Are we ever good on TV?

[muirinho]

Genuine question.

I'm talking here about bog-standard League games by the way - not FA cup qtr finals, or play-offs or whatever, as they have a different dynamic.
I can never remember which games were televised, as I don't have sky anyway. But my hazy recollections seem to point to us always being absolute rubbish (except maybe HRK ) anytime the game is televised.

Anybody got any stats or anything?

[genome]

Reading 5-1 Ipswich springs to mind...

[muirinho]

Reading 5-1 Ipswich springs to mind...

Doh! Didn't know that was televised cos I was there. Delete thread....

[Hound]

generally no though. Hull away last year in the first half we were very good before injuries etc did us in.

[Zammo]

The three play-off finals.................................oh

[Top Flight]

Reading 4 Wolves 2

That was televised. That was an exciting, very entertaining game on ITV.

Also, Reading 3 Nottm Forest 3. What a game that was. Also televised.
James Lambert going past everyone and scoring a Messi style goal. Dave Beasant was between the sticks for Forest until he got sent off.

[Top Flight]

What about Sheffield Utd 0 Reading 1

Nicky Forsters scorcher.

We've had some great games on the TV. It's just that they are from a different era.

What about our win at St Mary's under McDermott. What a game that was. Adam LeFondre!

[Top Flight]

We beat Man City at home on the box in our first ever televised Premier League encounter. Another great win for the Royals.

[genome]

Reading 4 Wolves 2

That was televised. That was an exciting, very entertaining game on ITV.

Also, Reading 3 Nottm Forest 3. What a game that was. Also televised.
James Lambert going past everyone and scoring a Messi style goal. Dave Beasant was between the sticks for Forest until he got sent off.

That was the game with which I fell in love with football, as an 8 year old. I was there in the Tilehurst End, just behind the goal. It had everything.

Don't forget the Steve Stone open goal miss.

[Top Flight]

I can't remember if any of our games with West Ham were televised. But there was the occassion of Kitson's hattrick. Our superb win at Upton Park in McDermott's title winning year. The 6 nil thrashing in the Premier League. Surely one of those must have been televised.

[Top Flight]

I think the 6 nil game was at least the first game shown on Match of the Day that night.

[SCIAG]

McCleary running the show at Loftus Road a few years ago.

[Z175]

I always think this - but then I suppose I'm generally there if it is a home game. Away games against tough opposition are more likely to be on tv...

Until Bristol City we hadn't won an away midweek game for over a year, and last nights defeat means I think that we have not won in 9 attempts, with 6 defeats, on a Thursday since 1991 (according to the BBC preview).

I think the curse is actually "midweek", not TV. It's just we are rarely televised on the weekend.

I have a theory that upsets are more common midweek - so for a team that has been pretty successful over the past 17 years it might be more the case we are just very good on Saturdays...

Over to Strap?!

[Royal Tezza]

Occasionally, and sometimes when it has mattered most:

Soton 1-3 Reading
Liverpool 1-2 Reading
Cardiff 0-3 Reading

[wiggso]

I can't remember if any of our games with West Ham were televised. But there was the occassion of Kitson's hattrick. Our superb win at Upton Park in McDermott's title winning year. The 6 nil thrashing in the Premier League. Surely one of those must have been televised.

The one where Kitson scored 2 - 2004 i believe, Pardew's 1st trip back (i think) when he took Marlon Harewood off in the 1st half. That was on TV.

[Four Of Clubs]

... two more I can think off -

i) 14/15 'closer' - lunchtime KO (as were all Chump games that day of course) at the IProd or whatever .... 3-0 vs Rams (Appiah, Hector, McCleary) after a dog-turd of a season and a run of 6 defeats and three draws - a totally unrecognisable Royals turned up that AM - got a tantalising glimpse of the 'lesser disappearing flying Fosu.'

... dashed down the M3 about the hour mark when it was clear the Rams had packed it in - listened to a surprisingly strong Radio Baaaarks signal and bowled up at Hamble Club v Headley.
Visiting coach running the line (Hants League where usually only the Ref is a league 'official') was a Tractor Boy and so delighted with our win as it kept them in the POs - he offered to buy us a drink at H/T. I pointed out it would have to wait a year or two, as the home side hadn't built their clubhouse yet!
(Hamble are now a full fledged and very succesful Wessex Div One club - about to get a 2nd successive promotion to the Premier league.)

ii) EXACTLY SEVEN Years ago TODAY !!! - wasn't 'that replay' on live? - watching Gylfi, ShLong and St Brynjar dump the Dippers out of the Cup - turning it round from Plastic's unfortunate OG from 'slippy's' scuffed and shanked cross.

[CountryRoyal]

We were on TV for West Ham and Southampton away in 11/12.

[Sutekh]

And our next game on the telly is a trip to Bigclub & Hove Albion

On the bright side it means we dont necessarily have to trek to that cr@phole of a ground but on the downside it's on the telly, we'll be truly awful and all the Bigclub fans will be laughing at tinpot Reading again as Norwood belts in the winner

[Gunny Fishcake]

We were on TV for West Ham and Southampton away in 11/12.

I still consider that Southampton game , when we beat them 3-1 and Le Fondre got a brace, as one of the best games and night I've ever had as a long time fan , what a night that was .

[Saaaaaaaammmmmm]

THE DEFINITIVE STATS FOR READING ON THE TELLY (well since 2008)

Since our relegation to the Football League in 2008, we have been on television a total of 41 times (excluding overseas broadcasts, playoffs and cup games)

It breaks down to...

Played: 41
Won: 14
Drawn: 13
Lost: 14
Scored: 59
Conceded: 52
Points Per Game: 1.3

However I think it's most interesting when it's looked at home and away...

Home: P24 W6 D9 L9 - 1.1 PPG (Championship Season = 50 Points)
Away: P17 W8 D4 L5 - 1.6 PPG (Championship Season = 73 Points)

Not only is there a large disparity in the split of home/away games picked for television (nearly 60% of our TV games are at the Madejski Stadium), there is an even bigger chasm in terms of results. With a home record of 1.1 PPG since 2008/09, it would give us just 50 points over the course of a Football League season. The last time we finished a campaign with less than 50 points was 1997/98, when we were relegated. Only twice in the last THIRTY seasons have we finished with less than that amount in a 46-game season, both seasons we finished BOTTOM of the league

In contrast, our away record of 1.6 PPG would have us with a season total of 73 points, NEVER have we reached the playoffs or been promoted with less points, and to give this record even more standing, we won the league with an away record of 1.8 PPG in 2011/12

And season by season...

2008/09 - Nine Games
P9 W4 D3 L2

2009/10 - Three Games
P3 W1 D0 L2

2010/11 - Four Games
P4 W1 D2 L1

2011/12 - Five Games
P5 W4 D1 L0

2012/13 - Eight Games (Premier League)
P8 W0 D2 L6

2013/14 - Five Games
P5 W1 D4 L0

2014/15 - Two Games
P2 W1 D1 L0

2015/16 - Three Games
P3 W1 D0 L2

2016/17 - Two Games (Incomplete)
P2 W1 D0 L1

Interesting facts...

- Despite broadcasting rights being shared amongst multiple channels in this time period, Sky Sports have broadcast 39 of the 41 games televised since our relegation in 2008 (Man Utd 2012/13 Home & Away - ESPN)

- In only two of our last nine seasons have we won more than ONE televised game

- Nigel Adkins won just one televised game (away to QPR Feb 2014), Steve Clarke lost just one (home to QPR Dec 2015), it got him sacked

- When we were beaten by QPR at home last season, it ended a run of FOURTEEN games unbeaten in televised Football League encounters, stretching back to another home QPR defeat in 2010/11, a run of 4 years 9 months, or 1763 days without witnessing a televised Championship defeat. We then immediately lost the next one just 13 days later (away to Hull Dec 2015)

- In between that run however, came a Premier League campaign in which we failed to win a single televised game, the only season that has happened. We also lost every televised game that season that wasn't against QPR (Sky broadcast a 1-1 away draw, followed by a 0-0 in the return fixture)

- FIVE of our last thirteen televised games have been against QPR (38%)

- In total we have played QPR on television EIGHT times in nine seasons, although only seven of those nine seasons were we in the same division. There have been ELEVEN goals scored in those eight games, with an aggregate of 5-6 in favour of QPR

- Basically, QPR QPR QPR