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Brian McDermott's top 10 Reading FC moments

By Hugh Fort
March 20, 2013

Reading boss Brian McDermott was sacked by the club after their home defeat to Aston Villa two weeks ago.

McDermott took over after Brendan Rodgers left by mutual consent in December 2009.

He was chief scout at the club at the time, and took over with the Royals just one place above the relegation zone.

In 2010, he guided the club to a ninth-placed finish, before reaching the play-off final in 2011, which ended in an agonising 4-2 defeat to Swansea City.

In his third season in 2012 the club finished as champions and returned to the Premier League.

As the club continue to work to appoint a successor, with Brighton's Gus Poyet now apparently in talks with the club, getreading looks back at McDermott's 13-year spell at the club and put together his top 10 moments with the Royals.

1. Promotion

Mikele Leigertwood's winner against Nottingham Forest last April sent Royals back to the Premier League for the first time since 2007.

The midfielder's strike meant a 1-0 win which gave the Royals the three points they needed to go up.

The win sparked a mass pitch invasion and fans celebrating through the night.

2. Champions

A result at the other end of the country meant the Royals took home the Championship title after a 2-2 draw at the Madjeski Stadium.

Middlesborough's 2-1 win over Southampton meant the trophy came back to Berkshire after goals from Kaspars Gorkss and Adam Le Fondre.

3. Win at Southampton

A 3-1 win at St Mary's put the Royals firmly in the driving seat in the 2012 Championship promotion race.Reading put in a superb performance to beat the Saints on their own patch with goals from Jason Robers and a brace from Adam Le Fondre.

4. Signing Jason Roberts

McDermott's signing of the powerful striker was seen by a lot of fans as the catalyst towards the side's push for promotion.

Roberts scored on his debut against Bristol City and scored six times in the run-in, which coincided with an eight-game winning run.

5. 2011 Play-off final

An agonising 4-2 defeat Swansea marked a fine season for the Royals.

Goals from Noel Hunt and Matt Mills weren't enough for Reading as the Welsh side won a thrilling game at Wembley

6.Win at Anfield

McDermott was still caretaker when the Royals visited Anfield in January 2010.

120 minutes later the Royals were celebrating a famous win after a goal from Shane Long after a piece of brilliance by club legend Brynjar Gunnarsson, who nutmegged highly-rated Argentinian full-back Emiliano Insua, before picking out Long with a pinpoint cross after a 90th minute Gylfi Sigurdsson penalty took the game to extra time.

7. Win at Goodison

Merseyside was clearly a happy hunting ground for the Royals as a year later on they took the spoils they again reached the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Everton.

Skipper Matt Mills scored the winner from a corner 14-months after the famous Anfield win.

8. Away win at West Ham

A vital away win at West Ham in early April showed McDermott's teams character as they took a big step towards promotion.

Trailing 1-0 to an early Carlton Cole goal, the Royals hit back with goals from Gorkss and Hunt before half time.

An Ian Harte penalty and a Mikele Leigertwood strike came either side of a goal by Ricardo Vaz Te to seal the win and left them just two points behind Southampton.

9. Manager of the month

Just a month before his sacking, a resurgence in form from the Royals saw McDermott named the Manager of the Month for February.

It was a double-header for the Royals as striker Adam Le Fondre was also named Player of the Month, as the Royals took seven points from 12.

10. Signing Shane Long and Kevin Doyle

The majority of McDermott's years at the club were as a scout and he is credited with bringing some of the best signings of recent years to Reading FC.

Arguably his best spots were Irishment Kevin Doyle and Shane Long.

Doyle and Long were both snapped up for £78,000 in June 2005 from Irish club Cork City.Doyle then moved to Wolves for £6.5 million in the summer of 2009 and Long to West Brom for £6 million in August 2011.

McDermott said in 2009 he believed Doyle was the club's best ever signing.

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Most recent user comments 10 of 10

No Megaman, that is not what I am saying. I'm just saying that the headline is misleading. The headline says "Brian McDermott's top 10 Reading FC moments" ie as belonging to and as chosen by Brian McDermott. If it had said "Get Reading chooses BM's top 10 moments", no problem. What happens when he does actually come up with his own top 10? Will GR say "Brian McDermott's real top 10 Reading FC moments as chosen by him"?

Rogergrumps
25/03/2013 at 20:08

So what you're saying is ONLY Brian McDermott can pick his best moments?

So if Jonny Fordham, Jobi McAnuff, John Madjeski or any fan did the same it would be completely and utterly irrelevant?

Is that what you're really saying, that someone cannot, under any circumstances, look back on Mcdermott's reign and come up with a top ten of the finest moments of that time, unless it is him?

Whether you agree with the top moments or not, to say someone at getreading simply can't do a bit of research over the three year period and come up with a fairly sensible top ten is completely ridiculous.

Megaman
25/03/2013 at 11:17

Beef. Are you thick or what? Of course it matters who chose them. If I buy a CD by Queen I expect to hear music played by Queen, not by a group that plays like Queen.

Rogergrumps
23/03/2013 at 12:56

Roger, or should I call you 'tool'?

I loathe myself for getting involved in this, but if it was Brian McDermott's own chosen top 10 moments the headline would be:

McDermott: 'My top 10 (ten) Reading FC moments'.

That is all.

It's ten videos of Royals being brilliant, why does it matter who chose them?

Beef, Bracknell
22/03/2013 at 11:59

I could watch the west ham and southampton wins over and over

Tony Rougier
21/03/2013 at 15:11

my top moment of BM is him getting the axe, controversial maybe.. but its my opinion

last chance saloon
21/03/2013 at 14:10

Megaman. I think you are missing my point. The headline infers that they have interviewed BM and got his own opinion on his top 10 moments.

Rogergrumps
21/03/2013 at 11:33

Roger, I'm not sure how this can be presented as anything other than an opinion?

Are you suggessting a headline of "What getreading thinks might be Brian McDermott's top 10 moments, but aren't totally sure because everyone's entitled to their opinions"