Reading fans-little club mentality

[Huntley & Palmer]

Oh, sorry, i do beg your pardon. Yes it's true that Torres was taken off when we were 3-1 up with 20 minutes to play. So instead of trying to salvage something from a game which they should have tried to win, or at least draw, they took off their two most effective players in favour of the CL.

As far as the die-hard Liverpool fans i met in Birkenhead, I didn't dislike them, they were a great bunch of people. It's just their view on football. If you weren't talking about Liverpool, you weren't talking about football. It was the season when we were running away with the Championship, but they just didn't want to talk about it, let alone even humour me when I wanted to talk about us. They came up with comments like 'You'll come straight back down' and 'You'll do a Sunderland'. I know this is only a small section of Liverpool fans who were going on about winning 5 European Cups (many of them weren't born when Liverpool were a good team). The Everton fans, on the other hand, wished us luck and 'hoped we'd do a Wigan'. As for the Tranmere fans, well, I only met two. Imagine that, supporting your local team when it is so easy to travel acroos the water to watch the two best teams in the world in the home of the heart of English football.

Do people really do that, BR2, you know, support a team with which they have little or no real connection, just because their local team is in the lower leagues?

And, oh yes, there are hoardes of Liverpoll fans in Belfast who show the same sort of arrogance surrounding Liverpool as do the more local fans.

As far as I am concerned the whole stomping of the feet over a bunch of fans who didn't have a clue who we were is rather small time. Who cares if a bunch of tunnel rats from Birkenhead said we would stay up or not

[Tommy Youlden's Ears]

Haven't time during working day to read whole thread so apologies of this has been mentioned...but seems to me we've had plenty of decisions go our way. The Gunna penalty at home to Liverpool, and the "Russian Linesman" last minute winner against Sunderland were both huge calls that went our was. As was Rennie not giving that Ingy penalty against Citeh. Could argue that those decisions gained us seven points at least. Watching MOTD on Saturday it looked a pretty lucky call that led to the free kick from which Matey scored.

So my point it, it's happens both ways to everyone. We all tend to ignore the luck we get and bemoan the luck we don't. Be that as fans of 'big club' or 'little club'. Without wishing to trigger that Darfur debate from another thread again, isn't it all just part of the game?

[Hampshire Royal]

Thanks for pointing that out H&P. I suppose I'll just have to accept my position in life as 'small time'. I wish I had the wisdom that you clearly have, maybe then I could have realised it myself. Ah well!!

This talk about big clubs getting more decisions than smaller clubs get is not restricted only to Reading though. A lot of clubs - medium and small - say much the same things. As far as the CL goes, I have absolutely no interest in it. as I said earlier, my opinion is that it is a series of exhibition games starting with meaningless leagues, followed by some knock out tournament. We all know that any team in a knock out game can beat any other team (hence in the FA Cup we have only one Prem team left - and that's Pompey). In those circumstances how can Liverpool be the best team in Europe when they'll be lucky to hold onto being the fourth best team in England?

Maybe it's an English characteristic that we like to see pomposity pricked. That's why I want Liverpool to fail to win the CL and also to fail to qualify next year. At least Arsenal, Chelsea and Man U are seriously trying to win the Prem. If Liverpool hadn't given up against us during the 1-3 defeat, then maybe I might want them to do better. That's all I'm trying to say. Small time? maybe, but in my mind it's better than living on some reflected glory of a team that I have no great interest in, hoping they'll win a knock out final to be held in Moscow.

[Ian Royal]

Gerrard didn't get Bikey booked. Bikey got Bikey booked by squaring up to Gerrard and going off on an almighty rant swearing and shouting.

And a fully deserved booking IMO as well. Nothing challenge, maybe Gerrard went down deliberately, maybe he was at full pelt and wasn't set to receive the contact. It's a harsh freekick but not a lot to argue about really.

Marek was booked for a dodgy challenge having made a couple of others already. Ivar was booked for either taking down Gerrard who was about to break into space iirc or giving him the chance to go down. Again, not to much to argue about IMO.

The real problem from that game was the niggling barges and pulling that all went in Liverpool's favour. If it's a foul outside the box, it should be a foul in th ebox, and if you have your arm round someone and they get pulled off their feet then it's a foul. We deserved to lose the game, They were better, but we could have nicked a point and the penalty where Carragher pulled Doyle over was that sort of opportunity.

We certainly weren't robbed. Liverpool made plenty of chances to score and we made very few that were even close to a half chance.

Refs do need to be made more accountable, and consult with each other regularly. But they also need to be shown a hell of a lot more respect by the players as well. Mike them up and only allow the captains to talk to them. That would very quickly make a difference. Even add a 10 minute spell off the pitch for dissent or simulation. Refs need the authority they should have.

[earleyroyal]

I know that Hob Nob only represents a minute proportion of Reading fans but does anybody else get just a bit fed up with the drivel that comes on here after we have played one of the big clubs?
If it's not cheating Ronaldo,it's cheating Lampard,cheating Fabregas and now cheating Gerrard.
If it's not moaning Fergie or Mourinho it's moaning Benitez or Wenger.
The ref is also ALWAYS a cheat and Reading should have had at least one stone-walled penalty.

At the moment we are just about hanging in there but I wonder if some of you lot would prefer us to get relegated so that we could be a medium-sized club with a little bit of tradition compared with what we are now-a very small club with no tradition.

Big clubs always get the big decisions,whether that is in Manchester,Liverpool,London,Milan or Madrid so why can't some of you lot accept it?
It's not just the big clubs that have divers-we have our own in Doyle,Lita and Hunt-so why do we have to hear yet again about Gerrard diving to get out of the way of Bikey?
Wouldn't you if you had European Cup quarter-finals to come and didn't want to get injured in a non-descript game like Reading?

So I say get over the big inferiority complex, enjoy these fixtures as we might not have many more of them and please don't come on here every time bleating about decisions and implying that we wuz robbed.

And why the fcuk should we accept that? Teams in the same league, or any league for that matter, should not 'always get the big decisions'. Of course in practice this is difficult to enforce as referees are intimidated by the big name managers and players who can ruin their reputation in one evening, but comments like 'Big clubs always get the big decisions,whether that is in Manchester,Liverpool,London,Milan or Madrid so why can't some of you lot accept it?' really annoy me. How dare we question the divine right of the big clubs to get these decisions

[lozz2601]

Gerrard didn't get Bikey booked. Bikey got Bikey booked by squaring up to Gerrard and going off on an almighty rant swearing and shouting.

And a fully deserved booking IMO as well. Nothing challenge, maybe Gerrard went down deliberately, maybe he was at full pelt and wasn't set to receive the contact. It's a harsh freekick but not a lot to argue about really.

When I saw that, I was actually almost cheering him on, it's about time someone had a go at him like Gerrard does to referees etc. And from what I saw, the swearing and shouting was definately not one-sided.

[Branfoot Out]

Liverpool haven't had a penalty given against them at Anfield since Rob Styles was dropped for giving Chelsea that infamous one back in August. Co-incidence, I think not...

[brendywendy]

Oh, sorry, i do beg your pardon. Yes it's true that Torres was taken off when we were 3-1 up with 20 minutes to play. So instead of trying to salvage something from a game which they should have tried to win, or at least draw, they took off their two most effective players in favour of the CL.

game was dead and buried at 3-1, gerrard had just been booked, and wasnt running the show as usual, got booked, gave away the free kick from which we scored the second.he was replaced on 70 odd minutes
and torres was getting a torrid time from our defence and at 2-1 after an hour he was removed due to him hobbling after an hour.
at this point liverpool were the only unbeaten side in the prem.

[Heart and Seol]

It's not just the big clubs that have divers, we have our own in Doyle, Lita and Hunt.

What?
Wash your mouth out Victor!

Its true, they are shocking.

[leon]

It's not just the big clubs that have divers, we have our own in Doyle, Lita and Hunt.

What?
Wash your mouth out Victor!

Its true, they are shocking.

at diving , yes

[Scylla]

The majority of Liverpool fans support Benitez and, by definition, his rotation policy.

The fact remains that they should have beaten us, but to try and save themselves for the CL, effectively gave up. It's sort of indicative of how clubs like Liverpool disrespect their own domestic league in favour of some competition which, if we're honest about it, is little more than an interminable series of exhibition games between the richest clubs in Europe played for the benefit of TV.

I suppose that the majority of Reading fans support Coppell and by defintion his Oster policy?

[Hampshire Royal]

OK, but surely nobody is daft enough to say that Coppell must go because in his opinion (which, after all is the one that really matters) Oster is the best option we have at right back.

[Millsy]

I know that Hob Nob only represents a minute proportion of Reading fans but does anybody else get just a bit fed up with the drivel that comes on here after we have played one of the big clubs?
If it's not cheating Ronaldo,it's cheating Lampard,cheating Fabregas and now cheating Gerrard.
If it's not moaning Fergie or Mourinho it's moaning Benitez or Wenger.
The ref is also ALWAYS a cheat and Reading should have had at least one stone-walled penalty.

At the moment we are just about hanging in there but I wonder if some of you lot would prefer us to get relegated so that we could be a medium-sized club with a little bit of tradition compared with what we are now-a very small club with no tradition.

Big clubs always get the big decisions,whether that is in Manchester,Liverpool,London,Milan or Madrid so why can't some of you lot accept it?
It's not just the big clubs that have divers-we have our own in Doyle,Lita and Hunt-so why do we have to hear yet again about Gerrard diving to get out of the way of Bikey?
Wouldn't you if you had European Cup quarter-finals to come and didn't want to get injured in a non-descript game like Reading?

So I say get over the big inferiority complex, enjoy these fixtures as we might not have many more of them and please don't come on here every time bleating about decisions and implying that we wuz robbed.

I'm sorry but I totally disagree. I respect it and I like what you're trying to say but I disagree.

I think that ironically that post is a little "small-club-mentality"ish. I don't even think about the whole big club versus small club issue. To think about it means one has a chip on one's shoulder about it. I don't care. We're in the Prem. So are Liverpool that's about it. We're the oldest club in The League, they've been in the Premier League for longer. So?

And it's BECAUSE I don't care that I just look at the facts as they stand i.e. we were arguably robbed against Liverpool, with a biased ref, totally incompetent linesman and two clear cut penalties not given. Re: Gerrard/Bikey I don't think Gerrard dived at all and was rather embarrassed by Bikey's reaction. So I, like most, go on facts of the game. Just like any Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool fan would do.

To stop and think about who's a bigger club and what we should and shouldn't be complaining about as it may make us look like a small club is doing exactly what you're arguing against. Most of us don't even care. We were robbed, so we'll say so. That's all there is to it really.

[Thaumagurist*]

.

[Huntley & Palmer]

I know that Hob Nob only represents a minute proportion of Reading fans but does anybody else get just a bit fed up with the drivel that comes on here after we have played one of the big clubs?
If it's not cheating Ronaldo,it's cheating Lampard,cheating Fabregas and now cheating Gerrard.
If it's not moaning Fergie or Mourinho it's moaning Benitez or Wenger.
The ref is also ALWAYS a cheat and Reading should have had at least one stone-walled penalty.

At the moment we are just about hanging in there but I wonder if some of you lot would prefer us to get relegated so that we could be a medium-sized club with a little bit of tradition compared with what we are now-a very small club with no tradition.

Big clubs always get the big decisions,whether that is in Manchester,Liverpool,London,Milan or Madrid so why can't some of you lot accept it?
It's not just the big clubs that have divers-we have our own in Doyle,Lita and Hunt-so why do we have to hear yet again about Gerrard diving to get out of the way of Bikey?
Wouldn't you if you had European Cup quarter-finals to come and didn't want to get injured in a non-descript game like Reading?

So I say get over the big inferiority complex, enjoy these fixtures as we might not have many more of them and please don't come on here every time bleating about decisions and implying that we wuz robbed.

I'm sorry but I totally disagree. I respect it and I like what you're trying to say but I disagree.

I think that ironically that post is a little "small-club-mentality"ish. I don't even think about the whole big club versus small club issue. To think about it means one has a chip on one's shoulder about it. I don't care. We're in the Prem. So are Liverpool that's about it. We're the oldest club in The League, they've been in the Premier League for longer. So?

And it's BECAUSE I don't care that I just look at the facts as they stand i.e. we were arguably robbed against Liverpool, with a biased ref, totally incompetent linesman and two clear cut penalties not given. Re: Gerrard/Bikey I don't think Gerrard dived at all and was rather embarrassed by Bikey's reaction. So I, like most, go on facts of the game. Just like any Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool fan would do.

To stop and think about who's a bigger club and what we should and shouldn't be complaining about as it may make us look like a small club is doing exactly what you're arguing against. Most of us don't even care. We were robbed, so we'll say so. That's all there is to it really.

You honestly believe that a 50/50 tussle with Doyle and Carragher where they both had their arms around each other and a non deliberate hand ball meant we were robbed? I'd say Liverpool were robbed of more goals by their poor finishing and some good saves by USA

[When Hicks went up...]

It really irks me to see that FIFA are getting in on the act about Taylor's tackle on Eduardo. Nobody was on our side when Kitson got badly injured by a terrible Riggot tackle last season and now one of the big boys gets a bad injury and there's a big hoo-ha about it. Really f**ks me off.

What makes this worse is that within a week there were two far worse tackles in the Premiership - Senderos in the game against Villa, and Bardsley in the game against Everton. Both have escaped any media attention, due to them not causing any injury.

[Vision]

I'd say Liverpool were robbed of more goals by their poor finishing and some good saves by USA

[brendywendy]

[quote="2 world wars, 1 world cup
I'm sorry but I totally disagree. I respect it and I like what you're trying to say but I disagree.

I think that ironically that post is a little "small-club-mentality"ish. I don't even think about the whole big club versus small club issue. To think about it means one has a chip on one's shoulder about it. I don't care. We're in the Prem. So are Liverpool that's about it. We're the oldest club in The League, they've been in the Premier League for longer. So?

And it's BECAUSE I don't care that I just look at the facts as they stand i.e. we were arguably robbed against Liverpool, with a biased ref, totally incompetent linesman and two clear cut penalties not given. Re: Gerrard/Bikey I don't think Gerrard dived at all and was rather embarrassed by Bikey's reaction. So I, like most, go on facts of the game. Just like any Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool fan would do.

To stop and think about who's a bigger club and what we should and shouldn't be complaining about as it may make us look like a small club is doing exactly what you're arguing against. Most of us don't even care. We were robbed, so we'll say so. That's all there is to it really.

You honestly believe that a 50/50 tussle with Doyle and Carragher where they both had their arms around each other and a non deliberate hand ball meant we were robbed? I'd say Liverpool were robbed of more goals by their poor finishing and some good saves by USA[/quote]

it started off 50-50, but doyle ended up being thrown horizontally behind the bloke, making it much more 70-30

[Huntley & Palmer]

Don't worry, he's still a fat, Chilli's eating shit goalkeeper in my eyes. Made some good stops recently, though was out of position for Mascherano's goal IMHO

[Huntley & Palmer]

it started off 50-50, but doyle ended up being thrown horizontally behind the bloke, making it much more 70-30

Well Carragher was in front of Doyle all along and was shielding the ball. Doyle was trying to pull him out of the way in the first instance so I can't see how anyone can say it was a penalty