ENGLISH LEAGUE Reading v Swansea:IF READING win promotion in the Championship play-off final against Swansea City today – and, to be fair, even if they don't – a lot of managers will probably be feeling a pang of regret. For one of the key figures behind the Royals' late-season surge is a player who was available for a song last summer – and nobody was listening.
Ian Harte, Leeds United’s left-back during their brief and ultimately disastrous dalliance with the Champions League a decade ago, had just scored 17 goals in a season to win Carlisle United’s player of the year award and a clause in his contract meant he was available for just €80,000.
“There were a lot of clubs that didn’t take him,” said Brian McDermott, who eventually brought him to Reading on the last day of August. “I’m not saying he went on trials but he went to clubs and didn’t get an opportunity. We just showed faith in him.”
That faith has been rewarded with 11 league goals and a succession of fine performances as Reading earned a place in the play-offs as they lost just once in their last 16 games.
“He gave me the opportunity to play Championship football, which the majority of other managers didn’t,” Harte said. “I’ve no idea why not. People have always said I wasn’t the quickest in the world but I’ve got the same pace now as I had 10 years ago. And obviously I’ve got a good left foot as well, taking free-kicks and scoring lots of goals. I can’t speak for other managers, but the gaffer’s given me the opportunity here and I want to give 100 per cent to repay him.”
Harte feels that many managers now look for their full backs to fit a different template, one designed for the likes of Ashley Cole and Daniel Alves but with which lesser footballers struggle.
“Nowadays managers just look for machines that get up and down and they are not too bothered if they can play. I don’t mean Premier League players, they can all play, but some of them [in the Championship], you put the ball at their feet and they don’t know what to do with it.”
Guardian Service
Venue: Wembley Kick-off: 3pm On TV: Sky Sports 1
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)