Reading (A) match thread - Jan 13th

[Raveninblack]

9 minutes ago, smithie said:

I'm sure you'll agree that the outcome is grossly unfair to PVFC. Will you be addressing this with the EFL and seeking a re-think? It seems reasonable after some of the away support seemingly "stood with Reading". 

they’ve been docked five points 

[Quart]

12 minutes ago, smithie said:

I'm sure you'll agree that the outcome is grossly unfair to PVFC. Will you be addressing this with the EFL and seeking a re-think? It seems reasonable after some of the away support seemingly "stood with Reading". 

Like I said, I do understand that it’s had a negative impact, especially on supporters who spent time and money travelling to the game. I appreciate it won’t reimburse anyone personally but I did make sure to make a donation towards the John Rudge statue appeal, as I felt like it’s the least I could do as a Reading fan, and I’m glad a fair few of us did also. 

As for the EFL, personally I thought they would play the game after they cleared the stadium, once they didn’t do that I did expect that they would rearrange the fixture, the EFL like to maintain points should he won on the pitch so I personally wasn’t surprised the game was rearranged, I do wonder if the EFL outcome may have been different had the score not been 0-0 and only 16 mins into the game. I think had the EFL awarded 3 points to Port Vale they would have a head ache from 10 teams around them complaining, even if I personally wouldn’t have been too fussed.

[smithie]

1 minute ago, Raveninblack said:

they’ve been docked five points 

What's that got to do with Vale having to travel again and the wasted money down the drain for Vale fans? 

[smithie]

2 minutes ago, Quart said:

Like I said, I do understand that it’s had a negative impact, especially on supporters who spent time and money travelling to the game. I appreciate it won’t reimburse anyone personally but I did make sure to make a donation towards the John Rudge statue appeal, as I felt like it’s the least I could do as a Reading fan, and I’m glad a fair few of us did also. 

As for the EFL, personally I thought they would play the game after they cleared the stadium, once they didn’t do that I did expect that they would rearrange the fixture, the EFL like to maintain points should he won on the pitch so I personally wasn’t surprised the game was rearranged, I do wonder if the EFL outcome may have been different had the score not been 0-0 and only 16 mins into the game. I think had the EFL awarded 3 points to Port Vale they would have a head ache from 10 teams around them complaining, even if I personally wouldn’t have been too fussed.

You must have been pleasantly surprised by the supine attitude of the police and stewards. I saw the police literally stand aside to let the invasion take place. 

It's too trite to say "there are no winners here" because if Reading win the replayed match they have most definitely won through disruption. 

[Quart]

1 minute ago, smithie said:

You must have been pleasantly surprised by the supine attitude of the police and stewards. I saw the police literally stand aside to let the invasion take place. 

It's too trite to say "there are no winners here" because if Reading win the replayed match they have most definitely won through disruption. 

I don’t think it was realistic for Police / Stewards to stop it completely - the club did have more stewards in the place they thought the invasion would start but it started from the complete opposite end of the stadium.

I think it’s a tough one, especially for the head stewards, the same people who have not been paid on time / in full multiple times, who’s job might be gone in a few months, if I was in their situation I’m not sure I’d be desperate to stop people protesting against those destroying the company I work for either.

[Guppys left peg]

2 minutes ago, smithie said:

You must have been pleasantly surprised by the supine attitude of the police and stewards. I saw the police literally stand aside to let the invasion take place. 

It's too trite to say "there are no winners here" because if Reading win the replayed match they have most definitely won through disruption. 

If so many people want to get on the pitch it is impossible to stop them unless you’re arguing for them to get the sticks out or something? Same way it always happens after a promotion or the night we beat Swindon in the playoffs.

There was never an ideal solution to this but the idea Reading will have won a replayed game through disruption is just ridiculous. There is nothing to say we’d have won the first game even if we did start it pretty well. Just go down there and find a way to win the replayed game, if anything we’ll possibly have a stronger lineup and them weaker for the replay so not having any excuses.

[Valient1961]

Went on coach from the Roebuck Burslem  I think run by Bazza Bailey rip 😞or Kelly early 80s to Bournemouth with a few of Norton boys .well into the journey heard our game was off , no internet no mobile phones ,radio 5 so we looked at the fixtures in the paper and decided to go Fulham Man United in the cup ,then it said on the radio Fulham was off ,it was freezing January I think . So we went the only game to survive in the capital that day Arsenal v Notts County FA cup .Went in the seats near the old clock end couldn’t see much of a county mob but noticed near us in in the clock end corner Man Utd mob paying in and mobbing up but they got a right kicking off the cockneys and I mean a right kicking so bad they pleaded with the few coppers about to be let out which they eventually did just before halftime. We could see everything from our safe seats near the railings 😳 early 80s for ye 

[smithie]

25 minutes ago, Guppys left peg said:

If so many people want to get on the pitch it is impossible to stop them unless you’re arguing for them to get the sticks out or something? Same way it always happens after a promotion or the night we beat Swindon in the playoffs.

There was never an ideal solution to this but the idea Reading will have won a replayed game through disruption is just ridiculous. There is nothing to say we’d have won the first game even if we did start it pretty well. Just go down there and find a way to win the replayed game, if anything we’ll possibly have a stronger lineup and them weaker for the replay so not having any excuses.

Were you there? The numbers weren't massive and it was by no means a violent invasion - it would absolutely have been possible and reasonable for the police to stop people getting on the pitch. This wasn't 5000 roughnecks!   

[Rampant Zebra]

1 hour ago, Brian Johnson said:

Again, what are you going on about?

Talk Sport were having phone in's about it on both the White & Jordon show. & then later that day on the drive time show with Darren Bent & Andy Goldstein.

Sky Sports covered it & all the national newspapers covered it.

It was covered on 5 live extensively.

Are you a daily reader of the Reading Chronicle? 

 

I use a news aggregator site called "NewsNow". Normally I search for "Port Vale" because I am a Port Vale fan (allegedly) but recently I have saerched occasionally for news about Reading. Try it and you will see how many people other than the Reading Chronicle have any articles about the club and the match abandonment. Todays news, tomorrows chip wrapper, as they used to say when chips were wrapped in old newspaper rather than commercially available catering paper.

[Guppys left peg]

6 minutes ago, smithie said:

Were you there? The numbers weren't massive and it was by no means a violent invasion - it would absolutely have been possible and reasonable for the police to stop people getting on the pitch. This wasn't 5000 roughnecks!   

Firstly yes I was there. Very few invasions are violent with 5000 roughnecks as you so eloquently put it. So how do you propose they’d have stopped them then without escalating it with your evident expertise on the matter?

[Brian Johnson]

20 minutes ago, Rampant Zebra said:

I use a news aggregator site called "NewsNow". Normally I search for "Port Vale" because I am a Port Vale fan (allegedly) but recently I have saerched occasionally for news about Reading. Try it and you will see how many people other than the Reading Chronicle have any articles about the club and the match abandonment. Todays news, tomorrows chip wrapper, as they used to say when chips were wrapped in old newspaper rather than commercially available catering paper.

Maybe not use "Newsnow" so you can keep up to date with current topics.

It was everywhere in the end

[Guppys left peg]

1 minute ago, Brian Johnson said:

Maybe not use "Newsnow" so you can keep up to date with current topics.

It was everywhere in the end

Talksport have discussed it multiple times since and have a few clips on YouTube of it (one of which was quite an obnoxious interview with Simon Jordan but the Reading fan rep handled himself quite well I thought) as well as being mentioned on SSN quite frequently. People like Jeff Stelling picked it up criticising the lack of coverage of it previously. Long story short nobody would have had to look too hard to find something on it since.

[smithie]

2 hours ago, Guppys left peg said:

Firstly yes I was there. Very few invasions are violent with 5000 roughnecks as you so eloquently put it. So how do you propose they’d have stopped them then without escalating it with your evident expertise on the matter?

It doesn't take expertise to deploy stewards and police at the exits from the stands onto the perimeter, just common sense - more so when there's advance notice of the intention to disrupt the game. 

If the police and stewards can't act in such instances, inevitably the question is "What is the point of them being there?".

[Rampant Zebra]

3 hours ago, Raveninblack said:

they’ve been docked five points 

Have they? Suspended 3 points according to the EFL statement.

[Quart]

50 minutes ago, smithie said:

It doesn't take expertise to deploy stewards and police at the exits from the stands onto the perimeter, just common sense - more so when there's advance notice of the intention to disrupt the game. 

If the police and stewards can't act in such instances, inevitably the question is "What is the point of them being there?".

To be fair they did - the pitch invasion started from the east / family stand corner, they would have expected (and to be fair I would have to) it to start from the opposite end.

Once 100 or so fans are on the pitch I’d say it’s more important to keep everyone safe than trying to stop it at that point.

 

I also don’t think the PA announcement telling fans if they don’t get off the pitch in one minute the game will be abandoned helped as that’s what fans were trying to achieve.