Reading FC in the Premier League (part two) with Sam Michael and Johnny Hunt

[00:00:00] I think we can work out that Steve Sidwell does get his place in centre midfield over

[00:00:03] Emerson Fey.

[00:00:04] Wow, Emerson Fey.

[00:00:05] Got the most expensive team!

[00:00:09] Emerson Fey comes in because I'm treating this like a fantasy team.

[00:00:11] He's an agent?

[00:00:12] No, I'm treating this like a fantasy team where I could give him a massive bollock

[00:00:16] in and get the best out of him.

[00:00:18] And secondly if you played with him on Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 you could score

[00:00:21] from the halfway line.

[00:00:22] He had a really good kick on him and so therefore I expected him to do exactly

[00:00:26] the same when he played in the Premier League.

[00:00:28] Welcome back to When Football Began Again, the podcast that takes a nostalgic look at

[00:00:33] the Premier League era.

[00:00:35] Today's show is part two of my look at Reading FC's time in the Premier League.

[00:00:42] If you are joining this show there is a part one where we cover all about the history

[00:00:48] of Reading FC and their first spell, the two season spell in the Premier League under

[00:00:55] 106 point winning team.

[00:00:57] A really, really fun episode.

[00:00:59] Probably slightly lighter in places than today's part two.

[00:01:04] Today in part two we cover the second spell in the Premier League, slightly less

[00:01:09] successful than the first and then the years that have followed especially the last decade

[00:01:15] and the time under Dai Yong-Hoo at the time of releasing this is still the owner

[00:01:21] of Reading FC.

[00:01:22] There have been some movements towards him selling up the club since we recorded at the

[00:01:27] time when I was chatting to the lads.

[00:01:29] This was back in March and things were looking very, very bleak indeed.

[00:01:34] As it stands Reading have survived in League One and hopefully will have a brighter

[00:01:39] future ahead of them but they are still earned by Dai Yong-Hoo.

[00:01:44] So hopefully the tone of today's episode is about right still because it remains

[00:01:52] current the lads really do despair at points I think of just what has happened to their

[00:01:56] football club and as any neutral football fan will also know it has been a really,

[00:02:02] really difficult time for that football club and there's been a lot of sympathy I

[00:02:07] think for Reading FC who find themselves appear to just be the latest team that

[00:02:11] have fallen foul of really, really irresponsible ownership.

[00:02:16] If you're a long time listener to the show you will be familiar with the Black

[00:02:20] Pool episode and obviously very, very poor ownership there.

[00:02:24] It certainly appears from chatting to the boys in this episode today that the

[00:02:30] Reading owners have given Blackpool a real run for their money.

[00:02:35] So we're going to hop straight back into the show and pick up where we left off

[00:02:39] in part one as ever if you enjoyed today's show leave it a review hit

[00:02:43] subscribe share it with other like minded fans.

[00:02:46] It is great to have Reading fans joining the show this week.

[00:02:50] There is a big back catalog with lots of famous faces from football and comedy

[00:02:54] who've been interviewed, lots of different features.

[00:02:57] So if you do enjoy today's show and enjoy the two episodes that you've

[00:03:01] listened to please do hang around it would be great to have you along.

[00:03:05] But let's crack on with it.

[00:03:08] Johnny and Sam picking back up the conversation where we left it in part one.

[00:03:12] This is part two.

[00:03:13] Reading FC in the Premier League.

[00:03:16] Enjoy.

[00:03:21] In the seasons that follow Reading do reach the Playoffs semis in 2009

[00:03:25] losing to Burnley which sees Steve Kopel resign.

[00:03:28] After the brief raid of Brendan Rodgers, Reserve coach Brian McDermott

[00:03:31] takes over as caretaker then on a rolling contract before taking up the

[00:03:34] role permanently.

[00:03:36] The Royals reach Wembley again in 2011 losing to Brendan Rodgers

[00:03:39] Swansea City in an unlikely grudge match.

[00:03:41] After a decidedly shaky start to 11-12 Reading are second bottom after six

[00:03:46] games.

[00:03:47] Faith is kept in Brian McDermott who repays it in spades by leading them up

[00:03:51] the table to become eventual champions.

[00:03:53] There are two separate eight and five game winning streaks in the second

[00:03:57] half of that season that turns them from playoff hopefuls to promotion

[00:04:01] certainties.

[00:04:02] Sam coming back to you Brian McDermott I mean we've already talked about him

[00:04:06] like to the outside neutral it probably didn't look like the most

[00:04:10] ambitious appointment we've already covered I think on this show that this

[00:04:14] is a man who knows the club inside out has been integral to the success of

[00:04:18] the past.

[00:04:19] So I guess for everyone of a Reading persuasion was that an appointment

[00:04:23] that the fan base was excited about could you have foreseen that he was

[00:04:26] going to be so successful?

[00:04:27] So it's an interesting one that question because when he first comes in

[00:04:32] as you said he comes in as a caretaker so Brendan Rodgers everyone's

[00:04:36] like okay cool Brendan Rodgers doesn't work out but McDermott comes in.

[00:04:40] And everyone's like okay well this is the guy we're going to have for a bit

[00:04:44] everyone's talking about the next manager at this point.

[00:04:45] So you know everyone's everyone's discussing who could come in.

[00:04:49] We're not really thinking about who but Dermott is we kind of know of it

[00:04:52] and people who you know fans of the club know who he was he's a scout but

[00:04:55] which is not even on our radar thinking that he'll be the next

[00:04:58] reading manager he's just come in and with.

[00:05:01] Okay fine.

[00:05:02] Oh what's this we've got the FA Cup we got the FA Cup against

[00:05:05] Liverpool we draw.

[00:05:07] Okay we get a replay Anfield.

[00:05:09] We're happy with that.

[00:05:10] Now as you remember a couple of minutes ago we mentioned Southern

[00:05:14] Man United fans and in my opinion there's only one thing worse than the

[00:05:17] Southern Man United fan and that is Southern Liverpool fans.

[00:05:21] And I was at uni as I said at the time with a watching the game

[00:05:27] watching the game on ITV with a load of Liverpool fans.

[00:05:29] I think there was three of those probably about eight of us watching

[00:05:31] the game three of them are Liverpool fans didn't even really care they knew

[00:05:35] they were going through so they're just kind of watching and they're

[00:05:38] kind of discussing who they're going to play in the next round.

[00:05:41] And I'm like don't write off reading yet.

[00:05:43] Now you've got the proper manager at the moment.

[00:05:45] So anyway watching the game and I just remember that penalty and I just

[00:05:50] remember you know long going down and I remember just knowing it was

[00:05:53] a penalty.

[00:05:54] I remember the commentators so much perfect that commentary as

[00:05:58] Sigurdsson walks up to the well sort of strides towards the

[00:06:01] penalty shot he goes one kick back of the net a royal kick.

[00:06:05] I go mad.

[00:06:05] I think I nearly broke our door kicking it down to run out in the

[00:06:08] garden freezing cold night and I'm just yelling at the top of my voice

[00:06:11] jumping around going crazy.

[00:06:13] And then I come back in you know a few minutes later we could take

[00:06:16] him into extra time.

[00:06:17] We win the game with a brilliant nutmeg from Gunnison.

[00:06:20] Gunnison had been a little bit absent like for the last two

[00:06:22] seasons and suddenly comes on the pitch nutmegs beautiful cross

[00:06:26] Shane Long back of the net that sort of really rocketed Shane

[00:06:29] Long into scoring you know on his part of scoring lots of goals.

[00:06:32] It was it was again one of my favourite Reading games for what

[00:06:35] it meant where I was that night.

[00:06:36] I remember we all went out afterwards and I took a Reading

[00:06:39] flag out with me.

[00:06:40] I've still got the pictures of me out that night in the middle

[00:06:42] of a nightclub holding a giant Reading flag and you know

[00:06:45] typical typical Liverpool fans typical Scousers wet down mate

[00:06:50] you know I'm a Liverpool fan he's the world to me and you

[00:06:53] know so I was just loving it.

[00:06:55] I absolutely loved that night the look on my mate's faces for

[00:06:57] me that was the turnaround because we had a real hard time.

[00:07:00] For me Sam I was in Australia and in the morning I was

[00:07:04] watching the game and then Jobe McEnuff had that run where

[00:07:08] you think oh my god this is going to be the goal of the

[00:07:10] game wasn't it when he put it past the post you're going

[00:07:13] no and then then Brynjard did the thing and it was like

[00:07:19] I'm late for work.

[00:07:20] I can't go to work this is Reading can beat Liverpool

[00:07:26] and then Long put that header in and the thing with

[00:07:29] Shane and Brian McDermott their connection is so special.

[00:07:34] I think if anyone ever knows what Brian did for Shane when

[00:07:39] he was struggling with his football ability or whatever

[00:07:43] Brian was there and he made him that player that he was

[00:07:47] the horrible bit was we lost that playoff final to

[00:07:51] Swansea.

[00:07:51] Shane couldn't win that and then when he came back two

[00:07:56] seasons well our season whatever you want to call it.

[00:07:58] It was so great to see him back in a Reading shirt

[00:08:01] because he is one of the most wonderful people I've

[00:08:05] ever known of.

[00:08:07] For me personally I just chucked this out there now

[00:08:09] his wife Kayleigh came over to Ireland and

[00:08:13] unfortunately for her she met my mum on the flight

[00:08:15] back to Bournemouth and she was so nice to my mum

[00:08:19] my mum passed away in October of last year but she

[00:08:23] was like because they talked about Reading they

[00:08:26] talked about school they went to and all that sort

[00:08:29] of stuff and I go that's special.

[00:08:32] That is what Shane Long is about that's what

[00:08:35] Kayleigh is about the human connection you don't

[00:08:38] get that very often and that means the world to

[00:08:41] me as a Reading fan.

[00:08:42] Yeah that's beautifully said Johnny and I think

[00:08:45] that actually for me again that's really coming

[00:08:48] across actually in both of the stories that you

[00:08:50] tell them have actually you know this is a club

[00:08:52] that has been a top top side and still

[00:08:57] has that kind of local community and family

[00:09:00] connection which is a rare thing I think we can

[00:09:03] all agree in modern football.

[00:09:05] Johnny obviously this side wins the

[00:09:08] championship it's not quite the same energy as

[00:09:11] obviously the previous championship side

[00:09:12] obviously as we've already covered no other

[00:09:14] team has managed that energy and that's

[00:09:16] probably almost as proud as Reading are of that

[00:09:20] record that's probably also something that they

[00:09:22] maybe have to carry as well now as almost

[00:09:24] reputationally forevermore.

[00:09:25] And I mean on that return to the Premier League

[00:09:28] there's the additions of Pavel Pogregniac

[00:09:30] Danny Guthrie Chris Gunter and the return of

[00:09:33] Nicky Shorry as well they're the main

[00:09:35] reinforcements for the squad.

[00:09:37] And McClary Gareth McClary.

[00:09:38] And Gareth McClary as well yes yeah I mean

[00:09:41] were you sort of feeling as confident as you

[00:09:45] were in that previous in that previous

[00:09:47] promotion?

[00:09:48] Do you know what the story is for me

[00:09:49] personally as a fan so like I said share this

[00:09:53] video.

[00:09:53] So I was in Australia we came home my eldest

[00:09:57] Lilliana was born we come back to see that

[00:10:00] family in Ireland and then we arrived back

[00:10:04] when we beat West Ham 4-2 at Upson Park on

[00:10:07] the Saturday.

[00:10:08] I went hmm and then every game after that

[00:10:13] so I went over to England for the Notts

[00:10:15] Forest game going I'm just going to watch a

[00:10:18] game we get promoted in the Notts Forest game

[00:10:21] 1-0 Mikael Ledgerwood.

[00:10:22] I was going like this is just insane and then

[00:10:25] I was there for the Saturday game we drew

[00:10:28] 2-1 I think with Palace Jason Roberts got

[00:10:31] sent off his class until we were in the

[00:10:33] Walkabout bar in Reading and I think it

[00:10:36] was it was it Southampton needed to win

[00:10:39] or whatever against Middlesbrough Sun I

[00:10:41] don't know who it was they drew and we had

[00:10:43] the best night out ever in the Walkabout

[00:10:46] pub in in in Reading because we got

[00:10:49] promoted and I was like this is just

[00:10:51] insane.

[00:10:52] So so so like like don't show my wife

[00:10:56] well my future wife this.

[00:10:57] So I've asked her to marry me twice I

[00:10:59] asked her to marry me back in Sydney

[00:11:01] but I asked her to marry me when we got

[00:11:02] promoted back to the Premier League and

[00:11:04] she said no.

[00:11:05] So.

[00:11:07] Well there's very little I can add to

[00:11:10] that.

[00:11:11] It's going to be a long time before you

[00:11:12] get married again after the way we're

[00:11:14] going this season but it was it was

[00:11:17] huge.

[00:11:18] All joking aside it was like it was it

[00:11:20] was amazing that run that season like

[00:11:23] it's a totally different team to

[00:11:26] couple's team.

[00:11:27] Brian had a mindset with those players

[00:11:31] that was insane like we were bottom

[00:11:33] and we were struggling and whatever

[00:11:35] and the points tally that we had

[00:11:38] that season was nuts.

[00:11:40] We went on this run where we won God

[00:11:43] knows how many games and we just kept

[00:11:45] going up the table.

[00:11:46] I was going to say quickly with this

[00:11:47] the signings that were made they

[00:11:49] didn't fit quite right for me.

[00:11:50] Mary Appa.

[00:11:51] Yes I thought he was a good sign

[00:11:53] McCleary yes I'd seen him in the

[00:11:55] final game of the season for

[00:11:57] Nottingham Forest he was you know

[00:11:58] he was he was a he was a quick

[00:11:59] player but for me like Puggerbank

[00:12:02] didn't fit what we had when we

[00:12:04] already had someone like Jason

[00:12:06] Roberts in the squad and I know on

[00:12:09] record that and he said it since

[00:12:10] McDermott wanted Shane Longback.

[00:12:12] I remember a lot of people because

[00:12:13] there's the infamous story that

[00:12:15] after we got promoted against

[00:12:16] Nottingham Forest they all went out

[00:12:17] to the Purple Turtle in Reading.

[00:12:19] John Modaseki and Brian McDermott

[00:12:21] the few of the staff went out

[00:12:22] and drank some of the fans.

[00:12:23] A lot of people on video their

[00:12:25] arms around going come on we've

[00:12:26] got to bring Shane back we've

[00:12:27] got to bring Shane back.

[00:12:28] You know Shane Long had left

[00:12:29] Reading to go to West Brom he

[00:12:30] wanted to play under Roy Hodgson

[00:12:31] Roy Hodgson then got the England

[00:12:34] job which kind of left out in the

[00:12:37] dark a little bit in that squad.

[00:12:38] We certainly expected he was

[00:12:40] going to come to Reading now

[00:12:41] we're in the Premier League.

[00:12:42] It was a no brainer.

[00:12:43] The story goes he approached the

[00:12:45] new owner Anton Zarevich about

[00:12:47] bringing in Shane Long and this

[00:12:49] he wasn't interested.

[00:12:50] He was he'd rather bring in his

[00:12:52] own countryman Puggerbank and

[00:12:56] then he comes he doesn't quite

[00:12:58] fit in with what we've got.

[00:12:59] And then before you know it

[00:13:00] Noel Hunt goes out injured

[00:13:02] Jason Roberts goes out injured

[00:13:04] and we just didn't look or

[00:13:06] feel like the squad we know we

[00:13:07] talked earlier about how the

[00:13:08] squad of the 106 squad carried

[00:13:10] over into the Premier League.

[00:13:12] I know it was a different time

[00:13:14] you know there's a few years

[00:13:14] later but it just didn't feel

[00:13:15] like the same team it just felt

[00:13:17] a little bit out.

[00:13:18] It's a difficult start to live

[00:13:20] back in the top flight with

[00:13:21] the last minute penalties

[00:13:21] against Stoke securing a point

[00:13:23] and further draws against New

[00:13:24] castle Swansea QPR Fulham

[00:13:26] and Norwich as well.

[00:13:28] It will be mid-November

[00:13:29] though by the time the first

[00:13:30] three points are secured against

[00:13:32] Everton to lift the Royals

[00:13:33] out of the bottom three.

[00:13:34] But it's followed by seven

[00:13:35] game losing streak that

[00:13:36] leaves McDermott's men rooted to

[00:13:38] the foot of the table by

[00:13:39] Christmas Day with just nine

[00:13:40] points from that opening 18

[00:13:43] games.

[00:13:44] Sam there are some performances

[00:13:45] are promised as a seven goal

[00:13:46] thriller that ends in defeat to

[00:13:48] Man United.

[00:13:49] But again I mean is there

[00:13:50] ever that discontent with

[00:13:52] the way that things are going

[00:13:53] with McDermott or again is

[00:13:54] it is he again one of those

[00:13:55] managers that's got credit

[00:13:57] in the bank.

[00:13:58] Well I mean this this part of

[00:14:00] the season is obviously so

[00:14:01] harrowing Johnny's had to leave

[00:14:03] he's only one viewing.

[00:14:04] He's just gone now not this

[00:14:05] OK not this again.

[00:14:07] It's a shame he's gone because

[00:14:08] there's something I really

[00:14:09] wanted to discuss with him

[00:14:11] which I will mention when he

[00:14:12] comes back because I've got a

[00:14:13] theory of how we did so

[00:14:15] poorly that season while he

[00:14:17] is gone.

[00:14:18] I will mention that I've

[00:14:19] always had this fun little

[00:14:19] joke on social media that

[00:14:21] there was a conspiracy to get

[00:14:23] rid of Reading that season

[00:14:24] because of the amount of poor

[00:14:25] decisions that went against

[00:14:26] us.

[00:14:27] It starts starts with that

[00:14:28] game against Chelsea when we

[00:14:30] for the very first time touch

[00:14:31] the top of the Premier League

[00:14:32] our second ever game we will

[00:14:33] we won the up against

[00:14:35] against Chelsea with a

[00:14:36] Poggerbank header but we

[00:14:38] were top top and then I think

[00:14:39] it was a draw and then Torres

[00:14:41] scored a offside goal a

[00:14:43] clearly offside goal.

[00:14:44] Soon as it was scored

[00:14:45] commentators are saying you

[00:14:47] know he's he's offside and

[00:14:49] it was given.

[00:14:49] We also had the Denver

[00:14:51] by Hamble.

[00:14:52] We just had all these

[00:14:53] various dodgy decisions that

[00:14:54] season had VAR existed back

[00:14:56] then we would have stayed

[00:14:57] in the Premier League another

[00:14:58] season but that's just my

[00:14:59] conspiracy that even Matt

[00:15:01] Letizier says is a little

[00:15:02] bit too extreme.

[00:15:03] But ultimately we as I said

[00:15:05] we there was something I

[00:15:06] missed.

[00:15:07] I don't know what it was.

[00:15:08] Yeah we did have a few really

[00:15:09] exciting games where we came

[00:15:11] in at the very end and you

[00:15:13] know we turned things around

[00:15:14] and got some late goals like

[00:15:15] when we drew against Chelsea

[00:15:16] the infamous game where we

[00:15:18] you know we beat West Brom

[00:15:19] after going 2-0 down but to

[00:15:20] me there was a psychological

[00:15:22] issue with the squad and

[00:15:24] that all came from the now

[00:15:26] infamous 7-5 game against

[00:15:30] Arsenal.

[00:15:32] It was a League Cup League

[00:15:34] Cup game October 2012.

[00:15:37] We were 4-0 up against

[00:15:38] Arsenal.

[00:15:39] Now we hadn't had a great

[00:15:40] start.

[00:15:40] They said we hadn't had a

[00:15:42] win yet in the Premier League

[00:15:43] but 4-0 up against Arsenal.

[00:15:44] We just started to get

[00:15:45] things going and it was

[00:15:46] like great this is a great

[00:15:47] opportunity and then

[00:15:48] obviously things happen and

[00:15:49] we end up losing 7-5.

[00:15:52] To me that psychologically

[00:15:54] damaged the team.

[00:15:55] I think there was a real

[00:15:56] anxiety in the squad at

[00:15:58] that point that no matter how

[00:15:59] many goals we can score

[00:16:00] against the Premier League

[00:16:01] team we could still lose

[00:16:02] this and there was just a

[00:16:04] couple of games after that

[00:16:06] where we looked very

[00:16:06] shaky.

[00:16:07] One against Swansea one

[00:16:08] against Newcastle where

[00:16:11] we just seemed the bottle

[00:16:12] sort of went.

[00:16:13] There was a nervousness

[00:16:14] about our defending and I

[00:16:15] feel like that game that

[00:16:17] as soon as that we lost

[00:16:18] that game back in October

[00:16:19] 2012 I had this horrible

[00:16:21] feeling we were going to

[00:16:21] get relegated so I just

[00:16:22] thought how can you go

[00:16:25] through that as a squad

[00:16:26] and get over it.

[00:16:27] It was horrific.

[00:16:28] It was such a horrible

[00:16:30] experience for the fans

[00:16:31] for the players for

[00:16:32] McDermott.

[00:16:33] I think it's a mad

[00:16:35] theory and maybe there's

[00:16:36] lots of people who know a

[00:16:37] lot more about sports

[00:16:38] science than me but for

[00:16:39] me that just psychologically

[00:16:41] did us in for the

[00:16:41] whole season.

[00:16:42] Yeah and another

[00:16:43] remarkable scoreline as

[00:16:44] well of course obviously

[00:16:45] after the 6-4 and 7-4

[00:16:48] of a few seasons earlier

[00:16:49] as well.

[00:16:50] I mean the festive period

[00:16:51] does kickstart Reading

[00:16:52] season eventually starting

[00:16:53] with a point on Boxing

[00:16:54] Day they pick up a

[00:16:55] further 13 points from

[00:16:56] their next six games.

[00:16:57] There's wins against

[00:16:58] fellow relegation haunted

[00:17:00] Newcastle and

[00:17:00] Sunderland to lift

[00:17:02] themselves out of the

[00:17:02] bottom three going into

[00:17:04] February but it is false

[00:17:05] hope another long losing

[00:17:07] streak follows that will

[00:17:08] cost McDermott his job

[00:17:09] and seem eventually

[00:17:10] replaced by Nigel Adkins

[00:17:12] after caretaker boss

[00:17:13] Eamonn Dolan oversees a

[00:17:14] 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

[00:17:17] Adkins' first match in

[00:17:18] charge is a 4-1 defeat

[00:17:19] at the Emirates as

[00:17:20] well as Reading concede

[00:17:21] their 16th goal against

[00:17:23] Arsenal in just three

[00:17:24] matches that season

[00:17:25] including that 7-5 league

[00:17:27] cup defeat as you've

[00:17:28] mentioned.

[00:17:28] Adkins who perhaps was

[00:17:30] unjustly being sacked

[00:17:32] after working minor

[00:17:33] miracles at Southampton

[00:17:34] can't repeat the trick

[00:17:35] at the Mardeski.

[00:17:36] His first win arrives

[00:17:37] after relegation has

[00:17:39] already been confirmed

[00:17:40] but it's at least

[00:17:41] enough to lift

[00:17:41] Reading to 19th place

[00:17:43] where they will

[00:17:44] finish the season.

[00:17:45] 11 points behind

[00:17:46] 17th place Sunderland.

[00:17:48] At the time of

[00:17:48] recording Reading's

[00:17:50] final top flight

[00:17:51] match is a 4-2

[00:17:52] defeat at Upton Park

[00:17:53] falling victim to

[00:17:54] the lesser spotted

[00:17:55] Kevin Nolan hat trick.

[00:17:57] Johnny we'll come to

[00:17:58] how likely it is

[00:17:59] we'll see Reading

[00:18:00] improve on their top

[00:18:02] flight record shortly.

[00:18:03] Obviously there's quite

[00:18:04] a lot to cover there.

[00:18:05] Over a decade has passed

[00:18:07] since that relegation.

[00:18:09] I mean how is that

[00:18:10] season remembered

[00:18:12] by the fans?

[00:18:13] Is it sort of one

[00:18:15] where you know

[00:18:16] Sam's touched on it

[00:18:17] upon their maybe

[00:18:18] the psychological

[00:18:19] impact of those

[00:18:19] heavy defeats

[00:18:20] and so on.

[00:18:20] Obviously it wasn't

[00:18:21] as competitive as

[00:18:22] that first spelling

[00:18:23] but has it looked

[00:18:24] upon and remembered?

[00:18:25] We did our best.

[00:18:26] I think as a fan

[00:18:27] like you're going

[00:18:28] like the squad was never

[00:18:31] the same as the 2005

[00:18:34] squad because it was

[00:18:34] it was a unified squad.

[00:18:36] Brian did an amazing job

[00:18:38] with the players

[00:18:39] that we had to to

[00:18:41] like the last

[00:18:42] I think it was

[00:18:43] from Christmas onwards

[00:18:44] we don't want this

[00:18:45] insane run.

[00:18:46] It was belief.

[00:18:47] It was passion.

[00:18:48] It was whatever

[00:18:49] you call it.

[00:18:50] Yeah, as a Reading fan

[00:18:52] you can't you can't

[00:18:54] sit there and go

[00:18:54] do you know we're not

[00:18:56] we haven't got

[00:18:57] millions of pounds

[00:18:58] in the bank.

[00:18:59] You can't expect

[00:18:59] everything every week.

[00:19:00] What he did

[00:19:01] he punched above our weight

[00:19:03] that team J Tab.

[00:19:05] We had Adam LaFondre

[00:19:07] who is one of those

[00:19:08] clinical finishers

[00:19:09] I think I've seen

[00:19:10] for Reading, you know

[00:19:11] Fox in the Box

[00:19:12] if you want to call him

[00:19:14] a different finisher

[00:19:15] to Leeta, Kitson,

[00:19:17] Jimmy Quinn

[00:19:18] all the different players

[00:19:19] you want to talk about.

[00:19:20] But he got us promoted

[00:19:21] like in the most

[00:19:23] like we're an average team

[00:19:25] get promoted

[00:19:26] because it was built on

[00:19:28] team spirit and belief

[00:19:30] that Kopal had.

[00:19:31] What Kopal had was quality.

[00:19:33] Brian didn't have that

[00:19:35] with the team.

[00:19:36] That's the difference.

[00:19:37] And I don't mean that

[00:19:38] disrespectfully to anyone

[00:19:39] that played for Reading

[00:19:40] because I wouldn't do that.

[00:19:41] We wouldn't hang around

[00:19:42] to dry, but that was

[00:19:42] the difference.

[00:19:43] Unless you have investment

[00:19:45] that team for the next season

[00:19:47] we're never going

[00:19:48] to get anywhere

[00:19:48] with that squad.

[00:19:49] I feel like look

[00:19:51] I mean this is probably

[00:19:52] an unpopular opinion.

[00:19:53] But I mean we talk about

[00:19:54] how brilliant Adam LaFondre was

[00:19:55] and he really, really

[00:19:56] he really, really was.

[00:19:57] And he did win us some games

[00:19:58] in the Premier League

[00:19:59] that season.

[00:20:00] There's two things

[00:20:00] I want to sort of cover.

[00:20:03] One thing I want to say quickly

[00:20:04] which is probably

[00:20:04] a very unpopular opinion

[00:20:05] which Reading fans

[00:20:06] will probably massively

[00:20:07] disagree with me.

[00:20:09] But I feel that had we gone up

[00:20:11] in the playoff final

[00:20:12] we actually had a stronger squad then

[00:20:14] to have competed

[00:20:16] in the Premier League.

[00:20:16] We weren't also overshadowed

[00:20:18] by this new owner

[00:20:19] who made some controversial decisions.

[00:20:21] I think that Dermott

[00:20:21] would have had more say

[00:20:22] in who we signed going forward.

[00:20:24] I might not have had much money

[00:20:25] but I don't.

[00:20:26] I think that Dermott always was happy to

[00:20:28] to, you know,

[00:20:30] run things on a shoestring.

[00:20:31] You've built a team around Shane Long.

[00:20:32] I just feel like

[00:20:33] had we gone up in the playoff final.

[00:20:35] Yeah, exactly that.

[00:20:37] And then I think we

[00:20:37] and I think now that

[00:20:38] a team built around Shane Long

[00:20:39] would have been strong enough

[00:20:40] to stay up another season

[00:20:41] in the Premier League.

[00:20:42] The second thing I want

[00:20:43] I want to ask Johnny this

[00:20:44] if that's all right.

[00:20:46] What was your feelings about

[00:20:47] Nigel Adkins coming in

[00:20:49] considering him at Southampton?

[00:20:51] He'd essentially been our rival.

[00:20:54] What to me it was 50-50.

[00:20:55] It was right down the middle.

[00:20:56] You had fans who were happy.

[00:20:58] You had fans who were against it.

[00:21:00] What were your feelings

[00:21:01] between Adkins coming in?

[00:21:02] The funny thing is

[00:21:03] I actually met him

[00:21:05] at the escalator

[00:21:06] that was the lift

[00:21:07] and he said, all right lads,

[00:21:08] you know, because he's so positive

[00:21:09] and boosting

[00:21:10] all that kind of stuff.

[00:21:12] He said, you'll be all right with me.

[00:21:13] I went, OK.

[00:21:15] He's kind of like a very

[00:21:16] positive schoolteacher.

[00:21:17] Like, you know, you've done your homework.

[00:21:19] You did your best.

[00:21:20] Like he's lovely.

[00:21:22] You know, like, but I can't.

[00:21:24] It was like, so you've gone from Brian to him.

[00:21:28] They're both struggled

[00:21:29] in their level of coaching.

[00:21:32] Do you mind if I ask you a question,

[00:21:33] Carlos?

[00:21:33] One question I prepared for tonight,

[00:21:36] if you don't mind.

[00:21:36] Yeah, yeah.

[00:21:37] So, Carl, it's a multi,

[00:21:38] it's a multi, I hate to say this

[00:21:40] because you might need to edit this out

[00:21:41] because it sounds like

[00:21:42] after we talked about

[00:21:43] we're making light of a situation.

[00:21:44] I'm definitely not.

[00:21:45] It's just I just think

[00:21:46] it's quite interesting.

[00:21:47] So it's multiple choice answer.

[00:21:49] On the day my Brian McDermott was sacked

[00:21:51] as Premier League manager of Reading FC,

[00:21:53] which one of these did he do in the evening?

[00:21:56] OK, it's multiple choice.

[00:21:58] Three answers.

[00:21:59] Number one, did he go on BBC Radio

[00:22:00] Berkshire and unleash the truth

[00:22:03] about what was happening at the club?

[00:22:05] Number two, did he appear

[00:22:07] on an interview for Football Focus

[00:22:09] where he revealed that he had a certain

[00:22:12] set of plans to keep us

[00:22:14] to survive that season?

[00:22:15] Or C, did he go to his local boozer

[00:22:18] where they were having

[00:22:18] an open mic night and do a cover

[00:22:20] of Knock Knock, knocking on heaven's door?

[00:22:23] And sadly, this is it.

[00:22:26] Yes. Well, wow.

[00:22:28] That's that's that's quite incredible.

[00:22:30] And statistically, there's probably

[00:22:32] at least one person who witnessed

[00:22:34] that present who who who was

[00:22:36] who was in the pub that night.

[00:22:38] I mean, you've both spoke about him.

[00:22:41] The video is on YouTube.

[00:22:42] The video is on.

[00:22:43] Right. Oh, wow. OK.

[00:22:44] OK. All right.

[00:22:45] Well, this that that does need some some further.

[00:22:48] But also being respectful of Brian

[00:22:50] because he's on his journey of recovery as well.

[00:22:53] Just chucked out there being boring and old

[00:22:55] because he's he's dealing with what he's had to do

[00:22:58] with his mental health.

[00:23:00] Yeah, yeah.

[00:23:00] Yeah, I thought about that.

[00:23:02] But that. Yeah, sorry.

[00:23:04] Well, at this point, we will summarize

[00:23:07] the last sort of 30 plus years for Redding Football Club.

[00:23:11] Since 1992, Redding have spent three seasons

[00:23:13] in the top tier, 22 seasons in the second tier.

[00:23:17] And they're currently in their seventh season

[00:23:19] during that period in the third tier.

[00:23:21] They haven't been as low as the fourth tier

[00:23:23] since a one season stay in 83, 84 when Trevor Senior

[00:23:26] bagged 41 goals.

[00:23:28] They'll be hoping not to make a return any time soon.

[00:23:32] What we what we do on this show as well is

[00:23:35] I painstakingly take the positions for the last 32 seasons

[00:23:40] to work out kind of where Redding are on the average

[00:23:43] to give kind of a maybe a little bit of a watermark

[00:23:46] of what might be the average over the last 30 or so years.

[00:23:52] Sam, you didn't tell me this before we came, mate.

[00:23:54] I think it's just going to humiliate us, isn't it?

[00:23:56] No, no, this is this is why I'm interested to kind of work out.

[00:24:00] And maybe we can as we get to where we're Redding are currently.

[00:24:04] Where do you think I think you took the first guess last time, Sam?

[00:24:08] So I'll come to you, Johnny, first this time.

[00:24:10] Where do you think

[00:24:11] Redding's average position might be on the league ladder

[00:24:14] over the past sort of 32 years or so, not including this current season yet?

[00:24:20] Out of what 90?

[00:24:21] Yeah, 92, I guess. Yeah.

[00:24:24] 43. 43. OK.

[00:24:27] What about you, Sam?

[00:24:29] Would you go a little bit higher or lower than that?

[00:24:32] I'm going to I'm going to say 50.

[00:24:34] You're going to say 50.

[00:24:36] OK. It's actually 33rd on the league ladder

[00:24:41] or effectively 13th in the championship.

[00:24:45] A position I'm sure many Royals fans will hope they can return to very soon.

[00:24:48] I mean, let's come to that now.

[00:24:50] The decade or so since the Premier League, it's fair to say.

[00:24:52] Jesus Christ, mate. Seriously.

[00:24:55] You want to ruin my mental health?

[00:24:57] We've got some fun features to end with.

[00:24:59] Don't worry. This won't be where I leave you going into the evening, I promise.

[00:25:07] You didn't tell me this, mate, when I was tidying up to this.

[00:25:10] At the time of recording, despite a combined six point deduction,

[00:25:14] Red Induce it in lower mid table of League One,

[00:25:16] a far cry from the club that was on the edge of European football.

[00:25:19] Since relegation, they've bobbed around the championship

[00:25:22] before Yapstam took them within a penalty shoot out victory of a return in 2017.

[00:25:26] It seems fitting somehow that on the day they booked

[00:25:29] that playoff final spot against Otisfield Town at Wembley,

[00:25:31] the club announced that Chinese entrepreneur in inverted commas,

[00:25:34] Dai Yong has invested and invested 75% of the club's shares.

[00:25:39] There's all sorts of gestures being made for anyone who's only listening.

[00:25:43] And the ball landed in my garden for Liam Wores, quality penny for 300, not paid for.

[00:25:47] Yeah, yeah, great. Yeah, thanks for that.

[00:25:49] Well, let's start with you, Sam.

[00:25:51] We've talked a lot about irresponsible owners in previous episodes of this show,

[00:25:55] the Blackpool episode, not least.

[00:25:57] I think it's fair to say Dai Yong has given them a run for their money as well.

[00:26:01] As kind of, I guess, as concisely without raising your own blood pressure too much.

[00:26:06] What has he done to the football club that you both very clearly so deeply care about?

[00:26:15] Good luck, Sam. So, OK.

[00:26:18] Right. How can I make this really clear?

[00:26:20] Basically summed up 10 years, we almost are.

[00:26:22] We talked a bit about our last season in the Premier League just now.

[00:26:25] To me, sadly, that's the beginning of the end,

[00:26:28] because as I said, we had an owner in there we shouldn't have had.

[00:26:31] I felt Modajski was manipulated into that sale.

[00:26:34] There were illegal activities where it took place, which meant, you know,

[00:26:37] we had Anton Zerevich come in.

[00:26:40] He wasn't the right owner.

[00:26:41] And as we returned to the championship that season, he essentially did a runner.

[00:26:47] We then got into that's when the financial problem started, essentially.

[00:26:51] Then we had a consortium come in, the Thai consortium.

[00:26:54] They come in, they essentially save us from the debt that we're in.

[00:26:58] And they take us all the way to the point where we are,

[00:27:00] as you said, at the playoff final 2017.

[00:27:03] And on that day, we have Dai Young come in.

[00:27:06] And I mean, if I'm to sum it up, in my opinion,

[00:27:10] and I'm sure there's people out there who know more,

[00:27:12] and there's other fans who have different opinions.

[00:27:14] To me, he is somebody who wants to own a Premier League of football club,

[00:27:20] but he doesn't really want to work for it.

[00:27:22] He's happy to throw money at certain things he has done in the past.

[00:27:26] And it looked promising to begin with, with him throwing money behind

[00:27:30] the academy and him being present, which was nice after what happened with Anton

[00:27:36] Zarevic. But as things go wrong, as an owner, you need to be prepared to do

[00:27:42] work to help that club.

[00:27:44] He had a record of ruining three clubs before he came to us that have fallen

[00:27:48] to bits. The EFL should have known this.

[00:27:50] The EFL should have been wary of this.

[00:27:53] He should never have been allowed to buy the club.

[00:27:55] He doesn't, unless the club are doing well, he doesn't care.

[00:28:00] It is what I've always felt with him.

[00:28:02] It's that he wants to own a club that just he doesn't want to get involved in

[00:28:07] the business side of things. He just wants to let it be.

[00:28:09] He just wants to throw money at it and go, yeah, that manager looks good.

[00:28:11] I buy that that player looks good.

[00:28:13] I buy that blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, for the money at it.

[00:28:15] And then when it doesn't pay off, he's not prepared to make any decent

[00:28:18] business decisions or let anyone who can make decent business decisions do

[00:28:22] anything. He doesn't listen to managers.

[00:28:25] He doesn't listen to people who work there.

[00:28:27] Everyone comes off the back.

[00:28:28] We had some decent people work for our football club.

[00:28:32] Brian Tiverton is one and he didn't listen to them.

[00:28:35] They all come away disgruntled.

[00:28:37] They're one issue that all the issue that they all have is Dianne is paying.

[00:28:41] You know, it's a deadly issue.

[00:28:43] They're not present.

[00:28:45] They're not prepared to, you know, essentially they have it as this little

[00:28:49] side project. It's almost like I always think of it as that they're using

[00:28:52] reading like their own little betting app.

[00:28:55] And they're never going to put too much of their own money into it, but

[00:28:57] they're happy to gamble with X amount money and they're happy to gamble that.

[00:29:01] But they're not happy to, you know, do anything else with it.

[00:29:05] We're at the point now where we have fallen into tax issues.

[00:29:09] We've had tax bills to pay.

[00:29:11] It's his club. It's his responsibility.

[00:29:13] He should be paying that he's not paying it.

[00:29:16] There's staff that needed to be paid who weren't being paid.

[00:29:18] It's his club.

[00:29:19] He should be paying for it instead.

[00:29:21] What he does is he sells various assets of the club to pay for it

[00:29:25] instead. We're currently talking about a selling our training park, basically.

[00:29:30] You know, we're going to be selling our training facilities, our training ground

[00:29:34] because he doesn't want to put the money in his own pocket and pay for bills

[00:29:37] and stuff. It's what we've done with players.

[00:29:39] We've lost. We've already been struggling this season and we've lost a lot of

[00:29:42] good players to pay for tax bills because he doesn't want to put his own

[00:29:45] money into it. He's not prepared to spend any more money on this club.

[00:29:49] So the right thing to do is if he doesn't want to spend money on it, he

[00:29:51] doesn't with it, which he quite blatantly doesn't want to.

[00:29:53] He should sell it. OK?

[00:29:55] We're being told he wants to sell this club.

[00:29:57] I do not personally believe he has any interest in selling this club because

[00:30:01] let's just put it in layman's terms.

[00:30:03] If you want to sell your car, you want it, you might do up your car

[00:30:06] before you sell it. Give it a clean.

[00:30:07] You got a broken wind mirror.

[00:30:08] Fix the broken wind mirror makes a bit of a funny noise.

[00:30:11] Maybe get that looked at by a garage first before you put it on the market.

[00:30:15] What you don't do is you don't go around your car taking bits out of it

[00:30:18] to keep for yourself. You don't go, look, that CD player is worth

[00:30:21] X amount of money. Oh, yank that out.

[00:30:23] Oh, the wing mirrors look quite nice.

[00:30:25] I'll just take them off as well.

[00:30:26] And you leave the car in a poor position to sell.

[00:30:28] We're told, you know, before Christmas.

[00:30:30] Yeah, he's definitely going to sell.

[00:30:31] He's you know, he doesn't want to be part of this club.

[00:30:33] But we need to we need to sell this club.

[00:30:35] He wants to do that.

[00:30:36] Well, if that's the case, why is he selling some of our best players?

[00:30:39] Who wants to buy a club in League One as it is?

[00:30:41] And not only that, a club who are struggling at the bottom of League One,

[00:30:44] a club with a lot of debt and a club who now the current owner

[00:30:47] is selling off some of our best.

[00:30:49] It's really worrying.

[00:30:50] We're told to stay positive.

[00:30:52] We like to think there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

[00:30:54] But to me, and having worked for companies where this has happened for,

[00:30:57] it looks to me like someone who's come into a business

[00:30:59] and is stripping its assets to make as much money as they can

[00:31:02] for the whole thing folds.

[00:31:03] And that scares the hell out of me.

[00:31:05] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:31:06] So in a nutshell, he most probably is the person who killed the club.

[00:31:12] Well, very passionately, eloquently put, Sam.

[00:31:16] And again, it's one of those stories that is getting that wider

[00:31:21] notice from wider football fans.

[00:31:23] I think there's been a lot of support from opposition fans

[00:31:27] that have shown their support as well.

[00:31:29] Jonny, do you want to add to that?

[00:31:31] Yeah, we need like there's a million deficit in the club for this month.

[00:31:37] We know that being on the supporters trust as a member of whatever.

[00:31:41] We need to just do what we have with the fuck we can to help each other

[00:31:45] to get through this period.

[00:31:47] It's desperate times.

[00:31:48] It really is desperate times

[00:31:51] where we need to find a way to help each other.

[00:31:55] He's he's vile, like I it's heartbreaking as a as a reading person,

[00:32:01] as a fan and we want to call it.

[00:32:03] But we need to we need to make something happen.

[00:32:08] It's heartbreaking.

[00:32:09] It really is horrible thing.

[00:32:11] But I think we can make a difference as a fan group.

[00:32:14] This our fucking club.

[00:32:16] I don't give a shit about the owner.

[00:32:18] I don't give a shit about it's our team.

[00:32:21] We need to fight for our identity and we need to make it happen.

[00:32:25] It's horrible. It really is horrible.

[00:32:27] It's heartbreaking to see.

[00:32:29] I mean, we need we need we need to find a way through this.

[00:32:31] But I never thought I'd see this in my you know,

[00:32:34] we've been through some shit times as a football fan.

[00:32:37] And football in general, but this is where we're at now.

[00:32:41] And it is it is horrendous to see, I think, for the football fans in general,

[00:32:47] the state that ready and find themselves in.

[00:32:50] And actually, this does seem to keep happening with various clubs.

[00:32:54] Yeah, the NFL clueless.

[00:32:56] The NFL don't give a shit.

[00:32:58] Our owners liquidize two clubs.

[00:33:01] This would be the third.

[00:33:02] The NFL, basically what they can do is they can, you know,

[00:33:06] they give 28 days notice, they can get rid of him as an owner.

[00:33:09] That doesn't help really.

[00:33:10] But it helps them because he's done a job and they're full of shit.

[00:33:14] They really are as you know, they're all about looking after themselves.

[00:33:18] Yeah, football clubs are about the fans, the people that,

[00:33:22] you know, all the backroom staff at Reading, you know, do the jobs,

[00:33:25] the administration staff.

[00:33:27] I just want my club to exist.

[00:33:29] I don't care what league is in where we end up.

[00:33:32] Sam's the same.

[00:33:34] We've been through so much shit the last few years

[00:33:37] that we can sit and talk about it because it's our home.

[00:33:41] The thought of losing my home as a football fan

[00:33:45] where I can go back to even though I live in Ireland, it means the world to me

[00:33:49] to connect with Sam about podcast shite.

[00:33:53] And this this means the world to me as a football fan.

[00:33:57] This means talking to you.

[00:33:59] If someone says your football club doesn't exist anymore,

[00:34:02] what the fuck is that?

[00:34:03] I'm sorry, but that is just wrong on every level.

[00:34:07] We've been here since 1871

[00:34:10] and we deserve better.

[00:34:12] But the EFL don't give a shit.

[00:34:14] The Premier League don't give a shit.

[00:34:15] And it's wrong.

[00:34:17] It's sad. It really is heartbreaking.

[00:34:19] Johnny is known throughout the club, our fans, players.

[00:34:24] All right. It's club.

[00:34:26] I love this club.

[00:34:28] Johnny, you know, you cut Johnny open.

[00:34:31] He bleeds blue and white hoops.

[00:34:33] Seriously, you know, and the work he's done for us,

[00:34:36] you've done over the years, mate, what you've done

[00:34:39] as part of your talk in Royals, which I'd like to give a quick plug

[00:34:42] if you're right with that, Carl.

[00:34:43] Johnny does this fantastic thing called Talk in Royals,

[00:34:45] which encourages reading FC fans talk about their mental health.

[00:34:49] Mental health is something I've suffered with in the past.

[00:34:52] And for a long time, Reading Football Club was one escape route.

[00:34:56] There was a little time when I was going through a really hard time

[00:34:59] where the Madejski Stadium was my safe spot,

[00:35:01] because no matter what happened for that 90 games,

[00:35:04] you know, that 90 minutes win, lose or draw,

[00:35:06] it didn't matter what was going on the outside world.

[00:35:08] That was my safe space.

[00:35:10] And then there'll be football fans, proper football fans across the world

[00:35:12] who know what that means.

[00:35:13] It's escapism.

[00:35:15] It's something that, you know, you go through life

[00:35:18] doing things that bring you positivity, whether it be hobbies,

[00:35:22] whether it be doing stand up like us, whether it be seeing friends,

[00:35:25] socializing, singing, dancing, whatever.

[00:35:28] This is a huge thing to us football fans.

[00:35:30] And the fact that it could be taken away is a huge deal.

[00:35:33] We don't sit around assuming we're going to be back

[00:35:36] in the Premier League competing one day.

[00:35:37] We don't assume we're going to be back there.

[00:35:40] Whatever. All we want is a sustainable club, which is run the right way.

[00:35:44] A club where people who work at the club are actually paid a fair wage,

[00:35:48] where players are actually coming home with a salary at the end of the month.

[00:35:51] They don't have to give away their salary so that the people

[00:35:54] working in vendors work.

[00:35:55] We don't have players being sold behind the manager's back.

[00:35:58] We don't have lifelong fans of the club who then become team players

[00:36:04] such as you know, and I don't mean to throw the guy under the bus.

[00:36:07] I don't think this is his fault.

[00:36:09] Tom McIntyre is reading through and through as well.

[00:36:12] He was he was a mascot when he was a kid.

[00:36:14] He was a fan.

[00:36:15] He was on the pitch with all of us when we went up in 2011, 2012.

[00:36:19] He's always want to play for that team.

[00:36:21] He's always wanted to, you know,

[00:36:23] and then he gets sold behind the manager's back to Portsmouth.

[00:36:26] He just gets sent.

[00:36:27] You know, there was a long time where we were told, look,

[00:36:30] you know what? We can't go and buy this player here and this player here,

[00:36:32] but we'll always have the Academy will always create our own players.

[00:36:35] No matter where we are in the table,

[00:36:36] we'll have our own players who we created.

[00:36:38] Now we're losing them as well.

[00:36:41] The Academy was the best football club.

[00:36:44] They're the life and soul of this club.

[00:36:46] We talked earlier about Eamonn Dolan and the amazing work he's done.

[00:36:50] That is now being trashed like, you know,

[00:36:53] not taking anything away from history, of course not.

[00:36:55] But but what I mean is, is that that legacy

[00:36:58] that Reading Way is being trashed?

[00:37:01] And it's just it's just it's ludicrous what's going on.

[00:37:04] A lot of people who might be listening to this could happen to your club.

[00:37:08] We talked earlier about Sir John Madaysky.

[00:37:09] How I mean, Johnny have talked enough about how we feel.

[00:37:13] But how much do you feel as an ex manager, an ex player?

[00:37:17] Or as I said, Sir John Madaysky, I mean, he's a man who put

[00:37:20] a lot of money into this club

[00:37:22] and he never wanted to leave the club unless he knew it was safe.

[00:37:26] Well, there used to be a few complaints back in the day.

[00:37:28] Oh, my God, he's not spending.

[00:37:30] They're doing that.

[00:37:32] Why can't we do what Portsmouth do and just throw the money at the wall

[00:37:35] and they'll get an FA Cup final?

[00:37:36] And he was always very careful to he ran reading like a good businessman

[00:37:40] should always kept us out of debt.

[00:37:43] He always made sure we were OK, you know,

[00:37:46] and he sacrificed a lot of his time, a lot of his money into it.

[00:37:49] I think the club now is just so depressing and I feel so man really do.

[00:37:57] So as we move towards adding a Premier League squad

[00:38:00] in the archives for reading, let's take a look at that all time

[00:38:03] top flight, top scorers and appearance makers of that era.

[00:38:06] Redding's joint third top Premier League appearance

[00:38:08] makers are Stephen Hunt and Ivor Ingram-Arsen on 72 appearances each

[00:38:13] in joint second to ever presence from those earlier seasons

[00:38:16] in that first bone in the top flight.

[00:38:17] That's Marcus Hanneman and James Harper on 76 apiece.

[00:38:22] And out in front is one of only three players

[00:38:24] who have appeared over both spells with 90 appearances.

[00:38:28] It's Nicky Shorry.

[00:38:30] Quick quiz, can you name the other two?

[00:38:32] Putting you both on the spot.

[00:38:33] Nicky Shorry played across both spells.

[00:38:37] Jimmy Kebaye and Federici.

[00:38:40] Federici is the other one.

[00:38:42] Well played.

[00:38:42] I was going to say did Howe Robson Canoe come into the squad?

[00:38:44] No he's a twat.

[00:38:45] Yeah, yeah.

[00:38:46] I feel we could get onto that in a moment as well.

[00:38:49] In terms of goals, Stephen Hunt and James Harper

[00:38:53] are tied on nine Premier League goals each.

[00:38:56] Adam La Fondre and Dave Kitson are tied on 12 each.

[00:38:59] And Reading's all time top flight goalscorer with 19 is Kevin Doyle.

[00:39:04] So as part of our countdown of the top 51 now Premier League

[00:39:07] teams of all time, we're placing an agreed starting 11 and five subs

[00:39:10] into the archives to represent their club for the Premier League era.

[00:39:13] I like to think of this format as basically if FIFA or EA FC

[00:39:18] or whatever launched a Reading FC all time Premier League

[00:39:22] 11 and five subs, who would be in the team?

[00:39:25] Now you've both separately sent me your teams.

[00:39:28] I'm going to go through the players that you both agreed on.

[00:39:30] There are five or six of them, I think, across the across the team.

[00:39:34] So Graham Murty at right back, Nicky Shuri at left back, Ibrahim Sonko.

[00:39:39] Is he is he sure he is?

[00:39:42] Is he is he sure he is?

[00:39:45] Sonko is also Sonko is also Sonko is Superman.

[00:39:49] Sorry mate, you're here all night.

[00:39:51] James Harper you both agree on.

[00:39:52] You were saying Dave Kitson you both agree on and JB McEnough

[00:39:56] you both agree on. You both did also have Leroy Leiter and Jem

[00:39:59] Karachan on the bench for both of your teams.

[00:40:02] Now let's come to a few of the players that are maybe still up for grabs.

[00:40:06] Now, Johnny, you've got Marcus Handeman in goal, which I must admit

[00:40:09] from an outsider I thought was a gimmie.

[00:40:11] Sam, you've got Mikael Andersen.

[00:40:13] Did Mikael Andersen play in the Premier League?

[00:40:16] I'm stirring it up mate, eat your chip bag.

[00:40:19] I knew we'd have some depressing chat tonight,

[00:40:21] what with the current state of Reddit.

[00:40:23] So I thought I'd eject a little bit of fun into this.

[00:40:25] Johnny's team was full squad that I would possibly give him one or two names,

[00:40:30] would say it's spot on.

[00:40:32] And I'm throwing some world cards in there, pure for nostalgic reasons

[00:40:35] for us to discuss for many reasons.

[00:40:36] So Mikael Andersen, he makes it into this squad for the following reasons.

[00:40:41] When I played Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 at uni, for some reason

[00:40:45] there was a glitch in the game that Mikael Andersen

[00:40:49] was completely unstoppable if you played him in goal.

[00:40:51] And it only worked if I shouted Mikael as loud as I could every time

[00:40:55] an opposition friend of mine, as the opposition took a shot.

[00:40:59] So purely off the back of his 2008 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

[00:41:03] performances is why I picked him.

[00:41:05] Secondly, I believe he only made one start for Reading,

[00:41:08] I think in maybe 2014, which I officially marked Mikael Andersen Day,

[00:41:12] where I changed all my social media names to Mikael Andersen

[00:41:17] and changed every photo to Mikael Andersen, to mark Mikael Andersen Day.

[00:41:21] So that's the only reason I've included him.

[00:41:23] Obviously, I'm sorry, Mikael, I love you to bits.

[00:41:25] You don't make it.

[00:41:26] Obviously, Haneman will come in there, although I would say in serious

[00:41:31] Federici is the most soundest person.

[00:41:35] I'd actually go.

[00:41:37] Haneman in for Federici then.

[00:41:40] We both agree on Sonko, but Inge Marston or Piers at the back

[00:41:44] was your centre halves.

[00:41:46] So I loved Alex Piers because he was nutter and I played the...

[00:41:50] He can play football.

[00:41:52] Yeah, but that doesn't matter.

[00:41:53] Do you remember that little cross, that little step over he did before he scored?

[00:41:56] He did that, yes.

[00:41:57] I just loved that he was a bit...

[00:41:59] I looked at those two at the back and went, yeah, do you know what they are?

[00:42:02] When I saw his team set up, I was going, this is a 6-0 victory, to be honest.

[00:42:06] I'll be honest with you, it's a neutral.

[00:42:08] I was thinking very similar.

[00:42:09] I was going to try and make some cases here.

[00:42:12] I think we can agree then,

[00:42:14] I think we can work out that Steve Sidwell does get his place in centre midfield

[00:42:18] over Emerson Faye.

[00:42:21] The most expensive team.

[00:42:25] Emerson Faye comes in because I'm treating this like a fantasy team.

[00:42:30] I'm treating this like a fantasy team where I could give him a massive bollock in

[00:42:32] and get the best out of him.

[00:42:34] And secondly, if you played with him on Pro Evolution Soccer 2008,

[00:42:38] he could score from the halfway line.

[00:42:39] He had a really good kick on him.

[00:42:40] And so therefore, I expected him to do exactly the same

[00:42:43] when he played in the Premier League.

[00:42:44] So I make this then, that I think the team,

[00:42:47] maybe, I mean, the other thing that I do like here is that you have got

[00:42:52] on your subs bench, little known, I would say, outside of Redding,

[00:42:55] Daniel Carrico.

[00:42:56] Carrico? I remember his debut.

[00:42:59] 30 minutes and he was fucking gassed.

[00:43:01] He didn't like the weather.

[00:43:02] And he won medals.

[00:43:04] Oh, he won the Europa Cup, didn't he?

[00:43:06] Yeah. Oh, it was Sevilla, was it?

[00:43:08] Yeah, I think it was Sevilla.

[00:43:10] I can't put him anywhere near the bench just for reasons that in 2020

[00:43:15] he was playing in Wuhan.

[00:43:17] So it just gives me PTSD, to be perfectly honest with you, believe it or not.

[00:43:21] He was in... Oh, he started it.

[00:43:23] It's the worst thing you can find out about a Redding player.

[00:43:26] Seriously, you need to do your research more, mate.

[00:43:29] Jesus, we've got a lot worse than that.

[00:43:30] So I think we've got Marcus Hanneman, Graham Murty,

[00:43:33] Nicky Shorry, Ibrahim Asanko, Ivor Ingram-Arsen,

[00:43:37] James Harper, Steve Sidwell,

[00:43:40] Jobe Makenhoff, Stephen Hunt, Dave Kitson

[00:43:43] and it's possibly Kevin Doyle because you couldn't agree necessarily.

[00:43:48] I think La Fondre maybe drops to the bench on this.

[00:43:50] No, no, no, no, no.

[00:43:52] You can't not pick Kevin Doyle.

[00:43:54] Go away.

[00:43:54] Doyle is the best.

[00:43:56] La Fondre is a super sub.

[00:43:57] Yeah, I think that's where we've got...

[00:43:58] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:43:59] So that's where we've gone for.

[00:44:01] So I think there will be have a squad to go into the archives.

[00:44:07] Gents, that just about brings to the end our Redding chat.

[00:44:11] Go back to the manager.

[00:44:12] Good, good shout. Thank you for prompting me that.

[00:44:14] Now, now on the manager for your teams, obviously,

[00:44:16] there's been a few managers over your two Premier League spells.

[00:44:20] Obviously, Steve Cople, Johnny was your manager

[00:44:25] and Sam Eamon Dolan.

[00:44:27] Obviously, we've spoken about him already during this show.

[00:44:30] A much loved and very sadly missed Redding.

[00:44:34] A key cog, I think, in the success of the football club.

[00:44:37] Yeah, so I did put that in.

[00:44:40] Obviously, half my squad is for a bit of a laugh

[00:44:42] just to sort of counteract the very sincere squad list of Johnny Hunt.

[00:44:46] But it is a forgotten little thing.

[00:44:48] It could be a quiz question.

[00:44:49] He's the only other person to manage Redding in the Premier League,

[00:44:53] as he when he took over temporarily.

[00:44:55] I genuinely believe Eamon Dolan, who we lost too young,

[00:44:58] should have and would have become one of Redding's best ever managers.

[00:45:03] It's a bit like the fact that one day he would have landed the top job,

[00:45:06] and I think he would have been fantastic.

[00:45:08] And I would argue that maybe he was one of the best Premier League managers

[00:45:12] we never had.

[00:45:13] He's the man that made Redding FC.

[00:45:15] Yeah. And in a way, what I love about Eamon Dolan

[00:45:20] is there's some of the work he's done over the years

[00:45:23] and some of the work that still continues today off the back of Eamon Dolan.

[00:45:26] We're still seeing in the top flight people like Michael Alise.

[00:45:29] That's from the unit that, you know, he put together.

[00:45:32] He built that.

[00:45:33] He made the roots of the club that what it is.

[00:45:36] You can't you can't put into words what Eamon did.

[00:45:42] It's now time to step away from Redding for a moment

[00:45:46] and put another player in the Premier League of Nations Hall of Fame.

[00:45:50] We're doing these in roughly alphabetical order each episode.

[00:45:52] You guys have maybe got a slightly rough draw here.

[00:45:55] It's the East African nation of Burundi,

[00:45:58] sandwiched between St Kitts and Nevis and Nicaragua

[00:46:01] in 141st in the FIFA World Rankings.

[00:46:03] And a nation which has to date provided just the two

[00:46:07] Premier League players at the time of recording.

[00:46:10] But who is the greatest? You decide.

[00:46:13] Is it Gail Bagirimara, the 30 year old currently

[00:46:17] former Coventry City youth player born in Burundi

[00:46:20] and left as a child due to political unrest.

[00:46:22] Representing England under 20 level,

[00:46:24] he switched to the nation of his birth in 2015

[00:46:27] and made 22 appearances for them.

[00:46:28] His Premier League career would consist

[00:46:30] of just the 13 appearances for Newcastle United

[00:46:33] scoring once against Wigan.

[00:46:35] He'd later returned to Coventry by a lone spell at Rangers

[00:46:38] and has since played for Motherwell, Hibs, Solihull Moors

[00:46:42] and both Glent Aran and Dungannon-Swifts in Northern Ireland.

[00:46:45] He is married to a former Miss Coventry,

[00:46:48] if that's worth bonus points for either of you.

[00:46:51] Or is it Sido Berahino,

[00:46:53] perhaps the slightly better known of our two Burundian players today.

[00:46:57] Also, somehow still only 30 at the time of recording,

[00:47:00] despite seemingly being around forever.

[00:47:02] A player with almost 50 appearances for England at youth level.

[00:47:06] Despite a call up to the main squad by Roy Hodgson,

[00:47:08] he did switch allegiance back to his native Burundi in 2018,

[00:47:11] having never made an appearance for the Three Lions senior team.

[00:47:15] He scored on his debut at the Afton game against Gabon,

[00:47:18] the first of just two goals in 22 caps so far.

[00:47:21] Berahino received political asylum for Burundi to Birmingham as a child

[00:47:25] and credits football as helping him to integrate into English life.

[00:47:29] He was once subject of a 21 million pound bid from Newcastle United

[00:47:33] and had a move to Spurs blocked during his time at West Brom

[00:47:37] before eventually joining Stoke for 12 million.

[00:47:40] He scored 23 Premier League goals in 105 appearances

[00:47:42] during his time at the Hawthorns

[00:47:44] before failing to score in 28 Premier League appearances for Stoke.

[00:47:48] And during the two year goal drought during that period,

[00:47:50] he was most recently released by Sheffield Wednesday.

[00:47:54] So who is the greatest Burundian Premier League player of all time

[00:48:00] as we record this in March 2024?

[00:48:02] Begirumara or Sido Berahino?

[00:48:06] Johnny, let's come to you first.

[00:48:08] What it stinks of is mental health issues.

[00:48:11] I'll stick that one out there.

[00:48:12] So you know he was a very talented player, wasn't he?

[00:48:15] But he just didn't didn't get where he was going to go.

[00:48:17] I'm going to hang one now so dry because I'm a running fan, to be honest.

[00:48:21] They've both been through their journeys.

[00:48:22] I'd go, I'd go Gale.

[00:48:24] Begirumara. Yeah, why not?

[00:48:27] Sido, but geez, I don't know.

[00:48:29] He knows what goes on behind the mask of these guys.

[00:48:33] I really don't know.

[00:48:35] You're soppy and weird and whatever.

[00:48:37] But like, you know, you look at this and you go and like the guys

[00:48:41] 21 million for Newcastle must have some talent.

[00:48:45] But I saw his career go down and down and down.

[00:48:49] You gave a fair place.

[00:48:50] You gave us a tough one to choose from.

[00:48:53] I was going to say Borrachinio would be my shout, actually.

[00:48:58] I'm not just saying that because Johnny went one way, but I was I was going to say,

[00:49:01] yeah, I think I think I'd go with him.

[00:49:03] Yeah. He's the Premier League for a short while there, Borrachinio as well.

[00:49:07] But as you say, you know, money and fame and fortune

[00:49:10] and all of these things isn't necessarily the path to happiness

[00:49:13] and all sorts of...

[00:49:14] Let's be honest, we had a crap call on that one.

[00:49:16] It was like, Jesus Christ.

[00:49:18] Well, let me switch to...

[00:49:19] There've been some classic weeks.

[00:49:21] I mean, Belgium was pretty difficult to choose from.

[00:49:23] Oh really, Bresson?

[00:49:24] But you've got... you did get Burundi.

[00:49:27] We are going to put this...

[00:49:28] Is this just piss off the running fans even more?

[00:49:31] Off you go.

[00:49:33] Burundi have been represented.

[00:49:34] They get their moment in the sun.

[00:49:36] We will put this out on Twitter slash X for you to cast your vote.

[00:49:41] So before we let you go, it will effectively be Coventry City fans

[00:49:44] versus West Brom, so that should be interesting.

[00:49:46] OK, they hate both.

[00:49:47] So that's good.

[00:49:48] You know, one of them married a Miss Coventry.

[00:49:51] So I think that's probably the victory there, isn't it?

[00:49:54] Yeah, yeah.

[00:49:55] Have you been to Coventry?

[00:49:56] So before we let you both go,

[00:49:58] we're going to have a quick round of player apps, right?

[00:50:00] This is the game we play on this show

[00:50:03] where basically I'm going to give you a Premier League player

[00:50:06] and then you're going to tell me if the Premier League player

[00:50:08] that follows them has made higher or lower Premier League

[00:50:12] appearances than the player previously.

[00:50:14] There are 11 players.

[00:50:16] Whoever is in control of the board at the end is our winner.

[00:50:19] This is very scary.

[00:50:20] Nothing.

[00:50:21] Well, however, do bear in mind that if you're in control

[00:50:24] of the board for the final player and you get it wrong,

[00:50:27] you do hand victory to your opponent.

[00:50:29] We have seen players go for it all the way to the end.

[00:50:32] What do we win?

[00:50:33] A speedboat like in Bonsai ways or, you know...

[00:50:37] I can sketch you a picture of a speedboat.

[00:50:41] That's absolutely fine.

[00:50:42] It is what you could have won.

[00:50:44] We will see, basically, for the pride...

[00:50:48] We haven't got any of these times.

[00:50:49] Not many left, I remember.

[00:50:51] This could be our one victory this season.

[00:50:53] You've got those wrong.

[00:50:55] So your first player for control of the board,

[00:50:59] and I apologise, most of these players have a reading link

[00:51:02] of some kind, not always a positive one,

[00:51:05] because I really was scraping the barrel with one or two,

[00:51:07] as you'll see.

[00:51:08] For control of the board, I need you to tell me,

[00:51:11] take your best guess, how many Premier League appearances

[00:51:14] according to PremierLeague.com does Danny Murphy have?

[00:51:18] Sam, you can start us off with that one.

[00:51:21] Danny Murphy?

[00:51:22] How many appearances?

[00:51:24] How many Premier League appearances

[00:51:25] according to PremierLeague.com did Danny Murphy have?

[00:51:28] I was going to say, another look at gesture towards the...

[00:51:31] That's my thinking face.

[00:51:32] Danny Murphy, my hands are here.

[00:51:34] He's got, hi darling, I love you,

[00:51:36] please tell me how much you've...

[00:51:38] Danny Murphy.

[00:51:39] Look at his body language as well.

[00:51:41] I'm sad out loud, she and my wife might know,

[00:51:43] but she's probably got about as good a guess as I has.

[00:51:45] Danny, 150?

[00:51:47] I was going to say 149, that is weird.

[00:51:51] Okay, Sam, you're going 150.

[00:51:54] Johnny, you think lower than...

[00:51:56] 149, just for the sake of it.

[00:51:58] Okay, so this is just to kick us off

[00:52:00] the control of the board, I should point that out.

[00:52:03] You are closest, but I've got to be honest with you,

[00:52:05] it's not been much of a contest so far.

[00:52:08] Danny Murphy is actually, believe it or not,

[00:52:11] the 35th highest Premier League appearance maker to date.

[00:52:14] He relegated us, so we hate you.

[00:52:17] Yeah, thanks for the start, Carl.

[00:52:19] Yeah, yeah, thanks Carl, we hate you.

[00:52:21] But we don't care who wins this now,

[00:52:24] we just, we hate you so much right now.

[00:52:27] I've lost control of the show in this final game.

[00:52:29] Yeah, yeah, I feel bad.

[00:52:31] It happened a long ago,

[00:52:33] 417 for Liverpool, Charlton Spurs and Pullen,

[00:52:36] scoring 50 times, unfortunately one of them

[00:52:38] was quite important in the history of Reading.

[00:52:41] Sam, you have now got control of the board.

[00:52:43] Yeah, congratulations, Sam.

[00:52:45] Our next player, according to PremierLeague.com,

[00:52:49] Michael Dewberry, has he made more or fewer

[00:52:52] Premier League appearances than Danny Murphy's 417?

[00:52:56] God, can we just start by saying that,

[00:52:59] there's a serious message here,

[00:53:01] and that is that if you have made

[00:53:02] 400 plus appearances for the Premier League,

[00:53:04] it doesn't mean you can come and take.

[00:53:06] Very true, very true.

[00:53:07] Michael Dewberry, Michael Dewberry has made less.

[00:53:11] He is lower, 161 appearances for Chelsea, Leeds and Reading

[00:53:17] between 1993 and 2008.

[00:53:20] So you retain control of the board, Sam.

[00:53:22] Our next player after Michael Dewberry's 161,

[00:53:24] Nicky Shorry, higher or lower?

[00:53:27] Oh, oh.

[00:53:28] For, sorry, am I answering this one still?

[00:53:30] You're still in control, Sam,

[00:53:32] all Premier League appearances.

[00:53:35] So Nicky Shorry left us, didn't he?

[00:53:37] So he went to Aston Villa.

[00:53:41] I don't remember how much he played in the Premier League.

[00:53:43] He went down, didn't he?

[00:53:46] Did he? Oh, God, where did he go?

[00:53:49] I'm going to say he has made less.

[00:53:53] You're saying lower than 161, it's higher, 176.

[00:53:58] What? They're so close!

[00:54:01] Just over half of them for Reading,

[00:54:03] bookending spells at Aston Villa, Fulham and West Brom.

[00:54:06] He scored three times, all of them, coming from South of the Royals.

[00:54:09] So for the first time, don't worry, there's still plenty of time to go here, Sam.

[00:54:12] For the first time, with control of the board, that speedboat.

[00:54:16] For control of the board, Johnny, it comes over to you.

[00:54:19] Nicky Shorry has 176 Premier League appearances.

[00:54:22] Is our next player higher or lower?

[00:54:24] Steve Sidwell.

[00:54:25] It's got to be higher.

[00:54:26] Oh, that's easy!

[00:54:27] It is higher, 200 appearances for Reading,

[00:54:31] Chelsea, Villa, Fulham and Stoke.

[00:54:33] His Premier League career was also bookended by being in Premier League squads for Arsenal and Brighton,

[00:54:37] without ever making it.

[00:54:38] Our next player, Steve Sidwell's 200, it's still with you, Johnny.

[00:54:42] Yap, Stam, higher or lower than Steve Sidwell's 200 appearances?

[00:54:47] It's fixed.

[00:54:48] It's fixed, just like the 2012-2013 season, fixed.

[00:54:53] I'd say less, actually.

[00:54:55] It is lower, 79 appearances.

[00:54:57] He won three Premier League titles in those 79 appearances,

[00:55:02] in his first three years.

[00:55:03] He did make just one appearance in 0-1-0-2 before being sold to Lazio.

[00:55:07] Yeah, I think that's ready.

[00:55:09] Is there an impression of Yap Stamming there?

[00:55:12] Yap Stam's 79 Premier League appearances.

[00:55:15] Is our next player higher or lower?

[00:55:16] Reading Bourne, Dion Burton.

[00:55:19] Higher or lower in the Premier League than Yap Stam's 79, Johnny.

[00:55:23] Jesus, Jesus.

[00:55:25] That's better.

[00:55:25] Sam's getting a bit stressy there, isn't he?

[00:55:28] I'll play mine against him.

[00:55:29] I've never seen him so stressed.

[00:55:31] He deals with hecklers, he deals with whatever.

[00:55:34] But like, okay, he's actually starting to rock.

[00:55:36] I deal with his clients every day at work,

[00:55:38] but I think he's stressing out.

[00:55:40] I'll tell you, it's competitiveness, mate.

[00:55:43] Come on, give me your answer, come on.

[00:55:44] I'm going to keep you waiting.

[00:55:45] How long do I have to...?

[00:55:46] Until the next tech issue, not long probably.

[00:55:50] I'd say...

[00:55:52] I'm going to say higher just to annoy him,

[00:55:54] but it's probably wrong.

[00:55:55] It is higher, 119 appearances for Derby and Portsmouth,

[00:56:00] going 22,000.

[00:56:01] I think I'm having some tech issues.

[00:56:02] You're still far from the end.

[00:56:04] There's a long way to go, I'm certain.

[00:56:05] I'm just going to work tomorrow.

[00:56:07] So Dion Burton's 119 Premier League appearances.

[00:56:10] Here's a tenuous link to Reading.

[00:56:12] Emerson Royale.

[00:56:14] Emerson Royale.

[00:56:15] Has Emerson Royale made higher or lower appearances

[00:56:19] than Dion Burton's 119?

[00:56:22] For who?

[00:56:23] Oh, I can't tell you that, you see,

[00:56:24] this is part of the game.

[00:56:25] Emerson Royale.

[00:56:26] Is he the one that plays with Totten now?

[00:56:27] Is that the Wigan dude?

[00:56:29] Could be either.

[00:56:30] Wow, he's a great host of Jim Bowie and my fucking squee-bop.

[00:56:34] I'm going lower.

[00:56:35] It is lower at the time of recording.

[00:56:37] 75 appearances for Spurs across three seasons.

[00:56:41] Emerson Royale's 75 appearances

[00:56:43] is our next player higher or lower, Leroy Lita.

[00:56:46] Oh, that's an interesting one.

[00:56:47] 75.

[00:56:49] Da da da da.

[00:56:50] Leroy Lita da.

[00:56:52] He played for Swansea, he played for us.

[00:56:54] That's going to be close.

[00:56:55] I'm going to lose this one, this one.

[00:56:57] I think I'm going to say lower.

[00:56:58] You wrecked us.

[00:56:59] It is.

[00:57:00] 65 appearances, only 10 lower,

[00:57:03] but 65 appearances for Reading, Swansea and Birmingham City.

[00:57:06] You're still three from the end.

[00:57:08] I can already sense what Sam's response

[00:57:10] is going to be to this next one.

[00:57:11] It's going to get tight,

[00:57:12] I promise you though, by the end.

[00:57:13] Leroy Lee has 65 appearances.

[00:57:15] Is our next player higher or lower?

[00:57:17] Ian Hart.

[00:57:18] Higher.

[00:57:19] Higher.

[00:57:20] 237 for Leeds, Sunderland and Reading.

[00:57:23] 67, by the way, Ian Hart.

[00:57:25] Hart should put a veteran in.

[00:57:26] Ian.

[00:57:28] Ian Hart, 237 appearances.

[00:57:32] Higher or lower?

[00:57:33] Joke.

[00:57:34] It's a joke.

[00:57:34] This is absolute farce, this.

[00:57:37] OK.

[00:57:38] I've got to tell you...

[00:57:38] If the jury is out of the squad, by the way,

[00:57:40] I'm having Joseph Mills instead

[00:57:42] or Sean Cummings.

[00:57:44] He can go in instead.

[00:57:45] I've got to tell you, these are the same order

[00:57:48] over who's in charge of the board.

[00:57:50] 237 for Leeds, Sunderland and Reading.

[00:57:52] He kept 67 clean sheets.

[00:57:54] He did.

[00:57:55] He scored 28 and assisted 36.

[00:57:57] It's very much the care and trip here of his day

[00:57:59] of fantasy football teams around the country, I would say.

[00:58:01] Sam.

[00:58:02] Johnny, you are two from the end.

[00:58:06] I have a feeling you are going to be in control

[00:58:08] of the board, but we'll see by the very end.

[00:58:10] Oh, really?

[00:58:11] That's some of it.

[00:58:12] However, Sam may well be able to snatch it at the end.

[00:58:15] Ian Hart's 237 is our next player higher or lower?

[00:58:18] John Oster.

[00:58:20] Are you having a laugh?

[00:58:21] It's got to lower.

[00:58:22] It is lower.

[00:58:23] 104 appearances for Everton, Sunderland and of course, Reading.

[00:58:28] Scoring twice.

[00:58:29] These are all the players I could find

[00:58:31] with Reading connections in the Premier League

[00:58:33] that wasn't just Reading, which means, Johnny,

[00:58:36] it's in your hands for the final player.

[00:58:39] John Oster made 104 Premier League appearances.

[00:58:45] Get this right and you are a winner.

[00:58:47] Get this wrong and it passes over to Sam.

[00:58:49] I'm so glad there's not a prize.

[00:58:51] Our final player, Danny Guthrie.

[00:58:56] Oh, thank you.

[00:58:57] Is Danny Guthrie's Premier League appearances

[00:58:59] higher or lower than John Oster's 104?

[00:59:03] Danny Guthrie.

[00:59:04] Oh my God.

[00:59:05] That actually would be a tough one.

[00:59:07] Do you know what?

[00:59:08] If I lose, I couldn't lose to a better man than Sam.

[00:59:11] That's for that.

[00:59:12] I feel bad now for being so livid.

[00:59:15] Oh my God.

[00:59:16] That guy was shite, but like if it is,

[00:59:19] it's about one game more, one game less.

[00:59:22] Pay that Reading.

[00:59:23] What's my heart tell me?

[00:59:26] I'm going to get this wrong.

[00:59:27] I'm going to get this wrong.

[00:59:28] I'm going to get this wrong

[00:59:29] and Sam's going to win the deal.

[00:59:31] Where did he go after Reading?

[00:59:32] To the toilet shop.

[00:59:34] The thing I love about this game

[00:59:35] is it always starts out quite lighthearted

[00:59:37] and it always gets to this point.

[00:59:39] No, no, it's not like you've created the questions.

[00:59:42] We're Reading together.

[00:59:44] I don't care who wins.

[00:59:45] I do.

[00:59:46] No, just quickly, what was it?

[00:59:48] What was the last one?

[00:59:49] John Oster?

[00:59:50] No, no, Danny Guthrie.

[00:59:52] I only go less.

[00:59:53] I'm there less.

[00:59:54] You're going to go less.

[00:59:55] Would you have gone higher or lower, Sam,

[00:59:57] just out of interest?

[00:59:58] To John Oster?

[00:59:59] Yeah, has Danny Guthrie played more

[01:00:03] or fewer appearances than John Oster?

[01:00:04] I was just trying to look at it.

[01:00:06] So Danny Guthrie, I was trying to sneak in.

[01:00:08] I didn't know I was going to get a go,

[01:00:09] but I was trying to look it up just now,

[01:00:11] but I couldn't find it.

[01:00:12] So has Danny Guthrie made more appearances

[01:00:15] in the Premier League than John Oster?

[01:00:16] Are you cheating?

[01:00:18] And what was John Oster's number again?

[01:00:19] 104?

[01:00:20] You're cheating.

[01:00:21] No, I tried to look it up.

[01:00:22] I couldn't find it.

[01:00:23] You're cheating.

[01:00:25] I'm just doing this freestyle.

[01:00:27] No, I didn't know I was going to get a go.

[01:00:29] It's your thing.

[01:00:32] This is not a go, to be fair.

[01:00:33] This is just the here's what you would have wanted.

[01:00:36] Does it go in or not?

[01:00:37] Do I get lower or not?

[01:00:38] No, no.

[01:00:39] What did Johnny say?

[01:00:40] I said lower.

[01:00:42] Did he say lower?

[01:00:42] I'm going to say, well, I'll just purely,

[01:00:44] I'm going to say higher because he said lower.

[01:00:47] OK.

[01:00:47] Because you're going to say more.

[01:00:49] Well, I'm going to say for the speedboat,

[01:00:53] Johnny, whatever you, it was always in your hands.

[01:00:57] And you said the words.

[01:00:58] It's going to be like one less or one more.

[01:01:00] You went lower.

[01:01:02] Johnny, you were correct to go lower.

[01:01:03] Danny Guthrie has made one fewer Premier League

[01:01:07] appearance than John Oster.

[01:01:09] You take the win.

[01:01:10] And look at that.

[01:01:11] Royals together.

[01:01:13] Now I'm looking at it.

[01:01:15] There's a shirt over the head.

[01:01:16] Ravinelli is a full on celebration.

[01:01:20] Did you notice what he said, man?

[01:01:21] 103 for Danny Guthrie.

[01:01:24] Sorry, sorry, sir.

[01:01:26] That's his.

[01:01:26] Do you know what's really, the most he made appearances for?

[01:01:31] There we go.

[01:01:32] Danny Guthrie, Liverpool, Bolton, Newcastle, and Reading,

[01:01:35] if you were playing along.

[01:01:36] He was in Liverpool for a while, wasn't he?

[01:01:37] He was, man.

[01:01:38] He wasn't playing that show.

[01:01:39] Gentlemen, he's been.

[01:01:41] Not only did I lose, but I also got the last question wrong.

[01:01:45] I wasn't even looking at it.

[01:01:47] And I attempted to Google it.

[01:01:49] It's a perfect place to end the show.

[01:01:51] It's been a pleasure having you both.

[01:01:52] Sam, let's start with you.

[01:01:54] You are the host of Comedians Talking About Football,

[01:01:57] a show that I am going to be a future guest on.

[01:01:59] You are.

[01:02:00] Tell us where people can find that

[01:02:01] and tell us about a few of the people you've had on.

[01:02:03] I think we've had one or two guest,

[01:02:04] Josh Pugh has been on your show, for example, hasn't he?

[01:02:06] Yes.

[01:02:07] Yeah, so the new series,

[01:02:08] I'm not sure when this is coming out again, Carl?

[01:02:10] At some point before the end of the season,

[01:02:12] right near the end of the season.

[01:02:13] Cool.

[01:02:14] So the third series, as you may or may not be listening to this,

[01:02:17] is either our football coming out soon.

[01:02:20] We've got some great guests coming up in the new series.

[01:02:22] We've got Davy Johns, star of I, Daniel Blake.

[01:02:26] We've got Neil Fitz, Neil Fitz Morris,

[01:02:30] star of Peep Show, Jeff in Peep Show.

[01:02:32] We've got, yeah, we've got some really good guests

[01:02:35] coming up in the third series,

[01:02:36] including yourself, Carl Jones as well.

[01:02:38] Very excited to be chatting about Tottenham

[01:02:40] for the first time since I had David Alfie Ward

[01:02:44] back in series one.

[01:02:45] So that's going to be great to talk all things spurs.

[01:02:47] If it isn't out yet,

[01:02:48] the time listening to this,

[01:02:49] we've already had some great guests on before,

[01:02:51] the likes of Josh Pugh, as you mentioned, Carl.

[01:02:53] Maisie Adam we've had on, the stars of this country.

[01:02:57] Yeah, loads of really, really great guests, Nathan Cainton.

[01:03:00] So yeah, they basically,

[01:03:01] it's the most self-explanatory podcast in the world.

[01:03:04] Each episode a comedian comes on,

[01:03:06] they talk about the lows, the highs,

[01:03:08] the overpriced pies and pretty much everything else

[01:03:09] that comes with supporting the football team.

[01:03:11] And I very much look forward to having you on, Carl.

[01:03:13] Very much look forward to coming on.

[01:03:14] It's a great show and some amazing guests.

[01:03:17] So yeah, I firmly recommend that.

[01:03:19] You can find that wherever you get your podcasts.

[01:03:21] And Johnny, you are also a podcast host as well.

[01:03:25] And so I know there's a fantastic back catalog

[01:03:28] and also as we've touched upon a few times

[01:03:30] during today's show as well,

[01:03:31] the amazing work you do around mental health and football.

[01:03:34] So tell us a little bit about that.

[01:03:36] Yeah, so the neat thing is now is Talking Royals,

[01:03:39] which is a mental health platform for running fans,

[01:03:42] but it's also for fans anywhere based on Talking Cherries,

[01:03:46] the Bournemouth guys that do the same thing.

[01:03:48] It's just reaching out to people

[01:03:49] to have a community to talk.

[01:03:51] Yeah, like it's everywhere.

[01:03:53] Mental health means well to me.

[01:03:55] I do stuff around eating disorders

[01:03:57] and see change over here.

[01:03:58] And I think I might be doing a walk,

[01:04:00] try to raise some money for fixing the gap

[01:04:03] between what's going on at the minute.

[01:04:06] That's another story.

[01:04:07] Yeah, it's what it is.

[01:04:08] It means a world to me.

[01:04:09] This is fun.

[01:04:10] I've enjoyed it so much,

[01:04:12] but it's an ongoing conversation

[01:04:14] about making a difference.

[01:04:16] 871 podcast I was part of with Mark,

[01:04:19] which is brilliant.

[01:04:20] We've had so many good people on there,

[01:04:22] but life moves on.

[01:04:23] We do different stuff.

[01:04:24] Hopefully we won't get relegated.

[01:04:26] Can I just come in Carl and say that,

[01:04:29] Johnny you've massively underplayed

[01:04:31] how brilliant that podcast is.

[01:04:32] I personally, and I'm not just saying it

[01:04:34] because you're here,

[01:04:35] think it's the best running podcast ever made.

[01:04:36] Never before have I heard a podcast

[01:04:38] that really gets to the nitty gritty

[01:04:40] of the players experiences working at the club.

[01:04:43] We've talked a lot about that 106 season tonight.

[01:04:46] I'll tell you what,

[01:04:47] you've got so many players from that season

[01:04:50] come on and share some incredible stories

[01:04:52] that would never been heard before.

[01:04:54] Never been heard before.

[01:04:55] You've even got the top dogs on there.

[01:04:57] Brian McDermott, Steve Kopple.

[01:04:59] Steve Kopple, he's not a media guy.

[01:05:02] You hardly ever see him on the telly doing interviews.

[01:05:04] Manchester United legend, Reading legend.

[01:05:07] You guys got him sat down for ages.

[01:05:09] And he was just...

[01:05:10] He's very humble.

[01:05:11] I do, I do humble.

[01:05:12] I don't do that.

[01:05:13] But the one of the funniest things he ever said

[01:05:15] in that podcast, if you ever listened to it,

[01:05:17] he says about football.

[01:05:20] He said, I've never retired from football.

[01:05:22] Football retired me.

[01:05:23] And he was at a golf date.

[01:05:25] And somebody went up to him and he said,

[01:05:27] I thought you were dead Steve.

[01:05:29] And he was like, in his Scouse accent,

[01:05:31] it was so Steve Kopple.

[01:05:35] And it was like, that's him as a person

[01:05:37] because he's so humble.

[01:05:38] He doesn't seek attention as a human being.

[01:05:42] He just does what he does.

[01:05:43] And that's kind of, I guess, what I do.

[01:05:46] But it's what it is.

[01:05:48] And to do this for you guys,

[01:05:49] I just want to make a difference in the world.

[01:05:52] Life's shit sometimes.

[01:05:53] And so I say it as it is.

[01:05:56] And to do this with you is fun.

[01:05:58] It really is.

[01:05:59] It's like, football means the world to me.

[01:06:02] As people it does.

[01:06:03] So yeah, thank you.

[01:06:05] Thank you both.

[01:06:06] So much for giving up your time.

[01:06:07] You've both really passionately put across

[01:06:09] both your love of Reading FC

[01:06:11] and sincerely from a fellow football fan,

[01:06:14] I hope that the days are brighter ahead

[01:06:16] in the very, very near future.

[01:06:18] I know not a lot needs to happen for that to happen.

[01:06:20] But as it stands, as we record this right now,

[01:06:24] hopefully the future is much brighter

[01:06:27] and you can get your football club back

[01:06:29] really very, very soon.

[01:06:30] So thank you gentlemen.

[01:06:32] Really appreciate having you on the show.

[01:06:33] And we'll put all the links

[01:06:35] to everything we just mentioned in the description.

[01:06:37] But for now, thank you very much for listening.

[01:06:40] Thanks Johnny.

[01:06:40] Thanks Sam.

[01:06:41] Thanks Carl.

[01:06:42] Good luck with editing this.

[01:06:44] Yeah.

[01:06:50] So that was Sam and Johnny.

[01:06:53] And we got there in the end.

[01:06:55] That was close to a three hour episode.

[01:06:57] All sorts of tech issues behind the scenes.

[01:07:00] At one point I dropped out of my own call

[01:07:03] and I think both boys just assumed

[01:07:06] that they'd complained about Daeyoung

[01:07:08] for a little bit too long.

[01:07:09] That wasn't the case at all.

[01:07:11] I hope you got the passion that was coming through

[01:07:15] from both of them as to what's happened

[01:07:17] in their football club.

[01:07:18] It has been a nightmare for Reading fans.

[01:07:20] And those fans just want to have a football club back

[01:07:25] and have their football club back

[01:07:26] in the hands of responsible owners.

[01:07:28] And hopefully that is just around the corner.

[01:07:31] Daeyoung has been compelled

[01:07:33] to sell the football club from all sides,

[01:07:36] most vocally from the fan base as well.

[01:07:39] So if you are a Reading fan,

[01:07:41] I hope you've enjoyed today's episode.

[01:07:43] I hope it's not been too traumatic for you.

[01:07:46] And hopefully you'll have your football club

[01:07:48] back very soon.

[01:07:51] We did also cover

[01:07:53] the Premier League of Nations Hall of Fame,

[01:07:55] Burundi and the greatest Burundian player,

[01:07:58] two to choose from, Gael Giro Mara and Sido Barahino.

[01:08:02] That will be going live now on X.

[01:08:06] So at WFBA pod, do find that.

[01:08:09] That will be running for four or five days

[01:08:12] after this show is released.

[01:08:14] I will reveal the results on next week's episode.

[01:08:18] And speaking of next week's episode,

[01:08:20] I have author Rob Carlos discussing his book,

[01:08:24] Three Games in May.

[01:08:25] Rob is actually an Asta Villafan.

[01:08:27] His book is all about Manchester United.

[01:08:30] Really speaking about it from an outsider

[01:08:32] looking in all about Manchester United's

[01:08:35] treble winning season.

[01:08:37] It is 25 years this month

[01:08:39] since Manchester United sealed their treble.

[01:08:42] And our next two episodes will be covering

[01:08:46] quite a bit of that with Rob's book next week

[01:08:48] and in the week after,

[01:08:50] a return for two guests who were on episode one

[01:08:54] way back when Marvin Dickinson and James Cooke,

[01:08:57] a Manchester United fan and an Asta Villafan

[01:09:00] will be back with me to discuss the 98-99 season.

[01:09:04] A pretty good season for Asta Villafan,

[01:09:06] a very good one for Manchester United.

[01:09:09] That will be the end of this current series.

[01:09:13] So a few more episodes still to go.

[01:09:15] Thank you for your continued support

[01:09:17] and please do continue to share the show.

[01:09:20] Leave us a review,

[01:09:21] subscribe on whatever platform you listen on

[01:09:24] and hopefully we will have even more fantastic episodes

[01:09:29] in the series to follow after the Euros.

[01:09:32] But in the meantime, that is all from me.

[01:09:34] That is all from this week.

[01:09:35] That is all of my episode on Reading FC.

[01:09:38] Thank you very much for joining,

[01:09:40] especially welcome to new fans

[01:09:43] and new listeners of The Royals.

[01:09:45] Thank you very much for finding this show.

[01:09:47] I really appreciate it.

[01:09:48] I hope you'll hang around.

[01:09:50] There is a huge back catalog of fantastic episodes.

[01:09:53] Josh Pugh, Clive Tilsley, Henry Winter,

[01:09:55] Jules Warren, Danny Wilson, Ashley Ward, Mark Draper.

[01:09:59] I could go on and on almost 40 episodes in the bag now.

[01:10:03] So please do hit the archives

[01:10:06] and listen back to episodes you may have missed.

[01:10:09] But in the meantime,

[01:10:10] thank you so much for listening to the show.

[01:10:12] Thank you for watching.

[01:10:13] Thank you for listening.

[01:10:14] I'll see you next week with my book review

[01:10:18] at Manchester United's Three Games in May

[01:10:21] with Rob Carlos.

[01:10:22] See you then.