Goodbye WordPress – Hello SB Nation

With Reading getting promoted, and under new ownership, we thought we’d jump on the bandwagon and announce some changes as well.

After 14 months we’re leaving wordpress behind and moving to pastures new, specifically to the SB Nation blog network.

So ladies and gentlemen let me please direct your attention to….

TheTilehurstEnd.Com

This old site will no longer be updated but will remain here parked for a while. Within 24 hours thetilehurstend.co.uk should automatically redirect to the new site.

Hopefully see you on the new site shortly!

 

To Change Or Not To Change? That Is The Question…

Since the season drew to a close Reading have already dipped into the transfer market three times, bringing in Gareth McCleary, Danny Guthrie and subject to any late shenanigans, Pavel Pogrebnyak. Both Pogrebnyak and Guthrie have Premier League experience while McCleary is the reigning Player of the Season at Nottingham Forest, so all three will bring something positive to the mix at the Madejski next year and give Brian McDermott even more options to choose from.

We’re also highly likely to dip back into the market, with rumours of approaches for players such as Jordan Rhodes, Adrian Mariappa and even Gylfi Sigurdsson all floating about amongst numerous others. For fans of a newly promoted club this is arguably the most fun period of the season as we see household names all linked with a move to the Mad Stad, players we can all freely debate in the pub as opposed to relatively unknown quantities such as Brett Williams, or Karl Sheppard. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with unproven players (ahem Doyle, Long, Hislop etc) but it’s a bit more fun to chat about the merits of Pogrebnyak vs Hunt compared to Sheppard vs Church….

However there’s always a bit of concern whether a successful squad should be tinkered with too much, and especially when the players coming in are likely in a new wage bracket, could too many signings disrupt the team?

It’s a question that’s only going to be definitively answered come the season’s end but what can we learn from the investment of other newly promoted sides and can there be such a thing as too much or too little change?

A Blue and White Shirt – How Hard Can It Be?

Reading FC’s 2012-13 shirts

So the now annual anti-climax that is the unveiling of the new shirt for the forthcoming season has been completed and as per usual it’s had as many critics as fans as we all unleash our inner Gok Wan. Love it or hate it Reading will be playing in a brand new shirt next year and you’ll be seeing a lot of it as we’re plastered all over the TV.

Reading FC Sign Danny Guthrie

Pic Courtesy of Reading FC OS

Well it’s been a while, but finally there’s been a bit of solid footballing news coming out of the Madejski Stadium, with two signings and the launch of the strips for 2012/13. The first of those signings to be confirmed was that of Danny Guthrie, who joins from Newcastle on a ‘Bosman’ free transfer on a three-year deal. 

Guthrie has been through some of the biggest clubs in the country, including Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle, winning praise wherever he’s been. However, somewhat inconsistant form and a series of unfortunate injuries have meant Guthrie has never quite cracked the top-level of the English game and we’ll look at what Reading fans can expect from the 25-year-old midfielder.

Fixtures, Fixtures & More Fixtures – 2012/13 Edition

Hard to beleive how different the outlook was the last time I wrote this fixtures piece. Back then we were pondering trips to The AMEX, London Road and The Den, now it’s Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge and White Hart Lane.

By now we’ve all had time to digest the basics of the fixtures for the new season which will see us open at home to Stoke and finish with a trip to Upton Park to face West Ham. The official club site has done a great little key points article outlining some of the essential dates and what to look out for but I thought we’d take a look at some of the other impacts of the fixture list, including how far we’ll have to travel and how much away match tickets are likely to cost.

Money, Money …. Money?

Many people are getting excited about the new Premier League TV deal, announced yesterday, and what it means to clubs like Reading. Local media have been sensationalising this as much as possible, using words like “TV windfall” – so let’s have a brief look at what this actually does mean for a club like Reading.

2011/12 Reading FC Report Card – The Forwards

Our final stop in our position by position review of the 2011/12 season sees us look at the strikers.  Of the four strikers involved at the start of the campaign, just two would last the season, while two key additions would arrive over the course of the campaign.

The Source of Frustration that is Simon Church

2011/12 will go down in the annals of Reading Football Club history as one their greatest successes. Promotion to the top flight for only the second time in 141 years was achieved by a team that was more than the sum of its parts. A hodge podge of young players and veterans who’d not quite cut it in the top flight. What saw them through was an incredible self-belief that enabled previously average players to suddenly find a new gear that took them to a higher playing level than any fan dared dream in the summer. In amongst it all though is the incredibly frustrating figure of Simon Church. The Wales international started the season as Shane Long’s replacement yet by the end of it, despite some goals in big games, he’s ended it as fourth choice with a disappointing return of 7 goals in 32 games. How is it that when everyone else seems to have produced their best season for the club to date, Church has stagnated and fallen by the wayside? Is it a lack of games, faith from the manager, confidence or is he simply not very good?

Tilehurst End – End Of Season Round Table 2011/12

With the season done and dusted, a few Tilehurst End writers got together to chew the fat, look back on a memorable season and cast one eye on the Premier League adventure to come.

2011/12 Reading FC Report Card – The Midfield

After looking at the Goalkeepers & Defenders last week, we continue our position by position breakdown of all those that have made an appearance for the Royals this year, with a look at the midfield.

Getting the old gang back together again….?

Every summer transfer speculation is always rife, and even more so following a promotion. And as clubs publish their lists of released players and former Royals become available, there’s discussion about which former Royals would be worth bringing back for this second spell in the Premier League.

So, just for fun, here are some thoughts on just which of the former Royals from the record-breaking 2005/06 team and the subsequent Premier League seasons we should consider re-signing.  For simplicity, I’ve only considered players who made a significant contribution or played in a reasonable number of matches, and as this my opinion piece I get to decide what a “significant contribution” or a “reasonable number of matches” actually means!

Reading FC Sign Garath McCleary – A Profile

So Reading have made their first summer signing, with Nottingham Forest winger Garath McCleary joining on a free transfer and signing a three-year contract at the Madejski Stadium.

The 6 foot 2, 25 year old winger was recently named Forest’s player of the season but coming into this season had never started more than 10 games in a league season so what can we glean from his past to understand why Brian may have decided to make him our first Premier League signing.

2011/12 Reading FC Report Card – Goalkeepers & The Defence

Now that the parade is over and the trophy safely in the cabinet there’s time to reflect on what has been a remarkable season for Reading Football Club. Over the next few weeks we’ll take detailed looks at lots of different areas of the 2011/12 season and today we’ll start our position by position breakdown of all those that have made an appearance for the Royals this year, starting today with the goalkeepers and the defenders.

Shameless Plug – Help Us Win A Football Blogging Award

Hello folks,

if we can be shameless for a second, we need you help to win a Football Blogging Award!

To vote you can either go to here to the Facebook poll or you can copy the tweet below,

Thanks very much!

@TheFBAs @TheTilehurstEnd #Club

Royals Post – Episode 26: May 3, 2012

The team over at the Royals Post podcast round-up the season and look back on the final day defeat at Birmingham while in pub chat, the lads look at who Reading might sign over the summer.

It’s the last episode of what’s been a great season for the show so please check it out and leave your comments on iTunes.

You can check out and listen to the show here.

Also the show is now available to subscribe to in iTunes here

You can contact the show directly via twitter @RoyalsPost

Saying Goodbye – Cheers Griff, Brian and Tomasz

When the team is doing badly we can’t wait to clear the decks and kick out players we don’t think are performing, but when things are going so well, it’s always that bit harder to say goodbye. Today Reading began the first steps towards building their 25-man Premier League squad by releasing 13 players, the most notable of which are defender Andy Griffin and midfielders Brian Howard and Tomasz Cykwa.

While none of the three featured heavily during our title run, all three made important contributions at some stage or another and it’s only right to remember some of those good times as they depart with our very best wishes.

Birmingham 2-0 Reading FC – Brum Fail To Deflate Royals Fans As They Wave Goodbye To The Championship

After two weeks of celebrating promotion it didn’t come as the greatest of surprises that a much changed Reading side came undone at the hands of Birmingham, who clinched fourth place in the Championship with a 2-0 win at St Andrew’s.

Despite the defeat and a miserable day weather wise, it was still another awesome day to be a Reading fan, with the traditional end of season inflatables and over 4,000 Royals fans helping create a great atmosphere, one worthy of Champions.

Who Are Reading’s Biggest Villains? – The Inaugural Class Of The Reading FC Hall Of Shame

It’s football’s awards season and congratulations must go to Ian Harte who’s been named in the PFA Team Of The Year for the second year running. More accolades will surely follow for Brian McDermott and the players but as a bit of fun I thought I’d hand out a few awards to people who over the years have made Reading’s life a misery  and put them into a Reading FC Hall of Shame.

Reading 2-2 Crystal Palace: Point proves enough – Champions!

Federici 8; Cummings 8, Pearce 7, Gorkss 7, Harte 8; Robson-Kanu 6 (Le Fondre 8), Leigertwood 7 (Tabb), Mullins 7 (Gunnarsson), McAnuff 8; Hunt 7, Roberts 7

What a difference two hours makes. After ten-man Reading battled to a draw against Crystal Palace at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday afternoon, most supporters expected the title showdown with Southampton to come down to the last day of the season. But at 7.15pm, the relief and delight was felt all across town as Middlesbrough beat the Saints, ensuring Reading’s second promotion to the top flight would also see them crowned champions for the second time. Reading made one change to the team which sealed Premier League football on Tuesday night – Hal Robson-Kanu came in on the right wing for Jimmy Kebe, who had been carrying a knee injury for a few games.

CHAMPIONS!

We’ve done it!

With one game to spare we’ve clinched the Championship for the second time in our history. Despite a 2-2 draw with Palace, Southampton’s slip up at Boro handed us the title and we’ll now parade it around the town a week on Sunday.

Congratulations once again to everyone involved with Reading Football Club and this video sums it all up, taken in the players lounge after the game.

Jonny will be along with the full match report shortly but this was another amazing day in an awesome season.