Oh, What A Lovely Defecit!

[Royalwaster]

dont have to assume anything tbf- thats exactly what he said in the interviews

He never said that he was forced to leave - he said he'd have liked to stay; that's a long way from being said he was forced to leave.

[Royal Rother]

I assume he spilled his guts to Northern Git and in a black hole of depression said he was forced out of the club against his will...

[handbags_harris]

As I have said previously I would love to spend a few hours perusing the management accounts. And before anyone starts I am not suggesting in any way shape or form that there is anything underhanded, illegal, or otherwise dodgy about RFC's accounts, their accountants, or anybody involved in RFC limited, MM hotels limited or RFC PLC. Its simply an interest about how the day to day 'nuts and bolts' way the Madejski empire works

NG, there was an excellent article written for one of the last Whiff's from a bloke who had done just that. Well worth reading...

[brendywendy]

dont have to assume anything tbf- thats exactly what he said in the interviews

He never said that he was forced to leave - he said he'd have liked to stay; that's a long way from being said he was forced to leave.

yes, sorry, thats what im saying, i was replying to one of the statements about him being forced out

[brendywendy]

As I have said previously I would love to spend a few hours perusing the management accounts. And before anyone starts I am not suggesting in any way shape or form that there is anything underhanded, illegal, or otherwise dodgy about RFC's accounts, their accountants, or anybody involved in RFC limited, MM hotels limited or RFC PLC. Its simply an interest about how the day to day 'nuts and bolts' way the Madejski empire works

NG, there was an excellent article written for one of the last Whiff's from a bloke who had done just that. Well worth reading...

i believe that said article is now living in "the view from the tilehurst end" blog that is publicised at the top of this forum
its a pretty good summary of the finances of the club-unless you believe in conspiracy theories

[RoyalBlue]

The club forced Gylfi to leave last summer, he wanted to stay

Sauce?

Me too - I keep hearing this, but I've never seen anything from Gylfi to that effect....

Forced is a strong word, I agree that it's possible that Gylfi said in conversation that he "didn't want to leave", but that's a World apart from being forced to go....

It's all about the context in which it's said - I didn't want to drive 3-4 hours and do a meeting at 4pm in Manchester last week, but for my career, it was the right thing to do, so I did it....

There's loads of things in life that we don't want to do, but we believe it's the right thing to do at the time - I strongly suspect that on occasions that Gylfi has said he didn't want to go, then that was the kind of context he was talking in....

Can someone get hold of the interview he did with BBCRB quite some time after he left as that would lend some substance to this argument.

I'm pretty sure that in that interview he said that he didn't want to leave and wasn't looking for a move but that the club spoke to him and persuaded him that it was in the club's and his best interests to agree to the transfer. In other words, if he hadn't been spoken to along those lines, he wouldn't have left at that point in his career.

[Northern Git]

do try and keep on subject.no need to mention my name in that post at all really.

Or mine. My senIsbiliteis have been upset.

Sorry Gentlemen, blatent name dropping on my part

[Royal Rother]

Can someone get hold of the interview he did with BBCRB quite some time after he left as that would lend some substance to this argument.

I'm pretty sure that in that interview he said that he didn't want to leave and wasn't looking for a move but that the club spoke to him and persuaded him that it was in the club's and his best interests to agree to the transfer. In other words, if he hadn't been spoken to along those lines, he wouldn't have left at that point in his career.

Helpful, honest and acting in everyone's best interests. Not forcing him out then, just ensuring he seized what was a brilliant opportunity for him, and, quite understandably, while his stock was so high, cashing in on a great talent to help fund the club for another year or 2.

I would say the sensitive and fair way it was handled was typical of the pastoral care RFC shows towards its young players.

[Svlad Cjelli]

Again? this is waht i hate about this forum - the same questions and discussions come up again and again and again and again....

This is what I posted last week about this...

My recollection of the Siggy move - which came directly from people intimately involved in this transfer - was that the expectation everyone had was that he'd leave at the end of last season (i.e. 9 months later than he did). This was all tentatively mapped out and agreed as part of GS's career planning.

But Hoffenheim - who had been in regular contact about him checking on his progress for several years - made an offer which was considerably higher than anyone could expect - especially as it was cash up front. The club and GS then sat down and discussed this, and both parties decided it was in everyone's interests for the deal to be accepted. Once of the major factors for accepting this deal was that Hoffenheim had been such regular enquirers about GS, whereas there had been NO contact or interest whatsoever from any Premier League clubs. And the club certainly didn't "force him out" - they didn't tout him for sale, it was the culmination of Hoffenheim's long interest.

I'm not sure he was actually "persuaded" to leave as is being suggested, but under the circumstances it was no surprise he went to Hoffenheim, the only surprise was that they made their offer 9 months earlier than suggested an the size of the offer. At the time everyone agreed it was in everyone's best interests, including GS - which is a quite different what i being suggested.

[Ian Royal]

But Dirk, you're wrong. Big Foot, RoyalBlue and Northern Git say we forced him to leave and he told them / they heard it on the radio. They must be right; he was forced out at gunpoint and his fingernails left marks in the floor as he tried to hang on for dear life but was dragged away.

[Northern Git]

I assume he spilled his guts to Northern Git and in a black hole of depression said he was forced out of the club against his will...

No not quite!

Was a brief conversation in a hotel lobby,

I wished him well in Germany and said how sorry i was to see him go, and that I had hoped he would have been a major part of a team to get us promoted.

He responded that he had no intention of leaving, was expecting to see out the recently signed 3 year contract with Reading that would take him up 2013, and had hoped that Reading would be in the permiership again with him in the team. The whole thing came as a surprise to him when he was told that RFC accepted a bid from Hoffenhiem. His exact words were its was 'a done transfer'

No depression on show tho' , him and the bunch of people he was with, seemed in very high spirits.

That was it, a bit of banter about him learning Germany and it being easier for him to learn German than if he has signed for Newcastle and had to 'learn' Geordie.

No more, no less, Coversation was couple of mins max

And Ian I dont think he was forced to leave with a gun at his head, just I think he was presented with scenario that would have been very very diificult for him, or any other player at any other club, to reject. I would suspect that suddenly being hit with your employer telling you with 'we have accepted a club record £7,000.000 fee for you' does put a fair amount of pressure on you.

I remind you of his quote published on 28 May after he had signed his new Reading contract 'I would be stupid to go anywhere else' - does not sound like a bloke thats keen to leave RFC to me.

[Ian Royal]

Who said he was keen to find a way to leave us?

He wasn't forced out, he didn't have to sign a contract with Hoffenheim.

[Northern Git]

Who said he was keen to find a way to leave us?

He wasn't forced out, he didn't have to sign a contract with Hoffenheim.

There are times you do make my arse smile.

All you can do is pick up on the word 'keen'. It was used to express my belief that all the drive behind his move was by the senior financial mamagement club not him. Understand now?

And I dont think I mentioned forced out, what I did say is that the position he found himself in it would difficult for him, or any other player, in any other club, to turn down a move.

Yes of course he could turn it down, but when your employers, who had previously expressed their total commiment to you and had only recently signed you up for a new contract, suddenly inform you they have agreed a club record fee for you, it hardly presents you with alot of options does it?

I cannot find, in any published statment from Siggy, or any other involved parties, where he expresses any desire what so ever to leave Reading. In fact all the quotes I can find would indicate exactly the opposite.

I refer you to an interview with him the Evening Post published 5th May last year

'I've got two more years on my contract and I'm not really fussed about things which are going on. I'm happy here and playing every week so I think it would be a good idea to stay here for another two seasons. I'll just turn off my phone off and enjoy the summer. If we start next season properly then I think we will have a great chance to get into the Premier League. I think it will be a good season next year'

Not a statement from a player looking for, or wanting, a move I would suggest.

Neither would I expect that McDermott would be happy with him leaving, after all,in his words, he was building a team round him.

So player does not want to leave, manager does not want him to go - where does that leave us?

Did the people at the top say 'No sorry, player does not want to go, manager is building a team round him, we are seriously trying to get back into the Premiership, we are not interested'

We all know the answer

[KC Royal]

I still reckon there's a small chance Long'll stay. Call it an 8 in 10 chance of him being off.

Agree if he's going to go it has to be asap. Expect it to be about 12 August.

Agree with this. At one point I was certain he would go. Now its about 70-80%, im just not convinced that anyone is prepared to match our valuation. I thought he would have gone by the time the squad left for Slovenia.

I'd like the start of the PL season to be the cut off point and after that Long staying for the season.

Agree with you and brendy about his commitment to the cause while he’s here too.

[RoyalBlue]

Can someone get hold of the interview he did with BBCRB quite some time after he left as that would lend some substance to this argument.

I'm pretty sure that in that interview he said that he didn't want to leave and wasn't looking for a move but that the club spoke to him and persuaded him that it was in the club's and his best interests to agree to the transfer. In other words, if he hadn't been spoken to along those lines, he wouldn't have left at that point in his career.

Helpful, honest and acting in everyone's best interests. Not forcing him out then, just ensuring he seized what was a brilliant opportunity for him, and, quite understandably, while his stock was so high, cashing in on a great talent to help fund the club for another year or 2.

I would say the sensitive and fair way it was handled was typical of the pastoral care RFC shows towards its young players.

Next thing you'll be telling us Cameron and Clegg really have the best interests of impoverished students at heart!

Listen to Sig in the interview and then tell us that the club's prime motivation was his welfare and that he didn't feel he was edged towards the door when he would have preferred to stay. Also, I got the impression that McD who might have the player's best interests at heart wasn't the prime mover behind persuading Sig to move. Nor was his agent who presumably stood to gain financially from such a move.

[KC Royal]

Is it true that Sig has a buy back clause in his contract?

There are two FB pages, given whats posted in each one seems to be official with the other being simply just a fan page, and a "buy-back clause" has been mentioned a couple of times in the official one. Given the reported interest in him earlier in the summer (which has since died down following the Euro U21 Championship) it made me wonder whether we could have brought him back had we gone up..

Any thoughts on this?

[Svlad Cjelli]

I can see where people are going wrong, and that's taking as gospel truth the things that players or others in football say in interviews - or even are reported as having said.

The vast, vast, majority of what is reported this way is completly controlled and sanitised and tailered to what the audiece wants to hear - you might as well take literally what politicians say before elections.

[Hoop Blah]

I can see where people are going wrong, and that's taking as gospel truth the things that players or others in football say in interviews - or even are reported as having said.

Same goes for what is said by a player to a fan or groups of fans, even if they know them.

Same could also be said for what other insiders say to interested parties in a formal or informal environment. They'll always be a little guarded and be putting their own spin on what happened depending on the audience they happen to be speaking to. The same thing happens in all organisations across all levels because it's human nature.

[brendywendy]

Can someone get hold of the interview he did with BBCRB quite some time after he left as that would lend some substance to this argument.

I'm pretty sure that in that interview he said that he didn't want to leave and wasn't looking for a move but that the club spoke to him and persuaded him that it was in the club's and his best interests to agree to the transfer. In other words, if he hadn't been spoken to along those lines, he wouldn't have left at that point in his career.

Helpful, honest and acting in everyone's best interests. Not forcing him out then, just ensuring he seized what was a brilliant opportunity for him, and, quite understandably, while his stock was so high, cashing in on a great talent to help fund the club for another year or 2.

I would say the sensitive and fair way it was handled was typical of the pastoral care RFC shows towards its young players.

Next thing you'll be telling us Cameron and Clegg really have the best interests of impoverished students at heart!

Listen to Sig in the interview and then tell us that the club's prime motivation was his welfare and that he didn't feel he was edged towards the door when he would have preferred to stay. Also, I got the impression that McD who might have the player's best interests at heart wasn't the prime mover behind persuading Sig to move. Nor was his agent who presumably stood to gain financially from such a move.

i dont think anyone is saying that sig agitated for the move. its quite clear he was more than happy here. its just that the club recieved a great offer, which more than matched their valuation, they informed sig of this as per our usual agreements, and he went away and thought about it, and saw that playing in the bundesliga for more money would be better for him, his career, and for reading.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

can someone point me to the Whiff bit on finances on TTE, cant see it for looking, and know I read it once, want to get back up to spedd