Why You Should Be Glad You're A Royal

This league season has been one to forget for Reading Football Club. With 16 games to go the Royals find themselves 16 points off the play-offs and seven points clear of the relegation zone. We know we're not going to reach the play-offs and unless we're very careless we'll comfortably stay up. It's all made for a rather boring league season and I think it's fair to say that it has been hard to enjoy at times.

It also means that, in all likelihood, for just the fifth time this century, Reading's season will not be decided on the last day of the season. On two of those other occasions we had already won the Championship and on another been relegated from the Premier League. So whilst this league season has been less than thrilling, supporting the Royals has not been boring since the turn of the millennium.

Saturday's win at Derby only confirmed that point. For our beloved football team has once again managed to give us the sort of excitement that football fans across the country would envy. We may be going nowhere in the league but we're in the quarter finals of the FA Cup. One win from Wembley, two wins from the final and three wins from Europe (yep - we've got to win the FA Cup after UEFA decided they no longer want cup runners-up to get into Europe).

It was the same in 2009/2010 season when we also sacked an unpopular manager in December before comfortably finishing mid-table under a low key honest manager. Even in our only two seasons of mid-table mediocrity we have managed to find a bit of excitement with a FA Cup run.

So sure we've had our ups and downs, it's frustrating to see teams overtake us and establish themselves in the Premier League, but we all watch football in the hope for entertainment and excitement, and Reading have certainly given us that. So be proud and glad that you're a Reading fan!