Reading (A) match thread - Jan 13th

[darren1810]

23 minutes ago, Fosse69 said:

How many players will Reading sell this month?

Sent from my SM-A715F using onevalefan mobile app
 

Not many as most are crap. They'd still be in a poor league position without the points deduction. 

[valefan16]

4 minutes ago, darren1810 said:

Not many as most are crap. They'd still be in a poor league position without the points deduction. 

They've improved of late, two have had a bid made (Abbey and Holmes) and expectations Knibbs and Smith could be sold.

[ollyandpatch]

11 hours ago, Brian Johnson said:

I'm not crying like a mard-arse like some people looking for refunds.

I had very enjoyable afternoon in Reading FC hospitality.

 

A bit strong....

Saturday cost me £304 but that must be loose change for you.

[Jacko51]

Outstanding response from the Reading fans to the Rudgie statue appeal. Well over £2,000 from them now. Thanks very much lads and lasses. 

[Rampant Zebra]

https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/invaded-reading-pitch-club-brink-protest-2853494?ITO=newsnow.

 

"My brother and I went off a little bit earlier as he was a bit worried about getting arrested as he’s going on holiday shortly. "

[Shropshire_Valiant]

Not read all the thread so forgive me if I'm repeating or someones made the point.  I have a lot of sympathy with Reading's fans as obviously we've been there ourselves(x2) I just feel hitting away fans in the pocket isn't really the way to go about it? Unless they feel major disruption is needed but will Jongee really give a flying feck about Saturday based on what I've read he's barely at the club anyway?

Surely making his life hell or starve the bastard out, would be a better option if they want to get him out? as much as he may be personnally wealthy if enough fans didn't go to game eventually it will catch up with Reading as a club, you can't run an insolvement business knowingly, it's illegal so that would surely = admin and the chance to appoint a new owner/restructure things(as bad as it may be).  That said I genuinely don't know all the ins and outs of it and would perhaps feel differently if I were a Reading fan.  It's just doing what they did wouldn't sit easily with me if the shoe were on the other foot and my actions had cost fans £150 odd quid each(travel, tickets etc) to see an abandoned game.

Moving on to the point about what do/should the EFL do? Wouldn't allowing it to be replayed set a dangerous precedent?  I could easily say next time Vale are 1-0 down at home what's stopping 50 of us running on and sitting in the centre circle until they call it off because we don't like the result?  Obviously I jest but the point is there. 

Still on the plus side we found an excellent Chinese restaurant near our hotel in Reading and had a good night out with a few beers.😁

[Shropshire_Valiant]

39 minutes ago, valefan16 said:

They've improved of late, two have had a bid made (Abbey and Holmes) and expectations Knibbs and Smith could be sold.

The lad upfront whose name I can't pronounce😁 Ehibhatiomhan? has scored a few 6 or 7 in a poor side(6ft 3 and only 20). Might be worth a punt, although guessing he maybe injured though as not seen his name mentioned recently. 

There one saving grace for them on the pitch is they have quite an active academy that produces some good talent

[valefan16]

2 minutes ago, Shropshire_Valiant said:

The lad upfront whose name I can't pronounce😁 Ehibhatiomhan? has scored a few 6 or 7 in a poor side(6ft 3 and only 20). Might be worth a punt, although guessing he maybe injured though as not seen his name mentioned recently. 

There one saving grace for them on the pitch is they have quite an active academy that produces some good talent

He was on the bench Saturday, seems to be rated, Savage linked to Derby, they've had bits accepted on a couple and Smith and Knibbs likely to go.

[Conrad]

47 minutes ago, Jacko51 said:

Outstanding response from the Reading fans to the Rudgie statue appeal. Well over £2,000 from them now. Thanks very much lads and lasses. 

£3000 now 

[Trumpingtonvale]

13 minutes ago, Shropshire_Valiant said:

The lad upfront whose name I can't pronounce😁 Ehibhatiomhan? has scored a few 6 or 7 in a poor side(6ft 3 and only 20). Might be worth a punt, although guessing he maybe injured though as not seen his name mentioned recently. 

There one saving grace for them on the pitch is they have quite an active academy that produces some good talent

Think he was on the bench on Saturday. Reading have a huge U21 squad (39 contracted players!) and a Reading fan I work with says he’s one of the best, being used mainly as an impact sub now though since Sam Smith is back fit.  As you say he’s tall but has quick feet and pace too - saw him play against Cambridge earlier in the season and it was his pace rather than his ability in the air that shone out..  Champ (and rumoured PL) teams interested in him and though he’s one the fans are desperate to keep they appear to accept if the club have to have a clear out to raise money then he’s a high value asset they may have to let go.

[Birches Head Fred]

With regards what happens next I assume the EFL will be meeting all parties asap ?

[Clayts]

The more I think about this situation, the more blame I put at the EFL's door. Not just in terms of allowing inappropriate ownership of yet another club to drag on across multiple seasons of missed payments, points deductions and all the turmoil and uncertainty that brings about, but the uncertainty that we're left with in the aftermath of this game.

Given the knowledge of potential protests before the game, and the fact that this kind of action has been threatened before, why have the EFL not drawn up a plan and process for this scenario? First step, as soon as you hear about potential pitch invasion a few days before the match, ask the club what measures (security, police, etc.) they have in place to mitigate any potential security concerns, remove people from the pitch, etc. If they don't have (or can't afford to pay for) any counter-measures, then how can the game go ahead with home fans in attendance? 

Secondly, but still ahead of the game, could the EFL not convene an emergency meeting of whatever panel/executive they have to discuss what happens if the game goes ahead and is disrupted by protests as rumoured? Said panel could then discuss their proposals with both clubs and set out exactly what will happen in terms of: the cut-off point at which the game will be abandoned (was an hour this time, but was that an arbitrary decision by the officials?); whether or not the game can be concluded behind closed doors that night or next day (with any additional expenses incurred by PVFC to be met by Reading); any post-match sanctions (fine, including reimbursement for PVFC and fans, points deductions).

We'd then know where we stand rather than having several days of conjecture about 3pts to Vale or replay. Even now there is absolutely nothing about the game or the subsequent process on the EFL website. All we really seem to know is via a quote from the Reading manager about a 'panel of experts' being convened at some point. Good luck finding experts at EFL HQ! 

For my money, the remaining game time has to be played, behind closed doors, at a time and venue that causes minimum disruption to PVFC. Remaining game time rather than replay to set precedent and stop the scenario mentioned by a few on here where fans invade to get a game replayed when losing. Can't be 3pts to Vale because that would be unfair to those around us in the table and would be subject to lengthy legal challenge if a team was relegated 2pts behind us. Also a minimum 3pt deduction for Reading so even if they win the rearranged game, they're no better off than if they'd lost, with a massive fine for the owner, compensation for Vale (club and fans) and remaining home games behind closed doors. If owner is unable to pay fine/compensation, that is another potential lever to revoke his permission to own or be a director of an EFL club.

We can debate the rights and wrongs of actually getting the game abandoned and the inconvenience to our fans who travelled, but what's done is done. Suffice to say I have every sympathy with the Reading fans (especially those who have thanked the SVA and donated to the Rudge statue), and sincerely hope that the action on Saturday leads to a quicker resolution and change of ownership. 

[efsb]

The more I think about this situation, the more blame I put at the EFL's door. Not just in terms of allowing inappropriate ownership of yet another club to drag on across multiple seasons of missed payments, points deductions and all the turmoil and uncertainty that brings about, but the uncertainty that we're left with in the aftermath of this game.
Given the knowledge of potential protests before the game, and the fact that this kind of action has been threatened before, why have the EFL not drawn up a plan and process for this scenario? First step, as soon as you hear about potential pitch invasion a few days before the match, ask the club what measures (security, police, etc.) they have in place to mitigate any potential security concerns, remove people from the pitch, etc. If they don't have (or can't afford to pay for) any counter-measures, then how can the game go ahead with home fans in attendance? 
Secondly, but still ahead of the game, could the EFL not convene an emergency meeting of whatever panel/executive they have to discuss what happens if the game goes ahead and is disrupted by protests as rumoured? Said panel could then discuss their proposals with both clubs and set out exactly what will happen in terms of: the cut-off point at which the game will be abandoned (was an hour this time, but was that an arbitrary decision by the officials?); whether or not the game can be concluded behind closed doors that night or next day (with any additional expenses incurred by PVFC to be met by Reading); any post-match sanctions (fine, including reimbursement for PVFC and fans, points deductions).
We'd then know where we stand rather than having several days of conjecture about 3pts to Vale or replay. Even now there is absolutely nothing about the game or the subsequent process on the EFL website. All we really seem to know is via a quote from the Reading manager about a 'panel of experts' being convened at some point. Good luck finding experts at EFL HQ! 
For my money, the remaining game time has to be played, behind closed doors, at a time and venue that causes minimum disruption to PVFC. Remaining game time rather than replay to set precedent and stop the scenario mentioned by a few on here where fans invade to get a game replayed when losing. Can't be 3pts to Vale because that would be unfair to those around us in the table and would be subject to lengthy legal challenge if a team was relegated 2pts behind us. Also a minimum 3pt deduction for Reading so even if they win the rearranged game, they're no better off than if they'd lost, with a massive fine for the owner, compensation for Vale (club and fans) and remaining home games behind closed doors. If owner is unable to pay fine/compensation, that is another potential lever to revoke his permission to own or be a director of an EFL club.
We can debate the rights and wrongs of actually getting the game abandoned and the inconvenience to our fans who travelled, but what's done is done. Suffice to say I have every sympathy with the Reading fans (especially those who have thanked the SVA and donated to the Rudge statue), and sincerely hope that the action on Saturday leads to a quicker resolution and change of ownership. 

Well said

[Shropshire_Valiant]

5 minutes ago, Clayts said:

The more I think about this situation, the more blame I put at the EFL's door. Not just in terms of allowing inappropriate ownership of yet another club to drag on across multiple seasons of missed payments, points deductions and all the turmoil and uncertainty that brings about, but the uncertainty that we're left with in the aftermath of this game.

Given the knowledge of potential protests before the game, and the fact that this kind of action has been threatened before, why have the EFL not drawn up a plan and process for this scenario? First step, as soon as you hear about potential pitch invasion a few days before the match, ask the club what measures (security, police, etc.) they have in place to mitigate any potential security concerns, remove people from the pitch, etc. If they don't have (or can't afford to pay for) any counter-measures, then how can the game go ahead with home fans in attendance? 

Secondly, but still ahead of the game, could the EFL not convene an emergency meeting of whatever panel/executive they have to discuss what happens if the game goes ahead and is disrupted by protests as rumoured? Said panel could then discuss their proposals with both clubs and set out exactly what will happen in terms of: the cut-off point at which the game will be abandoned (was an hour this time, but was that an arbitrary decision by the officials?); whether or not the game can be concluded behind closed doors that night or next day (with any additional expenses incurred by PVFC to be met by Reading); any post-match sanctions (fine, including reimbursement for PVFC and fans, points deductions).

We'd then know where we stand rather than having several days of conjecture about 3pts to Vale or replay. Even now there is absolutely nothing about the game or the subsequent process on the EFL website. All we really seem to know is via a quote from the Reading manager about a 'panel of experts' being convened at some point. Good luck finding experts at EFL HQ! 

For my money, the remaining game time has to be played, behind closed doors, at a time and venue that causes minimum disruption to PVFC. Remaining game time rather than replay to set precedent and stop the scenario mentioned by a few on here where fans invade to get a game replayed when losing. Can't be 3pts to Vale because that would be unfair to those around us in the table and would be subject to lengthy legal challenge if a team was relegated 2pts behind us. Also a minimum 3pt deduction for Reading so even if they win the rearranged game, they're no better off than if they'd lost, with a massive fine for the owner, compensation for Vale (club and fans) and remaining home games behind closed doors. If owner is unable to pay fine/compensation, that is another potential lever to revoke his permission to own or be a director of an EFL club.

We can debate the rights and wrongs of actually getting the game abandoned and the inconvenience to our fans who travelled, but what's done is done. Suffice to say I have every sympathy with the Reading fans (especially those who have thanked the SVA and donated to the Rudge statue), and sincerely hope that the action on Saturday leads to a quicker resolution and change of ownership. 

Agree pretty much with all of that.  We're talking about one of the governing bodies in football though.  This is a sport who can't get the use of technology(VAR etc) correct when every other sport on the planet uses it sensibly! I won't hold my breadth for a sensible outcome like you've described

[Rampant Zebra]

Easy with hindsight to say what the EFL should have done though! As this was an unprecedented event I guess they didn't know what was going to happen...