Transfer Policy and Squad Size - what do you read into it?

[rhroyal]

we all know he sees us as a business.

But that's exactly what it is!

Maybe he thinks he'll be unpopular if he comes forward and says "I don't want to spend hundreds of millions of pounds, I'm waiting for a suitable buyer to make you a bigger club". However he seems to lack the honesty to do that,

But that's exactly what he's said!!

rhroyal, this rantfest of yours this afternoon is very very wide of the mark.

Would you say that clubs like Wigan, Chelsea and Fulham are run like businesses then? I wouldn't, they have a rich backer throwing in money because they want to see their club win, they could never sustain themselves without a chairman who could support them. Football is a business, but it is very different to the majority of businesses in that success is not judged by profit, it is judged by success on the pitch.

As for that's what he's said, he speaks one moment about looking for the ideal buyer, and then next week he's talking about making us a top 10 club and creating a 38,000 seater stadium.

As I have said, I can 100% understand why he doesn't want to throw money away but it's frustrating when just 12 months after feeling like we were on our way to big things we're back in the Championship. Our heads were in the clouds then and we've been brought back down to earth, but it was the words of the likes of Hammond and JM that got us all so carried away.

[Royal Rother]

Unless the names you give have been thrown around by the club as likely to be sold there remains absolutely zero substance to your somewhat disrespectful post.

"Nicky Shorey and a few others will be looked at as potential people to leave," said Howe in the Reading Evening Post.

Carry on, Rother.

So okay, there's a tiny bit of substance in that part then, big deal, the main point you were making and I was responding to (re offload before buying / financial backing), as I'm sure you now recognise, remains naive at best.

[papereyes]

Would you say that clubs like Wigan, Chelsea and Fulham are run like businesses then? I wouldn't, they have a rich backer throwing in money because they want to see their club win, they could never sustain themselves without a chairman who could support them. Football is a business, but it is very different to the majority of businesses in that success is not judged by profit, it is judged by success on the pitch.

Not necessarily.

As for that's what he's said, he speaks one moment about looking for the ideal buyer, and then next week he's talking about making us a top 10 club and creating a 38,000 seater stadium.

But this is pretty spot on - to some extent, it is sales talk, selling the club to (as yet unknown) bidders.

There's something frustrating with the club, on the one hand, saying that the club could be a big player, could be a Top 10 club, could do this, could do that but acting as if we should all just be grateful that we're in this division. I think the club has a hell of a lot of potential but the only way we're going to act on that potential is by acting as if we deserve to inherit that potential.

You need to keep striking while the iron is hot or you will end up left behind by clubs that are prepared to do so, while bearing in mind that financial security has to be maintained. I'm still disappointed by the club's actions since the end of last season. It was clear that the side was not strong enough, it was clear that other sides were pushing on ahead of us and we repeatedly refused chances and opportunities to do something about it. The fans are almost complicit in this by seemingly accepting mediocrity in some areas (yet braying like fools when the completely correct point that the club could be a lot bigger than it is is made )

[brendywendy]

but thats what the stadium increase was all about, giving us the ability to spend more on players and wagews, and still run ourselves like a "business"
and that was laughed out of town on here at least as being totally pointless

currently we are set up to make a small profit in the prem, and a small loss in the championship-thats just the way it is
those extra ticket sales would have really cemented us up there, and given us the chance to move on as a club

either way going on about "where the hell has the 80 million gone", and saying stuff about skimming off the top etc is just daft

and you just have to add up what 25KPW adds up to over a year for one player to understand why its important to sort this out,

getting money for shorey is good business from my point of view-he wants to go, and performances have suffered-need to cash in
anyone else who has a significant bid will have to be considered.

[zummerset]

Jeez it was happy days yesterday and now we are all doomed. Leave HNA for a moment and this happens! I'll log in tomorrow to see if we are saved again

[IMAMATEOFJOVSKY]

"getting money for shorey is good business from my point of view-he wants to go, and performances have suffered-need to cash in
anyone else who has a significant bid will have to be considered"

--yes lets ! -----and lets enjoy many seasons of championship league mediocrity

Because no matter what comes in from selling players only a small percentage will go out!

[brendywendy]

"getting money for shorey is good business from my point of view-he wants to go, and performances have suffered-need to cash in
anyone else who has a significant bid will have to be considered"

--yes lets ! -----and lets enjoy many seasons of championship league mediocrity

Because no matter what comes in from selling players only a small percentage will go out!

god knows the last thing i want is shorey leaving us, hes the best left back weve had, or are likely to have in the near to middle future, likewise most of the other players weve had for the last few years of success but.......

if a top half side comes in for doyle, hunt, shorey, lita for instance
at a good value, i would have to at least consider selling them at this point in our clubs life
it would have to be good money etc but you would have to consider it.
not least just becuase the effect that knowing of the bid, and knowing youd been held back, would ruin any feeling they had for RFC anyway, and their performance levels could drop ala nicky this season

or we kepp them, perhaps slightly against their will and they play our their contract and leave like sids, and cue much recriminations on here for the player and the club

[rhroyal]

Jeez it was happy days yesterday and now we are all doomed. Leave HNA for a moment and this happens! I'll log in tomorrow to see if we are saved again

Yesterday we were celebrating Coppell staying, today we're digesting on the bad news that has been released with that, as predicted.

[Ian Royal]

Jeez it was happy days yesterday and now we are all doomed. Leave HNA for a moment and this happens! I'll log in tomorrow to see if we are saved again

Yesterday we were celebrating Coppell staying, today we're digesting on the bad news that has been released with that, as predicted.

I don't see any bad news. I see a lot of common sense and the dissapointing but expected news that Shorey wants out and has done for some time. The dirty little ingrate. We 've stated we know other teams will be keen to sign some of our players and we've said we won't be letting them go cheap, but that we'd have to consider offers.

Given we have a number of players on high wages who may not be right for taking us forward (Fae, Hunt, Lita, Sonko, Doyle) that makes perfect sense. Two or three of the more desirable, but not crucial players leaving for good money would be great, fund new signings and free up wages. On top of that we get rid of some of the excess dross and we're away wit ha tight quality squad again.

[howser]

I am surprised that the news brief of SSC having to sell to create any money to buy new players wasnt slipped out, and hidden, the same time as the "Coppell Stays" headlines so we would all miss it, I can see why the owner is so delighted that SSC has decided to stay on, I cant see many other managers of quality and a proven track record would come here with such tight restraints on transfers fees and salaries.

[Chaney]

I don`t care if this is a dodd, but I think it deserves its own thread.
for anyone that reads the EP the headlines jumped out of the paper at me today.
so now we must sell before we can buy states the chairman, it begs the question, what has happened to the transfer funds that were not spent last season? SC went public and stated that the funds were there but he chose not to spend..was he lying?..doubtful
Nigel Howe now says there is a hole in our budget, what happened to the millions in TV money from the premiership?..and don`t tell me it was all spent on wages..thats total bollocks!!!
so who is telling porkies here?..there is quite clearly money at this club, BUT WHAT THE F*CK AS HAPPENED TO IT???

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

"getting money for shorey is good business from my point of view-he wants to go, and performances have suffered-need to cash in
anyone else who has a significant bid will have to be considered"

--yes lets ! -----and lets enjoy many seasons of championship league mediocrity

Because no matter what comes in from selling players only a small percentage will go out!

If its the case that Shorey has fallen out of love being at RFC then there can be no argument for all concerned that it will be best for him to move on. He's spent 7 good years at the club which is a rarity and probably deserves a crack with an established prem side at 27 years of age. If we are offered anything between 4-5 million for shorey then as a championship club we really cant refuse this. The same goes for Hunt- if someone like Sunderland are happy to pay around 4 million for him we really have to consider this, he is our highest earner at 25k a week something which is totally out of kilter now for club operating in the championship. Of course they are valuable members of our squad, but unfortunately money talks now and i dont actually see them as the absolute bedrock of our team if they leave. Granted a new left back would be hard to find but it was always the likely outcome even if we have survived.

Now that Coppell has remained in charge i very much doubt that Doyle will be prised away anytime soon, unless come Jan we get an offer we cant refuse and are not in the playoff mix. In terms of 'big name' players who command a substantial fee and that could well be off i can only see Fae (though hardly lived up to his fee!) and Lita going depending on how his relationship with Coppell can (and if) be repaired. The above players named would go with my blessing without fearing that we have had the entire heart of our team ripped out and with sizable fees in the process-how much is used from that for other players is another argument entirely. What is massively important is that emerging talent eg rosenior,bikey,marek and influential players eg harper and kitson are kept out of the reach of other clubs as these players who will remain most effective.

[2.8 lita injection]

Reading open to offers for Shorey
Nicky Shorey
Shorey is one of the biggest names currently at Reading

Reading will sell Nicky Shorey if they receive an attractive offer for the 27-year-old England defender.

Manager Steve Coppell has been warned that salaries must be cut and players sold if he wants new faces after the club's relegation to the Championship.

Chief executive Nigel Howe told the Reading Evening Post: "Nicky has not been too happy for a long time.

"Let's hope somebody comes in with a good offer. If Steve trades well it should release enough funds."

Left-back Shorey cost Reading only £25,000 when he arrived from Leyton Orient in 2001 and has picked up two England caps.

He has been linked to West Ham, Aston Villa and Newcastle and is keen to remain in the top flight.

A £11m parachute payment will ease Reading's exit from the Premier League but Howe confirmed savings would still have to be made.


606: DEBATE
As Coppell is staying I think only a few players will leave

kieronRFC

"Nicky and a few others will be looked at as potential people to leave," he added.

Coppell has shelved plans to resign in the wake of the club dropping out of the top flight.

But Howe's message to the manager was that he can only recruit fresh talent by selling players already on the staff.

"He won't have money unless he sells. At the moment we are just trying to balance the budget," said Howe.

"The concern is to keep as many of the core squad together but Steve does want to reduce the squad so he is expecting to receive offers for players.

"If Steve wants to keep all the players on the same salaries, there won't be the release of funds.

"If he reduces the wage bill, he will have funds. We have got very highly paid players."

I still find it strange that we dont have any spare cash for transfers & we have got highly paid players, i thought we were one lowest wage payers in the premiership ??

[Royal Rother]

You need to keep striking while the iron is hot or you will end up left behind by clubs that are prepared to do so, while bearing in mind that financial security has to be maintained. I'm still disappointed by the club's actions since the end of last season. It was clear that the side was not strong enough, it was clear that other sides were pushing on ahead of us and we repeatedly refused chances and opportunities to do something about it.

Yes, and I don't rate Lita.

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

Reading open to offers for Shorey
Nicky Shorey
Shorey is one of the biggest names currently at Reading

Reading will sell Nicky Shorey if they receive an attractive offer for the 27-year-old England defender.

Manager Steve Coppell has been warned that salaries must be cut and players sold if he wants new faces after the club's relegation to the Championship.

Chief executive Nigel Howe told the Reading Evening Post: "Nicky has not been too happy for a long time.

"Let's hope somebody comes in with a good offer. If Steve trades well it should release enough funds."

Left-back Shorey cost Reading only £25,000 when he arrived from Leyton Orient in 2001 and has picked up two England caps.

He has been linked to West Ham, Aston Villa and Newcastle and is keen to remain in the top flight.

A £11m parachute payment will ease Reading's exit from the Premier League but Howe confirmed savings would still have to be made.


606: DEBATE
As Coppell is staying I think only a few players will leave

kieronRFC

"Nicky and a few others will be looked at as potential people to leave," he added.

Coppell has shelved plans to resign in the wake of the club dropping out of the top flight.

But Howe's message to the manager was that he can only recruit fresh talent by selling players already on the staff.

"He won't have money unless he sells. At the moment we are just trying to balance the budget," said Howe.

"The concern is to keep as many of the core squad together but Steve does want to reduce the squad so he is expecting to receive offers for players.

"If Steve wants to keep all the players on the same salaries, there won't be the release of funds.

"If he reduces the wage bill, he will have funds. We have got very highly paid players."

I still find it strange that we dont have any spare cash for transfers & we have got highly paid players, i thought we were one lowest wage payers in the premiership ??

but i very much doubt we were at the top end for wages when we were in the championship either.....

[Royal Rother]

I don`t care if this is a dodd, but I think it deserves its own thread.
for anyone that reads the EP the headlines jumped out of the paper at me today.
so now we must sell before we can buy states the chairman, it begs the question, what has happened to the transfer funds that were not spent last season? SC went public and stated that the funds were there but he chose not to spend..was he lying?..doubtful
Nigel Howe now says there is a hole in our budget, what happened to the millions in TV money from the premiership?..and don`t tell me it was all spent on wages..thats total bollocks!!!
so who is telling porkies here?..there is quite clearly money at this club, BUT WHAT THE F*CK AS HAPPENED TO IT???

[2.8 lita injection]

I could understand if the club said we are not willing to let a player of shoreys calibre leave for free in a years time so we are open to offers from clubs.

[Ian Royal]

I have very little time for Shorey now.

He has been one of our best players for a long time and has been at the club through thick and thin. But confirmation that he has wanted away for a while and that it has impacted on his performances, which have been rather lack lustre. Along with not having the good grace to come over to the fans after Derby and acknowledge us, let alone bid us goodbye, means he has had his head turned by the prima-donna culture in the prem, that we are better off without him and with a few £m more in our account and that he deserves a load of stick on his first return visit to the Mad stad.

[RoyalBlue]

Steve Coppell might have learnt his lessons from previous seasons but from his utterances to The Evening Post it would appear that Howe and his suited colleagues haven't!

Yet again it looks like we are set to replicate the disastrous 'sale of the century' that we witnessed after the playoff final loss against Bolton where our players of true ability were sold off to raise money and reduce the wage bill in favour of cut price & low quality replacements.

So where has the money that was supposedly available for transfer fees earlier this year gone?

Yes, we've gone down and will lose some income but the parachute money isn't exactly insignificant. We paid the price for trying to do the PL on the cheap and rather than investing to try correct that error and get us straight back again, it looks like the club want to try to do The Championship on the cheap too!

How long before we start hearing that players aren't interested in joining us in The Championship? And could that possibly have anything to do with the fact that our 'Salaries have to be at the middle range and some in the upper range for the Championship'?

And when Steve Coppell fails to pull off another cut-price miracle, who is the poor barsteward who will get the stick, whilst at the same time those who can not/will not see will continue to massage JM's ego, as he steps forward for his pre-match introduction and applause!

And even if you don't subscribe to any of the above - what a PR disaster Howe and RFC are!!

One moment they are stimulating interest in season tickets by reducing prices, the next moment Howe is doing his best to deter people with promises to sell off some of our best players and replace them with fewer and cheaper alternatives!

[Platypuss]

Surely you have to admire the honesty?