Could we be involved in a relegation battle?

[Ian Royal]

Could we? Yes.

Will we? No.

We have a lot of talented youth and some quality experience. Not just Championship experience either. We've got a fair bit of decent Prem experience left. We've got an exciting young manager. Exciting young players and enough quality left to be alright.

We have holes, but they aren't nearly as gaping as Sidwell and Little's the season we got relegated. We've at least got lower midtable options for all positions. As opposed to some midtable players and some holes with lower league players filling in.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Relegation struggle, always a possibility, and if certain players do not come up with the good consistantly then we could easily struggle.

We really need the youngsters to come good and step up to the mark as well, if the gamble on youth is wrong we will struggle, as otherwise the squad is quite thin of experienced established players at RFC.

[PEARCEY]

When was the last time we panic bought?

Fair point - last time we did that in March 1998 Tommy Burns signed seven absolute turkeys on deadline day and we went on to finish dead last . I think Mr Madj learned a lesson from those days!

The interesting thing is that for all the bantering, WUMming and wind-ups on the forum this summer we haven't really got a bloody clue how we'll do have we? We've all bemoaned the lack of academy products over the past decade and although the timing of this batch of supposedly prodigious ralents is somewhat suspicious I guess they deserve their chance if - for whatever reason - the club has decided to rely on our home grown players next season.

Thats true Floyd. The trouble is that an awful lot of faith is being placed on our Academy boys for the season ahead. Yet not one of them has proven they are good enough to hold down a place in the side over a sustained period. That might have been due to Coppell's reluctance to play them. It might be because they were/are not good enough.
I am concerned about the season ahead. If we finish in the play-offs using a lot of the young guns it will be a fine achievement and the future will be very positive...but its a big if.

[Franchise FC]

I think that it is fair to assume that there will be at least 3 teams worse than us this season. Barnsley, Plymouth, Watford, Scunny, and Palace just for starters. We will be fine. Mid table at worst, play-offs at best.

I'm sure I'll be able to find these exact words (changing the team names) from two years ago.

[The Cap]

"Thats true Floyd. The trouble is that an awful lot of faith is being placed on our Academy boys for the season ahead. Yet not one of them has proven they are good enough to hold down a place in the side over a sustained period. That might have been due to Coppell's reluctance to play them. It might be because they were/are not good enough.
I am concerned about the season ahead. If we finish in the play-offs using a lot of the young guns it will be a fine achievement and the future will be very positive...but its a big if."

Can't argue with this prognosis PEARCEY. Good post. Although, personally, I'm more interested than concerned.

[West Stand Flash]

As Madejski has cut the cloth to the bear threads there is only one way our club is going …….. and it isn’t up. FFS the clubs transfer targets are kiddy loan players at best and puppet Hammond can't even secure them . When we are in peril come January the excuse not to buy anyone will be no parachute payments next year and it will be like the last two seasons SELL SELL SELL anyone pocket pocket pocket.

Ambition......... looking forward to the season..........your deluded Madejski

Best post of the year and agree 100%

Agree x 2

[strap]

As Madejski has cut the cloth to the bear threads there is only one way our club is going …….. and it isn’t up. FFS the clubs transfer targets are kiddy loan players at best and puppet Hammond can't even secure them . When we are in peril come January the excuse not to buy anyone will be no parachute payments next year and it will be like the last two seasons SELL SELL SELL anyone pocket pocket pocket.

Ambition......... looking forward to the season..........you're deluded Madejski

Couldn't put it better myself. I just hope that with all this scrimping and saving that Madejski's loans are now all paid off, and the club is debt free. It had bloody better be or else there are serious explanations to be made as to where all the money has actually gone. The accounts to 30 June 2009 will make interesting reading.

The limit of Madejski's ambition is clear - stay in the Championship until all his loans are repaid and a buyer is found. The fans should not delude themselves otherwise.

[Royalee]

No, next.

[blue_army1871]

The season hasn't even started yet! Did any of you think that we were going to take the league by storm in 2005? Very few, if any at all. Even if we have a bit of a dump season and finish 12th or something, it puts us in good stead for the next few years with our younger players earning vital experience. We've all cried for our younger players to get a chance and that's what we're getting. In my honest opinion i feel:

Federici > Hahnemann
Henry > Kebe
Pearce > Bikey
Karacan & Tabb > Cisse & Harper

At least we may not have the players who have done that and got the t-shirt and now have a group of players who are hungary to acheive what the promotion winning team did. This lot have shown us how they can destroy teams in the cup competitions, albeit lower standard, but you can only beat what is put in front of you. If we don't give these guys a chance, they will move on very quickly and prove us wrong like Simon Cox did. They have to be given the chance.

[I was there at Elm Park]

Could we? Yes
Will we? No

I remember thinking when we lost to Charlton in August that they might mount a serious play-off challenge but they ended up being awful so anything could happen. In my view the only reason why we're weaker than last year is losing Doyle. From what I saw of last season: Federici is as good as Hahnemann, Murty never played, Duberry was solid but would never fit in with Rodgers' game plan so Pearce is better a option and Lita has hardly had a positive impact in the last two years so is not a loss. I loved Coppell but everyone could see that it was the right time for him to leave. I fully expect Rodgers to have a positive impact on our club but it might take a year or two (just like it took McGhee, Pardew and Coppell). I think we'll spend most of the season in the top half and may even sneak into the play-offs. We'll play nice football but won't be prolific scorers. Expect us to have a similar year to Swansea's last season. After all we have one of the best keepers in the league, defenders who have proven they can play in the Premier League and a midfield trio of Tabb, Harper and Matejovsky on paper is one of the strongest in the league.

[westendgirl]

Secondly, I strongly believe we are not financially as tight as the club make out to be. I was told from a very professional businessman who has dealt with Mr mad for his madjeski hotel that he has only invested 2 million from his own pocket into the club. I know its a big claim and a lot of you will laugh at this but I believed it. The rest of the money has come from bank loans and shareholders. I'm no expert on business as I've just finished higher education, but if I was to have a guess then maybe why he cant sell the club is because he's asking for big millions for something he's put little into from his own pocket. However, whether true or not, we're still a well run club and we do have some exciting young experienced players that are keen to impress and hopefully take us forward.

I agree with your post in principle but the very professional business man was either pulling your leg or winding you up.

How can the club get money from its shareholders and not SJM when he owns 4.something million shares and the club has a share issue of 4.a little but more shares? This club basically has one major shareholder and that is SJM. From what I understand what he may have been saying is that SJM converted his loans to the club to shareholdings so although there is still a loan outstanding to SJM that is partially interest free and not being repaid (see numerous club policy threads about the published accounts) it is not as big as the amount he has invested in the club. According to the 2008 accounts there was a large bank overdraft that I understand was recalled when we were relegated and hence less free money from the sale of Kitson than people on here assumed and as the 2009 year has only recently finished anyone telling you the current state of affairs is either SJM or guessing!

Back the the thread - we will be where we deserve to be. And that is not a quote from the many fans who believe that their club deserves to be in the premiership just because it once was. It will depend on how we play in comparision to the other championship clubs. And I hope that means we will be in a promotion fight - but then I always was an optimist and will continue to be as it is much more fun lookng forward to a good game than looking back. That will never stop the pessimists but I bet I enjoy football more!

[strap]

Leeds United, challenging for the top-spot in the Premiership
and semi-final of the Champions League, but overspent
and look at them now
Charlton, always well up in the Prem, tried to go a bit higher
and look at them now
This club is soundly run, brilliantly run

and unless things change, we will be brilliantly run ... in the 3rd tier ... just like Leeds and Charlton et al.

Bloody hell, Reading Town is "brilliantly run", so is Tilehurst FC, but they aren't in 2nd tier of English football are they?!?!?

Your point is .... well it has no point!!

[weybridgewanderer]

I think that it is fair to assume that there will be at least 3 teams worse than us this season. Barnsley, Plymouth, Watford, Scunny, and Palace just for starters. We will be fine. Mid table at worst, play-offs at best.

now, why does this sound familiar? when have i heard this " 3 worse teams than us" before?

[Snowball]

Brilliantly run means good finances, a good long-term plan, steadily improving
image, steadily improving facilities, steadily improving commercial activities,
steadily improving "size of club" image/history which takes DECADES to build.


Anyone of any sense can see precisely what the club are doing, and why Brendan Rodgers was always going to get this job.

This is a side in transition, a side with great promise. I fully expect pressure within a season where some of the big boys
come after our starlets.


It's a sign of our progress that we can have figures like 7 Million, 4 million mentioned about Reading players.

[Ian Royal]

Leeds United, challenging for the top-spot in the Premiership
and semi-final of the Champions League, but overspent
and look at them now
Charlton, always well up in the Prem, tried to go a bit higher
and look at them now
This club is soundly run, brilliantly run

and unless things change, we will be brilliantly run ... in the 3rd tier ... just like Leeds and Charlton et al.

Bloody hell, Reading Town is "brilliantly run", so is Tilehurst FC, but they aren't in 2nd tier of English football are they?!?!?

Your point is .... well it has no point!!

That is utter tosh.

[Royalee]

I think this is a thread which'll need to be brought up in 9 months...

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

According to the 2008 accounts there was a large bank overdraft that I understand was recalled when we were relegated and hence less free money from the sale of Kitson than people on here assumed and as the 2009 year has only recently finished anyone telling you the current state of affairs is either SJM or guessing!

well i assumed that Hammond was telling the truth when he said this immediately after Kitson left.

"Once Steve Coppell had decided that it was in the Club's best interests for the deal to be done, it was my task to generate the maximum income," Hammond told the Reading website.

"This has been achieved and the money is now available for Steve to strengthen the squad as and when he sees fit."

though of course it does not sat all the money was available, just the money, easy to interprete as some of it, if the fees were right.

[rg6royal]

LOL @ the person who created this thread

[strap]

and unless things change, we will be brilliantly run ... in the 3rd tier ... just like Leeds and Charlton et al.

Bloody hell, Reading Town is "brilliantly run", so is Tilehurst FC, but they aren't in 2nd tier of English football are they?!?!?

Your point is .... well it has no point!!

That is utter tosh.

What is? The bit about Tilehurst FC? The club was "brilliantly run" in the PL, but that didn't stop us being relegated did it?

[Snowball]

Getting relegated from the Premiership is no big deal. Staying up there is extremely tough.

Running a club well is keeping it financially stable and reaching the highest possible position.

I guess if we suddenly borrowed 50 Million and went up (yippee) we'd be successful, but then
if we didn't stay up we 'd be up the creek without a paddle and doomed to plummet down the leagues.

If we are never going to use the academy kids, what was the academy for?

Using them is right and good, it's just the balance has to be right.

As for the Premiership relegation season we looked bereft of ideas and played way
too much long ball to the central strikers. That is hardly SJM's fault. It was a fault
with the management and coaching decisions.

The point is we survived going up and down and we are still a strong club and now look to be on
a new tack, using and developing youth players. IF the balance is right and we spend a season
challenging in the top six, that will make, for one thing, the RFC Academy more tempting for the
next crop of kids.

Fans are so keen to just say "Spend ten million". It's a mug's game and inflates the market.

If Bikey and Ingi were fit, retained form and staying I doubt we'd need any signings to be top half.