Paul Canoville get well soon

[traff]

Best wishes to Paul Canoville, critically ill at the moment.
Loved watching him play for us before that useless lump Swindlehurst crocked him.
Get Well soon Paul.

[RoyalBlue]

Best wishes to Paul Canoville, critically ill at the moment.
Loved watching him pay for us before that useless lump Swindlehurst crocked him.
Get Well soon Paul.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55916730

A great player for us until that injury pretty much finished his professional career.

[Millsy]

Didn't know anything about him. I see he was Chelsea's first black player and it was as late as 1981!?? 9 years after Alleyne

Hope he pulls through, get well soon Paul!

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Didn't know anything about him. I see he was Chelsea's first black player and it was as late as 1981!?? 9 years after Alleyne

Hope he pulls through, get well soon Paul!

Played for us 1986-88 during the two second tier seasons under Ian Branfoot. cost around £60,000 I believe which was cheap even back then. Was amazing for the first few weeks then as someone said above he got a horrific injury at Sunderland which basically finished him, although I recall he did try and come back the following season but was not the same player

[South Coast Royal]

Didn't know anything about him. I see he was Chelsea's first black player and it was as late as 1981!?? 9 years after Alleyne

Hope he pulls through, get well soon Paul!

Played for us 1986-88 during the two second tier seasons under Ian Branfoot. cost around £60,000 I believe which was cheap even back then. Was amazing for the first few weeks then as someone said above he got a horrific injury at Sunderland which basically finished him, although I recall he did try and come back the following season but was not the same player

His injury IIRC coincided with our fall from grace after a bright start to the season.

One of those players that you thought "How did we get him?"
Have read his book and saw a documentary where he was doing good stuff amongst mainly black kids in school.

Wishing you well Paul

[RoyalBlue]

Didn't know anything about him. I see he was Chelsea's first black player and it was as late as 1981!?? 9 years after Alleyne

Hope he pulls through, get well soon Paul!

Worth a read: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Black-Blue-Racism-Cancer-Destroyed/dp/0755316452/ref=sr_1_1?crid=4G7OP0Q0PO8K&dchild=1&keywords=paul+canoville&qid=1612364452&s=books&sprefix=Paul+Canoville%2Caps%2C143&sr=1-1

[RATM]

Paul would have become a Reading legend if he not got injured.

He was an amazing talent and an even bigger character

Hope he pulls through

[SCIAG]

Didn't know anything about him. I see he was Chelsea's first black player and it was as late as 1981!?? 9 years after Alleyne

Hope he pulls through, get well soon Paul!

Played for us 1986-88 during the two second tier seasons under Ian Branfoot. cost around £60,000 I believe which was cheap even back then. Was amazing for the first few weeks then as someone said above he got a horrific injury at Sunderland which basically finished him, although I recall he did try and come back the following season but was not the same player

His injury IIRC coincided with our fall from grace after a bright start to the season.

One of those players that you thought "How did we get him?"
Have read his book and saw a documentary where he was doing good stuff amongst mainly black kids in school.

Wishing you well Paul

Genuine question - wasn't it obvious how he ended up playing below his level? I've always had the impression that he only ended up here because he was black and didn't have the same opportunities a white player would have had to play at a higher level. Abused and frozen out at Chelsea and nobody else would take a chance on him.

Get well soon.

[Jackson Corner]

There may well be something in that.i couldn’t believe it when he signed for us. The few games he did play before Swindlhurst crocked him. He was different gravy I genuinely think if he hadn’t got injured we could have had a crack promotion that season. Get well soon Paul a class act.

[Nameless]

One of the best players I have seen play for us.
Heartily support the recommendations for his book, he has been through some dreadful times.
Hope he pulls through, he is a fighter.

[Zip]

Fully endorse all that’s been said. Terrific player with pace to burn.

[Linden Jones' Tash]

A great player, what could have been if he'd not been injured, coincided with my introduction to Reading FC.
An even greater man.
Inspirational story
Hope he pulls through

[South Coast Royal]

Played for us 1986-88 during the two second tier seasons under Ian Branfoot. cost around £60,000 I believe which was cheap even back then. Was amazing for the first few weeks then as someone said above he got a horrific injury at Sunderland which basically finished him, although I recall he did try and come back the following season but was not the same player

His injury IIRC coincided with our fall from grace after a bright start to the season.

One of those players that you thought "How did we get him?"
Have read his book and saw a documentary where he was doing good stuff amongst mainly black kids in school.

Wishing you well Paul

Genuine question - wasn't it obvious how he ended up playing below his level? I've always had the impression that he only ended up here because he was black and didn't have the same opportunities a white player would have had to play at a higher level. Abused and frozen out at Chelsea and nobody else would take a chance on him.

Get well soon.

There have been players over the years where we wondered, "How did we get him?"
Richie Bowman
Robin Friday
Tom Jenkins
Kevin Bremner
Kerry Dixon
Simon Osborn
Darius Wdowczyk
Glen Little
Sonko
Josh Laurent

It's good scouting, good connections or good luck and in the case of Paul Canoville we got him for whatever reason -Chelsea had other black players (despite their fans) who went on to have good careers at the club in Newton, Elliott, Sinclair,Keith Jones etc , long before these more enlightened times when black players have contributed so much to their success.

[Zip]

The first time I saw him play was a pre season friendly. I think it was Oxford v Chelsea but I cannot be certain.One of the quickest players I have ever seen.
Couldn’t believe he ended up with us but alas it didn’t last long.

[Henley Royal 1]

One of the best players I have seen play for us.
Heartily support the recommendations for his book, he has been through some dreadful times.
Hope he pulls through, he is a fighter.

Fabulous player.

[Sutekh]

Just 13 appearances between signing in August 1986 and the injury on 21 October. Then he spent a year or so recovering but he could never get fully match fit again and after just 8 further appearances he retired in November 1987 at the tragically early age of 25. At least he got to play in the Reading team that knocked Chelsea out of the League Cup.

Hope he recovers, he’s certainly a hell of a fighter!

[tmesis]

Played for us 1986-88 during the two second tier seasons under Ian Branfoot. cost around £60,000 I believe which was cheap even back then. Was amazing for the first few weeks then as someone said above he got a horrific injury at Sunderland which basically finished him, although I recall he did try and come back the following season but was not the same player

His injury IIRC coincided with our fall from grace after a bright start to the season.

One of those players that you thought "How did we get him?"
Have read his book and saw a documentary where he was doing good stuff amongst mainly black kids in school.

Wishing you well Paul

Genuine question - wasn't it obvious how he ended up playing below his level? I've always had the impression that he only ended up here because he was black and didn't have the same opportunities a white player would have had to play at a higher level. Abused and frozen out at Chelsea and nobody else would take a chance on him.

Get well soon.

Don't forget that clubs had much smaller squads back then, and due to the salaries of back-up players being much lower, there wasn't the incentive or desire to sit in the reserves picking up top division wages that there is now. Pretty much any player would move on if they got past 21 and weren't a first team player.

As to why no other first division side signed him, who knows? Maybe he didn't want to move from the area, and none of the other London clubs that he'd have got a game for wanted a left winger. It's not as if the racism he faced at Chelsea was the norm everywhere else.

[Cape Town Royal]

His injury IIRC coincided with our fall from grace after a bright start to the season.

One of those players that you thought "How did we get him?"
Have read his book and saw a documentary where he was doing good stuff amongst mainly black kids in school.

Wishing you well Paul

Genuine question - wasn't it obvious how he ended up playing below his level? I've always had the impression that he only ended up here because he was black and didn't have the same opportunities a white player would have had to play at a higher level. Abused and frozen out at Chelsea and nobody else would take a chance on him.

Get well soon.

Don't forget that clubs had much smaller squads back then, and due to the salaries of back-up players being much lower, there wasn't the incentive or desire to sit in the reserves picking up top division wages that there is now. Pretty much any player would move on if they got past 21 and weren't a first team player.

As to why no other first division side signed him, who knows? Maybe he didn't want to move from the area, and none of the other London clubs that he'd have got a game for wanted a left winger. It's not as if the racism he faced at Chelsea was the norm everywhere else.

I can think of a few he might not have fancied where rascism was the norm. I bet he was glad he never signed for Leeds at that time. At least he would not have had to buy any fruit when he was shopping, he could have just picked it up off the pitch!

[TiagoIlori]

He is still in critical condition but he is at least “stable”. Fingers crossed he’ll pull through this.

[TiagoIlori]

He’s been able to pull through, not in intensive care anymore just recovering. Was even well enough to make a tweet today.

https://twitter.com/kingcanners/status/ ... 31745?s=21