CONFIMRED - The final countdown

[Sanguine]

It's sad, but his slightly cynically written opening paragraph is spot on.

[Sanguine]

So 142 days to go until 1st of July when all our contracted players bar 5 walk out the door, then presumably we need to provide proof we have the funds to start next season.
This will probably involve getting enough STs sold and cashing in on the few players we have left in contract.

When does a lost cause become a hopeless cause?

For whatever odd reason, this has all hit me this week. I've maintained a slightly non-plussed, if frustrated, view that 'it'll be alright' through all of this upheaval. But it won't, will it? Feels like the beginning of the end, backdated god knows how long. I think we're done, and that's pretty damn sad.

[Armadillo Roadkill]

Jonathan Liew is very much the Messi of football journalists.

He captures the bare faced insanity of the situation, and rightly points to the complicity of many vested interests, including the fans. For me summed up by the ridiculous entitled Spurs fan, in their magnificent stadium, with their manager they all loved a few months ago who is now making weird decisions, blaming the CEO who has achieved so much for them. It's not Daniel Levy who has set a team up to defend like Woodley Wanderers u10s is it?

Football is either for the people - it stays within sensible financial guidelines, it keeps ticket prices moderate, it develops players and puts them in the first team. That's what people say they want, then the likes of Spurs fans revolt when their club doesn't try to win something by outspending all that stand in their way.

We end up discussing tax issues, planing permission issues, ownership scams; trying to guess which legal jurisdictions and tax haven loopholes may spell the end one of the oldest football clubs in the world. As if that is what football is all about. Oh for the happy days when it was just a question of whether Andy Hughes could cross the ball into the box or that Jay Tabb should start more often.

If you've read this so far, here's the bit many of you won't like. Everyone is in favour of capitalism and the free market until its inherent and inevitable consequences impact you negatively. Even now, with all that has gone on at Reading, Bury, Bolton, Southend, Swindon, Portsmouth, and all the others, some still see regulation as Leninism via the back door.

[El Diablo]

Just on the transfer window , and bids for our players ( either out of contract in July or not)..

Cant help but think that if Dai's ' plan' is to do a KSV on us , surely he would have flogged off every player he could get a fee for in January. That would make sense for him to maximize his cash position / cover off running costs in the interim, as the players have no value at the end of the season, either through contract expiry , or folding the club.

Of course, he could be hedging with half an eye on us getting promoted, and potentially a bigger sale fee.

A glimmer of hope , maybe.

On KSV, doing a bit of digging around on the Belgian Company register it appears from what I can find that Dai still owns that ground. Looks like he leases it out as a training facility for other teams. / U21 matches. That stadium is more Adams Park than SCL.

[katweslowski]

He's still paying money out isn't he? Surely that's an indication that he still is maintaining the club rather than just giving up or selling every single player possible

[windermereROYAL]

Maybe he`s waiting to see if we make the play-offs, then he`ll be there in the directors box at Wembley if we should make it there.
Would he rekindle his interest in us if we somehow got promoted?

Now where did I put those pills?

[stealthpapes]

It's sad, but his slightly cynically written opening paragraph is spot on.

oh that ending

The irony is that Reading under Noel Hunt are actually doing quite well this season. They’re eighth in League One, with a decent set of fixtures and a shoestring squad and just enough spit and polish to hold the thing together. If they can put some wins together, and if they can scrape together enough cash to get through the summer, and if the club can find a new buyer… if, if, if. In a world where the cost of everything seems to be rising, hope remains reassuringly cheap.

The thing that really wrankles is that we did it the long way round not once, but twice, before. Academy players, cheap buys, astute use of the transfer market. And within 18 months, it was always seemingly back to 'spend the money', 'show the ambition'.

Yeah. Sad.

Oh for the happy days when it was just a question of whether Andy Hughes could cross the ball into the box or that Jay Tabb should start more often.

Andy Hughes could cross a ball?

[morganb]

Huang's back on Twitter with

I understand an offer has been put to Dai for consideration this week. Don’t know who it is. But I understand it’s from a party that been interested for a while.

Backed up by Mark 'smudgerfc' Smith with

Got told last week party have put a bid in and a good bid also

https://x.com/HuangKad/status/188927955 ... Vz_UQ&s=19

[Sanguine]

Positive, I guess. But I don't see how anything is resolved while Dai can't repay China what he owes - and the impact that has on our ground. No sensible investor is buying a club without the stadium as an asset.

[stealthpapes]

I thought at least some of the ground issue was now sorted?

[Snowflake Royal]

Just on the transfer window , and bids for our players ( either out of contract in July or not)..

Cant help but think that if Dai's ' plan' is to do a KSV on us , surely he would have flogged off every player he could get a fee for in January. That would make sense for him to maximize his cash position / cover off running costs in the interim, as the players have no value at the end of the season, either through contract expiry , or folding the club.

Of course, he could be hedging with half an eye on us getting promoted, and potentially a bigger sale fee.

A glimmer of hope , maybe.

On KSV, doing a bit of digging around on the Belgian Company register it appears from what I can find that Dai still owns that ground. Looks like he leases it out as a training facility for other teams. / U21 matches. That stadium is more Adams Park than SCL.

I'm convinced it has nothing to do with maximising money back, I don't think he gives a flying oxf*rd what happens at the club.

I think all that matters to him is 'winning' negotiations on the sale.

[Snowflake Royal]

He's still paying money out isn't he? Surely that's an indication that he still is maintaining the club rather than just giving up or selling every single player possible

We've had one vague mention of that beyond the money repaid to Couhig. Which came in the same sort of format that continually lies about him being commited to selling the club and the club's best interests.

[Mr Angry]

Huang's back on Twitter with

I understand an offer has been put to Dai for consideration this week. Don’t know who it is. But I understand it’s from a party that been interested for a while.

Backed up by Mark 'smudgerfc' Smith with

Got told last week party have put a bid in and a good bid also

https://x.com/HuangKad/status/188927955 ... Vz_UQ&s=19

Personally, I simply can't be bothered to emotionally engage with this news; whats the point of hanging on, waiting for the next report of another tweet giving us an update on yet another "good" bid? Whatever will be will be; as that article says, we have no control over the destiny of Reading FC.

[Sutekh]

I thought at least some of the ground issue was now sorted?

As far as I recall the issue of the Haitong bank being able to take the stadium in lieu of monies owed has been sorted. So the only issue preventing the sale of the club is the usual one - Dai himself.

We can now look forward the next 3 months of nothing before being told this latest bid has failed for some reason or other.

[From Despair To Where?]

Huang's back on Twitter with

I understand an offer has been put to Dai for consideration this week. Don’t know who it is. But I understand it’s from a party that been interested for a while.

Backed up by Mark 'smudgerfc' Smith with

Got told last week party have put a bid in and a good bid also

https://x.com/HuangKad/status/188927955 ... Vz_UQ&s=19

Never convinced by Huang's authenticity but now Smith's reporting it, it's almost certainly bullshit.

[Hendo]

Huang's back on Twitter with

I understand an offer has been put to Dai for consideration this week. Don’t know who it is. But I understand it’s from a party that been interested for a while.

Backed up by Mark 'smudgerfc' Smith with

Got told last week party have put a bid in and a good bid also

https://x.com/HuangKad/status/188927955 ... Vz_UQ&s=19

Never convinced by Huang's authenticity but now Smith's reporting it, it's almost certainly bullshit.

Gymshark-g8 really did him no favours at all. Put a massive mark on his record.

[From Despair To Where?]

Huang's back on Twitter with



Backed up by Mark 'smudgerfc' Smith with



https://x.com/HuangKad/status/188927955 ... Vz_UQ&s=19

Never convinced by Huang's authenticity but now Smith's reporting it, it's almost certainly bullshit.

Gymshark-g8 really did him no favours at all. Put a massive mark on his record.

Oh, he was shit long before then, in much the same way that since Charlie Watt's departure, all local journos have shit. No connections in the club and relying on Twitter rumours for scoops.

[morganb]

Never convinced by Huang's authenticity but now Smith's reporting it, it's almost certainly bullshit.

Gymshark-g8 really did him no favours at all. Put a massive mark on his record.

Oh, he was shit long before then, in much the same way that since Charlie Watt's departure, all local journos have shit. No connections in the club and relying on Twitter rumours for scoops.

Sorry, there are just too many Smiths!

Mr Gymshark was Anthony Smith (@Smudgersport) a 'bone fide' journalist.

Mark Smith (@smudgerfc) is just some randomer on Twitter

[Hendo]

Gymshark-g8 really did him no favours at all. Put a massive mark on his record.

Oh, he was shit long before then, in much the same way that since Charlie Watt's departure, all local journos have shit. No connections in the club and relying on Twitter rumours for scoops.

Sorry, there are just too many Smiths!

Mr Gymshark was Anthony Smith (@Smudgersport) a 'bone fide' journalist.

Mark Smith (@smudgerfc) is just some randomer on Twitter

[Forbury Lion]

Most deadline day signings when Tommy Burns signed the magnificent seven.... perhaps?