Kitson signs for Stoke for £5.5 million

[Southbank Old Boy]

I thought these sell-on clauses only last for the duration of the initial contract the player signs - if he then signs another contract after that first one has expired then the sell-on clauses no longer apply. I'm not certain on this one, but ISTR that was what the get-out was with another player in similar circumstances.

I know you like to be supportive of everything the club does Dirk, but thats taking it to the extreme!

Why can that statement possibly be construed as supporting the club in any shape or form?

It's just stating a possible way that that we may be trying to wriggle out of one if it was there - we have previous form in this (It was a promotion payment payment to York for Murts - see post in a minute or two.....)

For the record, I think it's outrageous that we do everything we can to try and stop paying money to smaller clubs when it's rightfully owed - yes it's good financial management but IMHO it's immoral, unethical and not in the spirit of being part of the "football family". Have we forgotten that we were a small, lower league, club not so long ago?

I wasn't being totally serious but maybe I was giving you a bit more credit in thinking that a sell on clause could expire, unless it was actually stipulated in the terms, which it would certainly appear isn't the norm. There has been a few discussions on this subject on the site (not that I expect you to read everythng of course).

It just read a bit to me as you trying to justify the club trying to get out of paying what was due, not that it seems they're trying to do that.

[leon]

He's made a bad decision. That kit clashes badly with his hair.

i did that gag about 3 days ago, honestly

[Southbank Old Boy]

Big Foot

I can think of a number of players who are way, way more connected to the fans than Kitson ever was.
It's not as if he was even the only one who made the odd controversial comment in the media...

It's a bizarre reason to quote for claiming your 'love affair' has ended,

I can see where Big Foot is coming from.

Kitson quite often expressed a similar opinion to that of the average fan. He'd got where he had the hard way from non-league football had a bit more empathy for joe average. His comments about the characters that football produces echo a lot of the general football going public.

I can't think of any other Reading player recently that really connected in that way, not for me personally anyway.

The likes of Murty and Harper come close, but both come out with the same cliched responses and, especially in Murty's case, he generally won't have a bad word said about anything connected with RFC or professional footballers on the whole. Harper at least seems to have the boundless enthusiasm of fan.

[strap]

Have we forgotten that we were a small, lower league, club not so long ago?

Clearly Mr Ego hasn't, as that's what we have reverted to.

Nice that we know our place in the grand scheme of things isn't it Mr Ego?

Thank you SO much for giving us a taste of the dream, now we go back into our little hovels for another 130 years whilst you play with yourself in front of your Ferrari in front of your gym.

What a nice man Mr Ego is.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Have we forgotten that we were a small, lower league, club not so long ago?

Clearly Mr Ego hasn't, as that's what we have reverted to.

Nice that we know our place in the grand scheme of things isn't it Mr Ego?

Thank you SO much for giving us a taste of the dream, now we go back into our little hovels for another 130 years whilst you play with yourself in front of your Ferrari in front of your gym.

What a nice man Mr Ego is.

I've not said we should just sit back and be grateful for coming as far as we have. In fact on many occassions I've said the complete opposite.

However, that doesn't stop me being gratefull for the efforts of Madejski in dragging us up from the pit we were in to where we are now.

[Mr Irascible]

One year on Dave will you still be happy when Stoke drop down and the Royals rise again?

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Have we forgotten that we were a small, lower league, club not so long ago?

Clearly Mr Ego hasn't, as that's what we have reverted to.

No we haven't.

We were a poorly supported club, pulling around 3500, playing in a run-down ground where sections of the ground we fenced off for being unsafe, on the verge of bankruptcy with an awful team and no prospects.

Some, misguided fools as they must be, might regard having a 24000 seat stadium, playing two years in the top flight, drawing 50 consecutive league crowds of over 20000 and looking likely to average around 17500 in the coming year, with what is still on paper one of the best squads in the division....some might just regard that as progress.

Beyond a Jack Walker type chairman throwing his life saving into the club, we'd have been very hard-pushed to have had a better chairman. Comparisons to the regimes that were happy to see us bump along in the 4th division are absurd.

[loyalroyal4life]

One year on Dave will you still be happy when Stoke drop down and the Royals rise again?

yes cos we'll go and resign him

[loyalroyal4life]

dont know if this has been posted


http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_3835124,00.html

[Roger the Rabbit]

Have we forgotten that we were a small, lower league, club not so long ago?

Clearly Mr Ego hasn't, as that's what we have reverted to.

Um, no we haven't !

We may be 'Lower League' in terms of being lower than where we were last season but the Championship is not what is generally considered a 'lower league'. 4th best supported leage in the world ? Oldest football league in the world ? Higher league than we have been in for all but around a dozen years of our 137 year history ?

A number you may wish to note Starp = 08457 90 90 90

[Agent Balti]

After it's all sunk in, there are further issues that spring to mind. Not only the fact that we don't have a striker above 5'10, and also no striker than can ably help out in defence at set pieces (which Dave performed admirably.) Not forgetting the closing down on the sidelines (apart from the aberration when he took out Evra!)

We are perceived in having money in the bank, therefore any players that we may have been interested in, the cost of those players could well be inflated. Now we are further perceived as receiving £5.5m, in the Bank of Madejski, which of course it isn't up front, that price could even further be inflated.

Is this partly a reason why we've signed the square root of fcuk all? Agents pushing up the price for the players wages, clubs doing likewise?

Just a thought...

[The Insider]

I am not entirely sorry to see Kits go. I think this was clever business on the part of Hammond and Co, Stoke are desperate and £5.5m is exceptional money for a player of his age and body condition.

I also want to offer another supporting argument, do we really need a target man ?

We finished 8th two years ago , Kits spent almost the entire season out of the side, and Lita /Doyle/Long flourished as a result. We played fast counter-attacking football and teams struggled to cope with our invention. Yes we had Glen Little which I acknowledge (though even Glen did miss 1/3rd of our premier league games in the first season) , but we avoided the 'boot and hope' route one nonsense that Kitson invites when he's the big man up front. That was the main frustration for me last year. I understand that the Championship is a different brand of football (or at least was when we were in it) but I am not entirely convinced that a target man is imperative. A lot will depend on who we buy to fill the right wing and supplement the midfield.

Add to this that Kits had the capacity to upset his team mates off the field and I start to feel fairly confident that Copps has done a good bit of business here.

[Fat Leather Jacket]

Best of luck Dave, however I think its all going to end in tears for you.

[Challisman]

Sorry posted this on the £5.5m thread
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/19072008/ ... itson.html

I'am rather concerned with Steve's comments regarding the Kitson cash

"We wish him the best of luck but his departure will open the door for the players who remain to demand a consistent role in the team."

[OLEEE!!!]

I am not entirely sorry to see Kits go. I think this was clever business on the part of Hammond and Co, Stoke are desperate and £5.5m is exceptional money for a player of his age and body condition.

Agreed, I feel that if a club were going to come in and go for one of our strikers, i'd rather it be a player who is on the phyio table more often then not...

I seem to remember, however, last year Aston Villa making an approach of £8 Mill + for Doyle and everyone saying that would be bad business for Reading as he could not stop scoring and goals are priceless, however now, a striker who will get you 15-20 goals a season (if he is fit) is going for potenially half that

[premiership_bound]

Sorry posted this on the £5.5m thread
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/19072008/ ... itson.html

I'am rather concerned with Steve's comments regarding the Kitson cash

"We wish him the best of luck but his departure will open the door for the players who remain to demand a consistent role in the team."

Already mentioned that a couple of pages back. Tis indeed a concern but not a surprise.

[gazzer, loyal royal]

i'm just waiting for gun-barell dave to come out with

"Stoke is one of the worst places to live, and all they sell is pottery, not up to my wine collection"

[Big Foot]

Big Foot

I can think of a number of players who are way, way more connected to the fans than Kitson ever was.
It's not as if he was even the only one who made the odd controversial comment in the media...

It's a bizarre reason to quote for claiming your 'love affair' has ended,

A lot of Kitson's comments rang true in my thinking. Much like some people feel that other players talk sense. I.e. a lot of people here seem to think a lot of what Harper says rings true with them...yet with me I think he's a cock half the time that fella opens his mouth.

Viva la individualism.

[Roger the Rabbit]

Big Foot

I can think of a number of players who are way, way more connected to the fans than Kitson ever was.
It's not as if he was even the only one who made the odd controversial comment in the media...

It's a bizarre reason to quote for claiming your 'love affair' has ended,

A lot of Kitson's comments rang true in my thinking. Much like some people feel that other players talk sense. I.e. a lot of people here seem to think a lot of what Harper says rings true with them...yet with me I think he's a cock half the time that fella opens his mouth.

Viva la individualism.

Absolutely !
It would be odd if everyone thought the same.
I guess my thinking was that what a player does on the pitch is more important than what they say, and feeling you have completley lost interest in football becasue Kitson has moved clubs was a bit extreme !
I'm sure he'll still shout his mouth off in the Potteries !!!

[Big Foot]

Big Foot

I can think of a number of players who are way, way more connected to the fans than Kitson ever was.
It's not as if he was even the only one who made the odd controversial comment in the media...

It's a bizarre reason to quote for claiming your 'love affair' has ended,

A lot of Kitson's comments rang true in my thinking. Much like some people feel that other players talk sense. I.e. a lot of people here seem to think a lot of what Harper says rings true with them...yet with me I think he's a cock half the time that fella opens his mouth.

Viva la individualism.

Absolutely !
It would be odd if everyone thought the same.
I guess my thinking was that what a player does on the pitch is more important than what they say, and feeling you have completley lost interest in football becasue Kitson has moved clubs was a bit extreme !
I'm sure he'll still shout his mouth off in the Potteries !!!

The players we have left no longer represent the fan in the stand, hence the end of my love affair.

How many times do I need to say it?