Benik Afobe

[andrew1957]

get rid of church and benik can be a back up winger/striker, i think he could do alright on the wing

I think Church will be the most difficult decision of all for Brian. He is Reading through and through but can we afford him taking up a space in the 25?

I think it will depend of what other strikers we can recruit. Church is great at running around and closing players down but is not really a goal threat most of the time.

[loyalroyal4life]

get rid of church and benik can be a back up winger/striker, i think he could do alright on the wing

I think Church will be the most difficult decision of all for Brian. He is Reading through and through but can we afford him taking up a space in the 25?

I think it will depend of what other strikers we can recruit. Church is great at running around and closing players down but is not really a goal threat most of the time.

I know what u mean but a striker who can't cut it in the championship should not be in our squad for next season, let him enjoy the promotion feeling then move him on, i think this is brian's biggest test to date actually whether he ends up like SSC and is too loyal to his players, there are a few who are just not good enough to step up

[arthurfondrelli]

He must think we have really good support, seeing as basically every game has sold out since he's been here, home and away

[facaldaqui]

get rid of church and benik can be a back up winger/striker, i think he could do alright on the wing

I think Church will be the most difficult decision of all for Brian. He is Reading through and through but can we afford him taking up a space in the 25?

I think it will depend of what other strikers we can recruit. Church is great at running around and closing players down but is not really a goal threat most of the time.

I've no doubt Brian will keep Church. He said on Tuesday they could all play in the prem. I remember Church doing a great job of harrying at Anfield, and that's his role in our system of seeing games out.

As for the more remote strikers at the club--the Mansets, Baseyas, Williams, Sheppards--it would be a mistake to throw them all out and just start buying in readymades. The Reading way is to discover a few players and make them into something; I'd like to see that continue, because it is a very impressive aspect of what we do, though the majority of such signings will inevitably not make the grade.

[TBM]

get rid of church and benik can be a back up winger/striker, i think he could do alright on the wing

I think Church will be the most difficult decision of all for Brian. He is Reading through and through but can we afford him taking up a space in the 25?

I think it will depend of what other strikers we can recruit. Church is great at running around and closing players down but is not really a goal threat most of the time.

You have to keep Church, tbh i think he'll find it easier in the Premiership as there is more space and time

And there is no worry about the 25 man squad.....anyone under 21 isn't included in that, so Afobe will be a "freebe"

[facaldaqui]

get rid of church and benik can be a back up winger/striker, i think he could do alright on the wing

I think Church will be the most difficult decision of all for Brian. He is Reading through and through but can we afford him taking up a space in the 25?

I think it will depend of what other strikers we can recruit. Church is great at running around and closing players down but is not really a goal threat most of the time.

I know what u mean but a striker who can't cut it in the championship should not be in our squad for next season, let him enjoy the promotion feeling then move him on, i think this is brian's biggest test to date actually whether he ends up like SSC and is too loyal to his players, there are a few who are just not good enough to step up

Lets give some credit to Coppell, though. Stephen Hunt was only a fringe player in the Championship, but he went on to establish himself as a prem player--who could have seen that coming?

There's no sign Brian's too loyal to his players; he's played Afobe over Church, and signed Mullins when we had Griffin. He uses Church effectively when he does use him ... look at the results--it's not blind loyalty, it's a successful strategy.

*

As for Afobe, he's been excellent, but I'm not fussed on signing him, because he doesn't look likely to be a prolific goalscorer.

[Yorkshire Royal]

And it would break Churchs heart if we released him, look how happy he is

I see Church being happy to sit on our bench for the rest of his career. As a sort of mascot I suppose.

[Mike Hunt]

ethos, quickly becoming HNA?'s newest buzzword.

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

just wouldnt have the balls to tell any of these players i was letting them go.
id never sell anyone

You and me, both. But I'd get Squeaky to do it.

[facaldaqui]

just wouldnt have the balls to tell any of these players i was letting them go.
id never sell anyone

You and me, both. But I'd get Squeaky to do it.

Keeping some of them could be really motivating. Gorkss was taken aside at the end of last season and told by Colin that he wasn't part of his plans for the prem and to find a new club: if Brian puts faith in Kaspars's ability to play at that level, I should think his motivation will go through the roof. Also, if we sign Connolly, he will want to show Warnock was wrong to sideline him at that level; if we don't sign him, I wonder if Warnock will be after him for Leeds. Harte would also be super-motivated if kept--to show he was a top level player all along. You'd fear for his pace, but it hasn't stopped him being effective, somehow, against some pacy fodder in this div. I've got a feeling Hal might leave, because he patently believes he should have more playing time--he might go to Brendan.

[FiNeRaIn]

Keeping some of them could be really motivating. Gorkss was taken aside at the end of last season and told by Colin that he wasn't part of his plans for the prem and to find a new club: if Brian puts faith in Kaspars's ability to play at that level, I should think his motivation will go through the roof.

Why wouldn't he be motivated anyway?

A football player is not like a pet where you show him some love, give him a stroke and say nice things so it behaves when you go to work and acts loving when you come back. He'll know the deal and he'll be professional. As it stands he and pearce will be starting next season. No reason to doubt.

[facaldaqui]

Keeping some of them could be really motivating. Gorkss was taken aside at the end of last season and told by Colin that he wasn't part of his plans for the prem and to find a new club: if Brian puts faith in Kaspars's ability to play at that level, I should think his motivation will go through the roof.

Why wouldn't he be motivated anyway?

A football player is not like a pet where you show him some love, give him a stroke and say nice things so it behaves when you go to work and acts loving when you come back. He'll know the deal and he'll be professional. As it stands he and pearce will be starting next season. No reason to doubt.

No, I believe emotion and proving things does come into it. For example, in all the headiness of Tuesday night, I noticed how steely both Harte and Roberts were about going on to win the championship. Neither have any winners' medals (not counting the MBE) and they bloody well want them. Gorkss may not play any better, but I doubt he'll be one to start thinking the grass is greener away from Reading.

[PremAddict]

Keeping some of them could be really motivating. Gorkss was taken aside at the end of last season and told by Colin that he wasn't part of his plans for the prem and to find a new club: if Brian puts faith in Kaspars's ability to play at that level, I should think his motivation will go through the roof.

Why wouldn't he be motivated anyway?

A football player is not like a pet where you show him some love, give him a stroke and say nice things so it behaves when you go to work and acts loving when you come back. He'll know the deal and he'll be professional. As it stands he and pearce will be starting next season. No reason to doubt.

No, I believe emotion and proving things does come into it. For example, in all the headiness of Tuesday night, I noticed how steely both Harte and Roberts were about going on to win the championship. Neither have any winners' medals (not counting the MBE) and they bloody well want them. Gorkss may not play any better, but I doubt he'll be one to start thinking the grass is greener away from Reading.

I think the truth is somewhere in-between...there's no doubt there is a very strong psychological impact involved in sport. I take issue with any manager that feels they need to completely revamp for the BCL - there are too many examples of that going wrong, while the opposite has shown promise. IMHO, the big problem with keeping a promoted side intact going into the PL and then having them do well is the following season where some of the brightest players get cherry-picked which tends to really screw up the team morale. If the club doesn't plan for that and then cannot spend to find a like replacement (talent AND mentality), then it's really bad. For RFC, that was Sidwell. Had JM been willing to spend to find a replacement, we might have stayed-up.

I'm heartened (as I just learned this from an above post) that under 21 players don't count towards the 25. That will help. Do loaned players also not count? I can't imagine they would. And if they don't is there any reason to think that some of our "hopefuls" like Church wouldn't be appreciative to go play for a c'ship side as a starter?

[facaldaqui]

I think the truth is somewhere in-between...there's no doubt there is a very strong psychological impact involved in sport. I take issue with any manager that feels they need to completely revamp for the BCL - there are too many examples of that going wrong, while the opposite has shown promise. IMHO, the big problem with keeping a promoted side intact going into the PL and then having them do well is the following season where some of the brightest players get cherry-picked which tends to really screw up the team morale. If the club doesn't plan for that and then cannot spend to find a like replacement (talent AND mentality), then it's really bad. For RFC, that was Sidwell. Had JM been willing to spend to find a replacement, we might have stayed-up.

Good points. Coppell never found the secret of adapting the team as he went along and was too conservative in his signings; once we stopped being a winning machine, he just kept playing much the same team in the hope that what worked before would work again. I think we've seen signs already that Brian will change as he goes and adapt to circumstances. But I doubt he will go too far the other way, which I think was Warnock's mistake. Warnock started wildly blowing his new owner's money, but it was the stalwarts who did best for him--the Helgusons, Derrys, and Hills of this world. He might have done well to have trusted more of his stalwarts from the season before, such as Gorkss and Connolly. Rodgers and Lambert have brought a few players in, but not enough to disrupt the ethos. As soon as QPR brought in the Bartons and Wright-Phillipses--compounding this later with the Cissés, Diakites, and Zamoras, after dumping the manager--the ethos that got them up was down the plughole forever. The first season in the prem is not the season to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[Extended-Phenotype]

I'd like to sign him permanent. He's a bit of an acrobat, though.

Cough.

[TBM]

He was in hospitality today

Spoke to him, before the game, and he said he is going to plead with "Mr Wenger" to allow him back here next season (on loan)

[tomrfcurz]

Yes i would want him back as he seems like an energetic, passionate and fairly skillful player but lets be honest... he didn't even make the bench today ahead of Church and without a winger on the bench at all. Is he really going to be THAT good?

[Friday's Legacy]

Yes i would want him back as he seems like an energetic, passionate and fairly skillful player but lets be honest... he didn't even make the bench today ahead of Church and without a winger on the bench at all. Is he really going to be THAT good?

Slight injury and not risked.

[rhroyal]

I think the truth is somewhere in-between...there's no doubt there is a very strong psychological impact involved in sport. I take issue with any manager that feels they need to completely revamp for the BCL - there are too many examples of that going wrong, while the opposite has shown promise. IMHO, the big problem with keeping a promoted side intact going into the PL and then having them do well is the following season where some of the brightest players get cherry-picked which tends to really screw up the team morale. If the club doesn't plan for that and then cannot spend to find a like replacement (talent AND mentality), then it's really bad. For RFC, that was Sidwell. Had JM been willing to spend to find a replacement, we might have stayed-up.

Good points. Coppell never found the secret of adapting the team as he went along and was too conservative in his signings; once we stopped being a winning machine, he just kept playing much the same team in the hope that what worked before would work again. I think we've seen signs already that Brian will change as he goes and adapt to circumstances. But I doubt he will go too far the other way, which I think was Warnock's mistake. Warnock started wildly blowing his new owner's money, but it was the stalwarts who did best for him--the Helgusons, Derrys, and Hills of this world. He might have done well to have trusted more of his stalwarts from the season before, such as Gorkss and Connolly. Rodgers and Lambert have brought a few players in, but not enough to disrupt the ethos. As soon as QPR brought in the Bartons and Wright-Phillipses--compounding this later with the Cissés, Diakites, and Zamoras, after dumping the manager--the ethos that got them up was down the plughole forever. The first season in the prem is not the season to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

PremAddict has nailed it. I think this team will largely have enough to survive the first season and surprise a few people. However, the following season could see the old dogs like Harte and Roberts finally over the hill and not so hungry to prove themselves any more, having won a Championship medal and kept us up. One or two of our best performers could leave or have their heads turned.

We have to prepare for this straight away, because otherwise it will catch us out again and we may have to do some drastic, desperate, ill thought out business in the transfer windows. Second season syndrome is very real and completely understandable, so we need to be looking forward now.

[tomrfcurz]

Yes i would want him back as he seems like an energetic, passionate and fairly skillful player but lets be honest... he didn't even make the bench today ahead of Church and without a winger on the bench at all. Is he really going to be THAT good?

Slight injury and not risked.

Another one? He'd recovered and was '100% fit' for the Brighton game. Yoyo fitness from the lad