Madman: Your time is Uppppppppppp

[Horsham Royal]

... A little bit of courage and we could still have been a Premiership team...

Portsmouth played a weakened team and Fulham scored. That's why we were relegated (apart from a season of shipping too many goals and not scoring enough )
And now Pompey are paying the price for their 'little bit of courage'.

[Horsham Royal]

... So I say take a few risks, with the chance of making a major success of it, and if it doesn't work out we're no worse off football wise than we are right now...

Fair enough if that's your view.
But I'd rather get a job done ethically and without screwing others.

[clauski]

... A little bit of courage and we could still have been a Premiership team...

Portsmouth played a weakened team and Fulham scored. That's why we were relegated.
And now Pompey are paying the price for their 'little bit of courage'.

To my other point, what price? With Gylfi gone we are probably as weak a footballing side than them and could well join them in a relegation dogfight (pessimistic I know). Portsmouth remain in existence, a buyer will probably be found and in a few years all the troubles will be forgotten, akin to Middlesbrough, Leeds etc. It's wrong, but where's the difference between us? Or did we simply lose the chance to have been a Wigan or a Bolton?

[Horsham Royal]

... A little bit of courage and we could still have been a Premiership team...

Portsmouth played a weakened team and Fulham scored. That's why we were relegated.
And now Pompey are paying the price for their 'little bit of courage'.

To my other point, what price? With Gylfi gone we are probably as weak a footballing side than them and could well join them in a relegation dogfight (pessimistic I know). Portsmouth remain in existence, a buyer will probably be found and in a few years all the troubles will be forgotten, akin to Middlesbrough, Leeds etc. It's wrong, but where's the difference between us? Or did we simply lose the chance to have been a Wigan or a Bolton?

Re-reading your post I note you did say 'football wise' and I'd agree the price in those terms looks similar for both teams.
But we've screwed far fewer people doing it and that's got to be worth something hasn't it ?

[Arch]

... A little bit of courage and we could still have been a Premiership team...

Portsmouth played a weakened team and Fulham scored. That's why we were relegated.
And now Pompey are paying the price for their 'little bit of courage'.

To my other point, what price? With Gylfi gone we are probably as weak a footballing side than them and could well join them in a relegation dogfight (pessimistic I know). Portsmouth remain in existence, a buyer will probably be found and in a few years all the troubles will be forgotten, akin to Middlesbrough, Leeds etc. It's wrong, but where's the difference between us? Or did we simply lose the chance to have been a Wigan or a Bolton?

Horsham's really right about this. Wigan survived their second season by the skin of their teeth thanks to results going their way on the last day. A goal here or there and their history could have been ours. Steve Coppell teams were prone to long, dismal slumps that he was incapable of fixing. It happened in 04, 05, and with devastating effect in 08. If we had mustered a gritty display at home against Fulham, we would have had another profitable season, and maybe a buyer. Once we went down - well, it's been a Greek tragedy. Every opportunity to reverse fate spurned with the best of intentions. But the courage missing in spring 08 was on the field. That team was well capable of a home draw with Fulham, but when we needed to be lions we were sheep, and we gave them the hope they needed.

[under the tin]

Portsmouth played a weakened team and Fulham scored. That's why we were relegated./quote
Cobblers

But the courage missing in spring 08 was on the field. That team was well capable of a home draw with Fulham, but when we needed to be lions we were sheep, and we gave them the hope they needed.[/quote]

500% agree. That gutless performance convinced me that we were going down.

[Sir Dodger Royal]

Three seasons ago Hammond was on £250K p.a. so probably on nearly £300K by now. Nice money for doing nothing!

What you have to understand is potential players see RFC as a selling Club with no ambition then why would they want to join? Sure you can attract Division 2 players some of which may make it but most don't.

Until the Madman departs we have no hope of moving forward but highly likely will move backwards.

SDR is not in favour of loan players as last season proved. Yes we had a good second half but two out of three players didn't sign and we picked up Griffin for £50K.

Big deal. Just confirms the complete lack of ambition whilst we have a tw** of a Chairman like SJM. Real facts.

Get out and i mean nowwwwwwwwwwwww

[Gordons Cumming]

That's worrying


I almost agreed with most of that.

Maybe because he didn't end it with Real Facts!

[LoyalRoyal22]

Madejski out

[Riskit for a biscuit]

Anyone who dares criticise Mr Mad is immediately denounced as a 'troll'. What the heck is wrong with this board?

I agree in part, SDR. Mr Mad does need to go, but I doubt he'd respond to a fans' boycott. The dwindling attendances are sign enough that fans are fed up with the club's fall from grace. Frankly I don't blame them, I'm getting fed up walking an hour to the Mad Stad and back to watch Shane Long struggle to touch the ball and the team to string a pass or two together for 90 mins.

Selling Sigurdsson this late in the transfer window was simply obtuse. It's painfully clear that once the chequebook opens, Mr Mad's eyes light up. The money won't be reinvested into an already too-thin squad. I sincerely hope that it'll at least go to funding youth development to uncover a new Siggy.

If not, I hope Mr Mad offers people a ride in his new bugatti.

[Upper West Ginger]

Three seasons ago Hammond was on £250K p.a. so probably on nearly £300K by now. Nice money for doing nothing!

Seems to me that in many of our transfer dealings Nick(y) Hammond has managed to sell players at top prices and buy them at low prices. In any other industry he would be treated as a genius. Because he is trading in footballers like Sig whom we don't wish to lose, he attracts a lot of flak. I admire his business acumen and his consistent ability to do good financial deals for Reading FC. I don't know how much he gets paid - and like everybody in professional football it is probably too much - but he does a good job for us.

[Sir Dodger Royal]

How much will he make on Harte if he signs? By the time Harte has climb the steps to the pitch the match will have finished.

Real factsssssssssss

[Thames]

If I see Madejski, Howe, Hammond or any of that mob about town they will be getting a piece of my mind.

[leon]

Three seasons ago Hammond was on £250K p.a. so probably on nearly £300K by now. Nice money for doing nothing!

Seems to me that in many of our transfer dealings Nick(y) Hammond has managed to sell players at top prices and buy them at low prices. In any other industry he would be treated as a genius. Because he is trading in footballers like Sig whom we don't wish to lose, he attracts a lot of flak. I admire his business acumen and his consistent ability to do good financial deals for Reading FC. I don't know how much he gets paid - and like everybody in professional football it is probably too much - but he does a good job for us.

That would be fine if his sole aim is to buy and sell players - it only works if we either maintain our status or improve as a club. Conceivably (quite possibly) we could get successive relegations with Hammond doing this and he'd still be "a genius". Great.

[Royal Rother]

He selects neither who is bought or sold, so any effect on the playing side (positive or negative) is not his doing.

[leon]

He selects neither who is bought or sold, so any effect on the playing side (positive or negative) is not his doing.

in that case he's certainly not a genius...

[under the tin]

He selects neither who is bought or sold, so any effect on the playing side (positive or negative) is not his doing.

Which is largely the point I was trying to get across when we were discussing Madejski's actual involvement in the club's elevation to the Premiership.

[brendywendy]

Thats not his job though. His job is to get the coaching staff in, come to some consensus on our aims and goals, give a budget, and plug the shortfall during the lean years. Job done.and well done too

[Terminal Boardom]

He selects neither who is bought or sold, so any effect on the playing side (positive or negative) is not his doing.

Which is largely the point I was trying to get across when we were discussing Madejski's actual involvement in the club's elevation to the Premiership.

Didn't the daft old coot pay for Lita out of his own pocket?

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

He selects neither who is bought or sold, so any effect on the playing side (positive or negative) is not his doing.

Which is largely the point I was trying to get across when we were discussing Madejski's actual involvement in the club's elevation to the Premiership.

Didn't the daft old coot pay for Lita out of his own pocket?

No he loaned the club the money to buy Lita.