Should we start our own Supporters Group to Replace STAR???

[The Rouge]

Agree with that Green.

It does take a big commitment although I would be happy to be involved in the new group in some capacity.

[Royal Lady]

Agree with that Green.

It does take a big commitment although I would be happy to be involved in the new group in some capacity.

let's have a meating about it Rouge...

[Alan Partridge]

One person repeated what was said at a fans' forum - albeit in bullet points etc as he thought he was enlightening fellow supporters who weren't at the meeting. Apparently, instead he has incurred the wrath of STAR, the club and most importantly, Brian, who is very upset.

My sources tell me he's literally cried all the water out of his body.

It's a fukking dis-grace

[RepressedRoyal]

After 30 years of supporting Reading I still know nothing about STAR. However, a chap I work with, went on an away trip by coach with STAR and described it as a heady experience featuring lookalike serial s-x offenders eating cheese and pickle sandwiches...I have been reluctant join up ever since!

[Hoop Blah]

I would be happy to join and help with any organisation designed to keep RFC in line, and in touch with its CUSTOMERS, and make the experience of supporting Reading FC better one. Something which STAR fail to do completely.

I disagree that it's a lack of 'customer' service - they treat their customers exactly as any business would that maintains a monopoly over a product. Treat them as supporters, fans, partners, citizens, stakeholders (or even one day shareholders - heaven forbid!) and you have a different set of priorities and responsibilities coming into play.

See the club as a business with a product to sell (and profit as its main motivation) and it will behave as a business with a product to sell.

Agreed. Part of the problem is that all too often the clubs see's us as customers and not members of the club. This is modern football to an extent though.

Without the hardcore fans the club is just a set of blokes running around a pitch chasing a ball. It's the fans that make a club and make the 'theatre' of the match day experience and frame the action for television. The more those at the club remember this the better.

I'd love to see an organisation that challenges what the club does in terms of ticketing, the sanitisation of supporting the club and keeps them in check a bit more. STAR may have had some success in doing that over the years (not that they're any good at letting us know of course) but all too often it seems as though they're too scared to risk their existing relationship, and the cosy chats that brings, in order to really stand up for supports rights as the foundations and real owners for the club.

A more militant group might not get to sit in on management meetings or hand out fliers on behalf of the PA announcer and team, but they might just fire a few rockets up the clubs collective arse now and again.

[Royal Lady]

^ this is exactly what we need imo.

[melonhead]

popular peoples front of supporters



splitters!

[HoneyRoastHoax]

Will we be Ultras?

Nb I don't like tomatoes in my sandwiches so can there be another option for meetings?

[Wimb]

Agree with most of that Hoop but I genuinely wonder what you would hope to achieve with a minority supporters group with no established links to the club and no majority mandate behind it. STAR has a few hundred members and actually owns a bit of the club, they've spent years working with the club and have made a difference over the years.

As far as I can see, there seems to be well under 50 posters on an internet forum that have the drive and the desire to even write a post against STAR yet alone have the energy and support to go set up a group, arrange meetings, get into direct dialogue with the club, help other fans etc.

It would seem to make far far more sense to get like-minded people such as yourself and RL to join STAR and then try and win a seat on the board or make requests in meetings, and see if you can make a difference that way. If as people have suggested there's a big swell of support for this you shouldn't have a problem doing it that way.

[Reading4eva]

How about a name for our supporters club such as Royal Lions? All we need is some links into the club, which I think we do have, and we can start one up. We need to know the clubs expectations and the expectations the club has of us.

[HoneyRoastHoax]

Well STAR made Brian cry so we're one up there

[Reading4eva]

Well STAR made Brian cry so we're one up there

I'm sure he's OK, dont worry

[The Rouge]

Agree with most of that Hoop but I genuinely wonder what you would hope to achieve with a minority supporters group with no established links to the club and no majority mandate behind it. STAR has a few hundred members and actually owns a bit of the club, they've spent years working with the club and have made a difference over the years.

As far as I can see, there seems to be well under 50 posters on an internet forum that have the drive and the desire to even write a post against STAR yet alone have the energy and support to go set up a group, arrange meetings, get into direct dialogue with the club, help other fans etc.

It would seem to make far far more sense to get like-minded people such as yourself and RL to join STAR and then try and win a seat on the board or make requests in meetings, and see if you can make a difference that way. If as people have suggested there's a big swell of support for this you shouldn't have a problem doing it that way.

I agree with your sentiment Wimb, but for some reason - maybe because you know some of the people who are at STAR?- you don't seem to acknowledge the problem quite as much as others on here. So your thoughts are bound to be tapered a little.

Sometimes its best to start again rather than patch things up.... I would want assurances that:

- they will represent fans and not just seek to protect a cosy relationship with the club
- they will endeavour to actually understand what fans would like
- they will not be so self-important and offish
- they will learn about PR/comms

I don't think we would get those assurances. On the second point, I spoke to so many people who wanted a Reading shirt with 'hoops all the way round', it was overwhelming. A poll on here showed it was an overwhelming majority view. They did not do anything to represent the fans. Silence, silence, silence then 'yes, lets have some clappers'.

[Barry the bird boggler]

I would agree with some of the points raised here, STAR do themselves no favours in not being more open and regularly reporting back on issues and club policy questions raised by users.

If any issues are raised it would be great to see a list on their website (no names being used) together with updates when they are received so that people can see plainly what is being asked and what the response is from the relevant authority.

[Eaststandman]

How about a name for our supporters club such as Royal Lions? All we need is some links into the club, which I think we do have, and we can start one up. We need to know the clubs expectations and the expectations the club has of us.

I don't mean to be critical of any particular individual here, but Reading4eva and the people who seem to agree with his/her comments are at risk of being a tad naive.

Expressions such as 'we can start one up' and 'starting with a name' and 'all we need is' just won't make it happen. Its as though you have very little idea of just how much time and effort would be involved to even make a start.

Select a date, arrange a venue, raise an agenda, invite all comers, call a meeting, chair it, write minutes and gather support for a mandate and a campaign to create your alternative and invite people to join you and organise the infra structure and relationship with the club to make all this possible and in the interim three leap years will come and go!

Wimb has made extremely valid comments about the situation and I sincerely wish you the very best in your endeavors, (my views at the beginning of STAR were considered radical at the time) but the reality is the club will only deal seriously with an organisation of which they approve and when you sit down to 'sup with the devil, it is wise to use a long spoon'

Very best of luck and good wishes to you all

[melonhead]

look at the current star members-there is a reason they all look like weirdos
these are the types of people you need to be to get something like this up and running.
if you are that type of person who can be arsed to spend alot of their time doing this, fair play, crack on.

otherwise, give it up.
you cant be cool AND organise a fan group

[Hoop Blah]

Agree with most of that Hoop but I genuinely wonder what you would hope to achieve with a minority supporters group with no established links to the club and no majority mandate behind it. STAR has a few hundred members and actually owns a bit of the club, they've spent years working with the club and have made a difference over the years.

As far as I can see, there seems to be well under 50 posters on an internet forum that have the drive and the desire to even write a post against STAR yet alone have the energy and support to go set up a group, arrange meetings, get into direct dialogue with the club, help other fans etc.

It would seem to make far far more sense to get like-minded people such as yourself and RL to join STAR and then try and win a seat on the board or make requests in meetings, and see if you can make a difference that way. If as people have suggested there's a big swell of support for this you shouldn't have a problem doing it that way.

Believe it or not Wimb, there's a whole load of Reading fans out there that don't waste their time on here or feel much of an affinty with STAR or some of the crap they go along with for the club. Who is really representing them?

What I've hinted at is another group that isn't so close and up the arse of the numpties at the club. It doesn't need to be in competition to STAR or be part of it. That just wouldn't work. STAR was born out of the old supporters club and has taken a very different direction to get to where it feels it wants to be. That is a different place to a more steadfast organisation that will push the club on difficult topics more because it's more interested in looking after the supporters than being a democractic softly softly group with close links to the club and all that goes with it.

A major failing of STAR is it's engagement with the wider supporter base. It has achieved some good things in the past (as I've recognised both here and specific discussions about certain topics elsewhere) but it's diabolical at communicating those to the people that should really matter to them, ie the wider supporters and not just their few hundred members who, primarily I'm sure, have signed up to share their flasks on Coach 1 and the like.

I think there's room for an organistion to represent the wider fanbase, not just the coach using and fans forum attending supporters (plus a splattering of exiles) which make up STAR.

[Readingensian]

We are in age where football fans are very much taken for granted and treated with contempt by the authorities and sometimes even our own football clubs (e.g. that lovely bunch from Cardiff). Therefore I feel it crucial that supporters have an independent voice to speak on their behalf and address the club on issues. Unfortunately a club-affiliated trust (such as STAR) are never likely to want to rock the boat and damage their relationship, as we have seen in the recent week.

As a result I would wholeheartedly lend my support to such a movement and even donate some of my spare time if it were required. I have some very strong issues about the club and just know that submitting them to STAR asking for question would be a complete waste of my time.

[Royal Lady]

I think you'll find a couple of us have offered to do just that. But before any of us proceed, we need to know that we have enough backing from other supporters of RFC to give us the impetus to do it.

[floyd__streete]

LOL @ the AE clique bemoaning the shortcomings of STAR.

NOT IN for joining STAR any more (used to be a member).

Even more NOT IN for joining this new fans group some people here are so laughably mooting.