No.13 - Will We Turn Up?

[Garibaldi!]

Please can we get rid of the No. 13 tag!!!

As The Whiff pointed out last season, No13 was sacked following a poor run of form.

[Brooklyn Royal]

Yeah, why shouldn't I?

[Negative_Jeff]

So instead of buying a player Rodgers first act as new RFC manager is to make a veiled criticism of the vocal support. Good.
If Rodgers is as good a coach as we are led to believe and he can combine this with some of the Mad Dog`s qualities regarding crowd participation then he will do for me. He will be handicapped on several fronts though; hyperactive stewards, the lack of unreserved seating, the poxy RFC drummer and that absolute cretin of a P.A. announcer.

[Norfolk Royal]

Blackie could lay claim to being a bigger fan than the new manager I reckon.

[weybridgewanderer]

Brendan needs Us!!

...
Rodgers told the Royals' official website: "Our supporters are absolutely vital. They are down as number 13 on the teamsheet and they certainly are just that. The atmosphere they can create and the intensity of their emotion, it helps the players, no question.

Last day for season ticket renewals is Friday and the manager comes out with a call to the supporters

Maybe I am just synical?

[Dirk Gently]

.....
Maybe I am just synical?

No, you're illiterate as well.....

[West Stand Man]

I can't believe that I am reading such negativity. We go into this season on the back of a season which ranks in the top 10 most successful seasons for the club, with a new manager, some new probable changes in the playing staff, and the whole future looks much brighter than when we were fighting to stay in the 3rd level of football (not that many years ago).

If the current financial situation is hitting you that is fair enough, but please don't say that there is nothing to look forward to. I know it is not popular with the youth on here, but the fact is that many of us have been through truly dire times with this club. This is the best we have seen and we should all be enjoying it, hoping for more.

I smile from ear to ear when I hear comparisons with past squads. The fact is that this squad has players who have represented us in the PL, it has internationls, U21 internationals, youth internationals, it has players who will go on to play in the PL (with or without us) and it is a much better all round group of players than we have seen in most of the long history of the club. We may have had the odd start in the past, but never before this century (and including now) have we consistently had a squad of this strength.

Enjoy it.

[Dirk Gently]

Agreed - a lot of people who see the big picture and think long-terms will see this as a great opportunity to rebuild and a really exciting time with the kids coming through. I certainly feel like that!

The probelm is that there is a sizeable number who are a lot more fickle. They expect instant success, want to see big names and view things in a much more short-term way - for them if things don't go well from the start they'll vote with their feet.

And while most of the first group would say we're better off without them, the club does need their money!

[Mad Dog's Ghost]

West Stand, if you can honestly say you enjoyed that squad of galacticos' efforts in 2009 then you are a masochist of the highest order.

I've renewed though. There has to be an improvement and I think we've got the right man in charge.

[Deathy]

Please can we get rid of the No. 13 tag!!!

+1

+1

[Alan Partridge]

So instead of buying a player Rodgers first act as new RFC manager is to make a veiled criticism of the vocal support. Good.
If Rodgers is as good a coach as we are led to believe and he can combine this with some of the Mad Dog`s qualities regarding crowd participation then he will do for me. He will be handicapped on several fronts though; hyperactive stewards, the lack of unreserved seating, the poxy RFC drummer and that absolute cretin of a P.A. announcer.

Jeff I'd like to see you on the announce system instead..

' We would like to pass on a message to the visiting fans here at the Madejski Stadium today

I've just gotta get a message to youuuu
F*ck Off, F*ck Off

Enjoy the game!'

[Compo's Hat]

So instead of buying a player Rodgers first act as new RFC manager is to make a veiled criticism of the vocal support. Good.
If Rodgers is as good a coach as we are led to believe and he can combine this with some of the Mad Dog`s qualities regarding crowd participation then he will do for me. He will be handicapped on several fronts though; hyperactive stewards, the lack of unreserved seating, the poxy RFC drummer and that absolute cretin of a P.A. announcer.

Jeff I'd like to see you on the announce system instead..

' We would like to pass on a message to the visiting fans here at the Madejski Stadium today

I've just gotta get a message to youuuu
F*ck Off, F*ck Off

Enjoy the game!'

That would be love!

[floyd__streete]

He will be handicapped on several fronts though; hyperactive stewards, the lack of unreserved seating, the poxy RFC drummer and that absolute cretin of a P.A. announcer.

That is a generous descriptions of our stewards; you could also have had worst stewards in the country. That said, they only act as 'pro-actively' as they do thanks to the strict instructions of the safety officer who in turn takes heed of Nigel Howe's blethering nonsense.....for every thug we lose we gain a family of four.....as if Reading FC has ever had anything remotely resembling a hooligan problem in the first place .

The club's hidden agenda is barely concealed; males between 16-40 (without an accompanying child/wife/clapper) are only welcome if they sit in silence.

[Royal Lady]

LOL @ "pledged his life to the club" - what, he's never going anywhere ever again until he retires/died. Do me a favour.

[West Stand Man]

The club's hidden agenda is barely concealed; males between 16-40 (without an accompanying child/wife/clapper) are only welcome if they sit in silence.

I don't think anyone, at anytime has said that you or anyone else has to sit in silence. You are actively encouraged to 'make some noise'; the issue comes when people find it impossible to make that noise in English and without using offensive or foul language. Strangely, it is perfectly feasible to make a very loud noise without resorting to violent threats, swearing or other offensive phraseology.

[Ian Royal]

He will be handicapped on several fronts though; hyperactive stewards, the lack of unreserved seating, the poxy RFC drummer and that absolute cretin of a P.A. announcer.

That is a generous descriptions of our stewards; you could also have had worst stewards in the country. That said, they only act as 'pro-actively' as they do thanks to the strict instructions of the safety officer who in turn takes heed of Nigel Howe's blethering nonsense.....for every thug we lose we gain a family of four.....as if Reading FC has ever had anything remotely resembling a hooligan problem in the first place .

The club's hidden agenda is barely concealed; males between 16-40 (without an accompanying child/wife/clapper) are only welcome if they sit in silence.

I've never had any problems with a steward and I fit in that category and certainly don't sit in silence. The vast majority of people I've seen getting grief from the stewards have either been frothing at the mouth, pissed out of their heads or pushing their luck by drawing attention to the fact they're flagrantly breaking the H&S rules the club HAVE to be seen to be enforcing.

[Royal Rebel]

Agreed - a lot of people who see the big picture and think long-terms will see this as a great opportunity to rebuild and a really exciting time with the kids coming through. I certainly feel like that!

The probelm is that there is a sizeable number who are a lot more fickle. They expect instant success, want to see big names and view things in a much more short-term way - for them if things don't go well from the start they'll vote with their feet.

And while most of the first group would say we're better off without them, the club does need their money!

A lot of what you say is fairly true Dirk although I think its more than that. Football is about being entertained (like going out to dinner/or going to the cinema) . Ok its nothing like those but It think you get my drift.

The end of last season was quite frankly excrutiatiing in terms of entertainment value (it was simply not much fun).

I'm afraid I'm a bit negative with football in general at the moment (Ronaldo at 80M, Man City splashing the cash,smaller teams struggling to make ends meet). To this end I've decided that perhaps its time to face the fact that football is becoming like Fomula 1,its a rich mans sport. I love watching RFC but at £80 odd for a day out ? Take that at say 3 times a month thats bloody expensive ! It pays the bloody council tax ! So this seasom I'll be mostly watching Thatcham Town I'm afraid.

[floyd__streete]

You are actively encouraged to 'make some noise'

You aren't really though are you. You are actively encouraged to bring children and a bloody clapper.

The vast majority of people I've seen getting grief from the stewards have either been frothing at the mouth, pissed out of their heads or pushing their luck by drawing attention to the fact they're flagrantly breaking the H&S rules the club HAVE to be seen to be enforcing.

Frothing at the mouth indeed ; you don't have to be mad to support Reading FC.....but it helps.

The H&S rules - and what a crock of bullsh*t they are - seem to be more rigorously enforced at Reading than anywhere else I have attended. And I have attended an awful lot of palces. To suggest that the Madejski is full to bursting with hoardes of truculent knuckle dragging home fans would be an absolute nonsense, but this seems to be the default position our Safety Officer has in tandem with Nigel Howe.

[Negative_Jeff]

So instead of buying a player Rodgers first act as new RFC manager is to make a veiled criticism of the vocal support. Good.
If Rodgers is as good a coach as we are led to believe and he can combine this with some of the Mad Dog`s qualities regarding crowd participation then he will do for me. He will be handicapped on several fronts though; hyperactive stewards, the lack of unreserved seating, the poxy RFC drummer and that absolute cretin of a P.A. announcer.

Jeff I'd like to see you on the announce system instead..

' We would like to pass on a message to the visiting fans here at the Madejski Stadium today

I've just gotta get a message to youuuu
F*ck Off, F*ck Off

Enjoy the game!'

I have got it in for the P A announcer who has become synonymous with failure, political correctness and timidity. I think it`s time we staged a Speaker Martin style coup and outed him. I would like to put myself forward and I see I may already have a seconder above in AP. Will we need a poll within a poll on this thread or if I am unopposed can we present it to the club as a fait accompli?
Working at Wimbledon this week I found the queues formed of girls blouses types similar to those found at the Mad Stad these days so my "announcership" will attempt to restore a few nutters from the South Bank to the fold. I will also demand full responsibility for music policy so there will be plenty of ELO tracks. I am sure my usual habit of a few pints before the game will help me in a very demanding role so back the boys and start pointing and gesticulating.

[Barney]

100% YES. Not even up for debate in my book. First season ticket was 1980/1981 season,
having already been going for 10 years prior to that. So have recently purchased season
ticket for 30th consecutive season. Enjoy the good times, hate the bad times.
It can't always be good, and it certainly isn't always bad.
In my blood, and I simply could not sit at home and watch the updates on Sky/TV/whatever.
Am I Reading 'till I die ? .....certainly looks like it.