Mcd says we haven't got any cash....

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

Chairman bleats on about getting to premiership and how strong our squad is...but lets be honest...its not that strong compared to some of the other teams in Championship...its a good squad that will see us comfortable in this division , but certainly not as good as Chairman thinks ie. better than most

We've got some good players, with maybe a handful of very good players...but that isnt going to get us promotion...so the sooner the hierarchy realise that the better

you only have to look at the division historically to see that this is not true
average teams go up all the time, often with nothing more than decent players
ffs we nearly did it last year, and didnt start winning till january/feb

Lets see season-end then Brendy

[brendywendy]

But isn't that the point - not only is he not willing to pay for those sort of losses - but now he'll even restrict the budget so it's so tight you have to scrape around for free transfers... or sell your best players to fund any squad building. The club is going nowhere - or worse - if things carry on like this we might end up flirting with relegation in a couple of seasons when Gylfi and McAnuff and Kebe get fed up with the club's lack of ambition and move on (not saying it's going to happen - just as you can't rule out having a decent season this year even with a small squad with weak defensive depth).

This is the thrust of my concern. Our club has grown incredibly over the last ten years, and it is because of that growth that we have assembled a squad that competes at a higher level than has been endured over most of the club's history.
Footballers are competitive sportsmen. Some transfers are fuelled by higher wages, but equally, some are inspired by professional ambition.
There's an element of a self fulfilling prophecy about it.
Sidwell left because he wanted to join a club that he believed gave him a better chance of winning professional honours. His best mate, Shorey, saw one of his more talented team mates leave, (and crucially, not adequately replaced), diminishing the quality of the team as a whole, so further lessening the chances of gaining any professional honours here. Next thing you know, the dominoes start tumbling.
If we sell our best players, and not adequately replace them, then we will wind up where we were ten years ago, and Madejski will find it a bloody sight harder to balance the books for a league 1 club, or to sell it.

agree with that- and im hoping desperately this is the ploy we use every year to plead poverty b4 buying someone

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

Why shouldn't Madejski talk to the media about his ambitions of getting this club to the Premiership again? It's obvious that is what he wants. Isn't it what pretty much all of us want?

However having that ambition doesn't mean he should throw away all his principles and business acumen, not to mention money he doesn't have on getting it there?

That is what he wants to tell the fans to keep the interest ...is that what he wants?... not so sure

[brendywendy]

Chairman bleats on about getting to premiership and how strong our squad is...but lets be honest...its not that strong compared to some of the other teams in Championship...its a good squad that will see us comfortable in this division , but certainly not as good as Chairman thinks ie. better than most

We've got some good players, with maybe a handful of very good players...but that isnt going to get us promotion...so the sooner the hierarchy realise that the better

you only have to look at the division historically to see that this is not true
average teams go up all the time, often with nothing more than decent players
ffs we nearly did it last year, and didnt start winning till january/feb

Lets see season-end then Brendy

yeah i guess.tbf though i wouldnt be betting any money on it either way

[rob the royal]

But isn't that the point - not only is he not willing to pay for those sort of losses - but now he'll even restrict the budget so it's so tight you have to scrape around for free transfers... or sell your best players to fund any squad building. The club is going nowhere - or worse - if things carry on like this we might end up flirting with relegation in a couple of seasons when Gylfi and McAnuff and Kebe get fed up with the club's lack of ambition and move on (not saying it's going to happen - just as you can't rule out having a decent season this year even with a small squad with weak defensive depth).

This is the thrust of my concern. Our club has grown incredibly over the last ten years, and it is because of that growth that we have assembled a squad that competes at a higher level than has been endured over most of the club's history.
Footballers are competitive sportsmen. Some transfers are fuelled by higher wages, but equally, some are inspired by professional ambition.
There's an element of a self fulfilling prophecy about it.
Sidwell left because he wanted to join a club that he believed gave him a better chance of winning professional honours. His best mate, Shorey, saw one of his more talented team mates leave, (and crucially, not adequately replaced), diminishing the quality of the team as a whole, so further lessening the chances of gaining any professional honours here. Next thing you know, the dominoes start tumbling.
If we sell our best players, and not adequately replace them, then we will wind up where we were ten years ago, and Madejski will find it a bloody sight harder to balance the books for a league 1 club, or to sell it.

agree with that- and im hoping desperately this is the ploy we use every year to plead poverty b4 buying someone

I hope you're right - and it's definitely a possibility. We'll see. I don't actually want to be right.

[Royal Rother]

From the Deloitte review of PL finances 2008...

Reading: The most drastic wage increase in the Premier League was recorded by Reading, who hiked their wage bill by 109 per cent between 2005 and 2007. They also spent £11 million on their stadium and facilities.

Yes, but where's all the cash gone....?

Did we really spend £11m on the stadium and facilities? I remember the media center cost around 2m but that was the second/relegation season. We spent on the training ground (new pitch and better standard buildings) but as we rent this off JM and did not purchase outright, £11m seems way too much. What else did we do?

No idea, but it does seem high - the costs have obviously been classified in a way that have resulted in Deloittes reaching that conclusion.

[Hoop Blah]

It (the, we've got no cash so won't be bringing anyone in line) may well just be a line they use, but it's much more likely to manage the expectations of the fans than hoodwink selling clubs into thinking our budget is lower than it is.

More likely it's to keep other clubs off the scent of any moves more than bring down an asking price.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Can't see it being an attempted PR trick. Simply becuase it must say to other clubs out there that they could get some players out of Reading on the cheap.

I'll be delighted if we get through this window with no more transfers in or out.

People seem to think Long is disposable. If we didn't replace him, imo we'd be putting a massive amount of pressure on Church.

[FiNeRaIn]

From the Deloitte review of PL finances 2008...

Reading: The most drastic wage increase in the Premier League was recorded by Reading, who hiked their wage bill by 109 per cent between 2005 and 2007. They also spent £11 million on their stadium and facilities.

Yes, but where's all the cash gone....?

Did we really spend £11m on the stadium and facilities? I remember the media center cost around 2m but that was the second/relegation season. We spent on the training ground (new pitch and better standard buildings) but as we rent this off JM and did not purchase outright, £11m seems way too much. What else did we do?

No idea, but it does seem high - the costs have obviously been classified in a way that have resulted in Deloittes reaching that conclusion.

11 million on the stadium and facilities? lol.

If thats the case we are not well run because thats probably more than Real Madrid spend on theirs. This smacks of " we've pocketed 9 or so million, lets just tell the fans we spent it on the stadium".

11 Million.

I'd rather we trained at the local park and invested in the team..like most clubs do.

[brendywendy]

Can't see it being an attempted PR trick.

it may not be, but it remains a fact that weve said it every window for 6 years, and still bought people in

[brendywendy]

If thats the case we are not well run because thats probably more than Real Madrid spend on theirs. This smacks of " we've pocketed 9 or so million, lets just tell the fans we spent it on the stadium".

just nonsense.you cant just pocket 9 million quid , off book, and get away with it.
also id suggest you know bugger all about what real madrid hacve spent on their stadium year on year.
and id also guess that reals training ground was not just a field

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Can't see it being an attempted PR trick.

it may not be, but it remains a fact that weve said it every window for 6 years, and still bought people in

I do think part of the PR problem the club has is even mid size Championship club gets an incredible amount of media attention. We've prob said just about everything over the last 6 years.

I do fear we will have the cringing sounds of 'where's the money gone' ringing out around the Mad Stad before the month is up.

If JM nicking all this money from the club, he wouldn't be has hard up as he is...

[brendywendy]

if we dont get a CB in, and lose mcanuff, or sig before the window closes id imagine alot of very angry fans, including me


fed/long going i could just about cope with

[Royal Lady]

Sorry to butt in here gentlemen, but the £11 million spent on stadium facilities included the expansion of the hotel, did it not?

[brendywendy]

Sorry to butt in here gentlemen, but the £11 million spent on stadium facilities included the expansion of the hotel, did it not?

probably- as id include that in stadium/facilities

this is the same hotel that gives the business millions back each year though

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

if we dont get a CB in, and lose mcanuff, or sig before the window closes id imagine alot of very angry fans, including me


fed/long going i could just about cope with

Personally I'd rather keep Long than sign Kish. Think I may be in the minority though...

[Royal Lady]

if we dont get a CB in, and lose mcanuff, or sig before the window closes id imagine alot of very angry fans, including me


fed/long going i could just about cope with

Personally I'd rather keep Long than sign Kish. Think I may be in the minority though...

ALOL!! Seriously??

I see Mooney scored two last night btw. Shame he was never given a fighting chance here imo.

[Royal Rother]

The club is going nowhere - or worse - if things carry on like this we might end up flirting with relegation in a couple of seasons when Gylfi and McAnuff and Kebe get fed up with the club's lack of ambition and move on (not saying it's going to happen - just as you can't rule out having a decent season this year even with a small squad with weak defensive depth).

What's the solution? Of course we'd have to find a buyer or Madejski would have to find some spare cash somewhere to fund McDermott's transfers. Neither is likely to happen so in my opinion unless everything goes with us this season or next and we end up getting promoted I reckon we will gradually lose our better players and unless we get really good money for them their won't be much money to go towards new players... That, like it or not, would appear to me to be the stark reality of the club's situation. I said it 6 months ago and I've seen or heard little to change my opinion.

So in case your wondering what is is beef then? My beef is don't talk about Premiership ambitions AND talk about the club having a stable financial outlook and a secure future when the reality is we are now a poor selling minnow that will eventually end up struggling to survive in this division unless Brian McD can do a Coppell (the luxury Coppell had was if he hadn't got us promoted that year he'd still have had cash next year to continue refreshing his squad).

The fact is that every club outside of possibly the top 6 or 7 clubs in the Premier League are in the same situation as ourselves. Look at Aston Villa...

RFC is doing a brilliant job of developing its youngsters into valuable assets. THAT is the way forward for all clubs. We are ahead of our time in that respect. We probably have little or no liabilities for recent incoming transfers - we probably have little or no sell-on clauses (Mills apart?) that would take big chunks out of any future sales that might take place. The Academy produces wholly owned players who are real, unencumbered assets of a club. If they aren't quite good enough for the level we play at then they are moved on and another youngster takes their place. To have 6 or 7 comparitive regulars in this year's 1st team, and another 6 or 7 also likely to feature, all having come through the Academy, shows the wisdom of the policies implemented as a long-term vision a decade ago, and of the investments that have been made.

For the fruits of that investment to properly manifest itself into the club's Balance Sheet it has to break the cycle of spending to fill every gap that appears in the established 1st team squad and let evolution take place. If time shows that we are patently lacking then someone will be brought in to strengthen the squad. It has ever been thus...

[brendywendy]

long term maybe, im just not sure that currently we could do without a new CB.
its certainky not as clear cut as the long haters would have us believe

[brendywendy]

if we dont get a CB in, and lose mcanuff, or sig before the window closes id imagine alot of very angry fans, including me


fed/long going i could just about cope with

Personally I'd rather keep Long than sign Kish. Think I may be in the minority though...

ALOL!! Seriously??

I see Mooney scored two last night btw. Shame he was never given a fighting chance here imo.

who were they playing?



seriously RL - have you seen him play?