Hello there! While we suffer through two weeks of no Championship football, I thought I would make myself known to this board. My name is Number_13, and I come here from Royal Rendezvous, a Reading fan forum (link to our website www.royalsrendezvous.co.uk/index/). I wanted to come on here to help build some links between our forums, and hopefully engage in some good debate. Having seen you guys play on Sunday on Sky Sports, it was certainly an entertaining game and it's clear you don't write off a game after being two goals down so, whichever way things go, I am very much looking forward to our meeting. To kick things off, we have recently started our match thread on our upcoming fixture. Please take some time to check it out and, if you like, you can sign up and post your own comments on our board. We are a friendly bunch and we already have several people from different clubs who have become valued members of our community. If you don't want to sign up, we do have a section where you can post without registering if you like! Link to the match thread: http://royalsrendezvous.co.uk/topic/10369105/1/#new
Thanks for the invite- will make sure to check it out over the next few hours. Sadly, as you point out we have to endure another international break, so soon since the last one too. I don't imagine it's welcome to anyone but the Welsh being honest.
Gosh!.......... were your parents on medication at the time? I can understand parents calling their son 'Number 13' but the underscore seems a bit excessive
Number 13 I have been to both Elm Park and your current hideous concrete bowl, and I know which one I prefer. Is Elm Park still a football ground? That was a proper old stadium, plenty of atmosphere and some quite lively 'banter' when we used to play you there. I seem to remember a 2-2 draw there when Mark McGhee was your manager. Ps- I was thinking of driving next week, or would you suggest a train from Paddington is better?
Elm Park was demolished the same year we moved to the Madejski Stadium I'm afraid, I believe there are flats there now. Agree that the atmosphere may have suffered a bit but unfortunately this is what happens when you become a bigger club. It gets worse, we are in line for a stadium name change - apparently a Thai soft drink company is interested. To answer your other question, I'm not local to Reading so can only give advice based on my own experience. I usually drive using the M4 (massive crash on there Saturday morning and some fans arrived late, so can get clogged up if the worst happens) and the stadium is literally just off the motorway. Parking next to the stadium for £8. The roads get jammed after the game but I assume this happens everywhere. There are shuttle buses to and from Reading Station if you do decide to use the train, the best I can do is divert you to our forum's travel section, which should give you all the information you need from our end. You can find it it here: http://royalsrendezvous.co.uk/topic/9220871/1 Hope that helps!