Who do you consider to be a rival?

[Clyde1998]

I don't think this has been done in a while.

With our game against Wycombe coming up in a couple of weeks, I'm interested in who we consider to be our rivals. It should be obvious who'll the top two/three are.

I've put a poll up. I can only put twenty options - so have included sides who are either 'local' or I'd expect to pop up, along with an other option. You can select as many options from the list as you like and feel free to interpret 'rival' as you wish.

[blythspartan]

Aldershot when I was a teenager and then Swindon.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Bolton, always Bolton, similar modern day trajectories, and they fukkin’ owe us….always will

[Snowflake Royal]

Oxford, Swindon and QPR.

Aldershot certainly were, but it's way too long ago now. Certainly before my time and I'm in my 40s.

The others are transitory and temporary grudge matches, like Wolves (McGhee), Bolton (PO Final), West Ham (Pards), Brentford (Curo goal), Brighton/Plymouth (arrogance), Leeds (arseholes).

Then there's the news room locals of Saints, Pompey and Bournemouth, but all a bit meh. If we're doing ok it's irrelevent.

And Wycombe may be 'local', but there's just no feeling there. Couldn’t give a toss.

[Ark Royal]

Sw*ndon for me. Oldest rival by far and played competitive games aganst them since the 1890s. The Shite and O*ford are just annoying little arrivistes compared to our Jerky neighbours.

[Regular John]

Maybe its an age thing, but for me its always going to be Swindon, Oxford and Aldershot.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Yeah, the obvious locals, but (at least until this season) we’ve had no beef nor ‘rivalry’ with them for donkeys years. Brentford are virtually as ‘local’….but I quite like them (for their 2005/2006 squad feedership)

[The Cap]

Aldershite all day long. Trust me, if that ever becomes a Cup game, get your tin hats ready. Bumped into A Company when we played away at QPR. No comment.

[LUX]

Mutual rivals, it has to be Aldershot.

But they recognise that ( even in our current disarray) we are out of their league and their rivals are currently Woking. That could change

Otherwise, it is Swindon, whose mutual rivals are Oxford, but we would probably be number 2 for them, certainly for older fans.

Agreed Wycombe ( too new) and Brentford ( very old club we have played pretty much more than anybody else in our history) don’t feature at all. I certainly wish the latter well in the Premiership.

West Ham and Wolves used to dislike us, about ten years ago, probably more. But we are irrelevant to them now.

AFCB put us in their list, often as number 1. No idea why, no matter what divisions we are in.

QPR ( hoops rivalry) and BHA seem to dislike us, although why the latter bother with us these days is odd. Their nightmare is to play us again

[AthleticoSpizz]

Yeah of course…the history books of the Aldershot games.

One of my earlier games, always fun even as a kid.

The first experience of ‘black mariahs’ parked up by the Southbank gates (with angry internees banging on the inside walls, wanting to get out)….sweet memories of those non-segregation days….a long time ago and pretty much irrelevant since our ‘Premier’ days fan base….RiP Aldershot


…back to which, the aforementioned Bolton

[Winchester Royal]

Mutual rivals, it has to be Aldershot.

But they recognise that ( even in our current disarray) we are out of their league and their rivals are currently Woking. That could change

Otherwise, it is Swindon, whose mutual rivals are Oxford, but we would probably be number 2 for them, certainly for older fans.

Agreed Wycombe ( too new) and Brentford ( very old club we have played pretty much more than anybody else in our history) don’t feature at all. I certainly wish the latter well in the Premiership.

West Ham and Wolves used to dislike us, about ten years ago, probably more. But we are irrelevant to them now.

AFCB put us in their list, often as number 1. No idea why, no matter what divisions we are in.

QPR ( hoops rivalry) and BHA seem to dislike us, although why the latter bother with us these days is odd. Their nightmare is to play us again

Brighton, West Ham and Wolves are very much situational rivalries where we competed alongside them for a few years and games ended up meaning a bit more for whatever reason.

[tmesis]

Bolton, always Bolton, similar modern day trajectories, and they fukkin’ owe us….always will

I do dislike everything about Bolton because of that day, but in no way would I call them 'rivals'. They are just a club I don't like.

I think knocking seven past them was quite cathartic. They did also put seven past Swindon one year, and made their radio commentator cry, which was very funny.

[Millsy]

The club I personally hate more than any other is West Ham for how they stole Parj, in keeping with their disgusting ways of doing things generally too.

As for rivals, this changes depending on the division we're in I guess.

I voted Ian of course though.

[Royality creeps In]

ADERSHIT! and their wreck of a ground (Funnily enough 3 sides as well)

[Snowflake Royal]

Question for those who say Aldershot...

How many decades do we have to go without playing them competitively, and not even being within one division of them, before they stop being our rivals in your eyes?

Our last competitive game with them appears to be 1990 in a cup. That's 34 years ago.

Is it for ever, even if we never play them again?

[Hendo]

Changes year on year for me, depending on the league we’re in and the teams around us.

For so long our local rivals have been well beneath us that they’re a non-entity.

Saw Sheffield United as our rivals for a good number of years due the competition and Warnock element.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Only Swindon and Oxford for me. Aldershot from a different era. You can detest clubs like QPR and West Ham without considering them a rival - they don't really care about us. And losing to them doesn't feel the same. Whereas imagine being a division below Oxford. Wtf?! Thankfully looking less likely now.

[bobby m's syrup]

Back in my early days at EP, (mid 60s), it was always Swindon, Oxford, Watford and Bristol Rovers. Bournemouth less so and also Gillingham. Aldershot, 4th Div in that era, were not even on the radar.

[Snowflake Royal]

Only Swindon and Oxford for me. Aldershot from a different era. You can detest clubs like QPR and West Ham without considering them a rival - they don't really care about us. And losing to them doesn't feel the same. Whereas imagine being a division below Oxford. Wtf?! Thankfully looking less likely now.

I included QPR purely because of the blue and white hoops. That's a constant. Whereas anything else other than locality is transitory.

[Crowbar6753]

My first Reading game was back in 1979 and for the most part it was always Aldershot, Swindon and Oxford!! Both Brizzle teams always came in big numbers and looked to cause trouble but i wouldn't call them rivals.
From my memories Oxford always seemed to bring the most away fans and the atmosphere was always great against them. We had that game against Bristol City that got pretty heated and was delayed for a period of time i believe, and their manager had to calm the fans down .
Cardiff also had some pretty tasty fans causing trouble in the early 80s.....Someone mentioned Bournemouth disliking us which i find pretty strange as i never really remember anything happening between both sets of fans. Maybe we gave them a shoeing at the old dean court back in the 80s