YOUR OPINIONS: How will Reading FC cope without fans at the Madejski?

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has said this week that 'intensive discussions' were taking place with a view to allowing fans to return to stadiums at the start of next season, which is expected to start later this year.

But what impact will playing without fans supporters on Mark Bowen's side? Here is what Reading FC fans think.

"That's an interesting question. If the German Bundesliga is anything to go by, home advantage will be completely wiped away so clubs that are traditionally difficult to travel to (Millwall, Leeds etc) won't have that fear factor.

"I think we'll see something similar in the Championship with the lack of fans acting as a leveller, meaning the better teams (regardless of whether they're at home or not) will, more often than not, win."

"I think the hardest thing for the players playing without fans will be playing to the tempo of a competitive match and getting that ‘Friendly’ or ‘training match’ feeling out of them ASAP.

"I feel crowd noise will help too but overall I actually think it will really benefit the team at times, in recent years fans have lost patience and we are quick to get on the players’ back, home form has suffered and playing without fans may bring less pressure and more relaxed performances."

"I have watched a few German and Spanish games behind closed doors & it is odd to begin with. Fake crowds and crowd noise do make it seem a bit more normal in my opinion. One thing I have noticed is that home advantage seems to have diminished a bit with more away wins than usual. Something for Bowen to be wary of!

"It is going to be odd, and the tempo/effort won't be as intense I am sure of that. Its going to have a pre-season feel to it. Whether they mean for that to happen or not is another thing.

"It may actually help our players at home, as they seem to hate playing at the Madejski. Not like we have a vocal angry crowd like may, so unsure where the fear comes from?

"Hopefully they can hit the ground running and get some results, to build on next season. We can't be rubbish for another season, surely."

"I honestly believe we will be a better side behind closed doors. It might sound strange but I do think on natural talent this squad is right up the top end of the table.

"Playing with no fan pressure could really see this talented squad show what they can do. I personally think Millwall for example will struggle as they use their home atmosphere to their advantage really well. We shall see!"

"Playing behind closed doors means focus and motivation key with many players knowing big cuts going to happen throughout game they shouldn’t lack commitment or motivation."

"We have seen in Germany that all form and home advantage goes out the window for behind closed doors games.

"The teams that do well are the teams that can adjust to the new conditions quickly. Personally, I think teams like Leeds and Millwall will be more effected by the lack of fans as they use home advantage to build an intimidating environment for visiting teams. Not sure it will be that big an issue for us at Madjeski."

"Certain players will thrive for example players who normally have the fans on their back (Blackett, Gunter etc) and other ‘entertainers’ may not enjoy it as much, the likes of Swift for example."

"I think the players will cope well with the behind closed doors games. Having come back seemingly earlier than a lot of clubs to train, I'd like to think that's been discussed, so the players should have had more time to build some level of mental resilience.

"Ultimately, everyone will be in the same boat, but the fact our players are engaging with the fans more on social media will also hope to keep that bond alive, even if it's not during the key 90 minutes.

"Obviously match fitness might be an issue, but the recent friendlies will have helped with that no end."

"I think the Home advantage will be minimised or disappear. From what I have seen of other teams behind closed doors, the tempo of the game seems to be affected the most as there are no fans to motivate the players to push forward for a goal. I think our players will mostly miss the impact of our fans on away days as this is when I notice that the fans are at their loudest.

"As we're going into a bit of a world of unknown, anything can happen. It may be weird for the players to get used to at first and fitness will play a major role in the remainder of the season but surprisingly, I can see playing behind closed doors actually benefitting Reading.

"Our home form has not been the best this season and in the 'home league table', we sit in 21st place and if you compare that to the 'away league table', we sit in 7th place.

"It is clear to see that there is vast amounts of pressure for the players to succeed at home so the prospect of playing with no fans could really benefit us, considering there will be less pressure and the players can just go out there and play."

"I would imagine it would certainly take some adjusting to, but combining both this and the gap of training I think we're likely to see a slightly lower tempo affair.

"Games however should open up as the game goes on and players become fatigued."

"It will definitely affect performances. Will that competitive edge be there for the players? Will they be as motivated without the fans?

"I for one am not sure they will be, as much as they may say they will be.

"But all players and all clubs are in the same position so I think we'll have to do a lot of finger crossing and hope that the cookie crumbles our way most of the time. It'll certainly be a intriguing few weeks and I can't wait."

"All clubs are in same position and im sure home teams will lose some of that advantage from lack of atmosphere.

"The artificial fan noise has worked in Rugby League in Australia for the TV fans it adds something to the experience.

"All we can ask is that the team give 100% effort, do the club and fans proud. Please give us something to smile about over the next few weeks and some hope, for the future after some of the most challenging times for us all."

"I’m a Reading fan season ticket holder and want to be at every game I can but I think this Reading time will thrive behind close doors.

"If you look back at the Wigan game the players were shocking but the fans doubled the pressure by getting on their backs. I think this team can sometimes crumble under fan pressure and without them there you don’t know that they might thrive in that environment."

"I think playing behind closed doors will work both ways. I think it’s going to be harder for players to be motivated and in the right mental space like on a match day.

"It’s going to take even more effort to make sure performances are at their full with no crowd. However it could also work in players advantage as their is no ‘home team advantage’ anymore so going to big away ground isn’t going to have the intimidation factor that it might have.

"Also players might relax and express themselves more due to the lack of jeers if they don’t pull something off so should play with more freedom and for a team like Reading and the players we have I think this will benefit us massively."