The Sum Of The Parts

You'll know Jon Keen from many fantastic articles he's written here as urzz1871 or from his work on the STAR board and with the Football Supporters' Federation. Now he's taking on an even bigger project as he looks to complete a book looking at just how Reading put together the best season in Football League history.

As Jon himself explains on the project's home page.

I've been striving to discover exactly what made that team quite so good. Just what happened in this brief period to transform a group of relatively unknown players into such a perfect team? Most of them were either at the start of their careers or coming to the end of largely undramatic ones, so just what happened at Reading to make them all have the best years of their careers all at precisely the same time? What was the particular combination of factors that came together simultaneously to make this team so much greater than the sum of its parts?

This book tries to explain that - to discover the ingredients that go into making a team different from a collection of players.

So it's not just an account of what happened over those three incredible years, it's also an in-depth analysis of how and especially why it happened, gained from extensive interviews with those on the pitch and those behind the scenes making the key decisions.

It promises to be a fascinating book and there's plenty more on how it's going to be put together and what we can expect from the project on the website linked above.

Jon needs your help

There are plenty of ways you can support the book, from simply spreading the word to contributing towards the costs. Depending on your level of support there are various extras you can pick up, ranging from a signed copy to a mention and dedication within the book itself, as well as the chance to have your own memories and opinions from this incredible period included in the published book.

So if you're curious please head over to the project's launch page and if you have any questions you can find Jon on twitter @urzz1871 or by following the contact links on the website.

Update: The crowdfunding page The Sum Of The Parts is set up on is due to close soon. If you're willing to support this great cause, do so soon!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Been told crowdfund site closes 21/8! If you did want to help <a href="https://twitter.com/SumOTParts">@SumOTParts</a> happen, now wld be great time! &#10;<a href="http://t.co/S4n2Dmkb0c">http://t.co/S4n2Dmkb0c</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/readingfc?src=hash">#readingfc</a></p>&mdash; Jon Keen (@urzz1871) <a href="https://twitter.com/urzz1871/status/632119147774779392">August 14, 2015</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>