My most vivid memory of that day was when the Marching Band of the Royal Marines came out, and the very first tune they played was "Daydream Believer". Massive noise of 30K+ Royals fans singing "F.ck Off, Mark McGhee....", in the knowledge that he was in the commentary box summarising on the match. Moments like that a re priceless!
FWIW, I was at Wembley yesterday for the West Brom v Derby play-off, and the atmosphere yesterday was nowhere near as electric as "our" Wembley play-off final. Maybe it's the new Wembley, maybe it's because I wasn't involved with either team, but it's not like it used to be.
29/5/95
Dirk Gently My most vivid memory of that day was when the Marching Band of the Royal Marines came out, and the very first tune they played was "Daydream Believer". Massive noise of 30K+ Royals fans singing "F.ck Off, Mark McGhee....", in the knowledge that he was in the commentary box summarising on the match. Moments like that a re priceless!
FWIW, I was at Wembley yesterday for the West Brom v Derby play-off, and the atmosphere yesterday was nowhere near as electric as "our" Wembley play-off final. Maybe it's the new Wembley, maybe it's because I wasn't involved with either team, but it's not like it used to be.
It wasn't just the Reading fans singing it! The Bolton fans joined in too! The BEST football singing moment I've ever had... No, wait... 2nd to We Are The Champions.
To make that day even worse for me, I had to go into work and do 5 or 6 hours afterwards. It was awful, can't believe I actually got through it after that disapointment.
Oh, and btw, McAteer should have been OFF! OFF! OFF! and De Freitas, HAND BALL!!!
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Archie's penalty
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I was just 15 at the time and was living oop North in Lancaster. I got to about 10 games that season including the play-off final. Me, my dad and my brother (who are Blackburn fans) stupidly thought that tickets would be available on the day of the game. So we drove down completely unaware that that was not the case. When we got to the ground we found out the bad news. We walked around the ground looking for a spare ticket for what seemed like ages...In the end we found one ticket from a Bolton fan but no more so I went in to the ground and they stayed outside.
I was so nervous but I was scared sh*tless that if someone found out I was a Reading fan I would get beaten up so I kept quiet as the two goals went in. I couldn't believe we were winning two-nil it was like a dream. Then we missed the penalty and the atmosphere changed. I remember at half-time feeling so excited and yet nervous about us winning. I went up to the concourse and just breathed deeply...
What I remember about the second half was Mcateer tearing us to threads - the best performance of the guys career imo. I don't remember that he should have been sent-off. That half had an awful finality about it - when they scored the first it meant the last 14 minutes were incredibly slow and painful. I thought we might do it and then they scored that flukey goal. By E-T I knew we had lost but by that time everyone around me knew I was a reading fan - I was cheering on the lads - I had sympathy from the Bolton fans around me.
At the end I was crying - I thought it was like a Greek tragedy - so near and yet so far. I rejoined my dad and brother outside - they had been kicking cans around not having a radio or anything - they found out the score by asking the hamburger sellers.
We went for a Pizza afterwards and I remember thinking why oh why could we not do it. I remember getting home and watching the tape over and over again.
It was so sad to lose all those great players at the end of that year. I thought that it would never be the same again. But last year and this year I have got my passion back. What an amazing game!
I was so nervous but I was scared sh*tless that if someone found out I was a Reading fan I would get beaten up so I kept quiet as the two goals went in. I couldn't believe we were winning two-nil it was like a dream. Then we missed the penalty and the atmosphere changed. I remember at half-time feeling so excited and yet nervous about us winning. I went up to the concourse and just breathed deeply...
What I remember about the second half was Mcateer tearing us to threads - the best performance of the guys career imo. I don't remember that he should have been sent-off. That half had an awful finality about it - when they scored the first it meant the last 14 minutes were incredibly slow and painful. I thought we might do it and then they scored that flukey goal. By E-T I knew we had lost but by that time everyone around me knew I was a reading fan - I was cheering on the lads - I had sympathy from the Bolton fans around me.
At the end I was crying - I thought it was like a Greek tragedy - so near and yet so far. I rejoined my dad and brother outside - they had been kicking cans around not having a radio or anything - they found out the score by asking the hamburger sellers.
We went for a Pizza afterwards and I remember thinking why oh why could we not do it. I remember getting home and watching the tape over and over again.
It was so sad to lose all those great players at the end of that year. I thought that it would never be the same again. But last year and this year I have got my passion back. What an amazing game!
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biscuitsrus
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Daniellabiscuitforbrains
But it was also the best day because I got to sing 'You're gonna die soon, you're gonna die soon, I'm not' very loudly at an elderly Bolton fan who was goating after the match. Think it might have been Nat Lofthouse. I still smile when I think about it. What inspirational wit.
I was 16 at the time.
Probably dead now. How do you feel?
Is "goating the same as bleating?
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brendywendy
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biscuitsrusDaniellabiscuitforbrains
But it was also the best day because I got to sing 'You're gonna die soon, you're gonna die soon, I'm not' very loudly at an elderly Bolton fan who was goating after the match. Think it might have been Nat Lofthouse. I still smile when I think about it. What inspirational wit.
I was 16 at the time.
Probably dead now. How do you feel?
Is "goating the same as bleating?
Goating: transferring from club where one is a legend to another and being slightly rubbish.
eg:
"i wonder if sidwell will be goating this year at chelsea?"
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Franchise FC
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Archie's penalty What I remember about the second half was Mcateer tearing us to threads - the best performance of the guys career imo. I don't remember that he should have been sent-off.
McAteer had already been booked when he brought Gilksy down in the box for the penalty. On the grounds that it was a goalscoring opportunity it should have been a straight red, but even allowing for the fact that the ref wasn't going to see it that way, it was a yellow, so off anyway.
McAteer proceeded to keep Bolton in the game almost single-handedly.
BUT I'M NOT BITTER !!!!!
I cried that day - and again on the way home from Leicester. A much better date to remember is 25/03/06. I promised myself that I would watch the Bolton highlights if we ever made it to the Prem - I lied, I never have and probably never will. It seems like a different lifetime.
Went to the Purple Turtle in Islington the night before with a Reading dwelling Bournemouth supporting mate who'd got a ticket. Dranks lots & sang some songs. Next day, a couple of pints in the pub at Swiss Cottage - my nearest tube - then up the Jubilee line to Wembley. Great atmosphere but can I remember any details about the match? Not really other than a sense that Bolton were a club that had had their times and now it was our time. My memories of the goals are now confused with the TV highlights so I'm not even sure what I saw and what the cameras saw.
Afterwards, like others, I had a real feeling of numbness. Went to the pub and could only manage a couple of pints. A draining experience which I think carried through into general bad omen vibes before the Walsall match in Cardiff.
Afterwards, like others, I had a real feeling of numbness. Went to the pub and could only manage a couple of pints. A draining experience which I think carried through into general bad omen vibes before the Walsall match in Cardiff.
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biscuitsrus
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Franchise FCArchie's penalty What I remember about the second half was Mcateer tearing us to threads - the best performance of the guys career imo. I don't remember that he should have been sent-off.
McAteer had already been booked when he brought Gilksy down in the box for the penalty. On the grounds that it was a goalscoring opportunity it should have been a straight red, but even allowing for the fact that the ref wasn't going to see it that way, it was a yellow, so off anyway.
McAteer proceeded to keep Bolton in the game almost single-handedly.
BUT I'M NOT BITTER !!!!!
I cried that day - and again on the way home from Leicester. A much better date to remember is 25/03/06. I promised myself that I would watch the Bolton highlights if we ever made it to the Prem - I lied, I never have and probably never will. It seems like a different lifetime.
Don't blame you I can't bring myself to watch it either.
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Franchise FC
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biscuitsrusFranchise FCArchie's penalty What I remember about the second half was Mcateer tearing us to threads - the best performance of the guys career imo. I don't remember that he should have been sent-off.
McAteer had already been booked when he brought Gilksy down in the box for the penalty. On the grounds that it was a goalscoring opportunity it should have been a straight red, but even allowing for the fact that the ref wasn't going to see it that way, it was a yellow, so off anyway.
McAteer proceeded to keep Bolton in the game almost single-handedly.
BUT I'M NOT BITTER !!!!!
I cried that day - and again on the way home from Leicester. A much better date to remember is 25/03/06. I promised myself that I would watch the Bolton highlights if we ever made it to the Prem - I lied, I never have and probably never will. It seems like a different lifetime.
Don't blame you I can't bring myself to watch it either.
It's a bit like winning the Lottery then forcing yourself to eat bread and water for a month !! No, Ive decided - I'm NEVER going to be that cruel to myself.
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Ian Royal
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I was about 14ish and it was my first ever football game, let alone Reading game. I'd managed to catch the second leg of the play off semi on tv.
I'd been keeping an eye out for our results on final score for a couple of years. But I had never been what you might call sporty, and noone else in my family was a football person so I'd never really been that interested.
Had a friend at School who used to go to games. was talking to him about it quite a lot in the build up to the play offs and followed the McGhee saga closely... Which hurt even though I'd never seen a game and probably couldn't name a player.
Got invited to go with mate and his family to the final. Got my ticket, and it was the best day out I've ever had probably. The Excitement of seeing my first game of live football at Wembley was amazing, see 40,000 people all there for the same reason and my team go 2-0 up and get a penalty. It was out of this world.
Then the slow descent into injury riddled dispair and defeat. In my ignorant naievety I thought similar things about going up the next year and keeping our players. I had no clue. I tried to cheer up my friend who was devastated. He clearly knew a lot better than me what had just happened and what it meant. He could hardly watch in extra time.
I had no chance after that game. Such amazing highs and terrible lows in the space of about 3 hours. There really isn't much that compares to it. I've been chasing those highs ever since. And it's been oxf*rd painful waiting for them sometimes. The last game at Elm Park against Norwich, the 0-6 against Bristol Rovers. 0-3 against a shocking dons side on boxing day, 0-1 against Port freaking Vale at Elm Park. Those false dawns at the first game at the Mad stad vs Luton, the Wolves playoff, the Walsall play off final.
It makes the being at the top all the sweeter, I just can't believe how lucky I am to have tasted those highs on more than 1 occasion, and to have them surpassed a couple of times as well.
Outstanding.
Aid, I know you read HNA sometimes, if you read this. I owe you big time.
Cheers pal.
I'd been keeping an eye out for our results on final score for a couple of years. But I had never been what you might call sporty, and noone else in my family was a football person so I'd never really been that interested.
Had a friend at School who used to go to games. was talking to him about it quite a lot in the build up to the play offs and followed the McGhee saga closely... Which hurt even though I'd never seen a game and probably couldn't name a player.
Got invited to go with mate and his family to the final. Got my ticket, and it was the best day out I've ever had probably. The Excitement of seeing my first game of live football at Wembley was amazing, see 40,000 people all there for the same reason and my team go 2-0 up and get a penalty. It was out of this world.
Then the slow descent into injury riddled dispair and defeat. In my ignorant naievety I thought similar things about going up the next year and keeping our players. I had no clue. I tried to cheer up my friend who was devastated. He clearly knew a lot better than me what had just happened and what it meant. He could hardly watch in extra time.
I had no chance after that game. Such amazing highs and terrible lows in the space of about 3 hours. There really isn't much that compares to it. I've been chasing those highs ever since. And it's been oxf*rd painful waiting for them sometimes. The last game at Elm Park against Norwich, the 0-6 against Bristol Rovers. 0-3 against a shocking dons side on boxing day, 0-1 against Port freaking Vale at Elm Park. Those false dawns at the first game at the Mad stad vs Luton, the Wolves playoff, the Walsall play off final.
It makes the being at the top all the sweeter, I just can't believe how lucky I am to have tasted those highs on more than 1 occasion, and to have them surpassed a couple of times as well.
Outstanding.
Aid, I know you read HNA sometimes, if you read this. I owe you big time.
Cheers pal.
I've never watched the video - not even the glories of the last two seasons can prompt me to do so !
I organised a coach to the game (obviously I travelled on my own as I have no mates, but it was fun organising a sweepstake which I knew I had the winning ticket for and sitting in all the different seats).
Have next to no recollection of the game - suspect I just pressed delete on my brain when the final whistle went.
I really thought that it was as close as we would ever get to the big time , the bus tour round the town was surreal and the seasons that followed that saw as struggle to recapture those great days seemed to suggest we'd had our moment.
Oh so sweet for those who had been at Wembley to be able to enjoy the last two seasons, and this time round it feels right, whereas last time there was always this sneaking suspicion that we had slipped in by mistake and someone would come along and point out that we had to leave th eplayoffs to make room for a genuine 'big' club whose place we had taken.
I organised a coach to the game (obviously I travelled on my own as I have no mates, but it was fun organising a sweepstake which I knew I had the winning ticket for and sitting in all the different seats).
Have next to no recollection of the game - suspect I just pressed delete on my brain when the final whistle went.
I really thought that it was as close as we would ever get to the big time , the bus tour round the town was surreal and the seasons that followed that saw as struggle to recapture those great days seemed to suggest we'd had our moment.
Oh so sweet for those who had been at Wembley to be able to enjoy the last two seasons, and this time round it feels right, whereas last time there was always this sneaking suspicion that we had slipped in by mistake and someone would come along and point out that we had to leave th eplayoffs to make room for a genuine 'big' club whose place we had taken.
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Daniella
Behindu I've never watched the video - not even the glories of the last two seasons can prompt me to do so !
I organised a coach to the game (obviously I travelled on my own as I have no mates, but it was fun organising a sweepstake which I knew I had the winning ticket for and sitting in all the different seats).
Have next to no recollection of the game - suspect I just pressed delete on my brain when the final whistle went.
I really thought that it was as close as we would ever get to the big time , the bus tour round the town was surreal and the seasons that followed that saw as struggle to recapture those great days seemed to suggest we'd had our moment.
Oh so sweet for those who had been at Wembley to be able to enjoy the last two seasons, and this time round it feels right, whereas last time there was always this sneaking suspicion that we had slipped in by mistake and someone would come along and point out that we had to leave th eplayoffs to make room for a genuine 'big' club whose place we had taken.
When you make a post like that, its hard to believe you can justify the fans around you who share nowhere near the memories and love for the club you do, and would drop it within a second if we went down. How that doesn't at least make you the slightest bit upset i'll never know.
Daniella When you make a post like that, its hard to believe you can justify the fans around you who share nowhere near the memories and love for the club you do, and would drop it within a second if we went down. How that doesn't at least make you the slightest bit upset i'll never know.
Because I believe that Reading Football Club (in fact any football club) is something to be shared, not kept to a small self nominating clique.
I regularly bring people to games who when they come to their first game appear to have no particular love for the club and in some cases no knowledge of the game and several are now STH, others email me from all over the world asking about news of the club.
I know that we all start supporting a club as a 'newbie', that none of us are born 'hard core' and I'd rather as many people came and saw us play and had the chance to become fans as possible.
Some people seem to think that we should have 8,000 people there every week, and any more than that is a bad thing. I'm not sure why, probably some form of insecurity ? I see no reason to insult fellow fans because for some reason having bought a ST in the last 18 months is seen to be 'bad'.
I have contact with lots of fans and there are plenty who have been around for years who annoy the hell out of me with their attitude to the club and players. There are others who have been coming a very short time who have been totally bitten by the bug.
I dislike intensely the attitude that says new fans are in some way unworthy. They may not have the campaign badges yet (I was at Newport, Tranmere, Chesterfield, Blackpool and other games that rate highly in our history) butthey will, and I'd rather they were coming to Reading than going to Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal or any of the 'corporate' clubs....
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DaniellaBehindu I've never watched the video - not even the glories of the last two seasons can prompt me to do so !
I organised a coach to the game (obviously I travelled on my own as I have no mates, but it was fun organising a sweepstake which I knew I had the winning ticket for and sitting in all the different seats).
Have next to no recollection of the game - suspect I just pressed delete on my brain when the final whistle went.
I really thought that it was as close as we would ever get to the big time , the bus tour round the town was surreal and the seasons that followed that saw as struggle to recapture those great days seemed to suggest we'd had our moment.
Oh so sweet for those who had been at Wembley to be able to enjoy the last two seasons, and this time round it feels right, whereas last time there was always this sneaking suspicion that we had slipped in by mistake and someone would come along and point out that we had to leave th eplayoffs to make room for a genuine 'big' club whose place we had taken.
When you make a post like that, its hard to believe you can justify the fans around you who share nowhere near the memories and love for the club you do, and would drop it within a second if we went down. How that doesn't at least make you the slightest bit upset i'll never know.
Not my post, but it's easy to welcome the new supporters. It's a sign of how the Club is developing. They wouldn't be there if we weren't doing so well.
If that is the price we pay for a successful RFC then bring it on.
How many of the same type of posts would have been made if there were message boards in the sixties when Liverpool got promoted and the fans started to flock.
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Daniella
I understand the principle of what your saying, and I accept that. But, the watford game showed me what a lot of our fans are like. Instead of clapping the team for the best season in our history they all left before the final whistle. I don't disupte a few friends coming along catching the bug and becoming fans, thats fair enough. Thats how every club got fans, but gradually. I have also brought people to games over the years who weren't reading fans. Its differant though when all of a sudden we have 24k every week when we were getting 12k a season in division two. Thats a lot of friends who have caught the bug, a little too many to beleive. You know as well as I do that a lot of fans who aren't as well off as a lot of others haven't been able to get tickets this season because they have been outpriced. The new breed of fan has been catered for in a lot of ways, the old one's, not really so. I'm not one for listening to most other fans, but I couldn't help but notice how we often we are referred to as having "plastic fans"( perceive the term how you want) and how disliked we are because of this. The watford fans sang that as hordes of reading fans left at 2-0 down.
We've built our support steadily over a number of seasons - it's not been a one or two season leap. There is a good graph put there somewhere that illustrates it. Lots of people bought ST last Xmas but the corwd growth overall has been pretty organic.
Watford fans are the last ones to cast stones at anyone else ! I used to live in Watford, they are a great club but their fans are an odd bunch. You need to get over what other fans chant !
I thought that the final home game was disappointing, but I don;t think it tells us too much about 'new' fans. It wasn't mums and dads dragging young kids or thirty something blokes in suits who were leaving.
As for us being 'disliked' - no idea why you say this. Again some reading fans seem to delight in finding negatives. I did over half the away games and came into direct contact with away fans at just about every home game and was overwhelmed by how many were extremely positive about us as a club. Where do you get the idea that we are disliked ? If it is becuase people are ignorant then that's their problem - some people claimed we 'bought' the title last season, just becasue they were too ignorant to work out the truth doesn't mean we need to worry about it.
It is always a shame if people get priced out. I wish the concession prices werelower and have previously advocated that the club should find a way to offer a small number of tickets at a huge discount to those who have genuine hardship preventing them getting to gains. Not sure what the answer is - it's not the club's fault - blame Jean Marc Bosman I guess !
Watford fans are the last ones to cast stones at anyone else ! I used to live in Watford, they are a great club but their fans are an odd bunch. You need to get over what other fans chant !
I thought that the final home game was disappointing, but I don;t think it tells us too much about 'new' fans. It wasn't mums and dads dragging young kids or thirty something blokes in suits who were leaving.
As for us being 'disliked' - no idea why you say this. Again some reading fans seem to delight in finding negatives. I did over half the away games and came into direct contact with away fans at just about every home game and was overwhelmed by how many were extremely positive about us as a club. Where do you get the idea that we are disliked ? If it is becuase people are ignorant then that's their problem - some people claimed we 'bought' the title last season, just becasue they were too ignorant to work out the truth doesn't mean we need to worry about it.
It is always a shame if people get priced out. I wish the concession prices werelower and have previously advocated that the club should find a way to offer a small number of tickets at a huge discount to those who have genuine hardship preventing them getting to gains. Not sure what the answer is - it's not the club's fault - blame Jean Marc Bosman I guess !
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Franchise FC
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Daniella I understand the principle of what your saying, and I accept that. But, the watford game showed me what a lot of our fans are like. Instead of clapping the team for the best season in our history they all left before the final whistle. I don't disupte a few friends coming along catching the bug and becoming fans, thats fair enough. Thats how every club got fans, but gradually. I have also brought people to games over the years who weren't reading fans. Its differant though when all of a sudden we have 24k every week when we were getting 12k a season in division two. Thats a lot of friends who have caught the bug, a little too many to beleive. You know as well as I do that a lot of fans who aren't as well off as a lot of others haven't been able to get tickets this season because they have been outpriced. The new breed of fan has been catered for in a lot of ways, the old one's, not really so. I'm not one for listening to most other fans, but I couldn't help but notice how we often we are referred to as having "plastic fans"( perceive the term how you want) and how disliked we are because of this. The watford fans sang that as hordes of reading fans left at 2-0 down.
There is a scientific equation that describes the number of 'plastics' that ANY club has.
p = h * (1 + (c/10) + (C/10)) - ((l-10)*h/10)
p = plastics
h = average crowds over the last ten seasons
c = number of (real) cups won in the last ten years
C = number of Champions Leagues won
l = current league position
.
.
.
.
.
.
This is, of course, completely imaginary. Surely, some university professor must be able to come up with the real definition.
The bottom line is - WHO CARES WHY THEY TURN UP AS LONG AS THEY DO !!
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floyd__streete
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Behindu Because I believe that Reading Football Club (in fact any football club) is something to be shared, not kept to a small self nominating clique.
<wild applause>
Brilliantly said. Let this be the end of the matter and no longer shall the phrase plastic be used to describe people who have paid honest money to watch Reading FC.
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The 17 Bus
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I cant see how anyone can "become a fan" I was born in Reading, they are my only team, always have been, except for the Seventies when as a teen I looked out for Leeds as well, tho most kids I knew had a top team as well as Reading.
I could not become a fan of any other team, regardless of where I lived.
The size of past crowds is no indication of number of supporters, when we were getting 4k in Div 4, there were still fans who had gone before, but stopped going for reasons that they thought were good enough, for special games they came along tho, even though they did not watch every home game.
So most of the new viewers used to be fans and now have decided that regular attendance is worthwhile, any that are there for Prem football though can sod off IMHO.
I could not become a fan of any other team, regardless of where I lived.
The size of past crowds is no indication of number of supporters, when we were getting 4k in Div 4, there were still fans who had gone before, but stopped going for reasons that they thought were good enough, for special games they came along tho, even though they did not watch every home game.
So most of the new viewers used to be fans and now have decided that regular attendance is worthwhile, any that are there for Prem football though can sod off IMHO.
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