Zurab - I want to come back

[Ian Royal]

I just don't feel it's the be all and end all like some of you do.

Keeping or buying ANY player is not the be all and end all.

We've lost every decent player we've ever had at this club, bar a couple of dozen and we've always survived.

Players are just passing through....

Obviously. Some are more important than others. Khiz doesn't massively excite me or stand out as a must have. A good bet at the right price though. The approach of our wonder manager would seem to suggest he is possibly of a similar opnion. We'll see.

[Sun Tzu]

I just don't feel it's the be all and end all like some of you do.

Keeping or buying ANY player is not the be all and end all.

We've lost every decent player we've ever had at this club, bar a couple of dozen and we've always survived.

Players are just passing through....

Obviously. Some are more important than others. Khiz doesn't massively excite me or stand out as a must have. A good bet at the right price though. The approach of our wonder manager would seem to suggest he is possibly of a similar opnion. We'll see.

I'd suggest that McD sees him as a pretty important player.

If he didn't we'd have stopped taking an interest and have other targets !!

we're playing hard ball on the cost, but we're in the game.

[Ian Royal]

It's all guesswork. Is there any latest that we are actually interested though? I thought we'd said that we'd dropped it as the price was too high. This whole speculation has been reborn out of supposition that Blackburn's comments about him needing to find a new club have actually changed the asking price and we're still interested.

I've not seen anything official about us and Khiz recently. Maybe I've missed it.

[Royal Lady]

I've not seen anything official about us and any other players - does that mean we're not looking to get anyone new in?

[brendywendy]

not without selling 1st

imagine most of our activity will be frees and loans

[Ian Royal]

I've not seen anything official about us and any other players - does that mean we're not looking to get anyone new in?

Since when have we given out official details of players we are looking at?

We've always done it on the hush hush. And the usual line would be we're waiting for the rush of transfers after the world cup to see what's available and things to start moving.

[specialjon]

Just seen this, (I don't think anyone else has posted this but i could be wrong) I guess it could be nonsense but it does say:

"Meanwhile, former Royals loan defender Zurab Khizanishvili has been released by Blackburn Rovers.

But it is unlikely Reading will try and tempt him back to the Madejski Stadium, with Sheffield United rumoured to be tracking the 28-year-old Georgia captain."

http://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/sport/readingfc/articles/2010/07/02/47233-mcdermott-i-had-to-let-marek-go/

[paultheroyal]

Reading manager Brian McDermott says he is not looking to sign any new players ahead of the new season

[Dirk Gently]

Ho would, wouldn't he. If he said "I really need a centre-back" not only would they be snowed under by agents, but as soon as he showed any interest the price would go up.

He's not Rodgers - we're back to "The Reading Way"

[Row Z Royal]

I've not seen anything official about us and any other players - does that mean we're not looking to get anyone new in?

Since when have we given out official details of players we are looking at?

Er, exactly.

[Turns8]

Also, look at the wording...

McDermott isn't looking to sign any 'new' players...

He knows all about Zurab and is probably approaching it in a low key way...similar to the way the Griff deal was dealt with...unlike his predecessor and all the furore surrounding Tommy Smith this time last year...

[Sarah Star]

I wish they'd just get on and sign him now if they're going to and stop all this tbh

[Ian Royal]

I wish they'd just get on and sign him now if they're going to and stop all this tbh

Haven't the last few things to come out been that we aren't looking at him anymore? We can't sign him if we don't want him, and the rumour isn't going to go away until we sign a different centreback, Khiz goes somewhere else or the window closes.

[Sarah Star]

Then I wish he'd just sign for someone now and stop all this tbh

[Sun Tzu]

Every chance he'll still sign for us, but lots of deals are done late in the day and this season will be no different.

[Sarah Star]

Then I wish we'd just sign him and stop all this tbh

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

I wonder if BMcD has been told he needs to shift a certain players to Bristol City before he can bring anyone in?...

[Sun Tzu]

I wonder if BMcD has been told he needs to shift a certain players to Bristol City before he can bring anyone in?...

He may be imposing it on himself, can be risky to bring someone in and be stuck with another player you don;t want. For all we know the Zurab deal has been done on a handshake basis but won;t be made official until the relevant space frees itself up.

Or maybe it will never happen !!

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Don't mean it as a bad thing Sun, we do still have some dead wood in the squad and it needs to be moved on, if not for money, then moral.

Also I imagine at the start of the summer his agent would have thought that we were desperate for him and that he'd be able to get a load of money out of us, even more so when he got his release.

I've said before, I don't think signing Zurab will change McD's 1st choice back 4. Maybe we could get a young loanee, someone like Caulker from Spurs, he was really good for Yeovill last and we would seen a lot of because of McCarthy. I know Hammond and Dolan watched Yeovil a number of times last season.

[Sun Tzu]

Don't mean it as a bad thing Sun, we do still have some dead wood in the squad and it needs to be moved on, if not for money, then moral.

Also I imagine at the start of the summer his agent would have thought that we were desperate for him and that he'd be able to get a load of money out of us, even more so when he got his release.

I've said before, I don't think signing Zurab will change McD's 1st choice back 4. Maybe we could get a young loanee, someone like Caulker from Spurs, he was really good for Yeovill last and we would seen a lot of because of McCarthy. I know Hammond and Dolan watched Yeovil a number of times last season.

You are right, this is McD's chance to make his mark on the squad. He does need to ensure anyone who he doesn't see having a role is shifted and Cisse does look like he'll be out in the cold.
Your point about loanees is a good one, and I would think we'd be in a good position to get a decent player that way. perhaps they'll get Zurab if they can;t get the next England number 5 !!!