I don't view Reading as rivals, last year we both competed for promotion, but thats about it, if we're "rivals" to anyone who we're in competition with then it would be a very long list. Millwall, Spurs, Chelsea, Sheff Utd are the only clubs I'd view as our biggest rivals, then Arsenal and QPR arn't too far behind.
I see Reading and Swindon more as rivals Two places you drive past on the M4 that you would not want to stop at unless your dying for a piss
I'd always have Milwall as ours as well as well as the obvious London 3. Upton Park is probably my favourite London away and enjoy the rivalry even though chanting etc does tend to go OTT One question I thought I'd ask you is the split amongst the WHU faithful. The myth is that all West Ham fans hate Millwall more than anyone but I know a fair few Hammers and they all view Spurs/Chelsea as their biggest rivals. What's your take?
But that's the thing, that appears to be changing - see initial poll results and you'll see for the Royals QPR are now considered bigger/better rivals than Swindon, ha-ha!
diab0 You can’t just say one week we have ‘A’ as a rival and the next ‘B’? Rivalries are built up over years (normally local derbies) and most teams have their rivals set in stone. Agree a new generation looks at things differently but it’s down to the older fans to educate them. As I said I live in Berkshire so it would be fans like me that should really have a problem with Reading yet I don’t (other than a few wum’s about the ‘Hoops’. We have no history with Reading, your recent ‘hoops chart’ showed that. As for a poll? You could have 100% against one team if only 1 person votes? When I was growing up it was always Chelsea, even when we were in League One kids were singing anti Chelsea songs (when Chelsea were playing in Europe)? Without being disrespectful to Reading I would say it comes down to the type of club you support. For me QPR are like a Chelsea/West Ham/Spurs/Wall/Palace, A proper London club with very strong family links and ‘Partisan’ fans. Reading does not have that same mentality. Reading seems to have a bit of an identity crisis going on. Your club has grown very fast with new fans and they don’t seem to understand their history. As I have said we really don’t have any links with Reading and would be very very surprised if I ever heard any Reading chants in my life time.
I'm actually pretty much agreed. We had nearly 40 votes in, but the truth is that many Reading fans DON'T KNOW who their rivals are! The fans younger than 30 years old have probably never seen Aldershot, Oxford or Swindon. I think if Swindon or Oxford made it up to the championship old rivalries would perhaps resume, but that might be quite a few seasons away ...
Agree with that. You should always keep your historical rivals. You never know one day those teams could be in the Prem or whatever division you are in and the game will mean more. The teams you mentioned are local to Reading and are not a 'London club' so the fans should really work it out. QPR/Reading will probably have the 'hoops' thing going on but other than that i cannot see many Rangers fans caring.
DL although i don't really like Chelsea, half my family are Chelsea and other half QPR. A lot of my best mates are Chelsea season ticket holders and have been since time began. i know you have a new lot of fans that were never there in the 80's/90's but i do see our clubs as 'proper clubs' whose fans live/breath their teams. Reading imo are nothing like the clubs i have mentioned. I look at them as a Wigan/MK Dons type. Even you would say QPR and Reading are nothing like each other.
Ellers I was only kidding mate. I know a lot of family and friends in West London are split when it comes to Chelsea and QPR. It's becoming similar in parts of South West London with Chelsea and Fulham. We have a lot of bandwagoners and sadly many have been priced out but there are also still plenty of old school that still go. I have no idea why as I much prefer away games myself. I agree with your analysis spot on though. No disrespect to Reading, Arsenal and Fulham but they are very much different clubs, you could go to an Arsenal and Fulham game and not know a soul. Whenever I've been to Stamford Bridge I've always seen people that know each other and have evidently been going for years. Spurs are similar and West Ham Moreso, QPR is the same as everyone seems to know each other. As you say fans of those clubs are extremely partisan. I'd have no qualms about going to an Arsenal pub wearing a Chelsea shirt or walking around Islington in one as it just isn't that sort of club, West Ham and Spurs in particular an absolute no no. I much prefer the partisan grounds hence why I enjoy Arsenal and Fulham less than Spurs and West Ham for example
Just seeing Reading have cheer leaders- a move to a new joisey without hoops must be their next move.
For me it would be the game I'd want to win the most, due to West Ham and Millwall not playing that often. But I would probably say Spurs are our biggest rivals with Chelsea not that far behind as we play eachother alot.
