Players who started off terrible then got worse

[Snowflake Royal]

Sean Evers
Can't remember which manager signed him but Luton mugged us for £500,000

Burns. If its not modern, or ancient history, itsBurns fault.

[grey_squirrel]

Hope Akpan

[From Despair To Where?]

That's not really fair on Akpan. He was playing way above his level and managed to maintain fairly consistent levels of shiteness. Certainly didn't get appreciably worse and I still remember his glorious air shot that set up a winner at St James's Park.

[From Despair To Where?]

Emerse Fae. Bags of ability and came with a big price tag but had a heart the size of a pea. Just didn't have the stomach for a relegation battle, or any sort of battle, really.

First impression of him was away at Bolton; miles out of position for the 1st goal and bawling out an 18 year old Scott Golbourne for not being in 2 places at once to cover his arse.

[Royal Ginger]

Zat Knight, he only played twice but his terribleness is eternal.

That’s the one I was trying to think of. I recall getting dicked by Watford and his dreadfulness was key.

I think that was also the Jure Travner game.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Jordon Mutch.

[Mr Optimist]

Neale Cooper (RIP). Was so excited we’d signed him at the time when Mark McGhee first came in, but his legs had gone and injuries had caught up with him. A fantastic player in his Aberdeen prime days but a sad brief stay in Berkshire.

You could probably say the same about Martin Keown and Les Ferdinand a few years later, and probably helped mould Sir Steve’s approach to buy young hungry players from the lower divisions with points to prove instead.

[Sutekh]

Neale Cooper (RIP). Was so excited we’d signed him at the time when Mark McGhee first came in, but his legs had gone and injuries had caught up with him. A fantastic player in his Aberdeen prime days but a sad brief stay in Berkshire.

You could probably say the same about Martin Keown and Les Ferdinand a few years later, and probably helped mould Sir Steve’s approach to buy young hungry players from the lower divisions with points to prove instead.

Given he was 28 when he left Reading and went on to play 5 years at Dunfermline including winning promotion I don’t think his legs were that gone. Recall stories from the time suggested he just couldn’t settle in the sassenach south.

[Bristol Paul]

I often tend to think of Steve Moran, but I think I am being harsh as I am pretty sure he scored a goal in every 3/4 games. My memory is hazy, but I think I had high expectations of him when he joined from Southampton.

no, he was a big let down - came for £250k a near record signing IIRC, couldn't hold the ball up for toffee & collapsed as soon as a challenge came in...

Made Martin Williams look like a 1000 year old redwood in comparison...

Martin “skittles” Williams, I’d forgotten him. He was pretty crap.

[Bristol Paul]

Colin Baillie. Fastest player I’ve ever seen at running backwards, and a stunning haircut to boot.

[Sutekh]

Colin Baillie. Fastest player I’ve ever seen at running backwards, and a stunning haircut to boot.

Don’t dis members of the Simod team!

He became a copper in Cumbria when he retired in the early 90s.

[Snowflake Royal]

Ray Houghton

Expected the talented bustling international who scored a wonder goal against Italy...

Got a clueless crab who contributed nothing.

Also same period, Keith Jones, similar crab who took three touches for every one he needed.

Paul Bodin, accidentally sent off in a case of mistaken identity, not a peep from a Reading player in protest.

Paul Booker - streak of yellow piss who bottled everything

Bongani Khumalo, the worst defender I've ever seen. Including Bodin

[Clyde1998]

Jordon Mutch.

There's a name I'd repressed. Had a look at what he did after leaving us and he somehow managed to get a loan to Vancouver in the MLS (playing 830 minutes over eighteen matches)!

He went on a worldwide tour to end his career: Gyeongnam (South Korea; 844 mins/13 matches); Aalesund (Norway; 14 mins/1 match); Western Sydney (Australia; 427 mins/13 matches); Macarthur (Australia; 1221 mins/21 matches); Crawley (League Two; 241 mins/4 matches); Gold Coast Knights (Australian second tier; no data).

Jordon Mutch did make me think of Danny Drinkwater, although I think Drinkwater picked up a little bit at the end of that season and was one of the better players in the final couple of months.

[Brogue]

Darren O’Dea

[grey_squirrel]

Surprised no one has mentioned the much maligned Elroy Kromheer yet.

In fact that whole 1998/9 squad was so awful, you could include the whole lot of them.

[Snowflake Royal]

Darren O’Dea

[Brogue]

Darren O’Dea

Shocked because you agree? Or because you disagree ?

[Snowflake Royal]

Darren O’Dea

Shocked because you agree? Or because you disagree ?

Because I tend to forget he existed and thought he was a steady 'ok'.

[Crusader Royal]

Ray Houghton

Expected the talented bustling international who scored a wonder goal against Italy...

Got a clueless crab who contributed nothing.

Also same period, Keith Jones, similar crab who took three touches for every one he needed.

Paul Bodin, accidentally sent off in a case of mistaken identity, not a peep from a Reading player in protest.

Paul Booker - streak of yellow piss who bottled everything

Bongani Khumalo, the worst defender I've ever seen. Including Bodin

Couple of those are a bit unfair !
Keith Jones did a decent job for us, but people thought he was brought in to do a different one. He won the ball and passed it on, unspectacular but important. Much like Harps got criticised because he did what was needed, not what people thought he should do.
The Bodin sending off was bizarre. Not surprised no one on the pitch said anything because they probably hadn’t a clue. IIRC we had just 2 fit sentry backs and if we’d appealed we’d have been stuffed defensively so we decided not to, Bodin took one for the team and the fact that he never made a fuss suggests it was a ‘tactical’ decision. He certainly wasn’t a poor defender. The Chris Gunter of his day - must be the Welsh who make good escapegoats.

[Snowflake Royal]

Ray Houghton

Expected the talented bustling international who scored a wonder goal against Italy...

Got a clueless crab who contributed nothing.

Also same period, Keith Jones, similar crab who took three touches for every one he needed.

Paul Bodin, accidentally sent off in a case of mistaken identity, not a peep from a Reading player in protest.

Paul Booker - streak of yellow piss who bottled everything

Bongani Khumalo, the worst defender I've ever seen. Including Bodin

Couple of those are a bit unfair !
Keith Jones did a decent job for us, but people thought he was brought in to do a different one. He won the ball and passed it on, unspectacular but important. Much like Harps got criticised because he did what was needed, not what people thought he should do.
The Bodin sending off was bizarre. Not surprised no one on the pitch said anything because they probably hadn’t a clue. IIRC we had just 2 fit sentry backs and if we’d appealed we’d have been stuffed defensively so we decided not to, Bodin took one for the team and the fact that he never made a fuss suggests it was a ‘tactical’ decision. He certainly wasn’t a poor defender. The Chris Gunter of his day - must be the Welsh who make good escapegoats.

I hated the way Jones played. Endless dithering, nothing like Harps.

Bodin was near universally hated and a dreadful defender. Not a sentry back either. A left back. At least Gunter could win a freekick and get up and down the pitch.