Little joining Pompey

[FiNeRaIn]

A half fit glenn little playing 20 games next season > jimmy kebe

.but with still the best of 2 months til the season starts it's very simplistic to suggest that that will be the only equation.

With our track record in the transfer market AND our track record of bringing youngsters through, I urge you to rethink that comment.
Oh yeah, we might see brynjar on the right wing.

[Boyband]

It's a sad day for Reading Football Club. Yet another key member of the promotion squad gone, and more to follow I would think with the likes of Harper and Shorey set to be on their way.

Looks like we will be starting next season with a completely new midfield, with the exception of perhaps Convey, if he is still here.

[Stranded]

but we should have nailed him down for another year

I can almost imagine the reaction of some on here if we'd nailed him down for a year when he was still injured....

Is he not fit again? Even if he was only to play ten games, he'd still be better value than Hunt.

Did we not offer him a deal? Oh wait we did, but shock horror but someone in the Prem offered more or the same with a chance to play in a higher league.

The only way we would could have nailed him down would to have been to offer him a deal when he was still out and the reaction if we'd done that from some would have been similar to it is now.

[CMRoyal]

Well, I'm glad. Sad to see him go, but the last thing we want is a season of making do as he flits in and out of the team through injury. He's gone, so we can set about replacing him properly rather than faffing about with misfits and makeweights as we did last season. Good luck to the guy, but as far as I'm concerned he's over the hill and injury-prone now and we need to move on.


(hope that convinced you more than it did me)

[papereyes]

or stayed up last season?

[Jerry St Clair]

any news on the fee?

Couldn't give a shit about the fee. Whatever it was, it wasn't enough.

May I be the four millionth person on this thread to say I'm gutted? My favourite ever Reading player, just sneaking in ahead of Darius Wdowcyck.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Is it April again already? I can't help but laugh at this really, I had expected Glenn to jack it all in at the end of this season based on his lack of fitness. Still, fair play to the man. Best player I have ever seen wear the hoops, good luck to him in the UEFA Cup if he can get in the team. Surely this means Henry has to be a serious contender to start in the right wing berth this season, though of course it will be Kebe I imagine

[RoyalBlue]

Disappointing, but not so surprising, one last hurrah in the premier trough! What price loyalty these days? What's worse is he wanted two years with us, was offered one, turned it down and has now accepted a one year contract with Pompey. I guess this demonstrates why 'hero-worship' is a waste of time!

I doubt there is any inconsistency in wanting a two year contract from us and accepting a one year deal with Pompey. He probably would have needed a three year deal with us to get what he is going to receive in just one year with Pompey. Then on top of that he has no doubt got himself a substantial signing on payment.

[Vision]

.but with still the best of 2 months til the season starts it's very simplistic to suggest that that will be the only equation.

With our track record in the transfer market AND our track record of bringing youngsters through, I urge you to rethink that comment.
Oh yeah, we might see brynjar on the right wing.

Equally with our track record of bringing in players suitable for this division then i'd say its not unreasonable to wait and see rather than instantly dismiss everything out of hand.

[earleyroyal]

Crap news, a player leaving who is almost impossible to replace with a similarly good player at this level. Doubt we would offer the wages anyway, unless we invest in this squad then some people are going to be in for a shock when we don't 'walk the Championship' and don't 'have the league won by March'. Some investment needs to come in this squad, again we face a season where the club has the potential to further its standing with selective, good signings, and also the potential to dick around, waste it and go backwards. Hopefully the management will have looked through the mistakes of last season and won't repeat them.

Little is probably the most skilful player I've ever seen in a Reading shirt (not old enough to have seen the 94/95 team), for some of 2006/07 it was hard to believe how easily he tricked and turned international quality full backs. I think he could've played a part last season and it looks like it could be another shrewd signing by Redknapp if he can gain then maintain some sort of fitness. Will certainly miss him but he gave us many good memories over the last few years.

[Trigger]

Yeah maybe he's over the hill, maybe it's a good move for him to spend his final year in the Prem, maybe it's a good idea for Reading to release some money to bring in new blood.

But players like Glen Little are why I pay money to watch football, and we don't have many of those. Gutted, was planning to renew my Season Ticket tonight (yeah keep my money as long as possible) but I'm wavering now.

ps. There was nobody as skilful as Glen in the 94/95 team, don't worry.

[Arch]

Is it April again already? I can't help but laugh at this really, I had expected Glenn to jack it all in at the end of this season based on his lack of fitness. Still, fair play to the man. Best player I have ever seen wear the hoops, good luck to him in the UEFA Cup if he can get in the team. Surely this means Henry has to be a serious contender to start in the right wing berth this season, though of course it will be Kebe I imagine

It'll be the player who works hardest in training during pre-season. I'm pretty sure that is the number one factor in SC's selection process and explains his blind faith in some players no matter how they perform on match day.

[Huntley & Palmer]

yeah but Kebe is shit, I thought everyone knew this?

[Royalee]

Did we not offer him a deal? Oh wait we did, but shock horror but someone in the Prem offered more or the same with a chance to play in a higher league.

The only way we would could have nailed him down would to have been to offer him a deal when he was still out and the reaction if we'd done that from some would have been similar to it is now.

We should have offered him an extension around the time we offered Gunnarsson a new contract. I don't think my reaction would have been quite as negative as when I found Boris and Headless Chicken Hunt got new contracts.

Waiting until the end of the season before you offer players contracts never works and never has done - another thing Coppell has failed to learn during his 20 years as a manager.

[Skyline]

Have to say that, while it is somewhat of a surprise he has moved on, I'm not hugely bothered. Yes he was a great player for us, but as others have said, he's no spring chicken and he is getting more injuries and/or taking longer to recover from them - I really can't understand why people thought he would play a big part for us next season.

What does amuse me, however, is the ire directed at his possible (current) replacement. Have people really forgotten how much stick Little himself was given when he played for us on loan under Pardew? And when he signed for us on a permanent deal it wasn't greeted with howls of joy from large quarters of our fanbase, that's for sure. But now the man is (rightly, IMO) treated as a legend.

[RoyalBlue]

Just to add insult to injury, from the official Portsmouth site:

"If You Can't Beat Them........

Glen Little was sick of losing to Blues. But that's all changed now he's signed."

ps. There was nobody as skilful as Glen in the 94/95 team, don't worry.

Simon Osborn and that Polish bloke for starters?

[earleyroyal]

Do you think he'll pass his medical? I still think Harry is taking a massive gamble with him.

How is it a gamble? If he fails dismally then the club has lost something on wages but it won't be anything that will negatively affect them to any serious extent. Little will fit in with the team, if he could play half as well as he did for Reading two seasons ago then he'd be a superb signing. With better players and a free rein to do his thing then I think he could do well. Of course it depends on his fitness but people were saying the same when Redknapp signed Campbell, Distin, Kanu etc. etc. etc. I think Redknapp, for all his dislikeability (possibly a new word), knows a good player when he sees one. I'm looking forward to seeing Little in the Premiership next season.

[Streets]

LOL @ Reading's right side.

Give me a F
Give me a U
Give me a C
Give me a K
Give me a E
Give me a D

What are we...?

[RoyalBlue]

LOL @ Reading's right side.

Give me a F
Give me a U
Give me a C
Give me a K
Give me a E
Give me a D

What are we...?

No wingers?

Altogether now.......HOOF!

[earleyroyal]

What the hell are you on about? I'm still fairly annoyed that the team we had 3 years ago would absolutely rinse our current team, that's without the enormous sums of money gone into the club during that spell.

I challenge anyone to argue with this statement and/or argue that it doesn't suggest a failure on behalf of the club.

On the other hand I don't want people reading into that I want the board to be sacked blah blah blah, but it's hard to rationally disagree with that statement.