Ex Players

[Clyde1998]

A very good Fulham side though it has to be said. Couldn't quite believe Reading were 2-0 up at half time esp. as I thought looked a bit "iffy' at the back and so it proved, cue fairly uncommon loss of two goal lead as quick as possible on restart. If only Clarke hadn't have been such a total plank he might have made something of that season (and have become a favourite Reading manager).

Thing is, it was Clarke's misuse of Vydra that ruined him here. And Blackman's purple patch was already over before Clarke left.

Had he stayed, we'd have drifted down the table. John, Piazon and co were only interested when we were looking at promotion, once that was out they downed tools

Don't agree. Vydra had several chances in front of goal that season and he just couldn't finish any of them.

One that sticks out was against Wolves away when HRK put him though one on one. He was clear of the defenders, misjudged the pass, took a poor touch sideways and the defenders got back to stop him.

The one I remember was at Milton Keynes where he basically missed an open goal. His finishing was very poor with us.

I think we never used him correctly here though. He was being used as an out-and-out striker, when I think he was always the deeper striker at Watford - behind Deeney. I remember multiple occasions where he was mentally on a different level to the players around him - trying quick passes which those around him couldn't read or anticipate.

[Clyde1998]

Talking of Stam. He's on the new episode of the Gary Neville podcast, The Overlap. He's claiming he wasn't given enough money to spend in the summer after the play off final.

Wasn't that summer when the overspending on shit players started?

No,that was in 2010 ish. Its just when it went to a new level.

Dai took us from a ~£28m wage bill we couldn't afford with parachute payments to a £44m wage bill we really couldn't afford without parachute payments.

We wouldn't spend ~£9m on Oliveira so instead we spent £7m on Aluko, brought in Mannone on a ridiculous wage, put Moore on PL money, signed Bacuna and Edwards and Barrow....

We couldn't afford that wage bill with parachute payments, let alone without - squad was overly bloated, on stupidly high wages and signing the wrong type of players for ridiculous fees.

We didn't make any signings under the Thais where you're thinking 'WTF are we doing?' (you could understand why we signed certain players for the price we did) but that's been constant problem under Dai.

[Snowflake Royal]

Wasn't that summer when the overspending on shit players started?

No,that was in 2010 ish. Its just when it went to a new level.

Dai took us from a ~£28m wage bill we couldn't afford with parachute payments to a £44m wage bill we really couldn't afford without parachute payments.

We wouldn't spend ~£9m on Oliveira so instead we spent £7m on Aluko, brought in Mannone on a ridiculous wage, put Moore on PL money, signed Bacuna and Edwards and Barrow....

We couldn't afford that wage bill with parachute payments, let alone without - squad was overly bloated, on stupidly high wages and signing the wrong type of players for ridiculous fees.

We didn't make any signings under the Thais where you're thinking 'WTF are we doing?' (you could understand why we signed certain players for the price we did) but that's been constant problem under Dai.

Yep, that's what I said.

The Thais rescued us from Vibrac and got the wage bill down to mid £20ms ish, on the way to becoming almost sustainable again, before Dai immediately threw it back up to as high as it had ever been in the PL.

[Sutekh]

And he would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for all those meddling useless managers he kept appointing.

[Snowflake Royal]

It's staggering how with only a handful of better decisions we could be

Sell Moore for ~£8m - net gain ~£14m
Don't buy Aluko - net gain ~£8m
Sell Loader - net gain ~£3m
Sell Swift - net gain ~£5m
Don't buy Ejaria - net gain ~£4m
Don't buy Puscas - net gain ~£3m

I make that almost £40m better off and we only really miss Swift's contribution. Or from another point of view, 6 decisions cost us twice the value of the club.

[WestYorksRoyal]

It's staggering how with only a handful of better decisions we could be

Sell Moore for ~£8m - net gain ~£14m
Don't buy Aluko - net gain ~£8m
Sell Loader - net gain ~£3m
Sell Swift - net gain ~£5m
Don't buy Ejaria - net gain ~£4m
Don't buy Puscas - net gain ~£3m

I make that almost £40m better off and we only really miss Swift's contribution. Or from another point of view, 6 decisions cost us twice the value of the club.

Those figures are only transfer fees; not wages. Add them in for Aluko, Puscas, Ejaria and Moore and it's even more nuts. All of them at some time were barely playing but picking up a huge wage packet (Ejaria still is). Swift was on big wages too but his contribution on the pitch justified them.

[Snowflake Royal]

It's staggering how with only a handful of better decisions we could be

Sell Moore for ~£8m - net gain ~£14m
Don't buy Aluko - net gain ~£8m
Sell Loader - net gain ~£3m
Sell Swift - net gain ~£5m
Don't buy Ejaria - net gain ~£4m
Don't buy Puscas - net gain ~£3m

I make that almost £40m better off and we only really miss Swift's contribution. Or from another point of view, 6 decisions cost us twice the value of the club.

Those figures are only transfer fees; not wages. Add them in for Aluko, Puscas, Ejaria and Moore and it's even more nuts. All of them at some time were barely playing but picking up a huge wage packet (Ejaria still is).

I did add wages in for Aluko, Moore and Ejaria.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Liam Moore really is a microcosm of the Dai era. He was one the last pre Dai signings (arguably the last given Dai funded the following January). Young but with Championship experience, plenty of scope to improve and initially he looked like a great signing.

We then made the decision not to sell at his peak, he never recaptured his best form, struggled with injuries. By the end his contract was a millstone and I don't think he's remembered fondly by many.

When really he should have either made the club a lot of money or, if we were good enough, got promoted with us and become a legend.

[Snowflake Royal]

Liam Moore really is a microcosm of the Dai era. He was one the last pre Dai signings (arguably the last given Dai funded the following January). Young but with Championship experience, plenty of scope to improve and initially he looked like a great signing.

We then made the decision not to sell at his peak, he never recaptured his best form, struggled with injuries. By the end his contract was a millstone and I don't think he's remembered fondly by many.

When really he should have either made the club a lot of money or, if we were good enough, got promoted with us and become a legend.

Yep, a player with an exciting future who watched it get flushed down the toilet with us through the prime of his playing career.

[skipper]

Liam Moore really is a microcosm of the Dai era. He was one the last pre Dai signings (arguably the last given Dai funded the following January). Young but with Championship experience, plenty of scope to improve and initially he looked like a great signing.

We then made the decision not to sell at his peak, he never recaptured his best form, struggled with injuries. By the end his contract was a millstone and I don't think he's remembered fondly by many.

When really he should have either made the club a lot of money or, if we were good enough, got promoted with us and become a legend.

It's moments like that where you realise the fine margins of it all. You're bang on there. I do remember Moore fondly, but wished we had sold him. I get why we didn't - we were ambitious! But looking back I do wish things had panned out differently for both parties.

[Hound]

Think the bid for Swift was 7m for Leeds wasn’t it? Or at least rumoured to be that

Was also a bit of chat about a Brentford bid for Ejaria after his first full season with us. Obvs not sure how true but it was 5m+

But yes that’s just small amounts on your basic 40m. Pretty nuts really. Stupid contract extensions like JVDB etc and buying that Edwards chap - just chucking away another million a time for very little in return

[Snowflake Royal]

Think the bid for Swift was 7m for Leeds wasn’t it? Or at least rumoured to be that

Was also a bit of chat about a Brentford bid for Ejaria after his first full season with us. Obvs not sure how true but it was 5m+

But yes that’s just small amounts on your basic 40m. Pretty nuts really. Stupid contract extensions like JVDB etc and buying that Edwards chap - just chucking away another million a time for very little in return

Meanwhile a lot of our Academy players stepped down or sideways then went beyond us.

[From Despair To Where?]

Just seen a link to an article in the S*n from 2007 naming their future England 11 of up and coming Stars. Let's gloss over the fact that only 2 of them (Mica Richards and Theo Walcott) ever played for England and concentrate on 2 more familiar names on the list:

James Henry
Sam Hutchinson.

Who said the S*n wasn't full if shit?

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Not technically an ex player yet but Bouzanis had a mare yesterday for Sutton, check out the 6th Stockport goal, its comical.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Apparently we only got Emi Martinez on loan because Emery recommended us as a bigger loan challenge than Leeds. That's what the mail are reporting. Did very well out of that if so.

[Hendo]

Apparently we only got Emi Martinez on loan because Emery recommended us as a bigger loan challenge than Leeds. That's what the mail are reporting. Did very well out of that if so.

Unai Emery goes even further up in my estimations.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Think the bid for Swift was 7m for Leeds wasn’t it? Or at least rumoured to be that

Was also a bit of chat about a Brentford bid for Ejaria after his first full season with us. Obvs not sure how true but it was 5m+

But yes that’s just small amounts on your basic 40m. Pretty nuts really. Stupid contract extensions like JVDB etc and buying that Edwards chap - just chucking away another million a time for very little in return

Not even just that, but the summer after we lost the PO final, imagine how much we were paying the likes of Edwards, Meyler, Bodvarsson etc as well, considering how high our wage bill was. Of course we all know about Moore's wages and Aluko's and Baldock's were also "known" to be high, but whoever sanctioned those deals doesn't deserve to be in football.

Moore, at the time, I could understand. He was wanted by a PL club and wanted PL wages, which is understandable. But out of the rest of them, in terms of signing players, some of those contracts must have been eye-watering for what we got.

[Hound]

Actually yeah Baldock alone was a £5m cost or so, for very very little in return

That’d be one for Ian’s original list

[Snowflake Royal]

So, essentially, none of this would have happened if I'd been charge. One in the eye for the 'IR doesn't have a clue brigade'.

[Hound]

So, essentially, none of this would have happened if I'd been charge. One in the eye for the 'IR doesn't have a clue brigade'.

Yes if you’d have been in charge you’d be too busy making pointless arguments with the likes of Leon to make any signings, agreed

Interestingly enough, wonder how many of those decisions were actually backed by the majority of fans at the time? Would say

Moore - most people said sell, def not on board with big contract
Baldock - not at that price
Puscas - was quite exciting at the time but the cost was worrying
Joao - prob not at the price
Ejaria - most were in favour after a good loan spell
Loader - everyone said sell
Aluko - very few in favour, certainly not at that price
Swift - most said don’t sell, mainly because he was so vital to us at the time

So most weren’t even in hindsight