Steve Kean - ex RFC player?

[strap]

Am I going gaga in my old age?

Stumbled across this today ..

http://my11.com/blog/blog-page/article/8780/language/en-us

where Steve Kean seems to be suggested Mark McGhee signed him as a player.

I knew he was a Centre of Excellence coach but never thought he played for us. No sign of a record of doign so in the 1st XI, anyone shed any light on this?

His wikipedia page isn't a great deal of help, other than confirming he wasn't much of a player!

[TBM]

Well he was at Newbury in 93/94 so im guessing he came on trial here first/after but didn't make it!?

[FiNeRaIn]

He used to work for RFC in a coaching role I believe, never played for us.

[Dare to Dr£am]

Ex coach.

[TBM]

True fact

He coached me in my short stint in the academy*





*norfcjoe*

[rfcjoe]

[No Fixed Abode]

He was coach at Thatcham Town when I was in the Youth side. Nice bloke and very enthusiastic. Nicer than John Stephenson (the Geordie) who also coached at Thatcham and Reading..he was a bit scary.

[The Cube]

Well, he did play for us - my notes on Steve Kean include:

"Played for the reserves in a 3-0 win v Brentford in 1998/99."

This could only have been to help make up the numbers, though. Tommy Burns and Alan Pardew played in the same game. I believe there were also some genuine reserves involved.

[RepressedRoyal]

He was coach at Thatcham Town when I was in the Youth side. Nice bloke and very enthusiastic. Nicer than John Stephenson (the Geordie) who also coached at Thatcham and Reading..he was a bit scary.

And another jock called Jim Thompson who I worked with for a while, he reckoned he played for Kilmarnock but was sh1t at five a side.

[From Despair To Where?]

He was coach at Thatcham Town when I was in the Youth side. Nice bloke and very enthusiastic. Nicer than John Stephenson (the Geordie) who also coached at Thatcham and Reading..he was a bit scary.

And another jock called Jim Thompson who I worked with for a while, he reckoned he played for Kilmarnock but was sh1t at five a side.

Mark Reilly reckoned he played for Kilmarnock`but he was really shit at eleven a side.

[OLLIE KEARNS]

From memory he came to Reading having been released from Celtic but only made the Reserves. Think he had a trial at Wokingham Town who were a decent non league side in those days but ended up at Newbury. I played against him a couple of times and Newbury also had one Brendan Rogers in the same side. Makes for a good pub quiz question that one. Two current premier league managers playing in a non league side together.

[RepressedRoyal]

He was coach at Thatcham Town when I was in the Youth side. Nice bloke and very enthusiastic. Nicer than John Stephenson (the Geordie) who also coached at Thatcham and Reading..he was a bit scary.

And another jock called Jim Thompson who I worked with for a while, he reckoned he played for Kilmarnock but was sh1t at five a side.

Mark Reilly reckoned he played for Kilmarnock`but he was really shit at eleven a side.

That is very true, good God he was sh1t....yet way back in 1990, I played in a five a side tournament in Gran Canaria with a lad from Hamilton Academicals in a GB team against other European countries. We waltzed it, beating the dastardly Germans in the final and he was named player of the tournament, a class act. So with that in mind, I thought someone from Kilmarnock may be able to at least trap the ball rather than treat it as if it had violated his Grandmother.

[Bring Back The SB]

He was my manager back in the day for a couple of years when I was in the COE in the 90's. Great coach and well liked.

It's when he left and Armstrong (Cant remember his first name) came in that things went wrong. He came straight from the army and made our lifes hell - one nast peice of work.

[MM]

I remember him on the fringes of our reserves and also played against him and Brendan Rodgers in Sunday league football.

Both played for Newbury on Saturday's and both for the same team in Whitchurch on Sunday's (can't remember if it was Abbey Whitchurch or something like that). Amazingly (as ours was not the best Sunday league side by any means) we beat them 4-1 or 4-2 away in a Cup match at Coombe Park (owned by Martin Deaner).

At the time (Mark McGhee era) this was the venue Reading used for training, and I remember the pitch was perfect, like a bowling green. Also playing with this group for Newbury was Andy Deaner (son of Martin) and I think there may have been one or two more but their names escape me now. I think maybe (Graham?) Kemp or something but can't be certain on that one.

Also remember Kean on the coaching staff although could not remember in which capacity.

[No Fixed Abode]

I remember him on the fringes of the reserves and also played against him and Brendan Rodgers in Sunday league football.

Both played for Newbury on Saturday's and both for the same team in Whitchurch on Sunday's (can't remember if it was Abbey Whitchurch or something like that). Amazingly (as ours was not the best Sunday league side by any means) we beat them 4-1 or 4-2 away in a Cup match at Coombe Park (owned by Martin Deaner).

At the time (Mark McGhee era) this was the venue Reading used for training, and I remember the pitch was perfect, like a bowling green. Also playing with this group for Newbury was Andy Deaner (son of Martin) and I think there may have been one or two more but their names escape me now.

I played for Abbey Whitchurch m8 with Andy Deaner. Loved training at Coombe park. Used to play our matches there until we were stopped by the council. Played for Abbey for years, but Brendon and Steve Kean never played then - but they were signed on. We did have Kevin Dillion, Stuart Beavon Snr and Jnr in the team though.

[MM]

I remember him on the fringes of the reserves and also played against him and Brendan Rodgers in Sunday league football.

Both played for Newbury on Saturday's and both for the same team in Whitchurch on Sunday's (can't remember if it was Abbey Whitchurch or something like that). Amazingly (as ours was not the best Sunday league side by any means) we beat them 4-1 or 4-2 away in a Cup match at Coombe Park (owned by Martin Deaner).

At the time (Mark McGhee era) this was the venue Reading used for training, and I remember the pitch was perfect, like a bowling green. Also playing with this group for Newbury was Andy Deaner (son of Martin) and I think there may have been one or two more but their names escape me now.

I played for Abbey Whitchurch m8 with Andy Deaner. Loved training at Coombe park. Used to play our matches there until we were stopped by the council. Played for Abbey for years, but Brendon and Steve Kean never played then - but they were signed on. We did have Kevin Dillion, Stuart Beavon Snr and Jnr in the team though.

I definitely didn't play against Dillon or either of the Beavon's but definitely did play a cup game at Coombe Park against a Whitchurch team that included Kean & Rodgers. Was there somebody else (Kemp?) who was also a Newbury player and quite possibly a Reading youth?

[No Fixed Abode]

Yeah - Graham Kemp. Made the first team bench for Reading for one game. Sounds like you played Abbey just before I joined them.

[Hoop Blah]

Graham Kemp was a decent player. Ended up playing for Slough, again with Deaner (his old man owned them), when they were a reasonable side if I remember rightly.

[79Royal]

Anyone know if a guy called Matt McDonnell was in the same Newbury side that Kean and Rodgers played in? He was a striker and ex-Oxford. Cheers.

[East End Lady]

Pretty sure they played in same side about 1994