Matt Mills

[Eastkentroyal]

The Reading fans are a fcuking utter disgrace, and need to look up how supporting your team works.

Wrong - the Reading fans who sit in the East Stand are a fcuking disgrace.

[PlasticRoyale]

The Reading fans are a fcuking utter disgrace, and need to look up how supporting your team works.

Wrong - the Reading fans who sit in the East Stand are a fcuking disgrace.

I personally now all of them and can confirm that this is true

[Ozymandias]

If I were to flip the bird to my peers/Manager/wage payers tomorrow, I'd have pretty short day.

But if you were doing your job pretty well at the time would you expect to receive a bit less abuse than Mills did?

Our fans are idiots, that's the long and short of it, if Mills recognises this glaring fact he might not allow himself to get riled.

TBH SFer, if I was asked to kick a ball by my boss, and I didn't do it properly, I'd expect him to change it, or I would adapt it myself so it did work. I wouldn't keep trying it, otherwise I would expect to be told by observers.

Our fans are fantastic, and should be respected. (Maybe not Y21)

[jumpers for goalposts]

Let's get a sense of perspective here, shall we?

Mods- Ban this filth

[under the tin]

There is no one breathing who has not said or done something that they have not subsequently regretted.

So here we have a competitive sportsman, adrenaline pumping who has done something in the heat of the moment.
Like it or not, footballers are in the public eye, and have a responsibility to conduct themselves in a certain way. I'm not talking about on a night off in a restaurant, with nosey papparazzi digging for dirt, but on the pitch. Mr. Mills actions fell below the standards required.

Now what sorts the men out from the boys is how the individual deals with it. It takes a big man to stand up for what he believes in, but it takes a bigger one to put his hands up and admit he was out of order.
I recall that Mark Schwarzer did something very silly at Spurs a few seasons ago. Straight after the game, he got his mobile out, and phoned up 5 live.
The whole thing was put to bed.

Matt decided to blank the East stand, and barge the assistant manager out of the way in his haste to get off the pitch at the end.
When he wakes up this morning, he's going to feel a very silly boy.

A storm in a teacup, for sure; but he didn't handle it well, did he?

[Forbury Lion]

Let the morons who boo their own players know how you feel. Good for you!

-1

To react to the crowd like that is a sign of mental weakness

Booing your own player is a bigger sign of mental weakness.

Players are conditioned to expect it from away fans but not their own.

[PlasticRoyale]

Stinger
Ringer....

[CMRoyal]

Must admit we gave up our season tickets in the East Stand because of some of the morons who sit there. They are a minority, but as our crowds tend to be quiet the moaners' views are accentuated because they are the ones who are so persistent. It seems that now Kebe and Long are playing well, some numbskulls are out to get Matt. We were back in the East last night and it was sad to hear some of the absolute stupidity directed at a solid defender who is at least trying to do what he's been instructed despite his limited passing ability. Maybe last night was the final straw. Clearly we've seen from Kebe that the players are affected by the idiots in the crowd - in the past players could cope with this, but these days they seem so cossetted that it genuinely affects their game. I'm not sure what he answer is, but I do wonder why a good couple of thousand people pay thousands of pounds a year to turn up week in week out to make themselves miserable. I'm not saying we should back them regardless, but a little more perspective wouldn't go amiss.

[Royal Lady]

How ironic that on the day they announce we win "best family club" or whatever the award was, and we're told RFC take action against those who swear etc etc, one of our own players feels the need to stick the middle finger up to his own fans.

I only heard booing AFTER he'd made his gesture, although my son who sits further down Y24 said that some people were booing him beforehand. There were collective sighs and groans when he'd misplaced a pass for the 10th time, but that's what fans do!! We're passionate and want our players to get everything right, of course, they're not going to, but I really can't condone Mills' reaction. As someone else said, if he'd clapped the fans at the end or something, it would all be forgotten as a "heat in the moment" incident - but now it's going to escalate - and Mills will have brought all that on himself. NO player is bigger or better than RFC - he's a great defender and has been playing really well for us - I have no doubt that all the players were tired from having played so many games in such a short space of time, but to react his own fans in the way he did just shows immaturity and a lack of respect for his manager and the fans imo.

I hope McD makes Mills apologise. And I hope all Reading fans are big enough to accept the apology and move on.

[Eastkentroyal]

The Reading fans are a fcuking utter disgrace, and need to look up how supporting your team works.

Wrong - the Reading fans who sit in the East Stand are a fcuking disgrace.

I personally now all of them and can confirm that this is true

That's quite an admission.

[Armadillo Roadkill]

McD has commented on it on the OS now, playing it down, as you'd hope and expect.

My final comment on the matter - as far as I'm aware, players have always been berated by sections of their own fans. I wonder if true gentlemen like Sir Bobby Robson or temperamental characters like Brian Clough ever made offensive gestures to their home crowd? Probably not. It's not about passion, it's about acting like a grown man and having a bit of class.

[Forbury Lion]

How ironic that on the day they announce we win "best family club" or whatever the award was, and we're told RFC take action against those who swear etc etc, one of our own players feels the need to stick the middle finger up to his own fans.

I only heard booing AFTER he'd made his gesture, although my son who sits further down Y24 said that some people were booing him beforehand. There were collective sighs and groans when he'd misplaced a pass for the 10th time, but that's what fans do!! We're passionate and want our players to get everything right, of course, they're not going to, but I really can't condone Mills' reaction. As someone else said, if he'd clapped the fans at the end or something, it would all be forgotten as a "heat in the moment" incident - but now it's going to escalate - and Mills will have brought all that on himself. NO player is bigger or better than RFC - he's a great defender and has been playing really well for us - I have no doubt that all the players were tired from having played so many games in such a short space of time, but to react his own fans in the way he did just shows immaturity and a lack of respect for his manager and the fans imo.

I hope McD makes Mills apologise. And I hope all Reading fans are big enough to accept the apology and move on.

Your son, Matt Mills and me clearly have better better hearing than you.

I hope McD makes a statement condeming the boo boys and stands by his players actions.

[Tredder]

The very same boo boys that booed Kebe at QPR, now he's a hero, pLOLastic fans.

[Whore Jackie]

Three points:

1. There'll be an apology, no question.
2. You knew he'd win every single tackle and header after giving us the finger, and he did.
3. His huge ego and lack of class doesn't stop him from being a superb centre-back.

[Mr Optimist]

The very same boo boys that booed Kebe at QPR, now he's a hero, pLOLastic fans.

More like "typical" football fans I would have thought....

Glad McD has played it all down, all we need is at Boro away and West Brom at home is for Mills to run out and applaud the fans, the fans applaud him back, and the matter is closed and everything moves on.

[Tredder]

A cracking signing, he has premiership quality written all over him, you'll do well to keep hold of him at the end of the season.

[parky]

How ironic that on the day they announce we win "best family club" or whatever the award was, and we're told RFC take action against those who swear etc etc, one of our own players feels the need to stick the middle finger up to his own fans.

I only heard booing AFTER he'd made his gesture, although my son who sits further down Y24 said that some people were booing him beforehand. There were collective sighs and groans when he'd misplaced a pass for the 10th time, but that's what fans do!! We're passionate and want our players to get everything right, of course, they're not going to, but I really can't condone Mills' reaction. As someone else said, if he'd clapped the fans at the end or something, it would all be forgotten as a "heat in the moment" incident - but now it's going to escalate - and Mills will have brought all that on himself. NO player is bigger or better than RFC - he's a great defender and has been playing really well for us - I have no doubt that all the players were tired from having played so many games in such a short space of time, but to react his own fans in the way he did just shows immaturity and a lack of respect for his manager and the fans imo.

I hope McD makes Mills apologise. And I hope all Reading fans are big enough to accept the apology and move on.

+1,000,000

Also I would like to add that I am big enough to admit that I did Boo Mills but AFTER the finger incident because that IMO showed no respect for anyone and made him look like a complete cnut.

But lets not let it detract from him being a good footballer its just his ego that's the problem. BMcD needs to do something!!

[Wycombe Royal]

I hope McD makes a statement condeming the boo boys and stands by his players actions.

You think a manager should condone a player making a gesture at the crowd (whatever thereason)? Fans have been banned for less.

If he had a problem with the fans he should say so in an interview on the official site or in the local paper, much like Kebe and Long have.

Football fans are entitledto moan and groan when players make a succession of errors. Players on the other hand have to be professional and ignore it and get on with their job, whatever the provocation.

I'm sure Mills is feeling pretty down today and probably regrets what he did (straight after the incident, not celebrating the goal, and running off the pitch at the final whistle). The worst thing he can do now is say nothing about it. He needs to apologise and may be given an indication if there was something else going on that led him to react like that. If he does that that I'm sure the fans will also apoligise to him at the next game by giving him a loud cheer and chanting his name.

[brendywendy]

maybe he had a row with the bird at home, maybe he got bad news, maybe he got up on the wrong side of the bed, who knows?

Point being this seems the first time the bloke has acted up and seems born out of frustration (rather then malice) towards a small section of the crowd. It's out of order from Mills as a professional footballer but an understandable reaction from a human being under pressure.

If he comes out and apologises and explains it then I'm happy to see him back in the shirt as per usual next week.

Fair point. A genuine written apology, not prompted by the club but from him, and Ill be happy enough.

ghey

[Wimb]

[I'm sure the fans will also apoligise to him at the next game by giving him a load cheer and chanting his name.

I'm sorry but