Blades bid for Lita

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Shame really, would have been a great deal for us.

Lita's all about the money, wants to big signing on fee of a bosman.

Still think we need a striker with the potential to be better than Hunt. Lita not leaving will be our excuse not to do so.

[Tilehurst Mike]

Shame really, would have been a great deal for us.

Lita's all about the money, wants to big signing on fee of a bosman.

Still think we need a striker with the potential to be better than Hunt. Lita not leaving will be our excuse not to do so.

Your complaining about Hunt with 12 goals so far!! How many other clubs would welcome a striker with that strike rate. Almost as good a bargain as Doyle was!

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Blades well and truely put in their place....

My earlier explanation seems to have been spot on as well !!

AP - wasn't the 'gentleman's agreement' part of the problme - Man Utd / Everton / Tim Howard or something ? i thought there had been a ruling that you simply could not have any influence on picking another team - except in the case of a loan deal

Thought I remember it happening with Defoe once before, I'm not all that sure to be honest just that it's happened. I would agree with the legislation that he could play against anyone. If you sell him, he's not your player anymore and he should be able to play against anyone.

We did it with Keith Scott and Colchester.

How far we've come!!

[winchester_royal]

Shame really, would have been a great deal for us.

Lita's all about the money, wants to big signing on fee of a bosman.

Still think we need a striker with the potential to be better than Hunt. Lita not leaving will be our excuse not to do so.

Your complaining about Hunt with 12 goals so far!! How many other clubs would welcome a striker with that strike rate. Almost as good a bargain as Doyle was!

Shirley you are joking? Nhunt has been good, but he is a good championship striker at best,

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Shame really, would have been a great deal for us.

Lita's all about the money, wants to big signing on fee of a bosman.

Still think we need a striker with the potential to be better than Hunt. Lita not leaving will be our excuse not to do so.

Your complaining about Hunt with 12 goals so far!! How many other clubs would welcome a striker with that strike rate. Almost as good a bargain as Doyle was!

No I just don't think Lita or Long can replace them and produce at the same level.

[Thaumagurist*]

The scenario I imagined was:-

Sheff U: How much for Lita?
RFC: A million (or whatever)
Sheff U: OK, done
RFC: Right, we'll put it to the player
...
RFC: Sheff U want you for a million. Interested?
Leroy: Nah, I'll wait till the summer
RFC: OK...
...
RFC: Sorry, guys, he's not interested


Somewhere in there, no doubt Sheff U representatives contacted Leroy's agent but weren't able to muster his request for all the tea in China to tempt him away from potential Premier League and/or being a free agent in the summer.

I rather imagine it was like this:

RING, RING
SU Manager: "Hello, is this the Reading director of football or the manager?"
Hammond: "This is the director of football speaking"
SU Manager: "We want Leroy Lita. Is he available?"
Hammond: "Possibly. It depends on the variables. Such as if he wants to move and how much you're offering."
SU Manager: "How does a cool million sound?"
Hammond: "We'll speak to the player". CLICK

A day later Hammond rings up the SU manager
RING, RING
Hammond: "Hi, is this the Sheffield United Manager?"
SU Manager: "Speaking."
Hammond: "We have spoken to the player and he has expressed a desire to stay at Reading, so we will not be accepting your offer."
SU Manager: "Ah, that's a crying shame...."
Hammond: "So, you see, that's the situation. Have a good day."
SU Manager: "Yeah, you too." CLICK

[Stranded]

Ah, I see that we didn't actually accept the bid. Why do other sources insist on making up stories?

From their point of view we had accepted it. If Leroy had said yes, he would have gone.

While I agree with your second sentence, I disagree with the idea that their point of view is that we had accepted it. Lita said no and we're obviously not keen on letting a player, who wants to stay, go, so I'd say that we hadn't accepted the bid at that point. We probably said "Thank you for the offer, we'll speak to the player." before coming back and saying "I'm afraid that the player does not wish to move, so we'll be turning down the offer."

I disagree, we have turned down bids out of hand before. The fact that we put it to the player means that we were happy to do business if the player chose to pursue the move - that is tantamount to accepting the bid.

[Alan Partridge]

i think Lita and N Hunt when both playing at their best there isn't that much between them. I think Lita could come in and do a decent job. He's more confident now, the team as a wholeis more confident and playing better than they were at the start of the season, so if and when needed I think Lita could contribute. Currently N Hunt is theman in posession, he scored the other day, generally speaking he has performed very well alongside Doyle this season and they will continue almost certainly unless we have an injury or suspension.

Lita would start for the majority of teams in this division so to have him as 3rd choice but hopefully like on friday used more off the bench and in the squad improves the squad for me and puts us in a stronger position. I see no harm in having both Lita and Long as subs.

[brendywendy]

would have been a good deal from our point of view, in financial terms any way
but would have been slightly disapointed to see him go to a rival, and sad to see him go, cos i like the bloke-eyebrows and gangsta limp notwithstanding

as it his, hes rebuffed their offer, and rightly so, and whether its to get him riches in the summer, or because he really wants to play for us, is irrelevant. all that matters is that hes here, hes fired up, and ready to pounce if either other striker go off the boil.

weve always said if an offers made, and we deem it a viable ammount, its always put to the player
it was, and he didnt like the idea, end of

[loyalroyal4life]

quality news. ssc best start him against blades when they come mad stad

[loyalroyal4life]

The fact that the Blades have made this public is quite political.

If you look at the context of the overall article it is a defensive club statement trying to justify the sale of Beattie to less than amused fans, much in the same way that we would have to do if/when we sell Doyle or Shunt in the current window, or Wolves would have to do if Kightly/Ebanks-Blake were sold etc etc.

Reading between the lines (no pun intended) they had no choice but to sell because of parachute payments ending and the greater economic picture. I also suspect Beattie wanted to go otherwise the £6m or so they have saved/made in fees and wages looks small change in comparison to the rewards for promotion.

The fact that they have made the Lita bid public suggests that it is dead in that they can't afford him and/or he doesn't want to go to another Championship club permanently. If there was still a chance the Blades would not have alerted to the fact that a deal is there for the doing. They are just trying to convince their fans that they aren't going to pocket (all) of the Beattie cash and there is still ambition.

I'm not sure Coppell and Hammond will be quite so amused that this has been made public given the moves over the last week to try and get Lita to buckle down for the promo push?

Spot on with your analysis

[Gordons Cumming]

........................ and Lee Croft, the right winger, has done well this season despite looking like a pub player. .

[TBM]

Lita wont want to move up north, he's a southern boy!

[bigmike]

Shame really, would have been a great deal for us.

Lita's all about the money, wants to big signing on fee of a bosman.

Still think we need a striker with the potential to be better than Hunt. Lita not leaving will be our excuse not to do so.

Your complaining about Hunt with 12 goals so far!! How many other clubs would welcome a striker with that strike rate. Almost as good a bargain as Doyle was!

Shirley you are joking? Nhunt has been good, but he is a good championship striker at best,

You have been watching him for half a season and you already know that hes a good championship striker at best??????

Is this the same young hungry striker who was written off at the start of the season because he was signed from a mid range SPL side???



If he keeps improving at the rate he is I suspect that Robbie Keane may find his international starts a bit limited

[Royal Rother]

When can they expect to get their £35m from West Ham?

[winchester_royal]

ALOL.

Getting a bit carried away there i'm afraid....

[SteveRoyal]

Who cares how it happened?
Lita's staying.
Yay.

[Wycombe Royal]

Lita wont want to move up north, he's a southern boy!

Lita will go where the money is.

[Wizard]

Brilliant. I really hope he signs a new contract if we go up.

[Royal With Cheese]

Shirley you are joking? Nhunt has been good, but he is a good championship striker at best,

Yes, straight from the sub-standard SPL. Where will we get them from next? League of Ireland?