Opposition fans back from the game

[genome]

The "entitled" line is absolutely painful irony.

Would anyone like to compare how we've both done over the last couple of decades? Multiple Premier League seasons, league titles, football league records. They've not been relevant for over twenty years. TWENTY YEARS.

[NewCorkSeth]

Don't really mind Forest that much. They're a bigger team than most with a great history and its not like their fans are like Leeds fans.

I feel a bit bad for them really. The club is a shambles. How many signings have they made in the last 5 years? There's something rotten at the top over there and its a shame. Funny how similar to Derby they are..

I wonder how their academy has done with all the signings they make? There must be a real pathway problem for young talent over there.

[Stranded]

"Big" in most cases just means were successful at some undefined point in the past.

In 20 or 30 years time, quite possible that we could be seen as a big club, if we are long term settled in the top flight and won a couple of things whilst Forest could still be bouncing around the Champ/L1 and not be seen as one i.e. a Preston.

[NewCorkSeth]

"Big" in most cases just means were successful at some undefined point in the past.

In 20 or 30 years time, quite possible that we could be seen as a big club, if we are long term settled in the top flight and won a couple of things whilst Forest could still be bouncing around the Champ/L1 and not be seen as one i.e. a Preston.

How long is a long time? Stoke, Southampton and Bournemouth all had or are having fair periods of top flight football but don't think anyone would consider them big clubs.

West Ham also comes to mind.

Will Wolves ever be a big club for example? Reckon they are one manager change away from dropping like a stone.

[Stranded]

"Big" in most cases just means were successful at some undefined point in the past.

In 20 or 30 years time, quite possible that we could be seen as a big club, if we are long term settled in the top flight and won a couple of things whilst Forest could still be bouncing around the Champ/L1 and not be seen as one i.e. a Preston.

How long is a long time? Stoke, Southampton and Bournemouth all had or are having fair periods of top flight football but don't think anyone would consider them big clubs.

West Ham also comes to mind.

Will Wolves ever be a big club for example? Reckon they are one manager change away from dropping like a stone.

Honestly I think it depends on each individual fan base but as a general rule, it seems that if a club was particularly successful in the 70s or 80s they are considered big more often than clubs who had success earlier or later than that.

[NewCorkSeth]

"Big" in most cases just means were successful at some undefined point in the past.

In 20 or 30 years time, quite possible that we could be seen as a big club, if we are long term settled in the top flight and won a couple of things whilst Forest could still be bouncing around the Champ/L1 and not be seen as one i.e. a Preston.

How long is a long time? Stoke, Southampton and Bournemouth all had or are having fair periods of top flight football but don't think anyone would consider them big clubs.

West Ham also comes to mind.

Will Wolves ever be a big club for example? Reckon they are one manager change away from dropping like a stone.

Honestly I think it depends on each individual fan base but as a general rule, it seems that if a club was particularly successful in the 70s or 80s they are considered big more often than clubs who had success earlier or later than that.

Which is funny considering how much easier the European Cup competitions were back then.

PSG fans here are very quick to point out that Marseilles only had to play 11 games when they won their Champions League.

[karbota]

Should have stayed at Kings Meadow
Nice and convenient for mr Brunel’s lovely new railway, lots of park space for the ladies to enjoy a picnic during the game, no entry fee and close to the many inns and coaching houses of our little market town....

Really should check your history, Brunels lovely new railway was already 36 years old.

[Westwood52]

"Big" in most cases just means were successful at some undefined point in the past.

In 20 or 30 years time, quite possible that we could be seen as a big club, if we are long term settled in the top flight and won a couple of things whilst Forest could still be bouncing around the Champ/L1 and not be seen as one i.e. a Preston.

How long is a long time? Stoke, Southampton and Bournemouth all had or are having fair periods of top flight football but don't think anyone would consider them big clubs.

West Ham also comes to mind.

Will Wolves ever be a big club for example? Reckon they are one manager change away from dropping like a stone.

Honestly I think it depends on each individual fan base but as a general rule, it seems that if a club was particularly successful in the 70s or 80s they are considered big more often than clubs who had success earlier or later than that.

I think the measurement of a big club is if they can attract home crowds of 40000 plus.When we were first in the Prem there was talk of putting another tier on the east stand to increase the capacity to 38000 (?).The reality is that even when we were in the Prem we struggled to fill the stadium.There is a lot of football apathy in the town regarding Reading.Probably because of the town being so close to London.A lot of football supporters in the town ,follow Arsenal and Chelsea first.Strangely less so Spurs and Wet Sham.

[Snowflake Royal]

How long is a long time? Stoke, Southampton and Bournemouth all had or are having fair periods of top flight football but don't think anyone would consider them big clubs.

West Ham also comes to mind.

Will Wolves ever be a big club for example? Reckon they are one manager change away from dropping like a stone.

Honestly I think it depends on each individual fan base but as a general rule, it seems that if a club was particularly successful in the 70s or 80s they are considered big more often than clubs who had success earlier or later than that.

I think the measurement of a big club is if they can attract home crowds of 40000 plus.When we were first in the Prem there was talk of putting another tier on the east stand to increase the capacity to 38000 (?).The reality is that even when we were in the Prem we struggled to fill the stadium.There is a lot of football apathy in the town regarding Reading.Probably because of the town being so close to London.A lot of football supporters in the town ,follow Arsenal and Chelsea first.Strangely less so Spurs and Wet Sham.

That's not really true, is it. In fact it's revisionist nonsense to kowtow to the prejudices of the brieflt successful Midlands numpties like Derby and Forest.

We've had three seasons in the PL and our average attendances were

23,829
23,574
23,862

Our capacity is a little over 24,000 and we usually have a couple hundred seats netted off.

[Stranded]

Reading does have a lot of transient residents who have moved there for work and probably only stay for a few years before moving elsewhere or settle but already have ties to somewhere else and obviously support another club as a result. If they settle though, then their kids could well be tempted to be a Royal.

However, there is no doubt in my mind that if we did become an established PL club, and assuming attendances ever return to a pre-COVID level, that we could easily fill a 38k stadium.

[WoodleyRoyal]

Me thinks someone is taking the piss

Reading were really good. Possibly the best side I've ever seen at this level, perhaps even better than the Reading side of 2005-2006. It was nice to see fans back at the Madejski, and whilst they're used to capacity crows of 780,000, at least the fans that were there could generate the noise that the whole of the Berkshire is used to on Saturday afternoons.

[WoodleyRoyal]

Reading does have a lot of transient residents who have moved there for work and probably only stay for a few years before moving elsewhere or settle but already have ties to somewhere else and obviously support another club as a result. If they settle though, then their kids could well be tempted to be a Royal.

However, there is no doubt in my mind that if we did become an established PL club, and assuming attendances ever return to a pre-COVID level, that we could easily fill a 38k stadium.

What do you mean by fill, if you mean we could fill it for the big games ala utd liverpool etc etc. Then yes we would probably get close to maximum capacity - if we were doing ok. I very much doubt the attendances for the normal games would be much over 30k

[Snowflake Royal]

Reading does have a lot of transient residents who have moved there for work and probably only stay for a few years before moving elsewhere or settle but already have ties to somewhere else and obviously support another club as a result. If they settle though, then their kids could well be tempted to be a Royal.

However, there is no doubt in my mind that if we did become an established PL club, and assuming attendances ever return to a pre-COVID level, that we could easily fill a 38k stadium.

What do you mean by fill, if you mean we could fill it for the big games ala utd liverpool etc etc. Then yes we would probably get close to maximum capacity - if we were doing ok. I very much doubt the attendances for the normal games would be much over 30k

Not sure about filling 38000, but if we can average 23800+ in a 24200 capacity stadium when getting relegated, we should be able to comfortably manage 30000+ on average in a non relegation season if we've got a capacity of 33000+

Last time we were in the PL we were 5th in terms of percentage full. And that's behind three teams who somehow have an average attendance above their listed capacity, according transfer market... including Fulham who apparently averaged 133% of capacity.

[SCIAG]

Southampton, Leicester, Wolves and Brighton all average over 30k in normal circumstances, as do Cardiff when they’re up there. Most of them have grounds with a capacity around 32k. Hypothetically if the Madejski held 35k and we were finishing 16th in the PL every year then I think we could average 34k with prices set properly. Demand was much higher than we could fulfill and it still is for the likes of Southampton.

[Nameless]

I love idiots who say we have no history.
Makes the fact that we are currently way, way better than them even sweeter !

[Mid Sussex Royal]

How long is a long time? Stoke, Southampton and Bournemouth all had or are having fair periods of top flight football but don't think anyone would consider them big clubs.

West Ham also comes to mind.

Will Wolves ever be a big club for example? Reckon they are one manager change away from dropping like a stone.

Honestly I think it depends on each individual fan base but as a general rule, it seems that if a club was particularly successful in the 70s or 80s they are considered big more often than clubs who had success earlier or later than that.

I think the measurement of a big club is if they can attract home crowds of 40000 plus.When we were first in the Prem there was talk of putting another tier on the east stand to increase the capacity to 38000 (?).The reality is that even when we were in the Prem we struggled to fill the stadium.There is a lot of football apathy in the town regarding Reading.Probably because of the town being so close to London.A lot of football supporters in the town ,follow Arsenal and Chelsea first.Strangely less so Spurs and Wet Sham.

Things must have changed from when I was in town....was mainly Chelsea & West Ham, hardly knew any Arsenal fans and they won the double when I was at school in Reading

[Millsy]

Let's be real, just under 24k is sell-out,

[leon]

Let's be real, just under 24k is sell-out,

[Snowflake Royal]

Anything much over 23k and you're basically looking at single seat availability only, which discourages people from coming.

[Ascotexgunner]

"Big" in most cases just means were successful at some undefined point in the past.

In 20 or 30 years time, quite possible that we could be seen as a big club, if we are long term settled in the top flight and won a couple of things whilst Forest could still be bouncing around the Champ/L1 and not be seen as one i.e. a Preston.

How long is a long time? Stoke, Southampton and Bournemouth all had or are having fair periods of top flight football but don't think anyone would consider them big clubs.

West Ham also comes to mind.

Will Wolves ever be a big club for example? Reckon they are one manager change away from dropping like a stone.

On the phone in last night couple of Wolves fans wanting a new manager. They were calling for Benitez (which always makes me laugh). It's like Alan Curbishly and Charlton never happened. It's amazing how being a bit successful goes to fans heads.