RUMOUR - Harper to Middlesborough

[Scarface]

He is the fulcrum on which the whole team is based.

Perhaps one day he was, but now he's the route of our problems which sees us totally bossed in midfield. Unfortunately we have a manager who is far too loyal to his players and can't see this, so hence I think Harper leaving will be a blessing as Coppell's arm is then forced.

[loyalroyal4life]

Oh Jay, you are so so tediously and unrelentingly boring.

Please give it a rest.

So we make £5m on Harper and you think Coppell will have it all to spend?

Not even half of it!

maybe they were struggling to fill the final spot and just put him there

[Archie's penalty]

He is the fulcrum on which the whole team is based.

Perhaps one day he was, but now he's the route of our problems which sees us totally bossed in midfield. Unfortunately we have a manager who is far too loyal to his players and can't see this, so hence I think Harper leaving will be a blessing as Coppell's arm is then forced.

I disagree and think he still is the fulcrum. Coppell no doubt was too loyal to some players last season but we seem to be doing ok this time round...

[Royal Rother]

Rother for once is correct...

Do you know what, I can't remember the last time we properly disagreed.

[Alan Partridge]

Rother for once is correct...

Do you know what, I can't remember the last time we properly disagreed.

This much is true, probably a Lita thread or an officially bored moment or maybe shock horror something from last season!

[Snowball]

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/poll/0,16396,7556_58387_r,00.html

Stick your votes in if you love harper

That poll seems to suggest that Harpur is the fifth best midfielder in the league?

There are 48 CMs, plus about another 48 play some time, so Harps is in the top 5%, then?

I'm a fan of Harper, but I have to say that once again you are twisting the evidence to support a "fact". There are only five options given in that poll. You can't say that Harps is in the top 5% when the options are limited in this way. That shortlist is a reflection of somebody else's opinion. Give fans a full list and James might well not place so high. Of course, he could well be higher, but one thing's for sure, that poll does not put him definitively in the top 5% of midfielders in the division. It's too restrictive to be illustrative of anything other than who's considered the best out of those 5 players.

Did you see that little "?" thingee on my post?

It's called a question mark. That means the sentence before it is a QUEST-ION

Did I at any time make ANY personal statement about HarpUr's quality.

Please pay attention.

[Snowball]

To be honest if i was Madejski I would think twice about giving Coppell serious money to spend seeing as though everytime a transfer fee approaches 7 figures he squanders it on absolute crap.

Leroy Lita?


the ? means that was a question

[Big Ern]

Would like to see it re-invested though

LOL...This is Reading FC afterall. Expect about 10% to be re-inevested and the rest to vanish into the clubs coffers

[Royalee]

'Fulcrum?' He's about as effective as a f*cking crumb on the pitch.

[chilipepper91]

Source at the game says he's got offers from Fulham and Middlesbrough and will probably go to Fulham.

[Uke]

Plus ça change, plus c'est les mêmes couillons...

Streets, will you get a sodding grip - it's embarassing.

Anyway, 15-20 goals in the SPL isn't exactly a bad record and considering we're a Championship club curently it's more likely than not going to mean he is perfectly capable at this level.

Embarassing is a club finishing just outside Europe, still refusing to spend even £4m in the transfer market the following season and then getting relegated.

Embarassing is getting relegated, pockets full of cash and still refusing to spend the money required to get in the better proven players required.

Yes of course, as with our promotion, you don't always need a team of 'proven' players, but that team was together a long time and had one hell of a fighting spirit.

We are going to struggle this season because our chairman is holding us back.

NoeLOL Hunt. Great.

I know we need to give the lad time to prove himself, but this signing, assuming it is our only major signnig of the summer, does nothing to restore my confidence in the club. I hope I am wrong, but our record with players from the Scottish league is not exactly great.

[Arch]

Source at the game says he's got offers from Fulham and Middlesbrough and will probably go to Fulham.

Nah. He's holding out for Everton or Tottenham.

[Alan Partridge]

Plus ça change, plus c'est les mêmes couillons...

Streets, will you get a sodding grip - it's embarassing.

Anyway, 15-20 goals in the SPL isn't exactly a bad record and considering we're a Championship club curently it's more likely than not going to mean he is perfectly capable at this level.

Embarassing is a club finishing just outside Europe, still refusing to spend even £4m in the transfer market the following season and then getting relegated.

Embarassing is getting relegated, pockets full of cash and still refusing to spend the money required to get in the better proven players required.

Yes of course, as with our promotion, you don't always need a team of 'proven' players, but that team was together a long time and had one hell of a fighting spirit.

We are going to struggle this season because our chairman is holding us back.

NoeLOL Hunt. Great.

I know we need to give the lad time to prove himself, but this signing, assuming it is our only major signnig of the summer, does nothing to restore my confidence in the club. I hope I am wrong, but our record with players from the Scottish league is not exactly great.

Ern's post there seems perfectly reasonable at the time, Jay's though, oh dear.

[loyalroyal4life]

Source at the game says he's got offers from Fulham and Middlesbrough and will probably go to Fulham.

well more paper rumours claim boro have now gone in with 3.5 mill bid

what is with this valuation from 3.5 - 7 mill??

[TBM]

well more paper rumours claim boro have now gone in with 3.5 mill bid

Considering we'd have to give £1.4m of that to Arsenal, leaving us with £2.1m i doubt we would accept......if they were to offer £5m then i can see us taking it (leaving us with £3m)

[TFF]

Thought he took his time leaving the field yesterday. Goodbye?

[Sun Tzu]

Does that mean that Marcus is expecting a move after every game ?

[loyalroyal4life]

well more paper rumours claim boro have now gone in with 3.5 mill bid

Considering we'd have to give £1.4m of that to Arsenal, leaving us with £2.1m i doubt we would accept......if they were to offer £5m then i can see us taking it (leaving us with £3m)

true, even though i would not be sad to see him go for an actual figure of £2mill to us i would rather keep him. £3mill and we are talking

[loyalroyal4life]

Does that mean that Marcus is expecting a move after every game ?

[BR2]

Does that mean that Marcus is expecting a move after every game ?

We haven't seen him lately so maybe he has gone somwhere without anybody telling us.

BTW I know that Fulham were interested in James pre-season so now that Bullard has gone it would be no great surprise especially as James would be allowed to play much more of a passing game through midfield alongside Danny Murphy and not have to welly the ball forward and cover so much for other players as he has to here and if he went I could see his game blossoming.
Good luck if he does go-he owes us nothing-and IMHO there would certainly be a gap in central midfield that I'm not sure any of the current squad would cover,Bryn probably now too slow and Marek seemingly oblivious to any defensive responsibilities.