You're Reading manager for the Jan transfer window

[under the tin]

........ progressive management would be buying at the start of the window, rather than sit and wait, my fear will be that we get no one in to strengthen the squad, then QPR come along and snap up Kebe, and someone comes along for Long, we almost know for sure that should we get offers of about £2m for either we will accept it.

I share those concerns.
You can kind of get the logic behind selling Kebe. He's in the best form of his career over here, his market value is at it's highest, and he is coming towards the tail end of his contract.
Shane represents a (relatively) cheap punt for a struggling Prem club. His workrate alone could be the difference between a club staying up or getting relegated.
I believe that the Siggy money is being kept back to cover future budgetary shortfalls, so Brian can't be proactive.
Perhaps the only way we will see a new striker coming in will be with the proceeds of sales. If they do go, I hope it happens soon, so Brian isn't put in the same position as he was after Siggy went.

[RoyalBlue]

I thought Brian's comments on BBCRB were quite reassuring as I have been more worried about players leaving than expecting a lot to come in.

.

The trouble is, as the guys on the radio rightly pointed out, McD's words don't count for that much. Ultimately, it is and will be Madjeski who decides what happens.

[Snowball]

I thought Brian's comments on BBCRB were quite reassuring as I have been more worried about players leaving than expecting a lot to come in.

The trouble is, as the guys on the radio rightly pointed out, McD's words don't count for that much. Ultimately, it is and will be Madjeski who decides what happens.

McD more-or-less suggested that we were in deep financial doo-doo and HAD to sell Gylfi.

I suppose he might have meant, "We had to sell because they were offering silly money."

Hopefully QPR won't up the price too much, or some other club Gazump us over Elwood
but a tall, heavy target-man would be great now, and a classy box-to-box midfielder to rival Karacan


Karacan gets splattered every game. He is very likely to be out for a run of games at some time.
I like Tabby but he's not yet back to playing well. I wonder if the injury is still troublesome


IMO with Elwood in, a quality striker that could work with Shane and/or Noel, a top midfielder we'd easily be top 4-5.

Much as I rate Ian Harte, I think we'd need a very, very good LB to get automatic.

[andrew1957]

I thought Brian's comments on BBCRB were quite reassuring as I have been more worried about players leaving than expecting a lot to come in.

The trouble is, as the guys on the radio rightly pointed out, McD's words don't count for that much. Ultimately, it is and will be Madjeski who decides what happens.

McD more-or-less suggested that we were in deep financial doo-doo and HAD to sell Gylfi.

I suppose he might have meant, "We had to sell because they were offering silly money."

Hopefully QPR won't up the price too much, or some other club Gazump us over Elwood
but a tall, heavy target-man would be great now, and a classy box-to-box midfielder to rival Karacan


Karacan gets splattered every game. He is very likely to be out for a run of games at some time.
I like Tabby but he's not yet back to playing well. I wonder if the injury is still troublesome


IMO with Elwood in, a quality striker that could work with Shane and/or Noel, a top midfielder we'd easily be top 4-5.

Much as I rate Ian Harte, I think we'd need a very, very good LB to get automatic.

I think you are being overly optimistic. Legs "is" the box to box midfielder that we have been missing. If we could sign him and Austin and keep all our key players then I would even forgive Sir Mad for selling Gylfi as it would show genuine ambition.

If on the other hand we buy no one and sell a key player or two, then it really will be time for the Chairman to go.

[Snowball]

McD more-or-less suggested that we were in deep financial doo-doo and HAD to sell Gylfi.
I suppose he might have meant, "We had to sell because they were offering silly money."
Hopefully QPR won't up the price too much, or some other club Gazump us over Elwood
but a tall, heavy target-man would be great now, and a classy box-to-box midfielder to rival Karacan
Karacan gets splattered every game. He is very likely to be out for a run of games at some time.
I like Tabby but he's not yet back to playing well. I wonder if the injury is still troublesome

IMO with Elwood in, a quality striker that could work with Shane and/or Noel, a top midfielder we'd easily be top 4-5.
Much as I rate Ian Harte, I think we'd need a very, very good LB to get automatic.

I think you are being overly optimistic. Legs "is" the box to box midfielder that we have been missing. If we could sign him and Austin and keep all our key players then I would even forgive Sir Mad for selling Gylfi as it would show genuine ambition.

If on the other hand we buy no one and sell a key player or two, then it really will be time for the Chairman to go.

I don' understand that. I'm saying we need THREE players to be "easily top five" and a fourth player to get automatic.

That's hardly "optimistic, unless you mean believing we'll GET THEM is optimistic.

[Wycombe Royal]

McD more-or-less suggested that we were in deep financial doo-doo and HAD to sell Gylfi.
I suppose he might have meant, "We had to sell because they were offering silly money."
Hopefully QPR won't up the price too much, or some other club Gazump us over Elwood
but a tall, heavy target-man would be great now, and a classy box-to-box midfielder to rival Karacan
Karacan gets splattered every game. He is very likely to be out for a run of games at some time.
I like Tabby but he's not yet back to playing well. I wonder if the injury is still troublesome

IMO with Elwood in, a quality striker that could work with Shane and/or Noel, a top midfielder we'd easily be top 4-5.
Much as I rate Ian Harte, I think we'd need a very, very good LB to get automatic.

I think you are being overly optimistic. Legs "is" the box to box midfielder that we have been missing. If we could sign him and Austin and keep all our key players then I would even forgive Sir Mad for selling Gylfi as it would show genuine ambition.

If on the other hand we buy no one and sell a key player or two, then it really will be time for the Chairman to go.

I don' understand that. I'm saying we need THREE players to be "easily top five" and a fourth player to get automatic.

That's hardly "optimistic, unless you mean believing we'll GET THEM is optimistic.

Or the alternative view is that to bring in three or four players now could upset the balance of the squad thus actually weakening us. I don't believe that January is EVER the time to make that many changes unless you really have to (for example Fulham in the season we got relegated)

[brendywendy]

McD more-or-less suggested that we were in deep financial doo-doo and HAD to sell Gylfi.
I suppose he might have meant, "We had to sell because they were offering silly money."
Hopefully QPR won't up the price too much, or some other club Gazump us over Elwood
but a tall, heavy target-man would be great now, and a classy box-to-box midfielder to rival Karacan
Karacan gets splattered every game. He is very likely to be out for a run of games at some time.
I like Tabby but he's not yet back to playing well. I wonder if the injury is still troublesome

IMO with Elwood in, a quality striker that could work with Shane and/or Noel, a top midfielder we'd easily be top 4-5.
Much as I rate Ian Harte, I think we'd need a very, very good LB to get automatic.

I think you are being overly optimistic. Legs "is" the box to box midfielder that we have been missing. If we could sign him and Austin and keep all our key players then I would even forgive Sir Mad for selling Gylfi as it would show genuine ambition.

If on the other hand we buy no one and sell a key player or two, then it really will be time for the Chairman to go.

I don' understand that. I'm saying we need THREE players to be "easily top five" and a fourth player to get automatic.

That's hardly "optimistic, unless you mean believing we'll GET THEM is optimistic.

just think this is way off the mark.

we are a top half-top 6 without anyone.

two of the players mentioned would get us definite playoffs/possible automatic

shirley

[Snowball]

Or the alternative view is that to bring in three or four players now could upset the balance of the squad thus actually weakening us. I don't believe that January is EVER the time to make that many changes unless you really have to (for example Fulham in the season we got relegated)

I'm not saying we should and I seriously don't expect it, but we already (almost) have brought in Elwood
and that did the opposite of upsetting the applecart.

A new No 2 striker might be a bit hard for Noel to take and maybe Church would want away, but a few extra goals and top six might soon dispel worries.

Harte will need replacing if we go up, and surely he'll need replacing if we go for automatic next season?

[Snowball]

Wendy, we already have ONE of them in Elwood.

Are you saying a new striker will guarantee us top six?

If Karacan gets injured can Howard or Tabb step up and get us safely into the play-offs?

[Wycombe Royal]

I'm not saying we should and I seriously don't expect it, but we already (almost) have brought in Elwood
and that did the opposite of upsetting the applecart.

I was responding to your comment of bringing in 3 or 4, not 1 or 2.......

[Wycombe Royal]

If Karacan gets injured can Howard or Tabb step up and get us safely into the play-offs?

They were both instrumental in the midfield that saw our rise upthe table in the second half of last season, so yes they can.

[brendywendy]

Wendy, we already have ONE of them in Elwood.

Are you saying a new striker will guarantee us top six?

If Karacan gets injured can Howard or Tabb step up and get us safely into the play-offs?

with a run of games yes- they were our best CM pairing last year by some way.
plus we still have bryn.........
i dont even think we need a striker tbf

[Snowball]

If Karacan gets injured can Howard or Tabb step up and get us safely into the play-offs?

They were both instrumental in the midfield that saw our rise upthe table in the second half of last season, so yes they can.

Personally, I think Howard is deterioring, and I'm also worried Tabb's injury is still there; he just doesn't seem the same player.

I love Tabb's attitude to bits but I don't know think yippee, Tabb is playing

[Snowball]

I'm not saying we should and I seriously don't expect it, but we already (almost) have brought in Elwood
and that did the opposite of upsetting the applecart.

I was responding to your comment of bringing in 3 or 4, not 1 or 2.......

Yeah, but now we "have" 1, two is one and three is two, if you get my drift

[UpNorth]

Here is the BBC's take on Brian's comments.

Looks like Elwood and one other in and hopefully nobody out.


Reading will not sell in January - Brian McDermott

McDermott coached at Reading for 10 years before becoming manager
Reading manager Brian McDermott has vowed not to sell any of his squad during the January transfer window.

McDermott told BBC Berkshire: "In the summer we sold Gylfi Sigurdsson and at that point we had no choice.

"We are not in that situation now so I have no plans to sell any of our players [in January].

"There's a possibility we might bring one in. But the most important thing for me is every single one of the players we've got now stays."


McDermott also spoke highly of midfielder Mikele Leigertwood, who has not lost in his six appearances in a Reading shirt after joining the Royals on loan from championship leaders Queens Park Rangers.

"He was outstanding [against Burnley]. We'll need to talk but obviously Mikele is a player I want to keep," said the Reading manager.

[Samrfc01]

If we sign Elwood and a striker, hopefully Charlie Austin but i wouldn't mind a loan, and we only sell dead-wood i.e Mooney and Williams then i would be a happy fan come 1st February.

I think that will mean a play-off spot and possible automatics.

A left-back wouldn't go a miss but is not essential as Armstrong and Harte are more than competent at this level, espcially Armstrong who has of course won player of the season for us.

[fester_royal]

what is all the guff about signing austin, pigtown have already said they wont sell for any less than £1.5 million.. you can almost hear SJM trembling at the very notion.

we'd be lucky if we brought in a player a quarter of that value the way the clubs purse is run

[Wycombe Royal]

I'm not saying we should and I seriously don't expect it, but we already (almost) have brought in Elwood
and that did the opposite of upsetting the applecart.

I was responding to your comment of bringing in 3 or 4, not 1 or 2.......

Yeah, but now we "have" 1, two is one and three is two, if you get my drift

No we don't have one, he is stil on loan.

And in my book one is one, two is two, three is three, if you get my drift

[Handsome Man]

what is all the guff about signing austin, pigtown have already said they wont sell for any less than £1.5 million.. you can almost hear SJM trembling at the very notion.

we'd be lucky if we brought in a player a quarter of that value the way the clubs purse is run

Hull have offered £1.2 million. We should be able to match that with the Long money.

[andrew1957]

I don' understand that. I'm saying we need THREE players to be "easily top five" and a fourth player to get automatic.

That's hardly "optimistic, unless you mean believing we'll GET THEM is optimistic.

Yes I did mean you were being optimistic that we would sign 3 players. I think 2 is the most we will see - one of which being Legs. I think two would be enough to most likely get us a play off place BUT I suspect we will sign Legs and no one else.