They backed out of the stadium expansion because we got relegated. According to the BBC article at the time planning permission was approved, work was planned to start in the summer of 2008: Reading have been granted permission to extend the capacity of the Madejski Stadium from 24,045 to 38,000. T...

... My one criticism of NH was that when the time came to push on in 2007 he couldn't really think big enough - but that's also something to be held against SJM , especially as there wasn't the money to do what they needed due to the latter's publishing and property failures. Would actually say tha...

From Dai, Good luck Nige taking Cohig on in court, the bloke knows his way around a court room, you will blow a 100K and walk away with nothing. Desperate stuff from Howe then. Depends on what Howe’s contract was really. It’s not likely Dai was directly paying him from his own pocket to broker any ...

It saddens me the grief Nigel gets, he was after all the key decision maker when getting us to the top flight twice - despite SJM signing the cheques. Couhig took exception to Nigel not wanting him to buy the club, Nigel’s rationale was that Couhig didn’t have the funds - and so far it seems like t...

Just for completeness sake, a new £45 ticket package announced for registered supporters - although it won't apply for many.

https://news.sky.com/story/fifa-announces-more-affordable-world-cup-tickets-after-outcry-over-pricing-13484459

Sometimes going to DEFCON1 like this is the only way to get someone to take a claim or dispute seriously. Whether he actually does want to see the club wound up is probably something quite different.

Another ******* stupid bit of fiddling about that no-one wants. Why not do something to improve the quality of the refereeing and the use of VAR instead? Can't they do both? FWIW quite happy with them banning knee slides. Not so much to protect professional athletes knee sliding on pristine premier...

The Premier League have BANNED the knee slide celebration, from January 1st performing the act will be a yellow card offence. The decision aims to safeguard players from potential injuries, such as turf burns or joint strain, after growing concerns about the risks associated with the popular move. ...

Bad taste, but I found it genuinely funny.

Last away league game at Plymouth was almost exactly sixteen years ago, just after Xmas 2009 - Brain McDermott’s third game in charge. After decent draws to Bristol C and Swansea, everyone was suddenly optimistic and hopes were high of a good result down there. In typical Reading style it was an abj...

The draw took place nearly three months before Argentina invaded, so unless FIFA had some inside information from the then World Champions, it seems unlikely. Think, if true, that that original statement would relate to the 1986 World Cup draw as the invasion of the Falkland islands wasn’t until th...

That performance against a 10-man Everton was utterly brainless. There are ways to break down a team in that situation - you move the ball at speed, you stretch the pitch etc - but they just ignored that basic stuff. Painful (and comical) to watch.

Brainless players? Brainless manager? Or both?

So, why not adopt this in the FL as well so everything is consistent? But I suppose that'd be too much like common sense :roll: Haven't looked at the details, but the argument used by the FL in the past was that the range of incomes among the clubs in each of their leagues was so wide that somethin...

Hmmm talk of Yak returning makes me wonder about a most likeable XI. .......................Shaka Yiadom, Mbengue, McPherson, Armstrong Knibbs, Parkinson, Gooding, McAnuff .................Meite, NHunt That is such a tough task - we have had so many really likeable players over the years. Just a fe...

A club like Salford perhaps has greater potential, as FC United are effectively limited to nominal Man Utd supporters and FC United were formed within a very specific context, which is slowly becoming less and less relevant. I'd say the potential of both is limited more by funding. FCUM are trust-o...

I find it interesting that FC United did their climb up the league which basically falters the moment Salford come along. It that causal, or just coincidence? I'd say that FCUM have just about reached the level that their size and funding model allows; the level where the next step up is a whole lo...

I'd go with something like no opposition player within a yard of the keeper when the kick is taken. Subjective to a point, sure. But what it might mean to some extent is it becomes easier to penalise attacking teams for jostling or hindering a keeper's movement - because they have to move towards h...

... I was wondering whether a rule change to no more than say 3 players from each side (plus the keeper) being allowed in the penalty area for a corner kick would be a good move. That would mean a much clearer view surely of what is going on and players should be penalised for any hands on another ...

2010s - yeah, nothing - always in at Round 3 and when you get United three times ... long 2000s - i.e. from 1998 2001-02 November (H) vs Welling 1-0 twenty year gap. NGL, don't remember this, and it sounds dreadful. 2000-01 November (H) vs Grays Athletic 4-0 efficiently done 1999-2000 November (H) ...

I'm ridiculously and unfeasibly happy to have won this yesterday on a £10 free bet.



Even more so because the final Bournemouth corner that clinched the win was in the last minute.,