The Egg chasers relegation

[bobby1413]

Maybe the grounds people are just using the wrong lawn mowers.

They should consider upgrading to the flymo ones

They'd need massively long cables though

[Nameless]

Suspect this could lead to a rehash of old arguments !

From my perspective
1. Very sad to lose top class rugby * from the area . I won't travel to London to watch games regularly. How not having top * sport in Reading is a good thing I just cannot see
2. Half a million quid a year disappears from our income. Not too many ideas to replace it from those who suggest it is 'insignificant'
3. May or may not benefit the pitch. Less use is good, more expense is not so good. Again ideas to replace the large contribution Irish make to pitch costs seem missing on the thread. If we use the pitch for 15 fewer games but do less maintenance then the pitch will probably be about the same. The pitch isn't awful, just not perfect. That is probably how it will remain unless we go back to the two yearly relaying.
4. Suspect this may be the beginning of the end for Irish. They are taking a huge gamble and there seems no real evidence that Brentford will be any more viable a location than Reading. I hope it works for them.

So farewell Irish, been fun while it lasted.

[bobby1413]

Suspect this could lead to a rehash of old arguments !

From my perspective
1. Very sad to lose top class rugby * from the area . I won't travel to London to watch games regularly. How not having top * sport in Reading is a good thing I just cannot see
2. Half a million quid a year disappears from our income. Not too many ideas to replace it from those who suggest it is 'insignificant'
3. May or may not benefit the pitch. Less use is good, more expense is not so good. Again ideas to replace the large contribution Irish make to pitch costs seem missing on the thread. If we use the pitch for 15 fewer games but do less maintenance then the pitch will probably be about the same. The pitch isn't awful, just not perfect. That is probably how it will remain unless we go back to the two yearly relaying.
4. Suspect this may be the beginning of the end for Irish. They are taking a huge gamble and there seems no real evidence that Brentford will be any more viable a location than Reading. I hope it works for them.

So farewell Irish, been fun while it lasted.

I agree with all of that and can't see why so many RFC fans are just continually screaming "OUR PITCH OUR PITCH OUR PITCH!!!!"

I will be stunned if LI do move out and a year later we have a pitch which resembles Arsenal.

I suspect the pitch will look pretty similar to how it is now

[TFF]

For example, the obligation to have a section of the shop displaying LI tat

It's far from tat. The LI clobber is far better quality than what we're palmed off with. It's a shame RFC haven't followed their lead.

It really doesn't bother me that they're our tenants but there's definitely an impact on the pitch - I don't think their rent is good value.

I'll miss having rugby here though. I go to the odd game and St Paddy's day is always good for a laugh

[Nameless]

Irish fans consider they pay way over the odds to use the stadium. If they think they pay too much, and we think they don't pay enough maybe that says that it's just not commercially viable !
If you look at the very rough figures I reckon they pay us about £5 per spectator per game. Whether the rental figure excludes the cost of staging the game or we get expenses as well is probably key to knowing how good a deal it is for either party.
It's a shame the deal can't be made to work to everyone's benefit, to be honest I'm not sure either party has really put the effort into making it work as well as it could.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Not seen any of their youth development but I do see loads from Basingstoke, Aldermaston, Tadley, Overton, Newbury etc so doubt it will make a ripple.

three (Reading) Abbey lads that have gone on to represent England U 18's (in the last year alone) and are currently first-teaming for LI and Wasps...and that's just my lads ex-team mates.

Cannot vouch for the other two Reading teams and their lads who may've benefitted from LI's mentoring....but I know one of Redingensians lads was a regular in LI's Premier team last season.

Look outside of the football family occasionally Paul

Clueless with your last comment...

Won't get more of a sporting billy than me....

I have an opinion on the Irish being at madjeski and that is all...

clueless....that's a nice way of putting it.

Your opinion is valued, it's just a shame that the good that L I have brought to the local community has come at such an apparently high price

[Hound]

To be honest looks like a done deal that they are off asap

Personally think it's a bit of a shame that young Irish fans miss out on watching the team locally (Brentford is an absolute pain to get to considering it's so close) when they may have grown up with them being so close

But then I think what is more of a shame is that press release not thanking fans or considering that.

In terms of RFC think it will be a net benefit them not being there on balance

[Nameless]

Of course it's a done deal, that has been very clear for a long time and Irish have said so.
The argument about fans doesn't hold water, they moved here from West London and lost a lot of fans when they did, they think they can get them back although there is zero evidence of latent demand amongst the Irish diaspora of West London.
Not sure how them leaving gives a net benefit, we lose 500k per year plus £100k pitch contribution per cycle and gain, well nothing tangible except a few short sighted people able to claim our stadium is 'pure' again and a possible slight change to pitch conditions.

[Sutekh]

Good riddance to them to be honest. Good riddance also to their stuff in our Megastore and to their coverage on BBC Berks

If we're going to share with a rugby team make it a Reading Abbey, a Redingensians, a Newbury or a Bracknell at least it'd be someone local and not a team that basically pops in on a Saturday or Sunday because it has to.

And I think rugby being here does effect the pitch as the grass system Reading use is meant to last 10/11 years before replacement rather than the 7/8 years the club have actually got out of it.

[Nameless]

Good riddance to them to be honest. Good riddance also to their stuff in our Megastore and to their coverage on BBC Berks

If we're going to share with a rugby team make it a Reading Abbey, a Redingensians, a Newbury or a Bracknell at least it'd be someone local and not a team that basically pops in on a Saturday or Sunday because it has to.

And I think rugby being here does effect the pitch as the grass system Reading use is meant to last 10/11 years before replacement rather than the 7/8 years the club have actually got out of it.

Do you really think any of the local part time rugby clubs would attract enough spectators to justify opening more than a couple of boxes, let alone a whole stand ?

[bobby1413]

Good riddance to them to be honest. Good riddance also to their stuff in our Megastore and to their coverage on BBC Berks

If we're going to share with a rugby team make it a Reading Abbey, a Redingensians, a Newbury or a Bracknell at least it'd be someone local and not a team that basically pops in on a Saturday or Sunday because it has to.

And I think rugby being here does effect the pitch as the grass system Reading use is meant to last 10/11 years before replacement rather than the 7/8 years the club have actually got out of it.

Ugh seriously?

LI are a top union side and were at one stage attracting the biggest attendances in the premiership.

Those local sides you mention may bring what - 100 fans?

LI fans spend money in the Reading pubs, on buses to ground, on hotdogs and beer. The st Patrick's day party is always a really good event. They also spend money in the store (which I assume we get some cut off or is part of a deal somewhere).

Can ANYONE who is happy they are leaving please tell me why - other than you think the pitch may look nice and green?

I've never heard such stupid arguments about coverage on BBCRB, and their clothing being in the megastore. Grow up for fck sake. You're all like a bunch of whining babies - and coming from me that should really hit you hard.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Face it Bobby...some here just don't like rugby and have the misconception that it is for posh kids.....yet somehow some of those same folk pay serious money to watch and lap-up spoilt-bratt college-boy American football in their English living rooms.

As for the "pitch" .....yes it is threadbare

Looked like the worst affected areas were the ones outside of the white lines....and therefore not used by either team tho.

[Basingstoke Royal]

Our chances of promotion getting severely damaged for the sake of £600k per annum.

Whats promotion worth? £100m?

Straightforward decision.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Not RFC's decision tho'


Not sure how LI/the pitch can be "costing us promotion" either

[Basingstoke Royal]

Because we want to play on the deck. A surface which is as patchy as ours makes it very difficult because the ball is bobbling all over the place. The players are having to take an extra touch all the time which slows down the tempo and makes it easier for the opposition. And the problem is there is no plan B.

[bobby1413]

I'd love a players view on this.

Next time any of you nonce's have a "SPOTTED" moment can you ask them their view.

Or Better yet ask them to sign up as a nobber and post it

[paultheroyal]

Face it Bobby...some here just don't like rugby and have the misconception that it is for posh kids.....yet somehow some of those same folk pay serious money to watch and lap-up spoilt-bratt college-boy American football in their English living rooms.

As for the "pitch" .....yes it is threadbare

Looked like the worst affected areas were the ones outside of the white lines....and therefore not used by either team tho.

Funny thing is you actually believe that last paragraph!!

[paultheroyal]

I'd love a players view on this.

Next time any of you nonce's have a "SPOTTED" moment can you ask them their view.

Or Better yet ask them to sign up as a nobber and post it

Picking up on your first point....

Players were actually strongly complaining about pitch yesterday... witnessed myself after the game and confirmed on radio later.

As for your other points...

Pitch is clearly affected by rugby (look at non rugby grounds compared to those who host) and it goes against our now new playing style. How anyone cannot see that just beggars belief.

They have no affiliation to Berkshire. Pretty much said that themselves.

Income generated is absolutely pittance in comparisons.

If we have ambitions for higher we don't need them there, it's a football stadium not a community stadium.

For what's it worth I enjoy rugby.

[bobby1413]

Can't we just ask those big Brutush rugby players not to ruck or mall

[paultheroyal]

Can't we just ask those big Brutush rugby players not to ruck or mall

They can, but somewhere in Richmond, Teddington or Brentford be nice.