Best player you've ever seen play against us

[Nameless]

Keith Gillespie for Sheffield United is a performance I Shall never forget.....

[Hendo]

Keith Gillespie for Sheffield United is a performance I Shall never forget.....

Would that technically count as an appearance? He entered the field of play, yes, but was red carded before play was restarted

[South Coast Royal]

Keith Gillespie for Sheffield United is a performance I Shall never forget.....

Knowing his off-field track record I wonder if he had somebody place a bet on him to get a red card.

There have been so many good players but as a team the Man City side that stuffed us 7-0 was something else in terms of performance.

[Nameless]

Keith Gillespie for Sheffield United is a performance I Shall never forget.....

Would that technically count as an appearance? He entered the field of play, yes, but was red carded before play was restarted

I believe as he had entered the field of play and the player he was replacing had left it then it would count. Presumably it would be recorded as zero seconds though.
It’s not often the fans give an opposing player a standing ovation as they leave the pitch.....

[Hendo]

Keith Gillespie for Sheffield United is a performance I Shall never forget.....

Would that technically count as an appearance? He entered the field of play, yes, but was red carded before play was restarted

I believe as he had entered the field of play and the player he was replacing had left it then it would count. Presumably it would be recorded as zero seconds though.
It’s not often the fans give an opposing player a standing ovation as they leave the pitch.....

What a day that was!

[Nameless]

Keith Gillespie for Sheffield United is a performance I Shall never forget.....

Would that technically count as an appearance? He entered the field of play, yes, but was red carded before play was restarted

I believe as he had entered the field of play and the player he was replacing had left it then it would count. Presumably it would be recorded as zero seconds though.
It’s not often the fans give an opposing player a standing ovation as they leave the pitch.....

In fact having thought it through, it must have counted as an appearance. If the ref had decided the substitution had not actually been completed then GIllespie would have still only been a sub. Warnock could then have put someone else on instead of Gillespie, presumably with the same instructions as to what to do to our players....

[hughsies no.1]

A few spring to mind -

Hoekstra (2003), Stoke 3-0 Reading - don't think I had ever heard of him before the game, certainly had by the time we left the Britannia - absolutely tore us apart down our right side and bagged himself a hat-trick

Lescott (2003), Reading 0-1 Wolves - I thought he was immense that game and we could have been there all night and still not be able to get past him (that Alex Rae goal still haunts me).

Hulse (2005), Leeds 3-1 Reading - he was making his debut for Leeds, bagged a brace - just looked a beast up front and couldn't get near him all game

Henry (2006), Reading 0-4 Arsenal - know it has been mentioned before on this thread, hated playing Arsenal as they always played us off the park and Henry was magnificent, what a player

Hazard (2012), Chelsea 4-2 Reading - think it was his home debut and obviously arrived with a big reputation, we were new boys to the prem and I remember the pace, close control and skill he had that game - we couldn't get near him. Obviously turned out to be a long season for us.

Then aside from individual performances, Wayne Routledge always did a job on us for whoever he played for - Palace, QPR, Swansea. Nakhi Wells and Andy Johnson always loved it against us.

[leon]

A few spring to mind -

Hoekstra (2003), Stoke 3-0 Reading - don't think I had ever heard of him before the game, certainly had by the time we left the Britannia - absolutely tore us apart down our right side and bagged himself a hat-trick

Lescott (2003), Reading 0-1 Wolves - I thought he was immense that game and we could have been there all night and still not be able to get past him (that Alex Rae goal still haunts me).

Hulse (2005), Leeds 3-1 Reading - he was making his debut for Leeds, bagged a brace - just looked a beast up front and couldn't get near him all game

Henry (2006), Reading 0-4 Arsenal - know it has been mentioned before on this thread, hated playing Arsenal as they always played us off the park and Henry was magnificent, what a player

Hazard (2012), Chelsea 4-2 Reading - think it was his home debut and obviously arrived with a big reputation, we were new boys to the prem and I remember the pace, close control and skill he had that game - we couldn't get near him. Obviously turned out to be a long season for us.

Then aside from individual performances, Wayne Routledge always did a job on us for whoever he played for - Palace, QPR, Swansea. Nakhi Wells and Andy Johnson always loved it against us.

Johnson didn’t like the 3-2 in 2015.

[bcubed]

oxf*rd Walcott. As soon as he made it 4-1 right on half time, a bad feeling came over me. I remember walking down the steps to the concourse texting my uncle and saying something along the lines of "really could've done without conceding that goal right on half time, going to give them a massive boost now"

Only Reading fans could feel that we've messed up, when still 4 - 1 up

I recall looking around the stand and seeing something on everyone's faces.
Not sure exactly what it was, but it was the same look as at the play off final in 95 when Lovell missed the penalty at 2-0 up.

Perhaps there's a place deep within every Reading fan there is full of pessimism?!

[Hendo]

oxf*rd Walcott. As soon as he made it 4-1 right on half time, a bad feeling came over me. I remember walking down the steps to the concourse texting my uncle and saying something along the lines of "really could've done without conceding that goal right on half time, going to give them a massive boost now"

Only Reading fans could feel that we've messed up, when still 4 - 1 up

I recall looking around the stand and seeing something on everyone's faces.
Not sure exactly what it was, but it was the same look as at the play off final in 95 when Lovell missed the penalty at 2-0 up.

Perhaps there's a place deep within every Reading fan there is full of pessimism?!

I don't think there is any perhaps about it There was an odd feeling at HT that day, that goal right on HT, really did take the wind out of everyone a little bit.

[Franchise FC]

oxf*rd Walcott. As soon as he made it 4-1 right on half time, a bad feeling came over me. I remember walking down the steps to the concourse texting my uncle and saying something along the lines of "really could've done without conceding that goal right on half time, going to give them a massive boost now"

Only Reading fans could feel that we've messed up, when still 4 - 1 up

I recall looking around the stand and seeing something on everyone's faces.
Not sure exactly what it was, but it was the same look as at the play off final in 95 when Lovell missed the penalty at 2-0 up.

Perhaps there's a place deep within every Reading fan there is full of pessimism?!

I don't think there is any perhaps about it There was an odd feeling at HT that day, that goal right on HT, really did take the wind out of everyone a little bit.

It was the Hunt penalty decision that did for me - would have made it 5-1 and even the Arse would have struggled from there

[DandyRoyal]

Bit of a random shout, but I was at a pre-season friendly at home V Newcastle in...I don't know when to be honest, my head is saying 1999?

Anyway, Ruud Gullit was their player-manager and decided to bring himself on for whatever reason in the second half, in his late 30s I suppose, and he just seemed like a God amongst insects (speaking for both teams then), he was just strolling around in the middle of the park and pinging it all over the place, brilliant decisions, perfect accuracy.

I think this happened and isn't just some fiction I have created, but I would only have been about 12 so my memory is hazy.

[Cape Town Royal]

Bit of a random shout, but I was at a pre-season friendly at home V Newcastle in...I don't know when to be honest, my head is saying 1999?

Anyway, Ruud Gullit was their player-manager and decided to bring himself on for whatever reason in the second half, in his late 30s I suppose, and he just seemed like a God amongst insects (speaking for both teams then), he was just strolling around in the middle of the park and pinging it all over the place, brilliant decisions, perfect accuracy.

I think this happened and isn't just some fiction I have created, but I would only have been about 12 so my memory is hazy.

Funny you should say that. When he first signed for Chelsea, a few of my mates went to see them play at Bristol City in a pre season friendly and he was man of the match, did exactly what you said and I swear he never left the centre circle at any point. He was on another planet to every other player on the pitch.

I agree with all the recent ones mentioned, but to throw in a couple against us, one was a young Trevor Steven for Burnley who was brilliant and I had never heard of him before. Also Stuart Mcall playing for that Bradford side that walked the league, they came to Elm Park and won 3-0 and He absolutely ran the game.

[windermereROYAL]

George Best.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Bit of a random shout, but I was at a pre-season friendly at home V Newcastle in...I don't know when to be honest, my head is saying 1999?

Anyway, Ruud Gullit was their player-manager and decided to bring himself on for whatever reason in the second half, in his late 30s I suppose, and he just seemed like a God amongst insects (speaking for both teams then), he was just strolling around in the middle of the park and pinging it all over the place, brilliant decisions, perfect accuracy.

I think this happened and isn't just some fiction I have created, but I would only have been about 12 so my memory is hazy.

He never actually played for Newcastle, so unless he just put his boots on for a friendly you either imagined it or it was actually a friendly against Chelsea.

[BR0B0T]

Random one but the midget Chelsea midfielder - whatshisname - Gianfranco Zola.

OK, it was a PSF at EP but it was just a pleasure to watch him control the match with seemingly so little effort.

Hardly ever gave the ball away

[BR0B0T]

Ronaldo vs Murty sticks in my mind.
(And Gus Poyet in a pre-season friendly I seem to recall)

Ronaldo is the best player I've seen against Reading

Gave Murty a hamstring injury on two occasions

[Orion1871]

Bit of a random shout, but I was at a pre-season friendly at home V Newcastle in...I don't know when to be honest, my head is saying 1999?

Anyway, Ruud Gullit was their player-manager and decided to bring himself on for whatever reason in the second half, in his late 30s I suppose, and he just seemed like a God amongst insects (speaking for both teams then), he was just strolling around in the middle of the park and pinging it all over the place, brilliant decisions, perfect accuracy.

I think this happened and isn't just some fiction I have created, but I would only have been about 12 so my memory is hazy.

He never actually played for Newcastle, so unless he just put his boots on for a friendly you either imagined it or it was actually a friendly against Chelsea.

The official Newcastle website must have imagined it too.

https://www.nufc.co.uk/news/archive/font-color-redstrongmagpie-memoriesstrongfont-when-ruud-ran-out-at-reading/

I was there as well and as DandyRoyal said, Gullit was absolutely superb.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Bit of a random shout, but I was at a pre-season friendly at home V Newcastle in...I don't know when to be honest, my head is saying 1999?

Anyway, Ruud Gullit was their player-manager and decided to bring himself on for whatever reason in the second half, in his late 30s I suppose, and he just seemed like a God amongst insects (speaking for both teams then), he was just strolling around in the middle of the park and pinging it all over the place, brilliant decisions, perfect accuracy.

I think this happened and isn't just some fiction I have created, but I would only have been about 12 so my memory is hazy.

He never actually played for Newcastle, so unless he just put his boots on for a friendly you either imagined it or it was actually a friendly against Chelsea.

The official Newcastle website must have imagined it too.

https://www.nufc.co.uk/news/archive/font-color-redstrongmagpie-memoriesstrongfont-when-ruud-ran-out-at-reading/

I was there as well and as DandyRoyal said, Gullit was absolutely superb.

Fair fcuks, must've just put his boots on for a friendly then.

[Davezk]

oxf*rd Walcott. As soon as he made it 4-1 right on half time, a bad feeling came over me. I remember walking down the steps to the concourse texting my uncle and saying something along the lines of "really could've done without conceding that goal right on half time, going to give them a massive boost now"

Also didn't help that night that the ref allowed one of their players to rugby tackle Hunt inside the penalty box, he missed a blatant red card for Koscielny, and he went miles over time for their equaliser

That was a real killer as the route to the final that year was one of the easier ones, would have played Bradford next to get into the semis, which was against struggling Villa

I remember Koscielney should have had a 2nd yellow think it was on about 86 mins and then inevitably plays a role in their comeback. Walcott in 96th min of 4 mins added time.