Reading FC: Legends return for anniversary fixture
Back by popular demand!
Fans of Reading Football Club have picked their combined legends team ahead of a special 150th anniversary match.
To mark the anniversary, the two most successful sides in the club’s history meet for a one-off fixture on 21 May.
Steve Coppell’s 2005/06 team, who won the Championship with a record 106 points, and Brian McDermott’s title winning side of 2011/12 reunite for a unique occasion at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
A number of fans have helped pick the ultimate Reading FC XI, taking the best players from the two teams to help preview the anniversary legends match.
The Managers
Steve Coppell made 360 league appearances in an illustrious playing career, the majority of which came at Manchester United. He also amassed 42 England caps scoring seven goals before retiring in 1983.
He then managed Crystal Palace on four separate occasions, as well as Manchester City, Brentford and Brighton before arriving at Reading in 2003.
His six years in charge were a roaring success with Reading securing their best ever league position in 2007, an eighth place finish in the Premier League.
But after failing to secure a return to the top flight at the first time of asking, Coppell left much the club to the disappointment of Reading fans who implored him to stay.
Following Coppell's departure Reading appointed Brendan Rodgers. But the current Leicester manager found the going tough in Berkshire, and was sacked after just six months in charge with Reading just a point above the relegation zone.
Reading turned to McDermott, who had joined the club as Chief Scout in 2000, following Rodgers' dismissal.
McDermott guided Reading to ninth and fifth place finishes before securing promotion in 2012.
But the Royals struggled to re-establish themselves as a Premier League side, and faced with the threat of relegation, McDermott was dismissed.
He returned to the club after two years away in 2015 but could not spark an upturn in results and was sacked for a second time just six months later.
The pair remain the only two managers to have ever guided Reading into the Premier League.
Choosing a combined XI from the two promotion winning sides was always going to prove challenging for supporters, with both having provided such fond memories...
(Photo credits: Coppell - Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 3.0, McDermott - Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 2.0).
Goalkeeper:
Marcus Hahnemann (2005/06 – 45 appearances, 22 clean sheets)
Adam Federici (2011/12 – 46 appearances, 20 clean sheets)
“This is an easy start for me,” said Mark Roach, Reading fan and host of the 1871 podcast.
“I just think Hahnemann is a better keeper all round. He was a great shot stopper, a commanding presence, and he looked like a keeper, with a bit of a menacing look about him.”
Jacob South-Klein, a regular host on the Elm Park Royals podcast, believes that Hahnemann had an easier task working with a better group of defenders, but still deserves to get the nod.
“It boils down to who you want in the trenches with you,” he said.
“But I’m more likely to go to the pub with Hahnemann than Federici.”
Fan choice: Marcus Hahnemann
Jacob South-Klein makes his case for Marcus Hahnemann
Right-back:
Graeme Murty (2005/06 – 44 appearances, 1 goal, 1 assist)
Shaun Cummings (2011/12 – 34 appearances)
Sadly for Cummings he comes up against a former Reading captain who made 306 league appearances for the club across 10 seasons.
“This is possibly the easiest choice of all,” said Roach.
“Murty was Mr Reading at that time, a truly iconic player.”
Fin South-Klein, younger brother of Jacob and a fellow Royals fan agreed, “You think of the 106 team and you think of Murty.”
Fan choice: Graeme Murty
Jacob South-Klein offers his thoughts on Graeme Murty
Centre-backs:
Ibrahima Sonko (2005/06 – 46 appearances, 3 goals, 1 assist)
Ivar Ingimarsson (2005/06 – 46 appearances, 2 goals, 3 assists)
Alex Pearce (2011/12 – 46 appearances, 5 goals, 2 assists)
Kaspars Gorkss (2011/12 – 42 appearances, 3 goals)
Things became a little trickier when our fans were asked to pick their best two centre-backs, with fond memories of all four players.
Jacob says: “You want consistency and solidity at the back and those are four of the best defenders Reading have ever had.”
But ultimately it was Coppell’s pairing who emerged as the preferred choice.
“Sonko was the athletic stopper, and Ingimarsson was the ball-playing defender. It worked really well as a partnership,” Roach explained.
Sonko, who went onto play for Stoke and Hull in the top-flight after four years with Reading, emerged as the stand-out.
Fin recalled: “Physically he was the perfect centre-back. If you were to create the ideal centre-back in a lab environment from scratch you would come out with Sonko.”
Fan choice: Ibrahima Sonko and Ivar Ingimarsson
Fin South-Klein shares a story his school teacher once told him about Alex Pearce
Left back:
Nicky Shorey (2005/06 – 40 appearances, 2 goals, 11 assists)
Ian Harte (2011/12 – 32 appearances, 4 goals, 8 assists)
“Harte’s free-kicks are just burnt onto my memory,” remembers Jacob.
“He took a free-kick like it was a penalty. In my whole time supporting Reading I’ve never been more confident that someone was going to score when standing over a free-kick.”
But Fin makes the case that Shorey, who earned an England cap during his time in Berkshire, possessed an equally elegant left-foot: “He was a cracking ball-carrier with a beautiful left foot.
“It hurts to say it but he had a bit more pace in him and was the better all-round player.”
Fan choice: Nicky Shorey
Wingers:
Bobby Convey (2005/06 – 45 appearances, 7 goals, 10 assists)
Stephen Hunt (2005/06 – 38 appearances, 2 goals, 6 assists)
Glen Little (2005/06 – 35 appearances, 5 goals, 14 assists)
John Oster (2005/06 – 33 appearances, 1 goal, 4 assists)
Jobi McAnuff (2011/12 – 40 appearances, 5 goals, 11 assists)
Jimmy Kebe (2011/12 – 33 appearances, 3 goals, 10 assists)
Hal Robson-Kanu (2011/12 – 35 appearances, 4 goals)
It was here that the umming and ahing really set in.
“This is easily the most difficult,” Jacob admits.
“When I think of quality Reading sides of the past, our strength laid in our wingers. I think when things went wrong for us in years subsequently, it was because we didn’t have wingers as capable as we did in these two years.”
The choice as to who should play on the right of midfield, however, was undisputed.
Jacob explained: “Glen Little was just so deceptive.
“You have a vision in your head of what a winger is supposed to be like physically and he just wasn’t that. He was lanky, gangly and unorthodox. But he would always find a way to beat his man.
“I don’t know how he did it, and I don’t think he knew how he did it, but he had this unpredictability about him and could weave this spell with an eye for goal.”
Fin recalls one moment from the 2005/06 season with particular fondness.
“The goal he scored against Plymouth makes my jaw drop every time.
“He beats one man, beats another and then decides to chip the goalkeeper from outside the area, it’s perfect. You could hear the gasps of disbelief from the Plymouth fans.”
On the other wing three candidates emerge, in Convey, McAnuff and Kebe.
“I think McAnuff takes it on the other side,” argues Roach.
“A really strong leader, well respected as a player by fans, players and coaches. He was very reliable and you always knew you were going to get a great performance from him, whereas Kebe was a bit more inconsistent.”
Fin agrees: “This was his first season as captain, he was a leader and someone that you always felt safe with when he was in the team. If you’re going to have Murty I think you have to have Jobi too. I adore him.
“When you saw him lift the Championship trophy it really was a case of being chuffed for him as a bloke as well as a player.”
Fan choice: Glen Little and Jobi McAnuff
Central midfielders:
James Harper (2005/06 – 45 appearances, 7 goals)
Steve Sidwell (2005/06 – 33 appearances, 10 goals, 1 assist)
Brynjar Gunnarsson (2005/06 – 29 appearances, 4 goals)
Mikele Leigertwood (2011/12 – 41 appearances, 5 goals, 1 assist)
Jem Karacan (2011/12 – 37 appearances, 3 goals, 2 assists)
Jay Tabb (2011/12 – 19 appearances, 1 assist)
Another shoe-in for the ultimate legends side emerges in the form of former Chelsea midfielder Sidwell.
Jacob said: “It’s rare that a player leaves Reading and goes onto bigger and better things and one of those was Sidwell.
“There’s an argument that we’ve never replaced him since he left. He had an X-factor and a fire about him and you just can’t look past him.”
Roach compared Sidwell to Frank Lampard for his goals from midfield, and so a more defensive-minded partner was sought to accompany him.
“I would always have Karacan,” claims Fin.
“He wouldn’t just run for 90 minutes, he would run for 120 minutes if he could. I can’t remember a player like him.”
“He was like the Duracell bunny,” Jacob adds. “He’s easily one of my favourite Reading players of all time.”
Fan choice: Steve Sidwell and Jem Karacan
Strikers:
Kevin Doyle (2005/06 – 45 appearances, 18 goals, 10 assists)
Dave Kitson (2005/06 – 34 appearances, 18 goals, 2 assists)
Leroy Lita (2005/06 – 26 appearances, 11 goals, 3 assists)
Shane Long (2005/06 – 11 appearances, 3 goals)
Noel Hunt (2011/12 – 41 appearances, 8 goals, 7 assists)
Adam Le Fondre (2011/12 – 32 appearances, 12 goals, 3 assists)
Simon Church (2011/12 – 31 appearances, 7 goals)
Jason Roberts (2011/12 – 17 appearances, 6 goals, 5 assists).
Reading have welcomed a raft of talented goalscorers to RG2 over the years, but one particular partnership is remembered more fondly than any other.
“In terms of pure output and iconic partnerships in Reading’s history it has to be Doyle and Kitson,” said Jacob.
“You can’t ask for much more than 36 goals between the two of them. The perfect partnership.”
“Can I have a sub?!” Roach jokes.
“In terms of his impact I think Roberts is in contention. He was the catalyst for Reading getting promoted.”
Signed on January 26th from Blackburn with Reading eighth in the table, Roberts scored the winner on his debut two days later against Bristol City. He went on to six goals that season, the most famous of which came on a Friday night away to Southampton when Reading won to effectively secure a return to the top flight.
“It’s tempting to put Roberts in but you can’t leave either Doyle or Kitson out,” concludes Roach.
Fan choice: Kevin Doyle and Dave Kitson
A rocky 10 years since
Since relegation from the Premier League in 2013, six different managers have tried to take Reading back to the top flight but each has failed.
The club has slipped down the Championship table, and come close to relegation to League One on three separate occasions, causing attendances to suffer as a result.
Jacob South-Klein reflects on the pride and passion evident in the two promotion winning teams, characteristics which have been sorely lacking in recent years.
A day of celebration awaits...
Reading fans will have one last opportunity to see their heroes take to the field when the legend teams meet at the end of May.
It promises to be an emotional occasion, with many players returning for the first time since their departures.
“Both teams were brilliant, and everything stemmed from the two managers," Fin-South Klein reflects.
“I’m so glad there’s going to be an opportunity to see them in the Reading dug-out one last time.”
Built with Shorthand