Thetownend.com

Got the biscuits excited

http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/reading-fc-fans-react-pre-11390942

"Highlight of the season already"

Oh dear

If we could draw them away in the league cup too that would be handy!

Decent friendly to be fair, cant believe its that long since we played them.

Holiday...bollocks

Yes...5 years now, when 4,500 turned up to welcome PdC to the CG.

Was that when there was some scrapping in the CG car park after the game? Or was that another friendly? Im sure we played them when Simon Cox was a youngun before he came to us

Bit tragic they are that excited about a bloody friendly. Would love a competitive game against them, been a long time

Reading (A) at Elm Park was one of the first pre-season friendlies I can remember going to.  I think we had just signed Craig Maskell from them.  Lovely sunny evening in Tilehurst in what must have been July 1992.  (This was in the days when we could nick their best players for not a lot of ££.)

Could have been the pre season game against them ten years ago? I can't remember any scrapping or Simon Cox but that's because I spent much of the afternoon being stunned by my first glimpse of Fola Onibuje

Yeah i think it was, fans running across at each other in the car park after the game

There's a Monty Python sketch in that... Modern day hooliganism...Opposing fans aggressively running towards each other in car parks.


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Mongs

I love the fact that everyone ignores Reading.
We are quite fortunate in that a few teams take us serious enough to dislike us.....Oxford, both Bristols, Gillingham etc.

Nobody hates Reading, nobody probably even loves Reading.

They are sort of Ok............ish

Where have all the flowers gone....

Cracking stand at Woking. Be happy with something similar

Are you on another planet? You are in the third division, with a fourth division wage structure and you're talking about another stand.

Reading's main rivals are Aldershot.....I'm surprised you don't know this.

Fuck me, just saying it's a nice stand!

STFC were invited to play the first game at Woking when that stand was opened, seem to remember that Woking actually paid for coaches for our supporters to go - I was on one of the two SAS coaches that went!!  We won 1-0 if memory serves me correct - rest of the ground was crap though!

This is a local forum, for local people. We'll have no hopes, aspirations or postivity here.

We're slacking.  No one has reposted this yet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rp3toJ9cAQ

Hahaha i forgot about that   ;D

The disconnect between the vehemence of the (dreadful) lyrics and the shots of empty stands is quite something.

Realise we can't exactly talk on the crowd front but, to me, Reading are the ultimate modern corporate 'family' club with no history, the Franchise aside -  Having a song which even Liverpool or Man United would probably find a bit too bombastic and self mythologising is the most un Reading thing imaginable.

To be fair, suspect their own fans find it embarrassing too.

I'm no fan of the Biscuitmen, but tbf, they do have a long and decent history, we had our first competitive game against them in the FA Cup in 1892, at the Croft.

It would be 3/4 of a century and 2 world wars, before we played a meaningful fixture v Headington, that's what I call having a short history.

'No History' was a lazy shorthand, really was meant to be a dig at the, sizeable in my opinion, element of their support who wouldn't have dreamt of going to Elm Park, yet rocked up when they got a shiny corporate stadium.

Isn't this the self same type of support that many are basing their hopes on for Swindon and telling Power  he should be seeking to engage via investment?

Reg is right.  We were playing keenly contested derby games vs Reading decades before the yellow lot appeared.  If you read Dick Mattick's book, there is a lot in there about the Swindon/Reading rivalry during the early 20th century.

Cringe-inducing as that song is, I've tried not to go overboard in criticism of Reading since the late 1990s when they leapfrogged us...for the simple reason that, if we're honest, we'd love to have had a slice of the success they've had since then.  I know others (incl Reg) disagree, but I also think we're capable of emulating the sharp increase in attendances - if only we could manage two or three seasons without threatening to go bust and, perhaps, a promotion.  Maybe not to the same degree (due to the lower population density around Swindon) but it would happen.  We could do with a bit of Reading's 'plastic', in my view.

Historically, we were more or less evenly matched with Reading, with maybe STFC just having a slight edge down to the occasional cup exploits, that they never really emulated.

The CG, with the Arkells built in early 70's, just providing us with an edge ground wise on Elm Park.  However it was Elm Park's shitness which poved a winner, as it really was one of those grounds, surrounded by housing and lacking any space for development, that in the post Taylor era, really had to go.

The Madejski, although in a shit location is definitely one of the better new grounds.....would I want one plonked on the CG footprint?  It would be very hard to argue against....

Simon Cox is not happy with the direction the club is taking....
http://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/sport/14524400.Striker_voices_concerns_after_Royals_sack_Brian_McDermott/

Don't disagree with that in terms of the Club progressing, there really is no other way.

Just pointing out the disparity of a song about their 'passionate marching' from Elm Park or whatever it say, and a fanbase that contains quite a high proportion of people who only want to go to football, if the stadium is modern, shiny, conveniently located next to major roads and has a fucking Frankie and Bennies.

Reading bringing around 1200ish to this apparently. Probably a few less than we'll bring!

Be interesting to see if Obika features at all.

Bound to be A Trialist or 2, surely. Looking forward to it.

Why would he not?

Cos he didn't feature in the last game.

Seems a reasonable comment

Hopefully Ronald huth will be one of them, he sounds like what we need at the back, seemed to play well again Marine and did very well for the two games on trial at Bath City vs Rovers and Cheltenham. Bath fans are raving about him (admittedly Bath is a level 3 leagues below ours).

Interestingly ex town Liverpool loanee Jordan Williams played for Bath also.

http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/bath-city-play-two-international-trialists-in-bristol-rovers-friendly-including-ex-liverpool-fc-man/story-29508493-detail/story.html

Is it usual for a triallist to leave after a trial then come back for another trial in the space of 2 weeks?

Tbf, he did look good against Marine

Not really but maybe he couldnt get a permit to visit Ireland to play during that week we were away?

Seeing as how we signed Balmy last year anything is possible.

Good to see Reading bringing a few, a bit of money for Po the coffers

Town didn't take any trialists to Ireland did they ?!

No, none at all.

Vigouroux, Rossi-Branco, Thompson (C), Sendles-White, Barry, Thomas, Rodgers, Kasim, Brophy, Goddard, Hylton

Subs: Henry, Spalding, Ormonde-Ottewill, Evans, Young, Trialist, Iandolo, Stewart

No Obika again then.

Worrying that. No mention of injury

Even if he is injured (which as you say hasn't been mentioned) it leaves us very very weak up front.

In fairness, there's no mention of anything recently.

The silence doesn't help the concern.

Hylton and Stewart our only recognized strikers, thats a little concerning to me especially id Obika is off.

No Tom Smith either

Anyone know if its being covered on BBC Swindon or on Player? (unlikely I know)

He is here.  Saw him downstairs but he's got a slight niggle.


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Worrying?

That fucking terrifies me...

Threadbare at best.

Buckle up for a shit old season methinks...

Looks like Town striker Jonathan Obika will be sitting this one out again tonight. Have been told he is just being rested, not injured #stfc - adver bloke via twitter

BBC wilts say minor injury. let's hope they've been told accurately then!!

 


Im sure powers got a couple of strikers lined up anyway.

he better fucking well do!

Anyone know what happened to the fullback kinsella from villa .  :hmmm:

a couple of centrebacks wouldnt go a miss either.

Different Jordan Williams

Beeks just told me he is being rested not injured.


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Is it? my bad.

Reading fans unimpressed with the team they've put out tonight:

"Starting XI vs Swindon: Jaakkola, Keown, Jules, Dickie, Campi, Kelly, Barrett, Swift, Tanner, Samuel, Mendes.
Subs: Collings, Long, Hyam, Griffin, Stacey, Rinomhota, Evans, Fosu, Rakels.

It's a debut for John Swift, and first fixtures in England for Joseph Mendes and Anssi Jaakkola


It's got to be said... That midfield looks far too lightweight & might get a few tonkings. Looks like all eyes from RFC are on the Wimbledon game with that young line up."

The trialist is Harly Wise, ex QPR centre back aged 20 freed by them in May.

There is commentary on BBC Radio Berkshire, if anyone is interested:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009jnc9

Thanks.

My God Kevin Dillon has such a boring voice.

Nicky Awhooosie

Thanks PF.

Stop talking about Andre Bikey being a ladies man and Dillon being a twitcher...hes so dull.

Still at least we will hear when there is some action I guess.

On BBC Radio Wiltshire

Went to college with his daughter. Fit as fuck.

Not online though is it? cos its not on listen now on the web site.

Hope she isnt as boring as the mackem twat.

Nor on tune in radio

She was alrIght to be fair, had a cracking pair of tits

Wouldn't know being 85 miles away :D

1-0 Goddard.

Goddarddď :pint:

Kevin Dillon "Ignore the goal, Reading have been by far the best side so far"

OK lets all ignore the goal, that will work Kevin, maybe that will take off in every game this season.

Don't knock it.  The idea has legs.  Goal Ignoring could really take off as a coping strategy if the season turns to ####.  Relegation Denial would then follow on, logically.

Shhh!  Don't tell Reg!

Do you think the BBC Berks commentary team have been to Sweden? They should mention it more..

Interesting point about Cooper not being able to work on the defence according to Dillon.

The elusive Stewart getting ready to come on


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Stewart for Hylton, BOO for Brophy


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?? Missed that. Do you mean incapable, or not allowed to?

Mind you I've long suspected nobody has worked on the defence for a couple of seasons.

Dillon said he met with Cooper at a match and said to him why don't you tighten up at the back, Cooper told him he was not allowed to do any defensive coaching only attacking coaching on the orders of Power.

That's fucking retarded (if true of course).

My god, Dillon's a proper fucking mong.

That is certainly what Dillon said, but he is a twat but he has watched Swindon several times last season and does seem to know our players (apart from their names).

: :nod:

Goddard off...Young on.
Kasim off....Iandolo (Yombolo according to their commentator) on

We sound quite good this half.

Yep.  I can confirm that's what Dillon said about his conversation with Cooper.  I can imagine it was a case of Cooper pulling Dillon's leg, though, and Dillon being so thick that he believed it.

1-1

We'll probably go on to lose this now.

Bloke at work is Reading cunt...sent me pic...a bit sparse.

Reckons it's been poor all round.

The Reading commentator says theres about 1,200 reading there and that the Arkells stand is almost full.

Probably going to be about 4,000 there.

They are laying into Vigs distribution tonight, saying hes extremely shakey.

1-2.

Meh, nothing pre-season, in 30C heat, against a weak Reading team and with a half complete squad. Wasn't going to ever be a classic.

Exactly, lots of changes this half too, nothing too worrying IMO.

Sounds like the same old defensive cock-ups.  It's not as if we've had long to do something about it.

Having a half complete squad and no real fit strikers.

Result wise not squad wise.

What's this about him being a twitcher?

Kevin Dillon used to go twitching when he was younger with some other player at Pompey, but he was telling us this fact while Swindon were attacking as he thought it more important.

oh, in that case fuck all!

Interesting. Did he twitch anything exciting?

Good to hear the defence is as solid as ever ;)

If we have the same squad (including Obika or not) for the first game of the season I will be more concerned as it needs more players of good quality.

But for a friendly, it means fuck all its all about togetherness as a team and getting fit.

Last season we only won 1 proper (not behind closed doors) friendly and that was at Petersfield and yet we did ok, you can gauge nothing much really from pre season.

I see the triallist for the grand total of 0 minutes to show what he can do.

We heard the colour of his underpants, how some players were ladies men, how he would hit the young lad in front of them who was swearing a lot, we heard very little about the game.....I am surprised he didn't go into more twitching detail TBH it was heading that way until he was abruptly stopped by his co commentator saying Swindon had a corner.

I'm presuming Obika is injured?

And that's why I spent the £10 on some steak and beer from Morrisons instead. Say it every year, the league team friendlies do nothing for me - though I'll take the boys to the Swansea game. Give me a pre-season at some non-league backwater with a few trialists and a few unfit first teamers any day..

Rested according to Saxondale earlier who spoke to him.

Adver/Saxondale (who I'm not sure wasn't trolling): Rested
BBC Wilts: Minor injury (tight hammy)

I agree, an away game at Bideford, Dorchester or Weymouth with 3 or 4 trialists is more appealing to me too.

Away game at non-league games are so much more appealing than a game against Reading/Swansea etc

Thanks both.

It's not about the result it's about gelling.

Difficult with fuck all to gel...

Wifh Power in charge we need 4 friendlies in a week before kick off.

That's the truth....it's all about going on the piss by the seaside and thing football in.

I quite enjoyed that. Very competitive game, our well documented failings still all too apparent.

Vigs distribution was unbelievably poor.

Conor Thomas has a very poor first touch

Good points. Goddard looks the business, JSW looked good. Ditto Brophy.

Kasim looked very good  in the 2nd half until he went off.

Fucking Reading fans behaving like the game actually meant something. 'One nil and you fucked it up'. Fucked what up?

Should have been 3 up in the 2nd half - 2 one on ones missed.

They're still singing about how much they hate Swindon now the sad bastards.
Noticed they've stolen lots of other songs but not the best one. The glory of reading not appealing enough?!

It's half 10 and I'm not gonna get home until at least 1am, your "we all hate Swindon" isn't scary it's just sad. And a smoke bomb? I had to listen to a Dad explain that to his daughter. Cocks.

My lad had training till 8.30 so we came for the second half. Imagine our surprise when we found that instead of a pre-season friendly we'd inadvertently stumbled into a Champions League qualifier bonus round that propelled the soggybiscuitmen straight into the semi-finals in some sort of Britain's Got Talent golden buzzer style thingummy. No wonder they were excited about their historic victory!

TBF, they probably realise they're in for another shit season and this is as good as it will get for them, so enjoying it while they can!

I forgot it was on until I heard all the Reading fans making a din

No, the youngest was mascot and Beeks was on the bench whilst we took photos.  I asked if he was injured he said no Im being rested tonight.  Im not sure what from to be honest.

My opinion for what its worth, normal pre season game which the reading contingent took far too seriously.  Usual defensive frailties, nowt up front.

What I will say is for all the shit football we may have to suffer the club does do really well for the youngesters.  We had 3 cousins, 2 girls and 1 boy today and they were made to feel really special. 

Well done to the club but can someone write Phil King some new jokes.

Williams says Obika was 'showing signs of fatigue'

WTF, after 1 game against Supermarine and 45 mins against Shelbourne?

He's off.

that's bloody odd to be genuine...

if not off then what - covering something up - long term injury not reported so it didn't look desperate when negotiating with teams/disciplinary/summer pie diet/ summer cider diet ???

hmmm.

I think the hot weather is getting to some people.

http://hobnob.royals.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=133093&sid=2f86f8e57b4ed95078deb0920be113e9&start=20

Some interesting comments on there, taking the piss out of their own "yobs" or being the biscuitmen then maybe they were hobyobs? (although knobs would equally work)

Slating Vigs a lot.

Power's pre-match bit and William's post match interviews are here -> https://soundcloud.com/bbc-wiltshire-1

Yep, because all he's done in 3 weeks is that.

A slightly tight hamstring is a sign of fatigue. We have one good striker right now. We can take no risks with him ahead of the Cov game.

Yes we might sell him - and maybe we should, given he walks for free next year. No we won't without a replacement. Power has always done pretty well in the market. Why would this be different?

Why can't some things just be accepted, rather than over-scrutinised and narratives created all the time?

Their B team may have another chance of glory in the FLT...strangely I doubt the crowd will be as big

Can someone please pin this on the TEF front page, as well as on the forehead of Batch, Flash and anyone else who goes quivery-lipped every year about the state of our squad more than a month away from deadline day?

I don't know, Reg. Their fans got giddy for a friendly, image a competitive game? We'd have to give them a Town End ala Sunderland.

When did reading get yobs?

Pretty sure Flash is the complete opposite actually.

I think their after school club showed Green Street a couple of months ago.

Oh, is he? Apologies for the slur of being compared to Batch then.  ;)

Ah, I see.

I remember when we played Southampton a few years back and a group of them ran across towards the magic roundabout shouting "come on then" etc. They were older than me  ;D they stopped for a breather and nobody batted an eyelid. They just walked off  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

I'm not jittery, I'm sick of division 3 and (in my opinion) the ever diminishing prospects of moving up the leagues.

of course we' ll get more players in.

Last night apparently, probably the plastic hangers on, with an average age of about 13 according to the Reading radio commentator yesterday, who kept apologising for their language and that if they were his kids he would have belted them round the ear.

A guy at work (Reading fan) is saying the atmosphere yesterday was better than they've had at home for years.

That is really, really depressing.

I think he meant the other Flash, the one that does get into a flap.

It was their cup final though wasn't it.

God I'm having a mare lately. Yeah I think you are right RF.

At least I was correct about Flashheart though! Probably the least likely of all the TEF members to get his knickers in a twist over lack of signings!

Some of their fans did say that this game was their 'highlight of the year' when it was announced. Says it all really.

Imagine pre-money Reading fans being told that they'd be in the second tier and miserable...

In fairness (Aldershot aside-Reg) they don't really have any local rivalries.  Can we donate Bristol City on a season long loan?

I know most of them prefer the Pox as real rivals, Aldershot were back in the 80s when they were often in the same division, Wycombe would be closer but theres no history of rivalry there.

Its nice to know they still remember us.....

Here's 6 minutes of highlights

http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/highlights-watch-reading-fc-fight-11639636

Thanks for that.

A couple of points from that few minutes....

The camera work is shocking.

Brophy looked like he had a couple of good touches, Kasim looks like he has lost weight, Reading had some woeful finishing, Vigouroux's kicking is awful, we still can't defend a cross and was beaten twice quite easily, we didn't seem like we created mamy chances (that could be wrong as it was Readings highlights though).

Tbh, we had 2 great chances apart from the goal. Both were well fashioned by some slick passing outside the box.

I can only remember Vigs making one difficult save - shouldn't have been beaten on his near post and Nathan didn't help by leaving their player with the ball free entry into the box.

Kevin Dillon did say we were playing some good football certainly right up till the substitutions which changed the course of the game.

Strengthen the defence and get in a couple of attackers and we could be a good side....of and get Vigs out training on that kicking!

From the Reading Site -

"Those 15 year old morons from Y25 were an absolute oxf*rd embarrasment to the club, I can only assume that the school holidays have started early and these idiots were allowed to stay up late.
I went to a nearby pub and they were embarrasing, sat near them in the ground and they were embarrasing, walked out of the ground behind them and they were embarrasing, but it did make me laugh when........

They were giving it large walking back to the station until a nearby pub with lots of Swindon supporters started to empty, the gobby little shits ran faster than Gilksey back to the station"

So I assume that's Manchester Road then ?

Indeed. Though I can recall flapping you on occasions.  ;)

They were throwing smoke bombs at the station and getting on the tracks. These things are usually 6 and two 3s but last night it wasn't, there were just too many embarrassing Reading kids.

It's me....the one that goes to games (perhaps not as many this season).

If you're going to play the loyal fan card it probably won't work so well against someone who lives on the other side of the world.

Yeah would have been the Tap more than likely. Always a good choice for away fans to pretend to be hard outside :)

Another like for you, sir.

No excuse....They are plenty of Planes...

I bet I've been to more games than he has in the last 10 years ...

... and I've got a replica shirt!

COYR (not you domestic party members)