the crisis at Reading

[BlackpoolSupportersTrust]

If you are interested in the Reading story, this special Podcast may be for you ; there is a brief but honourable mention of Blackpool fans about 43 minutes in.

https://s357.podbean.com/pb/40f2ea4ec661002bde2a95c0068839fd/65a9c9b2/data1/fs81/626732/uploads/TTE_Port_Vale_Specialbrpbj.mp3?pbss=2a4aa98a-56a4-56c9-991b-922feed2d391

If you are travelling to Bristol Rovers tomorrow, you can join the fans of other clubs up and down the country in showing your support for Reading fans by joining in a minute's applause in the 16th minute of the game. 16 is the number of points that the club have had deducted for breaches of financial rules during the current owner's tenure.

 

[TheLuker]

I note that some BST members have recently applauded the direct action by Reading fans in causing match abandonment.

They should be more concerned with the integrity of the competition rather than reliving their past exploits vicariously, particularly as there is a chance that the club will need a result at Reading on the last day of the season in order to reach the play-offs.

It would be oh so ironic if this behaviour of Reading fans which many Blackpool fans endorse caused the abandonment of the last game of the season and for the club to consequently miss out.

 

[tangysider]

They signed Charlie Adam and John Swift to name but 2 on big money.
It is harsh on the fans but there do need to be penalties for financial shenanigans which may well deprive another club that are compliant from promotion, or lead to a relegation.
Remember what happened to Rangers a few years ago over tax breaches, so all clubs should be aware of the risks

 

[Phil_bfc deux]

Is it just me who's getting a bit sick of trust like BST and the national weirdos at the FSA getting involved in every other fuckers business all the time

I honestly couldn't give a shit about Reading

 

[TheLuker]

Is it just me who's getting a bit sick of trust like BST and the national weirdos at the FSA getting involved in every other fuckers business all the time

I honestly couldn't give a shit about Reading

I agree with you.

 

[SeasideKurt]

I don't really remember as much national support for us? When we were going through arguably far worse than what they have over the last 5 years.

I don't really understand the applause thing. Nonsense tbh.

 

[Tangerine Tractor]

Couple of things here... reference to big signings - they were all legitimate a the time, but the owner has effectively withdrawn funding. They will not survive to the end of the season if they are not sold to new owners. As for the final day - well we'll have to wait and see. There are EFL rules for unplayed/abandoned matches, and it depends on the impact of the result. But we can't be hypocrites on this either. Our protests worked. The judge said as much. They showed him that if he forced a sale, there was something worth buying.
The general attitude to and publicity for Reading's position is because it is a clear and obvious one. The EFL have publicly stated that they want the owner to sell. There aren't two sides to this unlike in our case, when people had to choose who they believed between the Oystons and Belekon - which is why the EFL and national media didn't take sides, and it was harder for us to get publicity.
So it's a different scenario than we were in. Their owner will close them down if he doesn't sell. The fans and media pressure is on him to sell rather than close them down. I don't think they really need much more publicity TBH, but it can't do them any harm.
What I would add is my personal opinion. I dislike Reading, as a place and a football club. However, no fan deserves to lose their club through no fault of their own. And like it's easy for people round the Fylde coast to support one of the nearby big premier league sides, it's equally as easy for people in Reading to go watch one of the big London clubs. Reading fans, whether you like them or not, are proper football fans. And they deserve our support.

 

[Satriale's Pork Store]

I think that we, possibly more than any other club, should have sympathy with Royals fans, whose club are being shafted by a despicable (foreign) owner, albeit under different circumstances to that which we endured under our parasitic former owners.

I recall support from several other clubs fans during many staged protests outside Bloomfield Rd.

 

[Satriale's Pork Store]

To be fair to the Royals, they cannot help coming from Reading, having a bland, uninviting arena in the middle of a depressing retail park and a fanbase that looks as though it has been drafted from The Inbetweeners and One Foot in the Grave!

 

[Briggs5]

Good luck to their fans. Direct action is the way forward and I wish them luck getting their owner to sell.

Beyond that, I'm absolutely cured of football politics after what we've been through. I'd rather our supporters trust concentrated on Blackpool FC rather than political matters at other clubs or in wider football circles.

 

[Satriale's Pork Store]

I'll be keeping my hands in my pocket on the 16th minute.

One thing I never get is they say clap on the 16th minute, when the ticks to 15:56, 15:57, 15:58, 15:59, 16:00... everyone starts clapping, they're a minute late and that's the 17th minute.

Are you clapping a minute earlier then?

 

[tangysider]

Couple of things here... reference to big signings - they were all legitimate a the time, but the owner has effectively withdrawn funding. They will not survive to the end of the season if they are not sold to new owners. As for the final day - well we'll have to wait and see. There are EFL rules for unplayed/abandoned matches, and it depends on the impact of the result. But we can't be hypocrites on this either. Our protests worked. The judge said as much. They showed him that if he forced a sale, there was something worth buying.
The general attitude to and publicity for Reading's position is because it is a clear and obvious one. The EFL have publicly stated that they want the owner to sell. There aren't two sides to this unlike in our case, when people had to choose who they believed between the Oystons and Belekon - which is why the EFL and national media didn't take sides, and it was harder for us to get publicity.
So it's a different scenario than we were in. Their owner will close them down if he doesn't sell. The fans and media pressure is on him to sell rather than close them down. I don't think they really need much more publicity TBH, but it can't do them any harm.
What I would add is my personal opinion. I dislike Reading, as a place and a football club. However, no fan deserves to lose their club through no fault of their own. And like it's easy for people round the Fylde coast to support one of the nearby big premier league sides, it's equally as easy for people in Reading to go watch one of the big London clubs. Reading fans, whether you like them or not, are proper football fans. And they deserve our support.

I would have taken going non league to get rid of the Oystons and starting a new BFC entity.
That option would be available to Reading.
Long term it was probably better that Luton went non league as it revitalised their support, and look where they are now.

 

[TwelveAngryMen]

There is a strange attitude from some within our fanbase towards the ongoing issue of unsuitable owners
Having been there you'd think we'd be more sympathetic
It's a bit depressing but at the same time predictable

 

[BWseasider]

I note that some BST members have recently applauded the direct action by Reading fans in causing match abandonment.

They should be more concerned with the integrity of the competition rather than reliving their past exploits vicariously, particularly as there is a chance that the club will need a result at Reading on the last day of the season in order to reach the play-offs.

It would be oh so ironic if this behaviour of Reading fans which many Blackpool fans endorse caused the abandonment of the last game of the season and for the club to consequently miss out.

If Huddersfield needed something from judgement day and I heard them whinging about it I would told them to fuck off, so I won’t begrudge Reading. If one game decides our season then that’s on us not them.

 

[TheLuker]

Couple of things here... reference to big signings - they were all legitimate a the time, but the owner has effectively withdrawn funding. They will not survive to the end of the season if they are not sold to new owners. As for the final day - well we'll have to wait and see. There are EFL rules for unplayed/abandoned matches, and it depends on the impact of the result. But we can't be hypocrites on this either. Our protests worked. The judge said as much. They showed him that if he forced a sale, there was something worth buying.
The general attitude to and publicity for Reading's position is because it is a clear and obvious one. The EFL have publicly stated that they want the owner to sell. There aren't two sides to this unlike in our case, when people had to choose who they believed between the Oystons and Belekon - which is why the EFL and national media didn't take sides, and it was harder for us to get publicity.
So it's a different scenario than we were in. Their owner will close them down if he doesn't sell. The fans and media pressure is on him to sell rather than close them down. I don't think they really need much more publicity TBH, but it can't do them any harm.
What I would add is my personal opinion. I dislike Reading, as a place and a football club. However, no fan deserves to lose their club through no fault of their own. And like it's easy for people round the Fylde coast to support one of the nearby big premier league sides, it's equally as easy for people in Reading to go watch one of the big London clubs. Reading fans, whether you like them or not, are proper football fans. And they deserve our support.

You say that the owner has withdrawn funding which implies that he has a choice. Maybe he is unable rather than unwilling to continue funding the club.

It's worth noting too that in order for the owner to sell the club there needs to be someone willing to buy it. I've no idea by how much a year the owner needs to fund the club but I'm guessing it's in the millions and it's probably not easy to find someone to take that on at an unfashionable club which may have further points deductions and embargoes heading it's way.

To me, the problem at Reading is less about the owner but more about how the owner-funded model is deeply flawed.

 

[TheLuker]

If Huddersfield needed something from judgement day and I heard them whinging about it I would told them to fuck off, so I won’t begrudge Reading. If one game decides our season then that’s on us not them.

Ridiculous attitude and I'm pretty sure you won't be saying that if Reading fans fuck up our promotion chances.

 

[BFC_53]

I have sympathy with any clubs' fans dealing with a shitty owner.

But at the same time, football comes with massive ups and downs and you have to deal with the situation you're in. Practically every club in the EFL has been through some kind of hardship. Will the fans of Southend be clapping for Reading? Who clapped for them when they had their fall from the Championship? Were people sad for them, or were people relieved that they were taking up a relegation spot instead of their own club?
Given the choice between Reading getting a new owner right now before the window ends and beating us on the last day to deny us a play off place, or them still having ownership problems meaning we beat them and get that top six place, what would you prefer? How superficial is everyone's sympathy?

I do support stricter ownership requirements etc., and that's something we can actively get behind to help. And I admire the fans of any club that are up for a fight against shitty owners. But ultimately it is their fight, like our fight was ours, and there's little we can actually do about it aside from supporting tougher rules.

 

[TwelveAngryMen]

You say that the owner has withdrawn funding which implies that he has a choice. Maybe he is unable rather than unwilling to continue funding the club.

It's worth noting too that in order for the owner to sell the club there needs to be someone willing to buy it. I've no idea by how much a year the owner needs to fund the club but I'm guessing it's in the millions and it's probably not easy to find someone to take that on at an unfashionable club which may have further points deductions and embargoes heading it's way.

To me, the problem at Reading is less about the owner but more about how the owner-funded model is deeply flawed.

As I understand it there are interested parties, the issue is the owners valuation of a struggling L1 club.

I concur on the current modelling of football ownership - it needs a reset with far tighter financial regulation

You only have to look down the road with wages 139% of turnover. It's a basket case

Hopefully that's almost there with the appointment of a regulator

Maybe we need a few relegations imposing as you see on the Continent to bring everyone to their sense

 

[PoolBorn]

Is it just me who's getting a bit sick of trust like BST and the national weirdos at the FSA getting involved in every other fuckers business all the time

I honestly couldn't give a shit about Reading

There are rules in place to stop unfair competition on a financial basis, and they need to be enforced. You not giving a shit (and seemingly proud to say so) carries no relevance.

 

[TheLuker]

As I understand it there are interested parties, the issue is the owners valuation of a struggling L1 club.

I concur on the current modelling of football ownership - it needs a reset with far tighter financial regulation

You only have to look down the road with wages 139% of turnover. It's a basket case

Hopefully that's almost there with the appointment of a regulator

Maybe we need a few relegations imposing as you see on the Continent to bring everyone to their sense

I agree that there needs to be more relegation and probably some clubs going under in order to prompt real change.

Right now most clubs in financial trouble get bailed out in one way or another (Derby, Bolton, Wigan etc) and football will continue in this unhealthy cycle until we get real change which will have to involve a regulator with teeth.

 

[Satriale's Pork Store]

I have sympathy with any clubs' fans dealing with a shitty owner.

But at the same time, football comes with massive ups and downs and you have to deal with the situation you're in. Practically every club in the EFL has been through some kind of hardship. Will the fans of Southend be clapping for Reading? Who clapped for them when they had their fall from the Championship? Were people sad for them, or were people relieved that they were taking up a relegation spot instead of their own club?
Given the choice between Reading getting a new owner right now before the window ends and beating us on the last day to deny us a play off place, or them still having ownership problems meaning we beat them and get that top six place, what would you prefer? How superficial is everyone's sympathy?

I do support stricter ownership requirements etc., and that's something we can actively get behind to help. And I admire the fans of any club that are up for a fight against shitty owners. But ultimately it is their fight, like our fight was ours, and there's little we can actually do about it aside from supporting tougher rules.

Good post with valid points.

I am good mates with a now retired, former work colleague of thirty years who is a massive Royals fan. We have enjoyed great banter throughout this period and boy, did I enjoy it when we finally won at their place a couple of seasons back.

He knows that I want to visit the Car Rental bowl at the end of the season and secure three points to guarantee a play-off place and send them down!

He also knows that I wish them well in their ongoing battle with their current unfit owner.

Fans can have rivallry whilst still showing solidarity in common causes.

 

[TheLuker]

As I understand it there are interested parties, the issue is the owners valuation of a struggling L1 club.

I concur on the current modelling of football ownership - it needs a reset with far tighter financial regulation

You only have to look down the road with wages 139% of turnover. It's a basket case

Hopefully that's almost there with the appointment of a regulator

Maybe we need a few relegations imposing as you see on the Continent to bring everyone to their sense

With respect to potential buyers and valuations I'm not aware of the details at Reading but I'm guessing that owner has put in tens of millions and is now being expected by the fans to write most or all of that off and to sell the club for a fraction of what he's put in, so that someone else can replace him as the clubs benefactor.

Everyone is losing at Reading right now, owner and fans but that's what is going to keep happening if owners overpay players, all at the behest of their fans.

 

[Tangerine Tractor]

Good luck to their fans. Direct action is the way forward and I wish them luck getting their owner to sell.

Beyond that, I'm absolutely cured of football politics after what we've been through. I'd rather our supporters trust concentrated on Blackpool FC rather than political matters at other clubs or in wider football circles.

That's a valid and very reasonable attitude. We should, however, remember that our situation has indirectly let to more political involvement in football, the campaign for a regulator, the strength of a united umbrella fans organisation. And while we may not need them now, there may well be a time when we do again. We really should be proud of what Blackpool fans achieved, whatever banner it was under. But moving on, we should look after our own, but be mindful not to burn bridges.

 

[Phil_bfc deux]

There is a strange attitude from some within our fanbase towards the ongoing issue of unsuitable owners
Having been there you'd think we'd be more sympathetic
It's a bit depressing but at the same time predictable

Nobody really helped us, other fans didn't give a shit and i don't care about Reading or Bury or any other club who have gone down this path

The situations are completely different anyway

Reading are in this mess of their own doing by spending stupid amounts over several years and i shouldn't need to remind you that our situation wasn't anywhere near comparable

As for FFP it doesn't work and never has and no amount of bleating from the FSA about an independent regulator will help anyway

 

[TwelveAngryMen]

Good luck to their fans. Direct action is the way forward and I wish them luck getting their owner to sell.

Beyond that, I'm absolutely cured of football politics after what we've been through. I'd rather our supporters trust concentrated on Blackpool FC rather than political matters at other clubs or in wider football circles.

To be honest Briggs BST don't spend a lot of time on this - save some who have FSA roles as well
In this case the committee are just sharing a message and no more and as I see it that's the least we can do after all the help we had when we were trying to get our own message across

 

[TwelveAngryMen]

Nobody really helped us, other fans didn't give a shit and i don't care about Reading or Bury or any other club who have gone down this path

The situations are completely different anyway

Reading are in this mess of their own doing by spending stupid amounts over several years and i shouldn't need to remind you that our situation wasn't anywhere near comparable

As for FFP it doesn't work and never has and no amount of bleating from the FSA about an independent regulator will help anyway

Plenty helped us

Blackburn / FC United were particularly at the start as we were looking to set up BST

The Everton lads were very supportive at various stages and a whole host of others - too many to mention now as I have a meeting to attend

 

[TheLuker]

Nobody really helped us, other fans didn't give a shit and i don't care about Reading or Bury or any other club who have gone down this path

The situations are completely different anyway

Reading are in this mess of their own doing by spending stupid amounts over several years and i shouldn't need to remind you that our situation wasn't anywhere near comparable

As for FFP it doesn't work and never has and no amount of bleating from the FSA about an independent regulator will help anyway

Blackpool fans protested because the Oyscums were taking money out of the club.

Reading fans are protesting after their owner is now unable or unwilling to continue funding a huge wage bill.

Massive difference.

 

[Phil_bfc deux]

Blackpool fans protested because the Oyscums were taking money out of the club.

Reading fans are protesting after their owner is now unable or unwilling to continue funding a huge wage bill.

Massive difference.

Yep agreed

 

[Phil_bfc deux]

Plenty helped us

Blackburn / FC United were particularly at the start as we were looking to set up BST

The Everton lads were very supportive at various stages and a whole host of others - too many to mention now as I have a meeting to attend

Drop in the ocean really when you consider what mess we were in

 

[TangerineBayern]

Plenty helped us

Blackburn / FC United were particularly at the start as we were looking to set up BST

The Everton lads were very supportive at various stages and a whole host of others - too many to mention now as I have a meeting to attend

I heard from a Nobber mate that collection boxes were going around Dumpdale in support of our cause, don’t know whether this true or not

 

[Briggs5]

To be honest Briggs BST don't spend a lot of time on this - save some who have FSA roles as well
In this case the committee are just sharing a message and no more and as I see it that's the least we can do after all the help we had when we were trying to get our own message across

I understand that and it's fair enough to help out. But up until Tangerine Tractor got involved with BST, most of the communication seemed to have a lot of FSA/Politics content, rather than issues that directly affected Pool fans. I could be wrong, but that's just how it came across to me.

 

[Loco]

Another club trying to live beyond its means and status. They've been a lower league team for most of their history.

However, the problem really is the impossibility of trying to compete financially with the big city clubs.
And that's a problem for the vast majority now, with Forest the latest victims. Two-time European cup winners when football was still a sport.

I don't like Reading much either. Maybe they should have merged with Oxford.

 

[Tangerine Tractor]

I understand that and it's fair enough to help out. But up until Tangerine Tractor got involved with BST, most of the communication seemed to have a lot of FSA/Politics content, rather than issues that directly affected Pool fans. I could be wrong, but that's just how it came across to me.

I got on board with BST to try to make a difference. Having sat through a couple of meetings, the Trust do a lot of very good and important work, but my feeling is we have to be the people to represent the fans and be their channel to the club, that's my priority. There's a lot of red tape involved in the trust, but it has to be that way for it to have any sort of credibility with other organisations, including the club. That's why we need fans to realise that the trust has to be seen to be doing things properly at all times, despite what might be going on behind the scenes. And frankly, I'm amazed how much time some of the committee members spend on trust-related stuff. Most of it unnoticed and unacknowledged and unappreciated.

 

[Hertsseasider]

Are we having a round of applause for Everton or Forest or, eventually, City and Chelsea etc etc

 

[Simonized]

If you are interested in the Reading story, this special Podcast may be for you ; there is a brief but honourable mention of Blackpool fans about 43 minutes in.

https://s357.podbean.com/pb/40f2ea4ec661002bde2a95c0068839fd/65a9c9b2/data1/fs81/626732/uploads/TTE_Port_Vale_Specialbrpbj.mp3?pbss=2a4aa98a-56a4-56c9-991b-922feed2d391

If you are travelling to Bristol Rovers tomorrow, you can join the fans of other clubs up and down the country in showing your support for Reading fans by joining in a minute's applause in the 16th minute of the game. 16 is the number of points that the club have had deducted for breaches of financial rules during the current owner's tenure.

They had a sugar Daddy like Wigan and they are now paying for it and I just can't bring myself to feel any sorrow at all for them having bought their success.

 

[Satriale's Pork Store]

Are we having a round of applause for Everton or Forest or, eventually, City and Chelsea etc etc

No, we are to roll about laughing for a full minute.

 

[Tangerine Tractor]

Thing is, this keeps happening to clubs. No lessons are learned, and successful businessmen always seem to think they can do a better job where others have failed. Some clubs will inevitably be less stable than others as owner after owner tries and fails to make it work. For almost all clubs, eventually something will happen to stop the source of funding, or the caring owners will have bailed out and sold up before it gets too much for them. It could, and does, happen to any club. The whole system is wrong, but while it is, we need to support other clubs, or accept that is every man for himself and let football eventually be consumed by the top dozen wealthy clubs.

 

[Bend it like Suddick]

Reading are in this mess of their own doing by spending stupid amounts over several years and i shouldn't need to remind you that our situation wasn't anywhere near comparable

Exactly

 

[basilrobbie3]

There is some odd logic in play here.

Direct action when we do it is OK, but not for anyone else. This guy has cost them sixteen points, and one of those deductions got them relegated last season. He's also sold the stadium to himself, meaning administration is probably too much of a risk because the football club has little in the way of assets.

It's clear the EFL are at their wits end. They have found that points deductions make no difference to him. They ask for financial guarantees - he doesn't give them. They fine him - and he doesn't pay. They want him to sell, but having overpaid for the club in the first place he wants a price he is very unlikely to get. They also would like to force him to divest himself of the club - but have no powers to do it. If you were a Reading fan, watching all this, what would you do?

Even if you don't see the principle involved, we do have at least two vested interests here. The first is that if Reading fold or are expelled from the League (both of which are possible), then we stand to lose more than most if their record get expunged. The second vested interest is that of our owner. He's playing by the financial rules - he's entitled to expect regulatory action that deals with this sort of thing, and in this case he isn't getting it.

The pyramid lives or dies on 92 clubs being safe and secure. It's all very well not caring about Reading, but we do need other clubs to play. Their fans, contrary to what has been said above, were always supportive of us in our times of trouble.

Final thing Briggs5, I don't know whether you read BST Newsletters, but the latest one contains :

• notes on what we doing to get young people involved at our club
• an update on our latest meeting with Julian Winter, also about fan engagement
• BST mascots - one for EVERY home league game
• representations we made to the FA about how they messed YOU about re FA Cup Round 2
• support for a Blackpool fan led fundraiser
• requests for information about stewarding at the Exeter game

Facts and perceptions are not necessarily always the same.

People will show solidarity with RFC tomorrow at dozens of grounds. We are just reminding our away support that it is happening and they can join in (or not) as they wish.

 

[hampshire_exile]

It’s a tricky one. Reading fans were happy that their owner paid up to the £10K a week limit for the likes of Andy Carroll in the not too distant past. When they clearly couldn’t afford it.

But I wouldn’t like to see them go bust. However it’s fair to say that they seem to be getting a lot more sympathy than the likes of Southend got.

 

[Lewis_Winthorpe]

Nobody really helped us, other fans didn't give a shit and i don't care about Reading or Bury or any other club who have gone down this path

The situations are completely different anyway

Reading are in this mess of their own doing by spending stupid amounts over several years and i shouldn't need to remind you that our situation wasn't anywhere near comparable

As for FFP it doesn't work and never has and no amount of bleating from the FSA about an independent regulator will help anyway

I struggle with the Bury situation because if my memory serves me correct their fans were absolute ***** when we played them at Gigg Lane doing the whole Oyston in thing.

Careful what you wish for eh Bury

 

[Satriale's Pork Store]

There is some odd logic in play here.

Direct action when we do it is OK, but not for anyone else. This guy has cost them sixteen points, and one of those deductions got them relegated last season. He's also sold the stadium to himself, meaning administration is probably too much of a risk because the football club has little in the way of assets.

It's clear the EFL are at their wits end. They have found that points deductions make no difference to him. They ask for financial guarantees - he doesn't give them. They fine him - and he doesn't pay. They want him to sell, but having overpaid for the club in the first place he wants a price he is very unlikely to get. They also would like to force him to divest himself of the club - but have no powers to do it. If you were a Reading fan, watching all this, what would you do?

Even if you don't see the principle involved, we do have at least two vested interests here. The first is that if Reading fold or are expelled from the League (both of which are possible), then we stand to lose more than most if their record get expunged. The second vested interest is that of our owner. He's playing by the financial rules - he's entitled to expect regulatory action that deals with this sort of thing, and in this case he isn't getting it.

The pyramid lives or dies on 92 clubs being safe and secure. It's all very well not caring about Reading, but we do need other clubs to play. Their fans, contrary to what has been said above, were always supportive of us in our times of trouble.

Final thing Briggs5, I don't know whether you read BST Newsletters, but the latest one contains :

• notes on what we doing to get young people involved at our club
• an update on our latest meeting with Julian Winter, also about fan engagement
• BST mascots - one for EVERY home league game
• representations we made to the FA about how they messed YOU about re FA Cup Round 2
• support for a Blackpool fan led fundraiser
• requests for information about stewarding at the Exeter game

Facts and perceptions are not necessarily always the same.

People will show solidarity with RFC tomorrow at dozens of grounds. We are just reminding our away support that it is happening and they can join in (or not) as they wish.

 

[Satriale's Pork Store]

Excellent post Robbie.

Some fans take a very blinkered and insular view on things!

 

[Satriale's Pork Store]

Exactly

And is that the fans fault?

 

[Bend it like Suddick]

And is that the fans fault?

No, but I bet they didn't complain when owners overspent to give unfair advantage over rule abiding teams.

We were the complete opposite in that regard.

 

[Wizaard]

You say that the owner has withdrawn funding which implies that he has a choice. Maybe he is unable rather than unwilling to continue funding the club.

It's worth noting too that in order for the owner to sell the club there needs to be someone willing to buy it. I've no idea by how much a year the owner needs to fund the club but I'm guessing it's in the millions and it's probably not easy to find someone to take that on at an unfashionable club which may have further points deductions and embargoes heading it's way.

To me, the problem at Reading is less about the owner but more about how the owner-funded model is deeply flawed.

He's a multi millionaire. He has just turned off the tap of his own volition.

 

[Loco]

Thing is, this keeps happening to clubs. No lessons are learned, and successful businessmen always seem to think they can do a better job where others have failed. Some clubs will inevitably be less stable than others as owner after owner tries and fails to make it work. For almost all clubs, eventually something will happen to stop the source of funding, or the caring owners will have bailed out and sold up before it gets too much for them. It could, and does, happen to any club. The whole system is wrong, but while it is, we need to support other clubs, or accept that is every man for himself and let football eventually be consumed by the top dozen wealthy clubs.

No, we have to change the system. Everything else is futile.

 

[bfcpete]

Looking at the last set of accounts from June 2022 the club had a negative net worth of over £60m lliabilities exceed assets. To be fair the owner appears to have covered accumulated losses of about £140m since he took over in 2017. Just hope he sells, but a dire position

 

[Loco]

There is some odd logic in play here.

Direct action when we do it is OK, but not for anyone else. This guy has cost them sixteen points, and one of those deductions got them relegated last season. He's also sold the stadium to himself, meaning administration is probably too much of a risk because the football club has little in the way of assets.

It's clear the EFL are at their wits end. They have found that points deductions make no difference to him. They ask for financial guarantees - he doesn't give them. They fine him - and he doesn't pay. They want him to sell, but having overpaid for the club in the first place he wants a price he is very unlikely to get. They also would like to force him to divest himself of the club - but have no powers to do it. If you were a Reading fan, watching all this, what would you do?

Even if you don't see the principle involved, we do have at least two vested interests here. The first is that if Reading fold or are expelled from the League (both of which are possible), then we stand to lose more than most if their record get expunged. The second vested interest is that of our owner. He's playing by the financial rules - he's entitled to expect regulatory action that deals with this sort of thing, and in this case he isn't getting it.

The pyramid lives or dies on 92 clubs being safe and secure. It's all very well not caring about Reading, but we do need other clubs to play. Their fans, contrary to what has been said above, were always supportive of us in our times of trouble.

Final thing Briggs5, I don't know whether you read BST Newsletters, but the latest one contains :

• notes on what we doing to get young people involved at our club
• an update on our latest meeting with Julian Winter, also about fan engagement
• BST mascots - one for EVERY home league game
• representations we made to the FA about how they messed YOU about re FA Cup Round 2
• support for a Blackpool fan led fundraiser
• requests for information about stewarding at the Exeter game

Facts and perceptions are not necessarily always the same.

People will show solidarity with RFC tomorrow at dozens of grounds. We are just reminding our away support that it is happening and they can join in (or not) as they wish.

When did you do direct action?
And nobody is saying they shouldn't do it at Reading. Why will we lose a lot more than most? 3 points. Even Fleetwood beat them away. I don't recall their fans being particularly supportive of us either. Brighton, Orient, Derby yes - but Reading?

 

[CSSeasider]

Nobody really helped us, other fans didn't give a shit and i don't care about Reading or Bury or any other club who have gone down this path

The situations are completely different anyway

Reading are in this mess of their own doing by spending stupid amounts over several years and i shouldn't need to remind you that our situation wasn't anywhere near comparable

As for FFP it doesn't work and never has and no amount of bleating from the FSA about an independent regulator will help anyway

On the contrary. The support we had from the fans of other clubs was outstanding. Not just Blackburn/Orient/Charlton and other crisis clubs but everyone. Those of us who stood outside the ground every match day from 2015 to 2019, leafleting visiting fans week after week, month after month, year after year, will agree that overall, other clubs' fans were very much onside. They chanted anti Oyston stuff, they bought food and drink from local shops and not the ground, they smuggled in banners and many of them gave financial donations to J4F. The BST leaflets went everywhere and really helped to educate other fans as to what we were doing and why.
Given how long our campaign went on and how tough it was, just getting other fans putting an arm round your shoulder and saying "keep going" was worth a very great deal.
That's why I can't turn a blind eye to the problems other fans are facing now. If we can help in any way, however small, we should do it.