John Madejski (Reading FC) - Why The Animosity?

[Inkerman]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: John Madejski (Reading FC) - Why The Animosity?

It's intersting to look back and note that the 'big boys' who Albion got to play with in the top flight included Bristol City, Notts County, Luton Town and, umm, well, umm, Swansea City!

How times change.....

It doesn't matter what teams they were, they were the 'big boys' of their time - and we were (fleetingly) one of them.
I also remember games against Man U, Liverpool, Everton, Leeds (when they were a big club), Chelsea etc.

 

[The Laughing Bluebird]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: John Madejski (Reading FC) - Why The Animosity?

It doesn't matter what teams they were, they were the 'big boys' of their time - and we were (fleetingly) one of them.
I also remember games against Man U, Liverpool, Everton, Leeds (when they were a big club), Chelsea etc.

I reckon we're pretty fortunate at the moment with the quality of some of the clubs in the Championship. After years (and decades in our case) of playing teams like Bury, Rochdale and Torquay week in and week out it's nice to finally be mixing it with the likes of Leeds, West Ham, Sunderland, Leicester, Wolves, Derby, Forest, etc, once again.

 

[portlock seagull]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: John Madejski (Reading FC) - Why The Animosity?

It's intersting to look back and note that the 'big boys' who Albion got to play with in the top flight included Bristol City, Notts County, Luton Town and, umm, well, umm, Swansea City!

Don't forget Crystal Palace......!

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Out of interest, I interviewed him a few months ago and he still hadn't got over Mark McGhee leaving Reading for 'better' climes. Fully admitted he'd not forgiven him, even though MM's been at three (?) clubs since. Saying that, not sure we'd have forgiven him either.

 

[Windmill]

I dislike him because he is a hypocrite. After criticising West Ham for poaching their Manager, he makes an approach to a Manager at another club.

And, yes, I know some of the more sanctimonious will say he went thru proper channels, but i don't give a flying f**k.

 

[Ned Zelic]

there definately seems to be a fair amount of bitterness and jealousy towards Reading from Albion fans. Criticism of Readings home crowds (hardcore support of 12K I would guess) is a bit of a joke when we have rarely sold-out at withdean over the past 2 seasons.

 

[Bozza]

Isn't it because, simply, he seems to be a complete ****?

 

[perth seagull]

He's a hypocrite. He cried foul when West Ham poached Pardew from Reading and made this grand statement that no club should be allowed to do this, small clubs should be protected, and that he would never do the same thing to another club.

A week later he's knocking on our door begging for Coppell!

Madjeski is a tosser of the highest order!

 

[Yorkie]

He's a hypocrite. He cried foul when West Ham poached Pardew from Reading and made this grand statement that no club should be allowed to do this, small clubs should be protected, and that he would never do the same thing to another club.

A week later he's knocking on our door begging for Coppell!

Yep and the way he snuck in and nicked Sidwell. Yes I know he was actually on loan from Arsenal, Ali before you start, but Coppell had brought out the best in him and we were picking up points.
I reckon if we had kept Sidwell we wouldn't have got relegated that season.

Ingimarsson did wait until the end of the season to go but I also feel that if we had stayed up he would have signed for us as well.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

there definately seems to be a fair amount of bitterness and jealousy towards Reading from Albion fans. Criticism of Readings home crowds (hardcore support of 12K I would guess) is a bit of a joke when we have rarely sold-out at withdean over the past 2 seasons.

Totally agree with the jist of that, although a Withdean comparison is not really valid as it not being sold out is more to do with ticketing logistics and inability to pay on the day than a lack of supporters wanting to attend games.

 

[Brovion]

There's a lot of truth in what Dancing Ninja said on page 1. I'm neutral about Reading in general and Madejski in particular. Yes from an emotive Brighton viewpoint I resent the fact he appears to treat us as a kind of nursery club that he can plunder at will. From a football fan viewpoint I think Reading FC have behaved disgracefully with regard to Exeter City and from a personal viewpoint I'm sad that someone like Royal Ali (who has gone out of his way to help us, including visiting Selhurst on our behalf) thinks that their action was justified.

However I respect him for what he's done for Reading, and once you get beyond the "He shafted us over Coppel, Sidwell, Ingmarrson etc" you'll find that most of the Brighton abuse is personal; you know he's called a vain, egotistical wig-wearing wanker - a bit like Elton John who of course did a similar job for Watford. Part of this may be jealousy, Madejski has undoubtedly been good for Reading and as has been pointed out look where they were 20 years ago compared to where they are now. I don't think a single Reading fan would say "Naah, I preferred it when we were playing crap at Elm Park in front of 5000". We would like such a benefactor but after Archer we're scared.

 

[bigc]

people say reading have no history.well its not all about legacy in football.

people could have said the same thing about wimbledon..they had little established history when they reached the top division, but they were liked

surely any new club entering the top tier of english football is a positive?

 

[El Presidente]

I think the Maj Stad is one of the best in the country, and fully applaud him for sticking his money where his mouth is in building it. The things that stick in the throat are as follows.

1. Naming the stadium after himself = Egotistical Twat

2. Treatment of Exeter = Mean spirited Twat

3. There was no bad feeling towards Reading until they started whining about being the true champions three seasons ago = Bitter Twat

4. Double standards over the Pardew/Coppell moves = Hypocritical Twat

5. Shagging Cilla = Blind publicity seeking Twat

6. Tory = Twat

7. Wig wearer = Vain twat

Apart from that I have nothing against the bloke

 

[Wilts]

I shan't rise completely to the bait (although slightly I admit).

To say we have no history is a bit rich coming from Brighton to be honest. If Man Utd or Arsenal made the statement then I could understand, but FFS the only thing you have over us is an extra 4 seasons in the top flight. Say that to a fan of any other club and they'll laugh at both of us for even talking in such a context. You may include the FA Cup Final (think 1927 for Reading) and the average attendances of over 25,000 (think for the period of 1925-1930 for us) and we have the same - so for those who believe in the "oh it was only a while ago they were getting 5000", I think you're doing very selective history.

If you knew the financial troubles with chairmen of the late 1970s, and then the Maxwell "Thames Valley Royals" crisis that saw our club go 1 day from extinction in 1983, and then the financial troubles that we had after that (I recall a few seasons of living on the breadline with a Dick Knight-style chairman in Roger Smee, then managing somehow to get into the 2nd tier of English Football somehow against all the odds), before going back down for a couple of years, finally with Madejski seeing the potential of the club when this little club who got crowds of 5,000 took nearly 60,000 fans to the Simod Cup Final at Wembley in 1988. He bought it and tried to live with club sustainable from Elm Park. Realising after 1995 when we came 2nd in this division and losing in the playoffs that we would have been a laughing stock with Elm Park in the Premiership, Madejski cut out two key policies:

(1) We need a ground to sustain growth into the Premiership
(2) We need to make the club run itself.

JM underwrote all the debt on the loan for the ground (£43m)which is paid back by a combination of the football club and his personal fortune. Since the Tommy Burns era after 1998 the club has had a policy to remain self-fulfilling and that our culture will never be that like Wigan, Blackburn etc where there is a sugar-daddy running the business. Everything that RFC has invested since 1999 is club funds only, created from profits on the businesses that are partially or completely owned by the football club (not by JM). The hotel and conferencing centre, the Green Park science park and business estate, many venture capital arms in local businesses which in this day and age are flourishing in the Thames Valley region.

In terms of modern day crowds, the 15,000 average this year is mainly due to all the poor supported away followings at the beginning of the season (Brighton, Leeds, and Sunderland aside) coming to the Madejski. The next two games are nearly sold out to 24,000 already, with Wigan and QPR visiting the ground. When Wolves, West Ham, Forest, Ipswich etc have to come along, then there should be a good 22,000 at least. Don't worry, all that will come. Rome wasn't built in a day. You'll find very few Reading fans who are unrealistic about our crowds and our potential.

I put a thread on this board last week about the Exeter City scenario and I'm not sure why it has re-arisen. What I know is that JM has been on a personal crusade for the last few years to try to ensure that badly-run clubs pay the price for mis-management as per any other business. He tried to get Bradford and Leicester chucked out of Division One for the same sort of reasons, and I am fully behind those sentiments. Fans United is exactly that, and it should remain that. You'll find a thread on the Reading board where fans have been speaking to the Exeter City chairman to raise money to alleviate the extra debt that our club justifies it is not willing to sacrifice. And thats what Fans United is about.

I can understand the annoyance of BHA fans over Coppell. I'd be a hypocrite myself if I said that I didn't feel the same about Pardew going to West Ham. The Sidwell issue though was never to do with JM. It was Pardew getting the player he wanted at all costs. JM had the transfer budget, and Pardew used it to get Sidwell. Nothing strategic was done by JM on that issue.

We are nothing like Wigan. We use sustainable growth (and now an academy which is climbling up to the top 10 in the UK this season) and growing crowds which provide revenue leveraged by our infrastructure. Brighton could be the same, it is foolish to think that Wigan and ourselves are on a par. We are simply fulfilling a need that a place the size of Reading has need for some time, and JM - a shrewd businessmen with a 100% record in successful business ventures - realises. He is no mug.

Hope this helps.

 

[The Large One]

For me, I think Madejski has done great things for Reading. Theirs IS a good stadium - the sort that we are striving for. He IS a supporter - the sort that we currently have as chairman (minus the obscene amounts of disposable cash).

If, with Reading's mediocre fanbase, doing what he is has done is the only way to push them up the divisions, so be it. My gripe with Reading was always Alan Pardew's festering trap and lack of dignity about us winning Division 2 in 2002 (a bit like Nicky Law the previous season). Now he's elsewhere, Reading are just another club in our division now.

 

[Platypuss]

What's the "problem" with Madejski over Ingimarsson and Sidwell?

They were on loan at BHA because their clubs wanted to put them in the shop window. When they do well and attract attention from other clubs and then CHOOSE to go to Reading at the end of the season you take it out on the Reading Chairman .

What a bizarre stick to attempt to beat someone with.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Is it definately a syrup? Always thought it looked pretty natural, if a bit thick.

 

[El Presidente]

Well said Wilts!

I have no problem with what Maj has done in turning the club around, it is just that he (on the surface) is difficult to like as an individual.

To be honest, if I was Coppell or Sidwell I would have gone to Reading too, as the potential there is greater than at the Albion until the Falmer issue is resolved

 

[Brovion]

Yeah Wilts don't tar us all with the same brush. I think some of the name-calling is childish (but still funny, great post BTW El Pres) but, hey, that's football fans for you. It's part of the banter.

 

[Wilts]

Yeah Wilts don't tar us all with the same brush.

Apologies if it came across in that way! - I'm pretty sure those who object are those who its aimed at and know who they are.... those like yourself and El P seem to know the ins and outs of what really is the issue!