Most random signings?

[Royal Ginger]

Tomasz Cywka coming into a team high flying on it’s way towards winning the league. Completely unneeded.

Nice chap by all accounts.

[Sutekh]

Jim McIntyre was a decent signing.

Struggling to name the other 6

Fleck
Brayson
Kelly
Stuart Gray?
Some Irish fella from Newcastle who was born in Chicago ?
Howie

Just thought I’d take a quick look at what became of the “magnificent seven” (who I think cost around £720k altogether).

Paul Brayson

Cost £100k but only scored 1 goal in 42 apps for Reading before moving on to Cardiff in 2000. Bit of not fitting the style of play and struggling at the standard of football sadly but you could not fault his effort in the games he played and that’s all you can ask of a player of your club. After leaving Cheltenham in 2004 he dropped into the non league world and became a prolific scorer. Last known as joint player manager at Newcastle Benfield in 2017 and studying to become a personal trainer.

Jimmy Crawford

Cost £50,000? 1 goal in 20 apps for Reading over two seasons before joining Shelbourne in 2000. Injury forced his retirement in 2008 while playing for Sporting Fingal. After a spell as manager at Shamrock Rovers he moved to coaching with the Irish FA and was appointed their u21 coach in 2020. Wiki quotes that while at Shelbourne Jimmy said of his time in England “After I signed for Shels I spent some time dwelling on my career in England and it seemed to consist of nothing but injuries. I had three groin operations and bad knees, which looked serious for a while. The last two years were a write-off.”

Robert Fleck

Cost around £80k I think, 1 goal in 9 apps for Reading who were his last league club before retiring after a season at Gorleston in 2000. He is now a teaching assistant at a school in Norfolk for children with “complex” needs (did you know - while playing he also funded trips for 18 months for a child with a terminal condition). His nephew John Fleck plays for Sheffield United and was the poor chap who suffered that break down on the pitch v Reading earlier this season.

Stuart Gray

Not bad for what was £20k I think for 2 goals in 52 appearances over 3 seasons for Reading before joining Rushden in 2001 and then Oxford in 2005 for a season. His playing career was ended by a badly broken leg suffered in a game at North Ferriby in 2006. Part of the “Gray” footballing dynasty (he is the son of Eddie, nephew of Frank and a cousin of Andy) I remember him as being a bit “limited” but was dependable, steady and would give his all during games. Played the part of his father (Eddie) in the film The Damned United (2009). Was managing/coaching at Guiseley in 2012.

Scott Howie

85 appearances as keeper before joining Bristol Rovers in 2001. A reasonable keeper for Reading and I’d say good value for the £30,000 paid. After Rovers he joined Shrewsbury then Cambridge and finished playing in 2012 at Wroxham.

Paddy Kelly

Paddy was brought in on loan from Newcastle and, as I recall, initially looked the best of the bunch and had some hoping he’d sign permanently. However after just 3 appearances he broke his leg and that was that. Returned to Newcastle and the following season and subsequently returned to play in Scotland in 1999. Injury seems to have forced his retirement at Cowdenbeath in 2005 and was last known coaching at junior side Newburgh United.

Jim McIntyre

Probably worked out the best of the 7 and, imo, was a decent player who I was sorry to see leave at the time (his final game was the play off final v Walsall). Had a slow start and struggled under Burns but once Pardew arrived he seemed to get played more as a winger than a striker which helped his game and at last gave good return for the £440k that had been paid. In the end he bagged 14 in 97 games. Moved onto Dundee United and retired in 2010 at Dunfermline (where he had been player/manager since 2008). He went on to manage Queen of the South, Ross County and Dundee. In late 2020 he was hoping to get back into the game as a scout.

[Millsy]

All crap apart from McIntyre who I thought was alright.

[Snowflake Royal]

Howie was good. Gray was ok.

[Dai Brainbocs]

Chris Casper. Would have been a brilliant signing if you were allowed 11 outfield players.

[bloody Volvo driver]

Really random fact about Jim McIntyre, but my next door neighbour in RG5 used to babysit Jim McIntyre when he was a “wee bairn” growing up in Dumbarton.

[Lower West]

Ayub Masika (loan from Beijing Renhe )

[blythspartan]

Hayden Mullins for me. He was from Reading but thought that he never really liked the club very much. I think he played around 6 or 7 games.

[mad79]

Reece Oxford. We signed him as a good up coming midfielder. Stam played him at left back where he got kicked in the head and we never saw him again.

[Sutekh]

Lewis Grabban. We signed him as a good up coming striker, Stam played him in midfield where he got naff all sniff at what he does best.

[Coppells Lost Coat]

Going out on a limb here - Danny Drinkwater. Premier league winner, FA cup, league cup and England capped. On paper wtf is he doing here.
Screaming out for width / pace / goals and we get Drinkwater.

And further more, he's been shit.

Thats a tad harsh he has only been totally shit for 80% of his time here, the other 20% he has been best player on the pitch. Shame we are usually 3 goals down before he starts playing.

[paultheroyal]

Lewis Grabban. We signed him as a good up coming striker, Stam played him in midfield where he got naff all sniff at what he does best.

Filed away in the "players who were good that we turned bad that then left and turned good" category - of which there are a few in there.

[SCIAG]

Reece Oxford. We signed him as a good up coming midfielder. Stam played him at left back where he got kicked in the head and we never saw him again.

To be fair he was a centre back first and foremost but yeah, definitely qualifies as random. We’d already bought Ilori in that January and also had McShane, Moore, Gravenberch, Joey, Blackett, Evans, and a very large number of promising youngsters (five of whom are currently playing at this level). Surprised anyone agreed to it.

[Dirk Gently]

Omar Daley was a weird one.

Got the impression he was only signed as an attempt to engage the Reading West Indian community and to help shift tickets for an Australia v Jamaica match held at the MadStad - but I have absolutely zero recollection of him doing anything on the pitch.

[South Coast Royal]

Listening to the radio yesterday the point was made that not many clubs get their transfers -in right and looking at these postings we have been right up there with the worst.

On the magnificent seven I went to Ipswich for their first game and IIRC we actually played quite well ( I think of that day sometimes when managers go on about not playing just the one new signing until they have had at least 2 weeks of training and getting to know the players and system) but were done out of it by the usual dodgy ref that we seemed to always get at Ipswich.

Brayson must be in the all-time top 5 of bad signings-he just looked like and played like a little kid but of the seven, in the short time that we saw him, I thought Kelly looked the best.
I'm surprised that Martin Keown and Les Ferdinand haven't been mentioned-they were so far past their best as to be embarrassing.

[Forbury Lion]

Remember Scott Murray have a great start, didnt he get a couple in a 3-0 away win at forest early season. I think he is groundsman at BCFC now.

Kitman I believe, although he might be a bit of an all rounder.