Hooliganism at Reading

[bobby1413]

With regards to the editor not caring ...

I don't think he does. It won't effect paper sales - who actually buys this newspaper anyway?

It's got everyone talking and I don't think he will have any regrets.

[jjd82]

Weak. Even by your standards, but this is the TB, so get the net ready.

Edit - @kes

[1871 not 1998]

With regards to the editor not caring ...

I don't think he does. It won't effect paper sales - who actually buys this newspaper anyway?

It's got everyone talking and I don't think he will have any regrets.

exactly, and as mentioned, they rarely bother turning up for interviews on press days either. it really is a terrible paper at the best of times, and they can't afford to face further losses. the editor isn't very highly thought of by his colleagues, which isn't really very surprising when he approves crap like this to go to print.

[Mr Optimist]

With regards to the editor not caring ...

I don't think he does. It won't effect paper sales - who actually buys this newspaper anyway?

It's got everyone talking and I don't think he will have any regrets.

It's certainly going to affect sales in the Merseyside area. I thought they had to give the Chronic away free these days anyway.

[No Fixed Abode]

Weak. Even by your standards, but this is the TB, so get the net ready.

Edit - @kes

No fishing. Although they've missed out the fight between Reading fans at Millwall this season. Over a burger I believe.

[RoyalBlue]

Have a friend at the Chronic who has been working there a while on the paper, turns out from what he has heard at work today that the editor apparently doesn't really think he's done much wrong and that it is going to sell papers.

Not quite sure on the logic of the editor, who I have been told was having a good read of this thread earlier, who seems to be looking at short term sales (From who, I have no idea), vs losing a big potential population of sales from Reading fans who are unlikely to ever be buying the paper anytime soon!

FAO Reading Chronicle editor - I hope you let Anthony Smith punch you in the face, as clearly you have no clue as to how to edit a paper. Feel quite sorry for him, as clearly it doesn't have anything to do with the Sports team.

Dear Reading Chronicle Editor next time you read this thread, please note that you are a complete and utter w*nker and a disgrace to your profession, which really takes some doing given how poorly regarded it has become!

I have never been involved in hooliganism but would be severely tempted to kick you in the balls if I ever encountered you.

The Chronicle are just trying to use football as the typical journalistic punching bag, and are about 10 years late to the party on that front. Football has done plenty to try and clean up it's act, and picking RFC fans as a target for a sensationalist piece to boost short term revenue is pretty pathetic. And drudging up nothing incidents that are a mere by product of having 24,000 people packed into one area filled with booze and testosterone as 'evidence' for a hooliganism problem being present is about as desperate as it gets. No doubt the author of the piece is a rugby fan.

That's very unfair on rugby fans - even they would struggle to be as big a C8nt as the author of this piece!

[No Fixed Abode]

With regards to the editor not caring ...

I don't think he does. It won't effect paper sales - who actually buys this newspaper anyway?

It's got everyone talking and I don't think he will have any regrets.

exactly, and as mentioned, they rarely bother turning up for interviews on press days either. it really is a terrible paper at the best of times, and they can't afford to face further losses. the editor isn't very highly thought of by his colleagues, which isn't really very surprising when he approves crap like this to go to print.

Let's be fair - the Post is terrible also. It's governed by Reading FC. "You play ball with us and we'll allow you access" - So you only hear what the club want you to hear.

I recall back in the early 90s - the Post giving Reading players dismally low performance scores after a defeat. The Post were exiled for a short while.

[RoyalBlue]

Sir John hurt by article

Both the Club and I have received a number of complaints today regarding an article in the Reading Chronicle, and I personally share our supporters’ dismay.

In my opinion the nature of the article, and in particular the image manufactured for the front page, completely misrepresents the vast majority of our fans, and their experiences supporting the team both at Madejski Stadium and on the road.

The article itself is an unwarranted and sensationalised attack which undermines everything our club tries to represent. To paint a full picture, last season there was only one Reading fan arrested at Madejski Stadium, and only ten arrests out of nearly half a million home and away fans through the turnstiles, all for minor offences. Those Home Office figures speak for themselves.

I have spent more than a quarter of my life building up this football club on and off the pitch, so I personally take a series of gross misrepresentations in this edition as insults to our club’s good name. No club is perfect, but I and every member of staff work tirelessly to make Madejski Stadium a great place to bring your family and friends and I know Thames Valley Police also take great pride in our exemplary record.

When the Club was named Family Club of the Year by the Football League, it was one of the finest moments of my time here, and remains just as important to me as everything we have achieved on the pitch.

The newspaper also contains a comment relating to the Hillsborough tragedy that has deeply offended many of us in the football family.

With all that in mind, we have decided to suspend our relationship with this particular publication. We have a duty to protect the club’s reputation, and particularly to protect our supporters’ reputation. This is not a decision we take lightly because we value the freedom of the press and have enjoyed excellent relationships with our local media in the past, but we are sure our supporters will agree that we cannot allow the fans’ good name to be besmirched in this way.

So many people have spoken to me today about this article – both supporters and my colleagues here at the club – hurt and disappointed by what they had read. As custodians for Reading Football Club, the right course of action was clear to us all.

Sir John Madejski OBE, DL
Chairman

Read more at http://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/article ... 1f0QJq1.99

F*ck me! Even I have to give him credit for this response!

[Hendo]

That's really quite shocking from the Chronicle.

Embarrassed by how they have portrayed fans of the club. RFC/Sir John should sue the paper for using the picture on the front page as slander.

Can they use that picture legally in relation to the completely unfounded reports? Or because the caption says something about it being on a model, is it ok?

Also agreed with the poster who said a few pages back that their website is horrific.

[stealthpapes]

Weak. Even by your standards, but this is the TB, so get the net ready.

Edit - @kes

No fishing. Although they've missed out the fight between Reading fans at Millwall this season. Over a burger I believe.

Racially motivated then.

[floyd__streete]

Minor post-script.....the Chronicle editor, Maurice O'Brien, was a former RFC programme editor. IIRC he continually used his editorial (who writes an editorial in a football programme FFS) to air his own ill-thought-out grievances. Since leaving this post at the football club (he also worked for the Chronic at the time) I have noticed on more than one occasion he has sniped at RFC/Madejski in his tawdry Chronic editiorials.

The arrogance of not offering a full apology seems therefore typical of the man. Apologising that linking Hillsborough to Hooliganism 'wasn't the intention' rings a bit hollow considering the article clearly and categorically does just that

[Mr Optimist]

Just need a few of the Chronics larger advertisers to withdraw their business, and the Hillsborough reference should create enough of a stink nationally to do this, and it's goodbye Mr o brien and possibly goodbye Chronical.

[grey_squirrel]

That's really quite shocking from the Chronicle.

Embarrassed by how they have portrayed fans of the club. RFC/Sir John should sue the paper for using the picture on the front page as slander.

Can they use that picture legally in relation to the completely unfounded reports? Or because the caption says something about it being on a model, is it ok?

Also agreed with the poster who said a few pages back that their website is horrific.

The whole article is actually potentially libellous, not slander and should the Club see fit to take this further - which I hope and think they will - then they have a very very good case.

I cannot for the life of me understand what the Reading Chronicle/their Editor was thinking of.

[1871 not 1998]

With regards to the editor not caring ...

I don't think he does. It won't effect paper sales - who actually buys this newspaper anyway?

It's got everyone talking and I don't think he will have any regrets.

exactly, and as mentioned, they rarely bother turning up for interviews on press days either. it really is a terrible paper at the best of times, and they can't afford to face further losses. the editor isn't very highly thought of by his colleagues, which isn't really very surprising when he approves crap like this to go to print.

Let's be fair - the Post is terrible also. It's governed by Reading FC. "You play ball with us and we'll allow you access" - So you only hear what the club want you to hear

That's how it works at every local rag that wants to maintain a good working relationship with the local media!

[No Fixed Abode]

That's really quite shocking from the Chronicle.

Embarrassed by how they have portrayed fans of the club. RFC/Sir John should sue the paper for using the picture on the front page as slander.

Can they use that picture legally in relation to the completely unfounded reports? Or because the caption says something about it being on a model, is it ok?

Also agreed with the poster who said a few pages back that their website is horrific.

The whole article is actually potentially libellous, not slander and should the Club see fit to take this further - which I hope and think they will - then they have a very very good case.

I cannot for the life of me understand what the Reading Chronicle/their Editor was thinking of.

Certainly the article isn't great and there is some irrelevant stuff in there. But lets not all be naive and think trouble doesn't happen on a match day. It just happens more in the Town/City centres.

[SPARTA]

Just need a few of the Chronics larger advertisers to withdraw their business, and the Hillsborough reference should create enough of a stink nationally to do this, and it's goodbye Mr o brien and possibly goodbye Chronical.

Here's hoping!

That's really quite shocking from the Chronicle.

Embarrassed by how they have portrayed fans of the club. RFC/Sir John should sue the paper for using the picture on the front page as slander.

Can they use that picture legally in relation to the completely unfounded reports? Or because the caption says something about it being on a model, is it ok?

Also agreed with the poster who said a few pages back that their website is horrific.

The whole article is actually potentially libellous, not slander and should the Club see fit to take this further - which I hope and think they will - then they have a very very good case.

I cannot for the life of me understand what the Reading Chronicle/their Editor was thinking of.

Again, here's hoping!

[No Fixed Abode]

exactly, and as mentioned, they rarely bother turning up for interviews on press days either. it really is a terrible paper at the best of times, and they can't afford to face further losses. the editor isn't very highly thought of by his colleagues, which isn't really very surprising when he approves crap like this to go to print.

Let's be fair - the Post is terrible also. It's governed by Reading FC. "You play ball with us and we'll allow you access" - So you only hear what the club want you to hear

That's how it works at every local rag that wants to maintain a good working relationship with the local media!

No sh1t Sherlock.

[Will95]

Trouble happens everywhere, simple as. Pushing it to the forefront and overdoing it, as has been done here, is ridiculous. Most of the 'incidents' here are nothing. Shit paper, shit journalism, oxf*rd off.

[Turns8]

That's really quite shocking from the Chronicle.

Embarrassed by how they have portrayed fans of the club. RFC/Sir John should sue the paper for using the picture on the front page as slander.

Can they use that picture legally in relation to the completely unfounded reports? Or because the caption says something about it being on a model, is it ok?

Also agreed with the poster who said a few pages back that their website is horrific.

The whole article is actually potentially libellous, not slander and should the Club see fit to take this further - which I hope and think they will - then they have a very very good case.

I cannot for the life of me understand what the Reading Chronicle/their Editor was thinking of.

Certainly the article isn't great and there is some irrelevant stuff in there. But lets not all be naive and think trouble doesn't happen on a match day. It just happens more in the Town/City centres.

Put in context though, the trouble is no worse than that which occurs in most town centres on Friday and Saturday nights, regardless of whether there has been a football match or not...

[No Fixed Abode]

That is true of course. But the READING Chronicle doesn't cover other clubs or other towns and Cities.