People of Reading to boycott Daily Mirror

This follows an outrageous piece of journalism (not sure if this is a fair description) in Wednesdays edition of the Daily Mirror by a gentleman called Oliver Holt who describes himself as a Sports Journalist.

The piece he wrote was entitled Reading have put the Berks into Berkshire

He started off like this

"SO READING'S season is a fairy tale is it? Excuse me for a second while I decide whether to giggle or gag. Okay, that wasn't too hard. I'll gag. Because I don't see any fairy story at Reading. I don't see romance, either. I'll be honest. I don't like the club. I don't like what it stands for."

Not likely to go down too well with the punters in Berkshire for a start. However, I think it is fair to say that as far as most neutrals are concerned Reading have proved to be the surprise package in the Premiership this season despite being tipped to go back down straight away and probably in last place at that. Reading have never been in the top flight of English football, have been in existence since 1871 and are currently the oldest team in the Premiership but Mr Holt cannot see the romance in that despite them making it into the Premiership with a record number of points last season.

"That starts at the top with a self-satisfied poster boy of conspicuous consumption and Tory donor, chairman John Madejski. I don't think you should ever, ever trust a man whose eyebrows meet in the middle, or a bloke who is complicit in having a stadium named after him. What a joke that is."

His eyebrows don't meet in the middle and if John Madejski wants to name the stadium after himself having paid for it to be built he can. Most people in Reading think John Madejski should be Sir John Madejski and not be being vilified by somebody not worth to scrap the mud from his boots.

"No doubt the board begged and pleaded with him to allow them to recognise his outstanding contribution to Berkshire life. No doubt it was absolutely none of his doing. But I don't care how much money he's poured into the club"

I doubt it - he basically is the board with I believe one other director. You see Mr Holt he owns Reading Football Club and has built the club up carefully brick by brick. I realise that this is an alien concept to someone who supports Chelsea where the owner has been able to subsidise the Club to the tune of £500m. John Madejski's vision has always been of a club which is able to stand on its own two feet!

I don't care whether Reading finish sixth. You know what, even if they overtake Chelsea and Man United, romp the title and win the FA Cup as well, my abiding memory of their debut Premiership season will always be Stephen Hunt kneeing Petr Cech in the head.

Never mind that this was an accidental collision, never mind the pure and utter rubbish spouted by the Chelsea manager after the event and which continued even when the facts that were produced by the Berkshire Ambulance Service contradicted the line he wanted to take. Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story or a shoddy and cheap piece of "journalism"

Then there's Whispering Steve Coppell, another soul bursting with romance.
That's why he blew the chance to get his side into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday when he played his second team at Old Trafford. There's more joie de vivre in a door mat at a funeral home than there is in the laughing boy in charge of Reading.

You know Mr Holt you may have a point about the public face which Steve Coppell presents to the media. However, I don't know a single Reading fan who has a problem with this. Do you know why Mr Holt? Because it works!! Steve Coppell is the most successful manager in Readings history. As for the changes to the side for the game against Manchester United why is that a problem. The so called big boys make loads of changes but that is ok because it is called squad rotation. Reading make changes and they are accused of putting out their reserves. Oh and come to think of it how many teams have got anything out of a game at Old Trafford this season?

Please Mr Holt do your job properly in future. As far as most Reading fans are concerned they do not want to see you or your newspaper in Reading again.