Back From The Game - Bolton

[MmmMonsterMunch]

[Maguire]

That was what, four years ago and we all got over it ages ago. Why the hate?

[MmmMonsterMunch]

That was what, four years ago and we all got over it ages ago. Why the hate?

I'm merely answering your question - that's why people hate him.

[harry]

Whether we genuinely hate him or not, I wonder if the way he was targeted influenced his performance.
I like to think we made a difference on Saturday.

[P!ssed Off]

That was what, four years ago and we all got over it ages ago. Why the hate?

I don't hate him and wouldn't boo him, but I do dislike him.

The guy's got some serious attitude problems.
Thought he was much better than he was, couldn't take criticism, ill disciplined when it came to yellow and red cards as well.
And all this whilst captain. I'd imagine hot-headed, cocky Matt Mills inspired Brian to hand the captaincy to nice-guy Jobi.

Of course I was willing to ignore the fact that Mills was a bit of a twat whilst he was playing for Reading, but once he jumped ship to a weaker team purely for financial reasons there was really no reason to carry on pretending that he wasn't a dick.

Sure, we got a ridiculously high amount of money for him, but that was more down to the genius of Nicky Hammond and stupidity of Leicester rather than anything Mills did.

Just to prove he was a plonker, barely 6 months into his Leicester career he had a row with the manager and was promptly palmed off to Bolton in a cut price deal.

[PlasticRoyale]

ill disciplined when it came to yellow and red cards as well.

I hate people who get booked, particularly Phil Parkinson.

[sandman]

ill disciplined when it came to yellow and red cards as well.

I hate people who get booked, particularly Phil Parkinson.

This

Remember when Parkinson almost took Spencer Prior's head off with a reckless and vicious elbow? You all still sing Parkinson's name even with his ill discipline when it came to yellow and red cards and the safety of the other players on the pitch.

[Royal Ginger]

Everyone likes a panto villain. I think when the announcer left a gap for the regular returning player cheer, no-one felt like cheering and some half hearted boos went up. Snowball effect from there. It was more of a running gag rather then actual hatred.

[P!ssed Off]

ill disciplined when it came to yellow and red cards as well.

I hate people who get booked, particularly Phil Parkinson.

This

Remember when Parkinson almost took Spencer Prior's head off with a reckless and vicious elbow? You all still sing Parkinson's name even with his ill discipline when it came to yellow and red cards and the safety of the other players on the pitch.

The yellow cards weren't the big issue. Red cards are far worse in terms of games missed and how badly it affects the team.
Through his red cards Mills was banned for 5 Reading games in his first season. He played 23 league games, and just through his red cards he was banned for 5. That's a ratio Suarez might be proud of.

In his one season at Leicester he played 25 league games and got 2 straight reds. Banned for 6 games.


Could only find stats for Parkinson's Reading career from the start of the '96 season till he left in 2003. Which is over half of his league games for Reading.
He played 210 league games in this time. Sent off once! (Plus another red card in the FA cup for 2 yellows, but unlikely a large ban from that)
He may well have regularly picked up ~ 10 bookings a season but how many games was he banned due to that? Not many, I would imagine. It did not affect Reading too badly.

Parkinson may well have got a shitload of red cards in his first 4 seasons at the club, I can't find the stats and I wasn't there, so I don't know. But from the season I started going in '98 Parkinson played 149 league games and picked up 1 red card. That's why I don't consider him ill-disciplined.

Mills on the other hand, picked up 3 red cards in just 61 league games for Reading!

Also, couldn't find any yellow card rules from the 90's/early 00's but it seems to me since I've been going that racking up yellow cards over a season is more harshly punished now than it was over ten years ago. That's just my impression though, might be wrong.

[Schards#2]

I liked Mills as a player for Reading but if you theatrically give the finger to people who are paying large sums of money to come and watch you, you deserve everything you get.

[old woman]

Why does everyone hate Matt Mills?

I honestly didn't know why he was getting booed on Saturday. Didn't he play a part in a tremendous season and score a goal for us in the play-off final before moving on for a profit?

I don't hate him. Everton away FA Cup.

[floyd__streete]

if you theatrically give the finger to people who are paying large sums of money to come and watch you, you deserve everything you get.

Spot on.

[Whore Jackie]

That was what, four years ago and we all got over it ages ago. Why the hate?

I don't hate him and wouldn't boo him, but I do dislike him.

The guy's got some serious attitude problems.
Thought he was much better than he was, couldn't take criticism, ill disciplined when it came to yellow and red cards as well.
And all this whilst captain. I'd imagine hot-headed, cocky Matt Mills inspired Brian to hand the captaincy to nice-guy Jobi.

Of course I was willing to ignore the fact that Mills was a bit of a twat whilst he was playing for Reading, but once he jumped ship to a weaker team purely for financial reasons there was really no reason to carry on pretending that he wasn't a dick.

Sure, we got a ridiculously high amount of money for him, but that was more down to the genius of Nicky Hammond and stupidity of Leicester rather than anything Mills did.

Just to prove he was a plonker, barely 6 months into his Leicester career he had a row with the manager and was promptly palmed off to Bolton in a cut price deal.

Very popular with both the coaching and community staff during his time at Reading. LOL at purely judging a player based on his match-day persona.

[floyd__streete]

Very popular with both the coaching and community staff during his time at Reading. LOL at purely judging a player based on his match-day persona.

What do you expect fans to do then, ask him out for a drink to get to know him better

[Hoop Blah]

Very popular with both the coaching and community staff during his time at Reading. LOL at purely judging a player based on his match-day persona.

Not according to Mick Gooding on Saturday who illuded to a number of players not liking him because of his ego and comments to that effect from McDermott to him and Dellor as well.

It was the first time he'd come back to the Madejski having left us for more money and flicking the bird to the crowd. Of course he was going to get stick.

[Maguire]

Why wouldn't he leave for more money? It was a good move for the club. Shane Long, Gylfi, Kevin Doyle etc all got paid more when they left too.

And he "flicked the bird" when, in 2010? If you lot are still crying about that then you're the wankers, not him.

I thought Mills turned into a very decent player for us. Got us to Wembley, scored at Wembley, dumped Everton out of the cup, good stuff.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Why wouldn't he leave for more money? It was a good move for the club. Shane Long, Gylfi, Kevin Doyle etc all got paid more when they left too.

And he "flicked the bird" when, in 2010? If you lot are still crying about that then you're the wankers, not him.

I thought Mills turned into a very decent player for us. Got us to Wembley, scored at Wembley, dumped Everton out of the cup, good stuff.

I never understood the massive hate for Mills either. At one point if his name wasn't on the team sheet there would be a meltdown.

[Ian Royal]

I couldn't give a monkey's that he gave the East stand the finger. I thought he was an over-rated, petulant prick with delusions of grandeur when he played for us, and I've delighted in his failure to succeed since he's left.

Some people, you just don't like. And for me, he's one of the footballers that fall into that category.

[winchester_royal]

I have to say Mags this little crusade you're on is slightly rich given your apparent irrational dislike of our current boss.

[Extended-Phenotype]

I couldn't give a monkey's that he gave the East stand the finger. I thought he was an over-rated, petulant prick with delusions of grandeur when he played for us, and I've delighted in his failure to succeed since he's left.

Some people, you just don't like. And for me, he's one of the footballers that fall into that category.

Meh. While he was with us he was one of our best players and people are only bitter towards him because they were pissed at losing a key man.