Thames Sports Investment

[Archie's penalty]

She cooks my steak.

[Coppell's Right Footed 11]

She prefers Pork'n'Cider

[Avon Royal]

Well this is interesting.........

Oh, and Mega LOLz at a the Russians buying the "Royals"

[Super Kevin Bremner!]

I can hardly believe that I was commenting on a post two days ago saying "of course we are a selling club" and now this. I have to say I am worried by all this carry on folks. I worry for the structure, I worry for McDermott, I worry for the soul of the club, I am just not convinced Russian billionaires are what this club needs. What are we to them? A route to be accepted in British society?

I love this club, I love the fact that we have the moral high ground over Leicester and Portsmouth and all the other scumbags. Despite all the changes in the last 20 years and my indifference to SJM I have always felt that we are a community club and going to Watford away last week made me realise what it is to be a Reading fan, my 15 year old son and I had a great day out with genuine Reading fans even if the football wasn't that great.

Maybe I am getting old and pedantic, but I am not excited by this, I enjoyed an away win at Watford more than I enjoyed getting beaten 4-0 at home by Arsenal surrounded by the Berkshire middle classes in the Upper West who tutted at me when I showed passion for my side. I was born in Reading, I loved this club when Pat Earles and Martin Hicks were here, I loved this club when Gooding, Quinn and Gilkes took us to heights we had never experienced before and I loved this club when Coppell did the unthinkable, it was a momentous period for us all, all achieved in the right way and respected across the nation, a bit like what Swansea are doing now. Yeah, they beat us in the Play Off final, but what a great team, built on the right principles.

Now we are faced with this. I really hope the intentions are good and the club is going on to great things, but someone please tell me where the benefit is for a Russian Billionaire/Gangster to buy our club? How long is it before McDermott is not the right man? How long is it before this guy chucks this particular toy out of his pram? How long is it before the soul of this club is ripped out by a meglomaniac?

I want to be happy, but as someone who has followed this club from Darlington to Plymouth, I fear that someone who doesn't know what it is to be a Royal, is about to rip our club to bits.

I hope I am wrong!

Excuse my grammar, I am a bit p1ssed and emotional right now!

100% agree with this. Well said, written and timed. Success can be bought, we all know that, but I wouldn't swap our position now for an FA Cup win and a house built on pebbles.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Greetings comrades! Now spend some fcuking money

[Badger Finger]

I would like to know what aftershave he uses. I bet it's scrummy...

[Avon Royal]

Reading pre 2012 - "we don't have any money, boo hoo hoo"

Reading post 2012 - "we might have some money, boo hoo hoo"

[RoyalBlue]

Could be that in making the preliminary statement, Madejski is being the politician - sound out public reaction before deciding which way to go. At the moment he is still firmly in control, holds all the cards and final agreement might not prove possible.

[Irvinchangeyaname]

as someone who has followed this club from Darlington to Plymouth

Not loyal enough to go to Carlisle? You're as bad as the 'Berkshire middle classes in the Upper West' to whom you refer.



p.s. FWIW, I share your sentiments.

[Snowball]

Well done to the opening poster and those with brains large enough
to realise there could easily be a down side to this.


What WILL happen, you can virtually guarantee it, is much dissension at board level
and probably some silly buys (eventually), McDermott gone (eventually) if we are not
top three and looking likely.

You don't spend 40 Million and not "take over". This isn't REAL, people.

There's maybe a 1-2% chance it won't happen because Sir John actually MEANS it
when he says he wants a veto. But almost certainly the veto will turn out to be
unenforceable.

Clubs tend to have an ethos, be of a type. You don't just change that INSTANTLY
without a lot of blood.

As someone said, what about the Academy? If we start buying in a way which means
our kids don't come through, then within a year we won't be getting the same quality
into the Academy, the Academy's staff will be less happy and so on.

If you, the fans imagine (just for example) two top strikers coming in, a Premier-Quality AM,
a seriously decent CB, a left-back from Chelsea etc etc etc WHAT ABOUT THE CURRENT TEAM?

Why do you think the current team will be motivated? Think Karacan or Elwood will be, if the
"regime" starts talking about two new CMs? How about Hunt-Church-ALF-Shep etc?

We may get lucky. Spouses may stop cheating too.

Be careful what you wish for. I would so much have rathered Sir John win the lottery
and we continued as before with just a bit more cash.

[Snowball]

Reading pre 2012 - "we don't have any money, boo hoo hoo"

Reading post 2012 - "we might have some money, boo hoo hoo"

Why do you have to bring everything down to stupid soundbytes?

Of COURSE we would like more money in the club.

It's HOW MUCH, how do you get it, what is lost by having those "riches"

You do remember Portsmouth, do you not? Were they not a "rich club"?

And please don't say "they played exciting football" or "they won an FA Cup"

Would you like to win the FA Cup with a team of mercenaries, almost none "our own"
or British, or Academy, who frankly mean almost nothing as individuals to the fans,
and THEN see us in administration, Championship, League 1, League II then non-league?

I know the knee-jerk response of course. "It'd be worth it to have the day at Wembley
and another tilt at the Prem."

Personally, I prefer to be a decent family club with a heart and a business model
which says we expect to challenge, we will get to the 5th or 6th round of the cup
now and again, we might make a semi once every 20 years. But it MEANS something

[RoyalBlue]

Proof that Derby is in cloud cuckoo land - the following post on the DM site:

Wow £40m for 51%. Why can't these crazy Russians buy Derby County? Based on this evaluation Derby County must be worth £100m. Who are Reading exactly to receive a valuation like that?

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... z1k5E1jzCk

[West Stand Man]

I lost interest in the OP when it referred to the UW tutting at him when he showed passion for the side. I haven't seen any of that. What I have seen is tutting when someone opts for unnecessary foul language and / or overt aggression to opposition fans in the S stand. We UW fans can tell the difference between the 2.

Off the subject I know - but that's that.

[Avon Royal]

Well done to the opening poster and those with brains large enough
to realise there could easily be a down side to this.

There could be a downside to anything in life. The trick is to keep focused on the potential.

If you live purely to avoid risk, you don't live at all.

[Snowball]

Could be that in making the preliminary statement, Madejski is being the politician - sound out public reaction before deciding which way to go. At the moment he is still firmly in control, holds all the cards and final agreement might not prove possible.

If so it depends on which voices he hears.

Much as this whole thing worries me, (a lot) Sir John's businesses are on the ropes
and these guys, we presume, do HAVE money

[rhroyal]

JM has been both praised and criticised for his prudent, careful handling of the club. This is definitely a strength now. He'll only accept investment from trustworthy sources.

If the Everton agreement rumour is true, you can say the same about Kenwright. I'm not worried; I think we will receive well thought out investment with the aim of long term growth. Like Stoke in recent years. That would not be a bad thing.

[Snowball]

Well done to the opening poster and those with brains large enough
to realise there could easily be a down side to this.

There could be a downside to anything in life. The trick is to keep focused on the potential.

If you live purely to avoid risk, you don't live at all.

So, say, for example, the mafia offered to back us.

[RoyalBlue]

Not overly worried to be honest. If it works, absolutely fantastic. If not, quite happy to spend my time supporting whichever teams my kids play for.

It's actually quite nice when the Chairman of a non league club personally and genuinely thanks you for travelling all that way to support them!

[Snowball]

Yeah, RB

I know, like when I phoned Newport County to say we
were bringing a car-full, what time did the game start?

And they said, "What time would you like?"

[Norfolk Royal]

So basically the new owner is the son of a wealthy Russian lumber merchant.

It could be useful for clearing out all the dead wood at the club though.