Nostalgia thread

[Sutekh]

Seem to vaguely recall, probably in the last season at EP, a game which pitched the Reading youth v Reading women for some reason.

Then there was Daley Thompson featuring in preseason games in about 1995

Thames Valley Jets providing half time match entertainment

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Yep, he made some vaguely threatening comments along the line of "I know who you are" and then edited the post to remove the comments when I laughed at him because he was unable to delete it.

In all honesty, proper playground level threats and not really worth the dignity of any further comment.

[OldBiscuit]

lets all ave a disco
wife and two kids
e coli burgers
we're on the pitch when jimmy scores
eric cantona picking up a banana
surging from the top to the bottom of the SB
Oxford's christmas jumper
pelada shirt stretched over coats
a spanner being thrown at shaka
the ox
the RYF
Friendly vs Genoa
Cardiff flinging golf balls
swansea up the floodlights
Souness on the pitch
The horse whisperer
In the away end for the last game v norwich

Narizz Fizz in plastic bottles without lids (the cheapest nastiest cola to ever grace the ‘fit-for-human-consumption’ tag)
The Swiss Cottage
‘Courage’ emblazoned across the front of the shirts
‘Courage’ being drunk pre-match
‘Courage’ being pissed out at the back of the SB...regardless of using the urinals or not
Stewart Hendersons suntanned thighs doing lunges in front of the anaemic S Bankers in January sleet
Charlie Hurleys’ blue and white army
Seven players getting the sack during the season
‘That goal’ by Percy Freeman
Grass less pitch
First team training in a Prospect Park
The a Combination League outgating the first team attendances (pre FA Cup fixtures)
Halftime scoreboards etc etc etc.

When the 'Boys' in the Southbank stood in the middle of the Southbank....Knees up mother brown, songs of praise for Harry Roberts, and the Black Mariah for naughty boys parked just outside the gates.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Ooooh yes...the “black Mariah” (which was actually blue)

Remember walking in to one of my first ever games (as a kid and versus Aldershot) and being a tad ‘unsettled’ by the 1970s angst and vitriol.

Shouldn’t have worried....it was only Aldershot

Portsmouth came along a few years later...that was ‘properly uncomfortable’

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Not as long ago as many posts but beating Middlesbrough 3-2 in our first ever Premier league match in 2006 was rather good.

How I miss those days and Steve Coppell

[Sutekh]

The dying art of Christmas football

Last time Reading played on Xmas eve was in 1955 when they beat Millwall at Elm Park by 4 goals (T Dixon 2, Evans, Harris) to 1

Last Xmas day fixture was a 4-1 (Wheeler) loss at Dean Court in 1957 - revenge was duly swift with a 2-0 (Walker, Wheeler) success at Elm Park the following day

Last time Reading played back to back fixtures over Xmas was in 1986 with a 2-2 draw (Beavon p, Bremner) at home to Brum on 26th December followed by a 1-1 (Bremner) at Brighton on 27th December.

Don’t suppose anyone was there for any of those esp. that Xmas day fixture

[Ark Royal]

The dying art of Christmas football

Last time Reading played on Xmas eve was in 1955 when they beat Millwall at Elm Park by 4 goals (T Dixon 2, Evans, Harris) to 1

Last Xmas day fixture was a 4-1 (Wheeler) loss at Dean Court in 1957 - revenge was duly swift with a 2-0 (Walker, Wheeler) success at Elm Park the following day

Last time Reading played back to back fixtures over Xmas was in 1986 with a 2-2 draw (Beavon p, Bremner) at home to Brum on 26th December followed by a 1-1 (Bremner) at Brighton on 27th December.

Don’t suppose anyone was there for any of those esp. that Xmas day fixture

Yep, did the Birmingham and Brighton games in 86. I can also remember doing Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Monday games in the 60s and 70s.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Was there for the 1986 games

Highlight of the queues on the A23 to The Goldstone was a bloke kneeling, rocking and praying in a lay-by. Dunno what he was praying for...not the game that’s for sure, it was a pretty non- descript non-event as I recall.

[Westwood52]

Anybody remember at Elm Park ,South Bank ;when after the game they shut the exit gate.
Luckily the crowd kept it’s cool and there was no mass surge to get out.Otherwise it could have got very nasty.
Often wondered why the gate was shut.

[The Royal Forester]

Talking of Christmas fixtures reminds me of two Boxing Day matches. The first was at Exeter and arriving early went into town and was surprised to find an ABC Resturant open and had a good dinner there. Was this the match at St. Jame's Park, in which Dennis (Daisy) Allen went into goal and made a superb save from the edge of his area by heading the ball past the half way line? I know that was at Exeter, but it could have been on one of my other visits there. I'm afraid that as one gets older, the more the memories fudge together.
The other Boxing Day match, in the early 1960's (can't remember who it was against or the score), being called off at half time because snow had started falling. Took me hours and hours to drive home to Windsor, as I had to drop a friend off at Bracknell on the way. That was the last football match to watch for two months or so, as they were all postponed and the season had to be extended to get them all played.

[Franchise FC]

The dying art of Christmas football

Last time Reading played on Xmas eve was in 1955 when they beat Millwall at Elm Park by 4 goals (T Dixon 2, Evans, Harris) to 1

Last Xmas day fixture was a 4-1 (Wheeler) loss at Dean Court in 1957 - revenge was duly swift with a 2-0 (Walker, Wheeler) success at Elm Park the following day

Last time Reading played back to back fixtures over Xmas was in 1986 with a 2-2 draw (Beavon p, Bremner) at home to Brum on 26th December followed by a 1-1 (Bremner) at Brighton on 27th December.

Don’t suppose anyone was there for any of those esp. that Xmas day fixture

Yep, did the Birmingham and Brighton games in 86. I can also remember doing Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Monday games in the 60s and 70s.

We played Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday during the 11 games without conceding in ‘79
Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Aldershot

[Stranded]

Am sure we were due to play back to back in the early 90s but the game at Bristol Rovers was called off as the pitch at Bath was frozen.

[percy_freeman]

Remember nearly all of that along with paying a shilling or 5p to transfer into the southbank from the Tilehurst end after a few in the Spread. My namesake scoring from the kick off, the German sub Uwe Hartenberger. That goal, Uri Geller, Daley Thompson and Big Clive standing in front of Souness. As mentioned in another thread, my daughter lives next door to Jimmy Wheeler a true Legend.

[Green]

Don’t suppose anyone was there for any of those

You must be new around here.

[tmesis]

Anybody attend the charideee game a few weeks later? RFC legends versus the EastEnders cast?

I went to that. It actually a short match (about 60 minutes) between Reading and Wokingham, won 4-0 by Reading, I believe.

There must have been about 400 people there at most. It was an embarrassment to all concerned.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Indeed it was....but after a skin-full during a lunchtime session....it had its moments.

‘Ian Beale’ was up front

Wasn’t ‘Pete Beale’ in goal

‘Mary’ the punk was more interested with the crowd interest, and Gillian Taylforth wasn't dishing out any of those ‘car park favours’ despite many a suggestion for her to do so.

Of its time and yes, a bit of a fail

[KC Royal]

Bumping this up as i downloaded Championship Manager 2 9697 last month.

Up to the start of October and currently 22nd on GD.. despite being +4 points compared to the corresponding games in real life. Early days but can't believe that we stayed up that season
Early contenders for POTS - Boris Mihaylov and Trevor Morley (who i've recently made captain). Should say that this is basically the same squad that we had in real life, apart from the loan keepers. Signed 1 striker but he's barely played so far, and that prob won't change for the rest of the season given the depth in the squad.

As an exile in the pre-Internet days who wasn't watching games at the time I don't know much about that season (though there are a few results i particularly remember having been reminded of them looking at the HNA? archive). What happened to Mihaylov? It seems like he had a lot of injuries but was he unhappy at the club as well? Obviously that story of him thinking we played at Wembley has been mentioned on here before.

[JedMaxwell]

Bumping this up as i downloaded Championship Manager 2 9697 last month.

Up to the start of October and currently 22nd on GD.. despite being +4 points compared to the corresponding games in real life. Early days but can't believe that we stayed up that season
Early contenders for POTS - Boris Mihaylov and Trevor Morley (who i've recently made captain). Should say that this is basically the same squad that we had in real life, apart from the loan keepers. Signed 1 striker but he's barely played so far, and that prob won't change for the rest of the season given the depth in the squad.

As an exile in the pre-Internet days who wasn't watching games at the time I don't know much about that season (though there are a few results i particularly remember having been reminded of them looking at the HNA? archive). What happened to Mihaylov? It seems like he had a lot of injuries but was he unhappy at the club as well? Obviously that story of him thinking we played at Wembley has been mentioned on here before.

That was slightly before my time but I remember my dad and grandpa discussing his wig in great detail.

I'm glad you bumped this thread as I'd not read it before. The 02/03 season was great, I was fortunate to go to a lot of games and it was such a good feeling going into tough away games genuinely believing we'd win. I still remember coming out of that Forest game on the Friday evening and hearing some Forest fans talking about how good we were. Halcyon days indeed.

[stealthpapes]

Don't remember all that much of 02/03. Must have gone to a couple of games.

Watched the two play off games, one at home, the other in a upstairs room in pub when back at University.

Must have had an eye on things, as remember Hughes vs Wolves and the ludicrous Grimsby own goal. Remember being on bus home with ex and someone told me the Sheffield United away score.

Actually, as I scan down the fixtures, went to Portsmouth away and Watford away at the end of the season, in the latter case, free tickets as I wrote the RFC section in their programme for them. Darren Campbell and Peter Castle.

[East Grinstead Royal]

Just looked at the 02/03 fixtures. I had a season ticket, but the only games I remember are the abandoned New Year’s Day match against Leicester and the home game against Brighton. I’m sure I would remember more if I read the match reports!