Speculation : Shane Long to return

[loyalroyal4life]

Don't want Long back. He was a good for a season, but was mostly shite prior to that.

Doyle on the other hand, would be welcomed back.

This. On both points.

No to Doyle, No to Long

The ONLY player i would want to see come back who is just pure quality on a consistent basis is Gylfi, the others do not compare but i guess that is why it is likely Gylfi will cost around £10m

[Mike Hunt]

Don't want Long back. He was a good for a season, but was mostly shite prior to that.

Doyle on the other hand, would be welcomed back.

This. On both points.

The ONLY player i would want to see come back who is just pure quality on a consistent basis is Gylfi, the others do not compare but i guess that is why it is likely Gylfi will cost around £10m

Sign Gylfi or the board OUT

[Ian Royal]

I couldn't stand Shane Long until about mid-November 2010... But I think he's a different player now and is one who will bully you goals even when things aren't going well. Doyle will work hard and contribute, but if things are going badly and you're playing shit, he won't win you games. Long will.

I'd take Long, not Doyle, but think Doyle's more likely to be available for us to pick up.

[SCIAG]

I couldn't stand Shane Long until about mid-November 2010... But I think he's a different player now and is one who will bully you goals even when things aren't going well. Doyle will work hard and contribute, but if things are going badly and you're playing shit, he won't win you games. Long will.

The difference between Doyle and Long in the second half of their last season with us was that Long was sprinting past his man onto poor passes, getting clipped, going down and winning a penalty. Doyle was doing exactly the same but penalties weren't being awarded, so defenders knew they could get away with it. Basically Long is better at diving. I think that colours peoples' views of Doyle, he was just as capable of winning matches on his own on merit.

Realistically there's only really room for one of Doyle, Sigurdsson and Long, unless we were to drop Roberts (would prefer Roberts and one of Doyle/Long to the two together). Long is probably the least likely.

[Chuckle Brother]

I think wba will have a transitional close season, and Long's been injured a bit, so will have his price. I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to come back given his love in with Brian and his appreciation that we let him move.

As for our price range, I'd expect us to go for a couple of expensive quality signings rather than pad the squad. Less of a gamble spunking 15m on Long and Sig and staying up than pissing cash away on four or five 2m signings that get us relegated.

Assuming the takeover happens, then the club will spend big I think. It's taken a miracle to get back after not doing so last time and still ending up in financial hell.

Our squad misses its 20 goal striker, so it seems obvious to me.

Appreciation that we let him move? He didn't want to go.

He was our most valuable asset so had to be sold for financial reasons.

[robbieroyal]

I sort of agree with not bringing back ex players, however I think Long would be immense for us if we re-signed him.

So far this season he has been pretty impressive for West Brom, injury aside, we could get him back for around £5mill. We sold him for £4.5mill not the rumoured £6 mill.

There's no smoke without fire

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news ... or-Hodgson

I'd have him back in a heart beat.

PS No thanks to Doyle tho.

[Cypry]

When asked on the radio a week or so ago about the prospect of Shane or Gylfi returning, McDermott said something along the lines of "never say never".....

He's since pretty much ruled out Gylfi as a non-starter, yet Shane's been at Hogwood recently, on the bus today, in the hotel this morning with McD, Hammond, Anton etc.....incidentally, his car was gone by the time we left the stadium this afternoon...

We were discussing it this afternoon, McDermott is a huge fan and still has a very close relationship with him, and wouldn't have to radically change his team to include Long - a Roberts / Long partnership could be pretty tasty...

I would also now question what West Brom can offer that we cannot.....he went there for Premiership football, it's not like they're a top side paying massive wages or anything....

I wouldn't bet the house on it, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him back next season....

[PieEater]

Would he be there to get a medal for the game he played for us this season?

[1871royals]

He's since pretty much ruled out Gylfi as a non-starter, yet Shane's been at Hogwood recently, on the bus today, in the hotel this morning with McD, Hammond, Anton etc.....incidentally, his car was gone by the time we left the stadium this afternoon...

We were discussing it this afternoon, McDermott is a huge fan and still has a very close relationship with him, and wouldn't have to radically change his team to include Long - a Roberts / Long partnership could be pretty tasty...

I would also now question what West Brom can offer that we cannot.....he went there for Premiership football, it's not like they're a top side paying massive wages or anything....

I wouldn't bet the house on it, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him back next season....

Shane was on the bus?

This is step in the right direction, would love to see him back.

[Big Ern]

When asked on the radio a week or so ago about the prospect of Shane or Gylfi returning, McDermott said something along the lines of "never say never".....

He's since pretty much ruled out Gylfi as a non-starter, yet Shane's been at Hogwood recently, on the bus today, in the hotel this morning with McD, Hammond, Anton etc.....incidentally, his car was gone by the time we left the stadium this afternoon...

We were discussing it this afternoon, McDermott is a huge fan and still has a very close relationship with him, and wouldn't have to radically change his team to include Long - a Roberts / Long partnership could be pretty tasty...

I would also now question what West Brom can offer that we cannot.....he went there for Premiership football, it's not like they're a top side paying massive wages or anything....

I wouldn't bet the house on it, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him back next season....

I can't see West Brom selling him after only 1 season.

[Friday's Legacy]

Long isn't coming back. He's done well at WBA, and if he was to leave then it would be for more than they paid us for him - and we wont pay that (yet).

[Simon's Church]

So far this season he has been pretty impressive for West Brom, injury aside, we could get him back for around £5mill. We sold him for £4.5mill not the rumoured £6 mill.

Doesn't really make sense m8.

There's no smoke without fire

When it comes to football transfers, there's shit loads.

[Franchise FC]

So far this season he has been pretty impressive for West Brom, injury aside, we could get him back for around £5mill. We sold him for £4.5mill not the rumoured £6 mill.

Doesn't really make sense m8.

There's no smoke without fire

When it comes to football transfers, there's shit loads.

Sorry, sh1t loads of smoke - what sort of farts are they ?

[blueroyals]

With Hodgson about to be made England manager I can see this happening now. He hasn't been a regular for West Brom and he clearly still loves the club...

[Friday's Legacy]

With Hodgson about to be made England manager I can see this happening now. He hasn't been a regular for West Brom and he clearly still loves the club...

When he's been fit he has been a regular. Hodgson himself admitted he brought Long in to play with Odenwinge. It looks likely WBA could lose Odemwinge this summer, so they wont want to lose both!

[John Madejski's Wallet]

We should be looking forward anyway, not just trying to get the old gang back together.

Yeah I agree with this. Would still take Gylf though

I wouldn't

Love Gylfi, but he works in a 3 man midfield and Brian only plays 4-4-2 (quote Roberts as one of the reasons he signed). Even when he scored 20 goals for us, we got arse-raped in midfield over and over again. We'd be mullered in the prem with Gylfi as one of a centre 2

[Ian Royal]

We should be looking forward anyway, not just trying to get the old gang back together.

Yeah I agree with this. Would still take Gylf though

I wouldn't

Love Gylfi, but he works in a 3 man midfield and Brian only plays 4-4-2 (quote Roberts as one of the reasons he signed). Even when he scored 20 goals for us, we got arse-raped in midfield over and over again. We'd be mullered in the prem with Gylfi as one of a centre 2

Brian plays what ever system is best for the team... I'd be seriously worried about being overrun in midfield playing two upfront in the Prem anyway.

[Big Foot]

When asked on the radio a week or so ago about the prospect of Shane or Gylfi returning, McDermott said something along the lines of "never say never".....

He's since pretty much ruled out Gylfi as a non-starter, yet Shane's been at Hogwood recently, on the bus today, in the hotel this morning with McD, Hammond, Anton etc.....incidentally, his car was gone by the time we left the stadium this afternoon...

We were discussing it this afternoon, McDermott is a huge fan and still has a very close relationship with him, and wouldn't have to radically change his team to include Long - a Roberts / Long partnership could be pretty tasty...

I would also now question what West Brom can offer that we cannot.....he went there for Premiership football, it's not like they're a top side paying massive wages or anything....

I wouldn't bet the house on it, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him back next season....

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Brian plays what ever system is best for the team... I'd be seriously worried about being overrun in midfield playing two upfront in the Prem anyway.

He's a Coppell, lets face it.

One of the reasons that Jason Roberts said he came to Reading was the Brian was a 442-man and wouldn't change. (Roberts himself says he's useless/wasted in a front 1 (or 3)

I don't have a problem with it, i'm happy for a manager to have a preferred system and find the players to fit. Rather than find the players and showhorn the rest of the team, and its tactics, around them

[Ginger Ninjas]

Brian plays what ever system is best for the team... I'd be seriously worried about being overrun in midfield playing two upfront in the Prem anyway.

He's a Coppell, lets face it.

One of the reasons that Jason Roberts said he came to Reading was the Brian was a 442-man and wouldn't change. (Roberts himself says he's useless/wasted in a front 1 (or 3)

I don't have a problem with it, i'm happy for a manager to have a preferred system and find the players to fit. Rather than find the players and showhorn the rest of the team, and its tactics, around them

Don't really understand this - McDermott was pretty happy playing 4231 when we had Gylfi in the team, can't imagine he'd be afraid of reverting to this...