Will relegation hurt you?

[Snowflake Royal]

It's been coming for a long time, and I'd pretty much embraced the inevitable between the Preston result and Ince's sacking. Two or three games sooner and I think we'd have probably clung on for another season, but despite Hunt lifting things Burnley, Luton and Coventry was too much and we were always reliant on the other teams in the mix letting us off the hook. They haven't.

We were tier three for the majority of our League history. I've seen us relegated to tier three before. Football's cyclic. Half the Championship has been in L1 within the last 10 years or so. We're a much bigger club than we were before the mid-90s and I have every confidence that good decision making and a solid brick by brick approach will see us back far fitter for the Championship within a few years.

I've supported the club for almost 30 years, and the seasons fly by. A few in L1 won't hurt us. And it might show some of our fans a bit more humility, we've no divine right to the Championship. You keep your place by earning it. We haven't. Someone else's turn, and good luck to 'em.

[Crowbar6753]

It's been coming for a long time, and I'd pretty much embraced the inevitable between the Preston result and Ince's sacking. Two or three games sooner and I think we'd have probably clung on for another season, but despite Hunt lifting things Burnley, Luton and Coventry was too much and we were always reliant on the other teams in the mix letting us off the hook. They haven't.

We were tier three for the majority of our League history. I've seen us relegated to tier three before. Football's cyclic. Half the Championship has been in L1 within the last 10 years or so. We're a much bigger club than we were before the mid-90s and I have every confidence that good decision making and a solid brick by brick approach will see us back far fitter for the Championship within a few years.

I've supported the club for almost 30 years, and the seasons fly by. A few in L1 won't hurt us. And it might show some of our fans a bit more humility, we've no divine right to the Championship. You keep your place by earning it. We haven't. Someone else's turn, and good luck to 'em.

Very well said!! If we cut our cloth accordingly and do everything the right way, and it looks like with Bowen at the helm we are slowly moving in the right direction then so be it.
There's some big clubs in Div1 who have been through the whole process and are now coming back with better support and a team thats on the up.
Its a journey, sometimes you have to take a step back to move forwards.

[NathStPaul]

No, couldn't really care less. Our owner deserves nothing less than relegation.

Fortunate enough to follow a lot of people who do care a lot on Twitter and I'm looking forward to their meltdown if we are relegated.

[Hound]

Do think it depends a lot on what happens between now and the start of next season

If we keep roughly the same team as we’ve played the last few games with a couple of sensible additions it should be enjoyable enough. Fill it with shite L1 journeyman and it won’t be

[Orion1871]

Would be very surprised if Bowen is still here this time next year, we just can't sustain having a Head of Footballing operations in League 1. He may stay long enough to deal with the summer window, but after that he will probably have to be let go anyway.

Carey will probably go, as the budget just won't be able to handle having so many people involved in recruitment. Dublin better be good because it will all be on him now, and he won't have anyone else in his scouting department.

Our revenue now comes from ticket sales. The people of Reading have proven time and time again that, despite have some of the most generous pricing in the Championship, they are not interested in supporting their local football club. Seeing a terrible standard of football in the dregs of the football league is not going to get them to come through the door, no matter what the ticket prices will be. Frankly, no one in this town, outside of a dwindling number of loyalists, would care or probably notice if Reading lost it's Football Club.

[JR]

I don’t really understand the negativity of this thread and the resigned tone of everyone posting on it.

To all intensive purposes our survival is in our own hands and it ‘just’ requires two wins against the 23rd and 21st placed teams in the league.

In most circumstances you would say that is quite doable.

[From Despair To Where?]

I don’t really understand the negativity of this thread and the resigned tone of everyone posting on it.

To all intensive purposes our survival is in our own hands and it ‘just’ requires two wins against the 23rd and 21st placed teams in the league.

In most circumstances you would say that is quite doable.

I do, it's mainly Jimmy and relentless pessimism is his thing.

[Maguire]

Football's cyclic

Doesn't have to be. Six teams have been in the PL for the last 30 years. We've been in the top two divisions for more than 20 years.
Our relegation is a consequence of a series of poor decisions and parlous management over a period of time, not due to some natural cycle.
It was totally avoidable and Reading fans should be angry at what's happened to the club rather than meekly accepting its fate.

A few in L1 won't hurt us

Of course it will hurt us. Every single thing about relegation is bad for the club. We've undone a quarter of a century of progress.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Football's cyclic

Doesn't have to be. Six teams have been in the PL for the last 30 years. We've been in the top two divisions for more than 20 years.
Our relegation is a consequence of a series of poor decisions and parlous management over a period of time, not due to some natural cycle.
It was totally avoidable and Reading fans should be angry at what's happened to the club rather than meekly accepting its fate.

A few in L1 won't hurt us

Of course it will hurt us. Every single thing about relegation is bad for the club. We've undone a quarter of a century of progress.

minus the last ten years

[Maguire]

I don’t really understand the negativity of this thread and the resigned tone of everyone posting on it.

To all intensive purposes our survival is in our own hands and it ‘just’ requires two wins against the 23rd and 21st placed teams in the league.

In most circumstances you would say that is quite doable.

The circumstances in which I would say it is not doable would be:

- Two league wins all year
- No wins at all in the last eleven games
- Half the first team injured

I'd be delighted if we suddenly won two games back to back but nobody's putting any money on it

[Orion1871]

I don’t really understand the negativity of this thread and the resigned tone of everyone posting on it.

To all intensive purposes our survival is in our own hands and it ‘just’ requires two wins against the 23rd and 21st placed teams in the league.

In most circumstances you would say that is quite doable.

I do, it's mainly Jimmy and relentless pessimism is his thing.

You'll both get over the denial phase soon. Acceptance only takes a few more steps.

In fact, you'll probably be at acceptance this time next week thanks to the team.

[Sutekh]

I don’t really understand the negativity of this thread and the resigned tone of everyone posting on it.

To all intensive purposes our survival is in our own hands and it ‘just’ requires two wins against the 23rd and 21st placed teams in the league.

In most circumstances you would say that is quite doable.

The circumstances in which I would say it is not doable would be:

- Two league wins all year
- No wins at all in the last eleven games
- Half the first team injured

I'd be delighted if we suddenly won two games back to back but nobody's putting any money on it

You forgot the 1 clean sheet since the start of December.

[From Despair To Where?]

You'll both get over the denial phase soon. Acceptance only takes a few more steps.

In fact, you'll probably be at acceptance this time next week thanks to the team.

Eh? Stop taking nonsense.

I've watched us in Division 4. I had a season ticket for 30 years through times much thinner than these.

Just because I don't live and breath the football club doesn't make me deluded. I've got more important things in my life to get dramatic about.

Am I happy about the threat of relegation? No. Does it cloud my life? No, because I chose to not let it.

It's a bump in the road. Whats important is how we go forward, not what's happened.

[Maguire]

Football's cyclic

Doesn't have to be. Six teams have been in the PL for the last 30 years. We've been in the top two divisions for more than 20 years.
Our relegation is a consequence of a series of poor decisions and parlous management over a period of time, not due to some natural cycle.
It was totally avoidable and Reading fans should be angry at what's happened to the club rather than meekly accepting its fate.

A few in L1 won't hurt us

Of course it will hurt us. Every single thing about relegation is bad for the club. We've undone a quarter of a century of progress.

minus the last ten years

Well, no. We came within a penalty shoot out of the Premier League in 2017 and lost an FA Cup Semi-final in ET in 2015.

They'll seems like heady days indeed when we're getting knocked out of the Papa John's Trophy by Fleetwood Town.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Fair, and easily forgotten, but overall, we”ve made hard work of everything else.

[Loafer]

You'll both get over the denial phase soon. Acceptance only takes a few more steps.

In fact, you'll probably be at acceptance this time next week thanks to the team.

Eh? Stop taking nonsense.

I've watched us in Division 4. I had a season ticket for 30 years through times much thinner than these.

Just because I don't live and breath the football club doesn't make me deluded. I've got more important things in my life to get dramatic about.

Am I happy about the threat of relegation? No. Does it cloud my life? No, because I chose to not let it.

It's a bump in the road. Whats important is how we go forward, not what's happened.

Don't bother. He's a troll.

[Orion1871]

You'll both get over the denial phase soon. Acceptance only takes a few more steps.

In fact, you'll probably be at acceptance this time next week thanks to the team.

Eh? Stop taking nonsense.

I've watched us in Division 4. I had a season ticket for 30 years through times much thinner than these.

Just because I don't live and breathe, the football club doesn't make me deluded. I've got more important things in my life to get dramatic about.

What are you going on about?

The post you replied to, which you have conveniently not included in your quote, was saying that all we had to do was win two games "against the 23rd and 21st placed teams in the league", which you agreed with. I was just saying you're in denial of the realities of the current league situation. Maguire explained why that post was in denial about the

I don't care if, like me, you have seen us play in the lower leagues before or if you have "more important things in your life" than the football club. Most people do, you're hardly alone on that front.

[Notts Royal]

L1 football for a few seasons I am fine with. Those seasons under Pardew were a joy to watch on the whole. I also have done all grounds in the Champ bar Norwich so it’s a
Great opportunity to tick off some others.

More of my concern is Dai Yongee and what he’s going to do. I just want the club to be in existence & I don’t trust his ownership.

[Hound]

Tbf on the positive side, we haven’t played too badly in the last 3 and Hudders are only point above us - if results to our way then a draw there may be enough

And qpr have shown that despite being in disarray it’s still possible to pull of a couple of shock results

Definitely odds on to go down now though. That QPR win was an awful result for us

[From Despair To Where?]

You'll both get over the denial phase soon. Acceptance only takes a few more steps.

In fact, you'll probably be at acceptance this time next week thanks to the team.

Eh? Stop taking nonsense.

I've watched us in Division 4. I had a season ticket for 30 years through times much thinner than these.

Just because I don't live and breathe, the football club doesn't make me deluded. I've got more important things in my life to get dramatic about.

What are you going on about?

The post you replied to, which you have conveniently not included in your quote, was saying that all we had to do was win two games "against the 23rd and 21st placed teams in the league", which you agreed with. I was just saying you're in denial of the realities of the current league situation. Maguire explained why that post was in denial about the

I don't care if, like me, you have seen us play in the lower leagues before or if you have "more important things in your life" than the football club. Most people do, you're hardly alone on that front.

If you'd read my post properly, you'd have seen I was commenting soley about Jimmy's relentless negativity which has been on show for years. I neither agreed or disagreed with the content of the post or any notion of "we just have to win 2 games". FTR, I don't see us doing it.

Whether we stay up or not is not the end of the world and that has been the tone of every post I've made on this thread. Yes, there will be repercussions for the club but we're not the first and won't be the last.

It's the melodrama I don't like.