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TOP TRUMP: Jobi McAnuff has been Reading’s star performer so far this season
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Austin: McAnuff is the best winger in the Championship

By Jonny Fordham
December 11, 2009

DEAN AUSTIN has hailed tricky winger Jobi McAnuff as the Championship’s best wide man and labelled the 28-year-old as ‘unplayable’.

Royals take on the league’s leakiest defence, Scunthorpe United, at Madejski Stadium tomorrow (3pm kick-off) and will surely be hoping to pile on more misery to The Iron’s away-day record.

McAnuff put in a man-of-the-match performance on Tuesday night in the 4-2 defeat by his old club Crystal Palace and Reading’s assistant manager has backed the former Watford star to carry on his rich vein of form.

“Jobi is having a great run of form at the moment,” Austin told getreading.

“When he’s playing like he is right now he is easily the best winger in this division and he’s simply just unplayable, and that’s why we bought him to Reading.

“At Watford Jobi was fantastic from January to the end of the season and he’s carried on his form into this season.

“He’s troubled quite a few full-backs already this campaign.

“The other night against Palace the two full-backs switched when Danny Butterfield got booked, but then 10 minutes later Nathanial Clyne was in the book as well.”

McAnuff picked up the Reading Post’s AHG Group sponsored player of the month award in October and just missed out last month to Iceland midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson.

The quick-footed winger set up three of Royals’ last four league goals and has found the net once himself from his 12 appearances, which have earned him rave-reviews.

And former Horenets assistant boss Austin has backed the £500,000 summer-signing from Vicarage Road to keep improving after linking up with his old manager Brendan Rodgers at the Mad Stad.

The 39-year-old added: “Jobi’s come to a bigger and better club with a lot more potential and he is continuing to grow and develop in every game he plays still.

“He’s got great intensity and pace and he’s shown that week-in-week-out in a Reading shirt.

“He’s an experienced pro and a senior member of the squad who the young lads can look up to as well.”

When McAnuff signed for Reading Watford fans thought they had the better end of the deal.

However the former journeyman seems right at home at Reading as he appears to be a shrewd piece of business from Rodgers

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"bigger and better club with lots more potential"!!!! SJM is selling up, these are the last few players we are likely to buy and the only thing currently better about us than Watford is we have four sides to our ground. This dipstick can only get employment working for Buck. His main experience was trying to put Farnborough out of business. Luckily once Buck has been sacked no one will retain this complete idiot.

Pete50
13/12/2009 at 09:31

Former journeyman? At what point, pre-retirement, does a journeyman become a FORMER journeyman?

Mr Toad
13/12/2009 at 01:52

Law of averages suggests one of the players brought in during the summer was going to be decent.

Maybe go for two decent next time round..

Beef, Bracknell
12/12/2009 at 14:30

What about the rest of the team around him. Average at best. The Manager isn't even at that level :(

Mad Royal, Reading
11/12/2009 at 22:04

The 39-year-old added: “Jobi’s come to a bigger and better club with a lot more potential and he is continuing to grow and develop in every game he plays still."

He might be better off waiting until we are above Watford in the table before making comments like that!

HARB
11/12/2009 at 17:36

He has been very good for us this season, no quetion about that. The lad is a very good player.

Brother Horus
11/12/2009 at 16:53

On a different plain............"And former Horenets"

you missed the 'W' out Jonny :)

Elm Park Memories
11/12/2009 at 15:57

When McAnuff signed for Reading Watford fans thought they had the better end of the deal.

I don't want to count my chickens and all that but we seem to be doing alright without him.....