NO LONGER A RUMOUR - Bikey signs for Burnley

[Tommy Youlden's Ears]

I'll miss him. Love his strength, pace and (some of) his attitude. As many have stated, he has the class to transcend this division, and play at a much higher level than bottom rung prem. But the Burnley (and Afrika Cup o Nations) incidents do mean, I suspect, that £2.5m in the hand trumps his 'potential'. I had a boss who'd say 'we can't change people's personalities'. I'd say this applies to Bikey. The arrogance that makes his play special, is the characteristic that makes him unlikely to listen to the advice he needs to take.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

The thing with Bikey is we all talk about him being the best defender and all his potential.

But how many times has he dominated a game? I thought he'd piss all over the Championship and it's just not happened for him. It's not just temperament, he switches off far too much for a center half, positioning is poor, distribution isn't as good as Cisse. As long as Ivar's going to be back sooner than later don't see any point in keeping him.

We can always use the loan market is something happens to Mills/Pearce.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

[quote="TBM]

Maybe but strength isn't everything.....Mills is a strong lad, wait until you see the best of him[/quote]

Bikey has the strength, but he also has a composure about him. I can understand, that as a defender calmness is not always the best thing, but he had the control of the ball and didn't get rid of it at the first attempt.

[Terminal Boardom]

Bikey has the strength, but he also has a calmness about him. I can understand, that as a defender calmness is not always the best thing, but he had the control of the ball and didn't get rid of it at the first attempt.

Do you have an agent LRF? With gems like this you should be on the stage. I haven't laughed so much since my Nan got her tits caught in the mangle!

[wolsey]

I'll miss him. Love his strength, pace and (some of) his attitude. As many have stated, he has the class to transcend this division, and play at a much higher level than bottom rung prem. But the Burnley (and Afrika Cup o Nations) incidents do mean, I suspect, that £2.5m in the hand trumps his 'potential'. I had a boss who'd say 'we can't change people's personalities'. I'd say this applies to Bikey. The arrogance that makes his play special, is the characteristic that makes him unlikely to listen to the advice he needs to take.

Agree totally, I thought that he would have been a special player for us for the last two seasons, but it never quite happened.

Having said that he will be one of those players that would make me feel gutted when I see him playing for another club.

[Thaumagurist*]

Bikey has the strength, but he also has a calmness about him. I can understand, that as a defender calmness is not always the best thing, but he had the control of the ball and didn't get rid of it at the first attempt.

Do you have an agent LRF? With gems like this you should be on the stage. I haven't laughed so much since my Nan got her tits caught in the mangle!

Are you dense? It's obvious that LRF is referring to his composure on the ball.

[John Peel]

I've never known a time like this at the club. It's all great business, as over the past year (inc Kits) we have sold about five core players for a shed load of money. But it's also sad as we're turning into a selling club. Some players I've been happy to get rid of, whereas others, like Bikey or Marek, we should be doing our utmost to keep.

At least we won't be going out of business I guess. We won't be going places either though. Maybe that's where our future lies until some billionaire oil tycoon comes in and turns us into the Super Reading Tigers or something s*it like that.

Oh and £2.8m for a proven player (whatever you think) is a joke. He's played in the Champions League for fcuk sake. Claude Davies to Shef Utd for £3.5m anyone?

[FiNeRaIn]

I've never known a time like this at the club. It's all great business, as over the past year (inc Kits) we have sold about five core players for a shed load of money. But it's also sad as we're turning into a selling club. Some players I've been happy to get rid of, whereas others, like Bikey or Marek, we should be doing our utmost to keep.

At least we won't be going out of business I guess. We won't be going places either though. Maybe that's where our future lies until some billionaire oil tycoon comes in and turns us into the Super Reading Tigers or something s*it like that.

Oh and £2.8m for a proven player (whatever you think) is a joke. He's played in the Champions League for fcuk sake. Claude Davies to Shef Utd for £3.5m anyone?

Madejski isn't interested in spending it on the club- he's got various business interests he could use the money for,

[Royalee]

We're selling all the players we don't want (obviously with the exception of Doyle who we were always going to lose anyway) for silly money and bringing in better replacements while using the quality youngsters we already have to build a far better team...where's the problem?

[W&E Royal]

I think £2.8m is a very good price for a defender that has been in and out the team in the 3 years he's been here, plus Claude Davis was a Premier League defender when Derby bought him.

[Alan Partridge]

I've never known a time like this at the club. It's all great business, as over the past year (inc Kits) we have sold about five core players for a shed load of money. But it's also sad as we're turning into a selling club. Some players I've been happy to get rid of, whereas others, like Bikey or Marek, we should be doing our utmost to keep.

At least we won't be going out of business I guess. We won't be going places either though. Maybe that's where our future lies until some billionaire oil tycoon comes in and turns us into the Super Reading Tigers or something s*it like that.

Oh and £2.8m for a proven player (whatever you think) is a joke. He's played in the Champions League for fcuk sake. Claude Davies to Shef Utd for £3.5m anyone?

Madejski isn't interested in spending it on the club- he's got various business interests he could use the money for,

You know, personally speaking I really don't think it's a bad thing anymore. The first two games of this season I have really enjoyed, i can't remember the last time i said that about Reading. This place needed a face lift and it's got it. Rodgers way is pleasing on the eye and he's got a team full of young, hungry, enthusiastic youngsters that want to be here and want to play. The mercenaries are slowly being wittled down and no longer is there a clique in terms of who plays. I am actually starting to like some of the individuals that play for the team again! Always helps.

I am expecting nothing in terms of 'success' this year, top 6 I think is a pipe dream but it's not the end of the world. The benefit these young lads will get from 1-2 years of first team football at this level will be enormous. Pearce already looks a $million, he really looks the part. He is almost our John Terry in lots of ways.

We've got two outstanding young goalkeepers waiting in the wings, the emergence of the likes of Davies, Sigurdsson and Robson Kanu, and now Bignall. All the top players started somewhere and we may have just found our own rough diamonds without having to spend the excessive money that certain teams have on lets face it fairly mediocre players.

If we can finish say 10th-11th, have a half decent cup run and find 5-6 players that could genuinely contribute to a promotion winning squad next season, whilst continuing to play decent football then this season would have been a huge success.

[brendywendy]

We're selling all the players we don't want (obviously with the exception of Doyle who we were always going to lose anyway) for silly money and bringing in better replacements while using the quality youngsters we already have to build a far better team...where's the problem?

if referring to bikey harper and matejovski then id hesitate to say that the majority agree

if referring to hunt, most would agree, but only cos hes burnt his bridges here

youve already mentioned doyle

so i dont think its as clear cut as you say

[Royalee]

Of course Doyle's a loss and was always going to be, but would Hunt, Bikey or Harper hold down a place in Rodgers' team? I don't think so. We're improving the side and that means bringing in players that will improve the starting eleven, not just bringing bodies in like we did previously. There's also no point having the likes of Hunt, Bikey and Harper on big wages when we have back-up just as good in Mills/Cisse, Gunnarsson and Matejovsky and probably on lower wages.

[Alan Partridge]

Of course Doyle's a loss and was always going to be, but would Hunt, Bikey or Harper hold down a place in Rodgers' team? I don't think so. We're improving the side and that means bringing in players that will improve the starting eleven, not just bringing bodies in like we did previously. There's also no point having the likes of Hunt, Bikey and Harper on big wages when we have back-up just as good in Mills/Cisse, Gunnarsson and Matejovsky and probably on lower wages.

To be fair royalee, I think you've got this part spot on. Coppell's major problem with his squad for the last two years is that the answer has been no better than the problem. When we were losing he did make changes, but the players he brought into the side offered nothing that the ones going out did.

By allowing some of them to leave he's now got some established players left with the unpredictability of the youth. Coppell was frightened to throw it in, in bulk. He'd play one, maybe 2 of them but no more, just in case. He'd rather go with a Gunnarsson than a Karacan. Or a Duberry than a Pearce. I think at times rightly but towards the end when we'd hit rock bottom of the DIRE state, it had to have a revamp. He may as well have chucked 5-6 players in because they could not possibly do any worse.

This is where Rodgers deserves credit already, he's shown his colours and said ok you lads are in, he unlike Coppell will now KNOW if they are good enough and not just guess.

[wolsey]

Have the likes of Federici/Hamer/Pearce/Karacan/Davies/Henry/Bignall/HRK/Sigurdsonn not benefitted from the extended loan experiences that they have over the last 2 seasons?

Were they ready to take their place in the team this time last season?

What would have the reaction have been on here if the sales of the likes of Hunt/Doyle/Hahnemann/Lita etc. happened last season and they were replaced by the youngsters that we are pinning our hopes on now?

Hindsight is a wonderful skill (as Royalee could have told you ages ago)

[brendywendy]

Of course Doyle's a loss and was always going to be, but would Hunt, Bikey or Harper hold down a place in Rodgers' team? I don't think so. We're improving the side and that means bringing in players that will improve the starting eleven, not just bringing bodies in like we did previously. There's also no point having the likes of Hunt, Bikey and Harper on big wages when we have back-up just as good in Mills/Cisse, Gunnarsson and Matejovsky and probably on lower wages.

im not as sure as you that mills/pearce are already better than bikey

will admit matejovski has blown more cold than hot so far

am not sure that davies/siggurdson are truly better than harper right now-though ill concede he wasnt great last year

i can see the benefit of shipping out other managers players, and getting a squad of all your own guys, but thats not the same as them being"better"

[Alan Partridge]

Have the likes of Federici/Hamer/Pearce/Karacan/Davies/Henry/Bignall/HRK/Sigurdsonn not benefitted from the extended loan experiences that they have over the last 2 seasons?

Were they ready to take their place in the team this time last season?

What would have the reaction have been on here if the sales of the likes of Hunt/Doyle/Hahnemann/Lita etc. happened last season and they were replaced by the youngsters that we are pinning our hopes on now?

Hindsight is a wonderful skill (as Royalee could have told you ages ago)

I think you could certainly argue a case for either of the keepers, Pearce, Karacan and Henry. Maybe not so much the others in terms of extended appearances last season.

Not so much hindsight but as of Xmas we barely scored a goal nevermind won a game. There comes a time when you have to say enough is enough and Coppell for all his positive stuff he brought to the club never ever had the guts to do that. He'd give certain players 5,6,7 chances to put it right and as another game limped by he'd be no nearer finding an answer.

He didn't trust the young players, that's what it boiled down to, Rodgers is giving them the chance. It still may not work out, some of them may crumble after a couple of defeats but at least he'lll find out and know, might stop some of them being offered contract after contract,never playing, and us still being none the wiser. It's time for delivery one way or the other and Rodgers clearly sees it that way to.

[Mr Angry]

You can now add Birmingham to the list; apparantly they have enquired about Bikey today. (SSN)

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Bikey has the strength, but he also has a calmness about him. I can understand, that as a defender calmness is not always the best thing, but he had the control of the ball and didn't get rid of it at the first attempt.

Do you have an agent LRF? With gems like this you should be on the stage. I haven't laughed so much since my Nan got her tits caught in the mangle!

Are you dense? It's obvious that LRF is referring to his composure on the ball.

Yes, i did mean composure sorry.

[Terminal Boardom]

Would this calmness be what envelopes him like a soft summer breeze just as he tries to spank one into the top corner from 40 plus yards out but ends up taking out the drums at the back of the north stand? There is nothing worse than a central defender who thinks that he is a reincarnation of Zidane, Hoddle or Maradonna.

Sorry, but I really can not see the fascination and perseverance with him. Too high maintenance and at best 30 games a season (25 in the prem).