Mcd says we haven't got any cash....

[Royal Lady]

Only once I think. But he seemed to bang them in for Norwich when we sent him there on loan. So he can't be completely useless.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Only once I think. But he seemed to bang them in for Norwich when we sent him there on loan. So he can't be completely useless.

3 goals in 9 games?

Alol

[facaldaqui]

For the fruits of that investment to properly manifest itself into the club's Balance Sheet it has to break the cycle of spending to fill every gap that appears in the established 1st team squad and let evolution take place. If time shows that we are patently lacking then someone will be brought in to strengthen the squad. It has ever been thus...

It would be better to see in advance what is lacking than wait until it causes problems. Otherwise, we could end up the way we did last year and have to bring defenders in on loan during the winter window. Madejski may want to cut the cloth, but he'll cough up if we're in danger of relegation--which is a bit like shutting the door after the horse has bolted.

I assume McDermott intends to use Gunnarsson at CB if--as always happens sooner or later--we run out of options, and not a young player from the reserves.

[Royal Lady]

Only once I think. But he seemed to bang them in for Norwich when we sent him there on loan. So he can't be completely useless.

3 goals in 9 games?

Alol

Only 3? Really? I thought I used to see that he was scoring on a fair few Saturday's when I was watching Jeff Stelling.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Money on the mind...

[rob the royal]

The fact is that every club outside of possibly the top 6 or 7 clubs in the Premier League are in the same situation as ourselves. Look at Aston Villa...

I'll ignore that because needing pots of cash to build a squad capable of keeping a team in european football and needing one player to give your club a more complete squad in terms of being able to cope with key injuries is a bit of a difference...

RFC is doing a brilliant job of developing its youngsters into valuable assets. THAT is the way forward for all clubs. We are ahead of our time in that respect. We probably have little or no liabilities for recent incoming transfers - we probably have little or no sell-on clauses (Mills apart?) that would take big chunks out of any future sales that might take place. The Academy produces wholly owned players who are real, unencumbered assets of a club. If they aren't quite good enough for the level we play at then they are moved on and another youngster takes their place. To have 6 or 7 comparitive regulars in this year's 1st team, and another 6 or 7 also likely to feature, all having come through the Academy, shows the wisdom of the policies implemented as a long-term vision a decade ago, and of the investments that have been made.

Agreed.

For the fruits of that investment to properly manifest itself into the club's Balance Sheet it has to break the cycle of spending to fill every gap that appears in the established 1st team squad and let evolution take place. If time shows that we are patently lacking then someone will be brought in to strengthen the squad. It has ever been thus...

But surely the position that most people on here seem to be at least slightly concerned about is centre half - this is not a position that we are likely to be able to fill from our Academy right now. As I've said before if any of the Academy centre backs were even close to being ready they'd have squad numbers - especially considering the likes of D'Ath and Obita are getting them now.

The manager obviously knows it's an area of concern and that's why we played Griffin and Gunnarsson there - the problem with having to use Griffin at centre back would be you then have to use someone else at right back and our defence starts to look patchwork. If there is not even enough money to find someone to come in on loan (it doesn't have to be Zurab) then we are going to end up, as I said, as a club that relies on selling it's best players or on training Academy players for the first team - if that is the future I for one think that it will eventually end in the demise of the club unless alternative investment (i.e. a new owner can be found).

That isn't to say get lost Madejski - we all know he wants to sell anyway - just that things really aren't as rosy as the club makes out with it's 'we have premiership ambition' and 'the financial future of the club is secure' talk. We're told the money isn't there - it just doesn't exist - in that case were we to lose say Mills for the season and Ivar for a few months we'd only have Pearce left plus Griffin and Bryn and we would have to make do. Considering the fact that a very similar squad albeit under a different manager could have got us relegated last year surely just the possibilty of having such a makeshift defence would be a cause for some serious concern? Especially when some of the teams that were rubbish last season may well be considerably better this season and the teams that have come up look reasonably strong too.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

The fact is that every club outside of possibly the top 6 or 7 clubs in the Premier League are in the same situation as ourselves. Look at Aston Villa...

I'll ignore that because needing pots of cash to build a squad capable of keeping a team in european football and needing one player to give your club a more complete squad in terms of being able to cope with key injuries is a bit of a difference...

RFC is doing a brilliant job of developing its youngsters into valuable assets. THAT is the way forward for all clubs. We are ahead of our time in that respect. We probably have little or no liabilities for recent incoming transfers - we probably have little or no sell-on clauses (Mills apart?) that would take big chunks out of any future sales that might take place. The Academy produces wholly owned players who are real, unencumbered assets of a club. If they aren't quite good enough for the level we play at then they are moved on and another youngster takes their place. To have 6 or 7 comparitive regulars in this year's 1st team, and another 6 or 7 also likely to feature, all having come through the Academy, shows the wisdom of the policies implemented as a long-term vision a decade ago, and of the investments that have been made.

Agreed.

For the fruits of that investment to properly manifest itself into the club's Balance Sheet it has to break the cycle of spending to fill every gap that appears in the established 1st team squad and let evolution take place. If time shows that we are patently lacking then someone will be brought in to strengthen the squad. It has ever been thus...

But surely the position that most people on here seem to be at least slightly concerned about is centre half - this is not a position that we are likely to be able to fill from our Academy right now. As I've said before if any of the Academy centre backs were even close to being ready they'd have squad numbers - especially considering the likes of D'Ath and Obita are getting them now.

The manager obviously knows it's an area of concern and that's why we played Griffin and Gunnarsson there - the problem with having to use Griffin at centre back would be you then have to use someone else at right back and our defence starts to look patchwork. If there is not even enough money to find someone to come in on loan (it doesn't have to be Zurab) then we are going to end up, as I said, as a club that relies on selling it's best players or on training Academy players for the first team - if that is the future I for one think that it will eventually end in the demise of the club unless alternative investment (i.e. a new owner can be found).

That isn't to say get lost Madejski - we all know he wants to sell anyway - just that things really aren't as rosy as the club makes out with it's 'we have premiership ambition' and 'the financial future of the club is secure' talk. We're told the money isn't there - it just doesn't exist - in that case were we to lose say Mills for the season and Ivar for a few months we'd only have Pearce left plus Griffin and Bryn and we would have to make do. Considering the fact that a very similar squad albeit under a different manager could have got us relegated last year surely just the possibilty of having such a makeshift defence would be a cause for some serious concern? Especially when some of the teams that were rubbish last season may well be considerably better this season and the teams that have come up look reasonably strong too.

Pretty hard to argue with that. Sure Brenders will have a few bombs to drop though....

[rob the royal]

Pretty hard to argue with that. Sure Brenders will have a few bombs to drop though....

Very possibly, although I think we're actually pretty much in agreement...

[Northern Git]

Sorry to butt in here gentlemen, but the £11 million spent on stadium facilities included the expansion of the hotel, did it not?

probably- as id include that in stadium/facilities

this is the same hotel that gives the business millions back each year though

Yes but not the business, Reading FC ltd, that most supporters would imagine that the hotel and Madejski Stadium part of Reading FC Holdings supports. JM has made it clear in a recent interview that he is able to chuck money ( thought to be £86,000,000 in a recent Telegraph article!) at his struggling print business because other of his companies are producing revenue.

His actual quote was, in response to a question by the interviewer Jo Francis

Q. So you can carry on funding the businesses that need funding?
A. Absolutely, yes. We’ve got many assets that are still producing revenue. Malaysian Motor Trader is one of them, this [Madejski Stadium] is another, the Royal Palm Hotel in the Galapagos… that’s the only five-star hotel in the Galapagos Islands.

I would be most interested to see how he is transferring revenue from one business to support others, not seen anything in the accounts that show this.

[Royal Rother]

All fair comments Rob, but, no matter what has been said publicly, and no matter what the club's policies are, we do know that if Mills and Ingi are both out for months we will get someone in. 100% certain.

[Agent Balti]

The main issue with Madejski's pre-season diatribes is that it is blatant marketing. OK, it's not necessarily marketing to get bums on seats. Generally, you're either going to pay up for your ST or your not. You'll go to a few games or not. Or you won't go at all. It's just bluster and to say anything else, realistic or not, is just not his way. His way is "we'll get the best for what we can". He just has to use 'best' within his sentence to use that clever marketing brain of his. I paraphrase, but that's just how it goes. And besides, we've all seen thru the "this is a statement of our intent blah blah" vibe by now, surely?

The worst of it all to me is that everyone who keeps half an eye on the club knows where we are deficient. Yet we've not even trialled a cheeky free transfer on someone semi-rated from anywhere, just to get a body in. There seems to have been no effort to go beyond Mills/Pearce, with Ingi backing up when he's ready. Doesn't quite smack of the "statement of intent" we're constantly spun. Now Mills is crocked and we're shuffling players to fit square pegs in round holes and then praising Gunnarsson for valiantly filling in. Seriously, is this how 'well run' we are these days?

OK, it's not an utter disaster and we're too good to be anywhere near the bottom 3. It's just a shame that we're not given the realism until we've lost at home to a lesser light team and seem to be back up our problems before playing a Division 2 side that just so happens hasn't conceded a goal in ages...in case it all goes tits up.

If we sold any of our current 'stars' before the window ends, it wouldn't surprise me. If we didn't sign anyone at all, even in the January window (unless we're in proper dire straits), it wouldn't surprise me either. The only surprise would be if we actually were active in going for what is a winnable division. Nothing else shocks any more when it comes to finances.

[Royal Rother]

Sorry to butt in here gentlemen, but the £11 million spent on stadium facilities included the expansion of the hotel, did it not?

probably- as id include that in stadium/facilities

this is the same hotel that gives the business millions back each year though

Yes but not the business, Reading FC ltd, that most supporters would imagine that the hotel and Madejski Stadium part of Reading FC Holdings supports. JM has made it clear in a recent interview that he is able to chuck money ( thought to be £86,000,000 in a recent Telegraph article!) at his struggling print business because other of his companies are producing revenue.

His actual quote was, in response to a question by the interviewer Jo Francis

Q. So you can carry on funding the businesses that need funding?
A. Absolutely, yes. We’ve got many assets that are still producing revenue. Malaysian Motor Trader is one of them, this [Madejski Stadium] is another, the Royal Palm Hotel in the Galapagos… that’s the only five-star hotel in the Galapagos Islands.

I would be most interested to see how he is transferring revenue from one business to support others, not seen anything in the accounts that show this.

I don't profess to know the structure of SJM's empire but you don't have to be "transferring revenue" for one profit making venture to support another loss making one...

[rob the royal]

All fair comments Rob, but, no matter what has been said publicly, and no matter what the club's policies are, we do know that if Mills and Ingi are both out for months we will get someone in. 100% certain.

I would imagine that ought to be the case - in which case we COULD conceivably move now - and it wouldn't be a total waste of money because we'd probably finish higher up the table - if not make ourselves really strong contenders for the play-off places... and if we genuinely had the sort of ambition he says we have he'd do that now and not wait for the problem to occur.

Also I made a mistake - we do have a couple of young centre backs with squad numbers - I forgot - but the fact that they weren't taken and tested out on tour suggests to me that they aren't seen as being really ready for first team duties? Perhaps they are, I really don't know, in which case we might have less to worry about than I've made out - I've never seen either of them play...

[Man Friday]

Should have called him a durr brain instead Brendy.

Let's hope you never have a retarded child. Fortunately I haven't got one either.

[Man Friday]

Well done Brendy for holding the line for common sense. For the record I think you were very restrained in only calling Royalee a "spasmo" when he is clearly worse than that. Despite all the financial information being available in the public domain he just keeps up with his personal prejudices year after year despite it being proved wrong so many times.

Thick twat. Is that worse?

[Yellowcoat]

Sounds about right to me! Was going to say that but decided not to be rude. Just got fed up with his usual ill informed rants every season. He calls himself a fan as well but does not even know the meaning of the word. A self absorbed individual who has not grown up yet - will that do?

[trueroyal1871]

The whole "We haven't got any cash" really pisses me off. Times are hard for everyone Madejski but if I need something essential to my job that I can't really afford I have to find the money from somewhere because it is required. We don't want a defender for the sake of it, we want one because it's needed to see us through the bloody season, if Bryn or Pearce get injured tonight we are really in the shit.

We're not asking you to break the bank with a record signing, we just want what is needed. If you can't buy one do everything you can to loan one.

[Dirk Gently]

So the figures suggest that we are not a well run club when one considers the amounts involved. If anything, the PL days paid off the deficit.

Thus, if the football authorities introduce a salary cap of say 70% of revenue, we can seriously consider kissing goodbye to a number of key players.

Ah, that one again. The point is that a club that was not well-run would not survive relegation.

"Well-run" does not equal "profitable" - well-run equals "with finances under control and with the flexibility to make changes"

[Ian Royal]

Sounds about right to me! Was going to say that but decided not to be rude. Just got fed up with his usual ill informed rants every season. He calls himself a fan as well but does not even know the meaning of the word. A self absorbed individual who has not grown up yet - will that do?

Are we having fun with the financially retarded again?

[Yellowcoat]

We are!