The worst performance since........

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jonnyroyal1871
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The worst performance since........

by jonnyroyal1871 » 10 Dec 2025 14:23

Well, that was just awful. It got me thinking....having watched us since the late 80s, last night was the worst performance I can remember since: Bury away. Lew Chatterley was our manager. We lost 5 (I think) and super Trevor Senior missed a sitter towards the end. The travelling support jeered, and Trev made a certain hand gesture towards us.

Miserable day in the pouring rain. What's yours?

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Re: The worst performance since........

by Brogue » 10 Dec 2025 14:32

York away 2001 FA cup lost 2-0 went on the coach. Terrible performance. pissed with rain. A supporter was taken ill on the way back and coach diverted to the hospital. Not wanting to abandon him in York the coach stayed for a couple of hours for him to be seen. They had to keep him in over night in the end so we left. Didn't get home till cunt o clock in the morning. made we question what i was doing with my life tbh.

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Re: The worst performance since........

by 6ft Kerplunk » 10 Dec 2025 15:26

Yeah, that had the same affect on me thinking about my life choices and I'd only driven across from Leeds. A truly awful performance. Up there with getting spanked 6-0 by Tranmere in '97, god knows how Bullivant stayed in his job for months and months after that. Can remember thinking how stark a contrast that game was to when we'd put on one of the best away performances I'd seen in the playoff semi.

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Re: The worst performance since........

by Sutekh » 10 Dec 2025 15:39

Oxford away in 1998, finally sealing the taxi’s fate.

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Re: The worst performance since........

by Tinpot Royal » 10 Dec 2025 16:02

Doncaster at home, don't get the meltdown, yes we were bad but at least we looked threatening in attack at times. We didnt look like scoring from anything bar a Wing/Savage worldy under Hunt. At least now there are others having (but not taking) chances


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Re: The worst performance since........

by WestYorksRoyal » 10 Dec 2025 16:10

There have been too many blurring into one for almost a decade now.

Back in our heyday, the bad ones stood out more and are easier to recall. 0-3 at home to Wimbledon, for example, which I believe was part of 3 straight 3-0 defeats around Christmas 2003.

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Re: The worst performance since........

by Brogue » 10 Dec 2025 16:13

WestYorksRoyal There have been too many blurring into one for almost a decade now.

Back in our heyday, the bad ones stood out more and are easier to recall. 0-3 at home to Wimbledon, for example, which I believe was part of 3 straight 3-0 defeats around Christmas 2003.


That wimbledon game was my first game back after getting out of chokey :| i was banging on Reading nicks doors after, asking to be let back in :D

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Re: The worst performance since........

by Clyde1998 » 10 Dec 2025 19:09

The ones that come to mind for me were the defeats at Kidderminster (2-1) and against Fulham (7-0) within a couple of days a few years back (although in hindsight the teams we put out were terrible for both), along with the 0-0 draw at Stevenage under Stam.

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Re: The worst performance since........

by blueroyals » 10 Dec 2025 20:21

Reading 0 QPR 0 in 2013 was an awful performance given both teams needed a win to keep any hope of safety alive

Reading 1 Burton 2 on our 500th game at the Mad Stad in front of a bumper crowd after a big build up

1-1 against 8 man Yeovil in 2014

Wolves 3 - 0 Reading in 2018 under Jaap Stam was awful. I think they scored all 3 of their goals from mistakes passing it around the back but the players kept doing it, and we didn't have a single shot
Last edited by blueroyals on 10 Dec 2025 20:26, edited 2 times in total.


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Re: The worst performance since........

by Hound » 10 Dec 2025 20:24

Clyde1998 The ones that come to mind for me were the defeats at Kidderminster (2-1) and against Fulham (7-0) within a couple of days a few years back (although in hindsight the teams we put out were terrible for both), along with the 0-0 draw at Stevenage under Stam.


The 1-2 vs Burton with a full house under Stam. Their second goal was also hilariously shit

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Re: The worst performance since........

by traff » 10 Dec 2025 20:33

“Not exactly the worst performance, but it had the same vibe as that game where Mills flipped the bird to the East Stand after the umpteenth long ball to Kebe against the fake Hoops.
The only difference was that the fans were so apathetic to last night’s performance they couldn’t even be arsed to groan.”

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Re: The worst performance since........

by AthleticoSpizz » 10 Dec 2025 20:40

A couple that springs to mind:

Early Feb 1986 - Walsall 6 Royals 0, in ‘that’ season, we had virtually already won the league by then.

Oct 2009 - Royals 0 Middlesboro’ 2, Leroys’ first return (for the smoggies) to the Madstad (and scoring) was the only ‘highlight’ to a most boring Reading performance. Spent most of the game reading the programme and counting the revolutions of the windmill just to stay awake.

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Re: The worst performance since........

by Orion1871 » 10 Dec 2025 21:57

The Fleetwood loss at home a couple of seasons ago

The 3-0 home loss to Wigan after they'd very recently gone into administration was an awful one as well. Played us completely off the park.


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Re: The worst performance since........

by tmesis » 10 Dec 2025 23:21

Sutekh Oxford away in 1998, finally sealing the taxi’s fate.

I think the 0-3 at home to Port Vale, just before, was worse, but I've seldom been as angry about a performance as that night in Oxford.

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Re: The worst performance since........

by nailseabiscuitman » 10 Dec 2025 23:44

1959 Colchester away lost 4-2. Dreadful but it was my first match and stuck with them ever since!

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Re: The worst performance since........

by Millsy » 10 Dec 2025 23:51

Eh?

I appreciate you've seen games we haven't but you must have missed many years worth if you think that was anywhere near one of our worst performances. Yes it was poor but it wasn't even our worst performances this season probably.

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Re: The worst performance since........

by scumbag » 11 Dec 2025 07:06

Bolton away this season was horrendous. How we burgled a point I'll never know.

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Re: The worst performance since........

by East Grinstead Royal » 11 Dec 2025 08:43

Millsy Eh?
Yes it was poor but it wasn't even our worst performances this season probably.


Well, quite.

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Re: The worst performance since........

by Sutekh » 11 Dec 2025 09:06

tmesis
Sutekh Oxford away in 1998, finally sealing the taxi’s fate.

I think the 0-3 at home to Port Vale, just before, was worse, but I've seldom been as angry about a performance as that night in Oxford.


Thanks, yes so bad it was blotted out of my mind…

Remember now the after match pitch invasion, triggered by one bloke running on and sitting in the centre circle, calling for the taxi to go, and then the chant that really blanched JM “new ground, no fans”. He still said something to the crowd afterwards about not being bowed by mob rule though :lol:

Was that the worst ever season? I think so! First Q&G sacked, after pulling off miracles season after season with usual JM el cheapo budget, to be replaced with a no one who all the fans were calling out as being not up to it within a month of the kick off then he brought in El Tel’s no 2 from Barcelona to help out but that just seemed to make things even worse. To further stick it to Q&G the taxi, as he became known after a rather mistaken comment in the local media, was given a budget the like of which they’d been asking for for years but were never trusted with and some fairly decent players arrived that the management went onto to completely ruin with some very weird tactics (if there were ever any tactics in the first place). For example Asaba, a pacey rather useful striker who thrived on balls being banged into channels for him to run on to yet, because he was tall, I seem to remember a lot of banging the ball at his head for some reason making him look a real plank. Steve Swales arrived to compete with Andy Legg, could never work out which was the more hopeless - at least Legg had a mammoth throw on him to at least create panic in opposition defences if used properly though. Caskey seemed to get dumped out of the team more often than not, especially when the final clown masterstroke was played and Michael O’Neill arrived on loan :roll:

Then the season ended with arrival of Tommy Burns, the first of the lovely fellas but didn’t seem to have a clue about English lower league football and cue yet more money wasted over the following 6 months.

Honestly it was the most key time in the history of the club yet it was the time that JM made his biggest **** ups as chairman. He should never have binned Q&G as they’d have kept Reading up that season esp. with the money el taxi was given. OK he had spent much of the close season trying to get Burns in, and that might have worked with him at the higher level, but his backup plan seemed to be non existent when he should have been looking for an experienced safe pair of hands.

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Re: The worst performance since........

by Hound » 11 Dec 2025 09:18

East Grinstead Royal
Millsy Eh?
Yes it was poor but it wasn't even our worst performances this season probably.


Well, quite.


Tbf it only got really really bad after the first set of subs. We actually played quite well first 30

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