When we had wingers….

[The Green Programme]

We currently have a team, indeed a squad, without wingers.

But we have had some great wide attacking players down the years.

Gordon Cumming, Jimmy Kebe, Glen Little, Bobby Convey, Roy Beerens, Mo Barrow, Garath McLeary and many more….

All could beat a man and put in cross after cross.

Under SC our game was about width, pace and crosses into the box.

I remember Fergie commenting after the 1-1 at home that we were a team that put a lot of crosses into by the box and were difficult to play against.

So if you could choose to play any pair, left and right, each from any era, who would you choose, one left, one right.

For me, it’s Glen Little and Bobby Convey. Both of the same era of course.

[Zip]

Gilkes and Keble. I wouldn’t have Beerens on that list personally.
Pace hurts and we just don’t have that now.
I do think Junior Hoilett is still a decent player though and would have been excellent a few years ago.

[The Green Programme]

Gilkes and Keble. I wouldn’t have Beerens on that list personally.
Pace hurts and we just don’t have that now.
I do think Junior Hoilett is still a decent player though and would have been excellent a few years ago.

Gilkes, superb in a poor team at times.

Wembley - Simod - unplayable!

Hoilett is very good; even now; been impressive every game but he’s more central, tucked in behind the main striker or feeding off him.

Beerens did look good on occasions but wasn’t around for long.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Kebe and Convey for me personally.

The opinion may have shifted if McCleary didn't end the way it did and Barrow stopped for significantly longer however. McAnuff deserves a shout.

[leon]

Kebe and Convey for me personally.

The opinion may have shifted if McCleary didn't end the way it did and Barrow stopped for significantly longer however. McAnuff deserves a shout.

Mcanuff was underrated. Excellent defensively.

[King Cnut]

Gordon Cumming.

[paultheroyal]

Kebe and Gilkes - imagine them two in a team....

wish we go back to this way of playing....

[Pepe the Horseman]

Kebe and Gilkes - imagine them two in a team....

wish we go back to this way of playing....

[John Smith]

Beerens was atrocious!

[Pepe the Horseman]

Mark McKeever was pretty good.

[hughsies no.1]

The wing play we have seen over the years with the overlapping full-backs always used to be the Reading way, oh how much we would love to play like that with big AC in the box. The fashion now seems to have wingers play on the opposite wing to their favoured foot, Hoillett an example of this but tbf it has payed off last few games.

Convey and Little no doubt are the best I have seen for the club, but honorable mentions go to -

- Kebe
- McAnuff
- Salako
- Barrow
- Hunt

[Jagermesiter1871]

Are people really not choosing to have Little?

[Millsy]

Yep has to be Kebe or Little on the right and Gilksey on the left.

[Snowflake Royal]

Little and McAunuff

[Snowflake Royal]

I love Gilkes, but the guy really couldn’t cross by 95.

[NathStPaul]

Little has to be in there, he took the piss at times. I will go for Tony Rougier too.

[Brum Royal]

Little and McAunuff

Gets my vote too. Convey and Kebe on the bench.

I quite liked Seol when he was here, but my biggest criticism of him was that after doing all the fancy footwork or beating a man, he'd never then whip the cross in. Otherwise he was pretty handy on his day.

[SCIAG]

Hate to give such a cliche answer, but Little and Convey, with Kebe and McAnuff on the bench. The right balance of pace and finesse.

Fwiw I would certainly count Hoilett as a traditional winger and likewise Azeez. Even Meite is as much a winger as anyone in the England squad or at the big club sides.

[Snowflake Royal]

Hate to give such a cliche answer, but Little and Convey, with Kebe and McAnuff on the bench. The right balance of pace and finesse.

Fwiw I would certainly count Hoilett as a traditional winger and likewise Azeez. Even Meite is as much a winger as anyone in the England squad or at the big club sides.

Being as much a winger as anyone at sides that don't have wingers doesn’t make someone a winger.

[SCIAG]

Hate to give such a cliche answer, but Little and Convey, with Kebe and McAnuff on the bench. The right balance of pace and finesse.

Fwiw I would certainly count Hoilett as a traditional winger and likewise Azeez. Even Meite is as much a winger as anyone in the England squad or at the big club sides.

Being as much a winger as anyone at sides that don't have wingers doesn’t make someone a winger.

Sure, but complaining that we don’t have enough players like Stanley Matthews is like complaining that Coppell didn’t use a sweeper or a false nine. It ignores the wider tactical landscape. These days wingers are expected to be goal threats, particularly in sides that play with one striker. There simply aren’t great numbers of traditional wingers any more. It isn’t Reading having a gap in their squad, it’s that the players don’t exist.

For a very long time after Mcmanaman left, Liverpool fans would complain that they didn’t have a right winger. Now they have Mo Salah, they don’t complain about it any more, even though Salah is more like Robbie Fowler than Steve Mcmanaman.