Prima donnas - Fae & Sonko suspended by club

[Vision]

What about having an intermediate 'beh?'

Jury is out is just bollocks. Especially when applied to a player who came, played one or two games, got injured and left. There is no way the jury is out. The jury is back in and saying "well, certainly not a success, M'lud". OK,its not his fault he was injured and who knows what he could have done, but let's not be sentimental here.

But equally, its not the club's fault that he got injured. So Mate gets a 'beh'.

in the interests of fairness he probably shouldn't be included at all along with the Vasilev and Bozancic but although its hardly anyones fault, i still have him as a failed signing which is what we're talking about.

[SpaceCruiser]

What evidence do you have that Seol was at all angry with Coppell? I seem to recall that he was attracted to the idea of playing closer to the existing Korean community. He was in the Reading team at the time of the sale.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 988706.stm do keep up Spacey

"Strained". Not angry.

Oh and this part:

Coppell said: "There is a big Korean community by their training ground and he wanted to live there."

[1871royals]

I think SC has done well in the transfer market but I think the problem is the lack of progress. For e.g. look at Wigan all their “Best/Indispensable” players have been bought since they have gone up. IMO all our best players are the players that have played for us for a while. Bikey is probably the best signing and he is just starting to become a regular and that taken him just under 2 seasons. Normally when a team goes up they will spend big (JM has said the money is there) but we don’t seem to sign players that can improve our first xi. Bikey and LR are the only ones to improve the first xi and its probably debatable whether they do improve the first xi.

[brendywendy]

roseniors better than murts, and DLC
bikey is better at CB, RB, CM, and up front than most of the rest of our squad

[Vision]

I think SC has done well in the transfer market but I think the problem is the lack of progress. For e.g. look at Wigan all their “Best/Indispensable” players have been bought since they have gone up. IMO all our best players are the players that have played for us for a while. Bikey is probably the best signing and he is just starting to become a regular and that taken him just under 2 seasons. Normally when a team goes up they will spend big (JM has said the money is there) but we don’t seem to sign players that can improve our first xi. Bikey and LR are the only ones to improve the first xi and its probably debatable whether they do improve the first xi.

Wigan are an interesting comparison because you're right they have bought in some better players but equally they couldn't hold onto the ones they had either. Nathan Ellington jumped ship before they kicked a ball in the premiership whilst Bullard,Roberts and Chimbonda were all key players who they couldn't/wouldn't hold onto.

[papereyes]

With Wigan, their best signings (IMO) weren't necessarily the biggest transfer fees.


Wigan's transfers in 2005/2006

Mike Pollitt Rotherham £ 200000 30-06-2005
Pascal Chimbonda Bastia £ 500000 08-07-2005
Ryan Taylor Tranmere £ 750000 13-07-2005
Stephane Henchoz Celtic Free 27-07-2005
Damien Francis Norwich Signed 05-08-2005
Henri Camara Wolves £ 3000000 06-08-2005
Arjan De Zeeuw Portsmouth Signed 11-08-2005
David Connolly Leicester £ 2000000 31-08-2005
Josip Skoko G'birligi Ankara Signed 31-08-2005

£5 million on Camara and Conolly got them 15 goals, a third of which came in two games for Camara.

Francis added drive, Henchoz and de Zeeuw added experience at the back, Taylor is still there. I'd argue the three free transfers there had more impact than the expensive strikers.

And then Chimbonda who did well and they sold for a significant profit.

(What Vision says is right as well)

[Southbank Old Boy]

Interesting debate, although I can't understand how anybody can say the likes of Bennett or Mate have been a success.

What I would say is that Coppell's transfer policy has been to bring in cheap gambles in the hope that we can unearth a few gems. Ulitmately that means you'll have to bring in quite a few players with a high turnover to find those gems which improve your team. Additionally some of the signings Coppell has made with a specific role for the squad in mind. For example Makin and DLC were bought in to provide experienced cover for our fullbacks. Both have done a sterling job at that and I'd class as successess even though they've not strengthen the team or played many games. On the flip side, Keown and Ferdinand were bought to add quality to the side in unsuccessful short term role. Both would be down as failures (although we'll never know what impact Keown had on developing Sonko into the Superman he became for the 18 months after he'd worked closely with him).

Our policy of buying in these cheap gambles is fine but I think it has to be supplemented by trying, and succeeding, to attract players of proven capabilities in the division we're playing in. That hasn't happened and so the inevitable shortcomings of the cheap gambles is exposed.

The acid test of Coppells transfers has got to be has the team improved over the time we're looking at. Over the period since we gained promotion the side has become, in my opinion and in that of most people I speak to, weaker. Therefore I think you have to say that despite a few successful signings we've failed in the transfer market.

Injuries and fall outs are bit of a side show. The whole point of a squad is to cover those kind of eventualities and we've failed in that too.

[beno]

lol - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qwE9gOfROx8

[Southbank Old Boy]

To add my opinion on the signings indivually

2003

Ingimarrsson - Hit
Morgan - Miss
Kitson - Hit

2004
Owusu - Maybe (he probably did the job Coppell wanted from him)
Sonko - Hit
Brooker - Miss
Convey - Hit
Little - Hit
Gordon - Maybe (like Owusu he did a job but he wasn't quite the answer)

2005

Ferdinand - Miss (literally from two yards!)
Keown - Miss
Doyle - Hit
Long - Hit (so far, he's not a Premiership forward but he's contributed a lot since he came)
Hunt - Hit
Lita - Hit
Gunnarsson - Hit
Oster - Miss (nearly a maybe but he's just not been good enough for me)
Makin - Hit
Brown - Miss
Baradji - Miss (not sure why we helped West Ham out with him!)
Dobson - Maybe (not a hit and not a miss as he was only bought in to even up the numbers in training)
Obina - Miss


2006

Golbourne - Miss
Halls - Miss
Seol - Miss
Sodje - Miss
Stack - Miss (I don't think he put much pressure on Marcus which I think is why he was bought in)
DLC - Hit
Mate - Miss


2007

Bozancic - N/A
Halford - Miss
Duberry - Hit
Cisse - Maybe (doesn't look up to it for me, but he's had a couple of good games so gets a Maybe from me)
Fae - Miss
Rosenior - Hit
Vasilev - N/A



2008

Matejovsky - Hit (bit early to say but he looks the part but he has to provide an end product next season)
Kebe - Miss


All in
Hit = 15
Miss = 17
Maybe = 3

Since 2006
Hit = 4
Miss = 9
Maybe = 1

[earleyroyal]

Sadly miscommunication is what happens when you hire Africans. Fae's behaviour isn't that surprising. he has done the same before, but I believe this time as Sonko, being the heart of gold he is, thought he would help a 'brother' who he thought was being wronged. Fae sounds like a manupilative bastard and should be gone, ASAP. Sack on him gross misconduct, don't have to pay severency and he oxf*rd off to whatever country he wants to emigrate to. I hope Coppell's learned his lesson and never employ Africans again.. or listen to his scouts...

You sir are a complete idiot. English players never behave in this way do they? All Africans behave in this way don't they

oxf*rd off back to your BNP-voting cave.

[earleyroyal]

To be fair to Fae, i probably would have done the same in his situation.

He had to sit on the bench during the first part of the season and watch Bryn put in shite performances over and over again, he has a decent ACoN for IC, comes back, looks very sharp according to KD and WD, plays well in the limited time he gets as a sub, then gets axed from the squad completely

The way he has been treated by Coppell is typical of the way SSC treats people who are not in his 'untouchables' (eg Lita, and BK during start of season) which is unacceptable for a modern day manager.

There are always going to be players with big ego's in football, and if we stay up, and start spending bigger money on better players, then that is something both the manager, and the fans, will have to get accustomed to.

Sonko, however, has been crap this season, has wasted his chances (which fae did not get), and deserved to be in the reserves.......therefore i have no sympathy for him

Bullshit. Doesn't matter how badly you think you may have been treated, whether you should have had a chance, blah blah blah. You are being paid lavishly to do an easy job, the least you can do is play when your club tells you to. There is no defence for his actions.

Clearly a Thatcher baby!

How dare any workers stand up to what they perceive as mistreatment/injustice!

As in most trade disputes, I suspect both parties have some responsibility for the break down in relations. As with any industrial action, it will be the paying customer who loses out!

Erm, a little bit of difference between not being favoured by a football manager and genuine injustice surely? Industrial action historically has been based around campaigning for better pay and working conditions, this is so different to the Fae situation as to make the comparison irrelevant.

Footballers have the best job in the world, any self-respecting professional would play for the reserves, get their head down for the rest of the season, maybe even impress the manager with their attitude (shock horror!), and then, if things didn't work out, ask for a move in the summer.

Are you seriously suggesting that Fae may have been right to refuse to carry out the fundamental task which he has been employed for, playing football, because of some perceived injustice? Maybe Coppell doesn't feel he's been working hard enough in training. And please don't call me a Thatcher baby nothing could be further from the truth.

[West Stand Man]

Please place me back on your ignore list, you're far too retarded to enter a debate with myself.

Ha, Royalee accusing someone else of being retarded, now that is a good one!!

[ShinPad]

This forum really is a load of bullblop! AE the only place to be

[SpaceCruiser]

Please place me back on your ignore list, you're far too retarded to enter a debate with myself.

Ha, Royalee accusing someone else of being retarded, now that is a good one!!

Especially as he doesn't realise that he still is on the ignore list, I only saw his comment because somebody quoted it.

What a retard.

[RTFC Drummer]

Daily Mail

Reading's record signing Emerse Fae has vowed never to play for the relegation threatened club again after branding his manager Steve Coppell 'stupid'.

Coppell was infuriated after Fae and defender Ibrahima Sonko refused to play in a reserve game against Tottenham on Monday night.
and Fae refused to play for the reserves so Coppell has suspended them

Reading duo banned for refusing to play for reserves
EXCLUSIVE: Frustrated Rangers star Hemdani wants summer exit and Reading and Birmingham could join the chase
Oster and Kebe score for Reading in 2-2 draw with Tottenham reserves
Wigan water torture for Reading keeper Hahnemann

The pair were subsequently punished with a two-week suspension, fined a fortnight's wages and ordered by Coppell to stay away from the Madejski stadium and the club's nearby training ground.

The manager, already concerned with striker Kevin Doyle's state of mind following the tragic death of four family members last week, now has to contend with Fae's outburst as he prepares his side for tomorrow's vital clash at home to Spurs.

Fae, a £2.5million summer capture from Nantes, rapped: 'It is not clever to suspend your own players. That is stupid. The sanction is too heavy. The club does not need that because axing two players from your own struggling team.

'I cannot understand their attitude. Those people do not speak and do things behind your back. I refused to play for the reserves on Sunday, they said okay lets meet on Thursday and in the meantime I get a letter saying I am axed. They are not courageous enough to tell me things in the eyes, man to man, in five minutes.

Fae also accused Coppell and his coaching staff of a lack of respect towards long-serving Sonko. He added: 'They have been acting strange towards Sonko for a while. They lack recognition towards him.

'It is not his first year at the club; he has been here for four years, experienced everything with them, the promotion, the good first season in the Premier League and has started many times.'

Fae insists he will now look for pastures new. But having played only 11 Premier League games this season, prior to his refusal to play in the reserves and subsequent outburst, Coppell is unlikely to stand in his way.

'It never happened between Reading and me,' said the 24-year-old midfielder. 'They do not need to suspend me to show everybody it has not worked.

'They did not treat me well during the season. I never caused any controversy. I have been professional but they are showing I do not have a place at the club.

'My future is not with Reading. A challenge in England, Germany or wherever would attract me but this time I will not make the mistake not to speak with the coach before I sign.'

In the grip of a relegation dogfight, Coppell was understandably keen to play down the row yesterday. He said: 'It's no big deal, it's just a situation. Something happened, I dealt with it internally and that's it, finished.

'They have been suspended for 14 days. That is their punishment. It doesn't affect anybody else; we just look forward to the game on Saturday. It will not detract in any way from our concentration.'

Of more concern to Coppell is Doyle's frame of mind, although he believes his striker has the strength of character to channel all his energies into tomorrow's crucial encounter.

Doyle started last Saturday's goalless draw away to Wigan despite learning on the day of the game that cousin Lorraine Flood, her husband Diarmuid and their two young children Mark and Julie had been found dead in their burnt out home in Clonroche, County Wexford, Ireland.

A post mortem later discovered that Doyle's cousin Lorraine had died from a single gunshot wound to the chest while her husband, alongside whose body a shotgun was found in a downstairs room, had a single and, most likely self-inflicted, gunshot wound to the head. Irish police are also studying the theory that the two children had been drugged before their home was engulfed in flames.

Coppell confirmed Doyle will attend the funeral of his four family members today before returning in the evening and will be included in his squad for the Tottenham game.

Praising Doyle for demonstrating a level of courage reminiscent of that shown by Frank Lampard in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final victory over Liverpool, Coppell said: 'He's a grown man. If he thinks his mentality would affect the team in a poor way, I'm sure he would tell me. But in my mind at the moment he will be part of the squad on Saturday.

'People react differently to these situations. From my point of view, he has been very strong. It may well be that he feels it more there than when he has been in isolation here. But that is for him to judge and me to make a decision.'


Steve Coppell could regret this if Reading go down and then he will be the one sacked from his job

[Geekins]

A chant for tomorrow

Emerse Fae - What a w@nker, what a w@nker.

[Row Z Royal]

A chant for tomorrow

Emerse Fae - What a w@nker, what a w@nker.

And Sonko?

[Kev in Bracknell]

A chant for tomorrow

Emerse Fae - What a w@nker, what a w@nker.

And Sonko?

"I'll never wear your T-Shirt again"

[Row Z Royal]

Superman: Man

[Kev in Bracknell]

Superman: Man

Superman is now zero man