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Reading demise could boost U's
9:11pm Monday 12th May 2008
Oxford United could recapture some of their 'lost' floating fans following Reading's relegation from the Barclays Premier League.
The Royals' two-year stay in the top flight came to an end on Sunday when their 4-0 victory at Derby on the final day proved insufficient after Fulham snatched a late winner at Portsmouth to save themselves.
Steve Coppell's men now drop into the Championship and they are gearing up to the inevitability of gates falling next season.
While Oxford United are not in the business of getting pleasure from their near-neighbours' misfortunes - unless it happens to be Swindon Town! - they may nevertheless benefit from Reading's relegation.
When the U's dropped out of the Football League two seasons ago, the Oxford Mail received dozens of letters and e-mails from local football fans saying they would no longer go to watch Oxford and would instead travel to Reading.
But the prospect of now watching Preston, Blackpool and Swansea at the Madejski Stadium may not be so enticing.
Oxford United's general manager, Mick Brown, said he knew there were some football followers - especially those living midway between the two, in places like Wallingford and Didcot - who had switched to Reading because of the attraction of watching Premiership football.
"It's difficult to know how many have done that," he said.
"It's possible that those who go along on a casual basis and pick the big matches there will change and come and watch us again.
"Certainly, it will be less of an attraction to go to Reading now they are out of the Premier League and maybe we will win some of them back, but that also depends on how successful we are."
But Paula Martin, chairman of STAR, the supporters' trust at Reading, is not convinced.
"Gates will drop, of course, but I wouldn't be surprised if they still hold up around the 20,000 mark," she said.
Your Say YourOxford
Loyal Yellow, Oxford says...
8:39am Tue 13 May 08
alex, says...
8:39am Tue 13 May 08
anyone would think we have been promoted on the grounds that some followers left because we fell out of the football league and now they will apprently return. Clutching at straws I think....
Canterbury_Yellow, Whitstable, Kent says...
9:58am Tue 13 May 08
Come on Yellows!
jamie, oxford says...
10:36am Tue 13 May 08
Leach Valley Yellow, Oxford says...
11:02am Tue 13 May 08
Er, don't think so! DREADING's relegation has been celebrated by every Oxford fan I know - just take a look at the forum to see how much pleasure we're getting from it!
Long John Sliver, says...
11:52am Tue 13 May 08
patterson out now!
mezza, diddy says...
12:13pm Tue 13 May 08
Jo, Wallingford says...
12:38pm Tue 13 May 08
As for floating fans, i suggest the Reading floaters get on the Thames and float out to sea !
A.N. Onymous, 393-285 says...
1:15pm Tue 13 May 08
In no way would watching creosote dry (on your impressive fence from homebase) be more exciting. Nope. Nothing could beat the thrill that is Histon on a cold Tuesday in January.
My only concern is that such magic will be gone soon, for with such an impressive setup you will sure to be promoted back to the heady heights of the football league. Champions by Christmas I'd say.
Lastly it's nice on these hot days to get out of the sun. Just as well given Oxford United will perpetually be caught in the shadow of Swindon Town, Reading, Wycombe and Aldershot.
Otto, says...
3:05pm Tue 13 May 08
A. Premiership wages to pick up
B. A Chairman and benefactor who wants to jump ship
C. The most plastic fans and stadium imaginable....passio
nless.
I thoroughly enjoyed my day out at Pride Park on Sunday seeing close up all the cry babies.
Moggy, here, there and everywhere says...
3:18pm Tue 13 May 08
Loyal Yellow wrote:Oi, we don't want em. If their support cannot raise the level of a stupid conference club, then what good will it be in the Premiership eh?
Are you joking -any so called Us fan who switched to Reading can go swivel - who wants scum like that as support, maybe they can switch to WBA for a season.
You and Reading carry on with your little tit for tat and leave the big boys alone
Oxford Baggie, Oxford says...
4:15pm Tue 13 May 08
Loyal Yellow wrote:No thanks, we don't want them.
Are you joking -any so called Us fan who switched to Reading can go swivel - who wants scum like that as support, maybe they can switch to WBA for a season.
Chris, Didcot says...
5:25pm Tue 13 May 08
SMHS, Oxford says...
6:29pm Tue 13 May 08
Moggy wrote:The big boys! What a joke WBA have been promoted 3 times in the last 7 years only to be relegated at the end of the same season. Most likely will be the same this time next year. Haha.
Loyal Yellow wrote: Are you joking -any so called Us fan who switched to Reading can go swivel - who wants scum like that as support, maybe they can switch to WBA for a season.Oi, we don\'t want em. If their support cannot raise the level of a stupid conference club, then what good will it be in the Premiership eh? You and Reading carry on with your little tit for tat and leave the big boys alone
Yellows all the way.
Royals, Royals says...
8:14pm Tue 13 May 08
Loyal Royals, Reading says...
8:16pm Tue 13 May 08
SouthOxonBiscuitman, South Oxfordshire says...
8:17pm Tue 13 May 08
Milton Yellow, Milton-Abingdon says...
10:06pm Tue 13 May 08
Not Royal, Yellowland says...
11:29pm Tue 13 May 08
Loyal Royals wrote:Why are Reading fans so interested in this site??
Face it, who would support a team of donkeys that cannot get out of the conference on the first try with a half built ground? we dont want your cast offs.. We will be back in the PROPER PREMIERSHIP
I can't see that 'lost' OUFC fans would want to drop down 3 divisions just because Reading were relegated. They will probably follow another prem club via Sky.
moggy, here there and everywhere says...
8:41am Wed 14 May 08
SMHS wrote:So then Mr SMHS (hmmmmmmm), how many promotions in the last 7 years have you lot had eh? And how many relegations? I rest my case fella. Not giving it the "we're a bigger club than you" trash, I was merely pointing out that we do not want fans / barmies / scarfers etc that chop and change clubs quicker than they change their pants. And being oxford, I bet you lot have changed your pants a few times over the last few years eh?
Moggy wrote:The big boys! What a joke WBA have been promoted 3 times in the last 7 years only to be relegated at the end of the same season. Most likely will be the same this time next year. Haha. Yellows all the way.Loyal Yellow wrote: Are you joking -any so called Us fan who switched to Reading can go swivel - who wants scum like that as support, maybe they can switch to WBA for a season.Oi, we don\\\'t want em. If their support cannot raise the level of a stupid conference club, then what good will it be in the Premiership eh? You and Reading carry on with your little tit for tat and leave the big boys alone
Barton Boy, Barton says...
9:11am Wed 14 May 08
Moggy, here there and everywhere says...
9:33am Wed 14 May 08
Barton Boy wrote:Of course I'm not WBA, I'm Swindon really!
Why would someone from the West Brom area be reading this? they can't be a real Baggie for sure.
OUFC Rules, Oxon says...
1:46pm Wed 14 May 08
The Wolf, Wolverhampton says...
1:56pm Wed 14 May 08
He is always on our site as well.
Wonderers for life!
woman, in a mans world says...
1:57pm Wed 14 May 08
The Wolf, says...
2:21pm Wed 14 May 08
It is a toss up between Reading Swindon or Oxford for next season.
Moggy, here there and everywhere says...
2:43pm Wed 14 May 08
The Wolf wrote:Funny that is as I've never been on your site LOL
Trust me he is a Baggies fan, bit of a ponker really, thinks he is funny trying to wind up Oxford fans as he lives down your way. Don\\\'t worry he will get fed up soon. He is always on our site as well. Wonderers for life!
Also, how do you Spell Wanderers? Bit of a silly question I know, which has just proved that you aint a proper Wolves fan. I suggest you stick your head in a GAS oven fella
The Wolf, says...
3:20pm Wed 14 May 08
Now if you could get back to your fractions and other school work, before you get a caining from your teacher.
One team in the Thames Valley RfFC, Caversham says...
11:00pm Wed 14 May 08
Milton Yellow wrote:What a load of rubbish Oxford were a non-league club playing at a rubbish ground for years and are again a non league team playing in the non-league in a rubbish ground. History winning the milk cup wow who do you think you are Barcelona !! We have been in the league for a lot longer than you and have won more league titles. You are a smaller club than Reading and you never sell out the away allocation when playing us. We have always had bigger crowds than you have even in the lower divisions. Many Oxford fans may be happy about us being relegated but it is nothing in comparison to when we were promoted and Oxford were relegated to the non-league. An Orient fan for the day !! Look forward to playing you again, but it will be a number of years. Also if Reading are plastic cockney fans i think you should buy an atlas as Geography as well as football are not your strong points.
Reading have no history and no proper rivals. There plastic cockney fans can stay away from our ground and IF Oxford fans had gone to watch Reading, they can stay away too. Remember that Reading usually got around 3,000 fans in the old third division. Where the hell do they get 20,000 now?? There not loyal fans like Oxford supporters. We got 10,000 for a conference game. We're a bigger club then Reading.Fact.
Milton Yellow, Milton says...
1:49pm Thu 15 May 08
Ha Ha what laughable comments from One team in the Thames Valley! Remember we got to the top flight quicker than you and we broke records since we got in the conference. Again facts I cant make up. Why on earth would we want to go the worst ground that was Elm Park. It was mostly made up of Chelsea fans. Your called Plastic cockneys because most of you want to sound like you come from London.
northstander, west reading says...
2:43pm Thu 15 May 08
A lower football status than any neighbouring town.
Look down your noses at Banbury United. and Didcot Town.
You people having a pop at Reading, Swindon, Wycombe,or even Aldershot, for goodness sake.
Oxford United. The Real Madrid of the Bunny football league. Enjoy the small time.
One team in the Thames Valley RFC, Caversham says...
4:39pm Thu 15 May 08
Milton Yellow wrote:Ha what a laugh. You could not sell out the away allocation at Elm Park or the new stadium. The Manor was a terrible ground but we always sold out the away end. I know people who support Oxford and also support Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal. They hardly sound like Pam Ayres. i Look forward to playing Oxford again as you are the team Most Reading fans who live in South Oxfordshire see as our rivals. i did realise Oxford had broken records in the conference I just seem to remember them losing to teams like Droylesdon.
What a load of rubbish Oxford were a non-league club playing at a rubbish ground for years and are again a non league team playing in the non-league in a rubbish ground. History winning the milk cup wow who do you think you are Barcelona !! We have been in the league for a lot longer than you and have won more league titles. You are a smaller club than Reading and you never sell out the away allocation when playing us. We have always had bigger crowds than you have even in the lower divisions. Many Oxford fans may be happy about us being relegated but it is nothing in comparison to when we were promoted and Oxford were relegated to the non-league. An Orient fan for the day !! Look forward to playing you again, but it will be a number of years. Also if Reading are plastic cockney fans i think you should buy an atlas as Geography as well as football are not your strong points.
Ha Ha what laughable comments from One team in the Thames Valley! Remember we got to the top flight quicker than you and we broke records since we got in the conference. Again facts I cant make up. Why on earth would we want to go the worst ground that was Elm Park. It was mostly made up of Chelsea fans. Your called Plastic cockneys because most of you want to sound like you come from London.
Bob Maxwell, Headington says...
5:04pm Thu 15 May 08
...need we all say more.
banjo, henley on thames says...
5:10pm Thu 15 May 08
You are deluded...
RFC, Reading says...
5:32pm Thu 15 May 08
At least we have a proper stadium! Can you afford to build that last stand yet?
Milton Yellow, Milton says...
5:36pm Thu 15 May 08
Bob Maxwell wrote:again laughable comments from Reading people who read an Oxford website. I lived in Reading and it a hole with no decent places. High crime and your only a small town. Dont forget were a city with culture and history.
What a load of Cobblers you Oxford United followers rabble on about. Your team is a bunch of overpaid, wasted, division 3 (Football League!!) Wannabes. You cant handle it that Reading are better than you and Swindon put together. You cant handle it that your team plays with all the gusto of an Ant with the stitch. Reading are the Kings of the Thames Valley, make no mistake. If you lot are so good why are you all languishing outside the Football League.........cause your crap. Oxford United, Crap team, Crap city centre, crap infrastgructure..... ...need we all say more.
Your small town is full of knocking shops.
northstander, west reading says...
7:38pm Thu 15 May 08
Get Real. The capital of the Thames Valley is Reading,we have 24000 seats at our ground, and even our lowest attendance next season will be more than yours and that of Swindon's average put together. Sit down, shut up.
northstander, west reading says...
7:43pm Thu 15 May 08
Milton Yellow, Milton says...
11:03am Fri 16 May 08
northstander wrote:We took beautiful villages and towns like Wantage and Abingdon away from you because you couldn't look after them properly. Just turn it into a drug and prostitute area.
You have a world famous university, and a german-owned car plant. Take those away, and you are a similar place to Wantage, (which used to be in Royal Berkshire, by the way). Get Real. The capital of the Thames Valley is Reading,we have 24000 seats at our ground, and even our lowest attendance next season will be more than yours and that of Swindon's average put together. Sit down, shut up.
The problem for you is that yes we have the university and car plant and they wont go away. Where do you actually live Northstander?
Reading has Mandela Court for drugs, cemetery junction for pros and dont get me started on Witley.
As i keep saying you only got 3,000 and below in the lower leagues compared to our 5,000. Where the hell did you get 20,000? Did they all come back from Chelsea?
SouthOxonBiscuitman, Nettlebed says...
12:29pm Fri 16 May 08
northstander, west reading says...
12:57pm Fri 16 May 08
The link takes in attendances up to 2006.
Seeing as we have AVERAGED 23000 since then, it is true that we have moved up a little since then.
Even without the last 2 years, we are sill averaging 2000 more than you. Sit down......
http://www.nufc.com/
html/attendance-all-
time.html
northstander, west reading says...
1:02pm Fri 16 May 08
www.nufc.com/html/at
tendance-all-time.ht
ml
gill, Oxford says...
1:17pm Fri 16 May 08
SouthOxonBiscuitman wrote:South Oxon full of Reading!! Not from my experience
There was an article in 442 a couple of years ago about Reading Swindon and Oxford. The article stated that fans who live in South Oxfordshire are all Reading fans. I am sure Milton Yellow all your family and friends are also Reading supporters as why would they want to support Oxford when Reading is so near. Your crowds have never been as high as ours, ever. Im sorry you have such a blinkered view of Reading as after all Barton and Blackbird Leys must be like the garden of Eden to you.
Milton Yellow, Milton says...
1:17pm Fri 16 May 08
SouthOxonBiscuitman wrote:No i was brought up watching OUFC and my family have stuck to that approach. Why would we want to support a second rate pony team. I was born and live in Oxford so i support my local team. Why are you living in South Oxon Soggy Biscuit man? Face it Oxfordshire is a better county than Berkshire.
There was an article in 442 a couple of years ago about Reading Swindon and Oxford. The article stated that fans who live in South Oxfordshire are all Reading fans. I am sure Milton Yellow all your family and friends are also Reading supporters as why would they want to support Oxford when Reading is so near. Your crowds have never been as high as ours, ever. Im sorry you have such a blinkered view of Reading as after all Barton and Blackbird Leys must be like the garden of Eden to you.
Mmm Blackbird Leys or Witley? Blackbird Leys thanks. Coley Park makes Barton look like paradise.
Who was the 442 article written by? A plastic Reading fan?
northstander, west reading says...
1:46pm Fri 16 May 08
Reading are 3 leagues higher than Oxford
Our stadium is over twice the size of Oxford's
Our average attendance (from the war to 2006) is 2000 higher than Oxford's (look up the link above)
We are not pony. We are not second rate. We are the biggest club in the Thames Valley, by a distance. We are Reading.
Milton Yellow, Milton says...
2:23pm Fri 16 May 08
As i said before we got in the top flight before you and quicker. We also spent longer in it as well. Would of got in europe as well if wasn't for Liverpool.
northstander, west reading says...
3:24pm Fri 16 May 08
Woulda coulda shoulda doesn't count for anything. I'd be a prince if me mum was the queen.
What you lot did decades ago doesn't have any relevance today, either.
If you get back into full on pro football, and are within a division of us, or anyone else in a 50 mile radius , then you can start calling yourselves rivals. Until then, OUFC remain a non league irrelevance, in a half built ground. Bye Bye.
Milton Yellow, Milton says...
3:41pm Fri 16 May 08
Reading doesn't have any rivals. Youre like a parasite hanging onto other peoples backs. We have Scumdon as our rivals. Good luck when your money dries up in your lego land stadium.
Anyway get off our OXFORD website.
SouthOxonBiscuitman, Nettlebed says...
6:42pm Fri 16 May 08
Milton Yellow, Milton says...
10:50pm Fri 16 May 08
super royals, didcot says...
8:45am Tue 20 May 08
Milton Yellow wrote:.... as opposed to supporting a first rate, excellent footballing giant with a three sided stadium, playing amateur football.
Brilliant born and lives in Oxfordshire and supports a pony second rate london borough team. ****.
What a to##er.
Tee Hee, Somewhere in cybererspace says...
1:07pm Thu 22 May 08
Oxford (Council) Population 134,248 Oxford Urban Area Population 143,016
Reading (Council) Population 143,096 Reading Urban Area Population 232,662
(These are government census 2001 figures)
Oxford Urban Area in hectares 3,163
Reading Urban Area in hectares 5,535
Oxford is not a Unitary Authority
Reading is a Unitary Authority
Reading is also Englands second most important station, in terms of revenue and passenger numbers, outside of London. Oxford is served by a branch line from Didcot LOL
But take heart small neighbours Oxord is the third largest urban area in the UK without a Football League Team.
Choccy Hobnob, Dubai says...
7:48pm Fri 23 May 08
In the meantime, we'd change the song but Poxford doesn't scan.... "You're so quiet...."
John Madejski, Madejski Stadium says...
8:38am Sat 24 May 08
What did the town of Oxford do to get a poor team and even poorer support?
Complete mongs, im laughing at you.
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Oxford United, A realy BIG Club says...
11:50pm Mon 12 May 08
Oxford United & The Blue Square Premier - and we'll win it in 2008/09
All those plastic Reading fans will be back at the regions BIGGEST team next season!
"That's why were premier,"