Lita

[Dennis the Butler]

I would have thought it would have been up to the new manager to decide who was staying and who was going in order to give every player a fair chance ... could be that Hammonds "interference" is going to be a problem for RFC when it comes to finding a new manager ... afterall, wasn't that why Curbs left WHU, because he didn't have absolute control over player policy ... ?

[Rex]

clearly as we have no manager in position, decisions have to be made. Decisions within the club do not grind to a halt while we find a manager. Finding the right manager could take a few weeks yet giving other clubs the advantage of a more settled environment. Laying a basic foundation and sorting out finalities with player contracts allows for a fresh and hassle free start to the incoming manager. Uncertain times but also interesting times.

[glass half full]

Just a thought but had Steve Coppell already borne in mind the release of Lita and this was just a natural progression?

[North Somerset Royal]

Just a thought but had Steve Coppell already borne in mind the release of Lita and this was just a natural progression?

Yes he had. Lita himself decided his fate when last year he turned down a 3 year contract. Presumably he felt the terms were not good enough or was fed up with playing second fiddle. Either way he decided to run down his contract in order to get a free move this summer and from that point on there was no way that the Club would offer him another deal. Had a new manager come in before the expiry of the current contract than maybe they would have taken steps to review the position but in the event that has not happened.

[Southbank Old Boy]

When Lita turned down Sheff U in Jan I think he probably knew wht he was going to do in the summer

[Cookie]

If I was a manager looking at Reading as an opportunity, I would not be too impressed at the club's decision to let a player like Lita go.

Agreed.

[cmonurz]

clearly as we have no manager in position, decisions have to be made. Decisions within the club do not grind to a halt while we find a manager. Finding the right manager could take a few weeks yet giving other clubs the advantage of a more settled environment. Laying a basic foundation and sorting out finalities with player contracts allows for a fresh and hassle free start to the incoming manager. Uncertain times but also interesting times.

Don't contracts generally run to 1st June? Seems the decision on these players was made a little swiftly, imho.

[Dirk Gently]

( incidently weren't united willing to pay in excess of £1m for him in Jan - seems a stange decision not to try to get some sort of fee for him. I'd have some money on us making an attempt to sign him if we were to go up)

Yep, but from what I've heard the terms offered to Lita were piss-poor - so low that he was never likely to accept them. The suggestion was made to me that Sheffield Utd only did this so they could say to their supporters "Look, we're trying to sign a replacement for James Beattie - but he's turned us down" - when they actually had no intention of replacing him. IIRC they got lots of criticism when they sold Beattie, and this was the attempt to reduce it.

[Royalwaster]

( incidently weren't united willing to pay in excess of £1m for him in Jan - seems a stange decision not to try to get some sort of fee for him. I'd have some money on us making an attempt to sign him if we were to go up)

Yep, but from what I've heard the terms offered to Lita were piss-poor - so low that he was never likely to accept them. The suggestion was made to me that Sheffield Utd only did this so they could say to their supporters "Look, we're trying to sign a replacement for James Beattie - but he's turned us down" - when they actually had no intention of replacing him. IIRC they got lots of criticism when they sold Beattie, and this was the attempt to reduce it.

Looks like it was a good move though as they got to Wembley ....

[The 17 Bus]

clearly as we have no manager in position, decisions have to be made. Decisions within the club do not grind to a halt while we find a manager. Finding the right manager could take a few weeks yet giving other clubs the advantage of a more settled environment. Laying a basic foundation and sorting out finalities with player contracts allows for a fresh and hassle free start to the incoming manager. Uncertain times but also interesting times.

Don't contracts generally run to 1st June? Seems the decision on these players was made a little swiftly, imho.

Allows them to talk to other clubs now though,and should we appoint a new manager soon they could still be kept on if they have nothing agreed elsewhere and the new man(or woman) wants them to remain.

[Dirk Gently]

clearly as we have no manager in position, decisions have to be made. Decisions within the club do not grind to a halt while we find a manager. Finding the right manager could take a few weeks yet giving other clubs the advantage of a more settled environment. Laying a basic foundation and sorting out finalities with player contracts allows for a fresh and hassle free start to the incoming manager. Uncertain times but also interesting times.

Don't contracts generally run to 1st June? Seems the decision on these players was made a little swiftly, imho.

It's the decent thing to let them find other clubs as soon as possible - rather than keep them hanging on.

But, as previously stated, this is really just the public confirmation - the fact that there haven't been contract offers and negotiations over the past few months means that the players knew they wouldn't be getting new contracts. This is the rubber-stamping of it.

[West Stand Man]

If I was a manager looking at Reading as an opportunity, I would not be too impressed at the club's decision to let a player like Lita go.

.. but you aren't. So your view doesn't really alter the price of anything does it?

[blade 1]

Yep, but from what I've heard the terms offered to Lita were piss-poor - so low that he was never likely to accept them. The suggestion was made to me that Sheffield Utd only did this so they could say to their supporters "Look, we're trying to sign a replacement for James Beattie - but he's turned us down" - when they actually had no intention of replacing him. IIRC they got lots of criticism when they sold Beattie, and this was the attempt to reduce it.

Wouldn't surprise me.

It was obvious from us getting a piss poor amount for beattie that we wanted to be prudent without assurances over any tevez money and the end of the parashoot payments. When any normal financially stable club would have rinsed stoke for all they were worth to prize away a top asset not bitten their hand off at the first attempt. So we obviously weren't flush with cash.