The Southbank sit down protest

[Norfolk Royal]

I remember going on the pitch* and yelling "Waller Out!" during the Thames Valley Royals discussions.

* this was at the end of a game though - I wasn't THAT brave!

A sort of Delia Smith style incident I would imagine.

[Branfoot Out]

I remember it well. A diabolical 3-1 defeat after Beavon had put Reading ahead. Results had been so poor that the South Bank had had enough. Each Notts County goal was cheered by the South Bank - utterly bizarre but the main aim was not a Reading win but to get Branfoot out. It wasn't the only game that this happened - I think Gillingham a couple of weeks later was the same with the home fans cheering on the away team. 88/89 had probably the worst football played at Reading in the last 30 years or so. Astonishingly, Branfoot survived for a few more months yet..

[Jerry St Clair]

88/89 had probably the worst football played at Reading in the last 30 years or so. Astonishingly, Branfoot survived for a few more months yet..

Worse than 1997-99?

Shiiiiiit........

[Royal Marine]

88/89 had probably the worst football played at Reading in the last 30 years or so. Astonishingly, Branfoot survived for a few more months yet..

Worse than 1997-99?

Shiiiiiit........

It's hard to describe how bad we were. At least in 97/98 we had a good first half of the season and had a sneaky little hope of a top 12 finish, then we imploded big time and well, the rest is history.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

I remember it well. A diabolical 3-1 defeat after Beavon had put Reading ahead. Results had been so poor that the South Bank had had enough. Each Notts County goal was cheered by the South Bank - utterly bizarre but the main aim was not a Reading win but to get Branfoot out. It wasn't the only game that this happened - I think Gillingham a couple of weeks later was the same with the home fans cheering on the away team. 88/89 had probably the worst football played at Reading in the last 30 years or so. Astonishingly, Branfoot survived for a few more months yet..

Yes would agree about the quality of football.

I think he was sacked at the start of the next season after we had been hammered 4-0 at Leyton Orient - was probably the worst away display I have ever seen.

[SpaceCruiser]

cos

*Because

It's slang.

[SLAMMED]

Actually it's a trigonometric function.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Getting to the ground and chanting Branfoot out before the game starts >>> chanting Branfoot out afterwards.

Disagree.

A spontaneous protest is much better than an organised one. It's just more real.

[farriersreg]

I remember it very well!

I was the one with the Megaphone and also one of the "delegation of 3" that went to meet Branfoot.

We were told by Annie Bassett that Branfoot would meet a small number of fans as representatives, providing the crowd dispersed.
I asked the "local constabulary" if I could pass on this message and said something. Also remember saying we would make a statement in the Evening Post on the following Monday.

That statement said that Branfoot should go by the end of the season, although the headline "We back Branfoot" was totally out of context with the Statement and still rankles with me now.

[Forbury Lion]

I remember buying the TTB Notts County Debate special a few weeks later.

IIRC there is a TTB archive online somewhere but I don't have it bookmarked.

[From Despair To Where?]

88/89 had probably the worst football played at Reading in the last 30 years or so. Astonishingly, Branfoot survived for a few more months yet..

Worse than 1997-99?

Shiiiiiit........

It's hard to describe how bad we were. At least in 97/98 we had a good first half of the season and had a sneaky little hope of a top 12 finish, then we imploded big time and well, the rest is history.

88/89 was awful. We were doing OK until about October then just collapsed. It took a second half comeback from 2-0 down at half time on the last day of the season to prevent relegation to Division 4..

However, IMO, 1990-91 was worse.

[tmesis]

I remember buying the TTB Notts County Debate special a few weeks later.

IIRC there is a TTB archive online somewhere but I don't have it bookmarked.

I've still got most of then in a box in the loft, from when I cleared out a lot of programmes a while back. I'm not going to go looking for the bugger though.

[tmesis]

88/89 was awful. We were doing OK until about October then just collapsed. It took a second half comeback from 2-0 down at half time on the last day of the season to prevent relegation to Division 4..

We were away at Chesterfield. They were below us in the table, and for them to stay up, they had to win and hope two or three results elsewhere went their way.

Apparently somebody went into their dressing room at half time and told them the other results were all against them, and they just lost heart completely.

[Mr Optimist]

88/89 was awful. We were doing OK until about October then just collapsed. It took a second half comeback from 2-0 down at half time on the last day of the season to prevent relegation to Division 4..

We were away at Chesterfield. They were below us in the table, and for them to stay up, they had to win and hope two or three results elsewhere went their way.

Apparently somebody went into their dressing room at half time and told them the other results were all against them, and they just lost heart completely.

I was at that match. lee Payne scored a couple I think and had his best of not many games for us. There was a pikey Chesterfield fan in our end who got in a bit of a scuffle with Kirbs and was dragged out. I remember one of his trainers had come off and someone lobbed it back at him as he was led away past the away end by the coppers. Great days, we'll sort of.

The permutations were all against us at half the me and as it stood we would Ho down. As it was I think we would have stayed up even if we had lost in the end and Chesterfield would've still gone down if they had won.

[Mr Optimist]

Just looked at the final table and scrap that, we would've gone down if we had lost. A draw would also have kept us up on goal difference but we would've gone down too if we had lost, didn't realise that. Memory playing tricks!

[RoyalBlue]

Can anyone remember this, I think it was in 1989 and no idea what game it was. All I can remember that it took place after the game that Reading had lost and quite a few fans were chanting "BRANFOOT OUT!!!"

Do I remember right that somebody came out with a megaphone to tell the fans to go home?

I think I was there and I remember looking upon it all with air of baffled curiosity cos I wasn't sure if it was going to make any difference. And I seem to remember marching with everybody round to the North stand.

Reason I'm talking about this is cos of the recent sackings in the Championship and no doubt the fans of those teams have been moaning about those managers etc etc.

Was this the occasion when Roger Smee then came out to speak to the protesters and stood right in the midst of us as we gathered outside the exit from the Town End into Norfolk Road? He acknowledged our concerns but then said 'he got us into this damn mess, so he can damn well get us out of it again'. Noble sentiments but unfortunately, as history tells us, it didn't work out that way.

[tmesis]

88/89 was awful. We were doing OK until about October then just collapsed. It took a second half comeback from 2-0 down at half time on the last day of the season to prevent relegation to Division 4..

We were away at Chesterfield. They were below us in the table, and for them to stay up, they had to win and hope two or three results elsewhere went their way.

Apparently somebody went into their dressing room at half time and told them the other results were all against them, and they just lost heart completely.

I was at that match. lee Payne scored a couple I think and had his best of not many games for us. There was a pikey Chesterfield fan in our end who got in a bit of a scuffle with Kirbs and was dragged out. I remember one of his trainers had come off and someone lobbed it back at him as he was led away past the away end by the coppers. Great days, we'll sort of.

The permutations were all against us at half the me and as it stood we would Ho down. As it was I think we would have stayed up even if we had lost in the end and Chesterfield would've still gone down if they had won.

There were a couple of Chesterfield fans in there (presumably different ones), and they were fine. They were chatting to us for the whole of the first half, but got taken out at the end of the second half when some Reading fan got annoyed about them for no reason at all.

When they were in our end they were 2-0 up. By the time they'd got to the home end, it was 2-2.

I think it was the same reading fan who complained to the police about us having a "Branfoot Out" banner, and got us to take it down.

There was also some national front types in there trying to recruit. They didn't get many takers.

[Mr Optimist]

Maybe it was one of the National Front types that Kirbs had a disagreement with, which would make sense thinking about it. He was some big fat greasy gypo looking bloke.

I do vaguely remember the Branfoot out banner now too, I think the guys with it were posties, I can't remember his name but a regular away fan at the time quite tall with blond hair trying to attach it to the fencing at the front of the away end....

[From Despair To Where?]

Just looked at the final table and scrap that, we would've gone down if we had lost. A draw would also have kept us up on goal difference but we would've gone down too if we had lost, didn't realise that. Memory playing tricks!

From memory, we started the day 5th bottom and Chesterfield would have leapfrogged us and sent us down if they'd won.

[grey_squirrel]

The Chesterfield game

http://www.getreading.co.uk/lifestyle/n ... ry/7229979

I'm in the crowd goal celebration phots!