JM is confident we'll stay up

[rfc58]

As you rightly point out, at the moment we have no other choice, whether we like it or not.

I think the thing that gets me down so much is, having watched the club since the 70's, when we eventually hit the top spot, its such a shame to see us go down, if that is to be our fate, without giving it a real go, we will be left with a few "what if's"..

I caned a mackam lad about them spending so much dosh on their quest to stay up, but the fecker is having (potentially) the last laugh right now, as he feels they are safe, so its money well spent.

[Gordons Cumming]

If I'd won the Eurolottery I'd have made a bid for the club and we would then all be happy.

HTH

[RoyalBlue]

No not alluding to Thames Valley Royals or whatever it was going to be called. Sorry meant Didcot Town as an example of a non league team not exactly pulling up trees, would Oxford Utd do as a local comparison - new stadium lots of prospective owners who all disappeared and now mid table conference. Didn't mean to confuse the issue with the wonderfully upright and honest Captain Bob and the merger.

Just trying to get across the point that at the time JM took over there wasn't a queue round the block of prospective buyers and surprise, surprise there isn't one now. I certainly wouldn't paint JM as some kind of minor deity, he is a hard headed businessman and has made it abundantly clear since the day we were promoted to the premier league he had achieved what he wanted with RFC and wanted to sell out (no doubt at a profit).

Is JM prepared to let whoever might buy the club rename the stadium straight away? If not, would you expect a queue to buy it?

If we are going to thrive as a club and show real ambition - hopefully a premiership club, we definitely need a new man leading the club - madejski has made his money and exposed his name through the club, and now its time for someone new

A new man may not be a better man, plus I can't think of one millionaire Reading supporter by name which suggests there are none. Therefore the investors would be in it for the money and that will probably involve doing what the Glaziers did and converting the cost of them buying the club into a debt owed by the club, technically getting the club for free. They would then look to maximise revenue quickly possibly selling off certain players now to save on interest replayments on the monies owed. They would also raise ticket prices and maybe make it compulsary to buy Cup tickets.

Who is to say a similar thing isn't happening in a different way? Few people believe that all of the money gained from Sky, sponsorship,merchandising, ticket prices etc. is going back into the club. Has JM given his money to the club or did he lend it? Is he being repaid what he lent? At what interest rates? What will he get back when he sells the club?

Likewise, the absolute nightmare scenario that everyone thought would arise when the Glaziers arrived on the scene at OT is yet to come to fruition. They have not stopped all investment because they are smart enough to realise that doing so would damage the value of their asset.

[Geekins]

http://link.brightcove.com/services/lin ... 1414242629

Mr Madejski saying the fans need to get behind the club C'mon boys, stop bickering!

[Sir Rodger Doyle]

My mum is confident we will stay up. Dad, less so.

[Sir Rodger Doyle]

http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10306~1235311,00.html

Does this mean he has offered the players extra bonuses if we stay up or will he dock their pay if we don't? Financial incentives are more powerful than appeals to character and spirit!

I expect this one to be rolled out again soon.

[MICKLEOVER ROYAL]

Sad John Mad will sign a manager a day or so before transfer deadline day. Then bemoan the fact that we have not signed any players as we did not have a manager in place.

[Comfortably Numb]

Sad John Mad will sign a manager a day or so before transfer deadline day. Then bemoan the fact that we have not signed any players as we did not have a manager in place.

Or: The right players weren't available.. because that's how we roll.

[West Stand Flash]

You mean the players weren't the right DNA or we are only looking for a Reading (cheap) type player. Don't want to unsettle an already sinking ship do we.

[prostak]

Go on, then - who would you sign? Given the caveats of a transfer budget of extremely little and a wage structure that has to half-plan for the worst, and League One, are you aware of anyone currently available who'd augment what we already have? I'm not necessarily suggesting there's nobody, but no names readily spring to my mind.

[Terminal Boardom]

I refuse to accept tht there are no players available who are better than what we have and fall within our wage structure etc. If we wanted to invest I am sure that the club would do so. sadly, we have an arse of a Chief Exec and a clown of a chairman so that no matter what BM or the Grape Peeler say or do, nothing will happen.

Well done SJM, NH aand NH. You have officially raped this club. Now oxf*rd off!

[Blue Hooped Moose]

Well done SJM, NH aand NH. You have officially raped this club. Now oxf*rd off!

Or alternatively...
"Well done SJM, you saved us from going bust"*

you really are a twunt aren't you?

* yes I know that he can't live on this for ever but to say that the club has been raped (nice use of an extremely disgusting term btw) is a bit strong. Mr Mad hasn't asset stripped, hasn't sold us up the river or anything like that.

[Terminal Boardom]

Well done SJM, NH aand NH. You have officially raped this club. Now oxf*rd off!

Or alternatively...
"Well done SJM, you saved us from going bust"*

you really are a twunt aren't you?

* yes I know that he can't live on this for ever but to say that the club has been raped (nice use of an extremely disgusting term btw) is a bit strong. Mr Mad hasn't asset stripped, hasn't sold us up the river or anything like that.

What playing assets do we have then? After all, that is what determines the success of the this club.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Well done SJM, NH aand NH. You have officially raped this club. Now oxf*rd off!

Or alternatively...
"Well done SJM, you saved us from going bust"*

you really are a twunt aren't you?

* yes I know that he can't live on this for ever but to say that the club has been raped (nice use of an extremely disgusting term btw) is a bit strong. Mr Mad hasn't asset stripped, hasn't sold us up the river or anything like that.

Just go away m8

[Wycombe Royal]

Well done SJM, NH aand NH. You have officially raped this club. Now oxf*rd off!

Or alternatively...
"Well done SJM, you saved us from going bust"*

you really are a twunt aren't you?

* yes I know that he can't live on this for ever but to say that the club has been raped (nice use of an extremely disgusting term btw) is a bit strong. Mr Mad hasn't asset stripped, hasn't sold us up the river or anything like that.

What playing assets do we have then? After all, that is what determines the success of the this club.

You have the audacity at saying "do you know nothing" to others and then you write tripe like this.

Your comments are absolutely priceless.

[Blue Hooped Moose]

What playing assets do we have then? After all, that is what determines the success of the this club.

Ahh I see... you're bleating that all our best players have been sold. I see. Personally I don't think players can or should be classed as assets - as a business if your finances and future are pinned on your employees you're fecked. All it takes is an illness or other mishap and you're effectively broke and I'm pretty sure that's why when valuing companies you can't include your workforce in your sums.

However, I'll concede that football is a slightly different world (not necessarily the right one but hey-ho!) so I'll humour you;
Sig
Jem
Church
Mills
Henry
HRK
Pearce
Davies

those are just the young 'uns - you could probably pick up a bob or three for Harps and Rosie if you'd like to include them in the equation.

I think if we were to sell all of those assets then the money raised (adjusted for inflation) would be more than, or very close to, the cost of the squad that got us promoted to the prem. Now, if I'm right about that sum then by your definition we are very asset rich...

Just go away m8

Nah, i think i'll hang around thank you very much - wouldn't want to be called a fair weather fan and all that.

[Terminal Boardom]

Such good assets Wycombe that we are bottom 3 And if they aren't assets, then why were they sold off to repay the overdraft?

And how do you conclude that we would get any more money for Harps and Rosie? They will be free agents in the summer so we would get zilch.

Seriously, if you were a manager of a Championship club, which of our players would you be desperate to sign? There are only two that I would be really sorry to see leave at this moment in time. Sig and McAnuff.

[Wycombe Royal]

Such good assets Wycombe that we are bottom 3 And if they aren't assets, then why were they sold off to repay the overdraft?

And how do you conclude that we would get any more money for Harps and Rosie? They will be free agents in the summer so we would get zilch.

Seriously, if you were a manager of a Championship club, which of our players would you be desperate to sign? There are only two that I would be really sorry to see leave at this moment in time. Sig and McAnuff.

So running a football club is only about the players.....

Where did I say players weren't assets?

And why would I conclude anything about Harper or Rosenior - I haven't mentioned them.

You really are clueless.

[SteveRoyal]

The issue is the decisions of the board.

We'll assume that under Coppell, there weren't many decisions to be made regarding manager, staff, etc. but there was the issue of buying players of Prem quality - which we didn't. Mark one.

Then we risked finances by keeping the majority of our squad together and continuing to pay Premiership wages, only to fail to achieve promotion. Mark two.

We then had to sell the majority of our recognisable stars, or loan them out to get them off the wage bill. Mark three.

We then failed to bring in much quality to replace the likes of Doyle, Bikey, Harper ( ) and instead replaced them with Academy failures or Championship chumps. Mark four.

Most importantly, is the appointment of Rodgers'. I'm of the opinion that he came in at the wrong time.
He came into a Reading squad that had been dismantled in a matter of months, and then had to try and remake the squad with a "cloth cutting" amount of money. He then had to get his "world class" ideas across to the squad, which barely knew each other and had played together for a very small amount of time. Mark five.

If Rodger's had come in in a few years time, then perhaps he may have succeeded - we'll never know. He may get a second shot, although many Reading fans now hate him for the predicament he got us in.

Then the sacking of Rodgers'. Sack the man that got us here, then have a scout manage the squad. Uhh... wtf?

So, 6 major decisions, 6 major impacts on our predicament now.
Can't sack the board, because we have nobody to replace them.
Can't sack the chairman, there's nobody there to buy it.
Can't sack the manager, there isn't one.
What we need is to get a manager in and then hope that the hierarchy at RFC make the right decisions to get us out of this mess.

Short-term, who knows what's going to happen?

[RoyalBlue]

Well done SJM, NH aand NH. You have officially raped this club. Now oxf*rd off!

Or alternatively...
"Well done SJM, you saved us from going bust"*


* yes I know that he can't live on this for ever .

You are right, maybe the comment should now be expanded to include the words, 'the first time around'.

Failing to invest sensibly (to enable you to operate effectively within the market in which you seek to compete) can be a very effective way of ensuring that you go bust, albeit possibly in the longer term.