NO LONGER A RUMOUR - Karl Sheppard

[winchester_royal]

Back on topic, a Shamrock Rovers view on Shep.

http://srfcultrasforum.eu/forum/showthread.php?3492-So-long-Sully-and-Shep-All-the-best

Nearly all of them seem pretty convinced that he'll be successful here.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Wow, they really love the guy.

[winchester_royal]

Wow, they really love the guy.

Not sure whether you're being your usual sarcastic self here, but I figure that they're probably in the best position to pass judgement on him.

[Gordons Cumming]

Christ there are a lot of morons on here!

[Gordons Cumming]

Sheppard & Le Fondre.

Future Reading forward line?

[Extended-Phenotype]

Wow, they really love the guy.

Not sure whether you're being your usual sarcastic self here, but I figure that they're probably in the best position to pass judgement on him.

No - I meant it sincerely. They really do rate the fella. Kinda sorry for them in a way, but to be fair we know how they feel!

[Pepe the Horseman]

Sheppard & Le Fondre.

Future Reading forward line?

Wow, pretty bold st8ment that.

[M-U-R-T-Y]

From EP:

McDermott said of the 20-year-old: “He was really keen to come to Reading. With the Irish players having come over and done well, that’s been very important. We’ve got such a big following in Ireland now. I’m sure this will help as well.

“He can hold the ball up, score, play up front on his own or in a two. He played wide right in a three as well so he’s versatile.

Huzzah!

[floyd__streete]

From EP:

McDermott said of the 20-year-old: “He was really keen to come to Reading. With the Irish players having come over and done well, that’s been very important. We’ve got such a big following in Ireland now."

[winchester_royal]

Wow, they really love the guy.

Not sure whether you're being your usual sarcastic self here, but I figure that they're probably in the best position to pass judgement on him.

No - I meant it sincerely. They really do rate the fella. Kinda sorry for them in a way, but to be fair we know how they feel!

Ah fair enough, apologies then!

And yep, although I can't think of any player in this current team that I'd have such a reaction to losing. Apart from maybe Pearce..

[M-U-R-T-Y]

Pearce and Gorkss are, IMO, the two most valuable players to us.

[Snowball]

Reading thos irish posts it looks like we may have done VERY well indeed

[Extended-Phenotype]

And yep, although I can't think of any player in this current team that I'd have such a reaction to losing. Apart from maybe Pearce..

To be honest, I wouldn't want to lose anyone. The team is a solid unit which on workrate and spirit has got us to 5th. All we need is a player with a bit of magic, and the jigsaw is complete.

That said, I wouldn't cry if Church went.

[mr_number]

He didn't even get into barnets team? But he tormented Readng University so I can't understand this.

And he's universally known as a "free-scoring goal machine"

[test icicles]

I don't see why everyone seems to think that the team needs immediate big name or big fee signings. We're 5th in the league and from what I can gather are building a new team for another promotion push. But I don't feel that any single player coming in for big money will send us up this year.

If we did go up this year, massive investment would be needed to try and keep ourselves there. We have nowhere near the squad we did in 05/06, or in the two seasons after, I just can't see how we would stay up. And then the inevitable fall out of any successful Championship team would result in us losing any of our influential players and having to start again.

Last year had we gone up in the playoff final we had Shane to build around and the foundations of a more solid squad. Having lost Mills and Long, IMO we need to rebuild slowly and form a squad capable of competing in the Premier League over time. If this is a signing that will come good next year then I don't see any problem with that, infact I think signings for the future are more suited to the January market as the players get six months to learn how the club and set up works and then a pre season to really kick on and stake a claim for the first team.

I'm in no way denying that if KS makes an immediate impact I'd be upset, I'm optimistic about this signing more out of me just willing the lad to do well than expecting him to. Nor am I saying that if we go up I'll be complaining. However, I do feel that going up would lead to relegation and the breaking up of key members of this team, i.e. Pearce. To all those saying we need something now, we're hardly in a relegation dogfight, in fact we're doing quite well and I can only see positives from this signing.

[mr_number]

I do wonder how much money we waste on the lesser players and how much we do pay our top earners. We're always told on here (I think you're one of those who put forward the argument at times) that the club won't pay too much because we're a team without stars and the wage reflects that and it's a strength that we're all in it together blah blah blah. You're post would seem to contradict that though, not that I think you're wrong this time of course.

we have a pretty well defined wage structure.
i just dont know what it is.

my guessing:
id be surprised if anyone here is on 15k a week though
and only legde, gorkss, mcanuff, kebe type players would be on anywhere close imo

that would mean we could compete with many in the market at this level,
but nothing will stop someone leaving if an ex prem team comes in offering 20kpw

Have we brought in tha fact that West Ham apparently thought it fit to offer Jimmy £12k a week, just as an indication of where Championship wages might be?

[winchester_royal]

I'm not sure you can use West Ham as a good example of a responsible wage structure tbh.

[mr_number]

Yeah, well tbh I was surprised it was that low, which to me suggested that Championship players earn less than expected (unless they're coming down with relegated clubs and still are on Prem wages).

[Snowball]

Agree with Testi

I actually think we don't really want it this year and are trying to develop a team/squad that is really quite young



Not sure if Mills in in the plans but age-wise now we have at least these.

I suspect we are aiming for a very young squad with 2-3-4 oldies to hold them together
and really going for it it 2013-24 maybe?

20-22 McCarthy/Andersen
20-22 Cummings-Mills
20-22 Pearce-Morison
20-23 Karacan ("23"), HRK (22), Antonio (21), Taylor (20), D'Ath (19), OBita (18)
20-24 Sheppard, Alf, Church, Manset

[melonhead]

Yeah, well tbh I was surprised it was that low, which to me suggested that Championship players earn less than expected (unless they're coming down with relegated clubs and still are on Prem wages).

it certainly indicates that kebe- a player signed in the prem, and one of our "stars" isnt on 12k now with us.