READING CHAIRMAN John Madejski yesterday indicated he’d like a minute’s silence for former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, to precede this weekend’s Premier League match with Liverpool.
After the suggestion received a predictable response from Merseyside and the wider football world, the Royals have not said they’ll organise a pre-game tribute for the victim of the Hillsborough disaster.
A statement on the club’s website confirmed: “Supporters of Reading Football Club and Liverpool Football Club will hold a minute’s silence before Saturday’s fixture at Madejski Stadium as a mark of respect for the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.
“With the game falling two days before the 24th anniversary of the tragedy, plans began last week for a fitting tribute to the 96 supporters who lost their lives. The Royals contacted Liverpool FC; spoke to the Premier League earlier today and they of course agreed it was absolutely correct to pay respect on such an occasion.”
Madejski had earlier joined Wigan counterpart Dave Whelan in supporting a tribute to Thatcher at the weekend’s matches.
“We have got to appreciate that Margaret Thatcher was a world leader who did so much for this country,” said the Reading chief. “So much that she deserves a minute’s silence.
“Obviously I can appreciate that perhaps some people won’t pay attention to it, which is sometimes the way at football, but I just think she was such a colossus in terms of the world stage that she deserves that respect from the whole nation.
“No colossus like that strides the world’s stage without disenfranchising people at some stage or another, however the positive things that Margaret Thatcher achieved for our country speaks volumes and I think that outshines things that might not be considered so brilliant like the poll tax and so on.”
In fairness 96 lives is more important
Way more important ..
More important in the manner in which the 96 died. Needlessly.you can hardly that the death of a woman who had a stroke is more important than that
Minutes “silence” for Thatcher? Half the stadium would be booing. Loudly.
If any club wants to hold a minutes silence for Thatcher they should ask for a minutes cheer!!
I disagree Paul, if clubs are afraid that their fans will largely boo her they’ve no business having a minutes silence for her in the first place!
She deserves bring but contempt.
The only thing Thatcher had in relation to football was her utter contempt for it. It’s Daily Mail nonsense peddling that even has the notion in people’s heads that there should, for some reason, be a minute’s silence across English grounds for her. Thankfully the FA and Premier League have seen sense.
Half? C’mon….
rich person likes person who made rich people richer and made being rich easier. Shocker.
She was a political figure. She is not a footballing figure, she had no time for football and they had no time for her. She shouldn’t get a minutes’ silence at any matches. Minutes’ silences at football matches should only be for footballing figure or maybe national/international tragedies.
I’m no Liverpool fan, but it was insanity to expect them to adhere to a minutes silence for someone who covered up the dreadful event.
Thatcher hated football fans. Football shouldn’t be honouring her death. She was an enemy.
Better a minute’s silence for the 96 who died at Hillsborough than for the woman whi promptly tried to smear their reputations. A very insensitive suggestion by Mr Madjeski given that the Hillsborough anniversary is imminent. (A lifelong Man U supporter).
No! No! No! to a minutes silence, especialy to a woman who handed the keys of Broadmoor to the Beast Saville
She branded all football fans as hooligans . She had no time or respect for the working classes. JFT96
A minutes booing would be more appropriate.
Could you imagine the minute in the ex-coal mining regions!
Liverpool FC were quite capable of organising their own mark of respect last weekend. Whats it to Reading?
Last weekend wasn’t the anniversary. Did you not read the story?
I’m well aware of when the incident took place. Still not up to Reading to decide on
Nobody said it was. Reading did it off their own bat.
Good PR if nothing else other than due respect for 96 fellow football supporters now that their chief accuser’s turn has come for churning in the grave!
That and they could really do with the points, browney or otherwise!
Very insensitive and ignorant comment, but that’s to be expected with comment section related to Hillsborough. The reason why Reading are showing their respect is because they are football supporters just like the 96, the point of these things is to remember those that lost their and the understanding that it could have been any club involved in that ticking time bomb. A bit of solidarity with your fellow man Mark, something Thatcher despised.
Gavin, you definitely have crossed wires mate. I am a Liverpool supporter to my last breath.
My simple point is, when Reading saw the consternation they caused by suggesting a minutes silence for someone who did what they did to our club, they rowed back and are now suggesting they have one for the anniversary.
I’m all for that, but only when its meant genuinely.
Sorry if you came up with a different conclusion but thats definitely not what I was aiming at.
Looking at the number of dislikes on my post it seems its been miscontrued by more than yourself.
Ah cool, jumped the gun myself you know how it is with these things and some of the posters who contribute.
Fair play mate. Kind of got upset by your post but you misunderstood me. No probs
Maybe some of them were Reading supporters! What the chairman said, and what the supporters feel are different things.
Worth noting that Reading have already had a minute’s silence this season for the 96 – weekend after the report came out as I recall. So implying that the minutes silence this weekend is insincere may well be taken amiss.
Thatcher hated football and she hated the working class at that time football was still a working class game not a millionaires or sugar daddy’s play thing which a lot of clubs have become now unlike today the majority of supporters who had been following their clubs for years could afford to go and see their team play .podcast David conn of the guardian who was on the football show on Newstalk last night and you will hear what thatcher and her cronies thought of football
Weather she is a political figure or not she played her part and a big part in covering up hillsborough
Why bother bringing Margret Thatcher’s name up then? Seems the Hillsborough anniversary was going to forgotten by Reading up until when it was pointed out to them her role in covering it up.
I’m sure their supporters would have marked it appropriately in fairness but error in judgement from their owner.
And so would the other half
#JFT96 , no minute silence. Good riddance to her!
I’ll be going Party Hat, Balloons full works were going to have a party!!!
Balloons full….they certainly are Hilary ;)
A minute’s silence, that is out. Football honouring Thatcher, that is out…etc
Reading? Wigan? Such top class influencers of the game You won’t see any other teams giving her a 1-minute silence
Millwall are having a minutes violence in memory of the late Baroness Thatcher
The dragon who both directly and indirectly killed thousands of people as well as personally seeing to it that 10′s of thouands of working class citizens struggled to get by through her reign of terror….yes terror. Who would want to give her a minutes silence it should not even be a debate and to be quite frank I think rotting in hell is even too good for her.
If it was 24 years since Valley Parade and Bradford were the visitors you would expect the hosting club would mark it too. As gavin said it’s solidarity. nice touch Reading, fair play.
I think he should think again about this it could cause a riot politics and football don’t really go together emotions are running high about this
Cough…tosser….cough.
Sorry that was aimed at “factual Frank”.
This is as it should be
Pity the jersey side derby isn’t on this weekend. That would be noisy
Merseyside obviously
Very ironic that those that hated Thatcher found time on a Monday afternoon to celebrate on the streets. The rest of us were too busy in work/university trying to make a contribution.
96 is a lot more important