Claret & Blue Congratulations

[Deadlock]

We'll be the oldest club in the Premier League next season. Again.

[FiNeRaIn]

Thing is, I also used to like West Ham for that reason growing up when their fans seemed decent and less arrogant. But as as someone said their set of annoying fans seem to be far louder than everyone elses annoying segment of fans. Guaranteed you can watch a west ham game on the telly when they are playing and most likely they'll be taunting the opposition fans within minutes over their support. What they dont seem to get is although they don't have nationwide fans like the top four they have a lot of people who were not raised around upton park supporting them, essex being a prime example in line with all over the south. I wouldn't mind it so much if they didn't harp out the " reading are plastic, tin pot, no history" nonsense on every given occasion, seeing as probably 90% + of our support is born and raised in berkshire and I would take a stab at a massive amount of their visitor's to upton park a season having home addresses far closer to other professional clubs.
I said on another thread, I know at least 10 west ham fans in Newbury, Berkshire alone, how on earth does that happen? Supporting anyone other than your local team should be what describes you as plastic.

West Ham will win the play-offs though, they don't lose away and have got better at home again recently. 3rd place has gone up 4 times out of 6 in the last few play-off seasons I believe.

[facaldaqui]

Thing is, I also used to like West Ham for that reason growing up when their fans seemed decent and less arrogant. But as as someone said their set of annoying fans seem to be far louder than everyone elses annoying segment of fans. Guaranteed you can watch a west ham game on the telly when they are playing and most likely they'll be taunting the opposition fans within minutes over their support. What they dont seem to get is although they don't have nationwide fans like the top four they have a lot of people who were not raised around upton park supporting them, essex being a prime example in line with all over the south. I wouldn't mind it so much if they didn't harp out the " reading are plastic, tin pot, no history" nonsense on every given occasion, seeing as probably 90% + of our support is born and raised in berkshire and I would take a stab at a massive amount of their visitor's to upton park a season having home addresses far closer to other professional clubs.
I said on another thread, I know at least 10 west ham fans in Newbury, Berkshire alone, how on earth does that happen? Supporting anyone other than your local team should be what describes you as plastic.

West Ham will win the play-offs though, they don't lose away and have got better at home again recently. 3rd place has gone up 4 times out of 6 in the last few play-off seasons I believe.

West Ham do have some pretty hard fans--a lot of them still come from the East End, which is a hard district. But they've always also had a more middle-class contingent from the Upminster and Essex fringe. They are a very mixed bunch.

[Ian Herring]

I think all football supporters like to think their club is different. West Ham have been lucky over the years because everyone seems to have accepted we are. That's mostly based on a pretty impressive production line of British talent and that we always used to look good on Match of the Day, despite losing. My argument against the pretty, technical stuff was what you saw on MoTD was it. Outside of the highlights we were tactictly naive, unfit and undisciplined. You get found out very quickly these days with that approach.

Ferdinand, Carrick, Cole, Lampard, Defoe (well, not really but it supports the argument), all ably assisted by DiCanio, Sinclair, Berkovic and Benyaoun will be nice to watch at home in August against Charlton but it'll get ugly away at Middlesbrough in February.

Allardyce is too far in the opposite direction in my opinion and it's horrible.

To bring it back to Reading I think you've got a good balance. Ferocious, aggressive and organised when not in possession and technical, pacy and effective when you've got the ball. I think it's the only way to be in the modern game.

Clubs with long heritages will always take pot shots at relatively new big clubs like Reading and it's funny how it gets a reaction. All that matters is where you are today, not where you've been.

Decent of you to come on here mate with some genuine good wishes. Appreciated.

Not all football fans are tools (although of course, a great many are, utter spastics, regardless of whom they follow).

Cheers.

(By the way you and the other chap who have come on here appear to be the first living examples of West Ham fans who don't over-use the words 'mug', 'muggy,' 'tin-pot', and so forth.)

Almost as refreshing as a bowl of Tubby Isaacs' finest eels.

Anyway, cheers.

[mr_number]

I think all football supporters like to think their club is different. West Ham have been lucky over the years because everyone seems to have accepted we are. That's mostly based on a pretty impressive production line of British talent and that we always used to look good on Match of the Day, despite losing. My argument against the pretty, technical stuff was what you saw on MoTD was it. Outside of the highlights we were tactictly naive, unfit and undisciplined. You get found out very quickly these days with that approach.

Ferdinand, Carrick, Cole, Lampard, Defoe (well, not really but it supports the argument), all ably assisted by DiCanio, Sinclair, Berkovic and Benyaoun will be nice to watch at home in August against Charlton but it'll get ugly away at Middlesbrough in February.

Allardyce is too far in the opposite direction in my opinion and it's horrible.

To bring it back to Reading I think you've got a good balance. Ferocious, aggressive and organised when not in possession and technical, pacy and effective when you've got the ball. I think it's the only way to be in the modern game.

Clubs with long heritages will always take pot shots at relatively new big clubs like Reading and it's funny how it gets a reaction. All that matters is where you are today, not where you've been.

Decent of you to come on here mate with some genuine good wishes. Appreciated.

Not all football fans are tools (although of course, a great many are, utter spastics, regardless of whom they follow).

Cheers.

(By the way you and the other chap who have come on here appear to be the first living examples of West Ham fans who don't over-use the words 'mug', 'muggy,' 'tin-pot', and so forth.)

Almost as refreshing as a bowl of Tubby Isaacs' finest eels.

Anyway, cheers.

I walk past Tubby Isaacs every day on the way to work. May be time to get some jellied eels. Then again, maybe tomorrow. Stomach not exactly on top form....


Fair play to you West Ham fans coming on here. but I do still want you to lose in the pLOLayoffs

[Optimist]

Cheers MrWestHam! Certainly got more sensible/less jealous than the other couple of West Ham fans I've heard from since last night

[southstand67]

I had a mate who was a Hammer. Fact is he should've supported Southend as that was where he was from. Last time we were in the Premiership he used to annoy me going on about how a team like Reading shouldn't be in the Premiership, small, tin pot with no history.

Seems like it's a theme with Hammers then?

[Terminal Boardom]

When you talk about the Essex fringes I am sure you don't mean this



Being new to that part of the world I have learnt that places like Harold Hill, Harold Wood, Upminster, Romford, Hornchurch and the like are populated by ex East End families - rehoused after that part of London was blitzed thus reducing the number of slums in that area. It stands to reason that people in this area would follow West Ham because of the old East End connection.

Further afield, whereas there are West Ham fans in Basildon, Southend, Colchester and Chelmsford, is that really any different to Chelsea fans living in Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell?

[MrWestHam]

I live in Essex. My grandparents were bombed out to Dagenham from Bow, my parents moved out to Romford and I’ve gone another few miles down the road. The people that populate the East End these days aren’t really interested in football. Cricket is more their thing.

I come from a family of West Ham supporters and it’s as much a given that we’ll support West Ham as our surname is. I’m not sure much of our fan base could be considered glory hunters considering the last 21 years record!

Any team that’s in the premiership deserves to be there and vice versa. It’s frustrating to being paying £850 for a season ticket to watch the current tripe but the money you pay doesn’t earn you a golden ticket to the top.

[melonhead]

850

[Friday's Legacy]

I live in Essex. My grandparents were bombed out to Dagenham from Bow, my parents moved out to Romford and I’ve gone another few miles down the road. The people that populate the East End these days aren’t really interested in football. Cricket is more their thing.

I come from a family of West Ham supporters and it’s as much a given that we’ll support West Ham as our surname is. I’m not sure much of our fan base could be considered glory hunters considering the last 21 years record!

Any team that’s in the premiership deserves to be there and vice versa. It’s frustrating to being paying £850 for a season ticket to watch the current tripe but the money you pay doesn’t earn you a golden ticket to the top.

Corr blimey guvnor, I paid £395 for next seasons season ticket and the kids £99.

What you need is owners that don't want to rip off the fans as much as they can.

[MrWestHam]

The new owners haven't put it up much. That's pretty consistent with a steady inflation based increase. It didn't go up last year because of the increase in games so I technically paid less per match. In the corners they cost £550 I think.

And that's where a lot of the animosity comes from I think. A lot of people find it hard to justify that money these days and to have it thrown back in your face by people like Allardyce makes people angry. You won't find ten clubs in the premier league who pay more than us.

[Reading Republican]

Just heard an interview with the odious Ms Karren Brady on BBC Berkshire. Her non stop self promotion 'she's sell tickets on herself' is enough to make anyone dislike West Ham or at least hope they fail to go up. She pushes her book, talks American psycho babble and supports West Ham. They can keep her

[Avon Royal]

Just heard an interview with the odious Ms Karren Brady on BBC Berkshire. Her non stop self promotion 'she's sell tickets on herself' is enough to make anyone dislike West Ham or at least hope they fail to go up. She pushes her book, talks American psycho babble and supports West Ham. They can keep her

Yeah, but you still would.

[MrWestHam]

Just heard an interview with the odious Ms Karren Brady on BBC Berkshire. Her non stop self promotion 'she's sell tickets on herself' is enough to make anyone dislike West Ham or at least hope they fail to go up. She pushes her book, talks American psycho babble and supports West Ham. They can keep her

Yeah, but you still would.

It'd be like swinging a bat in the Albert Hall. She's been run through more times than the Dartford Tunnel.

[james15]

Thank you sincerely, I wish your team the best of luck in the Play-Offs, deep down West Ham is a good club with decent fans as you have proved with your message.

[Reading Republican]

Haha....yep for sure.......ok ok I'm a secret admirer.... you found me out....she'd be ok if she kept her gob shut

[seahawk10]

Thank you for taking the time to register and leave a nice note. It is more than most of us would have done if the situation were reversed.
The forever blowing bubbles song that you lot sing is one of my favourite football fan traditions. Good luck to you in the play-offs.

[paultheroyal]

We'll be the oldest club in the Premier League next season. Again.

Stoke City 1863 >>>>> Reading FC 1871

HTH

[Friday's Legacy]

We'll be the oldest club in the Premier League next season. Again.

Stoke City 1863 >>>>> Reading FC 1871

HTH

And they had the hoops before we did.

1870