Would an on form Darren Caskey get into our first team?

[Baines]

If soccer was like American Football and you could only bring Caskey on for (free) kicks he'd have been great.

Indeed - as in the Bournemouth game.

[thefruits]

Darren Caskey was the best passer of a ball that I have ever seen play for Reading, even better than Super Si. The way he could put spin on a ball was just sublime. It was a shame that he could never really get the hang of tackling.
To answer the question, yes, an onform Caskey would get into this team. He had much more ability than Gunnar.

Agree. Caskey on his day was class. His passing was far more astute than either harper or osbourne (he could pass forwards for one instead of sideways).. and his free kicks were different gravy.

Shame with so much talent he squandered it all away.

[Henleyensian]

For those who mentioned Grant Brebner. I live in Melbourne and Grant plays for Melbourne Victory where he is something of a hero. I wouldn't place too much emphasis on that however as Ozzie soccer is, frankly, of an atrocious standard. Grant has basically had a serious gambling addiction for most of his professional life and the word is that he has only recently managed to knock it on the head. He was interviewed recently in the Melbourne Age and said going to Reading was a massive blunder on his part - he went and bought a house in the Thames Valley countryside on his wages and felt completely isolated and lonely.

He doesn't blame anyone but himself that things didn't work out as they may have done and he certainly doesn't blame Reading. He actually sounded in the interview like a really nice bloke. He says he loves Australia but is planning to move back to Scotland when he retires which is where his heart is. Wish I had a link to the article but it's been taken off the newspaper's site as it was a month or two ago.

Hope that may have been of some interest although, probably not.

Thanks for that. I was quite a Grant Brebner fan and thought he had potential from the first time I saw him play - at Wrexham, his first match for us. I happened to say "That boy will turn out to be very good" to the woman next to me, and she replied "I am his mother", so I was rather pleased I had said the right thing.

I understood he left Reading because of his gambling problems and went home where he could be monitored but I felt it was our loss. When you remember that he was one of Tommy Burns's imports, and that those who were still there did not show their best form until Pardew was in charge, I think he would have done quite well, and who knows what might have happened had he still been there at the time of the play-off at Cardiff.

I am glad to hear that he made something of his career in the end and is appreciated down under.

[The whole year inn]

Brebner has the ball (when we are 2-0 down)....

Brebner approaching on goal....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0wUCa-IwJc

Wrexham are 3-0 up.

Classic BBC Radio Berks, I will never forget it... LOL

[Ian Royal]

if your talking about past players making it into our team why not go with the obvious one and say parky in the middle with harper.

but in answer to the original question yes an in from caskey could easily make it untill we sort out our midfeild and use it as our strength again

Because it took until the end of parky's career for him to learn how to pass, by which time he was far too slow for the premiership?

A young Mick Gooding must have been awesome to watch. Early on Caskey would have been a good option, at th epoint when he was clearly playing balls far to clever for the rest of the team.

I also really rated Brebner and will never forgive Burns for sending him back over the border on the cheap when he looked liked forming a division winning partnership with Caskey.

[Riseley]

Technically Caskey had it all and was a pupil of the Glenn Hoddle school of passing. Unfortunately he also ran the school tuck shop. In essence the ability to play at the very highest level was available to him but was not taken.

[Gordons Cumming]

I always thought Osborn would go on and play for England.

Oh well.

[Southbank Old Boy]

The reason Caskey never played in the top division in his career was because he wasn't good enough. He was a traffic bollard for the second part of his career.

You obviously mean apart from the 30 odd games he played for Spurs then? Including him being a key figure in their 4-1 defeat of Man Utd on New Years Day all those years ago.

If Caskey was fit and in the form he would be a better option than Oster or Soel on the right side of midfield, so I'd have to he'd stand a very good chance of getting into our current midfield.

As for Ossie, he'd certainly get a look in as Harps partner. A much better player than Gunnar, and he wasn't afraid to make a tackle either so I think he could've coped with the Premiership.

[Forbury Lion]

Osborn yes. Caskey No. Not dedicated enough although a good passer of the ball and talented enough but not convinced he was hungry enough to be able to perform with consistency at the highest level.

Caskey had more hunger than any Reading player past or present.... How else do you explain his waistline?


Seriouly though, An on form Caskey would score goals from set pieces but an on form Nicky Shorey is capable of that, maybe not as good at it, but capable enough.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Yes

[Royalee]

On today's evidence, easilly.

[winchester_royal]

right now an on form Barry Hunter would get into our team

[Barry the bird boggler]

If we don't watch out, at this rate Sean Evers could get in our team.

[readingbedding]

On today's evidence, easilly.

Stop drinking

[KC Royal]

For those who mentioned Grant Brebner. I live in Melbourne and Grant plays for Melbourne Victory where he is something of a hero. I wouldn't place too much emphasis on that however as Ozzie soccer is, frankly, of an atrocious standard. Grant has basically had a serious gambling addiction for most of his professional life and the word is that he has only recently managed to knock it on the head. He was interviewed recently in the Melbourne Age and said going to Reading was a massive blunder on his part - he went and bought a house in the Thames Valley countryside on his wages and felt completely isolated and lonely.

He doesn't blame anyone but himself that things didn't work out as they may have done and he certainly doesn't blame Reading. He actually sounded in the interview like a really nice bloke. He says he loves Australia but is planning to move back to Scotland when he retires which is where his heart is. Wish I had a link to the article but it's been taken off the newspaper's site as it was a month or two ago.

Hope that may have been of some interest although, probably not.

Thanks for that. I was quite a Grant Brebner fan and thought he had potential from the first time I saw him play - at Wrexham, his first match for us. I happened to say "That boy will turn out to be very good" to the woman next to me, and she replied "I am his mother", so I was rather pleased I had said the right thing.

I understood he left Reading because of his gambling problems and went home where he could be monitored but I felt it was our loss. When you remember that he was one of Tommy Burns's imports, and that those who were still there did not show their best form until Pardew was in charge, I think he would have done quite well, and who knows what might have happened had he still been there at the time of the play-off at Cardiff.

I am glad to hear that he made something of his career in the end and is appreciated down under.

I too was a Brebner fan who wanted to see him do well, and for a while after he left followed his career. Didn't know about his gambling problem but it explains his departure from the club which came as a amassive shock as I thought he could become a key player in the midfield for us. I forget the name but I remeber talking to him on the chatroom on an unofficial network for fans sites for lower league clubs, and from what little I can remember he came across as an honest pro who wanted to succeed.