Tonights reserve match.

[zac naloen]

Will there be any covereage on BBC berks tonight in regards to this match?

[shaka's shorts]

An interesting news story for you - a copy of the letter I have just sent to Boyd Butler

Dear Boyd Butler and team

Would you like to explain to my 7 year old son why he queued for an hour and a quarter to meet his heroes tonight and then at 7pm a steward closed the door and said "that is it - the players are off now"? He was distraught and was in tears for quite a while.

I also took my 2 nephews and niece tonight, saying that they would get to meet some premier league footballers and see a decent game. I can't see them wanting to come to see Reading again and I feel like I have let them down.

There was no communication to the people in the queue, no decent organisation (couldn't the players have spread out so that more kids could meet one player rather than some meeting none?) and the reason given for the players going at 7 was that Steve Coppell had told them to watch the game! What rubbish, I have been to plenty of reserve games and rarely have the first team players been to watch. The steward told me that the reason for the queue was that the players arrived 15 mins late - so couldn't they have stayed 15 mins late to delight a few more fans who idolise them?

I am sure you will say that you underestimated demand (that is probably why it took 45 mins to get a cup of tea too!), but it was not hard to predict that plenty of families would turn up to see a free game and meet their heroes in the school holidays.

One other minor point - why was there no team sheets or team announcements apart from that just before kick off? As we didn't get in until after the kick off (due to the cock up with the players), we like many others did not know who was playing. I knew the Reading squad but had no idea who was paying for Villa (I recognised Lee Hendrie).

I just hope you learn some lessons from this cock up.

If anyone from the club can give me a decent reason as to why my son, Tom went to bed asking why he didn't meet his heroes tonight then I'd love to hear it. I have Tom down on the waiting list to be a mascot, if and when his name comes up, I certainly hope that the experience will be better than it was tonight.

Nick Baggott (and Tom and James, aged 7 & 10)
Season ticket holders and fan for the last 33 years....

njbaggott@aol.com

[sack the manager]

Because the club cant organise a piss up in a brewery!!!

[Winchester Royal]

Unless they can charge £3.20 a pint, and charge £10 for entry, with 15 Royalty points thrown in.

If you buy the celebratory pint mug...

[The 17 Bus]

An interesting news story for you - a copy of the letter I have just sent to Boyd Butler

Dear Boyd Butler and team

Would you like to explain to my 7 year old son why he queued for an hour and a quarter to meet his heroes tonight and then at 7pm a steward closed the door and said "that is it - the players are off now"? He was distraught and was in tears for quite a while.

I also took my 2 nephews and niece tonight, saying that they would get to meet some premier league footballers and see a decent game. I can't see them wanting to come to see Reading again and I feel like I have let them down.

There was no communication to the people in the queue, no decent organisation (couldn't the players have spread out so that more kids could meet one player rather than some meeting none?) and the reason given for the players going at 7 was that Steve Coppell had told them to watch the game! What rubbish, I have been to plenty of reserve games and rarely have the first team players been to watch. The steward told me that the reason for the queue was that the players arrived 15 mins late - so couldn't they have stayed 15 mins late to delight a few more fans who idolise them?

I am sure you will say that you underestimated demand (that is probably why it took 45 mins to get a cup of tea too!), but it was not hard to predict that plenty of families would turn up to see a free game and meet their heroes in the school holidays.

One other minor point - why was there no team sheets or team announcements apart from that just before kick off? As we didn't get in until after the kick off (due to the cock up with the players), we like many others did not know who was playing. I knew the Reading squad but had no idea who was paying for Villa (I recognised Lee Hendrie).

I just hope you learn some lessons from this cock up.

If anyone from the club can give me a decent reason as to why my son, Tom went to bed asking why he didn't meet his heroes tonight then I'd love to hear it. I have Tom down on the waiting list to be a mascot, if and when his name comes up, I certainly hope that the experience will be better than it was tonight.

Nick Baggott (and Tom and James, aged 7 & 10)
Season ticket holders and fan for the last 33 years....

njbaggott@aol.com

You should send this straight to John Madejski as well,