Portsmouth v Reading 28.10.06

Following a midweek trip to Anfield to play Liverpool in the third round of the Carling Cup, a 4-3 defeat, Reading’s next Premiership game was away at Pompey.

Being relatively close, this was going to be my first away game of the season. Travelling away adds something a little special to the game, especially if it’s the first time that you have been to that ground.

Less than maybe an hour or so travelling time from home, Fratton Park was a little disappointing as a ground. The car park was made up of rough loose ash, and was pitted with potholes and puddles. The ground itself was open at one end, the end where the away fans were situated. This allowed a cold icy wind to blow in straight off the English Channel.

At the same end, Photographers were situated in a “pit”, the first time I had used one. The “pit” was a pit, concrete, full of puddles, weeds growing from cracks, and moss clung to its sides. Having said that it was functional, and gave the photographer a low level, unique view of the pitch. It also meant that you had to stand, but I didn’t mind that.

The game when it started, seemed to me to be rather disappointing, at least Reading’s performance was disappointing. The team didn’t perform particularly well, seemingly not “up for it”. The final result was a 3-1 win to Portsmouth, but for me the game will definitely be remember more for what happened at half time, than the games itself.

In an early post, I touched on what it must be like for the players to play and score in front of their adoring fans. http://pitchsiderfc.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/promotion-to-premiership-or-not-just.html . I also suggested that in addition to the adulation, joy and excitement players must experience, there is also a dark side to playing football in front the fans. Of course, when I say dark side, I mean the way in which players are treated and taunted by the opposition’s fans.

Having been to many games as a fan, clearly I have experienced and seen first hand the animosity and hatred felt towards the opposing team. In the stands, where the chances of being heard on the pitch by an individual player is zero, the comments and chants seem to me to be somehow less aggressive and offensive, even taking on a more humorous note.  The closer you get to the pitch, however, the comments and gestures become increasingly aggressive and filthy. Maybe it has something to do with knowing that a player taking a throw in or corner can actually hear the comments. Maybe it is something that certain fans have just become accustomed to doing because they do it on a regular basis, which makes it some how OK to abuse opposition players. If you have never sat directly pitch side, you may not have experienced such individuals, although you only have to look at any game on TV, any fans standing near the corner flag, where an opposition player backs towards them to take the corner. Even if you can’t hear the words, you only have to look at the gestures, the look on their faces, and have a rudimentary understanding of lip reading, to figure out that the player is being cruelly abused.

As a photographer at a game, you sit directly in between the players and fans, so can hear and even feel the hatred and abuse dished out to players. I am guessing that the perpetrators of such abuse, do so to show off, or to put the player off, or just because they can, behind a barrier and without fear of reprisal. Whatever the reason, I have heard it all.  Probably the saddest thing that I witnessed at a game was when Reading played Swansea City. I was sitting in front of the Swansea fans, near the corner flag, Reading were awarded a corner.  I can’t remember now who came across to take it, but as they collected the ball and prepared to take the corner, a voice from behind me started a four letter tirade of abuse. “You F—king C—t, you f—king C—t”, and so it went on. Not very articulate, I think you’ll agree, but when I turned round to look at who was speaking it ,was a young lad, not more than eight or nine years old, his proud dad standing behind him, and seemingly approving of his behaviour. Maybe it was his tender years, or just his rudimentary grasp of the English language, well he was presumably from Wales, that caused this outburst. Whatever the reason, there was just no need for it. I suppose if you have never been on the end of this type of abuse, and especially if it comes on mass from a crowd of people, then it maybe difficult to imagine how you would react. I guess footballers are largely used to it, and will only occasionally let it get to them, but it can’t be nice under any circumstances. I certainly had never experienced anything directed at me like this, so was unprepared for what happened at half time at Fratton Park.

At half time, it was nice to get out of the “pit” and stretch my legs a bit. So as the players trooped off the pitch and substitutes came on, I found myself wandering up and down behind the goal, camera in hand. Adam Federici was keeping goal, as the other substitutes hit shots at him. Now you have to remember that as a Reading FC photographer working for the club, I was there to capture images from the day, the game, anything that would help the Reading Club press and internet guys “tell” a story. So when one of the Reading substitutes fired a shot directly into the crowd and hit an elderly Reading fan in the face, and Adam Federici went into the crowd to see that he was alright, I thought that this would be a great chance to capture some images that would show this unusual and news worthy event for the club. What I hadn’t bargained for was the reaction I got from the Reading fans.

Not realising that I worked for the club and only having good intentions by taking pictures, the section of fans closest to the incident turned on me. All of a sudden, I was the subject of a torrent of abuse, both verbally and through the gestures and the look on their faces. Presumably mistaking me for some sort of “PAP”, and coming very soon after the Petr Cech incident and all it’s associated press furore, I had become the focus of the crowd’s attention, as they expressed their views and tried to protect not only one of their own, the fan but also a player in Adam Federici. What you learn very quickly in these situations is one, it’s not a very nice feeling to be the subject of such abuse, and two, you cannot easily explain yourself to the assemble mass, even if you could make yourself heard.

Deciding very quickly that to continue would not be in my best interests, I back away, and slunk back to my “pit”, muttering my defence to anyone around me that could hear it.

People often say that football players get paid too much, and that this type of abuse just “comes with the job”, but I would have to disagree. To my mind nothing justifies the type and level of abuse players get, and the people that carry it out should not be allowed any where near a football ground.

Ironic that I should be publishing this picture now

Pre-match photo shoot

Harry Redknapp on the phone to his tax consultants

Glen Little

Leroy Lita takes a sip

Reading concede an own goal

Much to Marus Hahnemann's disgust

Knau controls the ball, watched by Sonko

Andre Bikey warms up

Andy Cole warming up

Steve Sidwell toe to toe with Davis

Joe Jordan and Tony Adams

David James beats Steve Sidwell to the ball

Pedro Mendes scores on 66 minutes

Reading v Chelsea 14.10.06

Following on from a 1-0 away win at Upton Park against West Ham, next up at the Madejski, in Reading’s inaugural season in the Premiership, was another London club, Chelsea.

If, however, big spending Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side were expecting an easy game at the Premiership's newest boys, they were in for a bit of a rude awakening. Another capacity crowd at the Madejski settled down at 5.15 to watch the start of the game, what they didn’t know then was that the game would be remembered for two goal mouth incidents, that saw both Chelsea’s goalkeepers stretchered off the field. 

Maybe not surprisingly, I can’t really remember much about the football, other than it was a scrappy bad tempered game.  Within the first minute of the game things got bad after Stephen Hunt and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech collided as they both went for the ball. Apparently, Hunts knee had accidentally struck Cech’s head and fractured his skull. Cech was eventually stretchered off and straight to hospital where he later had surgery.

The game continued but tensions were increased by the incident. Chelsea managed to find the back of the net on 43 minutes, but only after Frank Lampard’s shot had ricocheted off several legs before hitting Ivar Ingimarssons shine and in for an own goal.

Things only got worse when Chelsea’s substitute goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini was knocked out by Sonko as he threw himself at the ball. Cudicini was eventually stretchered off after a long time being treated on the pitch.  John Terry went in goal.

The game also had two red cards, Bikey and Obi Mikel, both being sent off. In the end Chelsea retained their lead and went home with a 1-0 win.

Reading Fans

Petr Cech would end up in hospital with a fractured skull

Michael Essien warms up before the game

John Terry would end up playing in goal

Petr Cech about to be stretchered off the pitch

Stephen Hunt

Leroy Lita

Sonko sells Drogba a dummy

Undeterred Stephen Hun goes in hard on Michael Essien

Kevin Doyle gets his shot away under pressure

Leroy Lita battles for the ball

Kevin Doyle closely marked

The tackles are still flying in....!!!

How many defenders does it take to clear the ball....!!!!

Steve Sidwell challenges Joe Cole for the ball

Tempers flare, look who's in the thick of it again

Reading v Manchester Utd 23.09.06

I am going to change my treatment slightly for the 2006/7 Season. I am not going to be concentrating so much on who scored what, when, and how, but looking more at each game from my own observations and memories. It would be great if anyone reading this blog, would add their own comments, maybe recounting their experiences from the games. It doesn’t matter how long or short you make your comment, but I would certainly be interested to hear how other people remember things, especially from the away games. Any unusual or funny stories would certainly be welcome.

I also intend to add, in addition to the more obvious and important moments captured through my lenses, a far greater selection of images captured from the crowd, the characters, the fans, the people that make a football crowd what it is. Also I am going to include some of the less obvious or more unusual images, most of which would never have been seen before, that are captured during a game but never used. These include some great and often amusing facial expressions, compromising and strange positions that players often find themselves in, only the camera can capture in a fraction of a second.

Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the images from this season, an historical and exciting adventure for Reading FC.

In much the same way as I missed the start of the 2005/6 Season, I missed the start of the 2006/7 Season due to a medical condition that would eventually put pay to my fledgling photographic career, although I didn’t know that at the time. For now at least, I was mad keen to get fit enough and start covering my first game of the season.

For obvious reasons, I set Manchester United at home, as my target match to get myself back on that stool and taking pictures again.

By the time of the Man U game, I had already missed five league games and one cup game.  These included Reading’s first game in the Premiership against Middlesbrough, a five goal thriller that saw the Royals come back from 2-0 down to win 3-2, what a game to miss. Games against Aston Villa, Wigan Athletic, Sheffield Utd and Man City in the league, and a home tie in the Carling Cup against Doncaster, another high scoring game.

It’s interesting to note that of the players that Man City fielded the day they played Reading at the Madejski, only one Micha Richards is still at the club, plus Joe Hart who was on the bench.

It was, therefore, with some anticipation that I made my way to the Madejski Stadium on Saturday 23^rd September 2006 for the visit, of what I am sure for most football fans, regardless of allegiance, is still one of the worlds most charismatic, and successful clubs of all time, Manchester United.

I think that I have already described in any early post http://pitchsiderfc.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/promotion-to-premiership-or-not-just.html a bit about what it feels like to be pitch side for a game, and how seeing the players close up through your lenses, gives you a unique and some how intimate view of them. It probably sounds a bit silly, but having been in this position for most of last seasons home games, it was starting to feel as though I actually knew all of the Reading players personally, especially those goal scorers who more often than not made a point of seeking out the cameramen around the ground, to pose and celebrate their goals in front of them. I’m not criticising, I’d do exactly the same in their position, for it is often these pictures that will make the sports pages of the newspapers.

I have to say though, that it is the forwards, the players that score the most goals, that are the ones that pose the most. Players like Leroy Lita, Dave Kitson, Kevin Doyle and Stephen Hunt, all knew exactly where the cameras were and how to make the most of it. Maybe it’s because these players get more practice, or it’s something about the type of character you need to be to make a goal scorer, but these players seemed most keen to pose and play to the crowd. On the other hand, players like Nicky Shorey, Ivar Ingimarsson and Graeme Murty for example who rarely scored, seemed somehow awkward and school boyish in their goal celebrations.

Anyway, back to the Manchester United game. Not surprisingly, the stadium was at capacity for the visit of Alex Ferguson and his Red Devils.

From what I remember, the game was a tense affair. I know that I, and I am sure many others, were expecting Man U to take charge and dominate the Premiership’s new boys, but it never happened. As the game went on, Reading seemed to grow in confidence, and at half time it was still goalless, the crowd seemingly buzzing with admiration.

Early in the second half Gary Neville was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box, so Reading were awarded a penalty. Kevin Doyle stepped up and slotted the ball pass Edwin Van der Sar, 1-0 Reading, the fans went wild.

Reading’s lead lasted until the 73^rd minute. I distinctly remember seeing Cristiano Ronaldo through my lens, he was cutting inside from the right midfield, I noticed how fast he was moving, and how I thought that the Reading defender, Graeme Murty, never looked close enough to block his shot. And so it turned out to be the case, as Ronaldo’s unchallenged shot flashed past Marcus Hahneman’s dive. The final score Reading 1-1 Manchester United.

So that was my first Premiership game behind a camera. The highlights for me, the result, being close to so many household named football players, seeing how fast they played the game, and the picture I got of Sir Alex Ferguson in the dugout see below.

Nervous fasces in the crowd, and this was before the game kicked off

Marcus Hahnemann stands tall in the Reading goal

A young Rooney pre-transplant

Ibrahima Sonko superb tackle stops Rooney

A balletic pose from Kevin Doyle

Rio Ferdinand wasn't happy with someone...!!!

Ivar Ingimarsson clears the ball from danger

Sir Alex Ferguson stands out in a crowd

Kevin Doyle only has to get past Vidic and Van de Sar to score

Leroy Lita fends off Rio Ferdinand

Kevin Doyle attempts to beat Edwin Van der Sar

Man U subs Wes Brown and Solskjaer

Brynjar Gunarsson last man standing in the current Reading squad

Sir Alex Ferguson conducting things at the Madejski Stadium

Ivar Ingimarsson and Louis Saha at full stretch

Leroy Lita protects the ball from Rio Ferdinand

Wes Brown stretching those hamstrings

Goal scorer Cristano Ronaldo

Rio Ferdinand eyes shut and tongue out

Louis Saha takes a ride on the back of Sonko, Marcus is keeping his eyes shut