NO LONGER A RUMOUR - Bikey signs for Burnley

[floyd__streete]

he is way overated based soley on the fact he is an Academy product.

Sacrilege . The only way in which our academy could be improved is if Commandant Lasard were to be put in charge.

Great news, glad he's gone.

Yep, no room for decent footballers at Reading, we're well rid.

[floyd__streete]

...if there aren't some major changes between now and the close of the window we will be lucky to stay in this division as we don't look like scoring, we self destruct in defence, and the majority of our players cannot play the expected style when put under pressure.

After 2 games.

Priceless.

Yeah, what we need here is an Overreaction Thread.

[moo]

ＪＯＫＥ

[Bristol Paul]

This is pathetic-thank f&ck I didn't renew my season ticket. What a total, unmitigated disaster the last 2 seasons have been. I was glad to see the back of Coppell and would be glad to see the back of JM. Bikey is total class, unlike the management at this club.

LOL.

I guess you're probably one of those that thinks a headless chicken like SHunt is the sort of player we need.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Shame for Bikey

......Had a feeling he'd go to Everton

[MeMeMe]

This is pathetic-thank f&ck I didn't renew my season ticket. What a total, unmitigated disaster the last 2 seasons have been. I was glad to see the back of Coppell and would be glad to see the back of JM. Bikey is total class, unlike the management at this club.

LOL.

I guess you're probably one of those that thinks a headless chicken like SHunt is the sort of player we need.

He's a healess chicken that scored on Saturday.... then ran around like a headless chicken

[Jerry St Clair]

Bye Bikey, I bloody loved you, I did.

[clauski]

Don't have a problem with Bikey going. Entertaining to watch but a liability also - can't risk that any more with the style Rodgers is planning. Probably a similar issue with Matejovsky though I will be gutted if he goes as I think he's class and we've totally under-utilised him since he joined, and just what we need to actually release some chances for the front...er, one. Any update on why he wasn't in the Newcastle squad, no reassurances of an injury etc?

[Darren Caskey's Dietician]

I have really mixed feelings about this one. I really feel that Bikey could play a massive part this season. He can pass short, and pass long, which in the new system would be one hell of an asset to unleash the 3 going forwards. He's great in the air, and is a threat at corners as well as solid defensively. He makes some excellent last ditch tackles.

Saying that, he is temperamental, and loses his head. But at only 24, I have no doubt the right coaching staff can help him with this. He's young, and still has masses of potential to become a top class player.

£2.8 million isn't bad business, but it's all a bit futile if we don't start reinvesting it. We've looked fragile in the two opening games as a unit. There is a lot of inexperience, and whilst I don't doubt youth in any way, and am glad to see so many kids getting a break, having lost Doobs, Murts, Hahnemann, Doyle and Lita, and only brought in Mills, and Bertrand on loan, I am growing concerned about the lack of experience, and our ability to mix things up as the season goes on if we aren't getting results.

I agree that we need a right winger, an out and out goal scoring striker (Shane still is nowhere near convincing for me. I'd like to see Mooney start at Swansea), and when Bikey goes, I think we will need to look at another defender, as for me, Mills was brought in to replace Doobs. I also think we are in need of another right back who can compete with Rosenior, as I don't think Kelly is good enough yet, and should be sent out on loan.

I really do feel all this selling is futile if we don't look to reinvest some of it. I don't want us to end up like a Leeds or any other overspending disaster, but having got significant amounts of money for Shorey, Fae, Doyle, Kitson, Sonko and Hunt, and having seen Little, Murty, Hahnemann, Sidwell, Lita and Doobs also leave in recent years, which will have lightened our wage bill significantly, and only bringing in Matejovski, NHunt, Armstrong and now Mills, I can't help but think we are getting very weak in terms of strength of depth.

It is great to hear Rodgers say we are still after one or two more, but with Bikey now going, and Harps still a question mark, and with us not having made a convincing start, I really think he needs to look at bolstering the squad with three or four players rather than one or two. Bringing in another Mills type - proven at this level with a bright future, and one or two more experienced heads like a Smith would really boost the squad, and give the kids the players to look up to and more importantly, compete with to get the most from them.

[clauski]

I£2.8 million isn't bad business, but it's all a bit futile if we don't start reinvesting it.

Spot on. We've brought a load of money in, now bite the bullet and pay what Watford want for Smith or risk the consequences of a wholly inexperienced and therefore imbalanced team. The concern being that we've started talking now about "2 or 3 years" and what our young players here are doing and that we therefore may not redress the balance significantly. Great to see youth shine but it needs some balance - in the team not just the squad - too.

[Ian Royal]

Been coming for ages. Not a massive loss. Good luck to him though.

I think the only players who we have/will miss(ed) seriously after their transfers out over the last few years are Sidwell and Doyle. Shorey should be in that category, but we'd effectively lost him at least 6 months previously so I have my doubts abuot how effective he'd have been.

Kitson & Little seems to have been spent forces.
Sonko, Bikey & Hunt whilst all either very talented or very effective on their day, could also be calamitous. They tended to play anyway because of their potential, rather than being dropped because of their mistakes.

Duberry, Murty & Hahnemann, all players without much time left who had been solid, but also had their faults.

Lita - just bad news in general.

Not that, that doesn't mean we didn't need good replacements for a lot of those players. Which for the most part we have or at least have young'uns with the potential to replace them. If not always be as good as those players could have been/were.

[Sarah Star]

Bye big man. Time to take your Reading shirt off for Burnley one last time.

[willz_royal]

Brilliant. With this new money, we can put it into a new player like Tommy Smith!



Yeah right

[The whole year inn]

This is pathetic-thank f&ck I didn't renew my season ticket. What a total, unmitigated disaster the last 2 seasons have been. I was glad to see the back of Coppell and would be glad to see the back of JM. Bikey is total class, unlike the management at this club.

LOL.

Why was Rodgers so desperate to keep hold of him then?

Watch our centre backs have another stormer against Swansea tomorrow night, then kid yourself that you wouldn't want Bikey starting

[clauski]

I wouldn't want Bikey starting.

[The whole year inn]

I wouldn't want Bikey starting.

True. God forbid RFC start anyone that weighs more than 8 stone

[Woodcote Royal]

You know, personally speaking I really don't think it's a bad thing anymore. The first two games of this season I have really enjoyed, i can't remember the last time i said that about Reading. This place needed a face lift and it's got it. Rodgers way is pleasing on the eye and he's got a team full of young, hungry, enthusiastic youngsters that want to be here and want to play. The mercenaries are slowly being wittled down and no longer is there a clique in terms of who plays. I am actually starting to like some of the individuals that play for the team again! Always helps.

I am expecting nothing in terms of 'success' this year, top 6 I think is a pipe dream but it's not the end of the world. The benefit these young lads will get from 1-2 years of first team football at this level will be enormous. Pearce already looks a $million, he really looks the part. He is almost our John Terry in lots of ways.

We've got two outstanding young goalkeepers waiting in the wings, the emergence of the likes of Davies, Sigurdsson and Robson Kanu, and now Bignall. All the top players started somewhere and we may have just found our own rough diamonds without having to spend the excessive money that certain teams have on lets face it fairly mediocre players.

If we can finish say 10th-11th, have a half decent cup run and find 5-6 players that could genuinely contribute to a promotion winning squad next season, whilst continuing to play decent football then this season would have been a huge success.

Great post, could have written it myself.

In fact I probably have ad nauseam for a couple of years. If we stop looking at instant Premiership gratification as the be-all and end-all then the future for this football club is incredibly bright.

The band is growing.

+3

Not surprised that AP has seen the light but having read this thread, getting the rest of the fan base on board could be one long, hard slog

I can't believe that so many are surprised to see Bikey leave.

The only money we've spent this summer was £2m on one of the best young centre halves in the Championship. Whatever BR may have said, we were only waiting for the right offer.

Very best of luck for the future, Andre................... I hope Burnley give you the chance in the top flight you were denied here.

[LUX]

I really hope you lot are right. I am an eternal RTG and always trust the club (probably stupidly), but I do worry about our general trajectory.

[Royal Rother]

It is NOT stupid to trust the club.

Has anything been done over the last 20 years that has not been done in good faith as in the best interests of the club? People might disagree with decisions made but it WOULD be stupid to think they have been made with some other interest at heart.

[Archies Volley II]

+3

Not surprised that AP has seen the light but having read this thread, getting the rest of the fan base on board could be one long, hard slog

I can't believe that so many are surprised to see Bikey leave.

The only money we've spent this summer was £2m on one of the best young centre halves in the Championship. Whatever BR may have said, we were only waiting for the right offer.

Very best of luck for the future, Andre................... I hope Burnley give you the chance in the top flight you were denied here.

+4

Might as well nail my colours to the mast............