Most important player ever?

[WestYorksRoyal]

Remember when Bobby Zamora played for Brighton circa 01/02 and we used to taunt them for being a one man team?

Joao is our Zamora.

Same with Lambert and Saints in the second promotion season.

Well in both cases they fired their team to promotion, so good precedents.

[Lower West]

Marcus Hanneman 2005/06 season. 46 appearances - 22 clean sheets.

[NathStPaul]

Marcus Hanneman 2005/06 season. 46 appearances - 22 clean sheets.

Nah. He had a massive amount of protection in front of him.

[South Coast Royal]

Agree with nearly all of these, apart from the one vote for Trevor Morley-a player I thought in leading to the break-up of the Archie/Nogan partnership contributed more to our downfall than success.

I am very much with Lux on the keepers but my own selection would be Super Simon Osborn.
Not with us for long enough but the playmaker in a team that really should have seen us promoted to the top level for the very first time but for the reduced number of promoted clubs in that season.

[SWLR]

The single most important player i can remember in a single season (well, half a season) is Jason Roberts. The difference he made when joining us in January 2012 was instrumental (IMHO) in getting us promoted as Champions that season.

We were doing ok that season, but a debut goal and win catapulted us from top 10 into the play off positions and we never really looked back.

His presence lifted the whole team and his signing gave the team a belief they could win, which they did, completely against the odds.

After that half season his commentary performances outshone his playing performances but for half a season he was God

This. If I recall he was injured most of the following Prem League season, and we had no proper cover...we were doomed

[Notts Royal]

The single most important player i can remember in a single season (well, half a season) is Jason Roberts. The difference he made when joining us in January 2012 was instrumental (IMHO) in getting us promoted as Champions that season.

We were doing ok that season, but a debut goal and win catapulted us from top 10 into the play off positions and we never really looked back.

His presence lifted the whole team and his signing gave the team a belief they could win, which they did, completely against the odds.

After that half season his commentary performances outshone his playing performances but for half a season he was God

This. If I recall he was injured most of the following Prem League season, and we had no proper cover...we were doomed

You’re forgetting the Big F Russian!

[Snowflake Royal]

Marcus Hanneman 2005/06 season. 46 appearances - 22 clean sheets.

45.

[Snowflake Royal]

Agree with nearly all of these, apart from the one vote for Trevor Morley-a player I thought in leading to the break-up of the Archie/Nogan partnership contributed more to our downfall than success.

I am very much with Lux on the keepers but my own selection would be Super Simon Osborn.
Not with us for long enough but the playmaker in a team that really should have seen us promoted to the top level for the very first time but for the reduced number of promoted clubs in that season.

Nogs and Archie had already failed by the time Morley got a proper run. They didn't do very well in 95/96 and Morley only really played much in 96/97 iirc.

[SWLR]

The single most important player i can remember in a single season (well, half a season) is Jason Roberts. The difference he made when joining us in January 2012 was instrumental (IMHO) in getting us promoted as Champions that season.

We were doing ok that season, but a debut goal and win catapulted us from top 10 into the play off positions and we never really looked back.

His presence lifted the whole team and his signing gave the team a belief they could win, which they did, completely against the odds.

After that half season his commentary performances outshone his playing performances but for half a season he was God

This. If I recall he was injured most of the following Prem League season, and we had no proper cover...we were doomed

You’re forgetting the Big F Russian!

Think I was right the first time

[genome]

Marcus Hanneman 2005/06 season. 46 appearances - 22 clean sheets.

45.

Ian, you bring pedantry to a new level

[KC Royal]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005%E2%80%9306_Reading_F.C._season

All the appearance info is near the bottom.

Cheers fam. So Sidwell only actually played 30 games. Don't remember that!

Inspired by Adie's podcasts last season I started to look back at that season in the first half of last season. Sidwell was actually out a few months IIRC after getting injured in the Burnley home game on the August Bank Holiday weekend. Went to that game and remember at the time thinking that he surely will come off, and he revealed on the podcast that he had to take an injection at half time to continue as Coppell insisted he stayed on with Kitson and Shorey having already gone off injured. After double checking we didn't actually make a 3rd sub in the end and Gunnarsson wasn't on the bench so Coppell clearly felt he had no other options (the only other outfield subs were Hunt and Oster).

What surprised me the most was that for the Sheffield Utd game in October, and maybe for 1 or 2 games before that, we actually had an injury crisis. Apart from Kitson, Shorey and Sidwell being out Murty was also missing (meaning we had Hunt and Makin as our full backs) and Little also got injured and was subbed at half time.

I always think Sidwell was by far the most important player in the Coppell side. It was like having three in midfield and we saw how difficult it was to replace him

It's difficult to make a call on the 106 team, as they just didn't get injured. Anyone got any stats on how many games they each played that season?

We beat Sheff Utd without Sidwell, Shorey, Murty or Kitson. That's arguably our three best players.

According to wiki, Sidwell started just 29 league games, so he missed almost half the season (not sure that's true).

Murty and Shorey both missed 6 games
Little only managed 34 starts. Kitson 27.

The we didn't have injuries myth was started by Warnock iirc. No idea why it's stuck so well. Lita broke his leg ffs.

Yeah IIRC Little got injured in the Burnley away game and missed the rest of the season. Feels like Kitson played more than that, think he returned from his injury in that Burnley game within a couple of months.

Except for the strikers, if my memory serves me correctly, although we were lucky that of Kitson was out, Lita and Doyle were good to go and then when Kitson was back, one of the others were out with injuries. Other than that, I’d be surprised if anyone else from the main XI played less than 35 games that season, maybe even less than 40.

Yeh, that's how I remember it. Can't remember any of our back four missing a game, although sure they must've done. Hunt and Oster played a few games, but mostly sub appearances. Same with Bryn.

There was one game when Shorey, Sidwell, and Kitson all went down injured shortly before half time. At the time it seemed like it might be the unravelling of our season - arguably our three best players injured- but I think Doyle came off the bench to score his first goal for us, and Makin and Gunnarsson both came in to good effect, Gunnarsson scoring twice against Sheffield United and once against Leeds.

We did have a couple of real “crises”. Hunt had to fill in at left back and up front on a couple of occasions. That’s how Long scored his first goal for us, of course. But Hahnemann, Sonko, Ingimarsson, Harper and Convey were fit all season. I did type up the stats but Ian posted them while I did so. Worth remembering that they include the Stoke match where most of the side was rested after we’d already won the league - Marcus wasn’t injured.

Summed up better than me. Yeah Doyle scored the winner in the 2nd half against Burnley, was great that day, remember thinking he looked a future Irish international.

[KC Royal]

Yeah Forster’s a great shout. How that play off semi final first leg changed when he went off injured. We were in total control before he went off. It goes without saying that without him for the second leg we were just not the same team.

I watched highlights of both legs last season and we were actually better in the 2nd leg than I remembered. Had some good chances and Matt Murray kept Wolves in the game. Then Wolves scored and that killed the tie. The thing that's always stood out from that game though was Henderson starting on the left wing and Hughes playing up front. The commentator actually said Pardew wanted to play Henderson there to counter Denis Irwin!

Our record with Forster in that 4-5-1 formation must have been phenomenal as we actually started the season playing a 4-4-2 with Butler and Cureton up front.

[Zip]

Yeah Forster’s a great shout. How that play off semi final first leg changed when he went off injured. We were in total control before he went off. It goes without saying that without him for the second leg we were just not the same team.

I watched highlights of both legs last season and we were actually better in the 2nd leg than I remembered. Had some good chances and Matt Murray kept Wolves in the game. Then Wolves scored and that killed the tie. The thing that's always stood out from that game though was Henderson starting on the left wing and Hughes playing up front. The commentator actually said Pardew wanted to play Henderson there to counter Denis Irwin!

Our record with Forster in that 4-5-1 formation must have been phenomenal as we actually started the season playing a 4-4-2 with Butler and Cureton up front.

Yep. Didn’t Curo also play in the second leg? Forster was incredible that season. Wolves defence were terrified when he was on the pitch in the first leg and stayed deep. When he went off they pushed forward and grew in confidence.

[KC Royal]

Yeah Forster’s a great shout. How that play off semi final first leg changed when he went off injured. We were in total control before he went off. It goes without saying that without him for the second leg we were just not the same team.

I watched highlights of both legs last season and we were actually better in the 2nd leg than I remembered. Had some good chances and Matt Murray kept Wolves in the game. Then Wolves scored and that killed the tie. The thing that's always stood out from that game though was Henderson starting on the left wing and Hughes playing up front. The commentator actually said Pardew wanted to play Henderson there to counter Denis Irwin!

Our record with Forster in that 4-5-1 formation must have been phenomenal as we actually started the season playing a 4-4-2 with Butler and Cureton up front.

Yep. Didn’t Curo also play in the second leg? Forster was incredible that season. Wolves defence were terrified when he was on the pitch in the first leg and stayed deep. When he went off they pushed forward and grew in confidence.

He did, at the time thought he played alongside Hughes but think he said in his podcast with Adie last season he actually played behind Hughes.

On the subject of that season, Upson is worth a mention. Wasn't with us for long but looked a class act. Didn't we have loads of clean sheets in the games he played? Can't help thinking that if we'd managed to sign him permanently we might have gone up automatically.

[Zip]

I watched highlights of both legs last season and we were actually better in the 2nd leg than I remembered. Had some good chances and Matt Murray kept Wolves in the game. Then Wolves scored and that killed the tie. The thing that's always stood out from that game though was Henderson starting on the left wing and Hughes playing up front. The commentator actually said Pardew wanted to play Henderson there to counter Denis Irwin!

Our record with Forster in that 4-5-1 formation must have been phenomenal as we actually started the season playing a 4-4-2 with Butler and Cureton up front.

Yep. Didn’t Curo also play in the second leg? Forster was incredible that season. Wolves defence were terrified when he was on the pitch in the first leg and stayed deep. When he went off they pushed forward and grew in confidence.

He did, at the time thought he played alongside Hughes but think he said in his podcast with Adie last season he actually played behind Hughes.

On the subject of that season, Upson is worth a mention. Wasn't with us for long but looked a class act. Didn't we have loads of clean sheets in the games he played? Can't help thinking that if we'd managed to sign him permanently we might have gone up automatically.

Upson was a class act.We had him until Christmas I think.

[Snowflake Royal]

Marcus Hanneman 2005/06 season. 46 appearances - 22 clean sheets.

45.

Ian, you bring pedantry to a new level

You've misspelt accuracy.

[Lower West]

Marcus Hanneman 2005/06 season. 46 appearances - 22 clean sheets.

45.

Ian, you bring pedantry to a new level

Made the most saves in 2007 Premier League season - 139.

[Henley Royal 1]

Trevor Senior.

[Millsy]

Roberts.

Changed a relegation-fighting side to a promotion-chasing one.

Without Joao we're not relegation contenders.

[Vision]

Roberts.

Changed a relegation-fighting side to a promotion-chasing one.

Without Joao we're not relegation contenders.

Don't think you're remembering that correctly. Or maybe I'm not but pretty sure We had just dropped out of the Play off places when Anton took over and Roberts arrived.

Not trying to downplay Roberts influence which was very significant but people also tend to forget that the Anton Takeover also allowed us to give Kebe an improved contract and he was just as important to our late season form that season.