Reading Fans

[Royalee]

Reading fans aren't working class, which is why. Millwall, cardiff, man utd( away fans), leeds, etc all hail from working class city's with traditional working class support. The working class are more passionate about their football than the middle to upper class who try and bring logic to the game. " Im here to be entertained" attitude bla bla. They aren't passionate about their area or community so aren't vocal about it, simple. I'd be prepared to say a lot of readings support probably don't have family roots in the area.

I went to sheffield to stay with a few mates and they are either utd or wednesday, one or the other and the culture is football every saturday win or lose. There isn't that culture in Reading, lots of people half heartedly support a prem club and go shopping in the oracle.

No tradition in reading for the footballing culture. Not worth moaning about, thats just how it is.

Pretty much spot on tbf. Shame though.

[Stranded]

Reading Fans are fine - we're no better and no worse than 90% of all fans at football clubs - just going to half of these football hotbeds shows that.

[Sun Tzu]

There are obvious exceptions to any story, but as a whole you know what im saying is true. What other reasons would display why reading fans are far less passionate than most football fans?

Well you start from a false premise for one thing !

We are tradionally a corridor town which is used as a base for people to get too/from london. We have never had a team thats achieved anything until the last 10 years and therefore a lot of people grew up supporting bigger sides, a lot of people also moved here and support their home town clubs.

True, although not sure of your point. Lot's of people move here and become extremely passionate fans. Lot's of people all over the country support teams other than those of their home town.

Reading is not a traditonal football town, hence poor support.

We've had a team longer than Millwall, Cardiff, Leeds or many of the others you laud.

And do we have 'poor' support ? I think it's pretty impressive that the numbers have stayed at the level they are despite the huge transitional period. How many have Millwall average over the last decade ?

And how come Cardiff are playing to less than full houses despite the massive incentive of a new stadium and a team doing well ?

It's an easy and cheap shot to dismiss reading fans as 'poor' when in reality we are no different to the fans of the vast majority of teams, and the fans some people think of as 'super fans' are often just as fickle as any others.

[FiNeRaIn]

Im not talking about home numbers, our numbers for our status as a club at home are fine.

In terms of away support and vocal support we are poor, anyone suggesting otherwise hasn't followed reading for very long.

So many instances of where we take like 400 to cardiff on a tuesday night, they bring 3,500 to us, work that out. Same with millwall, leeds,etc How many did we take up to leeds when we were promoted and drew 1-1, a lot less than they brought to us for instance. Too many examples to list. Readign fans just aren't as passionate, no cheap shots or jibes needed - its just fact.

[Sun Tzu]

Im not talking about home numbers, our numbers for our status as a club at home are fine.

In terms of away support and vocal support we are poor, anyone suggesting otherwise hasn't followed reading for very long.

So many instances of where we take like 400 to cardiff on a tuesday night, they bring 3,500 to us, work that out. Same with millwall, leeds,etc How many did we take up to leeds when we were promoted and drew 1-1, a lot less than they brought to us for instance. Too many examples to list. Readign fans just aren't as passionate, no cheap shots or jibes needed - its just fact.

No, you pick a tiny number of examples and assume that because they take more to away games we are at the bottom of the list.

We aren't. We're just the same as most other clubs.

And you misuse the word 'fact'.

[Norfolk Royal]

Reading is traditionally a working class town though, or was.

And when it was a traditional working class town our support was still fragile. Go figure that one.

[FiNeRaIn]

Na, you are wrong sun. Our away support lacks numbers compared to most clubs of a similar standard to us. Thats fact, look at our away attendance figures in the programmes over the years. Not even worth arguing about.

[Royalee]

Our away support's not actually too bad in terms of numbers, but I agree with regards to the classification of our fans in general Finerain.

[Thaumagurist*]

Reading is not a traditonal football town, hence poor support.

We've had a team longer than Millwall, Cardiff, Leeds or many of the others you laud.

And do we have 'poor' support ? I think it's pretty impressive that the numbers have stayed at the level they are despite the huge transitional period. How many have Millwall average over the last decade ?

And how come Cardiff are playing to less than full houses despite the massive incentive of a new stadium and a team doing well ?

Where does this fallacy that Reading is not a traditional football town come from? We've had a football club since 1871, before quite a few places. In fact, it was when we were in the Premiership that we were the oldest club in that division.

I don't think attendences actually reflect whether Reading is a traditional football town. How many football clubs are there in the area? And the answer definitely isn't one, I'm including the amateur ones too. There is a Reading sunday league, isn't there?

[Sun Tzu]

This looks like one of those discussions that is going to wobble around for a while until the originator works out what his point is !

So are we poor becasue when compared with some unpsecified set of other clubs we don't take as many fans to away games ?
Or becasue those who do travel to away games don;t actually care that much ?
Or because some of those who do support the team were born outside the borough ?

I've been to pushing 80 grounds, followed the club for a good few years and have been to games where I've marvelled at the opposition support, others where it's been non existent. Most clubs in the league are much the same, a few make a lot more noise than others and some for no apparant reason seem to take more fans away than others. But on the whole there is a pretty similar set of fans at many clubs.

It seems pointless to belittle the many very passionate Reading fans - especially if you can;t decide on what basis you are belittling them !

[Sun Tzu]

I don't think attendences actually reflect whether Reading is a traditional football town. How many football clubs are there in the area? And the answer definitely isn't one, I'm including the amateur ones too. There is a Reading sunday league, isn't there?

We actually had for many years one of the biggest local football set ups around. For many years we had two Saturday football leagues (now merged ) and something like 16 divisions between the two. That doesn;t include the leagues at higher levels or those operating outside the immediate Reading area. that's an awful lot of people with a clear interest in football but not able to attend Saturday games. And of course all footballers are working class !

[BobKnows]

There are obvious exceptions to any story, but as a whole you know what im saying is true. What other reasons would display why reading fans are far less passionate than most football fans?

We are tradionally a corridor town which is used as a base for people to get too/from london. We have never had a team thats achieved anything until the last 10 years and therefore a lot of people grew up supporting bigger sides, a lot of people also moved here and support their home town clubs.

Reading is not a traditonal football town, hence poor support.

Well done for changing your argument subtley there Finerain

On the points of geographical location and relative "lowly" position over the years, I would agree.

However, anyone that seriously gets worked up about how "crap" Reading fans are should frankly go away and get a life IMO

[STAR Voice]

The crux to this is that "good" and "bad" support is wholly subjective.

Who is to say how a supporter should or shouldn't support their team - they pay their money for the privilege and ought to be able to sit quietly on their hands or jump, shout and scream about like a nutter as much as they like, without having to meet someone else's value judgement on what is "good" and "bad" support.

It's arrogance of the highest order for anyone to say that their way of supporting is better or more valid than anyone else's.

[Sun Tzu]

mmm, agree to some extent STAR.

At an individual level I think you are right. I tend to get absorbed in games and live every moment but am not necessarily the noisiest. I'll fight anyone* who dares to suggest I am not a genuine fan !

But I'd also argue fairly passionately that the Kop in full voice, Stoke singing Delilah, Cardiff fans doing the Ayatollah etc etc is what top support is all about. I think you can look at some sets of fans and think - they really know how to get behind their team, and i don;t think we rate up there with the most passionate as a group. But we're no worse than most.

[pace=forster]

Reading fans are for the most part happy clappy, geeky shirtwearing mongtards. That's just how it is these days so c'est la vie

[Royal Lady]

Where does FineRain's analysis leave those of us who frankly have no idea what 'class' we may get pigeonholed in ?

Am I not allowed to be passionate about my team because I went to University ? Or does the fact that a large chunk of my family tree consists of agricultural workers and domestic servants redeem me ?

I do agree to some extent him that the teams with big, vocal support tend to be the ones from big, industrial cities where Saturday afternoon at the football was the big event of the week for the dockers / miners/ steel workers. But I'm not sure how true it is today.

Passionate AND good-looking Sun Tzu?
RL must never be allowed near you.

I've seen him - he has no fears of me wanting to get anywhere near him!

[Sun Tzu]

Where does FineRain's analysis leave those of us who frankly have no idea what 'class' we may get pigeonholed in ?

Am I not allowed to be passionate about my team because I went to University ? Or does the fact that a large chunk of my family tree consists of agricultural workers and domestic servants redeem me ?

I do agree to some extent him that the teams with big, vocal support tend to be the ones from big, industrial cities where Saturday afternoon at the football was the big event of the week for the dockers / miners/ steel workers. But I'm not sure how true it is today.

Passionate AND good-looking Sun Tzu?
RL must never be allowed near you.

I've seen him - he has no fears of me wanting to get anywhere near him!

Wow !

my luck is in

Although it is worrying when people claim to have seen you and you have absolutely no idea what they look like !

Do I spend my Saturday afternoons sat amongst people who think they know who I am yet I am blissfully unaware that they are Nobbers ?

[sandman]

Last season in the play-off semi at Turf Moor the Burnley fans were the quietest I've ever heard until they scored and suddenly they woke up.This season they are being praised for helping to make the place a fortress with the atmosphere being created.

Stoke have also been lavished with praise for the atmosphere they've created, it's even been discovered that they're the loudest in the Premier League. Yet when they were in our division you could see vast spaces in the stands. These fans have only turned up because they're in the Premier League, something our new found "fans" were accused of when we were there as well. Presumably because Stoke is a northern working class city they're plastics are better fans than us though because of their background.

Quite frankly it's rubbish to suggest that Reading fans are different to the likes of Burnley and Stoke because they aren't. It's just that our fans seem to have an inferiority complex on the issue of the atmosphere and want to prove that we can be as loud as we perceive the fans of other clubs to be.

As for the looks issue if I may quote masked metal loons Slipknot from their song I Am Hated. "I'm not pretty and I'm not cool
But I'm fat and I'm ugly and proud - so **** you"

[Ian Herring]

I still think it's more important to sit quietly at games. The players are finely-tuned trained athletes of immense skill and the last thing they need is a group of uncouth louts shouting really loudly.

Surely it puts them off.

[From Despair To Where?]

Ok I am a Reading fan, well a plastic one really and I don't mind that. I was a season ticket holder for 05/06 and 07/08 but now quite frankly I have better things to do at weekends. Something I noticed though when going to the games and have always noticed when seeing footage on tv etc... Reading fans they are just...well... dull... They either look like geeky students or over weight, real ale swelling bearded old men. You never get that passion like you see with Liverpool, United, Spurs, Chelski or big clubs like Newcastle. Those fans just seem "more up for it" you can see it in their eyes. I would love to follow a big 4 club to be part of that passion and belief, I just cant though as I follow Reading and always will, just wish it had the same energy as some other clubs.

In my experience, I would rate the atmosphere at the following grounds thus:

Anfield (4 visits) - shit unless it's a European game
Old Trafford (3 visits)- oxf*rd quiet considering there's 75,000 odd fans in the ground
Stamford Bridge (2 visits)- shit
St James's Park - (3 visits) oxf*rd shit unless the home side is winning

The "fabled" atmosphere at most big grounds is a bit of a myth and as Sir Rodney Effing said, it's the same at just about every ground. The only ground I've been to where the atmosphere is consistantly excellent is Bramall Lane