Reading Roars!

Yesterday’s result wasn’t bad, was it?
Reading’s 2-1 defeat of Liverpool, knocking them out of the FA Cup, was an historic achievement.  It was not as great as the Royals’ first victory against Rafa’s side (when Liverpool lost 3-1 in December 2007), but it was the more significant of the two. 
For a start, the encounter was at Anfield, a [...]

European champions Barcelona will be training for a week in late July at Bisham Abbey, near Reading, before taking part in the Wembley Cup tournament, writes the Telegraph.
A few days later, Barça’s old nemesis Chelsea, now managed by Carlo Ancelotti, will meet Reading at the Madejski for a pre-season friendly, according to the Reading Post.

I’m going to be working backwards for the time being, leaving things I should have covered weeks ago last (one advantage is that these posts will then appear at the top).
I will begin by saying farewell, Steve Coppell, Reading FC’s managerial magician.  I’m not convinced that now is the time to step down, however.  All clubs (and fans) suffer [...]

Recommendation time.  A new Reading FC blog, 106 Points and 99 Goals, has been launched by Royals fan Steve Morris.  As Steve explains, the blog is:
Filling a gap on the Interweb for Reading FC reports, opinion, rumour, conjecture, wit and general arsery
On the subject of general arsery, Reading crashed to a 2-0 defeat yesterday against Ipswich Town.  The glory days, [...]

I have found top-drawer musical talent in Reading - via YouTube.  Watch this brilliant video posted by the classically-named schubert06.  Lyrics follow.

 
Why did Fulham have to score?
Only twenty minutes more and we’d have kept the hoards at bay.
Or some other Lita strikes and we’d have lived again to fight
Because goal difference wouldn’t matter anymore.
Our dreams [...]

A long dark shadow has been cast across Reading, clouding the tremendous, and most unseasonal, Spring sunshine. 
After a glorious spell in the top flight of English football, Reading players saw their fairy tale end this afternoon, despite hammering four past Derby (surely the most atrocious team in Premier League history).
It’s now confirmed: the Royals are indeed [...]

It has been a week since my last post.  Even longer since my last post about things other than trains.   Here’s one on football.
Reading FC’s John Madejski has become the latest footballing notable to rail (oops, train reference there) against the Premiership’s so-called “Game 39″ proposal (a plan that would see games played overseas). Madejski [...]

Reading FC’s Dave Kitson, I see, was featured in another broadsheet sports section on Saturday. 
According to the article From Tavern to Tottenham via Sainsbury’s on the Dave Kitson road to stardom in The Times, bidding for the striker, who is now the highest-scoring Englishman in the Premiership (as known, I’m sure, by Fabio), would start at [...]

An interview with Dave Kitson, Royal who will never be king of the castle, appeared in The Guardian’s sport section today in which the Reading FC striker revealed a remarkably modest character.  Premiership footballers are getting a bit of criticism these days (quite rightly) for shameful behaviour off the pitch.  Players such as Arsenal’s Cesc [...]