Ex Players

[SCIAG]

Lita, Asaba and Convey are all a mixed bag.

Lita was quality in 106, and a small spurt in the first prem season, but he never really performed consistently and ended up failing.

Convey - FDTW has summed up perfectly.

Asaba actually did ok in a poor team, and was only here 1 season, but didn’t meet the heights his price tag really required.

Not outright failures, but also not complete and unequivical successes fully justifying their status as record signings.

I think with Convey he took a year to settle, and in his third season, we didn't miss him because Hunt really stepped up and Seol came in and was massive. I thought Seol, for all his faults, was a huge player. We were a hard working, well organised side and he just threw in a huge dose of flair into the mix.

Seol, of course, was a record signing in his own right.

Other record signings who come to mind...

Matt Mills - ~£2m
Adrian Mariappa - ~£3m
Tiago Ilori - ~£3.75m

Of whom, Mills was a mixed bag, Mariappa was a good player in a shambolic side, and Ilori was a huge disappointment.

But tbh it doesn't feel right to call Convey a "qualified" success. For me personally, if I was picking the greatest Reading team in my lifetime it would have Convey in it. Like, sorry to Gilkesy and McAnuff but Convey was on another level. (I think the only way he doesn't make it is if I both decide I want Gylfi and I want 4-4-2, which means Gylfi going out to the left) I don't think we can ask much more of a record signing than getting us promoted and arguably being our best ever player in his position. With apologies to those who remember Gordon Cumming.

[Snowflake Royal]

Lita, Asaba and Convey are all a mixed bag.

Lita was quality in 106, and a small spurt in the first prem season, but he never really performed consistently and ended up failing.

Convey - FDTW has summed up perfectly.

Asaba actually did ok in a poor team, and was only here 1 season, but didn’t meet the heights his price tag really required.

Not outright failures, but also not complete and unequivical successes fully justifying their status as record signings.

I think with Convey he took a year to settle, and in his third season, we didn't miss him because Hunt really stepped up and Seol came in and was massive. I thought Seol, for all his faults, was a huge player. We were a hard working, well organised side and he just threw in a huge dose of flair into the mix.

Seol, of course, was a record signing in his own right.

Other record signings who come to mind...

Matt Mills - ~£2m
Adrian Mariappa - ~£3m
Tiago Ilori - ~£3.75m

Of whom, Mills was a mixed bag, Mariappa was a good player in a shambolic side, and Ilori was a huge disappointment.

But tbh it doesn't feel right to call Convey a "qualified" success. For me personally, if I was picking the greatest Reading team in my lifetime it would have Convey in it. Like, sorry to Gilkesy and McAnuff but Convey was on another level. (I think the only way he doesn't make it is if I both decide I want Gylfi and I want 4-4-2, which means Gylfi going out to the left) I don't think we can ask much more of a record signing than getting us promoted and arguably being our best ever player in his position. With apologies to those who remember Gordon Cumming.

Seol was an exchange, so not really a record signing.

[From Despair To Where?]

I think with Convey he took a year to settle, and in his third season, we didn't miss him because Hunt really stepped up and Seol came in and was massive. I thought Seol, for all his faults, was a huge player. We were a hard working, well organised side and he just threw in a huge dose of flair into the mix.

Seol, of course, was a record signing in his own right.

Other record signings who come to mind...

Matt Mills - ~£2m
Adrian Mariappa - ~£3m
Tiago Ilori - ~£3.75m

Of whom, Mills was a mixed bag, Mariappa was a good player in a shambolic side, and Ilori was a huge disappointment.

But tbh it doesn't feel right to call Convey a "qualified" success. For me personally, if I was picking the greatest Reading team in my lifetime it would have Convey in it. Like, sorry to Gilkesy and McAnuff but Convey was on another level. (I think the only way he doesn't make it is if I both decide I want Gylfi and I want 4-4-2, which means Gylfi going out to the left) I don't think we can ask much more of a record signing than getting us promoted and arguably being our best ever player in his position. With apologies to those who remember Gordon Cumming.

Seol was an exchange, so not really a record signing.

Pretty sure we exchanged Seol out for Rosenior, not in. The fee was reportedly £1.5m

[Snowflake Royal]

Seol, of course, was a record signing in his own right.

Other record signings who come to mind...

Matt Mills - ~£2m
Adrian Mariappa - ~£3m
Tiago Ilori - ~£3.75m

Of whom, Mills was a mixed bag, Mariappa was a good player in a shambolic side, and Ilori was a huge disappointment.

But tbh it doesn't feel right to call Convey a "qualified" success. For me personally, if I was picking the greatest Reading team in my lifetime it would have Convey in it. Like, sorry to Gilkesy and McAnuff but Convey was on another level. (I think the only way he doesn't make it is if I both decide I want Gylfi and I want 4-4-2, which means Gylfi going out to the left) I don't think we can ask much more of a record signing than getting us promoted and arguably being our best ever player in his position. With apologies to those who remember Gordon Cumming.

Seol was an exchange, so not really a record signing.

Pretty sure we exchanged Seol out for Rosenior, not in. The fee was reportedly £1.5m

Yes, you're right. Mixed up outgoing with incoming.

[From Despair To Where?]

Bit harsh to call Convey hit and miss. Ok it took him a while to settle but then he was brilliant until the bad knee injury that he never seemed to fully recover from. Hardly his fault.

Genuine q - what does hit and miss have to do with whose fault it was a player wasn't consistent?

No one is blaming Convey for taking time to settle (and I think the club did a solid one for him there, as he was way off the pace when he first joined)

Lita scored 8 Premiership goals in 2 seasons for us (something like 45 games, give or take). It's OK at best, a key fact feels like it should be noted that 6 of the goals come in one glorious month - Boxing day to early February in that first season.

Emerse Fae, I think, didn't play in a Reading win.
The lad that came in alongside, Kalifa Cisse, did a bit better a league below.

It is very likely I am confusing him with Cisse - I imbibed quite a lot before games during that period

Definitely sounds like Cisse. I quite liked him fwiw, but I do remember him marking Rooney out of the game one week them playing like he'd never seen a football before in his life the next.

[stealthpapes]

Wasn't Emerse Fae a record signing at the time? I could (and am most likely wrong). He again was hit and miss, some really strong games, but mostly powderpuff.

Yep, but he was a last resort. Sidwell was gone and we knew that was happening, but all the players we had lined up to replace him (e.g. Scott Brown from Hibs) turned us down and we felt we needed to get someone so Fae was the end result. Due to lack of time we missed out all the Steps we'd normally do at that time before buying someone, so we knew it was a big risk but pragmatically had no real alternative that to take it.

Fae was never a like-for-like replacement for Sidwell, surely? Right sided midfielder, in a season we had 11 different players play in that slot.

[Sutekh]

Wasn't Emerse Fae a record signing at the time? I could (and am most likely wrong). He again was hit and miss, some really strong games, but mostly powderpuff.

Yep, but he was a last resort. Sidwell was gone and we knew that was happening, but all the players we had lined up to replace him (e.g. Scott Brown from Hibs) turned us down and we felt we needed to get someone so Fae was the end result. Due to lack of time we missed out all the Steps we'd normally do at that time before buying someone, so we knew it was a big risk but pragmatically had no real alternative that to take it.

Fae was never a like-for-like replacement for Sidwell, surely? Right sided midfielder, in a season we had 11 different players play in that slot.

Really don't know what Coppell and the club were smoking in 2007. Pretty much a whole season knowing Sidwell would be going but when he did there was no move to bring in a replacement despite a few being readily available. Think the club spent all the effort in trying to get Scott Brown but when he effectively said he wasn't interested in playing for a tiny no-mark club there wasn't a plan B and we ended up with Fae despite being relatively awash with cash after moving Halford on for £3m+. Could have had Matthew Taylor and George O'Reilly at the time, both experienced in the PL and would have considerably strengthened the defensive part of the club's game. Even with the club struggling in January it made no effort, adding Kebe and Matejovsky who were hardly Sidwell types.

Really think the management screwed it up big time.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Yep, but he was a last resort. Sidwell was gone and we knew that was happening, but all the players we had lined up to replace him (e.g. Scott Brown from Hibs) turned us down and we felt we needed to get someone so Fae was the end result. Due to lack of time we missed out all the Steps we'd normally do at that time before buying someone, so we knew it was a big risk but pragmatically had no real alternative that to take it.

Fae was never a like-for-like replacement for Sidwell, surely? Right sided midfielder, in a season we had 11 different players play in that slot.

Really don't know what Coppell and the club were smoking in 2007. Pretty much a whole season knowing Sidwell would be going but when he did there was no move to bring in a replacement despite a few being readily available. Think the club spent all the effort in trying to get Scott Brown but when he effectively said he wasn't interested in playing for a tiny no-mark club there wasn't a plan B and we ended up with Fae despite being relatively awash with cash after moving Halford on for £3m+. Could have had Matthew Taylor and George O'Reilly at the time, both experienced in the PL and would have considerably strengthened the defensive part of the club's game. Even with the club struggling in January it made no effort, adding Kebe and Matejovsky who were hardly Sidwell types.

Really think the management screwed it up big time.

I think Sidwell did a podcast last year where he said we tried to keep him and even offered wages to match Chelsea . But it was never realistic that we'd keep him.

Whenever we get into a worst transfer debate, there is no doubt that Fae replacing Sidwell was the most costly mistake. Get that call right and we probably stay in the PL for several years.

[Dirk Gently]

Yep, but he was a last resort. Sidwell was gone and we knew that was happening, but all the players we had lined up to replace him (e.g. Scott Brown from Hibs) turned us down and we felt we needed to get someone so Fae was the end result. Due to lack of time we missed out all the Steps we'd normally do at that time before buying someone, so we knew it was a big risk but pragmatically had no real alternative that to take it.

Fae was never a like-for-like replacement for Sidwell, surely? Right sided midfielder, in a season we had 11 different players play in that slot.

Really don't know what Coppell and the club were smoking in 2007. Pretty much a whole season knowing Sidwell would be going but when he did there was no move to bring in a replacement despite a few being readily available. Think the club spent all the effort in trying to get Scott Brown but when he effectively said he wasn't interested in playing for a tiny no-mark club there wasn't a plan B and we ended up with Fae despite being relatively awash with cash after moving Halford on for £3m+. Could have had Matthew Taylor and George O'Reilly at the time, both experienced in the PL and would have considerably strengthened the defensive part of the club's game. Even with the club struggling in January it made no effort, adding Kebe and Matejovsky who were hardly Sidwell types.

Really think the management screwed it up big time.

It certainly wasn't for want of trying. They worked tirelessly that year to get the players they wanted, but "little Reading, about to get relegated" kicked in and none of their main targets agreed to sign.

[Hendo]

Fae was never a like-for-like replacement for Sidwell, surely? Right sided midfielder, in a season we had 11 different players play in that slot.

Really don't know what Coppell and the club were smoking in 2007. Pretty much a whole season knowing Sidwell would be going but when he did there was no move to bring in a replacement despite a few being readily available. Think the club spent all the effort in trying to get Scott Brown but when he effectively said he wasn't interested in playing for a tiny no-mark club there wasn't a plan B and we ended up with Fae despite being relatively awash with cash after moving Halford on for £3m+. Could have had Matthew Taylor and George O'Reilly at the time, both experienced in the PL and would have considerably strengthened the defensive part of the club's game. Even with the club struggling in January it made no effort, adding Kebe and Matejovsky who were hardly Sidwell types.

Really think the management screwed it up big time.

I think Sidwell did a podcast last year where he said we tried to keep him and even offered wages to match Chelsea . But it was never realistic that we'd keep him.

Whenever we get into a worst transfer debate, there is no doubt that Fae replacing Sidwell was the most costly mistake. Get that call right and we probably stay in the PL for several years.

I'm 100% convinced that if Sidwell had stayed with us, he'd have at least 1 England cap.

[South Coast Royal]

Lita, Asaba and Convey are all a mixed bag.

Lita was quality in 106, and a small spurt in the first prem season, but he never really performed consistently and ended up failing.

Convey - FDTW has summed up perfectly.

Asaba actually did ok in a poor team, and was only here 1 season, but didn’t meet the heights his price tag really required.

Not outright failures, but also not complete and unequivical successes fully justifying their status as record signings.

I think with Convey he took a year to settle, and in his third season, we didn't miss him because Hunt really stepped up and Seol came in and was massive. I thought Seol, for all his faults, was a huge player. We were a hard working, well organised side and he just threw in a huge dose of flair into the mix.

Seol, of course, was a record signing in his own right.

Other record signings who come to mind...

Matt Mills - ~£2m
Adrian Mariappa - ~£3m
Tiago Ilori - ~£3.75m

Of whom, Mills was a mixed bag, Mariappa was a good player in a shambolic side, and Ilori was a huge disappointment.

But tbh it doesn't feel right to call Convey a "qualified" success. For me personally, if I was picking the greatest Reading team in my lifetime it would have Convey in it. Like, sorry to Gilkesy and McAnuff but Convey was on another level. (I think the only way he doesn't make it is if I both decide I want Gylfi and I want 4-4-2, which means Gylfi going out to the left) I don't think we can ask much more of a record signing than getting us promoted and arguably being our best ever player in his position. With apologies to those who remember Gordon Cumming.

FWIW Cumming played on the right.
You are probably right in saying that Convey was our best ever because he is assessed as a Premier League player.

Two before him, Gilkes and Tommy Jenkins were brilliant for the level that we were then playing at - both were transferred to top level clubs (IIRC Saints were top level then) but were never very good at that level although in the case of Jenkins I think he might have been a success but injuries had a major impact. He cost £500 but we sold him for £60,000 just 5 months later, what a deal for a lower level club in 1969.
Ironically I was transferred to a job in Southampton (for no transfer fee) in 1970 but never got to see him play for them.

Same goes for Paul Canoville who had his career ruined by one terrible injury but was great when with us.

Back in the 60s we had George Harris who scored 25 goals one season playing as an orthodox left-winger.
He had brilliant spring and many of his goals were headers-he got 26 goals the next season but the club didn't keep him for long for whatever reason and he remained a lower league player-we thought a higher level club would come in for him.

So yes, Convey it is but we have had a few that have been ok.

[Snowflake Royal]

Didn’t McAnuff have a better PL record than Bobby Convey?

He certainly got a fair few assists. And consistently performed over multiple seasons.

[Brogue]

Blackett and Sean Morrison released by Rotherham. Rino returns to Cardiff after being there on loan this season.

[SCIAG]

Really don't know what Coppell and the club were smoking in 2007. Pretty much a whole season knowing Sidwell would be going but when he did there was no move to bring in a replacement despite a few being readily available. Think the club spent all the effort in trying to get Scott Brown but when he effectively said he wasn't interested in playing for a tiny no-mark club there wasn't a plan B and we ended up with Fae despite being relatively awash with cash after moving Halford on for £3m+. Could have had Matthew Taylor and George O'Reilly at the time, both experienced in the PL and would have considerably strengthened the defensive part of the club's game.

Not sure who you're thinking of. Matthew Taylor was a left midfielder who was not available at the time, could have got him in the January window when he moved to Bolton.

Can't think of who you mean by George O'Reilly.

The really smart play would have been signing Blaise Matuidi and Ivan Rakitic, both of whom moved clubs for modest fees that summer and performed well at a high level. But that's pure hindsight.

[SCIAG]

I think with Convey he took a year to settle, and in his third season, we didn't miss him because Hunt really stepped up and Seol came in and was massive. I thought Seol, for all his faults, was a huge player. We were a hard working, well organised side and he just threw in a huge dose of flair into the mix.

Seol, of course, was a record signing in his own right.

Other record signings who come to mind...

Matt Mills - ~£2m
Adrian Mariappa - ~£3m
Tiago Ilori - ~£3.75m

Of whom, Mills was a mixed bag, Mariappa was a good player in a shambolic side, and Ilori was a huge disappointment.

But tbh it doesn't feel right to call Convey a "qualified" success. For me personally, if I was picking the greatest Reading team in my lifetime it would have Convey in it. Like, sorry to Gilkesy and McAnuff but Convey was on another level. (I think the only way he doesn't make it is if I both decide I want Gylfi and I want 4-4-2, which means Gylfi going out to the left) I don't think we can ask much more of a record signing than getting us promoted and arguably being our best ever player in his position. With apologies to those who remember Gordon Cumming.

FWIW Cumming played on the right.
You are probably right in saying that Convey was our best ever because he is assessed as a Premier League player.

Two before him, Gilkes and Tommy Jenkins were brilliant for the level that we were then playing at - both were transferred to top level clubs (IIRC Saints were top level then) but were never very good at that level although in the case of Jenkins I think he might have been a success but injuries had a major impact. He cost £500 but we sold him for £60,000 just 5 months later, what a deal for a lower level club in 1969.
Ironically I was transferred to a job in Southampton (for no transfer fee) in 1970 but never got to see him play for them.

Same goes for Paul Canoville who had his career ruined by one terrible injury but was great when with us.

Back in the 60s we had George Harris who scored 25 goals one season playing as an orthodox left-winger.
He had brilliant spring and many of his goals were headers-he got 26 goals the next season but the club didn't keep him for long for whatever reason and he remained a lower league player-we thought a higher level club would come in for him.

So yes, Convey it is but we have had a few that have been ok.

Canoville is a good shout, have heard him described as essentially far too good for us and only with us because Chelsea racially abused him.

I wasn't judging Convey as a top-flight player. Convey only managed about half a dozen games in the top flight before he got a career changing injury (which led to Hunt starting against Chelsea). I was mostly going off the 106 season where he was electric.

If I was judging it based solely on the top flight, I'd argue for McAnuff but realistically it would have to be Hunt.

Do appreciate you adding the historical context though - not really heard of Jenkins or Harris and always interesting to learn more.

[stealthpapes]

Really don't know what Coppell and the club were smoking in 2007. Pretty much a whole season knowing Sidwell would be going but when he did there was no move to bring in a replacement despite a few being readily available. Think the club spent all the effort in trying to get Scott Brown but when he effectively said he wasn't interested in playing for a tiny no-mark club there wasn't a plan B and we ended up with Fae despite being relatively awash with cash after moving Halford on for £3m+. Could have had Matthew Taylor and George O'Reilly at the time, both experienced in the PL and would have considerably strengthened the defensive part of the club's game.

Not sure who you're thinking of. Matthew Taylor was a left midfielder who was not available at the time, could have got him in the January window when he moved to Bolton.

Can't think of who you mean by George O'Reilly.

The really smart play would have been signing Blaise Matuidi and Ivan Rakitic, both of whom moved clubs for modest fees that summer and performed well at a high level. But that's pure hindsight.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_E ... ummer_2007

fill your boots

[Stranded]

George Puscas currently on the bench for Bari in the 1st leg of the Serie B relegation play-out.

Loser of the tie drops to Serie C.

[Franchise FC]

Very pleased for Liam Kelly

[WestYorksRoyal]

Very pleased for Liam Kelly

Talent wise he was good enough for the Championship. There was obviously some sort of attitude or mental health issues earlier in his career. Fair play, he looks to be moving beyond them and he has absolutely dominated the play offs. Difference maker in semi final and final.

[Orion1871]

Very pleased for Liam Kelly

Yep.

Reading about them, their owners sound and look like a right bunch of twats, but pleased for Kelly.