Great & Memorable Games at the Mad!

[Blue Blooded]

First post on this site and this is my opening gambit - if it is a load of cobblers and doesn't impress I will console myself that they could possibly gat better.

I have watched this site for sometime - with it's negativity, positivity and utter delusion and I thought I would plunge into the fray. All I can say is that we will either stay up or not and there you go. Nothing particularly profound or meaningful there but it doesn't really matter because if we knew what was going to happen this or every season, if we couldn't handle that tension of going into work and dealing with that ridicule, if we couldn't deal with the team failing - we would opt for that safe bet of supporting a team of expensive psychotic winners because they would be everything we could only wish to be! Make no mistake this year is going to be all about huff and puff - no messiah is going to be save us (So speaketh the Lord), however when you look back over the list of what games were memorable and special you will surely understand that supporting reading is about the best of times - the worst of times!

Don't know what come over me there here is a list:

Reading 3-3 Bournemouth - Fantastic game goals going in all over the place. The fans taking turns to sing 'You're not singing anymore' Parky having a good game in Midfiled - Stein winning that penalty!!!!

Reading 4-3 Oxford U - What a derby match - Whitehead saving Oxford the trouble of scoring from a corner Rougier thanking God for two rare goals - the heavens had opened.

Reading 1-3 Bristol City - Season we missed out at Cardiff. Reading flying high in the league - City under Danny Wilson being a good side. I know we lost but what a game - remember we hit the woodwork at least twice in a frantic flowing game.

Reading 2-3 Manchester United - FA Cup last season - crowd done us proud as did the players after allowing United a three goal headstart for the fun of it. Standout moments - Bikey getting an ovation from the bulk of the East Stand after making a fool of Rooney! Gunnerson being inches away from being a legend in a legendary game.

I have more but lets have some from the rest of you.

[Row Z Royal]

cobblers

I doubt there's ever been a "great" game against Northampton Town at the Mad.

[Royal Fleet]

Two more recent ones for me

5-0 vs Millwall, Convey brace, first time I began to believe we could get promoted.

6-0 vs West Ham, Best. Reading. Performance. Ever.

Liverpool game was good too.

[RG30]

Reading 2-0 Colchester

Hadn't won in 13 games, it saw the debuts of Matt Robinson and Martin Butler and great atmosphere, with it also being Beard Day.

[Hahnemann's Hairdresser]

Winning 3-2 against a recently relegated Palace side who had kept all their players. Lita's overhead, Sonko popping up in the box with a late winner, and the realisation that we may be a tad more than just a bit good!

[brendywendy]

any of those 5 goal games in the championship were awesome
any of the games vs sheffield UTD that year league and cup
the last game of the season vs QPR with the murty penalty!

liverpool &
sunderland from this years home games

edit:

plus the palace 3-2 game

and the boro 3-2

how could i have forgotten those beauties

[Zammo]

Beating Palace 3-2. Lita's overhead kick. Magic.

[Row Z Royal]

I must also congratulate Blue Blooded on selecting a subject to subject that completely removes the "I'm a better fan than you" hobsnobbery discussion.

[RG30]

Reading 3-3 Bournemouth - Fantastic game goals going in all over the place. The fans taking turns to sing 'You're not singing anymore' Parky having a good game in Midfiled - Stein winning that penalty!!!!

Reading Vs Bournemouth 1998 >>>> Reading Vs Bournemouth 2001

[RG30]

Reading 2-1 Bristol City 1999, late winner from Jimmy Crawford IIRC, Gerard Lavin sent off for belting ball at Reading fans

[gazzer, loyal royal]

destroying norwich 4-0 at the mad stad on a tuesday night

convey skinning andy hughes for the 4th goal, we played good football that night

[Blue Blooded]

Reading 3-3 Bournemouth - Fantastic game goals going in all over the place. The fans taking turns to sing 'You're not singing anymore' Parky having a good game in Midfiled - Stein winning that penalty!!!!

Reading Vs Bournemouth 1998 >>>> Reading Vs Bournemouth 2001

I was going for the 98 one!

I doubt there's ever been a "great" game against Northampton Town at the Mad.

You could be right there - for me I think that one of the worse games I had ever seen. If I remember right penultimate game of the first season at the madstad. Lost 2-0 against an already relegated side.

[Blue Blooded]

I must also congratulate Blue Blooded on selecting a subject to subject that completely removes the "I'm a better fan than you" hobsnobbery discussion.

You are right the name is indicative of pedigree....Chum!

[Alan Partridge]

Reading 4 Oxford 3. A ridiculously brilliant game. Own goals, keeper cock ups, penalties and a brace from Reverand Rougier in driving rain. Lovely stuff.

2-1 v Wigan.

3-2 v Palace.

3-1 v Liverpool

6-0 v west Ham

Norwich is a good shout, battered them.

3-0 v Blackpool and 3-1 v Ipswich = 2 BRILLIANT Forster hattricks.

1-0 v Forest, Hughesy's finest header.

2-1 v the Blades, Boris' late headed winner.

3-2 v Brighton on the opening day and also the 3-2 v Preston was good.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Wigan playoff semi second leg. End of thread

[Blue Blooded]

Wigan playoff semi second leg. End of thread

Sorry I missed that one.

How about some of the games against Stoke:

Reading 2-1 Stoke City - rare goal from Jimmy Mac.....bye bye Delilah!

Reading 3-3 Stoke City - 3-1 down with ten minutes left - Curo equals at the death

[RG30]

The club are due to release a book this summer to mark the 10 year anniversary of moving to the MadStad, hopefully they'll release a DVD, considering we've played in 3 divisions and witnessed the best and worst of RFC

[Blue Blooded]

The club are due to release a book this summer to mark the 10 year anniversary of moving to the MadStad, hopefully they'll release a DVD, considering we've played in 3 divisions and witnessed the best and worst of RFC

Would be interested in the book but the DVD would be nice - some of the goals I had seen are merely confined to memory.

Anyone know if Grant Brebner's opener is available anywhere?

[Archie's penalty]

I really enjoyed the 5-1 game against Cardiff the year we went up.

We just BATTERED them. It was the first game I'd seen at the madstad that season after seeing all our great results in the paper. Watching that game I knew we were a great team. We could have won 8-1. The pace and movement of the team was simply astounding and I'm not exaggerating. First time I saw Doyle - thought he was brilliant. Sidwell was also amazing.

Simply a cracking performance. I can see why we did so well in the prem if I think of the way we played that day...

[southbank1871]

Reading 2-1 Wigan - Simply the best ending to a game I've ever experienced.

Reading 1-0 Forest - Friday night game between two promotion hopefuls, great atmosphere from both sets of fans, late (I think) winner from a Hughes bullet header.

Reading 0-0 West Ham (Reading win 6-5 on penalties) - Will always be remembered as it was played on 11/09/01 and Reading beat Premiership opposition, which was a novelty back then.

Reading 2-1 Cardiff - This game from a couple of seasons before we went up sticks in my head for some reason. IIRC we were 1-0 at half time and then came back to win 2-1 with Sidwell grabbing the winner.