TSI - The Promises, Policies & Progress Thread

[PistolPete]

I'm so annoyed with myself for replying to this thread but here goes...

1. The new owners signed Jason Roberts on premiership money to get us promoted, very early into their tenure.
2. They signed Federici on big money to keep him at the club and convinced McDermott to stay when Wolves wanted him.
3. After promotion they put big money into wages (proven a better indicator of success than transfer fees) for Guthrie, Shorey and Pogrebniak then paid decent money for Mariappa and Gunter. McCleary was an opportune signing that showed decent nous rather than 'ambition'.
4. 90% of Nobbers were happy with our summer business. Why? Because last time we were promoted we pretty much stuck to the 'unit' that got us promotion and it worked; second season is when you need investment when players become lax/other teams suss you out
5. When our league position turned out to be worse than we anticipated in January we made the very sensible decision to invest in the future and, with 23 days remaining, maybe some loan/short term contracts that might save us. Caricco is, by many 'experts' an absolute steal, a real coup - but mongs like the OP will always see the negative side. Everyone knew about Michu but that didn't mean there was 'something wrong with him', I suppose we offered him huge money, but nah, that doesn't support your theory that we're showing no ambition does it...

Oh, and the transfer window isn't shut yet.

However, some people need to wake up and realise that spending money doesn't = Certain success. Ask QPR fans, ask Leeds fans, ask Leicester fans.

Do people REALLY want the soul ripped out of this club? I for one am glad to be a Reading fan, we are making steady progress under stewardship that works well together. Madejski still at the club, Hammond still at the club, the old head scout as manager, Pearce, HRK, Karacan all in the first team - we're very lucky to support a club like this yet some people are never happy!!

[melonhead]

as long as we keep improving the team each transfer window im happy.
(obviously apart from when/if we go down as we are bound to lose a couple)
theyve invested more than JM would have, so thats a good thing.
it may not be as much as manm citys owners, or abramovich, but where is the fun in going out and buying success.
i want us to build it.


(+i agree with PP^)

[PistolPete]

The plan will include not spunking money away chasing an impossible task.


We'll improve the squad and if that isn't enough we'll go back to the championship with a stronger team and a bigger budget, for at least 4 years.

+1

[royalZILLAAA]

I'm so annoyed with myself for replying to this thread but here goes...

1. The new owners signed Jason Roberts on premiership money to get us promoted, very early into their tenure.
2. They signed Federici on big money to keep him at the club and convinced McDermott to stay when Wolves wanted him.
3. After promotion they put big money into wages (proven a better indicator of success than transfer fees) for Guthrie, Shorey and Pogrebniak then paid decent money for Mariappa and Gunter. McCleary was an opportune signing that showed decent nous rather than 'ambition'.
4. 90% of Nobbers were happy with our summer business. Why? Because last time we were promoted we pretty much stuck to the 'unit' that got us promotion and it worked; second season is when you need investment when players become lax/other teams suss you out
5. When our league position turned out to be worse than we anticipated in January we made the very sensible decision to invest in the future and, with 23 days remaining, maybe some loan/short term contracts that might save us. Caricco is, by many 'experts' an absolute steal, a real coup - but mongs like the OP will always see the negative side. Everyone knew about Michu but that didn't mean there was 'something wrong with him', I suppose we offered him huge money, but nah, that doesn't support your theory that we're showing no ambition does it...

Oh, and the transfer window isn't shut yet.

However, some people need to wake up and realise that spending money doesn't = Certain success. Ask QPR fans, ask Leeds fans, ask Leicester fans.

Do people REALLY want the soul ripped out of this club? I for one am glad to be a Reading fan, we are making steady progress under stewardship that works well together. Madejski still at the club, Hammond still at the club, the old head scout as manager, Pearce, HRK, Karacan all in the first team - we're very lucky to support a club like this yet some people are never happy!!

It's been said in various other versions of this thread, so I don't expect it to change any minds, but +1 from me.

[royal_ross]

Didn't realize it was 1st February already. Must check dates more often.

[Hobartian]

I'm so annoyed with myself for replying to this thread but here goes...

1. The new owners signed Jason Roberts on premiership money to get us promoted, very early into their tenure.
2. They signed Federici on big money to keep him at the club and convinced McDermott to stay when Wolves wanted him.
3. After promotion they put big money into wages (proven a better indicator of success than transfer fees) for Guthrie, Shorey and Pogrebniak then paid decent money for Mariappa and Gunter. McCleary was an opportune signing that showed decent nous rather than 'ambition'.
4. 90% of Nobbers were happy with our summer business. Why? Because last time we were promoted we pretty much stuck to the 'unit' that got us promotion and it worked; second season is when you need investment when players become lax/other teams suss you out
5. When our league position turned out to be worse than we anticipated in January we made the very sensible decision to invest in the future and, with 23 days remaining, maybe some loan/short term contracts that might save us. Caricco is, by many 'experts' an absolute steal, a real coup - but mongs like the OP will always see the negative side. Everyone knew about Michu but that didn't mean there was 'something wrong with him', I suppose we offered him huge money, but nah, that doesn't support your theory that we're showing no ambition does it...

Oh, and the transfer window isn't shut yet.

However, some people need to wake up and realise that spending money doesn't = Certain success. Ask QPR fans, ask Leeds fans, ask Leicester fans.

Do people REALLY want the soul ripped out of this club? I for one am glad to be a Reading fan, we are making steady progress under stewardship that works well together. Madejski still at the club, Hammond still at the club, the old head scout as manager, Pearce, HRK, Karacan all in the first team - we're very lucky to support a club like this yet some people are never happy!!

Great post

[SPARTA]

I'm so annoyed with myself for replying to this thread but here goes...

1. The new owners signed Jason Roberts on premiership money to get us promoted, very early into their tenure.
2. They signed Federici on big money to keep him at the club and convinced McDermott to stay when Wolves wanted him.
3. After promotion they put big money into wages (proven a better indicator of success than transfer fees) for Guthrie, Shorey and Pogrebniak then paid decent money for Mariappa and Gunter. McCleary was an opportune signing that showed decent nous rather than 'ambition'.
4. 90% of Nobbers were happy with our summer business. Why? Because last time we were promoted we pretty much stuck to the 'unit' that got us promotion and it worked; second season is when you need investment when players become lax/other teams suss you out
5. When our league position turned out to be worse than we anticipated in January we made the very sensible decision to invest in the future and, with 23 days remaining, maybe some loan/short term contracts that might save us. Caricco is, by many 'experts' an absolute steal, a real coup - but mongs like the OP will always see the negative side. Everyone knew about Michu but that didn't mean there was 'something wrong with him', I suppose we offered him huge money, but nah, that doesn't support your theory that we're showing no ambition does it...

Oh, and the transfer window isn't shut yet.

However, some people need to wake up and realise that spending money doesn't = Certain success. Ask QPR fans, ask Leeds fans, ask Leicester fans.

Do people REALLY want the soul ripped out of this club? I for one am glad to be a Reading fan, we are making steady progress under stewardship that works well together. Madejski still at the club, Hammond still at the club, the old head scout as manager, Pearce, HRK, Karacan all in the first team - we're very lucky to support a club like this yet some people are never happy!!

Fantastic post. Some people will never be happy though. This club is in a great position, even if we go down we have investors here who will try and get us back up, and are prepared to match that with money, whether it be in wages or transfer fees, or indeed both. I'm more than happy being the new WBA for now, and we'll get it right eventually.

It's what, our 3rd year in the PL out of the last 8? GREAT TIMES!! Still not enough for some though, sadly.

[PistolPete]

Club Policies?

Surely therefore the Pearce contract thread should be here, as should the Who's getting paid what one. Maybe the song threads too?

The reason thread after thread is created on the Team board is because everyone links team investment with the team (weirdly enough) and doesn't realise they should be looking in the sub forum about "club policies" - "tickets, prices, and the Madejski Stadium"

[Gordons Cumming]

Club Policies?

Surely therefore the Pearce contract thread should be here, as should the Who's getting paid what one. Maybe the song threads too?

The reason thread after thread is created on the Team board is because everyone links team investment with the team (weirdly enough) and doesn't realise they should be looking in the sub forum about "club policies" - "tickets, prices, and the Madejski Stadium"

That's telling them....................

[Avon Royal]

Do people REALLY want the soul ripped out of this club? I for one am glad to be a Reading fan, we are making steady progress under stewardship that works well together. Madejski still at the club, Hammond still at the club, the old head scout as manager, Pearce, HRK, Karacan all in the first team - we're very lucky to support a club like this yet some people are never happy!!

You have a really weird definition of steady progress - blowing a golden opportunity to establish ourselves in the top flight is not progress in any way, shape or form.

Secondly, why do you think that we would have to "rip the soul out of the club" in order to grow? Do you think that Norwich fans feel that they have lost their soul? What about Swansea?

Every club that has ever established itself in the Premier League has had to invest significantly, it is unbelievably arrogant to think that we could somehow be an exception to that rule.

[PistolPete]

Norwich have spent net circa £4m per season in the last three seasons and Swansea havea actually made a total of roughly £5m in the last 3 seasons. Before that both teams balanced the books. This season we have spent £5.5m and almost definitely more on wages than both your examples. Norwich are on 25 points and are by no means safe yet, so let's not start holding them up as a team we should aspire to. Swansea are successful not by spending money but by by employing managers with a vision of how to play football. Martinez, Sousa, Rodgers and Laudrup all get teams to play football in a way that I think is better than the premiership norm. Just to stress the point, by using Swansea as an example you are proving that Reading should not up the anti spending wise if they want to improve.

Anyway, as for it being 'unbelievably arrogant' to think that Reading would be the only team to survive without spending, why don't you go ahead and ask Swansea fans what they think of your theory. In fact, while you're at it, ask West Brom fans whose team have spent £2m last season, £4m the season before and made 2m million the season before that. Oh sod it, ask Wigan fans about your theory, in the 8 seasons they've been in the premiership they've made a total of 3m on transfers, with a record net spend of 6m. Birmingham, the year before they were relegated, spent net £33m

And I have a weird idea of steady progress do I? I was at Elm park in the late 80s, so yes, I think we have made steady progress.

Owning the board? I think the board just owned you...

[Divvy]

Norwich have spent net circa £4m per season in the last three seasons and Swansea havea actually made a total of roughly £5m in the last 3 seasons. Before that both teams balanced the books. This season we have spent £5.5m and almost definitely more on wages than both your examples. Norwich are on 25 points and are by no means safe yet, so let's not start holding them up as a team we should aspire to. Swansea are successful not by spending money but by by employing managers with a vision of how to play football. Martinez, Sousa, Rodgers and Laudrup all get teams to play football in a way that I think is better than the premiership norm. Just to stress the point, by using Swansea as an example you are proving that Reading should not up the anti spending wise if they want to improve.

Anyway, as for it being 'unbelievably arrogant' to think that Reading would be the only team to survive without spending, why don't you go ahead and ask Swansea fans what they think of your theory. In fact, while you're at it, ask West Brom fans whose team have spent £2m last season, £4m the season before and made 2m million the season before that. Oh sod it, ask Wigan fans about your theory, in the 8 seasons they've been in the premiership they've made a total of 3m on transfers, with a record net spend of 6m. Birmingham, the year before they were relegated, spent net £33m

And I have a weird idea of steady progress do I? I was at Elm park in the late 80s, so yes, I think we have made steady progress.

Owning the board? I think the board just owned you...

Post of the year.

[Avon Royal]

Owning the board? I think the board just owned you...

Dream on It will take a lot more than your made up crap and complete and utter point missing to "own" anything you chump.

Swansea have spent nearly £28m over the past two seasons. They managed to recoup a fair bit by flogging Joe Allen and Scott Sinclair, but they reinvested the money. Where did our money for Mills, Long, Sig etc go? That's right, nowhere.

Norwich have spent over £20m in the past two seasons, not £4m a season......

So where are these teams that have established themselves without spending then?

Ps I never said that spending would guarantee anything.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

..... In fact, while you're at it, ask West Brom fans whose team have spent £2m last season, £4m the season before and made 2m million the season before that. .....

I could have sworn we got £6.5M for Shane Long. If WBA only spent £2M, who stumped up for the other £4.4M?

In any case you're only mentioning spending on transfer fees. Don't any of these players want wages?

[PistolPete]

NET

They sold Scott Carson for £2.1m

Will reply to post above when I get time - I think I'm gonna get all Snowball on him...

[melonhead]

You have a really weird definition of steady progress - blowing a golden opportunity to establish ourselves in the top flight is not progress in any way, shape or form.

.

LOL!


it is when we were in the championship, selling all our best players, and well in the bottom half

have to look at it long term.

this club has made gradual regular improvement and progress over the last ten years, and will continue to do so.

Every club that has ever established itself in the Premier League has had to invest significantly, it is unbelievably arrogant to think that we could somehow be an exception to that rule

dont think any one thought we would be the exception tbf. just that they didnt want to/couldnt afford gamble millions of their/our money on something that is not hugely likely.
take the increased money, invest in infrastructure, academy, playing staff, thuis growing th eclub, and making a longer stay in the premiere league a little more likely next time.

[melonhead]

Norwich have spent net circa £4m per season in the last three seasons and Swansea havea actually made a total of roughly £5m in the last 3 seasons. Before that both teams balanced the books. This season we have spent £5.5m and almost definitely more on wages than both your examples. Norwich are on 25 points and are by no means safe yet, so let's not start holding them up as a team we should aspire to. Swansea are successful not by spending money but by by employing managers with a vision of how to play football. Martinez, Sousa, Rodgers and Laudrup all get teams to play football in a way that I think is better than the premiership norm. Just to stress the point, by using Swansea as an example you are proving that Reading should not up the anti spending wise if they want to improve.

Anyway, as for it being 'unbelievably arrogant' to think that Reading would be the only team to survive without spending, why don't you go ahead and ask Swansea fans what they think of your theory. In fact, while you're at it, ask West Brom fans whose team have spent £2m last season, £4m the season before and made 2m million the season before that. Oh sod it, ask Wigan fans about your theory, in the 8 seasons they've been in the premiership they've made a total of 3m on transfers, with a record net spend of 6m. Birmingham, the year before they were relegated, spent net £33m

And I have a weird idea of steady progress do I? I was at Elm park in the late 80s, so yes, I think we have made steady progress.

Owning the board? I think the board just owned you...

lol. post of the week

[melonhead]

They managed to recoup a fair bit by flogging Joe Allen and Scott Sinclair, but they reinvested the money. Where did our money for Mills, Long, Sig etc go? That's right, nowhere.

LOL!

its gone into running the club, which doesnt usually have enough fans to make a profit you dangleberry

Ps I never said that spending would guarantee anything.

nice of you to gamble someone elses money on such a hit and miss venture

[Z175]

I think regardless of historic facts, wages speculation and so on, Reading have spent significantly less on transfer fees than every other team this season and might be accused of aiming for 20th place.

Even bringing in a couple of high wage earners doesn't necessarily balance it out, Ramirez at Southampton, Michu at Swansea are not being paid peanuts I'm sure.

Now I am personally fine with the approach, as it appears most fans were at least in the summer. However I dont think this season is a hopeless cause, we aren't getting whipped and we have some very decent players who we might struggle to keep in the Championship, Federici, McCarthy, Kebe, Pearce, Robson-Kanu, Karacan will all have agents trying to get them moves if we go down. Clearly its easier to keep the team together when you finish 19th rather than 8th, but its high profile and are better players will have been scouted, no doubt at all. 20 PL clubs, with massively increased income next year, will be able to blow us out of the water on fees and wages.

Given we announced 1 signing on Dec 31st and none since, I can't think we're planning much. If the implication is that TSI will save the sky tv money, build the long term facilities up, keep our manager and better players and come back stronger, fine. But much stadium expansion does a Championship team need? How likely our the FA to award little Reading category 1 academy status if they are lower-league? (I think the delay in rating is seeing if we stay up)

So you'd think it would be worth a couple of big signings, to give it a real go and do the better players in this squad justice. Anyone good enough could be on a relegation release and easily sold.

But it looks like we will stick with what we have. It may yet be fine, but isn't there another interpretation of this reluctance to spend money? That Zingarevich and his sidekick Samuelson have no money to spend?

[Avon Royal]

Norwich have spent net circa £4m per season in the last three seasons and Swansea havea actually made a total of roughly £5m in the last 3 seasons. Before that both teams balanced the books. This season we have spent £5.5m and almost definitely more on wages than both your examples. Norwich are on 25 points and are by no means safe yet, so let's not start holding them up as a team we should aspire to. Swansea are successful not by spending money but by by employing managers with a vision of how to play football. Martinez, Sousa, Rodgers and Laudrup all get teams to play football in a way that I think is better than the premiership norm. Just to stress the point, by using Swansea as an example you are proving that Reading should not up the anti spending wise if they want to improve.

Anyway, as for it being 'unbelievably arrogant' to think that Reading would be the only team to survive without spending, why don't you go ahead and ask Swansea fans what they think of your theory. In fact, while you're at it, ask West Brom fans whose team have spent £2m last season, £4m the season before and made 2m million the season before that. Oh sod it, ask Wigan fans about your theory, in the 8 seasons they've been in the premiership they've made a total of 3m on transfers, with a record net spend of 6m. Birmingham, the year before they were relegated, spent net £33m

And I have a weird idea of steady progress do I? I was at Elm park in the late 80s, so yes, I think we have made steady progress.

Owning the board? I think the board just owned you...

lol. post of the week

I guess it could be if you like fiction.......