Embarassing Fans

[Hendo]

Coincidently, this is probably the most embarrassing thread on the entire portal.

[Uke]

Coincidently, this is probably the most embarrassing thread on the entire portal.

Attracting the worst posters...

such as me

[melonhead]

Also the atmosphere was surprisingly vocal for the first 15 minutes, until it petered out with so few away fans and dire football on the pitch. By the time we took the lead everyone had lost the enthusiasm and were just trying to keep warm.

woohoo!


thats the same volume of vocalisations from the crowd as a usual game, but due to the number of gloves being worn, the noise of the additional synchronised clapping was no longer there to add to it.
i wont allow my missus to wear gloves to football for this very reason

[melonhead]

Haha half of you on the post have taken the bait. :

actualy at the point of your reply, the only peole who had taken your bait were Kes and Ian



well done, you master fisherman you

[No Fixed Abode]

Haha half of you on the post have taken the bait. :

actualy at the point of your reply, the only peole who had taken your bait were Kes and Ian



well done, you master fisherman you

I never took the b8.
I just stated a FACT.

[WoodleyRoyal]

Haha half of you on the post have taken the bait. :

actualy at the point of your reply, the only peole who had taken your bait were Kes and Ian



well done, you master fisherman you

I never took the b8.
I just stated a FACT.

rattLOLed

[Z175]

I agree that the atmosphere has gradually got worse, to the point now where you don't expect much singing!

I know the older generation will blame this on lack of terracing and a plastic stadium but as someone who grew up watching Reading at the Madejski the atmosphere was much better back around the year 2000 than it is now.

Personally I think the recent decline back to 10,000 crowds will improve it. Sure the sell out crowds we started to get in the 106 season and the first PL season meant the stadium was rocking but since then we have had significiantly bigger attendances in the second tier that we used to get at this level. The dilution of hardcore fans amoungst the new intake has made things quieter in my opinion. These are a generation expecting PL football and record breaking wins, not playoff heartbreak v Walsall or 6-0 home defeats to Bristol Rovers! This is a known phenomenon at away games, where a 300 odd crowd often will be better fun than 2,000,

The Jose Mourinho - Chelsea fans story recently shows it is perhaps wider than just us though - I've not been to many stadiums where the crowds been that good recently. Surely more expensive tickets and a generation of teenages on their mobiles doesn't help matters.

We have been through a rocky patch as a club though. We nearly went a whole year without signing a player and have seen plenty of departures. I would like to think as things look up off the pitch then the mood will lighten and the atmosphere will improve.

[Royalwaster]

You'd think that the lack of success would have driven away the 'plastics' and left behind the hardcore fans - but it seems like maybe the plastics are noisier than the hardcore fans?

[Cape Town Royal]

I was thinking about this at the Blackpool game how the atmosphere seems flatter and was comparing it to the 80's.

For me there is something special about standing that makes you want to sing / surge (miss a good surge) that you just don't get when sat down.. Whereas if you are sat down and the game is flat, it's so easy to just sit there and watch the game...

Someone made a comment earlier about away games and 300 can be better than 2000 and I understand that comment. When there's less of you there seems to be much more of a feeling of being outnumbered so let's sing as loud as we can to get the team going, show we are here etc...

I also think that style of play / momentum plays a part. Traditionally we have played with wingers and that got the crowd going... When Glen Little got the ball you thought something was going to happen. The way we play now I don't feel there is any momentum. I came away from the Blackpool game thinking that was the most boring 3-0 win I have ever seen.

That takes me to a wider topic. I don't think it's just a Reading thing. I think the way the game has changed has taken passion out of it and that together with a change in the demography watching the games and all seater stadiums has taken a lot of the atmosphere out of the games (unless there's something riding on it). Going back to the 80"s and elm park. I remember being in division 3 and playing the likes of Burnley, Huddersfield, Preston etc.. and they all brought 200-300 lads who wanted the banter and it was all a bit loud, with nothing really happening, but it made for an atmosphere. They were from the north, we were southerners, it felt real.

This together with the passing passing passing modern style of football has for me had an affect on the atmosphere, especially because of the way the modern game is refereed. It has made the game moresterile. You only have to look at the build of the modern footballer to see that.

What I'd like to see is the game played with more passion, educate referees on what a real foul is, and I would argue that at least 50% of fouls given these days are either players playing to get fouls by sticking their legs into a defender or referee's seeing a touch and assuming it's a foul. The problem is that means that no one can tackle so the game becomes a passing fest, which Is lovely but as a fan gives you less to get your Suarez's into....

Let's be honest, Liverpool passed teams to death in the 80's so it proved it can be done and still get tackled.

Fans love attacking play, good tackles, missed tackles the whole thing. It's not chess it's a passionate game so if we want atmosphere we need to consider what is served up to get passionate about and also the stadiums we attend.

I was at Hillsboorough for the semi final the year before in that same leappings lane end (a mate is a Leeds fan) so I understand the reason for seating, but the game has moved in so why not have safe standing areas and allow the fans to get more involved. It's seems to work in Dortmund without 50 deaths a week and I think modern policing with CCTV would stop a lot of the in-ground issues of the 80's, which means you would get the banter without the trouble...

[RoyalBoy26]

So what if I'm a new poster? I'm in my 15th year of my season ticket so yeah I may have only seen 'success' but let's be serious with the amount of fickle fans we have. Some of the guys that comment on here are ridiculous so what if I'm a 'newbie'? Opinions are what matter not bitter old Reading fans that think 'oxf*rd' off is still top quality banter

[Uke]

The decline in singing and atmosphere has come with the increase in footie matches becoming a "family destination" as opposed to somewhere for pissed up twentysomethings (like I was) to go on a Saturday afternoon

Its's not what is was, but it is what it is.

Back in the 80's the crowd was not like the 1970's or the 1920's, I can just remember the 70's though we will need to ask an older poster about any of previous decades.

Is there anyone who could tell us? Maybe from a female perspective?

[leon]

The decline in singing and atmosphere has come with the increase in footie matches becoming a "family destination" as opposed to somewhere for pissed up twentysomethings (like I was) to go on a Saturday afternoon

Its's not what is was, but it is what it is.

Back in the 80's the crowd was not like the 1970's or the 1920's, I can just remember the 70's though we will need to ask an older poster about any of previous decades.

Is there anyone who could tell us? Maybe from a female perspective?

Yes I can from a female perspective.

All the men had side burns and sheepskin coats and were quite dishy if you liked the Harry H Corbett look.

[RoyallyFcuked]

Royally oxf*rd, what a fan two full seasons with st, funny best two seasons ever, finest plastic fan.

HA dont think so. We didnt know what the 05/06 season had in store when we first got the season tickets did we?

FYI I live over an hour and a half away from Reading, and been to home games plenty of times since then, just prefer aways.

Also I was born early 90s, and have already seen RFC play at about 25 away grounds so stick your plastic fan up your bollox.

[Will95]

Royally oxf*rd, what a fan two full seasons with st, funny best two seasons ever, finest plastic fan.

HA dont think so. We didnt know what the 05/06 season had in store when we first got the season tickets did we?

FYI I live over an hour and a half away from Reading, and been to home games plenty of times since then, just prefer aways.

Also I was born early 90s, and have already seen RFC play at about 25 away grounds so stick your plastic fan up your bollox.

If you want to dickwave, mid 90's and 50 away grounds

[RoyallyFcuked]

Royally oxf*rd, what a fan two full seasons with st, funny best two seasons ever, finest plastic fan.

HA dont think so. We didnt know what the 05/06 season had in store when we first got the season tickets did we?

FYI I live over an hour and a half away from Reading, and been to home games plenty of times since then, just prefer aways.

Also I was born early 90s, and have already seen RFC play at about 25 away grounds so stick your plastic fan up your bollox.

If you want to dickwave, mid 90's and 50 away grounds

Fair play, I'm only a year older than you. I've done 35 in total but only seen RFC play at I think 26 of those grounds. When was your first game?

Well on the way to doing the 92 anyway

[Will95]

HA dont think so. We didnt know what the 05/06 season had in store when we first got the season tickets did we?

FYI I live over an hour and a half away from Reading, and been to home games plenty of times since then, just prefer aways.

Also I was born early 90s, and have already seen RFC play at about 25 away grounds so stick your plastic fan up your bollox.

If you want to dickwave, mid 90's and 50 away grounds

Fair play, I'm only a year older than you. I've done 35 in total but only seen RFC play at I think 26 of those grounds. When was your first game?

Well on the way to doing the 92 anyway

First game was Reading-Gillingham back in 2000. Done 49 away, Wembley and home (MadStad) with Reading and England home and Switzerland away with them in September. Not that interesting tbh.

[RoyallyFcuked]

First game was Reading-Gillingham back in 2000. Done 49 away, Wembley and home (MadStad) with Reading and England home and Switzerland away with them in September. Not that interesting tbh.

My first was home to Bristol City in 2001. Yeah I've done Wembley with Reading and England as well. Probably wouldnt ever bother going to watch England again, unless perhaps at a major tournement (which would be just as disappointing)

I find going to different grounds pretty interesting though, if you dont, you probably shouldnt bother going.....

[leon]

this is like watching a dribbling competition

[AthleticoSpizz]

The decline in singing and atmosphere has come with the increase in footie matches becoming a "family destination" as opposed to somewhere for pissed up twentysomethings (like I was) to go on a Saturday afternoon

Bring back 3pm Saturday kick-offs for the season please Mr FA

Fed up with rearranging my life around SKY and their football KO timing preferrences at relatively short notice.

[Will95]

this is like watching a dribbling competition

Told you it wasn't interesting.

England home games are dull and just a way to get caps for the aways.