Tommy Smith - Gazumped by Pompey - Thread

[Deathy]

A club can be shrewd and conservative in the transfer market but this is embarrassing.

The guy is proven at this level and for some other clubs he is seen to be decent enough signing in the epl, his price is above £1m and below £2m end of.

Still reckon near the end of the window we will have a chance of signing him if he is still at watford as they cannot refuse £800k off their wage bill and at least £1m plus in the bank.

800k off the wage bill? Watford forum seem to think he's on nearer 20k a week and if anything, he'd have to take a cut to come here.

[starbug]

Why didn't Russo keep his mouth shut ? Or at most simply say the deal is off, he sounds like a pathetic child telling stories in the playground - no wonder Reading like to keep transfers quiet.

I'm glad we've pulled out, a 29 year old just doesn't fit in with such a young squad. By the time this team is in its prime (2 years+) we'll need to replace him anyway.

[winchester_royal]

Look elsewhere for the moment. Watford are taking the piss, and we shouldn't seem vulnerable to it.

Plenty of other decent strikers out there. I'm thinking Beckford or Simeon Jackson at the moment.

[clauski]

You haven't said anything that hasn't already been said correctly on all 103 of the others threads on this

[West Stand Flash]

Why didn't Russo keep his mouth shut ? Or at most simply say the deal is off, he sounds like a pathetic child telling stories in the playground - no wonder Reading like to keep transfers quiet.

I'm glad we've pulled out, a 29 year old just doesn't fit in with such a young squad. By the time this team is in its prime (2 years+) we'll need to replace him anyway.

At what point have we been quiet??? We have been worse than Man City over Lescott, but the only difference is, they put the £££'s where their mouths are, Tightarse Madejski won't do that. Pr*ck.

[yuomi]

Didn't BR say Smith wanted to come here before we'd made an offer? He might not have done, I'm just asking. In any event, he certainly said it when we'd only made a "derisory offer" of £750k, when we knew they were asking £1.8 million.

Before an offer was accepted in any case, and what a naive move that was. I hope in future he keeps his big mouth shut.

i think what it goes to show is that BR isnt that experienced. i dont know what part of him thought it was a good idea to come out with a statement like that. straight away that boosted smith's pricetag and gave russo a chance to recoup some of the face lost on BR coming to us in the first place.

[Pseud O'Nym]

Given that the evidence available to us suggests that Brendan covets the player and Reading have netted circa £11m with the sales of Doyle, Hunt and Bikey - not to mention the huge wage savings that go with that, I have to say I was surprised when they said that they were no longer interested in signing Tommy because of a clause that is commonplace in transfers today.

So, in essence, he's saying “You're worth a bob or two so it's only fair that we should fleece you”. It's a point of view I suppose but as far as I can see the only way RFC should value a player is by his potential worth to RFC, what the hell does how much we sold Doyle, Hunt and Bikey for have to do with it?

[Super_horns]

Personally if it was only 1 million up front and 800k based on promotion I am glad we'd rejected it anyway.

[Deathy]

So after various comments from Russo, Madjeski, Rodgers, Mackay and the media for many weeks, leaving Reading looking pathetic and rather tight, do you think Tommy Smith is actually worth the drama and embarressment inflicted on our club and which has left for an increasing number of fans calling for Madjeski's head? Or do you think it'll all be worth it if we get TS who could kickstart out season or be a big flop?

Even Nicky Hammond is bored of these threads.

[eleventh earl of mar]

I find it hard to believe everyone bar royalrother and 11th earl are taking this spin at face value. I don'T think these negotiations are over. I think russo is trying to embarass the deal out of us. Get the Reading fans on the club's back and watch all the clauses melt away. I couldn't comment on how they do business, he says after commenting about our business. They've got all this money but don't want to give hardup little watford any.we've had interest from big clubs not crappy litle Reading - oh yeah where are the offers? Why suddenly is mad the focus not Hammond? This smacks of a personal dislike between two egomaniac chairmen and the signing is bound to get sorted.

Read the very first sentence in my first post. It very clearly states that I am on neither side of the arguement. This is because I was not in any of the meetings and actually do not believe anything from either of the clubs.

[Deathy]

You haven't said anything that hasn't already been said on all 103 of the others threads on this.

And it was Halford, not Harford. Also I don't believe we made a profit on Fae.

At the very least we got our money back.

No we didn't.

[floyd__streete]

I'm thinking Beckford

I'm thinking - as usual - that Winchester must be twinned with Cloud Cuckoo Land. Leeds would want £3 million+ for Beckford. Would Reading pay that?

[2.8 lita injection]

What you guys have to recognise is that the Mills deal is full of add ons. RFC in no way have paid £2million. Doncaster just happened to agree to the deal when we upped the amount for the first installment.

The Madman is never going to pay out big money and that is why he is taking the Royals in the wrong direction. He will certainly be looking to scam any potential buyer if they are mugs to pay.

I wonder what he is actually selling? Does it include the stadia, training ground, hotel complex etc I bet it is only the RFC franchise which frankly at present is pretty worthless.

Real facts.

Indeed, i fed up with the posts saying we spent £2m on a player, RFC paid £1.1m in instalments with add ons that wont happen, FACT.

[Arch]

I was told on Friday by a Reading representative that Sir John Madejski has withdrawn Reading from the race to sign Tommy and that they are moving on to other targets.

This weasly little remark without attribution was enough to set off our whole board into fits of apoplexy. Good job, Russo. WUM extraordinaire - I think we've got a place for you on HNA.

[Deathy]

I'm thinking Beckford

I'm thinking - as usual - that Winchester must be twinned with Cloud Cuckoo Land. Leeds would want £3 million+ for Beckford. Would Reading pay that?

Of course we would. We're ambitious. £1.5m up front with lots and lots and lots of add ons.

[winchester_royal]

I'm thinking Beckford

I'm thinking - as usual - that Winchester must be twinned with Cloud Cuckoo Land. Leeds would want £3 million+ for Beckford. Would Reading pay that?

Yes.

Unlike Smith he is a reasonable investment for that kind of money.

[Rax]

Utter. Shambles.

[07RFC]

So after various comments from Russo, Madjeski, Rodgers, Mackay and the media for many weeks, leaving Reading looking pathetic and rather tight, do you think Tommy Smith is actually worth the drama and embarressment inflicted on our club and which has left for an increasing number of fans calling for Madjeski's head? Or do you think it'll all be worth it if we get TS who could kickstart out season or be a big flop?

Even Nicky Hammond is bored of these threads.

Then maybe Nicky Hammond should stop reading them and get a job.

[Muskrat]

Frankly RFC should just come out officially and say that we are no longer interested in Tommy Smith. He is a good player and we wish him well and wish Jimmy Russo & Watford well for the rest of the season.

In no way should we be crawling to a Hertfordshire pikey who grows lettuce for a living.

Those are the facts and SDR says the deal is offfffffffff and I mean offfffffffffffffff

I'm amused that this bit of prescience has been overlooked. For a change, I wholeheartedly agreed with Dodge when I read it. Massive LOL @ the people lapping up every word of what Russo says as though it's the friggin Bible. The guy has played the whole deal in public from the moment he came out in the press and called our first offer 'derisory'. For him to be preaching about "negotiating in a quiet and discreet manner" in the midst of this incontinent rant is the height of hypocrisy. No chance of that being noticed by people who'll use anything, but anything, is a stick to beat Madejski.

It wasn't overlooked by everyone. I intimated my own agreement with it (top of page 37). Also agree with your further comments.

[winchester_royal]

Utter. Shambles.

Excellent. Use. Of. Full. Stops. To. Exaggerate. Point.