Fans' Forum

[Loyal Royal Royal]

Is wikileaks still going?

just received this from Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy reporting on the fans forum

apparently mcdermott said we are interested signing

lionel messi
ronaldo
van persie
pele
tevez
and bas savage

and giving a 10 year contract to church.

oh and he supports ireland

let the abuse begin

[Ian Royal]

I'd also like to add, that if STAR communicated effectively, none of this would happen. If they don't want stuff put up on here, perhaps they shouldn't have their own bloody board. Or perhaps they should use it effectively.

None of this would happen if STAR had the commitment to post up a brief STAR and Reading FC friendly summary. If you don't have the time to post up something saying FANS FORUM SUMMARY TO FOLLOW IN 24HRS after / during / before the forum and then post up summary. I don't understand how you can have time to organise and attend the forum in the first place.

Maybe if you've all got such limited time to spend on STAR, you should give up on it.

[davis69]

What do you actually get from your star membership??

The chance to sit on a coach with no leg room , full of people looking there going for a lovely trip to Bognor Regis to play some bingo rather than going to a football match.

I'll stick up for Bognor here as I've a lot of friends in the town

there's more to it than bingo

yeh butlins

[sandman]

This is possibly the most hypocritical thread in the history of the Internet.

[Green]

This is possibly the most hypocritical thread in the history of the Internet.

In what way? Are you suggesting the contributors are for the most part volunteering badly at similar organisations?

[Barry the bird boggler]

The only screw up I can see is STAR not making it plainly clear to everyone in attendance that what is said shouldn't be broadcast publicly due to the fact that doing so destroys the confidence the club have in being slightly less guarded than in their general comments to the media.

This I would say is common sense and very much a requirement to stop the Forums becoming no more than full of the general PR and anodyne comments you can get in the media and on the website.

STAR make the general gist of the Forums available at a later date for all but if you want to know that little bit more than you have to join STAR and attend the meetings - just like you have to "join" SKY to watch live games on the telly.

If you don't want to join STAR then don't, but then don't moan about not getting all the perks that come with being a member. You can't have it both ways.

[Cpl Jones Dont panic]

Barry

And how does that work for those that live outside the area and work away in the week. Maybe Star should only be for those that live in Reading and work 9-5. I take offence that becasue of my personal circumstances I should be seen as a lesser member. It is not to much to ask for a web summary with password protection to members , or use club resource for SMT , when they seen so keen to plug their paying services.

[winchester_royal]

That's a pretty poor analogy Barry. You may need to pay to join Sky, however you're allowed to talk about the matches Sky broadcast as much as you like.

[pea]

It's nice that hobnob agrees with us but it sounds like he was put under tremendous pressure from the club to delete the thread. Dear oh dear. Like others have said, if Cypry had reported on anything remotely controversial or revealing, then I could understand it, but he didn't.

its the principle that it is intended to be behind closed doors and so club representatives such as Brian will treat it in that way. If it becomes considered 'ok' by the moderators of a site with such a huge readership as HNA? has then it erodes that principle and the club won't be able to approach those session in the same way as they evidently feel they can at the moment.

Why is it that the few people on here who do stick up for STAR sound like they're reading off a prepared script?

I hate STAR, HTH

I'm sticking up for Hobnob for doing what he did and the club for requesting it. If STAR aren't going to ask those in attendance to keep the discussion confidential then they can't have an opinion

[Barry the bird boggler]

Barry

And how does that work for those that live outside the area and work away in the week. Maybe Star should only be for those that live in Reading and work 9-5. I take offence that becasue of my personal circumstances I should be seen as a lesser member. It is not to much to ask for a web summary with password protection to members , or use club resource for SMT , when they seen so keen to plug their paying services.

Sadly for remote fans the logistics mean they have to be in Reading. Personally I think there is some merit in STAR looking at ways to accommodate those remote to the club in such sessions. Or to perhaps look to see if its possible to arrange occasional remote forums when Reading travel to away games.

[Ian Royal]

STAR: Hey Reading fans, we're having a fans forum with Brian McDermott, come along and listen in. STAR: Hey Reading fans, can't make it? Send us a question and we'll ask it.
STAR: Hey Hobnob - come to the fans forum or send us your questions.
Reading FC: Hey Reading fans, STAR are having a fans forum with Brian McDermott. Come along and listen in.

Reading Fans who couldn't make it: So Reading FC and STAR, what happened and was said at the forum.
Reading FC & STAR: What forum!? There was no forum!? You must never know what was said at the forum we've both been publicising because it makes us look good and caring!!!!
STAR & Reading FC: Hobnob! Take down that brief and innocuous summary of the fans forum that no one must ever hear anything from!!! IMMEDIATELY OR WE'LL THROW OUR TOYS OUT OF THE PRAM AND BAN YOU ALL FOR EVER!!!!!

[winchester_royal]

I'm enjoying these little role-plays of yours today IR...

[bigmike]

I have said it before and I will say it again not all but the majority of star are in it for their own self importance. Its the same old look at us pish. I used to pay for membership and attend fans forums but I got fed up with the people who used it to crawl up the ass of whoever from the club was attending and making out that they were best buddies with the players/coaching staff. I joined because I thought it was a good idea and that STAR were there to represent and inform the supporters. They ain't I am currently at a loss as to what they actually provide the fans.

[Royal Prince]

I'm confused, I think I've mis-understood the purpose of STAR.

My understanding was that they are a supporters trust set up as a voice for all supporters, and that should you chose to pay a small fee to join them (i.e help to fund the organisation) then they will reward you with benefits such as coach travel, newletters, being able to attend fans forums etc.

Now further to this my understanding was that the fans forum was a chance for STAR and some of its members to speak directly to officials at the club, to ask pertinent questions on behalf of ALL FANS and ultimately report back to us on affairs at the club.

I appreciate the club want to send the correct message to all fans, and I can appreciate why they would prefer details of the forum to be released in a controlled way so that nothing is misconstrued, but why then are STAR so inept at ensuring this is the case? Why are their members not clear on its rules following the forum, and why are they so slow to release any information to us themselves? Perhaps it's because they don't represent the fans at all, and instead they are only interested in those who are members of the clique?

They've thrown their toys out of their pram because one of its newest members did exactly what they should be doing In the first place and they don't like it at all! Either represent the fans like you were meant to be doing or step aside and let somebody else take over the mantle.

[Arch]

They've thrown their toys out of their pram ...

Where?

[Royal Prince]

They've thrown their toys out of their pram ...

Where?

Ok, good point, wrong expression.

It's probably more representative of the backlash from the HobNob massive if anything lol.

The point is this thread wouldn't exist, and they wouldn't be under this much pressure, if they represented the fans as a whole and reported back to us in the manner I believe they should. Instead an innocent individual tried to do it for them and look what's happened... MELTDOWN!

[JamieY26]

Cypry made a mistake, it wasn't a heinous error nor is it something he deserves to get roasted over but a little I feel is deserved for lacking a little bit of common sense. As he said, it wasn't said in the room but the 'whats said in the room stays in the room' idea has been used at previous forums and was mentioned by the club on the OS before the event. That coupled with the conspicuous absence of any general reporting (The clubs OS, GetReading, other posters here, The Tilehurst End, Twitter) might helped hint at the fact it wasn't for general publication

You absolute tit. Is the bloke supposed to scan other news outlets, social media, and your wretched blog before deciding whether or not to post up a series of bullets points, none of which were remotely scandalous or newsworthy? He doesn't deserve stick off the likes of you, STARHelm1871, or anyone else.

Believe it or not STAR used to actually post summaries of the Fans Forum on their website and I used to enjoy reading them. In fact, it was the only vaguely interesting thing they ever did.

Sit in a room and say something to 200 fans but complain if it gets passed on to 2000? Well, LOL basically.

And myself, STAR or anyone else don't deserve stick for trying to make sure events like this can continue to go on either.

Beside from that you're utterly missing my point here. STAR have said they would have posted a summary of what was said at the event, they just haven't done it yet. My only point has ever been that it's a shame that someone in the room took it upon THEMSELVES to go and publish all the info.

Cypry didn't need to scan every ruddy outlet to see if was something that wasn't getting reported on. People here have been banging on about the fact news gets out quickly so I would consider something conspicuous by it's absence online. Like I said, I don't flame the guy for it or call him an absolute tit, I just felt it lacked a tiny bit of common sense in the circumstances, hardly a roasting of the poor guy.

I don't care that the information got out, but the club might, I have no idea you'll have to ask them.

So you are saying STAR are just upset that someone stole their thunder? The priverledge that STAR get should be to hear the information first at the evening, not to hear it exclusivly and not share it with the rest of us

[RoyalBlue]

It seems to me that STAR really ought to change the name from a generic 'Fans Forum' to the 'STAR members (behind closed doors) Forum'.

That way no one can take issue with them keeping what is said secret amongst themselves and their members.

As for anyone, the club included, thinking that anything really meaningful said would be kept out of the media - what planet are they living on?

[royal_cornwall]

They've thrown their toys out of their pram ...

Where?

Ok, good point, wrong expression.

It's probably more representative of the backlash from the HobNob massive if anything lol.

The point is this thread wouldn't exist, and they wouldn't be under this much pressure, if they represented the fans as a whole and reported back to us in the manner I believe they should. Instead an innocent individual tried to do it for them and look what's happened... MELTDOWN!

I think he meant "where?" as in "where are the toys? i want them

[Dare to Dr£am]

It's all over Twatter now anyway.