25 years ago today.....

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Was the last time Reading were relegated from the second tier, having lost away to champions elect Nottingham Forest to a late Chris Bart Williams goal. A few mins earlier, Paul Brayson, one of several duff signings by Burns, missed a simple chance one on one to put us ahead. Archie, no longer in favour, would have buried it.

I often wonder if Burns had worked with the existing under performing players, instead of revamping just about the whole side in a week, would have fared better? As it turned out, most of his signings weren't even tier three level the following season.

We came back from that and less than 10 years later were the side our peers talked about as an example of a well run successful club built piece by piece.

Football is cyclical with ups and downs over the years for all (bar the big 6).

If we go down, we will be back.

[Dirk Gently]

Didn't we have a massive injury crisis that year, with at least a whole team injured? That was one of my favourite ever seasons, despite the relegation.

Strange how history repeats itself - we were looking good for a lot of the season - in the first week of January we were sitting comfortably mid-table and still in both cups (and in the quarter-final of the League Cup, having beaten top of the First Division Leeds at Elland Road in the previous round.

Then George Cain ("the butcher of Bootle") gave a crap decision late in that League Cup game and the whole season seemed to disintegrate.

A whole series of injuries (especially to 'keepers) and after the end of Jan we only won two more matches (against the two teams relegated with us, Stoke & Man City) and lost 15. Our last 17 league games were:

P: 17, W: 2, D: 0, L: 15, F: 9, A: 36 GD: -25, Pts : 6.

It was the season of the disastrous Nick Colgan, the "magnificent seven", Terry the Taxi blaming "internet subversives" for the demo at Poxford - and saying goodbye to Elm Park with a pathetic whimper.

[PATRIQT]

Was the last time Reading were relegated from the second tier

You've made me feel very old, thank you.

[AthleticoSpizz]

……and a few weeks later,

Gilksies testimonial, team managed by the FSB no less, Simon Shepherd motm complete with a penalty save.

Times….

[Dirk Gently]

……and a few weeks later,

Gilksies testimonial, team managed by the FSB no less, Simon Shepherd motm complete with a penalty save.

Times….

A match, ISTR, graced with a brief appearance from that perennially injured right-winger, Graeme Murty, who we'd all written off as a permanent crock and who we never expected much from in the future.

[Snowflake Royal]

Didn't we have a massive injury crisis that year, with at least a whole team injured? That was one of my favourite ever seasons, despite the relegation.

Strange how history repeats itself - we were looking good for a lot of the season - in the first week of January we were sitting comfortably mid-table and still in both cups (and in the quarter-final of the League Cup, having beaten top of the First Division Leeds at Elland Road in the previous round.

Then George Cain ("the butcher of Bootle") gave a crap decision late in that League Cup game and the whole season seemed to disintegrate.

A whole series of injuries (especially to 'keepers) and after the end of Jan we only won two more matches (against the two teams relegated with us, Stoke & Man City) and lost 15. Our last 17 league games were:

P: 17, W: 2, D: 0, L: 15, F: 9, A: 36 GD: -25, Pts : 6.

It was the season of the disastrous Nick Colgan, the "magnificent seven", Terry the Taxi blaming "internet subversives" for the demo at Poxford - and saying goodbye to Elm Park with a pathetic whimper.

Remember smashing Sunderland 4-0 and Asaba looking unplayable.

If iirc was a tall lad who was good on the deck but we kept crossing to his head for him to fluff.

[stealthpapes]

'Magnificent' 'Seven'



Yeah, last game of season and Fleck gets presented with Norwich's player of the season. Gr8 one.

[stealthpapes]

Football is cyclical

It's not. It's really not.

[Sutekh]

Didn't we have a massive injury crisis that year, with at least a whole team injured? That was one of my favourite ever seasons, despite the relegation.

Strange how history repeats itself - we were looking good for a lot of the season - in the first week of January we were sitting comfortably mid-table and still in both cups (and in the quarter-final of the League Cup, having beaten top of the First Division Leeds at Elland Road in the previous round.

Then George Cain ("the butcher of Bootle") gave a crap decision late in that League Cup game and the whole season seemed to disintegrate.

A whole series of injuries (especially to 'keepers) and after the end of Jan we only won two more matches (against the two teams relegated with us, Stoke & Man City) and lost 15. Our last 17 league games were:

P: 17, W: 2, D: 0, L: 15, F: 9, A: 36 GD: -25, Pts : 6.

It was the season of the disastrous Nick Colgan, the "magnificent seven", Terry the Taxi blaming "internet subversives" for the demo at Poxford - and saying goodbye to Elm Park with a pathetic whimper.

Brought in one time Barcelona assistant to Terry Venables, Alan Harris, after the dreadful start to the season (1 point from 6 games) and though results did improve it seemed by the new year the management didn’t really know what they were doing or who was meant to be taking responsibility for what. Season really ended with the loss of Lee Hodges to injury in the win over City. Other than that it was just a catalogue of utter cr@p from February onwards covering class results that even the current shambles may have trouble matching like losing 5-1 to Stockport in fron of 38 or so away fans on a Tuesday night.

Tommy came in, eventually, JM had wanted him in the previous summer but he had elected to stay and see what happened to his career at Newcastle (not a lot as it happens) so we ended up with a coach rather than a manager late in that close season which hardly helped things but then that was JM! If only he hadn’t have dumped off Q&G, I think the club would have survived and been better positioned for the new stadium.

Anyway Tommy said all the right things and also, I believe, instigated the fan’s forums - seem to remember him with a mike talking to the south bank one evening about the situation at the club and telling everyone what he hoped to be able to do to get the team to survive. Certainly in his games at the end of the season the club looked better but that wasn’t saying much given the appalling turdness of what had gone immediately before (culminating in what is still possibly the most shockingly awful Reading display ever as the club lost 3-0 at the Manor on a Tuesday evening and prompted a sit down protest in front of the team coach afterwards. Not sure if that was the final game of the taxi’s reign or whether it was the 3-0 stuffing by Port Vale at home when fans invaded the pitch afterwards and upset JM by singing “nice ground, no fans” and “Bullivant out”. JM took to the mike and stated he would not be bowed by mob pressure - those were the days, wonder if we could get Dai to do the same thing at some point ).

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Didn't we have a massive injury crisis that year, with at least a whole team injured? That was one of my favourite ever seasons, despite the relegation.

Strange how history repeats itself - we were looking good for a lot of the season - in the first week of January we were sitting comfortably mid-table and still in both cups (and in the quarter-final of the League Cup, having beaten top of the First Division Leeds at Elland Road in the previous round.

Then George Cain ("the butcher of Bootle") gave a crap decision late in that League Cup game and the whole season seemed to disintegrate.

A whole series of injuries (especially to 'keepers) and after the end of Jan we only won two more matches (against the two teams relegated with us, Stoke & Man City) and lost 15. Our last 17 league games were:

P: 17, W: 2, D: 0, L: 15, F: 9, A: 36 GD: -25, Pts : 6.

It was the season of the disastrous Nick Colgan, the "magnificent seven", Terry the Taxi blaming "internet subversives" for the demo at Poxford - and saying goodbye to Elm Park with a pathetic whimper.

Brought in one time Barcelona assistant to Terry Venables, Alan Harris, after the dreadful start to the season (1 point from 6 games) and though results did improve it seemed by the new year the management didn’t really know what they were doing or who was meant to be taking responsibility for what. Season really ended with the loss of Lee Hodges to injury in the win over City. Other than that it was just a catalogue of utter cr@p from February onwards covering class results that even the current shambles may have trouble matching like losing 5-1 to Stockport in fron of 38 or so away fans on a Tuesday night.

Tommy came in, eventually, JM had wanted him in the previous summer but he had elected to stay and see what happened to his career at Newcastle (not a lot as it happens) so we ended up with a coach rather than a manager late in that close season which hardly helped things but then that was JM! If only he hadn’t have dumped off Q&G, I think the club would have survived and been better positioned for the new stadium.

Anyway Tommy said all the right things and also, I believe, instigated the fan’s forums - seem to remember him with a mike talking to the south bank one evening about the situation at the club and telling everyone what he hoped to be able to do to get the team to survive. Certainly in his games at the end of the season the club looked better but that wasn’t saying much given the appalling turdness of what had gone immediately before (culminating in what is still possibly the most shockingly awful Reading display ever as the club lost 3-0 at the Manor on a Tuesday evening and prompted a sit down protest in front of the team coach afterwards. Not sure if that was the final game of the taxi’s reign or whether it was the 3-0 stuffing by Port Vale at home when fans invaded the pitch afterwards and upset JM by singing “nice ground, no fans” and “Bullivant out”. JM took to the mike and stated he would not be bowed by mob pressure - those were the days, wonder if we could get Dai to do the same thing at some point ).

Oxford was Terry the taxi's last game, Port Vale was 2 games before, remember it well as my son was born later that night. Pretty sure you're right that SJM 's speech was after Port Vale.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Didn't we have a massive injury crisis that year, with at least a whole team injured? That was one of my favourite ever seasons, despite the relegation.

Strange how history repeats itself - we were looking good for a lot of the season - in the first week of January we were sitting comfortably mid-table and still in both cups (and in the quarter-final of the League Cup, having beaten top of the First Division Leeds at Elland Road in the previous round.

Then George Cain ("the butcher of Bootle") gave a crap decision late in that League Cup game and the whole season seemed to disintegrate.

A whole series of injuries (especially to 'keepers) and after the end of Jan we only won two more matches (against the two teams relegated with us, Stoke & Man City) and lost 15. Our last 17 league games were:

P: 17, W: 2, D: 0, L: 15, F: 9, A: 36 GD: -25, Pts : 6.

It was the season of the disastrous Nick Colgan, the "magnificent seven", Terry the Taxi blaming "internet subversives" for the demo at Poxford - and saying goodbye to Elm Park with a pathetic whimper.

Wow - that tail off in form is even worse than I remember and even worse than this season.

5 of those goals scored were in the 2 wins V Man City and Stoke 3-0 & 2-0....

[Snowflake Royal]

'Magnificent' 'Seven'



Yeah, last game of season and Fleck gets presented with Norwich's player of the season. Gr8 one.

Looking at that now you'd think it was a picture of some fans who won a hospitality prize, not the signings made to save our season.

[Snowflake Royal]

Football is cyclical

It's not. It's really not.

There's some fairly regular peaks and troughs in there mate.

[stealthpapes]

Noisy data, nowt more, nowt less.

[Jackson Corner]

The Man City was the last game under lights at EP. We were both relegated and I remember chatting to a city fan on the 17 bus. I said “it’s looking grim for both of us” he replied “I know this is the worst City team I’ve ever seen I really can’t see any future for the club”. How football can change in 25 years.

[AthleticoSpizz]

^£^

[stealthpapes]

Although it's probably telling that one person looks at that data and sees noise over some broader trends and someone else sees a shorter term pattern.

If I get bored, I'll put it through a Fourier transform & see if there's any underlying structure.

[Snowflake Royal]

Although it's probably telling that one person looks at that data and sees noise over some broader trends and someone else sees a shorter term pattern.

If I get bored, I'll put it through a Fourier transform & see if there's any underlying structure.

We don't want your science and technology getting in the way our complete lack of expertise thank you very much.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Gotta love a bit of graphwork tbf.

Squeeze it up a bit to accentuate those peaks and troughs.

[Sutekh]

Didn't we have a massive injury crisis that year, with at least a whole team injured? That was one of my favourite ever seasons, despite the relegation.

Strange how history repeats itself - we were looking good for a lot of the season - in the first week of January we were sitting comfortably mid-table and still in both cups (and in the quarter-final of the League Cup, having beaten top of the First Division Leeds at Elland Road in the previous round.

Then George Cain ("the butcher of Bootle") gave a crap decision late in that League Cup game and the whole season seemed to disintegrate.

A whole series of injuries (especially to 'keepers) and after the end of Jan we only won two more matches (against the two teams relegated with us, Stoke & Man City) and lost 15. Our last 17 league games were:

P: 17, W: 2, D: 0, L: 15, F: 9, A: 36 GD: -25, Pts : 6.

It was the season of the disastrous Nick Colgan, the "magnificent seven", Terry the Taxi blaming "internet subversives" for the demo at Poxford - and saying goodbye to Elm Park with a pathetic whimper.

Wow - that tail off in form is even worse than I remember and even worse than this season.

5 of those goals scored were in the 2 wins V Man City and Stoke 3-0 & 2-0....

Nick Colgan, debuted at Crewe. Dropped a massive clanger after 10 minutes I think (dithering about trying to decide what to do then finally hitting his “clearance” straight to a Crewe player), think his next game was the aforementioned disgrace at Stockport - so that was his confidence shot for the rest of his Reading career before he’d really even started. Loaned from Chelsea, made 5 apps in total. His career wound up at Hibs and then Barnsley and got 9 Ireland caps. He’s now 49 and the goalkeeping coach at, oddly, Stockport.

Incidentally after retiring from the league list in 2004, George Cain became a qualified physiotherapist and was working as such for Tranmere 10 years ago.