Back from the Game - Southampton

[Dirk Gently]

Doesn't this whole debate and the way Seal has neatly encapsulated things - just act as a yet another powerful argument for separate areas for safe-standing and for seating?

[PEARCEY]

PS You talked bollocks on another thread about Merthyr Tydfil just missing out on getting into the football league in the 80's or 90's...they were nowhere near that level and haven't been for many decades.

Go and shove your Merthyr up your Tydfil. Do your research.

I dont need to do my research pal....I live in Cheltenham and recall watching Cheltenham play Merthyr in th Southern Midlands division of non league football back in the 1980's. Merthyr have come nowhere near winning the Conference in the 80's or 90's and I dont think they even made it to that level.
Like a lot of what else you say on here you talk total and utter bollocks

[Sarah Star]

This was only my second away match and I enjoyed it as I always enjoy going to watch a live game. I have to say that the support wasn't as loud or the singing as frequent as I'd thought it would be or as enjoyable as it was when I went up to Stoke and there were less of us then. Still, I learnt a couple of new chants and joined in when I could and did this sitting down for the most part...though I did 'stand up for Steve Coppell' a few times.

Tbh, I don't care whether I'm seated or standing for a game, but I did see one guy being asked to sit down. He did protest that the Saints fans across the divide were all standing, but it didn't make any difference.

I didn't think Shane Long played well for the whole 90 minutes. At the start, I thought his passing left something to be desired - his back-heel to no one being one of those groan moments - but then just as I was giving up on him, something just seemed to click and he seemed a bit more determined. I didn't think Ivar had a bad game either, but our midfield were struggling.

ps. Didn't spot Joe.

[Hoop Blah]

As an aside to those who are saying that people who want to sit should get seats down the front...why should someone ask for an inferior view of the pitch just so someone else can stand freely without a bit of care and understanding for those around them?

[bcubed]

I think the reason people are frustrated re: the singing / standing debate is because for many of us, the reason we fell in love with live football, and Reading FC in particular was because of the atmosphere of attending a live match and singing.

I grew up follow RFC in the late 80's / early 90's on the Southbank. If it wasn't for the atmosphere, chanting and banter, I very much doubt I would have continued supporting RFC. If I wanted to sit of my arse and watch good football, I could have stayed at home and watched a decent side on TV. But I didn't, I enjoyed the match day experience of standing and singing my heart out for 90 minutes with my mates and family (even if the football itself was awful). I've followed Reading passionately ever since.

I'm not going to spoil to enjoyment of another fan at a home or away game by blocking their view or abusing them, but my god do I find it boring to sit there in the Madjeski, or at a game like Southampton away, for ninety minutes aimlessly clapping. Therefore I don't see a problem with people articulating that frustration on here. Fine, some of you are happy to sit there and occassionally clap, but please just understand that for a significant number of us, it is a very frustrating experience, and not why we love the game and our club.

As a result I now pick and chose both home and away games, as I just can't be bothered to trapse up from London for another dull match day experience. I still love the club, but I can feel my passion for attending live football significantly waning. I'm not trying to suggest that one way of supporting the team is better than another, but both sides of this argument need to show a little more understanding and empathy for the alternate viewpoint.

Spot on

Bristol away was superb but has proved to be something of a one-off this year

Maybe you could advise which are the best games to go to because I can't seem to judge it - I thought this would be a good one, sold out away end, just down the road. How wrong can you be?

[Seal]

Doesn't this whole debate and the way Seal has neatly encapsulated things - just act as a yet another powerful argument for separate areas for safe-standing and for seating?

Or in the short term, even just more organised seating arrangements by the club. Like the model JSC tries to employ himself, why couldn't the club try some sort of unofficial 'sitters' and 'singers' sections for away games. If you are a 'seater' you get sold tickets in the front of the stand, 'singers' at the back.

Probably a quicker solution than waiting for the perenial safe-standing argument to be resolved, and could be directly controlled by the club. If it doesn't work, they can just stop it.

[Mrs Butler]

Mrs Butler - DONT GO TO FOOTBALL. It's a lads day out for a start, so if you want to come don't start moaning about people standing. People like you are the reason we're often referred to as "Gimp Fans".

HOWEVER, when we sell out an entire away end, surely it would make sense to operate some form of Unreserved seating. That way, those that want to stand can do so, and those that dont can sit down the front.

Considering its supposed to be an all seater stadium, not sure why your trying to argue your point.

People who want to stand up at a football match can go to Cardif on Saturday.

If everybody in the area is standing up i have no issue, but when everybody is sitting down and only 5 blokes decide to stand up 6 rows from the back, i dont see that being fair.

[Dirk Gently]

Doesn't this whole debate and the way Seal has neatly encapsulated things - just act as a yet another powerful argument for separate areas for safe-standing and for seating?

Or in the short term, even just more organised seating arrangements by the club. Like the model JSC tries to employ himself, why couldn't the club try some sort of unofficial 'sitters' and 'singers' sections for away games. If you are a 'seater' you get sold tickets in the front of the stand, 'singers' at the back.

Probably a quicker solution than waiting for the perenial safe-standing argument to be resolved, and could be directly controlled by the club. If it doesn't work, they can just stop it.

At Leicester they had exactly that - a block where there was an unwritten agreement that standing regulations wouldn't be enforced. It worked beautifully, with a grand total of zero injuries - but once the knowledge spread too far and the FLA got wind of it LCFC were threatened with loss of their licence and it was scrapped.

At another Championship club they currently have an "organiser" who keeps track of how long standing in a specific block has been going on - as long as it's under what has been agreed with the stadium authorities as not being "persistent" then that's fine.

There are ways around it where there's a will - and as demonstrated by lots of other sets of supporters - if enough people want to stand en masse there is no way to stop them. At Reading we don't have that critical mass of people who would make it happen.

[3 veesinarow]

I personally hate most Reading fans. If I talk to you or know you, consider yourself lucky.

Some old boy called the stewards up yesterday and demanded a persistant stander was removed. If I was nearer to him, I'd have lumped the old bloke.

I consider myself truly fortunate that I neither know of anyone identifying himself as Thames nor would I ever feel honoured to do so. A big brave man is he that threatens to have hit an old man.

I don't know how often it has to be repeated to the stander-monkeys, but it's never the en masse standing that causes any problem at all - everyone knows and expects it and cuts their cloth accordingly - it's the single individual or him and his mate who insist on lingering upright long after the incident that caused them to rise up has subsided and they are left standing like a solitary fcuking palm tree on a desert island. The sightline provided to the unfortunate directly behind him is only the back of their Officer's Club exclusive-design jacket and the entire stadium is blotted out from view.
If everyone continues to stand, so be it. Otherwise, some nagging kind of respect for someone who is, after all, there for the same reason as you, needs to be afforded.

[Seal]

I think the reason people are frustrated re: the singing / standing debate is because for many of us, the reason we fell in love with live football, and Reading FC in particular was because of the atmosphere of attending a live match and singing.

I grew up follow RFC in the late 80's / early 90's on the Southbank. If it wasn't for the atmosphere, chanting and banter, I very much doubt I would have continued supporting RFC. If I wanted to sit of my arse and watch good football, I could have stayed at home and watched a decent side on TV. But I didn't, I enjoyed the match day experience of standing and singing my heart out for 90 minutes with my mates and family (even if the football itself was awful). I've followed Reading passionately ever since.

I'm not going to spoil to enjoyment of another fan at a home or away game by blocking their view or abusing them, but my god do I find it boring to sit there in the Madjeski, or at a game like Southampton away, for ninety minutes aimlessly clapping. Therefore I don't see a problem with people articulating that frustration on here. Fine, some of you are happy to sit there and occassionally clap, but please just understand that for a significant number of us, it is a very frustrating experience, and not why we love the game and our club.

As a result I now pick and chose both home and away games, as I just can't be bothered to trapse up from London for another dull match day experience. I still love the club, but I can feel my passion for attending live football significantly waning. I'm not trying to suggest that one way of supporting the team is better than another, but both sides of this argument need to show a little more understanding and empathy for the alternate viewpoint.

Spot on

Bristol away was superb but has proved to be something of a one-off this year

Maybe you could advise which are the best games to go to because I can't seem to judge it - I thought this would be a good one, sold out away end, just down the road. How wrong can you be?

In my experience, key factors for the away games I prefer are:-

Home fans deemed a little 'unfriendly'
Old(er) ground
Easier to get there by train than car
Within 2-3 hours of Reading

Next one I've ear marked as a definite banker is Palace away. Achieves 3 of the 4 variables and always a good atmosphere under that old roof in the away end.

[Jerry St Clair]

People who want to stand up at a football match can go to Cardif on Saturday.

Thanks for your understanding.

[Mrs Butler]

I understood your comments, but i didnt book the tickets. And i would guess my mate wouldnt automatically assume that people infront of us would be standing the whole match.

No matter where you sit, you will always have a 50/50 chance that the person in front of you will stand, hence why the stewards are there to make sure this doesnt happen.

[Hoop Blah]

I understood your comments, but i didnt book the tickets. And i would guess my mate wouldnt automatically assume that people infront of us would be standing the whole match.

No matter where you sit, you will always have a 50/50 chance that the person in front of you will stand, hence why the stewards are there to make sure this doesnt happen.

I think you've missed his point.

You wouldnt have a 50/50 chance by the way, not unless it was half the fans wanting to sit and half the fans wanting to stand.

[Royal Lady]

I personally hate most Reading fans. If I talk to you or know you, consider yourself lucky.

Some old boy called the stewards up yesterday and demanded a persistant stander was removed. If I was nearer to him, I'd have lumped the old bloke.

I consider myself truly fortunate that I neither know of anyone identifying himself as Thames nor would I ever feel honoured to do so. A big brave man is he that threatens to have hit an old man.

I don't know how often it has to be repeated to the stander-monkeys, but it's never the en masse standing that causes any problem at all - everyone knows and expects it and cuts their cloth accordingly - it's the single individual or him and his mate who insist on lingering upright long after the incident that caused them to rise up has subsided and they are left standing like a solitary fcuking palm tree on a desert island. The sightline provided to the unfortunate directly behind him is only the back of their Officer's Club exclusive-design jacket and the entire stadium is blotted out from view.
If everyone continues to stand, so be it. Otherwise, some nagging kind of respect for someone who is, after all, there for the same reason as you, needs to be afforded.

AMEN to that. Thames is a young lad, who will, god willing, one day be an old man. Hope when his legs aren't working so well and he can't stand up all the time no-one dares to keep standing up in front of him.

[AF1]

I personally hate most Reading fans.

power post

[brendywendy]

i had a good day
thought the fans were ok considering the home fans didnt give us much to be riled about, and the team were a bit flat

ref standing/swearing:
if there is some one behind me who doesnt like it when i stand to see the more exciting bits of the game then ill try and sit down if asked to-thats fair enough
just like trying not to swear too much if small kids are about, or the elderly - if i remember
but if the people in front of me are standing i wont be able to see either so ill still be standing and so should him behind me.



the game itself was pretty dull and uninspiring to be fair
but it livened up towards the end and i thought harps and cisse made a bit of a difference.

fed was great

hunt wasnt

kebes first game in weeks, and he looked a bit off in terms of decision making etc
but still threatened more than henry did in the last game

shunt was appalling-really got on my nerves

think matejovski needs to play in a 4-3-3


ive had the picnic woman behind me before-blanket on knees of her and her kids after eating for the whole game- i laughed, but my knees were awful cold, and i was actually a bit jealous
lol.

[Royal Lady]

I thought that must have been their first game. Shame on them in that case that they didn't know who Cisse was. And I saw what you did in your post there Bendy.

[North Somerset Royal]

Having been to most away games this season I have been amused at how on the pre match threads there is much talk of standing throughout the game but in reality most of those who remain standing after the kick off sit down meekly when told by stewards. There have been one or two exceptions but mostly those lads have been swiftly ejected from the ground sometimes (eg Preston) before the KO and often (eg Ipswich & Watford) in the first half. Personally although I have been supporting for as long as GC unlike him I prefer standing but generally follow the crowd around me. The same applies to singing which is difficult if those around you are silent.

The problem yesterday was undoubtedly the big turnout coupled with reserved seats. The away games this season where there has been the loudest support have been those like Bristol City, Cardiff and Birmingham where there was unreserved seating and we should lobby STAR and the Club to introduce that for all away games.

Going back to Ian Royals reply to my Marek comments on an earlier post you are surely saying exactly the same thing in a different way. In the 3511 system he would have two ho;lding midfielders behind him so i do not follow your point. Although the fact is he was totally ineffective yesterday even when he had the ball. I also felt yesterday that we really miss Dave Kitson who was able to hold the ball up much better than our existing strike force. We get away with it when our midfield play well but when they go AWOL like yesterday the back 4 are under constant pressure.

[brendywendy]

I thought that must have been their first game. Shame on them in that case that they didn't know who Cisse was. And I saw what you did in your post there Bendy.

it was a doffed caprather than a piss take- there have been a few more games of that variety recently-
but no team can play great every week i suppose


apart from wolves and us in 05/06

[Victor Meldrew]

Yesterday two of the old boys that run the coaches were sat behind me and one of them in particular is not that mobile.
They had to watch large parts of the game on screen because of the "loyal supporters" in front of us standing for most of the game.
Presumably some of the big mouths actually came on the coach or have used the coaches at some time so well done to those who prevented some extremely loyal royals seeing much of the game.
A sweeping generalisation but youff culture rules and f*** anybody else-are you listening Thames?