Memries of Reading

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Can't stand Reading just another MK Dons who for all their existence were a nothing club playing in division 3-4 until that is they had a shit load of money pumped in and a nice new Lego stadium built for them. I don't suppose our appalling record against them helps or the fact that that little bastard Hunt played for them who I rate alongside the likes of Ainsworth, Tarrico, Muscat etc.
One memory of a Reading game was the one in 2008, I got my programmes sold early and was in the south stand 10mins before kick off, busting for a piss I shot into the bogs in the corridor behind the dressing rooms the other door in this toilet led into the United dressing room so I could hear Semi-pro's team talk. He was screaming his head off "I want you to go out their like fackin tigers blah blah" what followed was one of the most inept performances of the season where we lost 0-2 without Reading breaking sweat.
 

Can remember going to Elm Park, and it being the first time I heard the "David Pleat" song being sung... you remember, the one to Daydream Believer...

We sung it all the way through the game... :D
 
Hate the place. I remember going dressed as Mexicans approx 6 or 7 years ago and they systematically ejected us all by half-time.

It was the penultimate away game of the season and with not being able to make the last game we went in fancy dress.The stewards hated us from the off and didn't even let one of our lot in the ground [we had set him up and got him to dress as a cowboy and he had a plastic gun which they used as their excuse]. Throughout the first half they then removed the remaining 5 of us due to 'persistent standing' - obviously everybody else around us was stood too but they really didn't like us. Fortunately the game was on Sky so managed to catch the second half in the Holiday Inn down the road.
 
Revolution said:
I was there. It was boiling hot. Jimmy Quinn got their winner I think. Kachouro was shocking when he came on as a sub. He had periods of looking absolutely clueless - twice he was subbed having come on as a substitute in the first few weeks. It sort of came together for him after we won at Wolves.

That performance was a real let down - a parallel with the last game of that season, of course.

The previous away game had also been at Reading, the season before. Also a hot day. United won easily, 3-0, which is another reason we were all optimistic. That was the game when Chris Short got injured with 2 mins to go so Carl Muggleton came on as an outfield sub.
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Wasn't at the 3-0 but I remember reading that Muggleton very nearly scored.
 
Cheets said:
Wasn't at the 3-0 but I remember reading that Muggleton very nearly scored.
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He ran forward as we broke at the end. The cross came in and Whitehouse just beat him to the tap in at the far post!
 
Compound_Legend said:
Can remember going to Elm Park, and it being the first time I heard the "David Pleat" song being sung... you remember, the one to Daydream Believer...

We sung it all the way through the game... :D
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That was the 1996 game. Remember it well!
 
metalblade said:
Can't stand Reading just another MK Dons who for all their existence were a nothing club playing in division 3-4 until that is they had a shit load of money pumped in and a nice new Lego stadium built for them. I don't suppose our appalling record against them helps or the fact that that little bastard Hunt played for them who I rate alongside the likes of Ainsworth, Tarrico, Muscat etc.
One memory of a Reading game was the one in 2008, I got my programmes sold early and was in the south stand 10mins before kick off, busting for a piss I shot into the bogs in the corridor behind the dressing rooms the other door in this toilet led into the United dressing room so I could hear Semi-pro's team talk. He was screaming his head off "I want you to go out their like fackin tigers blah blah" what followed was one of the most inept performances of the season where we lost 0-2 without Reading breaking sweat.
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Eh?

How are they like MK Dons in any way?
 
metalblade said:
Can't stand Reading just another MK Dons who for all their existence were a nothing club playing in division 3-4 until that is they had a shit load of money pumped in and a nice new Lego stadium built for them.
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Totally agree, they remind me of MK Dons too.
I remember when Reading always averaged 6K to 10K every season.
They gain promotion to the PL then suddenly average 23K, always tend to think they must have a lot of plastic fans
And it doesn’t help that we seem to lose to them.
 
My cousin is a Reading fan, doesn't make it to many games anymore, but when we were kids he came up to see Reading at Bramall Lane a fair bit.

I remember one year during that bleak run of no wins in 11 (he loved that bit!), at the end of the game he caught Hahnemann's water bottle, still half full.

It sat on the mantelpiece in our house until he went home, where it was on display for a while after that.

I took a bit of a dislike to Reading after those years!
 
Sheffsteel said:
Totally agree, they remind me of MK Dons too.
I remember when Reading always averaged 6K to 10K every season.
They gain promotion to the PL then suddenly average 23K, always tend to think they must have a lot of plastic fans
And it doesn’t help that we seem to lose to them.
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Yep shit southern clubs with no history, tradition or support until propped up by a rich owners who wanted a new toy in a soulless shiny new box, at least Reading did make it to the Premiership I suppose. Far too many of these sort of clubs but they will find their true level eventually much like Wigan and Blackburn success is not sustainable if you don't have hard core supporters.
 
My memory is crap, but I'm pretty sure I've been twice to Elm Park - first time was the 'Shaka's getting on our tits' game (he was exceptional), second time ended up sunburnt on one side of my face only - I looked like Harvey Dent. Both disappointing games but can't recall the score on either occasion. I do remember that Elm Park was a shit ground in a horrible area. I also went to the Madejski the game when our entire game plan was to lump it forward hoping Brian Howard would pick up the knock-downs - I think that game was also on Sky, and I remember seriously asking myself why the fucking hell I'd wasted an afternoon attending when I could have been bored shitless in front of the telly with a supply of ales instead.
 
I don't like violence but Keeeef's elbow against Hunt was enjoyable. Not least because the police spent the whole match winding fans up.

Think Wilder is the hoo-doo breaker though, I'd actually fancy us at Wembley.
 
hello said:
Feb 13 1998.
Friday the 13th.
A night FA Cup tie at the Lane.
A. Lee Sandford header in our 1 0 win. My birthday . ⚽
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Was meant to come over for that one but sat all day at IoM Airport due to fog. Eventually gave up and listened to it on 5Live at home. Remember us missing numerous chances and Sandford's goal came very late on.
 
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Cheets said:
Withe was booed by the United fans against Reading and then, as you say, scored twice. He was interviewed on Radio Sheffield after the game and said he couldn't really blame the United fans for booing him following the Birmingham game.
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From younger days, when I used to keep scrapbooks of newspaper cuttings, the report of the 1987/88 home fixture...
 

Revolution said:
late 80s Reading home games:

1986-7: 3-0 up after an hour. A super free kick from Dempsey and a diving header from Beagrie amongst the goals. 5 minutes later it was 3-3....a horror show

1987-8: Peter Withe returned from loan at Birmingham (when he'd scored at the Lane against us) and scored twice, including a beautiful header from a free kick, as we romped home 4-1 in front of less than 7,000.

1988-9: United's centenary game. Deano scores the only goal on a wet day.
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I was at both those games front of the kop, the guy who scored for reading was a decent striker lanky bloke (forgot his name) as for Withe, beautiful header at the kop end for brum, sickening as he was still our player.
Add qpr to the boring clubs.
 
INTAKE BLADE said:
the guy who scored for reading was a decent striker lanky bloke (forgot his name) .
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Trevor Senior

trevorsenior1.jpg
 
Grecian2000 said:
About 20 years ago I'd started a new job and was on Oxford street, suited and booted, for a meeting.
Finished earlier than I thought it would so headed, ticketless, to Reading as we were playing there.
Arrived in town and had no clue where the ground was, fuck knows how I came across it, but got there with about 5 minutes to spare. Realised on arriving I had exactly £10 and 5p on me. Turned out to be £10 to get in!
Won 1-0 with Mark Patterson scoring (did he score any more for us, I don't think he did). Arrived home at about 1pm starving beyond belief!

PS, I can only presume all those using the "plastic fans" nonsense never went to the fun palace that was Elm Park!
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I was at the 'Patterson' game, was staying in a hotel in Lechlade, when I got back to the hotel the barman turned out to be a Swindon fan so he let me [and him] have a free bar until the late late hours; finished up well pissed.

Edit:

Mark Patterson was a top bloke, I recon he'd fit in brilliantly with the current squad.
 
Never liked going to Readings old ground (another one for the worst away trips thread )
Shit hole of a ground , shit results always beat us , think I went 3 times and never any luck .
 
LS16Blade said:
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From younger days, when I used to keep scrapbooks of newspaper cuttings, the report of the 1987/88 home fixture...
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Great to see that - thanks!

I have just remembered something else about that game: when Francis Joseph came on, the electronic scoreboard gave his name as Joseph Francis...funny what sticks in your mind.
 
Admiral Blade said:
Reading memory..my first way game as a new driver and proud owner of a mini 850 cc. It was winter 1980. Bloody cold elm park in a no roof terraced away end. No idea of the result so if someone knows that would be good. Plenty of other away days I'm that mini. I have attached a copy of the cover of the immaculate programme I still have to mark this historic day I my driving world. Note it was division 4.
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23rd Feb., 1980. Reading 2 Blades 1 (Steve Charles) Att. 7,899
 
N20 Blade said:
What was the history between Keith and Hunt that meant he did him after 10 seconds?
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I was livid after that match, we just didn't get going at all and the Keef red card was absolutely ridiculous. From memory he came on as a substitue and went down the line to receive the ball from a throw in. There may have been an injury elsewhere or something as the throw in wasn't taken straight away. As soon as he'd come on Hunt went down the touchline to shadow him and was straight in hs ear. Bang, Keef elbowed him and was sent off before the ball came into play. I reckon that's the only time this ever happened.

I suspect there may have been some Irish "banter" going on between the two. Hunt was a right twat that year, he did Petr Cech that season and I'm convinced there was malice in that challenge.
 
Sheffsteel said:
Totally agree, they remind me of MK Dons too.
I remember when Reading always averaged 6K to 10K every season.
They gain promotion to the PL then suddenly average 23K, always tend to think they must have a lot of plastic fans
And it doesn’t help that we seem to lose to them.
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The thing with Reading is, it used to be a small town, hence having a small club, but it's grown hugely over the last 20/30 years so it's natural that the club has grown. Many of the older 'supporters', the ones we call plastics, were those who'd moved there for work and adopted Reading as their club but the younger ones were brought up there, same as us being brought up in Sheffield.
 
BusheyBlade said:
I was livid after that match, we just didn't get going at all and the Keef red card was absolutely ridiculous. From memory he came on as a substitue and went down the line to receive the ball from a throw in. There may have been an injury elsewhere or something as the throw in wasn't taken straight away. As soon as he'd come on Hunt went down the touchline to shadow him and was straight in hs ear. Bang, Keef elbowed him and was sent off before the ball came into play. I reckon that's the only time this ever happened.

I suspect there may have been some Irish "banter" going on between the two. Hunt was a right twat that year, he did Petr Cech that season and I'm convinced there was malice in that challenge.
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In the vid. Warnock can be seen demonstrating an 'over the top' challenge with his foot. Downes claimed he was urging his players to foul Reading players.
 

BushBlade said:
The thing with Reading is, it used to be a small town, hence having a small club, but it's grown hugely over the last 20/30 years so it's natural that the club has grown. Many of the older 'supporters', the ones we call plastics, were those who'd moved there for work and adopted Reading as their club but the younger ones were brought up there, same as us being brought up in Sheffield.
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Don't go all reasonable on us with an essay about demographic changes.

The town was already big before they got to the Prem but their crowds were still shit.
Promotion = magic influx of plastics
Relegation = plastics go back to their playstations / Manyoo

It is nothing like 'us being brought up in Sheffield' with a proper history and a tradittion of following a great club. You can't build this overnight and they haven't.
 
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