Meeting Reading players

[paultheroyal]

Couple of days work experience in 1985/1986.

Ian Branfoot on both days picked me up at my house.....took me to ground etc etc - great experience.

Incredibly then - over the 2 days they trained on the tarmac car park adjacent to Elm Park.

[Wycombe Royal]

Just remembered another one - Mark McGhee.

For my A level Maths Statistics coursework I required some extensive Reading statistics and with the internet back then I asked the club to help. The club historian (David Downs) collated it for me and left it at the office at Elm Park. When I went down to pick it up Mark McGhee was manning the office and handed it over to me. Had a short chat about the team and he seemed like a nice down to earth guy.

[Royalcop]

Met Adie Williams when I was a kid (knew nothing about football then and didn't know, or care, who he was) and he was very down to earth and funny. Gave directions to him a few years afterwards and was again very friendly.

Spoke with Rougier briefly when he was injured - was very chatty and friendly.

Was in Utopia one night in the late 90's and turned round to find an incredibly drunk John Madejski stumbling down the stairs. High-fived him and he slurred something along the lines of, "Where are all the other fans then?" before staggering off. I think the whole team were in that night but I don't remember talking to anyone else.

Served Lawrie Sanchez when working in Heelas years ago, miserable and arrogant. Made a point of asking for his details for an order even though I knew full well who he was.

Favourite player 'meeting' was in Madstad hotel after Cardiff play-off final defeat. Walking towards Jamie Cureton as he came into the hotel, our eyes met and we both pulled a 'shit happens' face and shrugged - no words needed. Poor bloke looked on the verge of tears, unlike Martin Butler who was laughing and joking with Nathan Tyson outside, the massive tool.

Prior to the above, ensured then youth team player Andre Fashanu (John and Justin's nephew) made the coach to the game by paying for his rail fare then taking him to the ground in our taxi. He took my number and promised to pay me back, did he ever call? Did he oxford.

Not a Reading player but honourable mention to then Sunderland player Jody Craddock who was thoroughly agreeable when I saw him in the Metro centre after a Sunderland v Liverpool game. Mate is a Sunderland fan but was too scared to talk to him so I went up and got an autograph.

[Winchester Royal]

Dave Kitson in Winchester O'Neills . Had a drink but I probably bored him, so he left.
Kevin Doyle, Steve Sidwell and Marcus Hahnemann in the players lounge one evening
Served James Harper when I worked on the tills at JJB - he was on the phone for the duration.
Crossed paths at the services with Kevin Watson and Phil Parkinson when they were both at Colchester.

[Harrydog]

Adam Federici in Sainsbury's Winnersh (I still see him in there now). He always wears flip-flops. Latest occasion he was eyeing up the cake section with a mate.
The late Jimmy Kebe in Lower Earley Asda,
didnt say hello to any of them but sensed they got uncomfortable when i stared at them.

[Big Foot]

Met a much younger Shane Long & Jem Karacan on the train home from the Arsenal cup game in 2005. Even got a photo of me & Shane Long together with him holding an A4 piece of paper saying "WHO'S SHANE LONG?" - boy do I wish I could find that.

[Colin Cheeselog]

Also met Adie Williams in the canteen at Farnborough College about 3 years ago, the evening before we played Cardiff at home in the play offs, so we talked about that for a couple of minutes. He was there for his mate who was doing a massage course and Adie volunteered to be practiced on. Oddly he suggested to somebody on the course I was on that they take a picture of us (as opposed to me requesting it). Very nice bloke.

I would upload the picture if I knew how / if it were possible.

[KC Royal]

Summer 2002 met James Harper and Nathan Tyson whilst visiting the stadium for the first time about a month before my first game. Got my picture taken with both, couldn't have met two more contrasting personalities tbh.

[sid]

Met Graeme Murty, resplendent in Southampton club tracksuit, in the Milestones museum in Basingstoke earlier this year. Perhaps early February-ish as it was after our good run. Graeme very thoughtfully held my young son in front of the Southampton badge while I took a photo, and before parting we both reassured each other that Reading would be absoutely fine...

[St. Brynjar]

Jimmy Kebe in Vue cinema is as good as life gets.

[TBM]

Summer 2002 met James Harper and Nathan Tyson whilst visiting the stadium for the first time about a month before my first game. Got my picture taken with both, couldn't have met two more contrasting personalities tbh.

Have i ever mentioned that Nathan is a mate of mine?

[From Despair To Where?]

High Fived Ibrahima Sonko in the turtle after the the Derby 4-0 win that clinched the title. Also chatted to Scott Golbourne who wasnt at all interesting.

Did you leave early and miss the pitch invasion then?

[KC Royal]

Summer 2002 met James Harper and Nathan Tyson whilst visiting the stadium for the first time about a month before my first game. Got my picture taken with both, couldn't have met two more contrasting personalities tbh.

Have i ever mentioned that Nathan is a mate of mine?

Not that I can recall, though that may not be the first time I've mentioned that so you might have done!

[floyd__streete]

Met quite a few of them when they gate crashed our sixth form xmas party at Nue Val Bonnes circa 1998. They'd had theirs that night too, and all came in after despite us having booked the club out they let them all in, which was fair enough really we weren't too fussed.

+1 to that. Mainly a sound bunch apart from Barry Hunter who punched me on the shoulder, a trick he later repeated on Wax Jacket. Ray Houghton danced a bit too closely with 16-18 y/o girls on the dancefloor IIRC. And John Madejski was absolutely plastered.

[Green]

Yeh I remember JM was holding court in the gents, fielding questions from a bunch of equally pissed up a level students.

The kit man who's name escapes me (if I ever even knew it) was gr8 value IIRC.

[madreadingfan]

In 2006, I stupidly spoke to Shane Long in front of all his family after the Man United game (1-1 draw) and said "well played today mate". He looked at me confused and went red to which my dad started frantically apologising as he didn't even get on the pitch

Met Bryn ice skating out of all places about 5 years ago, nice guy

Met Doyle whilst walking through Waterstones in The Oracle , my reaction was "shittt, kevin doyle.. HI" - Nice Bloke

Met Nigel Adkins rather soon after he got appointed. Spoke to me for a while - really chatty with high ambitions

[SLAMMED]

*Meating

[Ascotexgunner]

Met a few but the one that sticks in my mind was a then manager Charlie Hurley.
Watched me play in a primary school Clifford Cup final match in the mid 70s in Bracknell.
Lovely chap.

[handbags_harris]

Jay Tabb, Shane Long, Jimmy Kebe and Michail Antonio on the train back from Derby in December 2010. Jay and Shane very approachable, very apparent Tabb loves his horses, Shane just loved the fact he always scored against Derby. Kebe & Antonio kept themselves to themselves. RG30 and Compos Hat in attendance also.

Post RFC Glen Little on the train back from Forest in January 2010, he was travelling back from Sheffield. A man who we couldn't keep quiet, some very revealing things spoken about in the 2 and half hours spent with him in the company of floyd__streete regarding the 05/06 team.

Spent a good few hours with Shane Long, Graeme Murty, Marcus Hahnemann, Greg Halford, Aaron Brown and A N Other who escapes my memory at the STAR quiz in 2007, Alan Partridge, floyd__streete amongst others in attendance. Murty and Hahnemann very approachable, AP seemed intent on discussing all things goalkeeper gloves with him, Halford seemed distant (quelle surprise) and Longy was too wrapped up with his pretty fit Mrs to bother with anything else.

Jeff Hopkins in 1993, his old man lived just around the corner from me in Theale on the corner of Crown Lane and Blossom Lane. Saw him doing some gardening one random day and stood there chatting to him and his parents for what must have been a good couple of hours. Lovely bloke, a bit in awe of him tbf.

Jason Roberts in the players bar after Blackpool in 2012, very quickly joined by Brett Ormerod and Keith Southern (the latter I didn't realise until too late, I may have mentioned his shocking challenge on Bryn in the February 2010 defeat at Bloomfield Road). All very friendly chaps, Roberts seemed particularly intent on including me in the conversation which was and and all at the same time. Ormerod was lauding how we were doing and questioned what our fixtures were like at the end of the season - tbf to us that year, with the run of fixtures we had, to come away with such a run of wins was absolutely incredible.

Spoken to Kevin Watson and Graeme Murty a couple of times in the players bar as well. Again, both very approachable chaps.

Kalifa Cisse, Andre Bikey and Jimmy Kebe all lived a matter of yards away from me, Cisse a lovely chap, Kebe a bit of a recluse and his Mrs just retarded, Andre Bikey was a decent chap as well. Idle chatter, nothing to report here. Not Reading related but David McCracken also lived opposite them, ex Dundee Utd, Wycombe, MK Dons, Brentford and St Johnstone (with a loan at Bristol Rovers thrown in), now at Falkirk. Down to earth and all that.

I remember Archie Lovell sitting with the fans at Charlton in September 96, didn't have the balls to approach him then though

Oh, and have spoken personally to Steve Coppell and Brian McDermott about a variety of things. Star-struck with the former, bloke next door rection to the latter.

[RoyalBlue]

Myself and the family met Steve Sidwell (plus Krystell), Blakey, Bobby Zamora and GF, in the bar at the Madejski Hotel on the New Year's Eve prior to the massacre of West Ham.

We were a bit worried about intruding but Krystell was really nice and insisted that the star-struck kids joined them at their table for a chat and autographs. We were staying at the hotel that night and as we went down to breakfast the next morning the lift stopped and in got Steve Sidwell. He immediately started chatting again and asked us how whether we had had a good New Year's Eve (he explained that he had stayed at the hotel so that he would get a good night's sleep undisturbed by his baby son). As we got out of the lift he said that he hoped that we would enjoy the game - boy did we enjoy that game!