Imminent / incoming thread. It's that time

[GlennMiller]

Comparison between him and Tom McIntyre who was also linked to us:


Key Differences on injuries
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Holmes has had a relatively clean record .no fractures, no surgeries, and most absences were under a month.
?McIntyre, by contrast, has endured:
A broken foot (159 days out, 25 games missed)
A fractured ankle in 2024 that ended his season at Portsmouth
A head injury in 2018 that required metal plates and surgery
A hamstring strain and ankle injury that each kept him out for over 100 days


Durability Verdict
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Holmes is the more durable and consistent presence ? ideal for clubs needing week-in, week-out reliability.
McIntyre has shown grit and recovery strength, but his injury history may raise concerns for long-term squad planning.


If you are building a historical profile or comparing squad depth for a project, Holmes is your steady anchor; McIntyre is the comeback story with flashes of brilliance but more risk attached.

A steady anchor is what we need and they loved him in the Championship at Reading.

Career Appearances Comparison
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Player Club(s) Played For
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Thomas Holmes:
Reading, KSV Roeselare, Luton Town, Dender EH
165 appearances in total 2017-present

Tom McIntyre :
Reading, Portsmouth, Charlton Athletic
144 Appearances in total 2016-present


Key Takeaways
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Holmes has the edge in total appearances, thanks to consistent selection and fewer long-term injuries.
McIntyre has scored more goals, 7 to Holmes 2 which is notable given both play as centre-backs.
McIntyres career was interrupted by serious injuries (fractured ankle, head trauma), which likely accounts for the lower appearance count.

Holmes has played abroad twice (Belgium), while McIntyre has stayed within the English system.


Durability vs Impact
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Holmes: Reliable, steady, and durable a managers dependable pick.

McIntyre: More explosive moments, but a stop-start career due to injuries.


If you are building a squad profile or assessing historical resilience, Holmes is your iron man; McIntyre is the comeback kid with a knack for big moments.

So McIntyre (26) is about 20 months older than Holmes (25) ? not a huge gap, but enough that he broke into Reading?s senior setup a little earlier. Holmes has caught up in terms of appearances, though, thanks to his durability and consistent selection.

If you?re comparing them for squad planning or historical profiling, Holmes is still in his prime development phase, while McIntyre is entering what should be his peak years ? assuming injuries don?t interfere again.

Nardendee - from your research, does it look like Holmes is a leader - something we desperately need at the back to give us some cohesion?

[MILLERSTALE]

Rafferty isn't particularly slow,and Reece James is a left back.

Raff not fast by any means plus James can?t play left back ! when he has he gets totally over run like the second half against Port Vale ? small and weak with no body strength, needs to play further forward because he has skill and good ball control, did you notice Doncaster?s midfielder jumping over the top of him to score at the weekend?

[Nardendee]

Nardendee - from your research, does it look like Holmes is a leader - something we desperately need at the back to give us some cohesion?

Holmes was named Vice-Captain of Reading FC in 2022 when they were in the Championship. That?s a clear recognition of his leadership qualities ? not just performance, but presence, influence, and trust within the squad.
He was a regular in their last 3 years making 39 league appearances in 2020/21,
32 appearances in 21/22 and 40 appearances in 22/23. He signed for Luton in January 2024 who were then in the Premier League clearly seeing that as a step upwards, but they immediately loaned him out back to Reading for the rest of the season. When Luton were relegated back to the Championship he made 18 appearances under the previous Manager Rob Edwards but then in Jan 25 he left and was replaced by Matt Bloomfield, who had a different playing style & did not see Holmes as part of his plans. A lot of Luton fans were not happy at the time as he was less injury prone than other defenders. He was loaned out to Belgian top tier club Dender but only made 2 appearances having suffered an injury in April but the season ended at the end of May & started again 2 months later so wasn?t out that long.

He?s a homegrown player ? joined Reading?s academy at age 8 and was a season ticket holder from age 11. That kind of long-term emotional investment often translates into cultural leadership: someone who embodies the club?s values and history.
? He?s also pursuing a degree part-time while playing professionally.

[mellowmiller]

Sadly, the days of a Barlaser gracing the pitch are long gone under this regime. I have heard this morning that the likely outcome of the final day is another loan, a young player from the Championship. Both experienced CB have gone elsewhere.

I see that Dan the man has gone to Hibernian on loan. He'll do well there but what a bloody waste.

[GlennMiller]

I see that Dan the man has gone to Hibernian on loan. He'll do well there but what a bloody waste.

Such a waste. I fully expected him to make the transition to the PL after his spell at Boro.

[GlennMiller]

Holmes was named Vice-Captain of Reading FC in 2022 when they were in the Championship. That?s a clear recognition of his leadership qualities ? not just performance, but presence, influence, and trust within the squad.
He was a regular in their last 3 years making 39 league appearances in 2020/21,
32 appearances in 21/22 and 40 appearances in 22/23. He signed for Luton in January 2024 who were then in the Premier League clearly seeing that as a step upwards, but they immediately loaned him out back to Reading for the rest of the season. When Luton were relegated back to the Championship he made 18 appearances under the previous Manager Rob Edwards but then in Jan 25 he left and was replaced by Matt Bloomfield, who had a different playing style & did not see Holmes as part of his plans. A lot of Luton fans were not happy at the time as he was less injury prone than other defenders. He was loaned out to Belgian top tier club Dender but only made 2 appearances having suffered an injury in April but the season ended at the end of May & started again 2 months later so wasn?t out that long.

He?s a homegrown player ? joined Reading?s academy at age 8 and was a season ticket holder from age 11. That kind of long-term emotional investment often translates into cultural leadership: someone who embodies the club?s values and history.
? He?s also pursuing a degree part-time while playing professionally.

On the face of it, looks like an excellent acquisition. Let's hope he can park his enthusiasm for Reading and adopt RUFC as his new team!

[Nardendee]

I think he showed ambition moving to Luton but it didn?t work out and I would imagine he just wants to play games. He has a lot of experience at a level above. He is still only 25 so I believe he will be a good no nonsense central defender for us.

With the leadership qualities he has I am sure he will be an asset for us

[Nardendee]

I did a detailed review about his career to date on this thread on 1st September and I stand by what I said. He does get injuries but is not prone to them.

According to the report it was caused by a kick to the knee by an opposing player. This was real bad luck and typical of our luck at the moment.

If you read the report he was/is really gutted but have faith in this lad. As shown on Saturday he is a hell of a player and wish him a speedy recovery and am sure we will see him in a Millers shirt again soon.

https://www.themillers.co.uk/news/2025/september/09/millers-confirm-spell-on-sidelines-for-thomas-holmes/?copilot_analytics_metadata=eyJldmVudEluZm9fY2xpY2tEZXN0aW5hdGlvbiI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC93d3cudGhlbWlsbGVycy5jby51a1wvbmV3c1wvMjAyNVwvc2VwdGVtYmVyXC8wOVwvbWlsbGVycy1jb25maXJtLXNwZWxsLW9uLXNpZGVsaW5lcy1mb3ItdGhvbWFzLWhvbG1lc1wvIiwiZXZlbnRJbmZvX21lc3NhZ2VJZCI6IlhBSmRXdUZ5bWtHYTJ2UGFKazZQYiIsImV2ZW50SW5mb19jbGlja1NvdXJjZSI6ImNpdGF0aW9uTGluayIsImV2ZW50SW5mb19jb252ZXJzYXRpb25JZCI6IlZSTjlLRVVKWmhGUFB5b2hNbjFvYSJ9