£23 million In ... £1.4 million Spent

[rg6royal]

Tbh I'm glad that we didn't go into Europe. As if we lost a lot of games then that really wouldn't do the players any good over the pre-season.

Because the proper season just turned out so well otherwise.

Well we knew if was going to be a tough season. I'm glad though in a way as the Championship is a different challenge which we can win!

[papereyes]

Tbh I'm glad that we didn't go into Europe. As if we lost a lot of games then that really wouldn't do the players any good over the pre-season.

We couldn't have!

Two legged InterToto tie
Two legged UEFA cup qualifying tie
UEFA Cup 1st round.

2 games lost TOPS.

And, looking at Villa and Citeh's game, what difference between their UEFA meandering and going to Sweden ...

[RoyalBlue]

Who says they turned down to compete in Europe? Are you talking about the Intertoto? Who wants to play competitive games over the summer instead of a proper pre-season?

A proper pre-season like going to the Peace Cup?

Win a single two-legged tie and you're in the EUFA Cup qualifying round 2 - and we didn't want it. Now THAT was lack of ambition.

The peace cup isn't a proper competitive competition, is it?

Coppell has been on record saying that we weren't ready to compete in Europe, that we didn't have a strong enough squad to compete in the Premiership, the FA Cup, the League Cup AND Europe. Maybe in the future we would be able to. Nothing to do with ambition, I'm sure Coppell would have loved us to play in Europe, but he didn't think us ready to do it.

And there we have the very nub of the matter. Between him and his Chairman they did nothing about strengthening the squad to the extent that in the end we didn't even have a strong enough squad to compete in the Premiership!

[Platypuss]

Who says they turned down to compete in Europe? Are you talking about the Intertoto? Who wants to play competitive games over the summer instead of a proper pre-season?

A proper pre-season like going to the Peace Cup?

Win a single two-legged tie and you're in the EUFA Cup qualifying round 2 - and we didn't want it. Now THAT was lack of ambition.

The peace cup isn't a proper competitive competition, is it?

Did I say it was?

If the Peace Cup is a "proper pre-season", give me Europe.

[clauski]

I think we were crazy to pass up the chance to play in Europe and end that first season with negative talk about not being good enough for it. Surely that transfers to the players?

UEFA cup football could have helped bring in better players, or it could have motivated our squad and given them a break from the pressures of the League. And if we got knocked out, so what? Still, maybe in 20 years...

[Platypuss]

Coppell has been on record saying that we weren't ready to compete in Europe, that we didn't have a strong enough squad to compete in the Premiership, the FA Cup, the League Cup AND Europe. Maybe in the future we would be able to. Nothing to do with ambition, I'm sure Coppell would have loved us to play in Europe, but he didn't think us ready to do it.

Weeelllllllll.....

Coppell glowing in praise for players but admits deep down he wanted Europe!

Posted on: Mon 14 May 2007

The Royals boss had repeatedly stated how he thought a trip into the Uefa Cup would come a little prematurely if we'd achieved it but he came clean about the differences between his public stance on European qualification and the reaility this afternoon.

"At this moment in time a European place would have been cause for me to celebrate. It really would. It would have been such a high moment for myself and this football club.

"I've said all along we'd take whatever comes our way. If we'd got into Europe we'd be celebrating now...large. Big time!

"The public face of me and the European issue perhaps wasn't what was going on behind closed doors. I felt it was probably the best way of deflecting - rather than telling everyone 'we are desperate to play in Europe'.

"I thought it was probably better if I said in public that it wasn't the holy grail. As an achievement marker it would have been tremendous! If we'd have done it today, I'd have had my lips wrapped around a bottle of something I should think."

[g]

To be fair Coppell has also said this on 21/7/2008:

“But in three weeks time forget about it. If there are any Premier League clubs hovering around my players they have three weeks to do it because then our season starts.

“We would not have time to find replacements beyond that stage.

“I can’t stop the last-minute sales, but after August 10 it becomes an acceptable bid plus a hefty premium.”


So while Madejski won't sale the club to anyone who isn't at least a billionaire, he rates the best defender Reading have for £2-3m. All these posters on here that go on about "a good bit of business" need a dose of reality. This transfer window has displayed what Reading have always been, a club with no ambition.

Surely as a club that has spent two years in the Premier League, relegated mind you by a narrow margain, and it seems are content to play the rest of our football in the Championship or worse. If Sonko, Kits, Sidwell, and Shorey were our strongest players, what does it say about the rest of the squad? If our current squad couldn't prove themselves last time around in the Premier League, why would it be any different next time?

There are fools out there that believe the players did not have a relegation clause in their contracts and are earning premier league wages at this level. This is coming from the club that did "deals" for Murty and Doyle, which let me remind you, was absolutely pathetic and shocking, but the shady ways you come to accept from this club. If there was one club that made sure all players had relegation clauses, it would be this one.

I am glad Sonko is gone. Personally he should have left 8-9 months ago when he went and dug his grave with Fae. This club had no backbone to get rid of him, because he was cheaper than looking for alternatives. Reading FC - Disgrace and a shambles of a club.

[Thaumagurist*]

Coppell has been on record saying that we weren't ready to compete in Europe, that we didn't have a strong enough squad to compete in the Premiership, the FA Cup, the League Cup AND Europe. Maybe in the future we would be able to. Nothing to do with ambition, I'm sure Coppell would have loved us to play in Europe, but he didn't think us ready to do it.

Weeelllllllll.....

Coppell glowing in praise for players but admits deep down he wanted Europe!

Posted on: Mon 14 May 2007

The Royals boss had repeatedly stated how he thought a trip into the Uefa Cup would come a little prematurely if we'd achieved it but he came clean about the differences between his public stance on European qualification and the reaility this afternoon.

"At this moment in time a European place would have been cause for me to celebrate. It really would. It would have been such a high moment for myself and this football club.

"I've said all along we'd take whatever comes our way. If we'd got into Europe we'd be celebrating now...large. Big time!

"The public face of me and the European issue perhaps wasn't what was going on behind closed doors. I felt it was probably the best way of deflecting - rather than telling everyone 'we are desperate to play in Europe'.

"I thought it was probably better if I said in public that it wasn't the holy grail. As an achievement marker it would have been tremendous! If we'd have done it today, I'd have had my lips wrapped around a bottle of something I should think."

Well, I did say that he would have loved us to play in Europe. I did think at the time that we weren't ready to be competing in Europe and I didn't fancy us playing in the intertoto competition. I didn't like the Peace Cup either. I seem to remember reading somewhere that somebody at the end of last season (maybe Kitson?) that the Peace Cup was not such an ideal way to have a pre-season as it was so far away.

Fairly sure that Coppell would have taken the European adventure had we qualified through the league position (as evidenced by the quote you just posted), but I don't think he was prepared to have us play a few extra games to qualify for it.

[Thaumagurist*]

I am glad Sonko is gone. Personally he should have left 8-9 months ago when he went and dug his grave with Fae.

errrrrrrrrrrrr.....I'm fairly sure the refusal to play in a reserve game happened only 4 months ago, not 8 or 9 months ago.

[Arch]

All these posters on here that go on about "a good bit of business" need a dose of reality. This transfer window has displayed what Reading have always been, a club with no ambition.

...

I am glad Sonko is gone. Personally he should have left 8-9 months ago when he went and dug his grave with Fae. This club had no backbone to get rid of him, because he was cheaper than looking for alternatives. Reading FC - Disgrace and a shambles of a club.

You've lost me there.

[Platypuss]

Fairly sure that Coppell would have taken the European adventure had we qualified through the league position (as evidenced by the quote you just posted), but I don't think he was prepared to have us play a few extra games to qualify for it.

I'd have taken 2 legs against the likes of Odense over a meaningless slog to Korea to play River Plate and Shimuza S-Pulse!

A truly ambitious club wouldn't do its utmost to find reasons why it shouldn't go into Europe.

[Thaumagurist*]

The question is, would we have played the likes of Odense? And what would have been the chances of us progressing?

I mean, the intertoto isn't exactly the UEFA Cup. Had we failed, we couldn't possibly claim to have played in the UEFA Cup, could we?

[Platypuss]

The question is, would we have played the likes of Odense? And what would have been the chances of us progressing?

I mean, the intertoto isn't exactly the UEFA Cup. Had we failed, we couldn't possibly claim to have played in the UEFA Cup, could we?

Oh so negative - it's about trying to WIN, not being scared you might lose!

These were the Intertoto winners in 2007:

Aalborg
Atlético Madrid
Blackburn Rovers
Hamburg
Hammarby
Lens
Oţelul Galaţi
Rapid Vienna
Sampdoria
Tobol Kostanay
UD Leiria

[Lower West]

If Sonko, Kits, Sidwell, and Shorey were our strongest players,

Or weakest as the players chase the dosh and have no loyalty to us fans or the clubs they play for......

Sidwell..... yet to prove himself

Shorey....... signed following injury to AV's first choice left back ( better all round player)

Kitson ..... premiership class stiker ? Stoke probability of staying up in the long term?

Sonko.... ala Kitson

Last year we werent good enough. Defensively bad. School report said rebuild required in order to perform at higher level on consistant basis.....

[Thaumagurist*]

The question is, would we have played the likes of Odense? And what would have been the chances of us progressing?

I mean, the intertoto isn't exactly the UEFA Cup. Had we failed, we couldn't possibly claim to have played in the UEFA Cup, could we?

Oh so negative - it's about trying to WIN, not being scared you might lose!

These were the Intertoto winners in 2007:

Aalborg
Atlético Madrid
Blackburn Rovers
Hamburg
Hammarby
Lens
Oţelul Galaţi
Rapid Vienna
Sampdoria
Tobol Kostanay
UD Leiria

Glad you think we could beat any of that lot, especially, A. Madrid, B. Rovers and Sampdoria!

Anyway, winning the Intertoto is not really much of an achievement, is it? Purely just qualification into the UEFA Cup. When you enter a competition, surely you enter it with the intention of either competing or winning it? Could we even compete at that level and 2 games, well, would it be worth it? What would be the effect on the squad when they might have been thrashed and dumped out of the competition even before the Premiership season had started? Who knows?

[Platypuss]

The question is, would we have played the likes of Odense? And what would have been the chances of us progressing?

I mean, the intertoto isn't exactly the UEFA Cup. Had we failed, we couldn't possibly claim to have played in the UEFA Cup, could we?

Oh so negative - it's about trying to WIN, not being scared you might lose!

These were the Intertoto winners in 2007:

Aalborg
Atlético Madrid
Blackburn Rovers
Hamburg
Hammarby
Lens
Oţelul Galaţi
Rapid Vienna
Sampdoria
Tobol Kostanay
UD Leiria

Glad you think we could beat any of that lot, especially, A. Madrid, B. Rovers and Sampdoria!

A lot of those winners were the 3rd seed teams (like we would have been!) - so wouldn't have been paired against teams of that quality. We would have had to beat who they beat.

BTW, Blackburn took our place - we finished above them, remember!

Anyway, winning the Intertoto is not really much of an achievement, is it? Purely just qualification into the UEFA Cup. When you enter a competition, surely you enter it with the intention of either competing or winning it? Could we even compete at that level and 2 games, well, would it be worth it?

We entered the Prem with the intention of competing, didn't we?

What would be the effect on the squad when they might have been thrashed and dumped out of the competition even before the Premiership season had started? Who knows?

True - it could well have had a negative effect on our season. We might even have ended up relegated.

[pearcetom]

im just sick of him taking all the money he can get and being a greedy bastard. i mean how dare he want to improve the town with the money he is getting from the likes of kits, shorey and former superman!

i know i will be turning my back at the palace game and im sure royalshow and brendywendy will join me!

Now thats a plastic talking................

cheers mate. it was sort of a sarcastic joke..... fair play to the man.


but yeah, i just don't like him

[papereyes]

The question is, would we have played the likes of Odense?

Do your fecking homework Spacey.

We would have been entered into the 3rd round of the regionalised competition.

Here is a map of the regions.



I'm not sure how it seeds, but the worst team to play would have been the 6th or 7th best Belgian or Dutch team. Looking at how it has worked, we'd have more than likely played the 4th or 5th best Danish, Swedish or Icelandic team.

We would have completely avoided Blackburn ( ) as well as German, French, Spanish, Italian and well, any other big league.

We'd have then gone to the last qualifying round of the UEFA cup. Which is again regionalised and seeded so we'd have avoided any decent side there, and perhaps even in the 1st round proper (which isn't regionalised - Blackburn got greek side Larissa, this season, Villa got Litex Lovech but Everton have got Standard Liege who could be decent and Portsmouth go to Portugal). But at this point, you'd expect better sides.

Yes, winning the InterToto isn't that much of an achievement but a solid performance in the UEFA cup group stages (3 2-legged games away, of which 2 are against the slightly soured creme de la creme of Scandinavia) would be. IMO.

[The whole year inn]

But the Peace cup was worth a million quid or so.

Decent weeks work for a beamer with shed

[Arnie_Pie]

I am sick of all this. Why have you moaners not gone and obtained the last set of accounts? It is public information and I am sure there are enough of us able to interpret a set of accounts well enough to know what is really going on. Only costs a quid. Last audited set June 2007.