Arab takeover interest reported on tribalfootball.com

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

Blimey, I've never read so much in ages.... and I'm even more confused with some of the most thoughtful, considered opinions for and againstr the motion.

Take out all the cheap, racist swipes and this thread breathes new life and vigour in to HNA. Good job.

.... but having lived in the Middle East for 12 years and worked in a public affairs consultancy role with every GCC government, I do agree with strap... again.

[Ryn]

New owners, new era.

Bring it on.

If the tickets or pies get too expensive, there's too many kids in the stadium, or too many people dancing to Tom Hark, we can all go watch Maidenhead United, surely?

[(.)Boobies(.)]

At the end of the day, we can carry on being an average 'little' club with the odd year in the top flight every 10-15 years, and go up and down the lower divisions as has been the case here at Reading, or we can take this so called gamble and see what happens.
Do you want to be average forever? Maybe you do. Yet look at all the booing and crying here every week because we are average!
Or do you want to take a chance and try and match the bigger clubs and play in the top flight week in week out?

I'd rather we took that chance.

[Ian Herring]

What a fantastic contribution to the debate! Why do you resort to such depths? I would rather support park football than consider myself a fellow fan of the likes of you.

Ian would never have a go at me like that, my assesment was bang on (as Charlie said to Maverick whilst arguing by her car in top gun), what i said almost amounted to 'i love you', in a mong type of way.

Dear Mr. Irascible,

yes, I am afraid Focher was merely being 'affectionate'. And I did get my quotes in the wrong order. Although in that regard I was waiting for Thaumagurist to correct me first, being the board's resident grammar and formatting master.

But he was 'Foch-ed off', so to speak.

Good day to you all.

[Royalwaster]

At the end of the day, we can carry on being an average 'little' club with the odd year in the top flight every 10-15 years, and go up and down the lower divisions as has been the case here at Reading, or we can take this so called gamble and see what happens.
Do you want to be average forever? Maybe you do. Yet look at all the booing and crying here every week because we are average!
Or do you want to take a chance and try and match the bigger clubs and play in the top flight week in week out?

I'd rather we took that chance.

I think it would be quite nice to walk around in a Reading shirt and people not to laugh in your face, but instead to say 'How are Kaka and Ronaldo getting on at Reading?'

[Dirk Gently]

At the end of the day, we can carry on being an average 'little' club with the odd year in the top flight every 10-15 years, and go up and down the lower divisions as has been the case here at Reading, or we can take this so called gamble and see what happens.
Do you want to be average forever? Maybe you do. Yet look at all the booing and crying here every week because we are average!
Or do you want to take a chance and try and match the bigger clubs and play in the top flight week in week out?

I'd rather we took that chance.

To be honest it'd be pretty irrelevant to me - if that happened the n more than likely the last few final threads of connectivity between me and Reading FC - and the feeling that I had a link to the club as a stakeholder rather than being a faceless customer - would be broken, so what happened to them wouldn't make any difference to me any more.

Put another way - who would be this "we" that you talk about?

[Seal]

Have I missed something or haven't these rumour been dimissed as a load of b0llocks anyway?

Reading chairman Sir John Madejski has denied speculation he is close to selling the Championship club.

Reports today had linked the Royals with an £80million takeover from a Middle Eastern consortium but Madejski - who bought the club in 1990 - has denied any deal is close.

He told the club's official website, http://www.readingfc.co.uk: "To suggest the club is close to being sold is simply inaccurate.

"I have never made any secret of the fact I would sell if somebody with deep pockets was to come along and if it was right for the club.

"But let me say for the record the stories suggesting we are close to selling are simply not true."

Surely this is just a case of lazy journo + Madjeski looking for a buyer + trend for middle eastern investment = Reading being sold to some arabs.

Add in Winchester Royal's "source" who was apparently working on this deal and you have 9 pages of debate.

So Winchester - who is the liar? You or Madjeski?

[Wycombe Royal]

Have I missed something or haven't these rumour been dimissed as a load of b0llocks anyway?

Reading chairman Sir John Madejski has denied speculation he is close to selling the Championship club.

Reports today had linked the Royals with an £80million takeover from a Middle Eastern consortium but Madejski - who bought the club in 1990 - has denied any deal is close.

He told the club's official website, http://www.readingfc.co.uk: "To suggest the club is close to being sold is simply inaccurate.

"I have never made any secret of the fact I would sell if somebody with deep pockets was to come along and if it was right for the club.

"But let me say for the record the stories suggesting we are close to selling are simply not true."

Surely this is just a case of lazy journo + Madjeski looking for a buyer + trend for middle eastern investment = Reading being sold to some arabs.

Add in Winchester Royal's "source" who was apparently working on this deal and you have 9 pages of debate.

So Winchester - who is the liar? You or Madjeski?

Madejski did not deny that he wasn't in current negotiations, he just denied that he is CLOSE to selling.

[Stranded]

Neither could be lying. All SJM has denied is that a deal is imminent, not that one is in the pipeline.

Could be that journo's have got wind of talks beginning and simply jumped the gun.

[winchester_royal]

Have I missed something or haven't these rumour been dimissed as a load of b0llocks anyway?

Reading chairman Sir John Madejski has denied speculation he is close to selling the Championship club.

Reports today had linked the Royals with an £80million takeover from a Middle Eastern consortium but Madejski - who bought the club in 1990 - has denied any deal is close.

He told the club's official website, http://www.readingfc.co.uk: "To suggest the club is close to being sold is simply inaccurate.

"I have never made any secret of the fact I would sell if somebody with deep pockets was to come along and if it was right for the club.

"But let me say for the record the stories suggesting we are close to selling are simply not true."

Surely this is just a case of lazy journo + Madjeski looking for a buyer + trend for middle eastern investment = Reading being sold to some arabs.

Add in Winchester Royal's "source" who was apparently working on this deal and you have 9 pages of debate.

So Winchester - who is the liar? You or Madjeski?

Madejski only said nothing is 'close', not that negotiations have not taken place.

Once again......two weeks ago the deal was set to go through, but Madejski got cold feet as he wasn't sure of the Arabs' background, and was probably feeling sentimental about leaving the club. Now talks are still on-going, but it appears that nothing will happen for at least a month. Hence SJM refuting claims that a sale was imminent.

[Norfolk Royal]

Tell us more about these Arabs and they're alleged suitability or otherwise then Winchester as you seem to be in the know.

Any names in the frame?

[winchester_royal]

Tell us more about these Arabs and they're alleged suitability or otherwise then Winchester as you seem to be in the know.

Any names in the frame?

I'm not 'in the know'. All I do know is what I just put up on my last post. It's meant to be on the down low, but now all the papers have caught hold of it I'd though I'd share my limited information.

Next time I won't bother.

[Seal]

Yes I saw that 'get out' as well. However, all seems a little convinient for me: British club is available for buy, therefore it must be some arabs who are buying them etc etc

I read Madjeski's comments as "we have a few interested parties but no one has made me an offer I can't refuse yet"

We'll see. Let's just say for the record I have serious doubts we will be in the hands of Middle Eastern investors any time soon.

[Norfolk Royal]

Tell us more about these Arabs and they're alleged suitability or otherwise then Winchester as you seem to be in the know.

Any names in the frame?

I'm not 'in the know'. All I do know is what I just put up on my last post. It's meant to be on the down low, but now all the papers have caught hold of it I'd though I'd share my limited information.

Next time I won't bother.

I was just suggesting that you seem to be more in the know than anyone else, that's all. There's no need for a devil face.

[winchester_royal]

Tell us more about these Arabs and they're alleged suitability or otherwise then Winchester as you seem to be in the know.

Any names in the frame?

I'm not 'in the know'. All I do know is what I just put up on my last post. It's meant to be on the down low, but now all the papers have caught hold of it I'd though I'd share my limited information.

Next time I won't bother.

I was just suggesting that you seem to be more in the know than anyone else, that's all. There's no need for a devil face.

It wasn't towards you. Just others who have questioned my 'reliablitity'.

Yes I saw that 'get out' as well. However, all seems a little convinient for me: British club is available for buy, therefore it must be some arabs who are buying them etc etc

I read Madjeski's comments as "we have a few interested parties but no one has made me an offer I can't refuse yet"

We'll see. Let's just say for the record I have serious doubts we will be in the hands of Middle Eastern investors any time soon.

It may all be 'too convenient' in your eyes. But there's a reason so many papers picked up on the story..

[ZacNaloen]

From a US perspective having "grown-up" on the franchise concept, I think the EPL is not a place where there's real money to be had except for a few. I don't buy the idea that it's good business to try and turn an "ugly duckling" into a swan as there's really no good financial protection for the investment. Read: relegation.

For the record, I wasn't suggesting there was.

I was alluding to the same thing Strap was.

That at the moment it's currently fashionable to buy small clubs and do them up, rather than buy big clubs and make them bigger.

That could change, I don't particularly want reading fc caught up in it. But then, it may be the real deal. Who knows. Only Madejski can make that judgement, and I don't think he's cut his losses and run like that. In fact I think he said exactly the opposite at one point.


Madejski is a philanthropist, I'd much rather have one of those in charge. Problem is that there is only one philanthropist with any connection to Reading FC and we already have him.

[royal_cornwall]

If this goes through the moaners will have driven out both SC & SJM.

Honestly, do you really believe this?

Given that Coppell and JM both were making noises of wanting to "take a break" or sell up" during the good times, it does seem a tad unlikely that they were driven out.


The moaners will still be here though.

"We've only spent £1.3 billion on players this year. Call that ambition? He's got £500 billion in the bank. What another billion to him? To my mind, he's just here to take money out of the club to prop up his oil business."

Too right i'd be moaning....£500 billion and only spent £1.3 billion

[Dirk Gently]

So what happens when all 20 clubs in the PL have an oil-billionaire behind them? The bottom three clubns will still get relegated ....

[ZacNaloen]

So what happens when all 20 clubs in the PL have an oil-billionaire behind them? The bottom three clubns will still get relegated ....

It's more just a case that you need more money now in order to compete at the top, although i'm not convinced Madejski doesn't still have sufficient money to support the club.

[(.)Boobies(.)]

So what happens when all 20 clubs in the PL have an oil-billionaire behind them? The bottom three clubns will still get relegated ....

It's more just a case that you need more money now in order to compete at the top, although i'm not convinced Madejski doesn't still have sufficient money to support the club.

Estimated to be in the region of over £300m (?), but that is small fry if he was to subsidise a competitive wage bill and some millions per transfer window to take this football club back up and then stay there. He would literally have to throw his money away at something he no longer wants too. He's a business man, he wont just throw money away he has worked so hard for.
He has achieved everything here he dreamed of. It's time to hand over the reins to someone with deeper pockets, as he says, and then they can 'hopefully' take us forward.