Loan players

[Sutekh]

Steve Death, forgot he came on loan first - that was way back in 1970 so he must be the first player Reading took on loan. Didn't think the loan system really started properly until the late 70s though.

Funny that its difficult to recall outstanding loans only mediocre or best forgotten ones; Luke Chadwick and Mark Robins for example. But then I suddenly remember Mark Nicholls who did well on loan from Chelsea for a month or so in 2000.

[maffff]

Steve Death, forgot he came on loan first - that was way back in 1970 so he must be the first player Reading took on loan. Didn't think the loan system really started properly until the late 70s though.

Funny that its difficult to recall outstanding loans only mediocre or best forgotten ones; Luke Chadwick and Mark Robins for example. But then I suddenly remember Mark Nicholls who did well on loan from Chelsea for a month or so in 2000.

Upson.

[Hound]

Grabban has made his loan worthwhile in the last two games

Mutch on the other hand - think that may be the last we see of him. Unless he picked up an injury in training to not even make the bench yesterday shows where he stands.

[Whore Jackie]

For proving their worth; Hahnemann tops the list for me. Closely followed by Little, then Upson.

Should we not limit it to how players played while on loan, not how they did once the loan became permenant ? Hahnemann didn't start at all impressively but obviously went on to do ok !

Little was pretty average during his loan spell as well.

Indeed.

Leigertwood too, who had one of the worst debuts I've ever seen. Only beaten in the debut incompetence levels by Nixon, who from memory only played the one game for us away at Leeds in the League Cup.

[Maguire]

Matt Upson is the best loan player I can remember seeing. Bit of a slow start (lost away at Cambridge IIRC) but once he got fit he was absolutely imperious.

Often seems to take loans a while to get up to speed, presumably as they're not match fit/sharp (Leigertwood another good case study).

[Platypuss]

Matt Upson is the best loan player I can remember seeing. Bit of a slow start (lost away at Cambridge IIRC) but once he got hit he was absolutely imperious.

Some bloke called KItson was pretty impressive in that game, despite getting some right dog's abuse.

[K9hassel]

Dave Sutton On loan from Plymouth in late 1970s. Looked very good in central defence and looked like he was on the way but got a better offer from Huddersfield . Very good player at that level. It seemed to me back then if a player joined on loan he was 99% sure of joining,the loan was just a formality.

Ian Porterfield .Created quite a buzz when he joined on loan from Sunderland and made debut at home vs Brighton . And that was it. Came back later to haunt us as a manager.

[RoyalBlue]

Dave Sutton On loan from Plymouth in late 1970s. Looked very good in central defence and looked like he was on the way but got a better offer from Huddersfield . Very good player at that level. It seemed to me back then if a player joined on loan he was 99% sure of joining,the loan was just a formality.

Ian Porterfield .Created quite a buzz when he joined on loan from Sunderland and made debut at home vs Brighton . And that was it. Came back later to haunt us as a manager.

Gave us a great day at Wembley - we came from behind and actually won!

Gave us the record with 13 straight wins from the start of a season. I can remember T shirts being printed at that point with the league table on them and something like 'Reading First, the rest nowhere!'.

The end of his reign was dire - I remember the post game 'meeting' in Norfolk Road with Roger Smee when he said 'He got us into this mess and he can damn well get us out of it' - nevertheless we had some good times under him and he was one of our more successful managers.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Ian Royal did all that?

No, nor Ian Porterfield

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Dave Sutton On loan from Plymouth in late 1970s. Looked very good in central defence and looked like he was on the way but got a better offer from Huddersfield . Very good player at that level. It seemed to me back then if a player joined on loan he was 99% sure of joining,the loan was just a formality.

Ian Porterfield .Created quite a buzz when he joined on loan from Sunderland and made debut at home vs Brighton . And that was it. Came back later to haunt us as a manager.

Gave us a great day at Wembley - we came from behind and actually won!

Gave us the record with 13 straight wins from the start of a season. I can remember T shirts being printed at that point with the league table on them and something like 'Reading First, the rest nowhere!'.

The end of his reign was dire - I remember the post game 'meeting' in Norfolk Road with Roger Smee when he said 'He got us into this mess and he can damn well get us out of it' - nevertheless we had some good times under him and he was one of our more successful managers.

I thought that was Ian Branfoot.....

Am I missing something?

[From Despair To Where?]

RoyalBlue having a mare there.

The Porterfield era was notable for being 18 months of unremitting shite on and off the pitch. Awful, awful times.

[Sutekh]

RoyalBlue having a mare there.

The Porterfield era was notable for being 18 months of unremitting shite on and off the pitch. Awful, awful times.

TBF to Ian he wasn't helped with having no money to spend and boardroom upheaval with Roger Smee desperately trying to find a buyer for the club. If nothing else he brought us; staying power in the FA Cup (how many games to remove Bristol Rovers and then Welling?), Mick Gooding and Keith McPherson plus beating Sunderland and drawing with Newcastle.

[From Despair To Where?]

RoyalBlue having a mare there.

The Porterfield era was notable for being 18 months of unremitting shite on and off the pitch. Awful, awful times.

TBF to Ian he wasn't helped with having no money to spend and boardroom upheaval with Roger Smee desperately trying to find a buyer for the club. If nothing else he brought us; staying power in the FA Cup (how many games to remove Bristol Rovers and then Welling?), Mick Gooding and Keith McPherson plus beating Sunderland and drawing with Newcastle.

It wasn't meant as a comment on Porterfield as more a comment on getting Porterfield and Branfoot mixed up. Chalk & cheese really.

The Branfoot era was promotions and cup finals. You remember the odd game under Porterfield but generally it was financial difficulties and crap football.

Look at our record in the last 20 games of 1990-91

P 20 W 4 D 4 L 12 F 13 A 32.

Dour and ununspiring.

[grey_squirrel]

Dave Sutton On loan from Plymouth in late 1970s.........

.........had the most ridiculous, squeaky, high-pitched voice ever known to man.

[grey_squirrel]

Ian Porterfield . Came back later to haunt us as a manager.

I remember Roger Smee took the unusual step of publicly advertising the actual salary for the Managers position, which was £60,000 per annum.
When was it? 1989?

[WoodleyRoyal]

Steve Blatherwick steadied the ship in a potential relegation season in 97 along with Tommy Wright, who was one of the most successful loans i remember, big shoes to fill after shaka's departure.

[Victor Meldrew]

Dave Sutton On loan from Plymouth in late 1970s. Looked very good in central defence and looked like he was on the way but got a better offer from Huddersfield . Very good player at that level. It seemed to me back then if a player joined on loan he was 99% sure of joining,the loan was just a formality.

Ian Porterfield .Created quite a buzz when he joined on loan from Sunderland and made debut at home vs Brighton . And that was it. Came back later to haunt us as a manager.

Gave us a great day at Wembley - we came from behind and actually won!

Gave us the record with 13 straight wins from the start of a season. I can remember T shirts being printed at that point with the league table on them and something like 'Reading First, the rest nowhere!'.

The end of his reign was dire - I remember the post game 'meeting' in Norfolk Road with Roger Smee when he said 'He got us into this mess and he can damn well get us out of it' - nevertheless we had some good times under him and he was one of our more successful managers.

As you say, Branfoot was quite successful and his style was the direct opposite of Stam's with the emphasis on" direct".
Don't mention the Branfoot era to Saints fans.
In both instances the styles have been successful but also in both instances at times both boring.
What's the saying? Something like "there is more than one way to skin a cat""

Wasn't Jim Leighton a loan signing?
Up there with Shaka and Marcus as one of our best keepers.

[Four Of Clubs]

... bit of an RTG faint recall here .... but anyone else remember Micky Nutton who came on loan from Chelski back in the middle of the disastrous 82-83 season - made only six appearances for us yet managed to put in some imperious performances in a hitherto leak-ridden back four.

Can remember thinking at the time he was a bit of an oddity for a CB (which is I think where we used him) being relatively slight of frame but very quick and good with both feet. Was disappointed we didn't try harder to keep hold, as we improved so markedly with him in the line-up.

We actually went unbeaten in that spell - possibly W3 D3 ... but naturally flopped as soon as he left.

- he ended up at Millwall where he played for about 4 years but being a bit slight of frame for a CB, I expect eventually the bashes, bangs & scrapes of the lower leagues in the 80s did for him.

...... sidles quietly back to GF