Reading FC
Est.: 1871
Division: 1
Chairman: John Madjeski
Manager: Alan Pardew
Club Captain: Adrian Williams
Well having seen the Royals crash out in the playoffs for the third time since I started to visit first Elm Park and now the Madjeski I thought now was a fitting time to write ... Read review
Advantages: Superb Stadium, Good manager, ambitious chairman and a good squad. Disadvantages: Need a few bars around about as the concorse gets quite packed.
Reading FC
Est.: 1871
Division: 1
Chairman: John Madjeski
Manager: Alan Pardew
Club Captain: Adrian Williams
Well having seen the Royals crash out in the playoffs for the third time since I started to visit first Elm Park and now the Madjeski I thought now was a fitting time to write about Berkshires very own Royals. As I did an op on the other Madjeski based sport team I thought it only fair that ... ...I started going to the Reading games with a mate and his dad and this time it stuck.
Recent History
************
The club were taken over by the owner of Auto Trader John Madjeski around the early 90’s and went on to make the division one play off final at the end of the 1995 season after finishing 2nd, which they narrowly lost 4-3 to Bolton. The real thing that stuck for Reading fans was that this would ... more
Reading FC Est.: 1871 Division: 1 Chairman: John Madjeski Manager: Alan Pardew Club Captain: Adrian Williams
Well having seen the Royals crash out in the playoffs for the third time since I started to visit first Elm Park and now the Madjeski I thought now was a fitting time to write about Berkshires very own Royals. As I did an op on the other Madjeski based sport team I thought it only fair that the Royals be my next sporting op.
My own personal experiences with the Royals began in about 1992 after moving down from Carlisle, my dad decided we needed a new team as it would be impossible to get back up to Carlisle for home games, so it came down to a choice of 3. There were Reading, Southampton or Oxford. We went to a few games of each but nothing really came of any of them. About a year later I started going to the Reading games with a mate and his dad and this time it stuck.
Recent History ************
The club were taken over by the owner of Auto Trader John Madjeski around the early 90’s and went on to make the division one play off final at the end of the 1995 season after finishing 2nd, which they narrowly lost 4-3 to Bolton. The real thing that stuck for Reading fans was that this would be the last season that 2nd place wasn’t guaranteed a promotion place.
The royals slipped away and were soon facing life in the second division. For the next few years Reading were an average division 2 side, just missing the playoffs ever time but not really impressing enough to show they deserved to be there.
Then came the 2000/ 2001season when they sat the top of the table before a bad run in and finished in the playoffs. Having beaten Wigan over 2 legs it was off to the Millennium Stadium for my first experience of the Playoff final (I was on Holiday for the first) and my first visit to Cardiff’s fantastic stadium. Again this wasn’t to be our day and defeat in extra time really was a sickner.
Then in 2002 we had been top again and thrown it away only to secure the division one place on the last day of the season with a draw against Brentford (Another day I missed because I was at Twickenham watching Irish pick up the Powergen Cup). We now move onto this season and a year in, which Reading were favourites for Relegation but finishing 4th has really surprised everyone.
Defeat over the two legs against Wolves mean that we have missed out in the Playoffs for the third time and Wolves are on the way for a meeting with Sheffield United next Monday. But personally I am not bitter, just glad we have seen such decent football down at the Madjeski. Next Season will be my first as a season ticket holder.
Stadium. *******
Well after Elm Park, to be honest anything was going to look better but when John Madjeski announced he had bought the old rubbish tip for a pound everyone seemed a little sceptical. After its completion in 1998 the 24,500 all seater stadium took pride of place on the new site. Now sitting in the middle of a nice spacious office area of Reading, Madjeski really has made the area now called Green Park work for him.
The ground is in the shape of most football grounds built in recent times with the bowl shape, resulting in no views being obscured. Depending on the team there is the possibility of either 2000 or 4000 away supporters within the ground. The North and South stands have joint food and drink stands one of each, but the East has 2 separate drinks ones and a food one. Not sure about the West as I’ve never actually been in there as that is the posh peoples side of the ground.
Parking the club have the biggest car park in English League football with the car park at the ground holding 2000 and the Hewlett Packard offices down the road holding a similar number. There is also a park and ride about a mile and a half from the ground, which has room for about another 2000. The three official car parks cost you £5 each. Alternatively if you get there early enough you can park in the Holiday Inn car park for £4 but there’s only about 300 spaces.
Other alternatives include parking in a near by industrial park or in Whitley, although you leave your car at your own risk. The other alternative is the shuttle bus service from the station in central Reading, which is probably about 2 miles away and last time I got it cost me £2 return.
Finding the stadium for anyone not knowing the Reading area is pretty simple just go to Junction 11 and the club is sign posted from there. If you are coming from the West you can actually see the west stand and the hotel from the Motorway.
Just realised I forgot to mention the Millennium Madjeski hotel. Situated on the west side of the ground the hotel really does look a big feature when you’re on the motorway. It used to be you knew it was Reading when you seen the Brewery but now its when you see the blue lights shinning on the stadium.
Bars ****
Around the ground there are two main bars, one for season ticket holders and the other open to the public. The Jazz Cafe is the season ticket holders only bar, situated on Shooters Way built into the east stand. The other bar is the hotel bar, which can be quite expensive and as I mentioned before there is a bar in the stand.
The nearest bar not related with the club directly has to be the bar at the Holiday inn, which is easy to find especially if you are parked there. The town centre has loads of pubs so anyone travelling by train will be spoilt for choice before getting the buses out to the ground.
Club Shop ********
The club shop is split into two with Reading FC taking up one half and London Irish taking up the other. Merchandise includes replica shirts for £39.99, stickers for as little as 50p and all the usual type of things like videos and training tops. They do have a rather nice looking painting of Elm Park, which I keep thinking about buying. If your short of cash Mr Madjeski has even thought of you and has got the HSBC bank to install a cash point out side the shop. Crafty Git.
Programme *********
Like all football clubs Reading FC produce a match day programme containing team sheets, info. On the away team, managers, Chairman and Captains notes and match reviews from recent games. The programme costs £2.50 although for the playoff games it cost £3 so not sure if maybe the price is going up.
Manager *******
A man, who has been tipped as the best manager outside of the premiership, Alan Pardew really has done wonders at Reading. He was a legend at Charlton and Crystal Palace, before going into coaching at Barnet under Terry Bulivant. When Bulivant came to Reading as manager he brought Pards with him. He saw Bulivant leave and Tommy Burns come and go before taking over on a temporary basis.
After turning the clubs fortunes when Burns left he was offered the job on a permanent basis. He turned the club from mid table mediocrity to a team that actually looked able to challenge for something. It took a bit of time for him to win the Reading faithful over, as I remember mutterings in the bars after the playoff final defeat that he should be sacked. Thankfully he wasn’t and now Reading look a decent side.
Players ******
Well in goal we now have the superb Marcus Hahnemann who was signed at the start of the season form Fulham following a loan spell at the Royals a few years ago. He went a run of 11 games without conceding a goal before Christmas, which really helped with Reading’s finishing position.
The defence has been made up this season of 3 players all year and 2 others who played for parts. On the right is Graham Murty, after a long spell out Graham is now considered one of the best right backs in the Nationwide league. On the left is Nicky Shorey he has been consistent all season although I do feel he is a little one footed. The other defender who has been a Key part is Adi Williams in his second spell at the club he has taken over from Phil Parkinson as club Captain.
The other two members have been Matt Upson who’s 10 game loan spell at the club coincided with Hahnemann’s clean sheet run. The spell also got him an England call up and a move to Birmingham City, how I wish that had been Reading. After his departure Pardew went back to his old club and picked up Steve Brown on a free transfer.
The Midfield has seen a few changes with Andy Hughes and James Harper surviving the whole season. Harper plays in midfield and was Reading Fans player of the year. He was signed from Arsenal for about £250,000 and runs the midfield. Between my mates and me we now call him Juan Sebastian Harper, as he seems to be playing like Veron. Hughes was a free transfer exchange at the end of his contract for Darren Caskey a couple of seasons ago. He pops up with important goals at the important times and has earned a first team place.
The changes this season have seen John Salako signed on loan at the end of this season come in on a permanent contract from Charlton. He has been competing with a superb young player Nathan Tyson who has been really good since coming in. Also coming in have been Luke Chadwick on loan from Man U for a few months and Steven Sidwell from Arsenal for £200,000.
Chadwick started off superbly but has really faded away, which is such a shame, as he seemed like he would single handidly take us to the premiership. A warning to Man U fans he really doesn’t have any pace and gives the ball away too easily. Sidwell on the other hand had been on loan at Brighton getting match practice when Reading snapped him up. He had been in the same youth team as Harper and this showed when they started playing together.
No Reading op would be complete without an honorary mention to the former club captain and star midfielder Phil Parkinson. Having spent 11 years at Reading Parky was Reading through and through. Making 426 appearances and scoring 23 goals. He was club captain till he hung up his boots in February to go off and manage Colchester United.
That only really leaves the strikers now. Take your pick from any of 4 who are all quality. The first has to be Martin Butler, who has been restricted to 24 appearances this season due to injury. Picked up from Cambridge as part of the bargain strike force Butler really helped fire the Royals to promotion. Darius Henderson is a young local lad that has come up through the ranks, he’s very tall and works great as a target man. Still needs a bit of practice in front of goal.
Onto the last 2 first team strikers. The first is Jamie Cureton, who was about 50,000 from Bristol Rovers after he fell out with the chairman, about something involving his daughter. Reading stepped in and it was Curo that scored the goal to put Reading into the 1st. And the last player is Nicky Forster who was injured most of the time before this year since his arrival from Birmingham on a free. He recovered and seems to have come back stronger and fitter and has lead the line superbly this season, without his goals it may have been a bad season.
Conclusion *********
Well there we go that’s Reading FC and the superb new Madjeski Stadium. I shall be getting my first season ticket next year and hope that the Royals can push on and achieve a lot more after this season. Maybe another playoffs season would be good. So maybe you might fancy a trip to the Mad Stad next season whether it be to watch your own team or just sample it from a Reading point of View.
Tickets ******
Adults Internet Booking: £16 Phone/Advance Booking: £18 Match day price: £20
Concessions Internet: £9 Advance: £10 Match day: £13
Disabled/Wheelchair Advance: £15 Match day: £18
Not sure why they don’t have an internet discount for Disabled/Wheelchairs.
www.Readingfc.co.uk
*********Update 19th August**************
Following the disappointment of the Playoffs last season Reading set about preparing for the new season and now after 2 league games and a Carling Cup match, the Royals are looking good again. They seem to have picked up where they left off last season and a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest re-enforced the point.
Of course following last season a few changes were made, Chadwick returned to Man Utd following his loan spell and a couple of fringe players, Sammy Igoe and Adie Whitbread who both joined Swindon. The biggest departure of the summer though was Jamie Cureton who left on a free transfer to join Buscan Icons in South Korea.
However it was not all one way traffic out of Reading during the summer a couple of notable captures were also made. The addition of Bristol City’s free scoring midfielder Scott Murray for £650,000 has proved a good one, as he scored at the weekend against Forest. Another brilliant signing in the summer, providing a more than adequate replacement for Curo, was The Goat, that’s Shaun Goater for anyone not familiar. Signed from Man City for an undisclosed fee. Again Goater scored his first goal for the club on Saturday in the win over Forest.
The last addition to the squad is Omar Dally a Jamican international, signed on a yearlong loan from a team in Jamaica, with a view to a permanent move at the end of the season. Pardew has described him as his best ever signing, which can only be a good thing. So the season looks good for the Royals, its just a case of waiting and seeing.
Advantages: Modern, clean, safe and friendly Disadvantages: Access and parking facilities.
...about Reading's ground than about Reading FC.
I took my son to see England Under 20 v Germany U20 the other night at the Madejski Stadium, Reading.
We left home, by car in good time to get to Reading, or so we thought.
The last mile took 40 minutes. The junction of the M4 and the A33 (junction 11) was a major bottleneck.
There is limited parking at the stadium for 2,000 cars, where we could have left the car for £1, which I thought was pretty ... ...normal charge on Reading and London Irish days is £5.
There is also parking available at the nearby Greyhound stadium and in an office complex a few hundred yards away. By the time we got there we had to make do with parking on the pavement of the A33 and walking about half a mile.
The club recommend travelling by train to Reading and catching the shuttle bus to the stadium. I think next time that is what we will do.
Illuminated signs told us ...
mickfleet 07.02.2003 (10.02.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Reading
Advantages: Great football and a great stadium Disadvantages: Traffic and parking
...has helped him lift the Reading faithful back up the league. Players. -------- Mostly unsung squad members at Reading who do exceptionally well, week in, week out. Most noteable players to enter the club recently have been: John Salako. Once of Crystal Palace Fame, John is an experienced midfielder who is not afraid to have a crack at goal. Nicky Forster has been a great addition to the side. Signed form Birmingham City, he has so far banged in 14 ... ...as he will catch your back 4 napping with his pace. Not scared to run at your players either. Between the posts is Phil Whitehead, a big keeper who knows how to stop your teams shots. He has kept 12 clean sheets this year. That is not wins, thats clean sheets! He has helped his team to most of their 60+ points this year. Fans. ----- Very pleasant. Very helpful unless you are going into one of their much coveted parking spaces. I know, I have suffered ...
andycharger 07.02.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Reading
Advantages: Superb Ground Good attacking forwards and Darren Caskey Disadvantages: Large car park but no where to park
...and losing most our players, Reading have some forwards. For the last 5 or 6 years we have played football with no decent strikers.
Now Alan Pardew has purchased Forster and Butler and young Darius Henderson has come through the ranks. 3 forwards.
I am sure money should be put on the Royals getting promotted, especially if the re juvenated Darren Caskey scores about the same number of goals as last year from midfield, 23.
Surely with our superb ...
Advantages: Playing well at present Disadvantages: None
...close to promotion last season, Reading are my tip to go up without having to suffer in the play offs. They have made a very positive start to the season again and after yesterday's 2-0 victory against Wycombe they are sitting in fifth position after playing only 8 games.
Great to see Nicky Forster performing well after his cruciate knee problems, I have always thought that he is an excellent player and is fulfilling the potential that he showed ... ...buy as well. Reading are well placed for life in Division One, they have a superb stadium, and enjoy good support with over 13,500 people attending yesterday's match.
Next week the Royals visit lowly Bournemouth on Tuesday night and they must be relatively optimistic having already won twice away from home already this season. Confidence must also be very high after last week's cup win against a certain premiership side. The following Saturday Reading ...
Mikew79 23.09.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Reading
...not get promoted, in 1995 Reading missed out because the premiership was being reduced in size and thus had to enter the play offs, where in the final they were 2-0 up after half an hour, missed a penalty, and then conceded the equaliser with 4 mins to go. Eventually lost 4-3 aet with half their players lying on the floor with cramp. Also were not allowed to defend the only half decent trophy they have ever won (see above) because the Simod Cup was ... ...the year that they won it they also got relegated to the (then) third division, this being ineligible for the next years contest.
5. (Alledgedly) One of only 2 teams in the UK allowed to wear their home strip at an away ground (thus forcing the home side into their away kit): something to do with being in the same county as the Queen. The other team are (allegedly) Notts County (for being the oldest?).
6. Not Enough Fans!: Have moved from 12-000 ...
Northern_Boy 26.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Reading
Advantages: good atmosphere, good music Disadvantages: weather can sometimes be bad
I went to the Reading festival last year, and despite being slightly apprehensive and slightly in pain (i had my appendix out the week before), i had a great time. I went with a fairly big group of friends and we all camped together for the 3 days. Unfortunatly, due to my lack of a) money and b) organisational skills, im not going this year, but have fun to those of you who will.
What i like most about Reading is the fact you get to see so many bands in such a short time. What i hate most about Reading is the grass after its been raining constantly for 5 hours or so.
The bands playing last year were outstanding. i went to see bands that i didnt particually like at the time (i.e Oasis) and even found myself enjoying them.
The atmosphere is good at Reading, everyone seems to have a good time. The highlights last year for me were ...
Isobel_Princess 21.07.2001 (22.08.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Reading (England)
Advantages: atmosphere, bands, fun, great value! Disadvantages: toilets = smelly!
Ever since the first time i ever heard about Reading Festival i have begged and pleaded with my parents to let me go. They were quite willing but the only condition was that i pay for the ticket and this year was the only year so far that i have actually managed to raise the whole £85!!
So i had my ticket, the next step was to bully my parents into letting me camp there for the weekend. That was where they put their foot down and after seeing the actual campsites there, im so glad they did!!!
The actual festival was amazing, they had such a great line up with bands on the main stage such as Green Day, Travis, MSP, OPM, Run DMC, Marilyn Manson, Eminem and a whole truckload more!! Although the main stage was great and the performances were great to see, i preferred watching Reel Big Fish on the Concrete Jungle stage as it is smaller ...
Advantages: A stunning line up most years! Tickets are ussually around 85 pounds! Disadvantages: Food and drick is a rip-off!
the line up i was a bit dissapointed as i am not a real fan of travis and the manic street preachers alough when you get there you realise that there are a variety of different tents offering different styles of music so on the friday when Travis was on who i am not the greatest fan of so we decided to go to the dance tent, and i spent that night dancing the night away in the End dance tent which i must say was an amazing experiance! So there is 'nt just one type of music at reading there is a wide range Dance,Rock,Alternate,hip-hop...Trust me you won't be bored for a second there!
The stages:
The Main Stage-This is the biggest of the stages and you will notice this stage as soon as you enter the arena, this stage features all of the well known bands and some smaller acts in the daytime, if you want to have a good place in the crowd then ...
