Best loan signing

[Tilehurstsouthbank]

Was Steve Mautone a loan signing? Utterly immense from my early Elm Park memories - remember him saving a pen and just generally being a hero in a pretty poor period for us.

Yes he was. Hence the song; Steve Mautone, here on loan!

[Sutekh]

Was Steve Mautone a loan signing? Utterly immense from my early Elm Park memories - remember him saving a pen and just generally being a hero in a pretty poor period for us.

Loan for a month then signed for 250k, looked brilliant until one day he had the temerity to partake of a warm up at Port Vale and that was the end of his career.

Now coaches with Melbourne Victory.

[Smithy]

Ian jureff ? Always remember that hat trick against bognor Regis

[BKnumber6]

Team of loaners 4-5-1

GK: Hahnemann
LB: Griffin
CB: Upson
CB: Khizanishvili
RB: Bertrand
LM: Salako
CM: Leigertwood
CM: Watson (I seem to remember him becoming terrible once we signed him permanently?)
CM: Chaloba
RM: Little (not great during loan but was so brilliant before it that he's in)
ST: Kitson (Same as Little, I still love him so he's in)

[Berxwedan Zinar]

Hahnemann wouldn't even get to the bench, being some way behind Tommy Wright, Chris Woods and Jim Leighton.

Best loan players: I'll pick Mark McKeever for the Stoke game, Steve Blatherwick for seeming like a decent chap and John Humphrey for his performances in Sensible Soccer.

[BR2]

Team of loaners 4-5-1

GK: Hahnemann
LB: Griffin
CB: Upson
CB: Khizanishvili
RB: Bertrand
LM: Salako
CM: Leigertwood
CM: Watson (I seem to remember him becoming terrible once we signed him permanently?)
CM: Chaloba
RM: Little (not great during loan but was so brilliant before it that he's in)
ST: Kitson (Same as Little, I still love him so he's in)

A pretty good starting eleven there-the one change for me would be McKeever instead of Salako as he made such an impression whereas I always felt that Salako had seen better days and was more going through the motions.
The one decent player out of Burns' deadline-day signings was the centre-back from Newcastle with the Irish name who looked really good for us in a poor team but (as with McKeever) never went on to do much.
We have had some excellent keeper loan signings in the more distant past as mentioned earlier by others and IMHO Leighton was possibly the best-unexpectedly so as he had committed a few blunders with Man Utd and Scotland not long before joining us.

[KC Royal]

I will always maintain that this guy was responsible for the 106 season with that assist in the Sheffield United home game, to take us within 3 points of them at the top. Reading legend, as far as I'm concerned.

Now plays for Amiens SC in France. He's 31 now so was only 19 or so when he floated that free kick in....

Gets me thinking this one, how may other Reading players are there that are remembered - favourably - for just one moment on the pitch.

Ulises de La Cruz.
That goal he scored against???? AArgh

Villa

Was against Sheffield United. Still for me the best team goal I've seen us score live. Seem to remember he'd had a shaky start in the game before that too!

As for best ever, can't see past Upson.

[Royalwaster]

Team of loaners 4-5-1

GK: Hahnemann
LB: Griffin
CB: Upson
CB: Khizanishvili
RB: Bertrand
LM: Salako
CM: Leigertwood
CM: Watson (I seem to remember him becoming terrible once we signed him permanently?)
CM: Chaloba
RM: Little (not great during loan but was so brilliant before it that he's in)
ST: Kitson (Same as Little, I still love him so he's in)

Wasn't Little on loan with us and then he signed ... did he come back on loan later?

[genome]

Now plays for Amiens SC in France. He's 31 now so was only 19 or so when he floated that free kick in....

Gets me thinking this one, how may other Reading players are there that are remembered - favourably - for just one moment on the pitch.

Ulises de La Cruz.
That goal he scored against???? AArgh

Villa

Was against Sheffield United. Still for me the best team goal I've seen us score live. Seem to remember he'd had a shaky start in the game before that too!

As for best ever, can't see past Upson.

Ah yeah - we bought him from Villa.

[paultheroyal]

Best loan signing - salako
Worst signing using grant funded money - salako

[RoyalX]

I will always maintain that this guy was responsible for the 106 season with that assist in the Sheffield United home game, to take us within 3 points of them at the top. Reading legend, as far as I'm concerned.

Now plays for Amiens SC in France. He's 31 now so was only 19 or so when he floated that free kick in....

Gets me thinking this one, how may other Reading players are there that are remembered - favourably - for just one moment on the pitch.

Ulises de La Cruz.
That goal he scored against???? AArgh

Sheffield United. Same game Keith Gillespie got sent off moments after coming on

One of my favourite ever goals and favourite ever games.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CDojavqxIW4

[under the tin]

Now plays for Amiens SC in France. He's 31 now so was only 19 or so when he floated that free kick in....

Gets me thinking this one, how may other Reading players are there that are remembered - favourably - for just one moment on the pitch.

Ulises de La Cruz.
That goal he scored against???? AArgh

Sheffield United. Same game Keith Gillespie got sent off moments after coming on

One of my favourite ever goals and favourite ever games.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CDojavqxIW4

Proper football, Wally Downes steaming into Colin, Noisy full stadium.
Oh happy days

[KC Royal]

Now plays for Amiens SC in France. He's 31 now so was only 19 or so when he floated that free kick in....

Gets me thinking this one, how may other Reading players are there that are remembered - favourably - for just one moment on the pitch.

Ulises de La Cruz.
That goal he scored against???? AArgh

Sheffield United. Same game Keith Gillespie got sent off moments after coming on

One of my favourite ever goals and favourite ever games.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CDojavqxIW4

I'd forgotten how lucky that 1-2 between De La Cruz and Harper was! Still a great goal though.
That spat after the Gillespie sending off soured things for me. That was also the game when Sonko picked up his serious injury I've always wondered if he'd not tried to play on whether it might not have turned out so bad, couldn't believe it when he came back on.

[BR2]

Totally agree about Sonko-we said at the time "WTF is he doing carrying on?"
Poor management/physio decision IMHO.

[John Smith]

Sonko was an awful, awful footballer

[donface]

Sonko was an awful, awful footballer

Jesus.

[Forbury Lion]

Does Michael Hector count? - We sold him to Chelsea then loaned him back immediately.

IIRC in the Robin Friday book there was a story about Reading trying to seem one of their goalkeepers but couldn't because he was actually on loan at Reading from Arsenal and the club had forgotten this fact

[Rudolph Hucker]

George Shipley back end of '78-'79 deserves a mention. Never on the losing side for Reading and never even conceded a goal during his loan spell.

[RockheadRumple]

Bongani Khumalo

[Marino13]

loan signings that stick in my mind

upson
mckeever
david lee