New Stadium

[St Pauli]

The sooner RFC moves into the Palmer Park Stadium the better.

Could give the area just the shot in the arm it needs.

All of Reading's best pubs are in East Reading and near to Palmer Park.

Away fans could go for a dip in the pool at the Jolly Anglers before attending the game, which would be good for the Dirty Northern bastards as it would wash away some of the dirt.

Away fans arriving by narrow boat or indeed any river bound boat could moor up at the Bel and Dragon for drinks brefore attending the game.

Ye Babam Ye (Est 1985) would have a secure future for another 36 years at least.

Tutu's Ethiopian Table cafe would spread the joy of Ethiopian cuisine throughout the fans of the football league.

The stadium would also have a public library nearby in the form of Palmer Park Library. How many away days have we all been on where the lack of a reading room within close walking distance of the ground has ruined the day?

Any fans killed in football related violence could immediately be buried in the Cemetery at Cemetery Junction with little bother or fuss.

[Scutterbucketz]

They should have put it where Toys R Us used to be. There was only that Homebase and a few shit warehouses in the area at the time. But that would have meant having to pay money for the land, which JM wasn’t keen to do.

[RoyalBlue]

The sooner RFC moves into the Palmer Park Stadium the better.

Could give the area just the shot in the arm it needs.

All of Reading's best pubs are in East Reading and near to Palmer Park.

Away fans could go for a dip in the pool at the Jolly Anglers before attending the game, which would be good for the Dirty Northern bastards as it would wash away some of the dirt.

Away fans arriving by narrow boat or indeed any river bound boat could moor up at the Bel and Dragon for drinks brefore attending the game.

Ye Babam Ye (Est 1985) would have a secure future for another 36 years at least.

Tutu's Ethiopian Table cafe would spread the joy of Ethiopian cuisine throughout the fans of the football league.

The stadium would also have a public library nearby in the form of Palmer Park Library. How many away days have we all been on where the lack of a reading room within close walking distance of the ground has ruined the day?

Any fans killed in football related violence could immediately be buried in the Cemetery at Cemetery Junction with little bother or fuss.

I think this tongue in cheek response actually addresses the issue very well. Personally I don't think much is broke and nothing needs such a major fix as that suggested. Personally I don't give a **** about what visiting fans think; most occupy glass houses that would make Crystal Palace envious.

[RoyalBlue]

They should have put it where Toys R Us used to be. There was only that Homebase and a few shit warehouses in the area at the time. But that would have meant having to pay money for the land, which JM wasn’t keen to do.

Unless my memory is failing me I think our stadium pre-dates those changes. Wasn't the site occupied by the buildings and car parks of a big Tech company? (can't recall the name). And I really can't see how things would be much different from what they are now, even if it had been possible to site the stadium there at the time.

[Jagermesiter1871]

It’s just that finances, getting to the ground, parking, the utter cr@pness of public transport and the fact there’s no free space in the town (without building on public “green” areas or knocking down an area of office space or dilapidated housing) might prevent such a move.

Therefore the club will never move back into the urban centre that is Reading and should instead clean, update and improve what it currently has if there’s ever any money available.

Alternatively the club could have a “home” in each town in its catchment area and play home games at each so 1 game in Reading, the next in Hungerford, then Bracknell, then Newbury, then Basingstoke, then Wokingham, then Slough then back to Reading again. Be interesting to see Reading v Millwall at Bottom Meadow….

At the end of the day Reading’s tired soulless plastic spakkerdome is pretty much the same as all the other tired soulless plastic spakkerdomes that have been built since the 1980s.

I've already highlighted a suitable in town site with good transport links that doesn't require anything being knocked down.

My idea was better.

Isn't part of RBH listed? It's a non starter.

[SWLR]

We should move to a more central site, and with safe-standing, should build a crumbling concrete bowl on 3 sides with a fire trap of a main stand. The toilets will be built at the top of the bowl so they can overflow down the terrace, that aroma will add to the stench of fried onions.. and with a tin roof that means 50 people singing sounds like... 50 people singing. Open ends will give hardier souls something else to moan about - and all can reminisce about the good old days in a comfortable seat, with an unrestricted view, Premier League football, local community not terrorised.. ahh, those were the days.

[Brogue]

I've already highlighted a suitable in town site with good transport links that doesn't require anything being knocked down.

My idea was better.

Isn't part of RBH listed? It's a non starter.

That can be the entrance to the north stand.

[Scutterbucketz]

They should have put it where Toys R Us used to be. There was only that Homebase and a few shit warehouses in the area at the time. But that would have meant having to pay money for the land, which JM wasn’t keen to do.

Unless my memory is failing me I think our stadium pre-dates those changes. Wasn't the site occupied by the buildings and car parks of a big Tech company? (can't recall the name). And I really can't see how things would be much different from what they are now, even if it had been possible to site the stadium there at the time.

I’m talking about the Toys R Us by the prison in town. Next to the canal. It’s now going to be a huge flats complex.

[Jagermesiter1871]

We should move to a more central site, and with safe-standing, should build a crumbling concrete bowl on 3 sides with a fire trap of a main stand. The toilets will be built at the top of the bowl so they can overflow down the terrace, that aroma will add to the stench of fried onions.. and with a tin roof that means 50 people singing sounds like... 50 people singing. Open ends will give hardier souls something else to moan about - and all can reminisce about the good old days in a comfortable seat, with an unrestricted view, Premier League football, local community not terrorised.. ahh, those were the days.

I like it! Make it happen

[Elm Park Kid]

I do think that Reading misses out on a large section of potential fans who would go along to a game as part of a day's drinking if the ground was in a more convenient location for it. Guys that meet their mates in a town centre Saturday lunchtime and would be tempted to go to the match if it involved a 15/20 min walk and a decent local pub, rather than a basically 4 hour period in which they'll be lucky to get a couple of £5 pints in.

[From Despair To Where?]

The sooner RFC moves into the Palmer Park Stadium the better.

Could give the area just the shot in the arm it needs.

All of Reading's best pubs are in East Reading and near to Palmer Park.

Away fans could go for a dip in the pool at the Jolly Anglers before attending the game, which would be good for the Dirty Northern bastards as it would wash away some of the dirt.

Away fans arriving by narrow boat or indeed any river bound boat could moor up at the Bel and Dragon for drinks brefore attending the game.

Ye Babam Ye (Est 1985) would have a secure future for another 36 years at least.

Tutu's Ethiopian Table cafe would spread the joy of Ethiopian cuisine throughout the fans of the football league.

The stadium would also have a public library nearby in the form of Palmer Park Library. How many away days have we all been on where the lack of a reading room within close walking distance of the ground has ruined the day?

Any fans killed in football related violence could immediately be buried in the Cemetery at Cemetery Junction with little bother or fuss.

Ye Babam Ye used to be the best kebab house in Reading.

I used to work with Tutu about 25 years ago.

[Kitsondinho]

The location is shit but I think you're kidding yourselves if you think a move a mile up the road will really make any difference to the overall matchday experience - even if such a plot of land were ever to come up and the council grant planning on it.

Have a look at a club like Derby - sure it's gr8 being able to walk back into city centre pubs in 20 minutes - but the actual stadium is the same as any other modern stadium - just car parks, A roads and Frankie & Bennies as far as the eye can see.

And traffic at a standstill for miles around every time there is a home game….I always get the train, even though the timetable to and from Chesterfield is ‘patchy’ at best…Don’t they think about football fans?!

This thread is crazy talk as we’ll be at the Select Mad Car Stad until we go bust (in a year or two…)

[Jagermesiter1871]

Yeh I was thinking just that but at least with the Dai owning the ground the Phoenix club can start out at Scours Lane. Imagine the rivalry with Reading City FC. All kicking off at Tylers Rest. Prematch food at Vals Cafe.

I honesty think the next few years could be peak Reading FC fan times; league 1 for a season with Oxford, Wycombe etc to play. Then bankrupt straight into the Hellenic Football League Premier Division for proper dirty rivalaries with City FC scum.

[Snowflake Royal]

Christ the traffic is bad enough trying to get 16k into the out of town Madejski.

It would be carnage trying to get 23k into a town centre stadium for a Saturday 3 or 5pm kick off.

We've only had the stadium 20
years. And who cares if a few away plebs think it's soulless and hard to get to. Iirc it's one of the better visited Championship grounds for away fans, so it can't be that bad. Soulless just translates to new.

This is probably one of the worst suggestions Hobnob has seen in decades.

[Hound]

They should have put it where Toys R Us used to be. There was only that Homebase and a few shit warehouses in the area at the time. But that would have meant having to pay money for the land, which JM wasn’t keen to do.

Unless my memory is failing me I think our stadium pre-dates those changes. Wasn't the site occupied by the buildings and car parks of a big Tech company? (can't recall the name). And I really can't see how things would be much different from what they are now, even if it had been possible to site the stadium there at the time.

I’m talking about the Toys R Us by the prison in town. Next to the canal. It’s now going to be a huge flats complex.

Is that site actually big enough? Can't imagine the land would have been cheap and it would be a traffic jam nightmare for miles around if there was parking on site

[Whore Jackie]

Reckon it is. You'd have to re-route Kenavon Drive closer to the rail lines, but as Scuttz said, there was only Toys R Us and Homebase there for ages. Then they built the flats either side of Gas Works Road and then Decathlon/McDonald's etc followed several years later. Still loads of derelict space behind them.

Could have had a mini Everton/Bramley-Moore Dock on the banks of the Kennet.

[Green]

Christ the traffic is bad enough trying to get 16k into the out of town Madejski.

It would be carnage trying to get 23k into a town centre stadium for a Saturday 3 or 5pm kick off.

We've only had the stadium 20
years. And who cares if a few away plebs think it's soulless and hard to get to. Iirc it's one of the better visited Championship grounds for away fans, so it can't be that bad. Soulless just translates to new.

This is probably one of the worst suggestions Hobnob has seen in decades.

Not sure about this argument - feels like it's too easy to drive and park at the moment, and public transport is too difficult, so you have the resulting traffic with huge numbers of supporters choosing to travel to games via private motor car.

This would be flipped on its head if the ground were up in town.

[muirinho]

Christ the traffic is bad enough trying to get 16k into the out of town Madejski.

It would be carnage trying to get 23k into a town centre stadium for a Saturday 3 or 5pm kick off.

We've only had the stadium 20
years. And who cares if a few away plebs think it's soulless and hard to get to. Iirc it's one of the better visited Championship grounds for away fans, so it can't be that bad. Soulless just translates to new.

This is probably one of the worst suggestions Hobnob has seen in decades.

Not sure about this argument - feels like it's too easy to drive and park at the moment, and public transport is too difficult, so you have the resulting traffic with huge numbers of supporters choosing to travel to games via private motor car.

This would be flipped on its head if the ground were up in town.

Judging by the reaction on here and elsewhere anytime there's even a hint at making driving to the stadium more difficult, I think the people who drive will continue to drive, but will complain bitterly about the traffic.
As always - anybody complaining about the traffic IS the traffic, but somehow, it's only the other cars/drivers that are the problem.

(non-car-driver here - can you tell? )

[Snowflake Royal]

Christ the traffic is bad enough trying to get 16k into the out of town Madejski.

It would be carnage trying to get 23k into a town centre stadium for a Saturday 3 or 5pm kick off.

We've only had the stadium 20
years. And who cares if a few away plebs think it's soulless and hard to get to. Iirc it's one of the better visited Championship grounds for away fans, so it can't be that bad. Soulless just translates to new.

This is probably one of the worst suggestions Hobnob has seen in decades.

Not sure about this argument - feels like it's too easy to drive and park at the moment, and public transport is too difficult, so you have the resulting traffic with huge numbers of supporters choosing to travel to games via private motor car.

This would be flipped on its head if the ground were up in town.

Judging by the reaction on here and elsewhere anytime there's even a hint at making driving to the stadium more difficult, I think the people who drive will continue to drive, but will complain bitterly about the traffic.
As always - anybody complaining about the traffic IS the traffic, but somehow, it's only the other cars/drivers that are the problem.

(non-car-driver here - can you tell? )

Lol +1

[Jagermesiter1871]

I for one would never get public transport to Mad Stad. Would get public transport every week if in town.