Most disappointing season?

[Nameless]

If you get promoted you have to sign new players. It actually makes sense to get promoted using lots of loan players because you have a clear base to build your Premiership team. Few if any teams can put a Premiership standard team together in the Championship as if you don't go up you are lumbered with unhappy overpaid players for another season.

[ayjaydee]

All things considered, has this season become the most disappointing in RFC history?

The amount of money we spent on good Championship additions (on paper), in conjunction with our blistering early season form has really left me feeling deflated at our current poor form. We clearly had a very good game plan that was working wonders, but once this was found out by our opposition there has been a clear inability to find a plan B.

Had we been floating around mid table all season, I don't think I'd have been nearly as disappointed as I am now. We have demonstrated we can compete with the best, but have drawn a complete blank the last two and a half months.

By way of comparison, I remember collapses in the second half of the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons, which saw us go from automatic promotion contenders to falling shy of the playoffs completely. 2001/02 had the hallmarks of a horrendous collapse with all the draws, but we just about managed to cross the line that time. I'm sure older nobbers than me will have other examples.

Thoughts everyone? Call it group therapy if you want, because I am completed depressed at the way this season has regressed.

Only if football started with the advent of the Premier League.
For an old'un the most disappointing season was 1970/71 in the then 3rd Division.
In 69/70, under Jack Mansell, we were playing all out attacking football, conceding a few too many to get promotion but an 8-0 thumping of Southport in the last game of the season gained qualification for the Watney Cup. For those too young to remember this was a pre-season competition between the two highest scoring teams in each division not to get promoted.
So, on a hot August day the mighty Man Utd turned up to Elm Park, Stepney, Crerand, Charlton, Best et al. Fantastic game we narrowly lost 3-2.
After the game Mansell proclaimed he would get us out of Div 3 and, boy, was he true to his word - we got farking relegated.

As a then 17 year old grade 1 haircut, DM wearing, scarf round the risk, fully paid up member of the Southbank I was devastated. We had to endure 5 years in the bottom division before reclaiming what was then, I thought, our rightful position the football hierarchy.

So, any talk of any season in the second flight being the most disappointing ever is bollox.

I can't deny it is crap at the moment though, I've fallen out of love with the whole football money orientated circus and now pick and choose
games. Cant decide whether to shell out a pony plus exes to watch us get dicked on Saturday.

[Ark Royal]

+1 for 70/71. Pre-season favourites for promotion especially after the Watney Cup display against Man Utd. Disastrous season shipping goals left, right and centre; free-scoring forward line that scored 87 league goals the previous season could not hit a cow's arse with a banjo; 800-odd minute streak without scoring; inevitable relegation sealed at Villa with an own-goal from Player of the Year Terry Bell; first relegation for FORTY years and first-ever stint at the fourth level.

Beat that.

[facaldaqui]

Most disappointing season was getting relegated to League I under Bullivant and Burns. I have never hated watching Reading more. And it was so unnecessary, because before that we had established ourselves as a side at that level. There was absolutely nothing in it for the spectators: we knew we were going down from about February, not because of the points but because the players were no longer turning up. Burns coming in and throwing money at a bunch of Scottish crocks made it all the worse.

This season is nothing like that, because we have much better players and there is always hope that they will suddenly start performing to potential--Vydra suddenly becoming prolific, or something (as he has been with other clubs).

[RoyalBlue]

Definitely. Not only have the results been crap but for the vast majority of the season the football has been crap and entertainment has been zero. McDermott has come along and managed to blend all three now!

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

All things considered, has this season become the most disappointing in RFC history?

The amount of money we spent on good Championship additions (on paper), in conjunction with our blistering early season form has really left me feeling deflated at our current poor form. We clearly had a very good game plan that was working wonders, but once this was found out by our opposition there has been a clear inability to find a plan B.

Had we been floating around mid table all season, I don't think I'd have been nearly as disappointed as I am now. We have demonstrated we can compete with the best, but have drawn a complete blank the last two and a half months.

By way of comparison, I remember collapses in the second half of the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons, which saw us go from automatic promotion contenders to falling shy of the playoffs completely. 2001/02 had the hallmarks of a horrendous collapse with all the draws, but we just about managed to cross the line that time. I'm sure older nobbers than me will have other examples.

Thoughts everyone? Call it group therapy if you want, because I am completed depressed at the way this season has regressed.

Only if football started with the advent of the Premier League.
For an old'un the most disappointing season was 1970/71 in the then 3rd Division.
In 69/70, under Jack Mansell, we were playing all out attacking football, conceding a few too many to get promotion but an 8-0 thumping of Southport in the last game of the season gained qualification for the Watney Cup. For those too young to remember this was a pre-season competition between the two highest scoring teams in each division not to get promoted.
So, on a hot August day the mighty Man Utd turned up to Elm Park, Stepney, Crerand, Charlton, Best et al. Fantastic game we narrowly lost 3-2.
After the game Mansell proclaimed he would get us out of Div 3 and, boy, was he true to his word - we got farking relegated.

As a then 17 year old grade 1 haircut, DM wearing, scarf round the risk, fully paid up member of the Southbank I was devastated. We had to endure 5 years in the bottom division before reclaiming what was then, I thought, our rightful position the football hierarchy.

So, any talk of any season in the second flight being the most disappointing ever is bollox.

I can't deny it is crap at the moment though, I've fallen out of love with the whole football money orientated circus and now pick and choose
games. Cant decide whether to shell out a pony plus exes to watch us get dicked on Saturday.

17, thought you were same age as me, and I was 13 in 1971

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Every relegation to Div 4 or Div 3.

70/71 favs for promotion, first ever relegation, that hurt, and we scored the goal.
Think it was followed by 2 further relegation to that level, which was below our level.
Then we moved up, but despite winning The Simon Cup we went down, the last season at EP. And down we go again.
oxf*rd all those relegation.

Never worried about going down from the Prem. Thanks to The Madstad we have moved up a level and Championship is now our level imho, but they need to keep working at it.

[From Despair To Where?]

Anyone mentioned 88-89 yet? We were just relegated but had reasonable expectation that we would challenge. Half decent form early on, the return Trevor Senior but it all fell apart from November onwards and we were 45 minutes away from returning the 4th Division on the last day of the season.

90-91 was pretty shit as well. Again a decent start then fell apart from October. False hope with 5 straight wins from Christmas then 4 wins in our last 20 games. I really lost all hope that season, the club was sleepwalking into oblivion on and off the field. However it also heralded the arrival of Madejski and McGhee.

[Nameless]

Was 88-89 the season we were 2-0 down at Chesterfield in the last game and pretty much relegated but turned it into a 4-2 win ?
Have to say that ranks up there with the Plymouth game for me in terms of drama !

[stealthpapes]

Anyone mentioned 88-89 yet? We were just relegated but had reasonable expectation that we would challenge. Half decent form early on, the return Trevor Senior but it all fell apart from November onwards and we were 45 minutes away from returning the 4th Division on the last day of the season.

90-91 was pretty shit as well. Again a decent start then fell apart from October. False hope with 5 straight wins from Christmas then 4 wins in our last 20 games. I really lost all hope that season, the club was sleepwalking into oblivion on and off the field. However it also heralded the arrival of Madejski and McGhee.

88-89 saw my first game, 90-91 my first regular season. And I came back.

[RoyalJames101]

100% not the most disappointing, probably more deflating after the signings we made and our form in the first few months of the season.

[Cripple Creek]

An interesting post and question. I've supported Reading since the mid-70s and expectations were so low then that disappointment never really figured. I never watched Reading expecting anything other than a Saturday afternoon watching a club which, unaccountably, I was obsessed with and loved to follow. These days my expectations of success are higher and, frankly, my enjoyment of following the club has diminished considerably although that could be down to getting older, having more on my plate etc. etc. All the seasons since relegation from the Prem have been pretty disappointing. It's hard to choose one season in particular.

[Sutekh]

An interesting post and question. I've supported Reading since the mid-70s and expectations were so low then that disappointment never really figured. I never watched Reading expecting anything other than a Saturday afternoon watching a club which, unaccountably, I was obsessed with and loved to follow. These days my expectations of success are higher and, frankly, my enjoyment of following the club has diminished considerably although that could be down to getting older, having more on my plate etc. etc. All the seasons since relegation from the Prem have been pretty disappointing. It's hard to choose one season in particular.

This.

To be honest until the move to the Mad Stad and the arrival of Alan Pardew expectation was lower than a world champion limbo dancer's lowest winning bar level.

Expectation might have started earlier but Tommy Burn's complete failure in 1998/1999 just sort of cemented the thought we'd never amount to anything even with a shiny new plastic box to play in.

Personally I think the second go at the Premiership was the most disappointing season ever as it seemed we just never even bothered trying to compete (even with hindsight revealing we'd managed to find the only Russian businessman with no money whatsoever).

I can imagine that before those days only the 1970/1971 season must have come close (or perhaps 1987/1988 when we sold or let go our decent players and signed very poor replacements).

Since the last PL sojourn there's been too much "carry on" going on in the background and in the manager's office to get any form of excitement built up as and soon as you think something is brewing you just get an immediate kick in the teeth.

Since Pardew though these last two seasons have been the most boring, uninspiring tedious pile of crap and really just not worth watching.

[tidus_mi2]

Since watching the club, this has probably been the most disappointing season purely because of the massive increase in hope and expectation following our September form. That said, as a spectacle, last season was much, much worse, the only redeeming part was our performance in the Semi-Final.

[floyd__streete]

Winter.

[bcubed]

Winter.

because you were hoping for snow?!

[Sutekh]

Isn't Winter about the only season the UK has these days. i.e. generally wet, cold and miserable all year round.

[bcubed]

Isn't Winter about the only season the UK has these days. i.e. generally wet, cold and miserable all year round.

its a good point and with that in mind summer is probably the most disappointing as it hardly ever delivers

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Winter.

Clueless.

Spring > Winter > Summer > Autumn.

[East Grinstead Royal]

1976/7 was a huge disappointment. After our first promotion in 50 years, immediate relegation coupled with the selling of Robin Friday.

The one that really upset me, though, was 2008/9. I didn't think I could get more depressed about football than I had the previous year when we dropped out of the top flight, but the play-off defeat against Burnley, coupled with Steve Coppell's departure made that my most disappointing season by a country mile.