I now unfortunately have to hate you. Which is a shame cos you seemed like an OK guy.

C'mon you Royals!!!!
Reading til I die!!!

Ah well, you should really already hate me for the 1995(?) playoff final.

Jon

Yeah it was 1995, same year as the coca cola cup final against Liverpool. Scorers: "there's only one F in Fabian" DeFreitas, Miscue Fataleinen and Owen Owen Owen Owen Coyle. Classic match.

Ah yes. As I recall DeFreitas scored the goal that took the game to extra time while lying flat on his back. D'you know there's a group of wanderers supporters who classify all Bolton's strikers according to their 'Fabian rating'? It's a fairly complicated calculation involving signing fee, number of games played, number of goals scored, importance of goals scored etc. If you feed the data into the calculation, DeFreitas comes out with a score of 1 and is therefore the measure by which all others are judged. Nat Lofthouse comes out with a rating something over 2000 fabians. Kevin Davies comes out with about 5. John Elmander's is measured in millifabians...

Jon

LOL.

Well the season isn't over yet and I'm already getting tired of the endless list of players Spurs are being linked with by the tabloids. It happens before the start of every new season and is pathetic. Today its Tevez and Cisse. Given that Cisse has spent a year on loan at Sunderland I suppose its at least a realistic rumour but Tevez! As a Spurs fan I get so tired of this. Anyone else heard any 'interesting' transfer rumours for any other clubs?

Surprising result in the Chelsea - Arsenal game yesterday, well it was for me anyway.

Saw the last 20 mins of the first half of United - City, just enough time to see Tevez hit the post and then score an excellent goal. Was really pleased as City has become a tough game recently.

There still seems to be questions hovering over Tevez's future at the club, and I think we would be more than foolish not to sign up him for a while with the recent performances he's been putting in. I just hope Fergie and the rest see it the same way.

Fergie's post match comments suggest he's less than besotted with Carlito. Although you have to say the rumoured price is rather high, for any footballer.

If I was a United fan, I'd be slightly concerned about this. There's a rising possibility United will start next season with neither Tevez (they won't pay) nor Ronaldo (Madrid will offer them a skipful of dosh). A club that wants to compete at the level United want to i.e. top four clubs on the planet - can't afford to be letting players like that go to the opposition.

Jon

Pretty much my thoughts exactly Jon, but there's always twists and turns with these sorts of things, so I think it's just going to be a case of actually waiting to see what happens with both players.

It'd be a shame to see either of them go, but my heart was broken when Beckham left, and the club moved forward.

As they say, no player is bigger than his club.

The time is nearly upon us.
C'mon Reading!!!

And Jon, yes I hate you for the '95 playoff. That year we finished 2nd in the league, but didn't go up because the FA decided that only the champions would go up and 2nd-5th would have to playoff. Its the only time its ever happened. And IIRC we were 2-0 up with about 15 mins to go and had a penalty. Up steps Stuart Lovell who has his penalty saved to deny us going up 3-0.
Bolton respond with 2 goals of their own to take it to extra time. 3 goals in the second half of extra time saw Bolton up 4-3 and Reading had to wait another 12 years to get in the premiership.
And living in Manchester now, I sauntered along to the Reebok stadium to see an on-form Reading team take on a bottom placed Bolton team and..... get stuffed 3-0. It was the start of your premiership survival that year and the start of our relegation form.

Thanks alot Jon, Thanks Alot.

As I believe I heard quoted recently

"If you want to win all the time, go support sodding Man United!"

I wouldn't want to support a team like that. I'd much rather support a team that will let you down but will also do things you can't possibly expect them to be capable of. If you went to every game pretty much knowing what the result is going to be, why would you bother?

Jon

I see you're staying quiet tonight. I wonder why? [/sarcasm]

OI! No intruding on the poor bloke's pain. He may be quiet because he actually went to the game y'know.

Jon

Tough for Reading, as Coppell has gone too now, which is a terrible shame.

[Genuinely not being sarcastic] any thoughts on the game last night, and Coppell's resignation?

Still have my fingers crossed that United go up.