Reading Fans

[Rex]

I would hate to think how much money is invested in attending all matches, travel, food, beer. Some matches involve a spend of £160. Then there is the juggling of a career and booking holiday. Some people are lucky enough to have the mon- fri job. But there is still the headache of a mid week away game. It's no wonder there is an older dynamic to the support who go to away games.

[floyd__streete]

The away noise isn't terrible, the numbers however are. I remember when we won the league everyone was astonished how few fans we bought away from home.

define everyone.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

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.

+1

That doesn't explain why the support was much better in the Elm Park days. If it was just about being middle class and lacking passion then Elm Park would have been a quiet ground too, and that wasn't the case.

I do agree that the football culture - at least the football-attending culture - isn't as strong as it is in other places. I do also agree that the population, with so many either from, or having families from other areas, don't feel quite the same local pride that other places do (although you have to wonder why anyone would think being from some innercity shithole is something to be proud of).

[Rex]

The environment has changed. Most grounds are now sterile with personal space.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Reading as a place isn't middle class.

[No Fixed Abode]

Perhaps if Reading as club become more hated amongst other fans, you would feel more passionately about them. A kind of siege mentality. But Reading are always a liked club really as on the whole the fans are well behaved, the manager is always quietly spoken and as a club they're not much threat to anyone.

No better fans than Manchester United really and they revel in the fact most people hate them due to their success.

[SHORT AND CURLY]

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.

+1

That doesn't explain why the support was much better in the Elm Park days. If it was just about being middle class and lacking passion then Elm Park would have been a quiet ground too, and that wasn't the case.

Disagree

We have always had poor support when playing away from Elm Park.
For the local derbies and cup games, support was better as it is today. (Aldershot, Swindon, Oxford, Brentford, Bournemouth, Southampton etc.)

In the old days of 3rd/4th Division we were lucky to muster two coach loads of fans for a trip up North. Usually found the same hundred fans or so at every away game. (Blackie in his infamous coat included)
I used to go to quite a few away games in the 70,s and 80,s and can vouch for this.

[Rex]

We are at that level again.

[philM]

Being brought up in Glasgow football allegiance was a part of everyday life from as early as I can remember. Late at night in the middle of the city in my mid teens it wasn't unusual to have some drunk nutter roll up to you and ask "What team?" and you knew full well you risked a good "gubbin''" if you claimed the wrong allegiance. I used to reply Thistle to avoid getting "chibbed". That grew into actually going to see them play between 1970-75 Same with a lot of my mates who became Rangers or Celtic fans, you had to decide early and publically.

Having two big teams in your city, as in Manchester Liverpool etc seems to be the key to getting "hard core" support, as the split adds an extra dimension to the playground and is carried into later life.

I may be wrong but is there any club who has this so called "passionate" fanbase who don't have a big local rival?

[Svlad Cjelli]

Was the support much better at Elm park, or is it just wishful remembering.

Yes, at some games the atmosphere was great and the support superb, but at others it was atrocious. We only remember the former, though.

Are you sure it's not just the dampening effect of a soulless, all-seater concrete bowl and a club that does everything to appeal to the "family" market at the expense of the "traditional" supporter?

[philM]

Was the support much better at Elm park, or is it just wishful remembering.

Yes, at some games the atmosphere was great and the support superb, but at others it was atrocious. We only remember the former, though.

Are you sure it's not just the dampening effect of a soulless, all-seater concrete bowl and a club that does everything to appeal to the "family" market at the expense of the "traditional" supporter?

It's always going to be more fun if you can drink, stand and yell obscenities with no censure.

It's a basic human need, really.

[Svlad Cjelli]

Was the support much better at Elm park, or is it just wishful remembering.

Yes, at some games the atmosphere was great and the support superb, but at others it was atrocious. We only remember the former, though.

Are you sure it's not just the dampening effect of a soulless, all-seater concrete bowl and a club that does everything to appeal to the "family" market at the expense of the "traditional" supporter?

It's always going to be more fun if you can drink, stand and yell obscenities with no censure.

It's a basic human need, really.

Agreed, although we could never drink at Elm Park. But we had to get in our places early if it was going to be a big crowd, so the atmosphere and the songs built up in anticipation of the game - now we just have people watching TV in the concourses and coming out when the teams come out.

Also, the more raucous elements would naturally gravitate to the same place, so you'd have a concentrated atmosphere in one place, rather than isolated pockets all over the place.

[philM]

[quote="Svlad CjelliAgreed, although we could never drink at Elm Park[/quote]

My only memory of the first Rangers game I went to was the empty cans which were now full of piss rolling down the concrete and soaking everybody's shoes. The urban myth of course was about one's mate who had been pissing in his can (opened with a bottle opener) as his team scored and he threw his hands up, slicing of his wullie happy days

[Svlad Cjelli]

Agreed, although we could never drink at Elm Park

My only memory of the first Rangers game I went to was the empty cans which were now full of piss rolling down the concrete and soaking everybody's shoes. The urban myth of course was about one's mate who had been pissing in his can (opened with a bottle opener) as his team scored and he threw his hands up, slicing of his wullie happy days

it was a well-known phenomenon - because on a crowded terrace going to the loo meant losing your place, so pissing into empty cans/glasses - or down the back of the person in front of you - was pretty standard practice.

But there has to be a mid-point between those dangerous and uncivilised days and today's family-friendly, atmosphere-unfriendly, "we'll even tell you how to celebrate goals by playing music at you" philosophy.

[Red]

Agreed, although we could never drink at Elm Park.

One of my happiest memories from my childhood (well, aged about 15) was smuggling a can of beer into the South Bank.

It just doesn't get any better than that.

[Seal]

Surely it's a good thing that each club's fans are a little different? How dull would it be if every team's fans were identical to the others?

I never understand why Reading fans don't have more confidence about where we come from. Sure it's not the prettiest town in the world, but we are (statistically) much better off than nearly every other town / city with a professional football team in the UK. Clearly we are never gonna to win a scrap with a load of Hull fans, or outsing Leeds, but we could easily wind them up with an air of successful southern town arrogance.

That's certainly the approach I go for: winding up the northern proletariat with our inborn sense of superiority. Works a treat. Yes we're a bit posher and more likely to be middle class, and are unlikely to out sing you in a chorus of Delilah, but by Jove our pension funds our looking healthy you peasant.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Agreed, although we could never drink at Elm Park

My only memory of the first Rangers game I went to was the empty cans which were now full of piss rolling down the concrete and soaking everybody's shoes. The urban myth of course was about one's mate who had been pissing in his can (opened with a bottle opener) as his team scored and he threw his hands up, slicing of his wullie happy days

it was a well-known phenomenon - because on a crowded terrace going to the loo meant losing your place, so pissing into empty cans/glasses - or down the back of the person in front of you - was pretty standard practice.

But there has to be a mid-point between those dangerous and uncivilised days and today's family-friendly, atmosphere-unfriendly, "we'll even tell you how to celebrate goals by playing music at you" philosophy.

Mind you, I went to hundreds of games on terraces, certainly not all at Reading, and never once saw anyone peeing on the terraces. Despite all those claims of people "peeing in your pocket" that you hear about, does anybody actually know anyone it happend to?

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Disagree

We have always had poor support when playing away from Elm Park.
For the local derbies and cup games, support was better as it is today. (Aldershot, Swindon, Oxford, Brentford, Bournemouth, Southampton etc.)

In the old days of 3rd/4th Division we were lucky to muster two coach loads of fans for a trip up North. Usually found the same hundred fans or so at every away game. (Blackie in his infamous coat included)
I used to go to quite a few away games in the 70,s and 80,s and can vouch for this.

Better in terms of being noisy, not taking good away support.

I always use to wonder if our poor support was partly down to the way we organised coach travel. The programme would tend to say "if you want to book up then see Denny in the social club". Not a great deal of use to people who don't know who Denny is.

[Red]

Surely it's a good thing that each club's fans are a little different? How dull would it be if every team's fans were identical to the others?

I never understand why Reading fans don't have more confidence about where we come from. Sure it's not the prettiest town in the world, but we are (statistically) much better off than nearly every other town / city with a professional football team in the UK. Clearly we are never gonna to win a scrap with a load of Hull fans, or outsing Leeds, but we could easily wind them up with an air of successful southern town arrogance.

That's certainly the approach I go for: winding up the northern proletariat with our inborn sense of superiority. Works a treat. Yes we're a bit posher and more likely to be middle class, and are unlikely to out sing you in a chorus of Delilah, but by Jove our pension funds our looking healthy you peasant.

I like the sound of this, but all I ever heard on the terraces was "Southerners, Southerners, Southerns (repeats)", and "Black Country, oxf*rd oxf*rd oxf*rd (repeats)" (replace with location opposition were from)

I agree though, lets get some songs about our employment rate, pensions and office jobs as IT contractors.

[philM]

That's certainly the approach I go for: winding up the northern proletariat with our inborn sense of superiority. Works a treat. Yes we're a bit posher and more likely to be middle class, and are unlikely to out sing you in a chorus of Delilah, but by Jove our pension funds our looking healthy you peasant.

I agree though, lets get some songs about our employment rate, pensions and office jobs as IT contractors.

Maybe we should get a new flag to replace the big number 13 one. How about a giant payslip?