Spurs are going to Reading, their knees have gone all trembly

Saturday will see us mere Championship mortals host that giant of football, Tottenham Hotspur who were of course english league champions as recently as 1961. Spurs are set to complete the signing of Edgar Davids before then, but more importantly Reading will keep Nick Shorey and Dave Kitson on the sidelines to give them every chance of being fit to face Plymouth. Hahnemann will take over between the sticks from Stack. Reading return to Berkshire having completed their successful tour of Sweden with a 2-1 victory of Ljungskile on Tuesday, Sonko and Little the scorers.

Goat out to pasture

Reading FC announced on Tuesday evening the departure of Shaun Goater, whose contract was paid up with immediate effect. Goater, pictured here with Sammy Igoe on a recent trip to the petting Zoo, was top scorer in his first season at the MadStad but never truly looked the part. Floyd on Football thinks it is a real shame that we never really saw the best of Goater and we wish him well in the future.

Here we bloody go.....

Dave Kitson has told www.readingfc.co.uk that he has his "fingers crossed" he will be ok for the first Championship game of the season against Plymouth after stretching his knee ligaments in the 8-0 friendly win over Holmalunds on Saturday. Kits suffered ligament damage to the same left knee last season which kept him out for a hefty chunk of last season but he is confident that this time "it's not as bad as before". Floyd on Football has heard this kind of thing before.....

Just a bit of friendly fun

As the countdown to kick-off begins in earnest (this time in two weeks we'll be reflecting on the outcome of our first league match of the season) the usual pre-season friendly schedule is well underway with Reading making light work of Swedish pub teams over the last few days. The full breakdown of the pre-season fixture list is as follows:


July 13th Staines Town (a) w 6-3 (Kitson 3, Hughes, Blaha, Muldowney)
July 14th Didcot Town (a) w 7-0 (o.g, Hunt (pen), Blaha 2, Doyle 2, Hayes)
July 16th Farnborough Town (a) L 1-2 (Little)
July 22nd Eneryda IF (a) 6-0 (Lita 3, Cox, Hunt, Doyle)
July 24th Holmalunds IF (a) 8-0 (Doyle 3 (1 pen), Lita 2 (1 pen), Hunt, Kitson, Murty)
July26th Ljungfkile SK (a)
July 30th Tottenham Hotspur (h)
August 2nd Dorchester Town (a)


Good to see new signings Doyle, Lita and Hunt knocking in the goals but you have to wonder about the quality of an opposition which concedes goals to Graeme Murty.


Floyd on Football will be bringing you an exclusive match report from the friendly fixture with Premiership 'giants' Tottenham Hotspur. I shan't be going to Dorchester because I can't be bothered and if you reckon I am going to pay five pound a pint in Sweden you've another think coming.

One piece of transfer news. Reading are today being strongly linked in the News of the World and the Sunday Mirror with an audacious move to sign out of contract Everton centre-half Alan "Ray" Stubbs. Floyd on Football thinks that would be a quite sensational coup if we managed to pull it off (Matron!).

And so, it begins.....

Space 2005. Lots of it, in our penalty area at the JJB Stadium, Wigan. A 3-1 defeat ended the Premiership dream again, as for the fifth season running Reading supporters went into the final game of the season with our league status for the following campaign undecided. After such an abject failure in the last three games of the season, manager Steve Coppell promised a summer clear-out and has been as good as his word.

The departure of fans favourites Nicky Forster and Andy Hughes to Championship rivals was a necessity to fund the 1 million arrival of Leroy Lita from Bristol City. Striking options were strengthened with the arrival of Kevin "Missis" Doyle from Cork City and his team mate Shane Long. Steve Hunt, arriving from Brentford, may have passed Lloyd Owusu, Paul Brooker and Ricky Newman going in the opposite direction down the M4. Brynjar Gunarsson has signed from Watford to strenghten the midfield and free-agent Chris Makin is set to join to give us cover at the back. In the goalkeeping deaprtment, Graham Stack has arrived on loan to challenge Hahnemann for the goalkeeper's jersey with Jamie Young going out on 'work-experience', joining League Two side Rushden & Diamonds on a loan basis. Old heads Martin Keown and Les Ferdinand were released and Dean Morgan has joined Luton Town. The fun starts on Saturday August 6th with a Coca-Cola Championship home fixture against Plymouth Argyle.

Floyd Streete

Floyd Streete: Born Jamaica, 5/5/1959. 46 appearances for RFC in league & cup between 1990-1992.

http://www.aovh03.dsl.pipex.com/issue13/13streete.htm (from the website of the now sadly defunct RFC fanzine 'Taking the Biscuit')