The Royals Looking for the Crown - A Reading FC Story

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Brian McDermott Steps Down

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Breaking news today is that Reading FC fan favourite manager Brian McDermott has resigned from his post for family medical issues. This is what Reading had to say with their official club statement.

"Reading FC regrets to announce that manager Brian McDermott has resigned from his post as Manager of Reading Football Club. Brian announced to the board that a member of his close family had medical issues and Brian needed to spend as much time with them as possible. This is the last thing both the club wanted after Bryan had led the club to promotion to the best league in the world we were excited and confident of him helping further progress the football club. It is important Brian's fantastic contribution to the club over nearly 10 years is recognised , he was a member of the back room staff as a coach for many years developing strong bonds with the players and once he got his chance to lead the squad he was fantastic leading us to great league positions in two seasons in the championship. Now the club must look for a replacement for Brian and the sooner the better so we can get the new manager settled in before the start of the new season and he can help improve the squad as me aim to stop in this fabulous division. We ensure to the fans that the appointment we make will not be a rushed one however because the right man is essential to help the club grow. We wish Brian all the best in the future and hopes his family's medical issues improve soon."

Stay tuned for the early favourites for the vacant managerial role.

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Next Reading FC Manager

Nigel Gibbs 5/4

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The current assistant manager Nigel Gibbs is favourite for the position. Following Brian McDermott's fantastic promotion to manager from back room staff Reading are believed to be considering the same style of appointment.

Alan Curbishley 7/2

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The Sky Sports pundit and former Charlton and West Ham manager has been out of management for nearly 3 years and is believed to be ready to return to the game if the right offer comes along. Reading are believed to be ready to take the risk.

Harry Redknapp 5/1

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After his recent departure from Tottenham Harry Redknapp is arguably the most experienced former premier league manager looking for a job and after guiding Portsmouth to FA cup success Reading are understood to be keen for him to do the same.

Ruud Gullit 12/1

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The former Netherlands, Newcastle and Chelsea Manager is an outsider for the job with the board keen to have his well respected characteristics around the club but also see his premier league experience as essential. ​
 
Hello mate, I'm hoping Redknapp signs that would be an awesome appointment. Good start mate am looking foward to this. Have you got any transfer in mind yet. Try to get Redmond he turns out amazing.

I'm doing a Bayern Story feel free to have a read if you like... Bayern Munich - The German Unit
 
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Reading Appoint Howard

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The Royals today have unveiled their new manager Adam Howard. The 25 year old manager is seen by many as a huge risk. He has no managerial experience but Reading have appointed him after he caught the eye with his fantastic opposition reports and tactical analysis he showed in his interview. Reading had this to say.

"Reading FC are proud to announce Adam Howard as our new manager. The young 25 year old has fantastic tactical awareness and has provided us with all of the evidence we need of his knowledge of the game and we are confident a young and fresh manager is the right way for the club to go. We understand fans may be worried about the appointment of a completely inexperienced manager but we are confident the club has taken a wise step towards the future and we hope that the results the club will achieve this season convince you this is the correct step."

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Good start here mate, keep it up. I am interested to see how this goes and I am following.

Would appreciate if you checked out my one and dropped a comment.

Cheers dude
 
Nice start - good luck - i will follow providing you lose to Newcastle and Bilbao and beat Sunderland! lol
 
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Reading's Squad Strengthens

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This transfer window has been a relatively busy one for new Reading Manager Adam Howard bringing in no less than 4 names with just under a month left of the window to go.

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Liverpool defender has joined the newly promoted side on a season long loan with manager Adam Howard saying the following , "Danny is a young talent I admire a lot , he will be essential this year and this move is beneficial to both him and us as he will get the first team experience a player of his calibre deserves."

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Javier Farinos joins the club on a free transfer and is seen by many pundits as a real coup for the club. Manager Adam Howard expressed his delight in this signing, "Javier is capped at international level for the best team in the world , that speaks for itself but he will bring some much needed experience to the side but he will help dictate the tempo of the game and by no means has he lost any of his touch with age."

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Itumeleng Khune , the South African national team goalkeeper has been brought in for a fee rumoured to be in the region of £350,000 and his new manager had the following to say , "His history has it all to say , he has 37 caps for South Africa by the age of 24 and is very agile which is something I like in a goalkeeper since they can rush out and start a counter attack if needed and for the price of the deal this is just all round good business."

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Adam Howard's final and arguably best addition however to his new Reading squad is that of former Celtic goal machine Gary Hooper for a fee rumoured to be in the region of £4million. His new manager had this to say, "Gary is a renowned goal scorer , he has scored goals wherever he has played first at Scunthorpe and then at Celtic and once I got wind that the deal was possible a player of this quality is to good to pass up. Gary will also now be playing in the best league in the world and has informed me he is relishing to opportunity to prove to Roy Hodgson that he deserves a place in his England side."​
 
Undefeated Pre-Season

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New Manager Adam Howard showed off his tactical knowledge that appealed to the Reading board with an undefeated pre-season showing an instant connection with the players and their readiness to settle in to a new system

Reading 6 - 0 Reading Reserves

Pogrebnyak (11), McAnuff (18), Le Fondre (22), Church (o.g 39), Kebe (54), Robson-Kanu (76)


Didcot 0 - 5 Reading

McAnuff (18), Guthrie (48), Le Fondre (67), Hunt (79), Smith (o.g 90)


Basingstoke 0 - 5 Reading

Wilson ( 6 ), Leigertwood (11), Farinos (24, 74), Kenning (o.g 69)


Reading 1 - 1 Derby

Karacan (45)


Wrexham 0 - 7 Reading

Pogrebnyak (17, 35, 79), Farinos (28), Hunt (67), Le Fondre (70), Edwards (o.g 83)


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Le Fondre should be mint for you mate. I hear great things about him. Well done on pre-season bud. Looks good. Can ya swing by and checkout my story mate. Leave a comment to please.
 
Tyrannosaurus said:
Le Fondre should be mint for you mate. I hear great things about him. Well done on pre-season bud. Looks good. Can ya swing by and checkout my story mate. Leave a comment to please.
Click to expand...

I see le fondre as an impact player more than a starter but yes he is a good poacher , will drop by now :)
 
August 2011

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Three games played and nothing to show for it for new manager Adam Howard
Reading draw League Two Rochdale in Capital One Cup third round

Barclays Premier League Match Day 1

Reading 0 - 1 Manchester City



Barclays Premier League Match Day 2

Sunderland 3 - 2 Reading

Kebe (31), Pogrebnyak (65)



Capital One Cup Round 2

Scunthorpe 1 - 4 Reading

Slowcombe (o.g 26), Hooper (40), Pogrebnyak (56, 63)



Barclays Premier League Match Day 3

Reading 0 - 3 Liverpool



August was a difficult month for us. Our home form in the league is something we need to be very solid but when you play teams with the quality of Manchester City and Liverpool it is so hard to prevent a loss. In the game against Manchester City we went down in the first minute and could never find a way back despite being the better team. The Sunderland game was a frustrating one because I would like to say we got something from the game with out attacking threat but Ji Dong Won was on form for the Black Cats and showed his supreme quality with a fantastic hat-trick. In the Capital One Cup game against Scunthorpe we finally got off the mark with a dominant performance which shows just how strong our team is on the attack. Finally in the game against Liverpool I was optimistic after our performance against Manchester City but it was not meant to be and they dominated us from start to finish.

Performer of the Month

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Without a win this month it was hard to choose a performer but Pavel Pogrebnyak was strong in front of goal and his goals in many other situations would have picked us up some points.

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September 2011

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Much improved month for Adam Howard as he puts points on the table
Jason Roberts performs to create a selection dilemma
Reading draw Q.P.R in Capital One Cup 4th round

Barclays Premier League Match Day 4

Fulham 0 - 2 Reading

Roberts (18, 51)


Barclays Premier League Match Day 5

Reading 2 - 0 Swansea

McAnuff (21), Robson-Kanu (90+1)


Capital One Cup Round 3

Reading 3 - 0 Rochdale

McAnuff (45+2), Karacan (54), Le Fondre (56)


Barclays Premier League Match Day 6

Southampton 3 - 2 Reading

Roberts (21), Le Fondre (33)


September was a much improved month for us with 3 wins in 4 games. Going to Craven Cottage on the run of bad form we were on and to dominate the match like that is a great improvement for us. Next up was the Swansea tie and that was a tricky one, they have a good squad and Michael Laudrup is a fantastic manager, we set up to try and control the match but we had to counter attack twice to score the two vital goals we needed to win. Then we had the 3rd round match of the Capital One Cup against Rochdale, obviously we were favourites but we had to show Rochdale some respect but as predicted we dominated the game and progressed through to the next round. Finally our month unfortunately finished on a low point with out loss against Southampton, they were bottom of the league so I hoped for something from the game but Southampton were clinical with their chances but our performance did warrant at least a point but it just wasn't our day.

Performer of the Month

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Jobi was fantastic this month, it was close between him and Jason Roberts but Jobi gave a real captains performance and was vital in both scoring and assisting goals this month, if he keeps that form up he will be a key member of our fight for survival.

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October 2011

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Reading take points from the elite clubs
Manager Adam Howard is beginning to win over the fans
Reading Draw Tottenham in Capital One Cup quarter final

Barclays Premier League Match Day 7

Reading 0 - 0 Arsenal


Barclays Premier League Match Day 8

Aston Villa 3 - 5 Reading

Le Fondre (12, pen 20, 34, pen 68, 78)


Barclays Premier League Match Day 9

Reading 2 - 2 Chelsea

Pearce (34), Roberts (69)


Capital One Cup Round 4

Q.P.R 0 - 2 Reading

Hooper (1), Cisse (o.g 22)


Barclays Premier League Match Day 10

Manchester United 4 - 1 Reading

Le Fondre (62)

I was really nervous of October when I looked at the fixtures on paper but we managed to pull of some major upsets. Draws against Chelsea and Arsenal meant we picked up two points I can honestly say I did not expect. The 8 goal thriller at Villa Park was the highlight of the month with Adam scoring five goals to get us the 3 points we deserved, a little bit of work on defence may be needed after this game but the 3 points is the most important thing for us remaining in this league. Our progression in the Capital One cup would seem to be a real test with Q.P.R currently higher in the league table than us but we proved to be too much for them with Gary setting us on our way in the first minute setting the tone for the tie. Finally was a trip to Old Trafford and it is tricky for the elite clubs in the world and it could have been a lot worse but we scored and we showed some promising signs but Manchester United's superiority ultimately showed through.

Performer of the Month

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This months award was always going to one man and Adam's 5 goal masterful performance at Villa Park was essential to us progressing up the table and he has really began to shunt Gary Hooper out of the side.

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Nice start mate, something to build on for the rest of the season :)
 
November 2011

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Reading win the Battle of the Toon
Only 1 win 4 for the Royals
Cup run finally comes to an end

Barclays Premier League Match Day 11

Reading 5 - 0 Newcastle

Le Fondr​e (1, 83), Pogrebnyak (47), Pearce (56), Cabaye (o.g 62)


Barclays Premier League Match Day 12

Everton 4 - 1 Reading

Le Fondre (64)


Capital One Cup Quarter Final

Reading 0 - 3 Tottenham


Barclays Premier League Match Day 13

Reading 2 - 2 Wigan

Pogrebnyak (43), Pearce (68)

November was a difficult month for us with a huge cup tie for us against Tottenham. First up however was a game against high flying Newcastle but we came up on top with a comfortable 5-0 win as Newcastle fell apart. After that a tough away trip to Goodison and everyone knows that David Moyes' side is renowned for winning games and they did not upset here with there defence proving near impossible to penetrate and there attack carving my team apart. Next up was the biggest game of the season in quarter final of the Capital One Cup and it was clear from the first minute we were to be beaten comfortably by a Tottenham side shown the way by a fantastic Moussa Dembele performance. Finally was a game to try and bounce back after two demoralising defeats and Wigan were currently on a poor run of form but the beautiful game they are renowned for under Roberto Martinez ensured they came away with a point leaving us three games without a win going into a vital and busy December.

Performer of the Month

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Adam yet again picks up the award. It was debatable between him and Alex Pearce but the defensive performances this month apart from the Newcastle have not been good enough to warrant this prize going to a defender so Adam becomes the first player to win this prize in consecutive months.

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December 2011

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Long December full of highs and lows
Reading sit Comfortably in Mid Table
Readin draw Burton in FA Cup 3rd Round

Barclays Premier League Match Day 14

Stoke 1 - 1 Reading

Pearce (89)


Barclays Premier League Match Day 15

Norwich 1 - 2 Reading

Pogrebnyak (18), Gunter (82)


Barclays Premier League Match Day 16

Reading 3 - 2 West Ham

Le Fondre (23), Guthrie (68), Pearce (82)


Barclays Premier League Match Day 17

Reading 0 - 0 West Brom


Barclays Premier League Match Day 18

Tottenham 4 - 2 Reading

Dembele (o.g 8), Pogrebnyak (52)


Barclays Premier League Match Day 19

Q.P.R 1 - 3 Reading

McAnuff (61), Pearce (73), Roberts (90+1)

December was an action packed month for the club resulting in some great points added to our total. First up was an away game against Stoke and the Britania is a renowned fortress but we managed to penetrate the defence in the 89th minute to secure a point. Next up was an away trip to Norwich which was to be a very close tie with yet again a defender scoring a late goal to secure us a vital 3 points in fellow relegation battlers. Next up we hosted West Ham which was to be a close match, they have a quality squad but have been struggling as of late and we managed to secure another 3 points thanks to another late goal from Alex Pearce. After this we hosted the Baggies and it was destined for a goal less draw with West Brom very regimented at the back under Steve Clark's guidance. After this we travelled to White Hart Lane which after we suffered a defeat to Spurs in the cup last month was a nerveracking trip, we did not cause an upset but luckily this time we were alot better in the attack and made for a less demoralising result. Finally we traveled to Loftus Road to play a Q.P.R side full of quality but Alex Pearce once again scored what was to be a key goal in the result.

Performer of the Month

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We had some poor defensive displays this month it is sure but Alex was outstanding scoring 3 goals all of which proved vital in securing wins in late stages of important games, the points he earned us may prove vital in our bid to remain in this fabulous league.

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A Busy Window for Reading as they Spend Big

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This month had some major transfers at the Madjeski stadium with several players leaving and fresh faces filling their places

First up was the departures of Leigertwood, Gunter, Federici, Gorkss and Harte. These were all deemed surplus to requirements by manager Adam Howard despite all featuring in the first half of the season

Next up was the signings Reading made to fill the gaps in the Reading squad.

First up was the signing of Drissa Diakite, the versatile defender joined from Greek giants Olympiakos for a fee rumoured to be in the region of £130,000. For this price Reading manager has signed a top quality player for an absolute steal. Diakite is seen as the ideal replacement for the the first team place left by Chris Gunter.

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Next up was the signing of determinated full back Billy Jones from West Bromwich Albion for a fee rumoured to be in the region of £2.5 million. With such a versatile player manager Adam Howard now has many options within the full back positions and for such a cheap price.

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Next up was Reading's record transfer of 22 year old Brazilian Elkeson from Botafogo for a fee rumoured to be around £9.5 million. His signing comes as a delight to Reading supporters as it shows the progress the club has made. The young Brazilian wonderkid is seen as primarily a playmaker but manager Adam Howard is believed to be wanting to retrain the Brazilian as a winger with his flair providing them with a constant attacking outlet.

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January 2012

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Mixed Month for Reading
Reading ease past Burton and Barnsley
Reading draw Sunderland in Fifth Round

Barclays Premier League Match Day 20

Manchest City 4 - 1 Reading

Le Fondre (67)


FA Cup Third Round

Reading 7 - 1 Burton

Shorey (13), Wilson (15), Pogrebnyak (23, 34), Le Fondre (36), Robson-Kanu (49, 74)


Barclays Premier League Match Day 21

Reading 2 - 1 Sunderland

Le Fondre (13, 49)


Barclays Premier League Match Day 22

Liverpool 2 - 0 Reading


FA Cup Fourth Round

Barnsley 2 - 4 Reading

Pogrebnyak (28, 65, 90+3), Le Fondre (68)


Barclays Premier League Match Day 23

Reading 5 - 0 Fulham

Hooper (6, 23), Wilson (27), Pogrebnyak (79), Elkeson (88)

What a month this would turn out to be. The hardest games on paper were obviously Manchester City and Liverpool, The Etihad and Anfield are two places any team in the world would be concerned at visiting so we did not have to much confidence of picking up results here we just did not want to embarass ourselves and it is safe to say in both games we stayed away from any major embarassment. Our FA Cup tie against Burton in the third round was a special one with a demolishion of the club with us showing our attacking prowess by netting seven goals in a massacre of the Burton defence. This win they secured us a 4th round tie away at Barnsley a match that was more than winnable for us and we proved our supreme quality by coming from behind to secure a comfortable 4-2 win in the end. Our confident dsiplays in the league by beating sunderland has given us confidence for our fifth round tie against them and our demolition of Fulham in the last game of the month was something to give us lots of confidence for next month and is providing the fans with lots of confidence that we can remain in this league.

Performer of the Month

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This month the result has to go to Pavel Pogrebnyak, I had a chat with him earlier in the month about maybe moving him on to another club and us being ready to cash in on his quality but his determined attitude meant he wanted to prove his worth at the club and he proved why he is worth his value to us here at Reading by netting 6 goals this month.

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