new to the club, whereas the others can dream of filling 40,000 stadiums in the premiership. Overall, we are doing OK at the moment - better than at any time on our history.

[Handsome Man]

Handsome Man. Have you been shopping at GeneralisationsRUs today?

Generalisations are good!

[under the tin]

It's not the class of the support so much as it has always been there for other clubs. If you compare Reading with other large places like Leeds, Nottingham or Sunderland, then whoever gives them money is making less of a risk, becuase there is a huge fanbase that has been going to the club for generations. Reading is different: we do have a massive catchment area, but our 16,000 current die-hards are close to being our full potential and many of them are new to the club, whereas the others can dream of filling 40,000 stadiums in the premiership. Overall, we are doing OK at the moment - better than at any time on our history.

Therein is the difference, IMHO.
Just look at our peers in this League.
So many grandads can tell little jonny he was there when their team won the cup/league, or whatever.
It's the successes of the past that indoctrinate generations of supporters, wherever the place may be.
Reading's past is sadly synonymous with mediocrity.
We're certainly building our fanbase, and for that trend to continue, we must remain at least at this level for many years to come.

[Jeffers217]

Much as I berate Madejski, unless there's someonw willing to put money in it's pointless him going.

And the saddest truth of all is thanks to our sortsighted little Reading mentality 60% of Reading fans can't look beyond what he did in the past and haven't found a way out of his rectum yet and this perpetuates the problem of making do with a chairman who is less than we deserve, as the largest town in the UK, one of the most affluent places in the UK with an enormous catchment area.

*bangs head against brickwall of Rectum-inhabiting mongs*

I thought you lot were the mongs

Reading is the 17th biggest connurbation in the country with no history before 2006 of first-tier football. It is only 30 mins from London, and unlike Oxford or Plymouth even, there is no working class fan-base: being in the Championship means we are punching above above our weight at the moment. The only reason we are doing as well as we are is becuase every year for over a decade we were bankrolled by one man. It is dangerous to continue to rely on that becuase should that one man die or go bust, the club could die or go bust with him.

Sit tight and Madejski will get bored of being frugal and start spending again. When we can again buy players like Lita and Sean Evers, get Kitson or Ferdinand on loan, and maybe even get a big-name manager in like Tommy Burns, our losses will be massive again, and hopefully everybody will be happy.

So you've just mentioned 2 players that were part of the 106 team there...well done son! Sean Evers was only £500,000, granted he was shocking but I wouldn't classify that as spending out big!

[floyd__streete]

Reading is the 17th biggest connurbation in the country with no history before 2006 of first-tier football. It is only 30 mins from London, and unlike Oxford or Plymouth even, there is no working class fan-base: being in the Championship means we are punching above above our weight at the moment.

Not this baloney again. Are you on the wind-up? We got nearly 17k for the Watford game, nearly 16k for Millwall. Those crowds are easily respectable enough for this division. Class has no bloody bearing on it whatsoever either. The club are not punching above their weight by being midtable in the Championship, our crowds suggest otherwise and stop allowing history to cloud the issue.....that is irrelevant too.

[brendywendy]

Handsome Man. Have you been shopping at GeneralisationsRUs today?

Generalisations are good!

especially if totally true

[brendywendy]

Reading is the 17th biggest connurbation in the country with no history before 2006 of first-tier football. It is only 30 mins from London, and unlike Oxford or Plymouth even, there is no working class fan-base: being in the Championship means we are punching above above our weight at the moment.

Not this baloney again. Are you on the wind-up? We got nearly 17k for the Watford game, nearly 16k for Millwall. Those crowds are easily respectable enough for this division. Class has no bloody bearing on it whatsoever either. The club are not punching above their weight by being midtable in the Championship, our crowds suggest otherwise and stop allowing history to cloud the issue.....that is irrelevant too.

our ticket prices are lower than many of the big high spending teams-so we dont end up with as much money for those gates
mainly due to people moaning about JM stealing all our money

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Kitson had a decent record when he signed, albeit at lower leagues. Shorey was always for the future, we already had a LB at the time in Matt Robinson. Doyle was surely just a punt in the dark.

Indeed, but I think it's fair to say that Williams, Morrison and Manset, collectively, and at the point of signing for RFC, had achieved pretty much the same in their careers as those 3 I'd say.

Manset had just 10 goals in 40 games at Hereford, and 1 in the reserves at Le Havre, taking 23 games to get that single goal.

Kitson had 40 at Cam utd in 102 games, so about 3 seasons.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Reading is the 17th biggest connurbation in the country with no history before 2006 of first-tier football. It is only 30 mins from London, and unlike Oxford or Plymouth even, there is no working class fan-base: being in the Championship means we are punching above above our weight at the moment.

I can't totally agree with that.

I doubt the area is noticeably any less "working class" than places like Oxford or Plymouth, nor do you necessarily need working class people to be football supporters. The idea that unless you live in a 2 up 2 down and work in factory you'll be a politely applauding fairwearther fan, is nonsense.

Despite their appararently great working class fan base, Plymouth's support in the championship was shit compared to ours, and Oxford also got less fans at the manor than we got at elm park.


Given the size of our crowds, it is also daft to suggest that being in the championship means we are punching above our weight. It actually shows we are a now a typical championship club. We moved on since leaving Elm Park, and moved on a long time ago. 13 years of significantly increased crowds is not a blip, and I've no idea why some seem to feel were are the same club now as the one that would think 5500 in the third tier as being a big crowd.

It's not the class of the support so much as it has always been there for other clubs. If you compare Reading with other large places like Leeds, Nottingham or Sunderland, then whoever gives them money is making less of a risk, becuase there is a huge fanbase that has been going to the club for generations. Reading is different: we do have a massive catchment area, but our 16,000 current die-hards are close to being our full potential and many of them are new to the club, whereas the others can dream of filling 40,000 stadiums in the premiership. Overall, we are doing OK at the moment - better than at any time on our history.

Leeds, Nottingham and Sunderland are much bigger clubs than Reading from considerably larger places. They are not typical championship clubs.

And in one sentence you talk about our large, and largely untapped, catchement area, they go on to say we have no potential beyond the crowd levels of today. It'll take a generation of football at this level, or higher, to build that fan base. We have the potential to be a Norwich/Ipswich/Southampton type club in terms of support, but we've never had the sustained success they've had.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

So you've just mentioned 2 players that were part of the 106 team there...well done son! Sean Evers was only £500,000, granted he was shocking but I wouldn't classify that as spending out big!

For the third tier it was spending big.

There's no doubt about it, we were big spenders at that level, spending more than we could afford. Add in the players like Forster and Butler, and it's not hard to see why we didn't win too many friends among our peers at the time.

[Royal Rother]

Manset had just 10 goals in 40 games at Hereford,

Including cup games Wiki says 18 in 59.

[Ian Royal]

The point is not comparing the individual quality and pedigree of the players we've picked up recently and those who worked big time in the past. The point is that our method of bringing in players has not changed.

We spend fairly big money when we think the player is worth it and the opportunity for us to do so is there. We pick up Premier League reserves, and we pick up prospects from the lower leagues on the cheap to see if they come good. It's what we've always done and it's pretty much all we can do.

Picking up Shorey and Doyle for peanuts from small clubs does not mean that Manset & Williams will come good. It's just the same tactic which won't pay off every time, but does pay off in enough cases to make it worth actually giving these players a chance to show whether they can step up. And by "a chance" I mean more than half a dozen games before deciding they are shit.

[roadrunner]

^^^ Good post IR.

[Millsy]

Almost half of us are either unsure about him or definitely want him out.

Happy days.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Almost half of us are either unsure about him or definitely want him out.

Happy days.

Yet only 10% do want him out, and those that do are outnumbered 6-1 by those who don't.