So what is a true fan?

[AbovetheI]

All the opinions one might have on this topic will differ and differ. But for me, it's someone who loves the club for what they are. Whether they are pushing for Europe, whether they're in a relegation scrap, or whether they're not in the Premier league. It's someone who doesn't care where the team are or how many fans turn up at a game. It's someone who cares not about how many games they go to in a season, or how many miles they clock up away from home.

It's someone who wakes up on a saturday morning with a buzz of excitement, knowing that they will don the Madejski in the afternoon to eat the over priced food and drink the piss water beer. It's someone who loves the players, the manager, the fans, the experience and for the sake of it, the drummer. Someone who thinks that original songs are irrelevant and that's it's fun to sing repetitive clapping songs. It's a man, woman, boy or girl who will join in when Tom Hark gets played. Someone who will appreciate each player as their name is called out by the announcer. Someone who will wear their shirt with pride and not worry about what others think. Someone who doesn't care if people will laugh at the fact a grown man is wearing a football shirt.

Opinions are opinions, and those are mine. You can agree, or disagree it matters not. I will go on following Reading regardless of where we are in 4 games time. I'll follow Reading if John Oster or whoever is the fashionable scapegoat at the time is playing. I'll follow Reading even after slating players in a rushofbloodtothehead thread. I bloody love this club.

[seahawk10]

Good post. I would replace the word fan with supporter. And every person is different. I think Reading has great support and it will only grow (even if the club goes down). I can't stop thinking about the Arsenal match even though logically I know it is very likely a defeat. And I am trying to plan out my sleep so I can wake up at 4:45am on Saturday to watch on my computer. It takes all types I guess.

[AbovetheI]

*Someone who doesn't care if they're labled a "fan or a supporter"

In all seriousness, i'm the same about the Arsenal game (bar the waking up time as I have the luxury of being in the GMT).

[RTFC Drummer]

A true fan is a person who will chant/sing no matter what the score is. A person who will back the club all the way even if he or she dosn't think its the correct one. A person who dosn't walk out of the ground 5 minutes before the game has ended even if the royal are getting battered 7-4 by pompey.

[Gus the teenage cow]

A true fan is a person who will chant/sing no matter what the score is. A person who will back the club all the way even if he or she dosn't think its the correct one. A person who dosn't walk out of the ground 5 minutes before the game has ended even if the royal are getting battered 7-4 by pompey.

i would argue 7-4 is not a battering but an 11 goal thriller

[earleyroyal]

Can I just point out: you don't have to sing/chant to be a true fan, many true fans go to every home (maybe even every away match) and don't sing at all, just prefer watching games without chanting.

[AbovetheI]

Can I just point out: you don't have to sing/chant to be a true fan, many true fans go to every home (maybe even every away match) and don't sing at all, just prefer watching games without chanting.

'greed. Also, if I want to leave 5 mins before the end to avoid the traffic then I should be allowed to. Why worry about what other people say about the time you leave?

[RTFC Drummer]

Can I just point out: you don't have to sing/chant to be a true fan, many true fans go to every home (maybe even every away match) and don't sing at all, just prefer watching games without chanting.

'greed. Also, if I want to leave 5 mins before the end to avoid the traffic then I should be allowed to. Why worry about what other people say about the time you leave?

Whats the point in going to a football game if your not going sing? No wonder the atmopshere at Reading is so poor! To many people have picnics and having rolls in the South and West stand if you ask me. If you are going to go to game you might aswell make some jolly good noise otherwise you might aswell watch the game on the internet/pub or on your TV

[Dirk Gently]

Whats the point in going to a football game if your not going sing? No wonder the atmopshere at Reading is so poor! To many people have picnics and having rolls in the South and West stand if you ask me. If you are going to go to game you might aswell make some jolly good noise otherwise you might aswell watch the game on the internet/pub or on your TV

Bloody hell, just how many simplistic generalisations can you fit into one post!?! Oh yes, it's the good old "I'm a better supporter than you becuase....." fascism!

There are many different ways to support your club - and people can support their team in whichever way suits them - that doesn't make them less or more of a supporter - just different. .

[earleyroyal]

Can I just point out: you don't have to sing/chant to be a true fan, many true fans go to every home (maybe even every away match) and don't sing at all, just prefer watching games without chanting.

'greed. Also, if I want to leave 5 mins before the end to avoid the traffic then I should be allowed to. Why worry about what other people say about the time you leave?

Whats the point in going to a football game if your not going sing? No wonder the atmopshere at Reading is so poor! To many people have picnics and having rolls in the South and West stand if you ask me. If you are going to go to game you might aswell make some jolly good noise otherwise you might aswell watch the game on the internet/pub or on your TV

People can do what they want at a game; yes it would be better if everyone was singing for the 90 minutes but that's not going to happen with the make up of the crowd. The home atmosphere at Reading isn't particularly bad compared to other Premiership grounds.

Dunno about you but I go to watch a football match, yes I join in with the songs but that's just a fun side activity.

[Mr Irascible]

Me.

[Skin]

Proper supporter

[rfcjoe]

A true fan is a person who will chant/sing no matter what the score is. A person who will back the club all the way even if he or she dosn't think its the correct one. A person who dosn't walk out of the ground 5 minutes before the game has ended even if the royal are getting battered 7-4 by pompey.

Yeah I know, that was a bad result against a Premier League team. Oh, good luck against Egham Town Saturday by the way.

[seahawk10]

Whats the point in going to a football game if your not going sing? No wonder the atmopshere at Reading is so poor! To many people have picnics and having rolls in the South and West stand if you ask me. If you are going to go to game you might aswell make some jolly good noise otherwise you might aswell watch the game on the internet/pub or on your TV

Let's give this kid some credit. He does scream and drum and little Reading Town FC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWscR6jDoEM

1:22 - 1:30 Gwarn with your bad self.

[Yorkshire Royal]

A true fan is someone who doesnt get angry or post total oxf*rd on a football message board just when the club they support is doing badly. A true fan supports the club even during these times. Support I think is the key word here.. My Wrexham supporting mate still goes to every game, home and away, assuming he is in the UK. That's support and that is a true fan...

[rfcjoe]

Whats the point in going to a football game if your not going sing? No wonder the atmopshere at Reading is so poor! To many people have picnics and having rolls in the South and West stand if you ask me. If you are going to go to game you might aswell make some jolly good noise otherwise you might aswell watch the game on the internet/pub or on your TV

Let's give this kid some credit. He does scream and drum and little Reading Town FC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWscR6jDoEM

1:22 - 1:30 Gwarn with your bad self.

Has any of their voices broken yet?

[Geekins]

As long as when someone asks you who you support, you only say Reading.... and not Reading and .... 1 club = True supporter. You may look out for their results out of interest but not say you follow them.

[Scarface]

I've supported Reading since we were in Div 4 and will continue next season and forever more. However if I choose I leave early to get in the pub, boo the players if they are shit and moan like fcuk during the games.

I'm still a true fan......

[stl_royal]

a true fan is loyal to the end, even when the club performs woefully i'm not embarrassed to say im a reading fan. i never get tired of having to deal with "wait who" from all my friends who dont follow football, or think they do by "following" utd/arse/chelsea/liverpool. i dream of the day i can make the madejski (trying to plan for next season--bit hard on a college budget to get there from the states), but until then i relish waking up every saturday morning and pissing off my sleeping family yelling at my computer screen (whether positive or negative)...reading was my first--and will be my only--football club and that is something im proud to say.

edit: and no i didnt jump aboard when we hit prem, ive been following since end of '99

[earleyroyal]

a true fan is loyal to the end, even when the club performs woefully i'm not embarrassed to say im a reading fan. i never get tired of having to deal with "wait who" from all my friends who dont follow football, or think they do by "following" utd/arse/chelsea/liverpool. i dream of the day i can make the madejski (trying to plan for next season--bit hard on a college budget to get there from the states), but until then i relish waking up every saturday morning and pissing off my sleeping family yelling at my computer screen (whether positive or negative)...reading was my first--and will be my only--football club and that is something im proud to say.

edit: and no i didnt jump aboard when we hit prem, ive been following since end of '99

Good post.