Does anyone mind if we get relegated?

[Xavier Onassis]

The range of challenges in the Premiership is much greater. Not just from Man U to Derby, but also think about how different Newcastle are from, say, Everton; or Tottenham from Villa. We've competed well against Chelsea and Man U (even got a point of each) but never really been at the races v. Arsenal. Last week the star-studded attack of Toon, this week the grinding mediocrity of Fulham. In the Championship, the challenges are very samey. Get reasy for a dull procession of Leicester, Wolves, Southampton, Ipswich, Coventry. Every team offering the same physical, direct, mediocre football. All desperate to escape up to the promised land. Ever failure to get promoted feels like a relgation. No thanks.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

When aspiring teams like Portsmouth can lose £23m despite all the cash they get from Sky, then it goes to show that although the stakes are much higher so are the losses. I'd imagine there are similar cost for several other teams (West Ham, Wigan, Sunderland, ...)

How many prem clubs actually run at a profit? I can only think of Man U, Arsenal and Reading.

BBC South made a big thing about the SKY money NOT being included in those figures.

I think they meant this season's money, which is paid at the end of the year. I'm sure last year's would have been included.

[earleyroyal]

"Yes" because I support Reading and want them to carry on playing on the big stage against the best clubs.

"No" because I'm sick of the uncompetitive charade that is the Premier League, and all the hassles that it brings to being a supporter. I know from talking to other sets of fans that the Championship is a much more fun place to be a real supporter in many ways, and I'd love to be in a league which Reading has an actual chance of winning, instead of one where the only objective is to not be relegated.

So I'm really torn on this one - especially as I think that if we did go down we'd lose SC and several key players and so we'd take a massive step backwards in the "brick-by-brick" building.

But anyway , I still stand by my prediction (made months ago and reaffirmed many times since) that we will not go down this season, so the whole question is academic.

Can't put it better than that.

[Gordons Cumming]

I would mind, I have always minded, and every time have cried. I dont like the prem, same as DG, but would rather be here than not.

Fulham is such a must win game it is unbelieveable, as I cannot see any more points after in the last four games, said how hard the last four would be when the fixtures came out in June, they look even harder now.

Derby?

Looks harder than Watford home last seaon

Oh come on, this is the worst team in Premiership history. Surely we can't lose to them?

[LUX]

good thread, getting really down to our psyche. I would also care VERY MUCH, as a long-time fan. But I'd sweat equally over every match/possible result elsewhere if we were back in old Division 4.

[Thaumagurist*]

.

[The 17 Bus]

Oh come on, this is the worst team in Premiership history. Surely we can't lose to them?

OK I agree, Derby have won once at home all season, same as watford had won once away when we played them last season, looks like a gauranteed three points, same as the Bolton games were earlier this season.

[Alan Partridge]

Oh come on, this is the worst team in Premiership history. Surely we can't lose to them?

OK I agree, Derby have won once at home all season, same as watford had won once away when we played them last season, looks like a gauranteed three points, same as the Bolton games were earlier this season.

Just like Rotherham were the worst team in the CCC with 1 win all season before we played them that year.....

[LUX]

I think that even RTGs like me would dread needing a result at Derby .

[The 17 Bus]

I think that even RTGs like me would dread needing a result at Derby .

so long as you are buying the beers we will all be ok

[Schards#2]

It's not beyond the realms of possibility that we lose at Derby but to suggest it's one of the more difficult fixtures we could have had is just daft.

[LUX]

true Schards, of course.

I'll buy you a pint, 2-0, as usual with pleasure, if I'm there. I'm so fcking chicken that the only thing stopping me going is the thought of there being something on the result.

[Kes]

most Reading fans I speak to say how much more enjoyable it was in the Championship and league 1 mainly due to:

No hassle getting tickets
If you didn't like the person you were sitting next to you could easily move.
You could watch a game from the North/East/West stand as you could easily change seats.
More local derbies
Better p1ss up
Easier to get a beer and food
etc....

[Franchise FC]

most Reading fans I speak to say how much more enjoyable it was in the Championship and league 1 mainly due to:

No hassle getting tickets
If you didn't like the person you were sitting next to you could easily move.
You could watch a game from the North/East/West stand as you could easily change seats.
More local derbies
Better p1ss up
Easier to get a beer and food
etc....

Since you don't quote quailty of football in your list of priorities, I assume you'd be happy with crap football from BOTH sides in most games ?

[The 17 Bus]

It's not beyond the realms of possibility that we lose at Derby but to suggest it's one of the more difficult fixtures we could have had is just daft.

I would rather play an arsenal side with nothing to gain than a relegated side looking forward to next season, similar to how west Ham escaped last year.

[The Faith Healer]

Course I bl**dy mind!!

I've been supporting this club since 67/68 and much as I'd like to be able to roll up at 2.55 of a Saturday, stand on the South Bank and watch top division football, I accept that ain't going to happen.

I now live too far from Reading to be able to get to see games regularly and my visits to Reading are a bit unpredictable. My chances of being able to get to see a home game would be really enhanced if we went down a division or two..........
I'm enjoying this "First Division" dream mainly from afar and on the telly, but it's still a rich experience and relegation would feel very hollow. Not disaster, I suppose, for those of us who remember sparer times, but still an ugly kick somewhere painful.

Why wouldn't a fan mind if their team got relegated? Has something quite simple really become so sad and complicated?

[size 12]

Crazy question

The club has waited 135 years to get to the top league, and would we mind if we go back down to the anonymity of the FL? Absolutely right

We may never be beating the top sides on a regular basis, but I'd much rather pay to see Christiano Ronaldo, Rooney, Torres, Fabregas etc etc than some long ball merchants who have just been promoted from League 1

[earleyroyal]

Oh come on, this is the worst team in Premiership history. Surely we can't lose to them?

OK I agree, Derby have won once at home all season, same as watford had won once away when we played them last season, looks like a gauranteed three points, same as the Bolton games were earlier this season.

Just like Rotherham were the worst team in the CCC with 1 win all season before we played them that year.....

Even recent history should show us not to be overly confident about these games, which we 'should' win, especially near the end of the season when there's a lot on them. 04/05 we didn't win in 11 games, still only needed to win our last couple of games to get in the play-offs and lost those; Watford at home last year (of course that was an exception to a brilliant season but that was the one match we were all confident of winning); Rotherham '1 win all season'; lost at Bradford who were terrible the week after we beat West Ham in 03/04; 0-3 against Wimbledon that season. Most of these situations were 'easy' games or games we expected to win, Derby could well be similar to the Rotherham game if it comes down to that, especially if a win would take them above the low points record.

[Only one Trevor Morley]

Its a toughy this one - I'm in two minds.

Advatanges of staying up

Load of rubbish coming up - surely we'd stay up next season
More money (but has this helped us?)
Coppell stays - are we suffering the grass is greener syndome - or have times moved on
Best players will stay (say what you like but Shorey has created loads of assists)
Being where it counts and more exposure
We dont do a Southmapton, Notts Forest, leciester, Coventry, Swindon, Bradford and freefall through the divisions
Better the devil you know

Advantages of relegation

everything has gone stale, we need a changer of leadership and a change of players - relegations makes that more likely

Blackpool Carlisle and Barnsley away days

More fun - no premiership

Back at our proper level - with a chance to be challenging for success again

Player drain will mean young players get a chance

more exciting football and attacking chances

Those advantages to Championship football dont half look tempting. But I can't stop focuing on the biggest advantages of staying up - that we wont then freefall through the divisions (a real risk in my opinion - so many teams fail to adapt). The BAWTG (black and white tinted glasses) brigade would have it that everything was so much more fun when there were 3,000 at Elm Park in the biting wind as we drew 0-0 with Chester. it wasnt - I was there. yes the anecdotes were better, but the football wasnt. Playing in League 1 in front of 12,000 with a load of cloggers wouldn't be fun.

BUT, the wind of change do need to blow. Its all gone stale. Coppell will be the best manager Reading ever have - but every dog has his day. The team of 2005/06 still lives on I want to be applauding that team in 20 years time when a portly Hahnemann and youthful Harper 'oooh, he hasnt changed a bit' stride out as we remember the greats.

So for me the best thing would be to avoid relegation, but to wave a fond farewell to Coppell and let a new manager ransack the team. Yes it might lead to further problems as the new team fails to gel - but at least we'd have had an extrea year in the premiership to experiment rather than do a leicester and flirt with relegation to League 1

I cant believe that I've said that the time has come for Coppell to go. He is the best we will ever have. That how I want to remember him. As an equally uncharismatic (but less successful) PM one said - when the curtain falls its time to leave the stage.....

Our current position is like the credit crunch - all the indicators are bad but the big explosion is yet to happen. That explosion is relegation. I'd rather we'd avoid it - but if we do and dont then radically change we then deserve to do worse than Derby next season

[Stranded]

Haven't we had this already?

If we go down, the only goal is to get back up and then we start again in the Prem at some point but probably worse off in comparison. So it would be better to stay up, learn the mistakes and rebuild here.