""We were on standby."

[Stranded]

http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10306~1382476,00.html

We were on standby. We had a couple of deals lined up in case we lost a player. I'm not stupid, I knew some clubs would make panic buys based on poor results. If we lost key players, we had ones we could bring in.

In some ways, our last minute buys in response to other clubs making last minute panic buys from us would also have been panic buys! Coppell also referred to last minute panic buys as being the result of poor/mismanagement!

Yes and no. The key point is we had deals lined up ready to go if needed, they wouldn't have been a panic buy but a contingency. Having a contingency is place should something happen is actually good management.

[SteveRoyal]

I've been persuaded. Thanks guys.
Keep the abuse aimed at me coming.

[RoyalBlue]

Some people keep banging on about the strength of this squad but I'm sure we had less strength in depth in 2005-6.

You might be right but I would argue that we also had a higher level of quality amongst our top 13-14 players!

We may now have more strength in depth but perhaps at a lower overall quality threshold.

[The 17 Bus]

Some people keep banging on about the strength of this squad but I'm sure we had less strength in depth in 2005-6.

You might be right but I would argue that we also had a higher level of quality amongst our top 13-14 players!

We may now have more strength in depth but perhaps at a lower overall quality threshold.

Surely that opinion is only from the success we have had, at the start of the campaign it was not thought to be that strong, as shown by comments at the time.

[bobby1413]

Well as we lost no-one, why sign players just for the sake of it.

Exactly, they were back-up players. They were there in case we needed them, and we did not - so why sign them. That is poor business and poor management. The whole "Reading Way" has not been to buy for the sake of it, but that every player has their place in the team somewhere.

[The 17 Bus]

Had we signed those players we would have been looking at a fee and also probably £500k to £750k in wages for one year, so anythink in the region of £2m for one player,better to keep it in the bank and have it reaady for Jan, IMHO

[cmonurz]

Let's say Nugent was one of those players. Nugent >>>>> Lita, Long, N Hunt or Mooney. So even if Doyle stayed (which he did) why wouldn't we go for him?

[Stranded]

Because we'd have 6 first team strikers on the books - most Prem clubs don't have that many.

Christ we only had 4 when we were up there.

[cmonurz]

Suggests we have bought the wrong players then.

[Stranded]

You've lost me...

[brendywendy]

Suggests we have bought the wrong players then.

how much was nugent?

[jumpers for goalposts]

I have it on good authority (i.e. a mate in the ticket office) that the players being lined up were Martin Keown and Les Ferdinand.................

[SteveRoyal]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1779

I wish.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=505342&in_page_id=1779

I wish.

Last updated at 11:23 31 December 2007

[royal-arkansas]

This is pointless trying to make something of nothing .... do you keep 3 cars on your drive incase 2 break down ?

[rg6royal]

In a way I wasn't bothered if we bought in another player as I believe that we have a strong enough squad. On the other hand another player could be a good thing.

[Royalwaster]

The only position I feel we are weak in is a holding midfielder - at the same time, I couldn't see much point signing a Mid if we hold onto Harper as I couldn't see any point having Harper or Marek on the bench; they're too good for that. And we all want Karacan to prove that he can play in that position - so signing a player would have just meant saying to Jem that he's surplus to requirements. Same for Henry and Pearce if we'd signed a CB or RW.

[brendywendy]

keeping our stars,replacing those lost, making a huge surplus to cover any potential losses this season, and not squeezing out the yoof,

my four aims of this transfer window

all achieved.

very good business from my point of view.


agree with the above
if we had lost harper id have liked us to get another CM, but we didnt, and id rather see karacan fight it out with cisse for the CM back up spot, than some new expensive bloke shut him out.
maybe even at the expense of promotion? though not so sure.

i see what the others say about lacking ambition, and we should be improving the 1st team, not the squad. i do.
but for a club like reading to create a 10+ million transfer surplus
while also holding onto another 10+ millions worth of talent,
plus the rest of the squad, leaving us with a team that looks able to challenge for the playoffs,
after a relegation,
is almost unbelieveable to me, ten years ago id have said that was marginally less likely than promotion to the premiere league

[Ian Royal]

Suggests we have bought the wrong players then.

You're basing that on an assumption you've made about who one of the players was and what position it is for.

You also ignore that the strikers we have bought were bought with the fact that we had Doyle and Lita o the books already. Two quality strikers. If one of those left, especially doyle, we'd have needed to bring in a player who was much more ready to make an immediate impact. Hunt and Mooney are less needed to. Although Hunt is already starting to have an impact.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

We could and should of bought Tom Soares.