READING MATTER

SUMMER 2010

STAR
SUPPORTERS’ TRUST AT READING
 STAR SHOTS

Pictures from top left clockwise:

Fans enjoy last game of the season at Watford with
random inflatables.
Coach 1 ready to leave for Cardiff. The fans in a jo-
vial mood. The coaches arriving at another new
ground for all the fans.
 CONTENTS AND NOTES

CONTENTS

Chairman’s notes (4), Player Of The Season (5),

Happy Events (5), FSF campaigns (6), How to
organise a quiz night (8), interview with Matt Mills
(11), Fans Forum: Ex players (14), Early Years

EDITORS COMMENTS
Welcome to this seasons 3rd edition of Reading
Matter. We have experienced a very mixed sea-
son, which thankfully ended on a high.
We were very lucky to get an interview with Matt
Mills, and had a very successful quiz night, both
of which are featured in this edition.

MAIN COVER PICTURES

Ian Branfoot, Jerry Williams and Mark White with
some of our prestigious trophies. The quiz win-

EDITORS
Nathan Wakefield / Wendie Wakefield / Esther Madden

Published on behalf of STAR

Reading Football Supporters’ Society Ltd. Trading as STAR
 CHAIRMAN’S NOTES

What a season! There aren’t many Reading supporters

who can put their hands up to believing at the end of
January that we would not only avoid relegation, but do
so with 5 games to play. It is stating the obvious to say it
was our home record in 2009 that let us down, but it
was pointed out to me that it took until Brian’s first
game as manager (and not caretaker) against Barnsley to
score the 10th league goal at home. Contrast that with the last 2, yes 2,
home games where we saw Reading score 10 goals. Brian has talked of his
20 game season and we saw a 2 point per game short season, which we all
know is considered promotion form. But the season is over and we can
only look forward to the next and hope we can build on that 20 game sea-
son to have an enjoyable and successful 2010-11. Success is seen as promo-
tion, but despite being an optimist at football, I am not upset to stay in the
Championship as long as the football is fun.

Since the last Reading Matter, we have had our first forum for ex-players
(and manager) and you will see the notes of it here. It was not as well at-
tended as our usual forum, but it was enjoyed by those attending and I think
we got a more honest view of the inside of football than anyone still in the
game can afford to give. I would like to thank Richard Wickson for his ef-
forts to bring guests along and we are happy to extend the co-operation
with the ex-players association in addition to our sponsoring of their shirts.

We will be planning our forum calendar for next season as soon as the AGM
is over, so if you have an idea of guests you would like to see please contact
us in the usual ways. Also remember to let us have any problems you want
us to follow up for you at our regular meetings with RFC or the national
supporter organisations, either drop a note into the STAR Base or email us
on info@star-reading.org.
 PLAYER OF THE SEASON

STAR were once again happy to help with the player of the season vot-
ing. We had several volunteers to help give out the nomination forms
and then collect them from around the concourses before getting on
with the task of counting all the nominations.
This is always a very well organised event which STAR are more
than happy to help with.
We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped us on
the day.
Congratulations go to Rachel Leicester, who was the lucky winner of
the draw to present the award to a very worthy winner, none other
than Gylfi Sigurds-
son. Rachel had a
lovely day and was
very pleased to
have won the
chance to present
the award.

HAPPY EVENTS

 Congratulations to Shirley Adaway and Tony Savery on their wedding.

 FSF

Wem-ber-ley, Wem-ber-ley – we’re all dressed up and we’re going

to Wem-ber-ley!

The Royals might not have been to Wembley in recent years, but you
can – by coming along to the Football Supporters’ Federation’s (FSF)
Fans’ Parliament which this year takes place takes place this year in The
Wembley Suite within the Stadium itself on Saturday 24th July.

The Fans’ Parliament is entirely free of charge and open to everyone,

so why not come along and see what the FSF is all about?

In case you don’t know, the FSF represents more than 142,000 football
fans throughout England and Wales – and led the campaign against
Game 39 as well as being involved numerous other on-going campaigns
about the issues that really affect match-going supporters – for instance
fans’ rights, Section 27, policing and stewarding, ticket prices, safe
standing, club governance & finances and many, many more. The
FSF’s Chairman, Malcolm Clarke, has a seat on the FA Council as sup-
porter’s representative, and Royals supporters are also well represented.
The FSF’s Deputy Chair and two other members of the National Council
are Loyal Royals.

The conference starts with a keynote address from the fascinating Dr

Declan Hill, world-acclaimed expert on match-fixing and author of “The
Fix – Soccer and Organised Crime.” Later in the proceedings, after
presentations from other top speakers, there’s a chance for supporters
to debate key issues affecting us all. There will be breakout groups dis-
cussing Financial Regulation and Club Governance; England’s 2018
World Cup Bid; Policing,
 FSF cont

Stewarding and Criminalisation of Supporters; and Safe-Standing. All

these breakout sessions will have subject-matter experts and every at-
tendee will get a chance to have their say.

There’s much more to Fans’ Parliament than just the conference ses-
sions, though. It’s also a great chance for FSF members from around
the country to catch up and discuss football and what’s important to
them about it. On Friday night (23rd) there’ll be an informal reception –
where supporters from teams all over the country can get to know each
other – and maybe demonstrate their prowess on the table-football or
maybe flicking to kick a game of Subutteo! There are plenty of top-class
curry-houses and other restaurants in the area for anyone wanting
something more substantial.

Saturday evening promises a really entertaining evening with “Hacks v

Crocks” – think of a cross between “Have I Got News You” and “Fighting
Talk,” with ex-players and well-known football journalists and you’ll be
close to the mark. A similar event was held at last year’s Fans’ Parlia-
ment in Newcastle and was enjoyed by everyone there.

Then, on Sunday morning there is a chance to see behind the scenes at

Wembley Stadium – at a special price of just £10 for the iconic 90 minute
tour. You can see inside the England dressing room, walk out through
the players’ tunnel and climb the steps to the Royal Box, and see a
range of unique Wembley treasures – not least that crossbar from 1966!

Fans’ Parliament is Free to all, but you need to register to attend. To

find out more and to register, see http://www.fsf.org.uk/fans-parliament/
 How To Organize A Quiz Night
By Helen Bullen

When STAR held its annual planning meeting last Septem-

ber, the first thing on the social agenda was the quiz night.
This has always been one of our favourite things to do for
our members and hopefully you enjoy it too! This year we
decided to do it in aid of ‘Help for Heroes’, this being the
Football League’s nominated charity for the 2009/2010
season.

Once the Princess Suite had been reserved for the 17th
April, all we had to do was find someone to make up the
questions, arrange raffle and auction prizes, get the tickets
printed and get the evening advertised in the local media –
simples!

After our resident quiz demon Sybil set the bar high last
year with the questions, we decided this year that we’d
knock it down a rung or two, so with that in mind, our
vice-chairman Jon stepped up to the plate and offered to
write them.
 How To Organize A Quiz Night cont

Fortunately, we still maintain a good relationship with Kyo-

cera, who once again were kind enough to print the tick-
ets. Between myself, Wendie, Tom (and Kingsley) the raf-
fle and auction prizes were cajoled out of the club, Back
The Boys (our lovely PA Team) and our sponsors
Waitrose.

As for the advertising, I sent messages around to our con-

tacts at the Evening Post, Reading Chronicle, BBC Radio
Berkshire and Reading 107fm, asking if they would be kind
enough to let people know about the event. In addition,
Back The Boys kindly put it up on the scoreboard, Jon
wrote about it in the STAR programme notes and I fash-
ioned some posters for the STAR notice boards, armed
with very basic Microsoft Wordpad! I guess you could
describe me as being computer illiterate.

The most popular round was probably Jon’s take on music,

where he played two lots of ten songs, one group of which
you identified the artist; for the other, the title. We were
then invited to put artist and title together – as if it would
have made perfect sense for that song to be sung by that
How To Arrange A Quiz Night cont

particular group or singer. I will always remember the

‘Mexican Wave’ effect going around the room as people in-
dentified the group Tight Fit, alongside the song ‘Like A Vir-
gin’..

Eventual winners were. yes, you guessed it, that quiz

demon Sybil and her team!

Ian Robertson with his

auction prize of a signed
FA Cup ball.
He won the auction at
£70. (Above)

The winners
with their raffle
prizes. (Right and
Above)
 Matt Mills Interview
When we asked Matt if we could interview him for Reading
Matter he was more than happy to oblige.
What is your fulll name? Matthew Claude Mills
What is your D.OB.? 14/07/1986
Where were you born? Leicester
Where do you live now? Shinfield
Are you married? No

Favourite subject at school? Physical Education

Worst subject at school? Science
Do you have any pets? Yes a boxer

What made you come to Reading? The enthusiasm of

the club to get where they want to be and to be able to
help the club back to where they want to be, The Premier
League
What have been your best and worst moments in
football? My best was winning at Wembley Stadium. My
worst being the incident during the QPR game out of sheer
frustration.
What was it like to get the captains armband? It is
the biggest honour to date, very unexpected and Brian and
the the other coaching staff have been a big influence
 Matt Mills Interview

If you weren’t a footballer what would you be? Ei-

ther a coach manager or agent.
Who’s the best and biggest player that you have
played against? Best was John Carew. Biggest were
Didier Drogba and Fernando Tores
What is your opinion of the Reading fans? I am very
impressed with how passionate the fans are compared to
other clubs. The players need to create the atmosphere
first.
What do you put the change in performance of the
team down to ? The manager has been a great success
with the way he plays and utilises the squad.
You sat with the fans at the Cardiff Away
game.How was it and who’s idea was it? You see
things very differently as it gives a totally different perspec-
tive. The decision was my own as I sat with my family and
I will probably do the same today if possible as I am sus-
pended.
Are you very critical? I am very hypocritical towards
myself and when I am watching a game I like to see the
best points.
Who is your player of the season? Gylfi Sigurdsson
and Jobi Mcanuff
 Matt Mills Interview
You have a famous partner, Emma, most of the
male supporters think Emma is really hot and
fancy her. What do you think of this? Yes she is and I
am very happy to be with some-one who is fancied and
comes home to me
What football team do you support? Just England
What about Emma? She doesn’t support any team as
such.

What car do you drive? I used to drive an Audi Q7, but

have just bought a new car, an Audi R8.
Iphone or Blackberry? Blackberry as I can easily manage
my emails
What is your interest in music? Everything but mainly
dance and Rhythm and Bass
Do you have interests outside of football? I don’t
have much time as I am too busy working but I do enjoy a
round golf or going shopping when I
get the chance.
 FANS FORUM: EX PLAYERS

The Forum was chaired by Paula Martin (PM) who welcomed the guests
- Ian Branfoot (IB), Mark White (MW) and Jerry Williams (JW).

PM: Can you give us a brief history of your time in football and at Read-
ing?

MW: I came to Reading from Sheffield Utd. I was a ball boy. Charlie
Hurley was the manager. Then he left in 1977 and I was signed - he
didn’t fancy me! I played as a full back because I’d picked up a bad
knee injury when I was a midfielder. Then I was known as a “utility”
player. I wasn’t the fastest in the world. I played 300+ games for Read-
ing. Then I went to Cape Town Spurs before I finished.

JW: I have fond memories of my time at Reading. I was a Reading jun-

ior at 14. When Charlie Hurley resigned in 1977 I made my debut. Mau-
rice Evans then took over and I had a bit of luck as he wanted a right
back. Then I really went from strength to strength and played in midfield.
I left in 1998 and went to Gillingham and played under Peter Taylor and
John Gorman. Then I pulled my thigh muscle and was out for ages.
Then I joined Aldershot but that was a bit of a disaster, sometimes we
didn’t even get paid. Then it was time to retire.

IB: I came into the game at 18. Alan Brown wanted me when I was 16
but my dad wouldn’t let me sign. I eventually signed for Sheffield
Wednesday but I was disappointed I couldn’t sign for Sunderland being
a Geordie! I played under Alan Brown for four years and he was a mon-
ster of a man! I made my debut in 1966, in the final game of the season,
when Sheffield Wednesday reached a cup final and were resting their
main players.
FANS FORUM: EX PLAYERS cont...

In 1969 I went to Doncaster under Lawrie McMenemy and then I played

under Graham Taylor at Lincoln for five years and made over 150 ap-
pearances. Then I passed my exams and passed my full coaching
badge aged 22. I did reserve coaching when Graham Taylor got me
involved. He then moved on to Watford. I took over as number 2 to
George Kerr. George got the sack two years later and Lawrie
McMenemy took me to Southampton – it was the era of Keegan, Chan-
non and Ball. I applied for more than seventy jobs and only got a re-
sponse from two. I got an interview at Burnley, but then I was told that
John Bond had already got the job. I went for the interview anyway and I
was the sixth of the six people interviewed. I was never paid any ex-
penses and many years later I went to Burnley with Reading and men-
tioned this and on Monday morning I got a cheque in the post for £50!
Then Maurice Evans rang me when he was first team coach and offered
me a job. Then he got the sack and he left his diary on his desk with a
message wishing me well. Top class man. I went to Crystal Palace two
days later. Steve Coppell rang and offered me the job of first team
coach. I had a fantastic two and half years there; we got to a cup final
against Man Utd. When I left Crystal Palace I went to Southampton as
manager on a three year contract. After two years we discussed a new
contract and doubled salary. Then they sacked me. I took six weeks off
then went to Fulham with Jimmy Hill as chairman until Mr Al Fayed came
in. I was going to be director of football but he decided I wasn’t big
enough and gave me the push. Now I am retired from football – I just
enjoy it on the telly!
FANS FORUM: EX PLAYERS cont...

PM: Do any of you still have any contact with Reading?

MW: Not really. My four children take up my time. I’ve got a young lad
of seven interested in football but he is more into Man Utd and Chelsea!
I try to catch highlights of Reading games on TV.

IB: The Sheffield Utd game last year was my last game here. I got talk-
ing to my neighbour and it turned out he had played for Sheffield Utd
reserves and I was a Sheffield Wed fan, it was quite funny. I had a
lovely day and was looked after very well.

PM: The Simod Cup was such a memorable occasion, why was the
league form not at the same level?

IB: I don’t know. We had had a fantastic team spirit prior to that then
different players came in and this upset the team spirit. You don’t realise
it until new players arrive how much it can change things. Also the train-
ing base was changed from Elm Park to Bisham Abbey and that too was
a disruption. At Elm Park we just had a room with pegs. All these little
elements together can cause cracks to appear.

PM: So you would say it is the synergy of players as a team, not as

individuals, that is important, and how they interact with each other?

IB: Bringing in better players can upset the balance.

Q: Alan Pardew once said at a fans’ forum here that new players com-
ing in must be good, affordable and have the right attitude. I think there
has always been a good team spirit at Reading, would you agree?
EX PLAYERS: FANS FORUM cont...

IB: Yes. I’ve got great respect for Alan, very intelligent.

PM: Of the players you have played with, who stands out in your affec-
tions for any reason?

MW: They seem to become more serious with each generation. We

had a very good camaraderie and it had to be curtailed to a certain ex-
tent! We had a few characters – Robin Friday, he was on his way out
when I came. He was the first real character I met in football. Roy Da-
vies Completely mad! A real character. I was a single man so I got on
with the single lads. There are quite a few stories but I had better keep
them to myself!

JW: It is all quite different now because of the financial side. And it is a
completely different game now because of things like prozone etc.
There seem to be different sorts of characters now. I couldn’t repeat
some of the things that went on then.

MW: I remember going to the old George Hotel in Reading once. The
whole team went out for a meal and we all sat round the table together.
Then some of us wanted to go to the Boars Head so we drifted off there
then Alan Lewis turned up. They’d done a runner from the George! It
killed the evening, there were police everywhere. It petered out and we
went our separate ways. Lewis was then arrested on the first day of the
season as his name was on the booking! He got a bit of stick for that!

JW: Robin Friday was a renowned as a cabaret act. There was often
dancing on the tables!
EX PLAYERS FANS FORUM cont...

PM: Who were the best players you played with at Reading?

JW: Neil Webb. Kerry Dixon. Neil Smilie I played behind him. He
worked hard at his game, very dedicated. I played with Robin Friday in
the reserves. And Steve Death – he was the best goalkeeper.

MW: Different players for different reasons. Kerry Dixon wasn’t the best
player in the world but he was so fast and could pass neatly. Gilksy
never really fully reached his potential. You need players to hold the ball
up. I played with Martin Hicks alongside Keith Curle.at the back. Martin
Hicks was the perfect pro.

PM: Trevor Senior was a prolific goal scorer at Reading but did little at
Middlesbrough or Watford. Why?

IB: We got the ball in the box as we had Trevor and we were always
practising corners and throw ins. A large percentage of goals came from
set plays, it just took one touch and he would score. I’ve never seen a
first touch like it.

PM: Who was better? Kerry or Trevor?

MW: You can’t compare them. They were like chalk and cheese. For
the purists, it would be Kerry. But Trevor got in the right areas. Kerry
was probably the better all round player. But it is not fair to compare
them.
EX PLAYERS FANS FORUM cont...

PM: Times have changed. What’s your view of the current game?

IB: I’m quite saddened by the state of the game today. It’s all to do with
money. Clubs are going to the wall and it’s sad.

MW: I’ve no strong feelings. You are all passionate about football and I
was once, but now things have moved on. The rich are getting richer
and the poor are getting poorer. You have to go further afield to get
players. It is completely different now.

JW: I’m saddened by the amount of foreign players. Where are the
academy players? Players of 21 or 22 have only played 50 games. It is
a business now, but you have to get on with it because that’s how it is.

IB: I find it difficult to understand. Money is invested in academies but

players aren’t emerging.

PM: Do you think you enjoyed your football more than current players
do?

IB: Of course money was important, but love of the game was equally
important. I just loved what I did. Now players are so rich and some of
them don’t seem to care whether they are playing or not. Some players
don’t want to play in the reserves.

MW: Ian always was enthusiastic and motivated people.

EX PLAYERS FANS FORUM cont...

IB: When I played for Alan Brown, 4-3-3 was coming into fashion. We
played that way at Sheffield Wed. Alan was a tough hard man. He said
‘if you don’t do it my way, don’t play’. He used to get us doing ‘shadow
play’ which is where you play against nobody, to learn your exact jobs
precisely. Another coach made us play 5-aside on Friday to prepare for
a game on Saturday. Different managers do different things. We were
made to practise free kicks until we got it right. The best teams have fit
players who play their manager’s way.

Q: What were the training methods like then?

JW: Charlie introduced structured training and discipline. They were

enjoyable sessions – sometimes! We used to eat pasta or rice and
steak before a game with tea and toast and water at half time. It’s a bit
of a myth to say that we were in the boozer after training.

IB : You read and hear now of teams with three, four or five physios,
warm down coaches, warm up coaches. In those days there were two
youth team coaches, a reserve team coach and a first team coach. Four
of us did it all! I heard that when Sam Allardyce was sacked at Newcas-
tle his 32 staff were sacked too! We didn’t have sports psychologists.
One came once and did me a written report; I said you haven’t told me
anything I don’t already know. I’m a bit of a sceptic. Doing things differ-
ently everyday was part of the fun of training, otherwise it can be boring.

MW: If you have got 32 staff you can’t know them all well.
EX PLAYERS FANS FORUM cont...

Q: Steve Coppell once said that when the team is on the field the play-
ers were in control not him. The players used common sense, lots of
interchanging with the wingers and covering for one another.

IB: I worked with lots of managers and I worked with Steve for two and a
half years. There could be different systems, but everyone knew their
jobs. If you have the wrong players for the system – change the system.

Q: Did Steve ever use the hairdryer treatment?

MW: Every manager has their own way. Some are calm and some
shout and scream. With some you never knew what to expect at half
time; it kept you on your toes. Steve was a good motivator and he could
adapt to get his point across. Different players need dealing with in dif-
ferent ways. Paul Gasgoine is a classic example. He needed to be sat
down and calmed down as he was always at fever pitch.

Q: Is it true you tried to sign Gazzer at Reading?

IB: No. They still love him on Tyneside. He is a likeable rogue.

Q: Steve always did it his way, that’s what he was, would you agree?

IB: When I was with Steve at Crystal Palace I took training and Ian
Wright said we don’t do that here - we kick the ball and chase after it.
Ian would chase everything all day, he ran and ran. Like Alan Shearer. I
heard a commentator say recently how hard Tevez was working. I
thought ‘all mine did that, that’s normal’.
EX PLAYERS FANS FORUM cont...

MW: I must mention Kevin Bremner. He was unbelievable. He chased

all over the pitch.

IB: Alan Shearer worked so hard. Teams should defend from the front.
Eleven defenders and eleven attackers.

PM: Thank you all for a really en-

tertaining evening. We could have
gone on for hours!

Crystal rose bowl from Reading Bor-

ough Council
1985/86 Cannon League Division 3
championship trophy
Division 3 manager of the year award
Silver salver from The Football League
for the record breaking 13 game win-
ning streak from the start of the
1985/86 season.
 EARLY YEARS

Forty-four years ago a bright young lad arrived at Elm Park to watch
his first game. The opposition was Oxford United. On paying his en-
trance fee, he joined everyone on the terraces at the Reading End.
Fortunately, it was in the middle of the opposition’s supporters. In
those days there was no segregation. Part of the fun of the game was
the close up banter between the supporters. He joined in with all the
expertise of a seasoned campaigner. There was nothing aggressive
just banter. No sooner had the first half started, the referee blew his
whistle and half time was upon us. At this point we all walked to the
Tilehurst End via The South Bank where the whole process started
again for the second half. We passed the Tilehurst End swappers on
our way round. After the game everyone left the game to walk back
down Prince of Wales Avenue to the Oxford Road and home. This
young lad was hooked. He supported Reading even though they lost.
In those days we weren’t Fans, we were Supporters. We didn’t wear
replica shirts. Fans hadn’t been invented. Colours were sported in the
form of a scarf and maybe a bobble hat in your team colours. At the
start of the following season he persuaded his mother to knit him a
blue and white scarf with tassels and a little later when the weather
became a little colder a blue and white bobble hat appeared. Yes it
had a bobble on the top also in blue and white. These were worn
proudly every time he viewed the hallowed turf to cheer on his team.
In those days every lad, well this lad, had to visit Wembley for the
School Boys International. His first visit was to watch England play
West Germany. Outside the ground he spotted someone selling ro-
settes. One was purchased. Not an England one; a Reading one. This
was worn with pride at Wembley and every so often during the game
his eyes would stray from the international game to the rosette. A
smile would come on his face and his chest puffed out with pride. The
rosette was added to his match day attire of scarf and bobble hat.
The seasons came and went. Then one day the ultimate item was
purchased. It was blue and white. It was the biggest he could find. It
was loud. The rattle was used with pride and twirled every time we
scored a goal and at other times. After all, he supported The Biscuit-
men.
 THE VIEW FROM STAR BASE
THE
STARVIEW
BASE IS FROM
LOCATEDSTAR
BEHIND BASE
EAST STAND
THE STAR BASE IS LOCATED BEHIND THE EAST STAND

Mailing Address Line 1

Mailing Address Line 2

Mailing Address Line 3

Mailing Address Line 4

Mailing Address Line 5

A very big

Thank You
We have just visited 24 grounds.
Primary Business Address
Your Address Line 2
Your Address Line 3
Your Address Line 4

Seen 25 games.
Witnessed 78 goals,
9 wins,
4 draws and
Business Name

unfortunately 11 losses.