Hard to see any progress for the forseeable future

[Scarface]

Last season Coppell said judge my decisions about the squad at the end of the year. Well we went down, he admitted he was wrong and life moved on, when he should of been sacked.

The same will happen this year, blatantly the squad is not good enough to get promoted so why wait until the end of the year for Coppell to walk out, lets get rid now and get a fresh manager in to look at the squad prior to the January sales. This is a season of parachute payments wasted with the club just going backwards even more.

[RoyalBlue]

Do you know what a fire sale is? Obviously not so I'll help you:

fire sale - a sale of assets at very low prices typically when the seller faces bankruptcy

Do you still think it was a fire sale?

When players "turn on a sixpence", there isn't actually a sixpence there.

Don't be so stupid and I would expect more from you.

I gave you the definition of a firesale and neither part of it fits in with Reading.

1) We haven't sold players on the cheap, if anything we have got more than they are worth.
2) We are not facing bankruptcy

You are just using key words that you think heighten your argument even if they are totally inappropriate and have very little relevance.

Yes we have sold assets but but we haven't sold many assets and we have got more than a fair price for them.

Do you really think that Schards ever intended the word firesale to be interpreted in its literal sense?! Even if you did, the definition you provide is not the only one that exists for that particular expression. e.g. the business dictionary also refers to sale of goods at far below value in order to avoid financial disaster. And potential financial disaster is something we are frequently warned of by JM and his supporters.

No the club is not facing bankruptcy in financial terms but IMO it is beginning to look pretty skint in terms of commitment, ideas and motivation!

As for players being sold for more or less than their true value - that's largely a matter of personal opinion.

[Denver Royal]

Why wait until the end of the year for Coppell to walk out, lets get rid now and get a fresh manager in to look at the squad prior to the January sales. This is a season of parachute payments wasted with the club just going backwards even more.

Having made the decision to stick with him in the Summer, I think Mr Mad et al would look exceeedingly foolish if they got rid of Coppell right now.

Plus Mr Mad will want Coppell on board through the January window...and we all know why.

[Wycombe Royal]

When players "turn on a sixpence", there isn't actually a sixpence there.

Don't be so stupid and I would expect more from you.

I gave you the definition of a firesale and neither part of it fits in with Reading.

1) We haven't sold players on the cheap, if anything we have got more than they are worth.
2) We are not facing bankruptcy

You are just using key words that you think heighten your argument even if they are totally inappropriate and have very little relevance.

Yes we have sold assets but but we haven't sold many assets and we have got more than a fair price for them.

Do you really think that Schards ever intended the word firesale to be interpreted in its literal sense?! Even if you did, the definition you provide is not the only one that exists for that particular expression. e.g. the business dictionary also refers to sale of goods at far below value in order to avoid financial disaster. And potential financial disaster is something we are frequently warned of by JM and his supporters.

No the club is not facing bankruptcy in financial terms but IMO it is beginning to look pretty skint in terms of commitment, ideas and motivation!

As for players being sold for more or less than their true value - that's largely a matter of personal opinion.

Words like firesale are used to create a reaction, a headline grabber if you like, however they need to be used where appropriate and RFC's situation was not appropriate. Whichever way you look at it I would be very surprised if ANYONE thinks we sold players on the cheap.

[Archie's penalty]

Words like firesale are used to create a reaction, a headline grabber if you like, however they need to be used where appropriate and RFC's situation was not appropriate. Whichever way you look at it I would be very surprised if ANYONE thinks we sold players on the cheap.

5.5 million for Kitson was great business and Sonko's fee was also great. Only Shorey's was a bit low but he only has one year left of his contract...

[Wycombe Royal]

Words like firesale are used to create a reaction, a headline grabber if you like, however they need to be used where appropriate and RFC's situation was not appropriate. Whichever way you look at it I would be very surprised if ANYONE thinks we sold players on the cheap.

5.5 million for Kitson was great business and Sonko's fee was also great. Only Shorey's was a bit low but he only has one year left of his contract...

Exactly, which means Shorey wasn't sold on the cheap either......

Like I have said no aspect of our dealings indicate a fire sale (even remotely).

[Lower West]

There are a dozen clubs in and around us that have more potential, and thats what an investor in football looks for, not crowds of 24-000 and little history.

S'ton, Leicester, Coventry, either Sheff club, Forest, Wolves, WBA to name a few

Southampton heading for relegation already........ WBA not even able to get a shirt sponsor ....... Leicester are in Division One.........

Hardly clubs that the Sheiks will want to invest their millions in.......

More likely Newcastle and Liverpool will have new owners.

Football is only a business at the very top, for the rest it can only be a game. Like all markets eventually they come down to earth with a crash. Interesting to see that even Man Utds shirt sponsor is rumoured to be in trouble today .......... Looks like the good days are rapidly coming to a close. At least John Madejski has made the right decisions.... most likely explains why he is such a sucessful businessman.

Now that Bikey is back from international duty this should add a bit more bite the team.... so not all doom and gloom.

[brendywendy]

if bikey, and matejovski can get back in the team, and theres nothing ive seen so far that say they shouldnt
we'll look alot stronger ongrass and on paper.......

the away form problem is psychological, and needs sorting by the management

[Deathy]

Last season Coppell said judge my decisions about the squad at the end of the year. Well we went down, he admitted he was wrong and life moved on, when he should of been sacked.

The same will happen this year, blatantly the squad is not good enough to get promoted so why wait until the end of the year for Coppell to walk out, lets get rid now and get a fresh manager in to look at the squad prior to the January sales. This is a season of parachute payments wasted with the club just going backwards even more.

I agreed with most of that until you mentiond wasted parachute payments.

Coppell hasn't been given next to fook all in money. He certainly hasn't seen any paracute payments.

But am starting to agree, maybe change is needed.

Fresh eyes, fresh opinions, no loyalty to anyone, hopefully someone that will rough 'em up a bit and less of the softly softly.

[IMAMATEOFJOVSKY]

someone in the Capello ilk - no favourites, no egos, he picks who he knows is best at time

[Deathy]

someone in the Capello ilk - no favourites, no egos, he picks who he knows is best at time

But on a cheap wage of course.

Unless a foreigner, who can we possibly attract that is either out of work or in the Championship, L1 or L2. On our tight arse budget!

[Royal Lady]

Far be it for me to respond on behalf of my husband, but he's pretty busy these days and so won't have seen some of these comments. Maybe his use of the word "firesale" was wrong, but what I think he meant was that we'd sold our best assets - ok Shorey was a given. Kitson and Sonko we didn't need to get rid of and Kitson was most certainly one of our best assets.

Schards is negative because there has been nothing since the end of the last season to put him in a more positive frame of mind. I really don't think there's any need for rudeness when formulating a reply however.

[brendywendy]

Far be it for me to respond on behalf of my husband, but he's pretty busy these days and so won't have seen some of these comments. Maybe his use of the word "firesale" was wrong, but what I think he meant was that we'd sold our best assets - ok Shorey was a given. Kitson and Sonko we didn't need to get rid of and Kitson was most certainly one of our best assets.

Schards is negative because there has been nothing since the end of the last season to put him in a more positive frame of mind. I really don't think there's any need for rudeness when formulating a reply however.

i dont think its realistic to expect us to hold on to everyone we wanted to
and its not surprising that those that went were our best players
but i expected to lose more, and for less
so in that respect im happy with the firesale as it was.

[Royal Lady]

But what of our purchases to "replace" them?

I'm still finding it hard to grasp why we have 5 strikers now and only 3 last season when we were playing abysmally. Yet Coppell said we only needed 3 strikers - so why does he suddenly think we need 5?

[Alan Partridge]

But what of our purchases to "replace" them?

I'm still finding it hard to grasp why we have 5 strikers now and only 3 last season when we were playing abysmally. Yet Coppell said we only needed 3 strikers - so why does he suddenly think we need 5?

I personally think it was because he truly expected to see Doyle and or Lita leave as well and that he bought them as cover for those departures. The fact that he still isn't picking either of the 2 he bought backs that claim up a bit more as well.

[Royal Lady]

I think you're right AP. If only he'd worked on those assumptions for the left back position last season!

[Alan Partridge]

I think you're right AP. If only he'd worked on those assumptions for the left back position last season!

Maybe he actually did learn one lesson from last season?!

[brendywendy]

But what of our purchases to "replace" them?

I'm still finding it hard to grasp why we have 5 strikers now and only 3 last season when we were playing abysmally. Yet Coppell said we only needed 3 strikers - so why does he suddenly think we need 5?

agree
we would prefer some high quality proven signings


strikers, because he thought others would go, because he knows that individually they arent top notch, so rotation may be required, as an alternative to buying in a proven top drawer striker

[Wycombe Royal]

Maybe his use of the word "firesale" was wrong, but what I think he meant was that we'd sold our best assets - ok Shorey was a given. Kitson and Sonko we didn't need to get rid of and Kitson was most certainly one of our best assets.

I think you should preoof read his comments before he posts them as you have a far better approach to getting his point accross.

However I don't think we could have held on to Kitson and Sonko because they had made up their mind to go and we don't want players here who have no desire to be.

[Royal Lady]

He doesn't let me proof read anymore, because I always pick him up on stuff.

I might be wrong, but I think he was trying to make the point that we sold our best assets (irrespective of whether they wanted to go or not) and did nothing about replacing like for like. Or something.