Jem Karacan Interview - Part 1
In the first of a special two-part interview, former Reading midifelder Jem Karacan joins us to give his story, starting from his days in the Wimbledon youth system, trialling with Manchester United and how he nearly ended up somewhere different to the Madejski Stadium.
From there we talk through his loan moves to Millwall & Bournemouth, including the first thing a Millwall fan chanted at him, whether he’d advise other players to move on loan and just why his Academy class including Alex Pearce, Hal Robson-Kanu & Gylfi Sigurdsson were so special.
Jem also shares some of his favourite memories of the late Eamonn Dolan, and why he was able to inspire so many young players.
There’s also talk of his breakthrough under Steve Coppell, why the team loved training under Brendan Rodgers and whether he felt Brendan had lost the dressing room by the time of his sacking in December 2009. We also cover how Jem was nearly sold to Besiktas, a full six years before he eventually left for Turkey.
Brian McDermott’s reign is also covered, from the highs of Cardiff to the lows of losing at Wembley and just what the Reading gaffer said to Jem and the players at half-time against Swansea. We also discuss the promotion season of 2011/12, Jem being taken out by Leeds and how he ended up in the Reading dressing room to celebrate promotion just hours after major surgery.
That’s just some of what you can expect in part 1, with plenty more to come in part 2.