2006–07 Reading F.C. season

Reading F.C.
2006–07 season
Chairman John Madejski
Manager Steve Coppell
FA Premier League 8th
FA Cup Fifth round
League Cup Third round
Top goalscorer League: Kevin Doyle (13)
All: Leroy Lita (14)
Highest home attendance 24,122 (vs. Aston Villa, 10 February)
Lowest home attendance 10,353 (vs. Darlington, 19 September)

The 2006–07 season was Reading Football Club's first season in the Premier League, and their first season in the top flight of English football. Reading also participated in the League Cup, beating Darlington in the second round before losing 4–3 to Liverpool at Anfield. Reading entered the FA Cup at the third round stage, defeating Burnley 3-2 and then Birmingham City by the same score to meet Manchester United in the Fifth Round. After drawing the initial game 1–1 at Old Trafford, Reading lost 2–3 at home in the replay ten days later, conceding the three goals in the first six minutes of the match. They finished the season in eighth place, collecting 55 points from 38 matches.

Review and events

August

Reading's first ever Premier League game came at home to Middlesbrough. Reading were 2–0 down after 20 minutes after goals from Stewart Downing and Yakubu, but ended up 3−2 winners through goals from Dave Kitson, Steve Sidwell and Leroy Lita. Kitson, however, was injured in a reckless tackle by Chris Riggott, and would not play again until the end of January 2007.

Reading's next game was against Aston Villa. After an early lead through Kevin Doyle, Ibrahima Sonko conceded a penalty and was sent off. Juan Pablo Ángel scored the resulting penalty for Villa, and Gareth Barry scored in the 61st minute to seal a win for Villa. The Royals next played Wigan Athletic, Emile Heskey scoring the only goal in a 1−0 win for Wigan.

September

In September, Reading's first game was against Manchester City, live on Sky Sports at home. Ívar Ingimarsson scored the only goal, despite being knocked unconscious before scoring. The first game against a side promoted with Reading was Sheffield United. Kevin Doyle scored after 16 seconds and in the 25th minute, followed by Seol Ki-hyeon scoring a 25-yard belter. Rob Hulse pulled a goal back in the 61st minute, but it was not enough for Sheffield United, who lost 2−1. Reading's first cup game came against Darlington, but Reading needed penalties after an exciting 3−3 draw. Next up were league runners up Manchester United at the Madejski. Reading ensured it was goalless at half-time and went 1−0 up through a Kevin Doyle penalty after Gary Neville handballed. Cristiano Ronaldo, however, scored a 73rd-minute goal to make it 1−1.

October

In October, Reading played West Ham at Upton Park where a second-minute goal turned out to be the winner, scored by Seol. Reading–Chelsea hit the headlines as both Chelsea goalkeepers were knocked out in a match where the visitors took a fortuitous 1−0 win. Frank Lampard scored Chelsea's goal which took two deflections before going in. The goal was given as an Ívar Ingimarsson own goal. In the same match 2), Robin van Persie and Alexander Hleb scoring. Shane Long made his first Premier League start in this match. Reading also lost 4−3 to Liverpool in the Carling Cup (Reading were 3−0 down).

November

In November, Reading lost 2−0 to Liverpool (which was also the first ever league meeting between the two sides). The goals came from Dirk Kuyt.The Royals then won 3−1 against Tottenham Hotspur. Robbie Keane opened the scoring for Spurs before Nicky Shorey scored a 25-yard goal. Then Steve Sidwell scored a header on the stroke of half-time with Kevin Doyle completing the scoring to make it 3−1. Reading's next match was against Charlton. They won 2−0 with the goals coming from Seol Ki-hyeon and Doyle. They ended the month with a 1−0 win over Fulham with a penalty kick from Doyle, after the striker had been bought down by Ian Pearce.

December

In December, Reading Won 1−0 at Bolton, a Kevin Doyle goal won the match. Next was Reading's longest away trip this season when Reading played Newcastle United. Reading lost 3−2, an 84th-minute winner by Emre. Reading played Watford in the worst game of the season, Watford 0−0). Reading and Blackburn Rovers was the next game at the Madjeski. Reading went 1–0 up on half-time, but Rovers scored two goals to make it Reading 1−2 Rovers. Chelsea played Reading next, two months after the teams played in Reading; the match ended 2−2. Reading then played Manchester United: Reading were losing 1−0, but Sonko scored to level the game. United then scored two goals though Cristiano Ronaldo to make it 3−1, although Lita scored a consolation goal to make the final score United 3−2 Reading.

January

In January, Reading could not have got a better start. On New Year's Day, Reading put six past West Ham United. On 6 January, Reading were due to play Burnley in the FA Cup but it was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, but Reading beat Burnley on the Tuesday night, a 3−2 win. Reading went to Everton unbeaten in the new year, and the game ended 1−1 in a match attended by Sylvester Stallone as an Everton supporter and guest of the chairman. Reading played Sheffield United at 2−0 Reading came a push-up in the dug out. Warnock and Downs sent off. Reading won 3−1. Reading Played Birmingham in the FA Cup (again). Birmingham had just enjoyed a 5−1 win at Newcastle United but they lost 3−2 to the Royals. Reading beat Wigan by the same score.

February

In February, Reading beat Manchester City away and Aston Villa at home. Both ending 2–0. At Old Trafford, Reading drew 1−1 with United in the FA Cup. Boro became the first team to beat Reading in 2007. Boro won 2−1. Reading were 3–0 down in the FA Cup 5th Round Replay against United in 5 minutes 41 seconds, but fought back to lose by only 3−2.

March to May

In March, April and May, Reading lost at Arsenal 2−1. Reading were 2−0 down, but drawing 0−0 at half-time, in the 87th minute when Arsenal scored an own goal courtesy of Cesc Fàbregas. Reading got a point at home to Portsmouth drawing 0−0. Reading lost to Spurs 1−0. Spurs scored a consolation penalty on half-time. Liverpool won at Reading 2−1. Liverpool's winner was in the 85th minute by Kuyt. Reading were held to a 0−0 draw at Charlton. Reading won at home to Fulham. They won at Bolton, 3−1, after being 1−0 down in the 85th minute. A midweek win at home to Newcastle United, 1−0, Kitson scored for the Royals. Reading shockingly lost to Watford at home 2−0. On the final day of the season, Reading played Blackburn Rovers away and needing a win to enter the UEFA Cup, Reading drew 3−3.

Squad

First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 United States GK Marcus Hahnemann
2 Scotland DF Graeme Murty[1]
3 England DF Nicky Shorey
4 England MF Steve Sidwell
5 Senegal DF Ibrahima Sonko
6 Iceland MF Brynjar Gunnarsson
7 England MF Glen Little
8 England FW Leroy Lita[2]
9 Republic of Ireland FW Kevin Doyle
10 Republic of Ireland MF Stephen Hunt
11 Wales MF John Oster[3]
12 England FW Dave Kitson
14 England DF John Halls
15 England MF James Harper
16 Iceland DF Ívar Ingimarsson
No. Position Player
17 United States MF Bobby Convey
18 Nigeria DF Sam Sodje[4]
19 South Korea MF Seol Ki-hyeon
21 Republic of Ireland GK Graham Stack[5]
22 Cameroon DF André Bikey
23 Ecuador DF Ulises de la Cruz
24 Republic of Ireland FW Shane Long
26 Kenya DF Curtis Osano
28 England DF Greg Halford
29 England DF Michael Duberry
31 England FW Simon Cox[6]
32 Australia GK Adam Federici
33 England DF Scott Golbourne
35 Scotland DF Alex Pearce[7]
47 Hungary DF Péter Máté (on loan from Debrecen)

Reserve/Academy squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
20 Republic of Ireland MF Jonny Hayes
25 Republic of Ireland DF Alan Bennett
27 England DF Aaron Brown
No. Position Player
30 Republic of Ireland MF Scott Davies[8]
34 Scotland MF James Henry[9]
36 Denmark GK Mikkel Andersen

Transfers

In

Date Position Nationality Name From Fee
12 July 2006[10] DF Nigeria Sam Sodje Brentford £350,000
12 July 2006[11] MF South Korea Seol Ki-hyeon Wolverhampton Wanderers £1,500,000
11 August 2006[12] DF Cameroon André Bikey Russia Lokomotiv Moscow Season-long loan
25 August 2006[13] DF Ecuador Ulises de la Cruz Aston Villa Free
30 August 2006[14] DF Hungary Péter Máté Hungary Debrecen Season-long loan
26 January 2007[15] GK Denmark Mikkel Andersen Denmark AB Undisclosed
30 January 2007 DF Republic of Ireland Alan Bennett Republic of Ireland Cork City Undisclosed
30 January 2007[16] DF England Greg Halford Colchester United Undisclosed
31 January 2007[17] DF England Michael Duberry Stoke City Undisclosed
24 April 2007[18] DF Cameroon André Bikey Russia Lokomotiv Moscow £1,000,000

Out

Date Position Nationality Name To Fee
January 2007 FW France Pierre Joseph-Dubois Released
January 2007 DF England Curtis Ujah Tamworth Free
June 2007 MF Republic of Ireland Jonny Hayes Leicester City Free[19]
11 June 2007 DF England Greg Halford Sunderland £2,500,000[20]
1 July 2007 MF England Steve Sidwell Chelsea Free[21]

Released

Date Position Nationality Name Joined Date
November 2006 MF Republic of Ireland Conor Sinnott Wexford Youths January 2007

Competitions

Competition Started roundCurrent
position / round		 Final
position / round		 First match Last match
Premier League — 8th 19 August 200613 May 2007
Football League Cup 2nd round — 3rd round 19 September 200625 October 2006
FA Cup 3rd round — R5 9 January 200727 February 2007

Source: Competitions

Premiership

Results summary

OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
38 16 7 15 52 47  +5 55 11 2 6 29 20  +9 5 5 9 23 27  −4

Results by round

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundHAAHAHAHHAAHHAHAAHHAAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHHA
ResultWLLWWDWLLLLWWWWLDLLDLWDWWWWLLDLLDWWWLD
Position4101486778910111187666799999776667789987778

Source:
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
6 Everton 38 15 13 10 52 36 +16 58 2007–08 UEFA Cup First round[lower-alpha 1]
7 Bolton Wanderers 38 16 8 14 47 52 −5 56
8 Reading 38 16 7 15 52 47 +5 55
9 Portsmouth 38 14 12 12 45 42 +3 54
10 Blackburn Rovers 38 15 7 16 52 54 −2 52 2007 UEFA Intertoto Cup Third round[lower-alpha 2]
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ↑ Since both finalists of the FA Cup (Manchester United and Chelsea) and the League Cup winners (Chelsea) were qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup spots were given to the 6th- and 7th-placed Premier League teams.
  2. ↑ The highest-placed team who applied for the Intertoto Cup and not in an automatic UEFA Cup spot was awarded with a place in that competition. Blackburn Rovers occupied the Intertoto place, because Portsmouth and Reading did not apply.[22] A further place in the UEFA Cup was up for grabs via the Premiership Fair Play League. The winner is placed into a draw with the winners of Fair Play leagues in other countries. The representatives from the two countries that come out of the hat first are given a place in the UEFA Cup first qualifying round. Since the winners of the Premiership Fair Play League, Tottenham Hotspur, had already qualified for the UEFA Cup by virtue of their league position, their place in the Fair Play draw was given to Aston Villa. However, the places in the UEFA Cup were awarded to the representatives from Finland and Norway.

FA Cup

Football League Cup

Statistics

Appearances

No. Pos Nat Player TotalPremier LeagueFA CupLeague Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1 GK United States Marcus Hahnemann 3803800000
2 DF Scotland Graeme Murty 2402301000
3 DF England Nicky Shorey 3913712000
4 MF England Steve Sidwell 3743542000
5 DF Senegal Ibrahima Sonko 2312310000
6 MF Iceland Brynjar Gunnarsson 2742332120
7 MF England Glen Little 28018+600+2020
8 FW England Leroy Lita 381422+1172+1423
9 FW Republic of Ireland Kevin Doyle 341328+4131010
10 MF Republic of Ireland Stephen Hunt 38428+740+1020
11 MF Wales John Oster 3116+1914020
12 FW England Dave Kitson 1749+423+1200
14 DF England John Halls 20000020
15 MF England James Harper 40336+231010
16 DF Iceland Ívar Ingimarsson 4223823010
17 MF United States Bobby Convey 1208+103000
18 DF Nigeria Sam Sodje 712+102+1110
19 MF South Korea Seol Ki-hyeon 31422+544000
21 GK Republic of Ireland Graham Stack 20000020
22 DF Cameroon André Bikey 2117+804021
23 DF Ecuador Ulises de la Cruz 151914020
24 FW Republic of Ireland Shane Long 2529+1211130
26 DF England Curtis Osano 10000+1000
28 DF England Greg Halford 302+100000
29 DF England Michael Duberry 80800000
31 FW England Simon Cox 10000+1000
32 GK Australia Adam Federici 600+204000
33 DF England Scott Golbourne 10001000
35 DF Scotland Alex Pearce 10000+1000
47 DF Hungary Péter Máté 11000011

Top scorers

Place Position Nation Number Name Championship FA Cup League Cup Total
1FWEngland8Leroy Lita74314
2FWRepublic of Ireland19Kevin Doyle130013
3MFEngland4Steve Sidwell4004
MFEngland10Stephen Hunt4004
MFSouth Korea19Seol Ki-hyeon4004
Own goals4004
DFIceland6Brynjar Gunnarsson3104
FWEngland12Dave Kitson2204
FWRepublic of Ireland24Shane Long2114
10MFEngland15James Harper3003
11DFIceland16Ívar Ingimarsson2002
12DFEcuador23Ulises de la Cruz1001
MFEngland11John Oster1001
DFSenegal5Ibrahima Sonko1001
DFEngland3Nicky Shorey1001
DFCameroon22André Bikey0101
DFNigeria18Sam Sodje0101
DFHungary47Péter Máté0011
TOTALS 549669

Awards

Premier League Manager of the Month

MONTH Name Award
September England Steve Coppell Won[23]
November England Steve Coppell Won[24]

PFA Young Player of the Year

Position Name Award
FW Republic of Ireland Kevin Doyle Nominated

Barclays Golden Glove Award

Name Clean sheets Award
United States Marcus Hahnemann 13 Third[25][26]

Team kit

Reading's kit for the 2006–07 was manufactured by Puma, and the main sponsor was Kyocera.

2006–07 home colours
2006–07 away colours
2006–07 third choice colours

References

  1. ↑ Murty was born in Nunthorpe, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Scotland in 2004.
  2. ↑ Lita was born in Kinshasa, DR Congo (then Zaire).
  3. ↑ Oster was born in Boston, England, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally and made his international debut for Wales in 1997.
  4. ↑ Sodje was born in Greenwich, England, but also qualified to represent Nigeria internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Nigeria in 2004.
  5. ↑ Stack was born in Camden, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and has represented them at U-21 level.
  6. ↑ Cox was born in Reading, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally though his grandmother and would make his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in May 2011.
  7. ↑ Pearce was born in Wallingford, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland and the Republic of Ireland internationally through his parents and has represented Scotland at youth and U-21 level. He would, however, later be called up and make his full international debut for the Republic of Ireland in September 2012.
  8. ↑ Davies was born in Aylesbury, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and has represented them at youth and U-21 level.
  9. ↑ Henry was born in Reading, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally through his parents and has represented Scotland at youth level. However, he would later represent England at youth level.
  10. ↑ "Reading complete swoop for Sodje". BBC. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  11. ↑ "Reading complete signing of Seol". BBC. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  12. ↑ "Reading make Bikey loan capture". BBC. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Reading complete de la Cruz deal". BBC News. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  14. ↑ "Reading make loan move for Mate". BBC. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  15. ↑ "Reading snap up keeper Andersen". BBC. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  16. ↑ "Halford 'no pressure from price tag'". BBC. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  17. ↑ "'All about Duberry'". BBC. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  18. ↑ "Bikey signs Reading deal". Metro. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  19. ↑ "Leicester pick up Reading winger". BBC Sport. 4 July 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
  20. ↑ "Sunderland complete Halford deal". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  21. ↑ "Sidwell agrees switch to Chelsea". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  22. ↑ Spurs win may harm Rovers' Intertoto chances
  23. ↑ "Coppell is manager of the month". BBC Sport. 13 October 2006. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  24. ↑ "Coppell wins manager of the month". BBC Sport. 8 December 2006. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  25. ↑ "REINA NETS GOALKEEPING AWARD". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  26. ↑ Glicksman, Gavin. "Reina has the safest hands". The Sun. London. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
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