Opposition fans back from the game - 24/25 page 225 onwards

[Snowflake Royal]

Didn’t hudders manage that the year they went up (beating us who had a +0 GD) iirc

2016-17, Huddersfield finished in 5th with a -2 goal difference. Reading were 3rd, 4 points better off (85) with a +4 goal difference.

Next, anyone ever been relegated with a positive goal difference?

Sheffield Utd in 1981 relegated to Division 4 with a +2 goal difference. (65-63). They missed a penalty in the 89th minute of the final game which would have kept them up.

Trumping that though is,Man City in 1937/38 getting relegated the year after winning the title with a +3 goal difference. 80 - 77. They had 2 7-1 and 1 6-1 wins.

Relegated with 80 (EIGHTY!) for!?

[tidus_mi2]

2016-17, Huddersfield finished in 5th with a -2 goal difference. Reading were 3rd, 4 points better off (85) with a +4 goal difference.

Next, anyone ever been relegated with a positive goal difference?

Sheffield Utd in 1981 relegated to Division 4 with a +2 goal difference. (65-63). They missed a penalty in the 89th minute of the final game which would have kept them up.

Trumping that though is,Man City in 1937/38 getting relegated the year after winning the title with a +3 goal difference. 80 - 77. They had 2 7-1 and 1 6-1 wins.

Relegated with 80 (EIGHTY!) for!?

Back in those days weren't high scoring games a far more common occurrence?

[tidus_mi2]

It's actually interesting to look at those old tables to see how important home advantage was, take that 1937/38 example, no teams had more home losses than home wins and only 1 team had more away wins than away losses.

[From Despair To Where?]

Also the era of the WM formation, so less defensive and, not forgetting, an era of no substitutions and where it was nigh on impossible get sent off for all but the most blatant display of on pitch thuggery.

There's other factors like teams travelled to away games by train on the day of the match.

[From Despair To Where?]

Sheffield Utd in 1981 relegated to Division 4 with a +2 goal difference. (65-63). They missed a penalty in the 89th minute of the final game which would have kept them up.

Trumping that though is,Man City in 1937/38 getting relegated the year after winning the title with a +3 goal difference. 80 - 77. They had 2 7-1 and 1 6-1 wins.

Relegated with 80 (EIGHTY!) for!?

Back in those days weren't high scoring games a far more common occurrence?

If you look at that season, City were top scorers and Arsenal and Everton were the only other teams to score more goals than West Brom, who finished bottom. They both got the equivalent of 50pts in a 42 game season. Champions Arsenal got the equivalent of 73pts.

If it was 3pts for a win, Birmingham in 18th, would have finished bottom.

I think it's brilliant all the rabbit holes you can disappear down just looking at this sort of stuff. How about Aston Villa in 1930/31? 42 games, 128 for, 78 against. 206 goals

[Snowflake Royal]

Relegated with 80 (EIGHTY!) for!?

Back in those days weren't high scoring games a far more common occurrence?

If you look at that season, City were top scorers and Arsenal and Everton were the only other teams to score more goals than West Brom, who finished bottom. They both got the equivalent of 50pts in a 42 game season. Champions Arsenal got the equivalent of 73pts.

If it was 3pts for a win, Birmingham in 18th, would have finished bottom.

I think it's brilliant all the rabbit holes you can disappear down just looking at this sort of stuff. How about Aston Villa in 1930/31? 42 games, 128 for, 78 against. 206 goals

Jesus. That’s incredible stuff.

[Winston Biscuit]

Sheffield Utd in 1981 relegated to Division 4 with a +2 goal difference. (65-63). They missed a penalty in the 89th minute of the final game which would have kept them up.

Trumping that though is,Man City in 1937/38 getting relegated the year after winning the title with a +3 goal difference. 80 - 77. They had 2 7-1 and 1 6-1 wins.

Relegated with 80 (EIGHTY!) for!?

Back in those days weren't high scoring games a far more common occurrence?

The offside rule changed in 1925 meaning only 2 players were needed between attacker and goal to be onside, and while formations began changing slightly to try and deal with it, the very attacking tactics used up until that point (to try and deal with the the previous offide rule of 3 players needed between attacker and goal) remained and so you effectively had a relaxing of the offside rule but a maintaining of the attacking mentality and this pushed average goals per game from 2.5 to 3.5 overnight.

teams focused heavily on this new loosening of the law and went all out attack and the top goalscorer had 43 goals in the first season this came in, compared to 31 the season before. 3 seasons after it came in Dixie Dean smashed the record with 60 league goals in a season.

This lead to teams considering their defense being much more of a tactical part of the game that could be used to stop opponents scoring, and within 10 years of the law changing formations had gone from 2 defenders and 5 forwards to 3 or even 4 defenders and 3 attackers.

halcyon days for your goal machines

[Winston Biscuit]

Here is our old timey football thread for anyone that enjoys football from a very different time period
https://hobnob.royals.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=188508

[windermereROYAL]

Reading are possibly the most pointless club in the country.

They were absolutely shite last night. That lump upfront is hopeless.


I class them in the MK Dons category - utterly pointless with no real identity. Not sure what size there stadium is but it's too big.

Reading their forum they seem to have a load of bed wetters same as us . Hope some of our fans can show a bit patience like. Im happy with building this season so games like last night mighty enjoyable. Looking forward to seeing how the squad develops

Well you get clueless posters on every team’s forum, just look at here.

Imagine supporting Reading and calling others nothing clubs

They’re the definition of the oxf*rd


I would be questioning my life if I supported Reading

If I was a Reading supporter, I'd be looking much more at how many points from the relegation zone we were, rather than promotion or play-off places. You can only go on what you've seen and that was the worst home performance I've seen from any side in a long time. They made it look like we were Man City travelling down there for a cup-tie.


were they missing some key players or something?

honestly felt like we more men on the pitch at times. i'd be furious if i was a reading fan with that showing. they didn't want to be there


It is a sad state of affairs when your team has 100% home record is sitting 4th in the league and you can only muster 10,000 to half fill the stadium. It's not an indication of their being a real appetite for football in that part of the world. It must be disheartening for those who do go.


Doesn't help that their ground is miles from the city center and where people live

I've said for years that it will come back and bite clubs on the arse. I bet there is hardly any lads under the age of 20 that actually feel any excitement about the club.. no pubs around, no way to walk from home / town to the match, no way for young groups of lads to go without taking busses, no identity or sense of community... If you don't get hooked when you are in your early teens then you'll never fall in love with it.. give it another 20 years and there'll be a massive section of age group support missing .

[Millsy]

Reading are possibly the most pointless club in the country.

They were absolutely shite last night. That lump upfront is hopeless.


I class them in the MK Dons category - utterly pointless with no real identity. Not sure what size there stadium is but it's too big.

Reading their forum they seem to have a load of bed wetters same as us . Hope some of our fans can show a bit patience like. Im happy with building this season so games like last night mighty enjoyable. Looking forward to seeing how the squad develops

I think they're spot on.

[Hound]

Do find it a bit weird calling a club who have been around since mid 19th c like MK. Nevermind

Actually chatted to a couple of Sunderland lads walking up and they were very friendly. They Also chatted pleasantly to a young lady who obvs had learning difficulties who was saying we’d thrash them and they were rubbish etc

All teams have their idiot fans really

[windermereROYAL]

I left 15 minutes early and a couple of Sunderland fans passed me going down the hill, well I suppose it is a long drive home.

[Silver Fox]

Reading their forum they seem to have a load of bed wetters same as us .

At least we know they're definitely telling the truth about looking on here

[JedMaxwell]

Every forum is full of people proclaiming their club to be the pinnacle of the sport, and every other club is shit and useless etc. There are lots who pride themselves on big following so will always comment on attendances, and then others who bemoan the stadium not being in the middle of town. I'm pretty sure the Stadium of Light isn't exactly just off a town square, but that's by the by.

Individually, most supporters other than the coked-up fake hoolies in their market-bought Stone Island will have a quick chat about the game if the opportunity arises - it's what brings us all together. I spoke to a couple of Sunderland supporters who were friendly and probably would have been had the game been reversed.

Ultimately football's a silly game for children and that's why we all love it.

[RoyalBlue]

I left 15 minutes early and a couple of Sunderland fans passed me going down the hill, well I suppose it is a long drive home.

London isn't that far although the M4 was closed.

To be fair to those who did travel all of the way from Sunderland, I suspect a fair number may be making a short break of it and taking in their visit to Watford at the weekend too.

[From Despair To Where?]

Fcuk me, I remember there was a time on MOTD when they had a "How early will the Sunderland fans start walking out this week?" feature.

I've even witnessed it first hand myself and they were top of the league at the time.

To be fair, Sunderland do have a large exiled fan base. If I grew up there, I'd want to leave pretty sharpish too.

Stadium too big?

Stadium Of Light capacity 49,000
Average attendance 30,000

Actually, to be fair, theyre averagjng 37,000 this season but that's 10,000 higher than their last season in the Championship

[URZZZZ]

Do find it a bit weird calling a club who have been around since mid 19th c like MK. Nevermind

Actually chatted to a couple of Sunderland lads walking up and they were very friendly. They Also chatted pleasantly to a young lady who obvs had learning difficulties who was saying we’d thrash them and they were rubbish etc

All teams have their idiot fans really

Attendance etc is one of the most dull debates going. Find people’s obsession over it really odd

[tmesis]

Do find it a bit weird calling a club who have been around since mid 19th c like MK. Nevermind

Actually chatted to a couple of Sunderland lads walking up and they were very friendly. They Also chatted pleasantly to a young lady who obvs had learning difficulties who was saying we’d thrash them and they were rubbish etc

All teams have their idiot fans really

Attendance etc is one of the most dull debates going. Find people’s obsession over it really odd

We've also had our support ground down in what had mostly been an awful decade of football, seemingly losing more games at home than we win most seasons.

Throw in clueless owners, and a succession of teams that didn't look like they cared, and we've lost a large number of long-term supporters who've just had enough, and those are really really hard to win back.

We may have been well placed in the table, but only the most naive or wildly optimistic of fans seriously thinks we might mount a promotion push this season.


I would say if there is a divide between our fanbase and ones at other clubs, and I'd include Sunderland in that, it's that we don't tend to have fans who perpetually believe that the good times are just around the corner.

[Jackson Corner]

Heard it all before I remember once they scored 3 own goals against charlton after 30 minutes the ground was empty. It’s amazing what short memories football fans have They have just spent the last four seasons in the third tier of English football. Quite honestly the rubbish we played the last four seasons it’s amazing anybody bothers to go, just when we think maybe A small light of hope they go and turn in A performance like that, just to remind us we are in for yet another depressing season.

[Lower West]

Do find it a bit weird calling a club who have been around since mid 19th c like MK. Nevermind

Actually chatted to a couple of Sunderland lads walking up and they were very friendly. They Also chatted pleasantly to a young lady who obvs had learning difficulties who was saying we’d thrash them and they were rubbish etc

All teams have their idiot fans really

Attendance etc is one of the most dull debates going. Find people’s obsession over it really odd

For teams in the lower leagues it's the greatest source of revenue. Ultimately impacts the entire financial well being of the club. Decline can be self perpetuating.