NO LONGER A RUMOUR: Jimmy Kebe SIGNS

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

So again. Why was Coppell just a month or so ago saying that he won't be buying anyone from abroad in Jan, because he'd learnt from his mistakes in the summer and we can't afford 6 months for players to settle in?

Fae's shown that being considered a good player in the French top league is no indication of how you'd do in the Premiership. So I don't think we should get to excited by someone playing in the French 2nd divison.

Can't help but think, espicially with Coppell's comments,that again we haven't got who we wanted.....

[cmonurz]

Can't help but think, espicially with Coppell's comments,that again we haven't got who we wanted.....

Spot on. Just hope these new signings buck the trend.

[Stranded]

Possibly or it could be that the club just like to leak little bits to the press to keep people of the scent of targets.

Not saying which is true but both equally plausible.

[West Stand Flash]

Or Coppell, Hammond & McDermott dont have a f**king clue?????

[Hoop Blah]

If it helps, I've accepted it.

I'd like the club to do as much as possible to avoid it though please.

100% agree, we all know we're now in a relegation battle, but it could so easily of been avoided with a little bit more savvy from Coppell, the chairman and his staff.

I just get the feeling we are going to struggle on and any new signings will again not make any impact this season. They'll be great in the Championship.

What worries me is how this is going to pan out long term.

We're not making ourselves look very attractive to potential signings by stagnating at the moment, and our approach to Cup competitions and not pushing for a European spot last year certainly don't help.

Players want to play for a club that look like they're going somewhere. A club wants to win things and be an exciting team to be around.

Our perceived lack of trnafer success in the summer and again now is not only going to impact us now but also in the future when we're trying to repair the team thats starting to fall apart now.

It's not always about the money.

[Vision]

Agreed. How the hell we've managed to stumble our way into the top flight of English football at a fraction of the cost of most teams with those clueless plonkers i'll never know.

[wolsey]

Or Coppell, Hammond & McDermott dont have a f**king clue?????

Perhaps you're right....after all, they've had nothing to do with what's gone on in the last 5 years or so.

[Northern Git]

This has been reported as a done deal in France (football365.fr), and that he's a forward.

Some sources are not so sure, http://www.footmercato.net/jimmy-kebe-vers-le-clash-pour_article17854.html

English?

Jimmy Kébé va-t-il partir au clash pour rejoindre l’Angleterre ?
16/01/2008 - 14 h 56 - Alexis Pereira


Will Jimmy Kébé leave for England? 16/01/2008 - 14 o'clock 56 - Alexis Pereira

Lent until the end season by RC Lens to Boulogne on Sea, the environment of striker Jimmy Kébé (24 years) realizes a first beautiful season party (16 meet in L2 this season, 6 goals).

The beautiful performances of the player attracted the attention of the English club of Reading. The team of First League already have come to an agreement with the RC Lens and the player.

Nevertheless, this operation could fail. Despite the will of the player to cross the Channel, Boulogne does not seem in fact decided to sell one of its better elements. Kébé maybe will be constrained to go to the clash to obtain cause gain.

With thanks to free translation.com

[SpaceCruiser]

Lent until the end season by RC Lens to Boulogne on Sea

Boulogne does not seem in fact decided to sell one of its better elements.

How does that work, if Lens actually owns the player, not Boulogne?

[Stranded]

If it's a season long loan then it may be similar to a full transfer but for a fixed time.

[Gordons Cumming]

Agreed. How the hell we've managed to stumble our way into the top flight of English football at a fraction of the cost of most teams with those clueless plonkers i'll never know.

Not the sort of considered comment I expect from you.

[wolsey]

Agreed. How the hell we've managed to stumble our way into the top flight of English football at a fraction of the cost of most teams with those clueless plonkers i'll never know.

Not the sort of considered comment I expect from you.

Edmund: "Do you not know what irony is?"

Baldrick: " Yeah, it's like goldy or silvery, but it's made of iron"

[Tilehurst Mike]

no nothing about him but it clearly shows we are out there looking and arranging things, the quiet way, the Reading way!

---this guy has the potential to be another Tony Rougier--say no more!!

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

If it helps, I've accepted it.

I'd like the club to do as much as possible to avoid it though please.

100% agree, we all know we're now in a relegation battle, but it could so easily of been avoided with a little bit more savvy from Coppell, the chairman and his staff.

I just get the feeling we are going to struggle on and any new signings will again not make any impact this season. They'll be great in the Championship.

What worries me is how this is going to pan out long term.

We're not making ourselves look very attractive to potential signings by stagnating at the moment, and our approach to Cup competitions and not pushing for a European spot last year certainly don't help.

Players want to play for a club that look like they're going somewhere. A club wants to win things and be an exciting team to be around.

Our perceived lack of trnafer success in the summer and again now is not only going to impact us now but also in the future when we're trying to repair the team thats starting to fall apart now.

It's not always about the money.

yep tend to agree there, though not so much on the cup/europe argument- we are only a very new prem club so to expect instant success in these competitions is asking a bit

[SpaceCruiser]

no nothing about him but it clearly shows we are out there looking and arranging things, the quiet way, the Reading way!

---this guy has the potential to be another Tony Rougier--say no more!!

Apart from that own goal (which wasn't his fault), he didn't do much wrong.

[howser]

No disrespect to the player concerned, but, here are our rivals in the relegation battle are making strives to guarantee their future in the Prem and for all the world it looks like we are preparing ourselves for the championship, we get bucket loads of money being the Prem for one season so we will have got loads for two years ! I must admit living as I do in the back of beyond in the North of Scotland, I am not able to be a season ticket purchaser, but if I was I would want to know why the cost of a season ticket is so high, players wages are not high, in relative terms I mean, with all the Prem money this is just turning into a money making venture for the owner. The players we are signing and in particular the amounts we are signing them for would indicate that we have already given up on thus season and are preparing ourselves for next year in the Championship.

As for the Stadium expansion, wont happen and we will be down to crowds of 17,000 again. We are getting left behind by our rivals who have come to the table and are making concerted efforts to ensure their Prem status where as we seem to be saying "that was fun while it lasted, but this top league is too expensive so we best get out of it"

Overseas players that wont be picked ?? whats the bloody point ! once the talk of Matt Taylor was £4m there was no way on earth that we would have invested that amount with a view to staying in this league, for us and our club, the Premiership is out of our league, because we are not prepared to spend the money to stay there.

We might well be relegated with a huge bank balance, well bloody good show !!

[Denver Royal]

Brilliant isn't it, a Mali international whose so important to them he's not in their ANC squad and a Maltese international which is probably just as good as a signing from Yeovil.

Just for the record they won't even be new nationalities to play for the Royals

Can't wait to see them compete with Fae in our reserve side.

And so concludeth our activity for another 6 months.

Get ready for an announcement that we'll do most of our business in the Summer.

And then in the Summer, there will be another announcement that...

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

no nothing about him but it clearly shows we are out there looking and arranging things, the quiet way, the Reading way!

---this guy has the potential to be another Tony Rougier--say no more!!

Apart from that own goal (which wasn't his fault), he didn't do much wrong.

ahhh yes the footballing genius that was Barry Hunter- worst bit of business ever to occur when we rejected a 3 million bid from the then moneybags Leeds for him- what was quinn thinking!!!!!

[RoyalBlue]

Agreed. How the hell we've managed to stumble our way into the top flight of English football at a fraction of the cost of most teams with those clueless plonkers i'll never know.

Just because they performed miracles in getting us there does not mean that they know how to and/or can keep us there on a pittance.

Was everything SC said not that long ago about not signing more players from the across the channel in this transfer window (because of the difficulties in them settling into the game in the required timescales) a smokescreen to throw other clubs off the trail or is it yet again that we can't afford to compete in the British market and are therefore having to return to old hunting grounds with all the associated risks?

[Blue and White Toucan]

Whether they are good signings or not all those clubs around us are spending on players - King the latest £5m to Fulham, and I think it is fair to say that we do not have the strenght in depth in the current squad.

I have faith in what Coppell and co are doing but I can't help think that somewhere we going wrong and taking a huge gamble. If players like Taylor prefer to move to the Bolton's of this world (whether its money or not) and we are looking at players that play in leagues that Coppell has already stated are not near the Premier League and players need time to adjust (Cisse and Fae as examples) then I am beginning to get a bad feeling of how this season may end.