Forgotten Men of the Madejski Era

[Elm Park Old Boy]

On a different theme, has anyone ever made more of a positive impact than Matthew Upson in only 7 games?

[Stooper]

I think it was the other wing, Haddow was right wing and this lad was left.

Phil Hadland

[The Surgeon of Crowthorne]

On a different theme, has anyone ever made more of a positive impact than Matthew Upson in only 7 games?

Not for Reading - & to think he got into the England squad on the back of those appearances, too.

[strap]

On a different theme, has anyone ever made more of a positive impact than Matthew Upson in only 7 games?

Tommy Wright, although he had about 18 games.
David Lee - 5 goals in 5 games as a defender
Tom Jenkins is probably the best example though, again from half a season.

[Huntley & Palmer]

bit harsh to call Steve Brown a 'forgotten man' of the era, he was a pretty decent player for us before his retirement.

The other not so widely known fact about Browns retirement was that Pardew forced him to return to the team too early due to injuries to other players and Brown maintains this caused his knee to pack up sooner than it would have done had his return been postponed in line with the doctors recommendations.

My source is Steve Brown - I had done some work for him just around that time.

I seem to remember they pumped him full of pain killers for the away game against Cardiff. The one we won in the 112th minute or whatever it was with a Dean Morgan goal to make it 3-2? Two referees got injuries during the game and it may well have been Kitson's debut as well.

Brown was a legend for Charlton and did very well for us here, had one hell of a shot on him as well

[Jerry St Clair]

Tony Thorpe was a loan for about 1 month, despite his record of goalscoring he managed 1 goal, a penalty, in his last game v Preston

One of the great Forgotten Games. Thorpe's penalty was a last minute winner to make it 2-1 I think.

My abiding memory is leaving the ground (about 12k there that day which was HUGE) and a few Preston fans giving it some verbals outside where the safety gate is now. A middle aged fella (who looked for all the world like a ttrainspotter) just screamed "come on then you cowards. All mouth and no trousers, eh?". The PNE boys then just turned and sheepishly trudged off down the hill.

[SpaceCruiser]

Tony Thorpe was a loan for about 1 month, despite his record of goalscoring he managed 1 goal, a penalty, in his last game v Preston

One of the great Forgotten Games. Thorpe's penalty was a last minute winner to make it 2-1 I think.

My abiding memory is leaving the ground (about 12k there that day which was HUGE) and a few Preston fans giving it some verbals outside where the safety gate is now. A middle aged fella (who looked for all the world like a ttrainspotter) just screamed "come on then you cowards. All mouth and no trousers, eh?". The PNE boys then just turned and sheepishly trudged off down the hill.

And I also seem to remember reading a report in the Monday Evening Post about how a Preston player kicked the door to the referee's room. We sent them a bill for repairs.....

[Royal Fleet]

bit harsh to call Steve Brown a 'forgotten man' of the era, he was a pretty decent player for us before his retirement.

The other not so widely known fact about Browns retirement was that Pardew forced him to return to the team too early due to injuries to other players and Brown maintains this caused his knee to pack up sooner than it would have done had his return been postponed in line with the doctors recommendations.

My source is Steve Brown - I had done some work for him just around that time.

I seem to remember they pumped him full of pain killers for the away game against Cardiff. The one we won in the 112th minute or whatever it was with a Dean Morgan goal to make it 3-2? Two referees got injuries during the game and it may well have been Kitson's debut as well.

Brown was a legend for Charlton and did very well for us here, had one hell of a shot on him as well

I remember Pardew being asked once, after Brown had taken another knock 'Will Brown be fit for the weekend' to which Pards replied, 'Steve Brown will never be fit, but he will play!'

Can't say I'm surprised he was retired out of the game, he was a real blood and guts player.

[gazzer, loyal royal]

Michael Dobson,

signed on loan from brentford the year we won the championship and made one sub appearance against stoke when we won 3-1

think he played something like 25 minutes in centre midfield and got a winners medal for it

chris makin as well, reliable when shorey was injured the same season

[RG30]

Did SC help matteres by playing Steve Brown at full back in a 3-0 5:15pm defeat to Crystal Palace? From what I remember he had just came back from injury aswell.

Steve Brown was certainly 1 of my favourite Reading players of recent years, never let this club down and am pleased to see he's back in football with Alan Curbishley at West Ham.

[moo]

didnt we have leo roget on loan (from stockport or someone like that) at the end of the year we got promoted to the old div 1. 01/02 i think. not sure he even made any appearances

Think he just played away at Swindon IIRC, signed that day to cover for an injury crisis, remember turning up at the ground and wondering who the hell was playing at centre half!!! May also have had Ben Roberts in goal that night too, another emergency loan i think

EDIT - Think Roberts got injured in the warm up, the HNA? report of the game says Whitehead 'returned soon than anybody expected', im sure i remember Roberts being their that night though

Haven't read far past this post. I'm 99% sure Whitehead played, didn't he end up wearing a Swindon goalie shirt?

I also recall Reading being linked with the New Zealand Notts County striker the same day as that game, out of interest, who was he?

[Millsy]

The mighty Gurney.

[RG30]

Eric Obinha

[Forbury Lion]

Neil Clement was the Chelsea leftback I was thinking of, later moved to West Brom.

Alan Maybury who was on loan at Leeds later appeared for Leeds in the Champions League, not many ex Reading players (even loanees) can claim that.

[SWLR]

Johnny Mullins (did he ever play)

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Sto ... 69,00.html

At one time he might have hoped to face Premier League opposition every week but there is no trace of bitterness about Reading's decision to let him go in 2006. "I look back at it as something to push me on, not get me down," said the London-born defender

Downing - in your pocket.

[AbovetheI]

Let's take a moment to remember Eric Obinna Chuckwynynynilliwynelli.

[bobbybottler]

David Lee - 5 goals in 5 games as a defender

....plus an own goal scored for Peterborough, in a game when he (and Steve Richardson ) scored at the right end.