On the off chance you’re not familiar with the events at Reading FC between 1991 and 1995 and would prefer to read the book completely blind, this review article contains spoilers for the period in question.
The experience of being a football fan is inherently a deeply personal one. And the nature of that personal relationship is, inevitably, defined by when the love affair with the club we hold so dear began.
For me that was 2004 (a 0-2 home defeat to Sunderland, to be precise). Pretty much perfect
timing then to see Steve Coppell’s famous side cruise to 106 points in 2006, but there was so much previously I missed out on. The Simod Cup win in 1988, the entirety of the Elm Park days and the Royals’ unlikely charge from the third tier to the verge of the top flight in the early 1990s are just some of the things I’d love to have been present for.
The last of those topics is the subject of recently released book Magic Hat: Madejski, McGhee and Reading FC 1991-1995. It’s written by Reading fan Al Clements, a season-ticket holder between 1993 and 2010, and is his first book.
So for me, besides looking forward to the escapism of delving into much happier times for the Royals, I also went into reading this book with the hope of learning much more about a period I have no first-hand experience or deep knowledge of.
Hearing other fans’ memories of that time and listening to more than a few expletive-filled chants about McGhee at the Mad Stad/SCL (yes, even after all these years) are no substitute for a comprehensive book on the subject.
And comprehensive this is. Clements has produced a very well researched, detailed book that covers this period of Royal resurgence meticulously.
Magic Hat gets you right into the heart of the action, going game by game, recreating goals and passages of play in a way that makes what’s being discussed come to life. That’s especially valuable in the extended dive into Reading’s heartbreaking 1995 playoff final defeat to Bolton Wanderers. Clements really makes you feel as if you’re there.
It’s not just about the big moments though. Clements presents the overall narrative adeptly, and all the different twists and turns throughout the book hit home effectively.
Crucially, the book isn’t so comprehensive in its scope or overly serious as to not be entertaining, as some non-fiction books fall into. Far from it. This is an accessible, well written and strongly paced book – with an engagingly informal tone – that’ll be a fun summer read for Reading and non-Reading fans alike.
Naturally it’ll have particular appeal for the former camp, especially those (like me) who want to broaden their knowledge of a period from slightly before their time. Clements helps that process with the clever inclusion of ‘Who’s Who?’ snippets throughout the book: short biographies of the key figures both on and off the field. The one on Andy Bernal was a personal highlight.
I also appreciated how Clements adds different perspectives to the narrative. You won’t just find a straightforward recollection of the events, but also contemporary viewpoints: from Clive Baskerville’s reporting and McGhee’s own programme notes.
Magic Hat is at its best when exploring the most significant moments of the story. The retelling of Reading clinching promotion to the second tier in 1994 with victory over Brighton & Hove Albion is one such event that Clements brings to life in a way all Royals fans, young and old(er), will resonate with.
“To outsiders across the country it was, ‘Oh, Reading won the Second Division this year.’ To the players and management team, it was sacrifice, lung-bursting effort and playing through injury. Trust, and loyalty to, each other.
“For the fans and the non-playing staff of the club it was watching on, helpless. Hoping and dreaming. Deeply involved, but mostly unable to affect the outcome. Hugely proud of what our team had achieved and how they had achieved it. Invested in McGhee’s beautiful game and anticipating the next challenge.”
Even better are the sections on McGhee’s controversial departure and Reading’s ill-fated playoff final trip to Wembley. Though an awful lot has happened to this club in subsequent years, the events of 1994 and 1995 are some of the most dramatic in Reading’s history, and Clements covers them in this book with fitting class.
I have no major criticisms of Magic Hat, but I do feel it could have been even better with a slightly more varied scope and structure. Clements’ approach is very chronological, focusing on the flow of events – rather than exploring specific topics in extensive detail – which could have added some depth to his reconstruction of the Reading FC of the 1990s.
For instance, the book could have benefited from a dedicated and specific delve into the tactical side of football – perhaps the most interesting and consequential part of McGhee’s managerial spell, given how unique his approach made him. I would have been interested to learn more on how McGhee’s Reading played, as well as how they differed to their Elm Park predecessors and their opponents.
I would also have been interested to read more about the state of the club behind the scenes, given the importance of that topic both at that time (Sir John Madejski’s takeover takes place at the beginning of the book’s narrative) and the potential parallels with the Reading Football Club of recent years. Madejski and his importance are discussed (generally in the context of funding for transfers), but there was the opportunity to go further.
Magic Hat could also have gone further into the experience of being a Reading fan during the period in question. Again, this is present at times in the book, but could have been included to a greater extent.
That may in practice have meant looking at the attitude of supporters more broadly or, ideally, weaving in Clements’ own perspective throughout the narrative. He does that at times – very well – and I’d have loved to get much more of his personal viewpoint, memories and emotions.
The bottom line?
Magic Hat is an enjoyable, engaging and thorough retelling of the early-to-mid-1990s in Reading FC history. For any Loyal Royal who wants to understand more about what happened in this period and who was involved, it’s well worth a read. I had a great time with it, would strongly recommend it, and really hope Al writes again.
4/5
Magic Hat is published by Pitch Publishing and is available now in all good bookshops. You can find it on Amazon right here.
