"Magic hat" book - Mark McGhee's tenure

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Just posting as not sure everyone's aware, there's a great book just out written by a fan on Mark McGhee's spell at the club, up to the play-off final in 1995.

Whilst we all remember the last 2 seasons and ending, its easy to forget the state the club was in when McGhee joined and how poorly the team was performing which I'd pretty much forgotten about.

In addition to re-vamping the squad, he transferred the playing style from the pub football played under latter day Branfoot and Porterfield to an easy on the eye passing style at a time when the long ball game still ruled, certainly in the lower leagues. It also took the fans a good couple of seasons to buy in to it too as well as the local press.

There's several quotes from McGhee's post match press conferences and programme notes as well as regular Evening Post articles/commentary from Clive Baskerville.

There's less player's anecdotes than the Steve Death book but its still a great read.

[RG30]

On a book related theme Jamie Cureton is going to be releasing an autobiography which is available to pre-order.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Just posting as not sure everyone's aware, there's a great book just out written by a fan on Mark McGhee's spell at the club, up to the play-off final in 1995.

Whilst we all remember the last 2 seasons and ending, its easy to forget the state the club was in when McGhee joined and how poorly the team was performing which I'd pretty much forgotten about.

In addition to re-vamping the squad, he transferred the playing style from the pub football played under latter day Branfoot and Porterfield to an easy on the eye passing style at a time when the long ball game still ruled, certainly in the lower leagues. It also took the fans a good couple of seasons to buy in to it too as well as the local press.

There's several quotes from McGhee's post match press conferences and programme notes as well as regular Evening Post articles/commentary from Clive Baskerville.

There's less player's anecdotes than the Steve Death book but its still a great read.

people often overlook the influence he was for us ON the pitch too.

For me, McGoo was the upturn and starting point of our upwards trajectory.

Lost my hate of him long ago at Gilksies testimonial game at EP

[AthleticoSpizz]

On a book related theme Jamie Cureton is going to be releasing an autobiography which is available to pre-order.

a nailed-on sale from me

[Linden Jones' Tash]

It's true that McGheeism took a while to get used to compared to previous 'up & at 'em' styles...

When it worked, it was way ahead of its time at that level. ..

But watching a McGhee team losing 1-0, going into added on time and insisting on passing sideways and backwards was hard to understand (& as annoying as it is nowaday)

[West F]

Just posting as not sure everyone's aware, there's a great book just out written by a fan on Mark McGhee's spell at the club, up to the play-off final in 1995.

Whilst we all remember the last 2 seasons and ending, its easy to forget the state the club was in when McGhee joined and how poorly the team was performing which I'd pretty much forgotten about.

In addition to re-vamping the squad, he transferred the playing style from the pub football played under latter day Branfoot and Porterfield to an easy on the eye passing style at a time when the long ball game still ruled, certainly in the lower leagues. It also took the fans a good couple of seasons to buy in to it too as well as the local press.

There's several quotes from McGhee's post match press conferences and programme notes as well as regular Evening Post articles/commentary from Clive Baskerville.

There's less player's anecdotes than the Steve Death book but its still a great read.

people often overlook the influence he was for us ON the pitch too.

For me, McGoo was the upturn and starting point of our upwards trajectory.

Lost my hate of him long ago at Gilksies testimonial game at EP

+1

It was the point of embarkation from being a lower league up and at ‘em club into an upwardly mobile ‘football’ team. As supporters, we don’t hate the bad managers when they leave. Only the good ones.

[Sutekh]

Possibly the second greatest manager this club has ever had. Utterly brilliant for the club. Even when he left and we all gave him stick for the manner of it he faced it out and gave as good as he got. Love him to come back as a guest of honour at a game at some point (preferably one that sees the club promoted).

Magic Hat: Madejski, McGhee and Reading Football Club
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1836802433
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1836802433

Jamie’s book is due in September:

Last of the Goalhangers

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1916811620
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1916811621

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Possibly the second greatest manager this club has ever had. Utterly brilliant for the club. Even when he left and we all gave him stick for the manner of it he faced it out and gave as good as he got. Love him to come back as a guest of honour at a game at some point (preferably one that sees the club promoted).

Magic Hat: Madejski, McGhee and Reading Football Club
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1836802433
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1836802433

Jamie’s book is due in September:

Last of the Goalhangers

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1916811620
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1916811621

Agree - he pushes Brian hard for the second best manager we've had....and as a previous poster said his reign gave the club the impetus to move to a new ground.

He was the first manager in the club's history to produce a team which could compete at the top end of the second tier, and with minimal funding whilst we were still at Elm Park.

[bakerlou]

I can remember a few McGhee Out chants at a 2-4 loss at home to Stockport in 1992.

A year later we beat them 2-0 on Boxing Day and I cannot recall a better performance by us at division 3 level

[bloody Volvo driver]

I can remember a few McGhee Out chants at a 2-4 loss at home to Stockport in 1992.

A year later we beat them 2-0 on Boxing Day and I cannot recall a better performance by us at division 3 level

Oddly enough, I always thought a game 2 months earlier was the turning point for MM, a very non descript evening game home to Rotherham in mid September (game 6) with no wins to date. O-1 down at half time in front of less than 2,500 and there were so grumbling amongst the faithful, only for us to come out after HT and put in a MM performance eventually winning 3-1. We then went on a 6 game undeafeted run, I’ve always thought that was the game that MM became of age.

Talking about that Stockport game. My brother in law was good mates with a Stockport player, Dean Emerson. He arranged some comps and I simply overlooked the fact I’d be in the away end. Furthermore, for Xmas, I’d been given our away shirt, bumble bee colours, which I proudly wore. About 10 minutes before KO, this huge Stockport fan came and sat right in front of me with claret pouring from his nose where someone had clumped him outside on Norfolk Road. He was f ing and jeffing what he was going to do to the next Reading fan he saw. Needless to say the zip on my coat was right up to my neck and both goals were “celebrated” in stone cold silence,

[South Coast Royal]

Have ordered (saw it mentioned on the Reading fans facebook page by Mark Roach.

One of my favourite periods in our history and, as others have said, a brilliant new brand of football.
I never felt as strongly about him leaving as many others were and I am surprised that he never succeeded elsewhere.

Anybody who could get Stevie Rich to pass the ball along the ground to one of our own players must surely have been a coach of the highest order.

[Gunny Fishcake]

Just posting as not sure everyone's aware, there's a great book just out written by a fan on Mark McGhee's spell at the club, up to the play-off final in 1995.

Whilst we all remember the last 2 seasons and ending, its easy to forget the state the club was in when McGhee joined and how poorly the team was performing which I'd pretty much forgotten about.

In addition to re-vamping the squad, he transferred the playing style from the pub football played under latter day Branfoot and Porterfield to an easy on the eye passing style at a time when the long ball game still ruled, certainly in the lower leagues. It also took the fans a good couple of seasons to buy in to it too as well as the local press.

There's several quotes from McGhee's post match press conferences and programme notes as well as regular Evening Post articles/commentary from Clive Baskerville.

There's less player's anecdotes than the Steve Death book but its still a great read.

people often overlook the influence he was for us ON the pitch too.

For me, McGoo was the upturn and starting point of our upwards trajectory.

Lost my hate of him long ago at Gilksies testimonial game at EP

Hear hear, maybe not the best but without doubt the most influential manager in our history who took the club from a mundane average old Div 3/4 club on the path to the highest level

[Royal Rother]

When it clicked with McGhee we were a joy to watch.

My favourite time as a Reading supporter, although that continued for a while under Quinn and Gooding.

(SCR - yes, Richardson is the example I always used (and continue to) when referencing how it IS possible to coach players to play passing football - coaches these days (yes YOU Mr Richardson) are far to ready to say the players aren't capable of doing it.

[The Cap]

When it clicked with McGhee we were a joy to watch.

My favourite time as a Reading supporter, although that continued for a while under Quinn and Gooding.

(SCR - yes, Richardson is the example I always used (and continue to) when referencing how it IS possible to coach players to play passing football - coaches these days (yes YOU Mr Richardson) are far to ready to say the players aren't capable of doing it.

That 4-2 win at home against Wolves was a classic with Jimmy, Mick, Ady & Jeff (Hopkins) put in overall charge on build up to that infamous play off final v Bolton.

[Forbury Lion]

On a book related theme Jamie Cureton is going to be releasing an autobiography which is available to pre-order.

I'll leave a review now

<insert price>.... what a bargain!

[Sutekh]

When it clicked with McGhee we were a joy to watch.

My favourite time as a Reading supporter, although that continued for a while under Quinn and Gooding.

(SCR - yes, Richardson is the example I always used (and continue to) when referencing how it IS possible to coach players to play passing football - coaches these days (yes YOU Mr Richardson) are far to ready to say the players aren't capable of doing it.

That 4-2 win at home against Wolves was a classic with Jimmy, Mick, Ady & Jeff (Hopkins) put in overall charge on build up to that infamous play off final v Bolton.

Think that made Ady the youngest ever manager - at 23 - of a FL side. Another obscure Reading record?

[RoyalBlue]

On a book related theme Jamie Cureton is going to be releasing an autobiography which is available to pre-order.

I'll leave a review now

<insert price>.... what a bargain!

'Last of the Goalhangers'

£16.99 .... what a bargain!

[Ark Royal]

Arrived yesterday. Living overseas from 1999-2020, I missed out on the Pardew/Coppell era and the ascent to the Premier league, so for me, the McGhee era was the best that I witnessed first-hand. Was not all plain sailing and it took a couple of years before we became the best footballing side in League Two, and then League One. I can remember some fans calling for McGhee's head early in his tenure, but Madejski showed admirable patience. McGhee also had a great head for bargain quality players: Jimmy Quinn, Kevin Dillon, Dariusz Wdowczyk, and the brilliant Simon Osborn, who still remains one of the best players I have seen in the hoops. I was gutted when McGhee left.

[Mr Optimist]

It was one of my favourite periods during my RFC supporting lifetime too.

I thought from the turn of the year of the 92-93 season, the MM plan coming together. That second half of the season we seemed to take teams apart at EP with the best football I’d personally seen us play. Ironically up front when MM stopped playing and Quinny and Archie’s partnership developed and Kevin Dillon seemed to orchestrate everything from midfield from the centre circle with pinpoint passes, probably because his legs were going by then!

A perfect blend of experience and youth team graduates.

Although it turgid to watch at times, i still think the transition from Branfoot hoofball to the 92-94 MM period was helped by the Porterfield period as he got us playing football on the ground again and probably laid some of the groundwork for the change in style of play.

[South Coast Royal]

Arrived yesterday. Living overseas from 1999-2020, I missed out on the Pardew/Coppell era and the ascent to the Premier league, so for me, the McGhee era was the best that I witnessed first-hand. Was not all plain sailing and it took a couple of years before we became the best footballing side in League Two, and then League One. I can remember some fans calling for McGhee's head early in his tenure, but Madejski showed admirable patience. McGhee also had a great head for bargain quality players: Jimmy Quinn, Kevin Dillon, Dariusz Wdowczyk, and the brilliant Simon Osborn, who still remains one of the best players I have seen in the hoops. I was gutted when McGhee left.

Agreed on Simon Osborn, probably amongst my top 3 favourite players for Reading ever.

We were away at Pompey just before Christmas that season wondering "will he, won't he?" and thinking that might be his final match and IIRC it was.