Well done McDermott and Hammond - Positive transfer window

[blythspartan]

I am pleased with the players we have signed.

Akpan looks solid with a bit of flair, Carricio wasn't Sporting Lisbon captain for nothing, Kelly is a solid right back and I reckon J Roberts must have recommended Blackman, as he used to help mentor/coach the young players at Blackburn.

I am glad that we didn't sign Ince, as I think he wants to return to Liverpool and £8m is a lot to spend on an unproven premiership player. In saying that there is no doubting his ability but I just don't see that he would have been the difference as to whether we go down or stay up this season.

[cmonurz]

I am glad that we didn't sign Ince, as I think he wants to return to Liverpool and £8m is a lot to spend on an unproven premiership player. In saying that there is no doubting his ability but I just don't see that he would have been the difference as to whether we go down or stay up this season.

So from that perspective, what would your grand plan be?

Buy enough Inces to make the difference as to whether we go down or stay up?

Or not buy anyone and hope we do it on the cheap?

Why does one player have to make the absolute difference? What's wrong with saying 'this guy would improve our team, let's go for him'?

[royal67]

Kelly barely an improvement on Gunter.

You are joking? Aren't you.....??

[Reading4eva]

I wonder if we did sell one or two, if we could have upped our bid for the Sig. Legsofwood for example, could fetch 1 million, to pump straight into the Gylfi deal.

[Rusty royal]

I wonder if we did sell one or two, if we could have upped our bid for the Sig. Legsofwood for example, could fetch 1 million, to pump straight into the Gylfi deal.

Maybe Gylfi didn't want to come back????? no matter how much was offered

[Extended-Phenotype]

What is with everyone's criticism of Carrico? Like I said in a earlier post, he's played 6 MINUTES of football at Lisbon this season

...and in we swoop, drooling at the mouth at those attractive stats. Who needs players who can play?

I'd rather be in our situation where we've got 4 decent players and went for it with Siggy.

You mean we decided he wasn't worth the price. Well, I guess we will never know because quelle surprise we didn't bother.

you have become a terrible poster

im ashamed to have laughed at your stuff in the past

Not particularly wounded by the loss of a supporter of oppresive right-wing authoritarianism and enforced conventionalism, but rather bewildered why my frustration at signing unready footballers and showing a lack of ambition makes me anything to be ashamed of.

Stinks of a lack of argument if you ask me.

[Scutterbucketz]

Why do they need to "appease the fans"? Fans are idiots, fck em.

They are the ones who won't be there next year if we are relegated.

That's not about making up stories about bids though, is it?

That's a reason the club doesn't want to get relegated. Why would they sit around thinking "oh, those fukkwits on HNA will notch a 12 page moan if we don't look like we've done something. I know, let's say we bid on Thomas Ince"

I'm not saying they put in bids they knew would fail to appease the fans. I'm saying that once they knew that those bids were destined to fail they should have had other options.

[blythspartan]

I am glad that we didn't sign Ince, as I think he wants to return to Liverpool and £8m is a lot to spend on an unproven premiership player. In saying that there is no doubting his ability but I just don't see that he would have been the difference as to whether we go down or stay up this season.

So from that perspective, what would your grand plan be?

Buy enough Inces to make the difference as to whether we go down or stay up?

Or not buy anyone and hope we do it on the cheap?

Why does one player have to make the absolute difference? What's wrong with saying 'this guy would improve our team, let's go for him'?

I don't know enough about football mangement or running a football club to have a grand plan, so I leave that to BM, NH etc. I am just glad that we do business our way and not QPR's.

If we can survive this season I would love us to gradually improve the quality of the squad with players like Ince.

I am not saying that one player makes the absolute difference, I just think that it would have been a lot of money to spend on a player in our current position.

I am just a fan and I want to see the club run sensibily and I trust the powers that be to do that.

[floyd__streete]

Added 4 players to the squad, all of varying qualities and one or two of them have already proved their worth.

We haven't lost any big players. Another window where our best players haven't been sold.

We have tried to bring in Tom Ince, but ultimately failed, but that quietens down anyone who might question McDermott's transfer policy.

Onwards and upwards!

Folks! We've found Craig Mortimer-Zhika's Hob Nob account!

[Ian Royal]

Like the summer (retrospectively) it's been a window where you have to wonder whether our business has been good enough to make a difference. Unlike the summer, given our league position, this window very much had to be dealt with having more than one eye on the Championship next season.

On the whole I think we've done a good job of balancing the signings we've made for not being crippling if we go down, but still improving our squad for this season and being likely to hang around.

We could have taken a different approach and pushed the boat out to buy a better and more ready midfielder than Akpan or Carrico, or a better and more ready striker than Blackman, and made more effort to get a number 10 / new winger. Looked to improve left back and CB more determinedly as well. But I'm comfortable with the business we've done. Especially considering the change in our fortunes recently. Which I don't subscribe to luck. It's played a part, but a far bigger one has been the change in formation and the shift in emphasis (if only relatively small) in possession and passing, and much more importantly, defensively and tactically.

We were always going to struggle this season, but in hindsight, if we'd started with our current tactics and stuck to them. I think we'd be looking, if not safe, then significantly more secure.

I've always said our squad was just about good enough to stay up. It's the way it was being used, combined with a number of bits of misfortune and injuries / disputes compounding the tactical errors that was the real problem. We were always going to be involved in a relegation fight, just perhaps not from being in the bottom three for half a season or more.

[Royal91]

I'm happy with what we've done to be honest. Players are always over priced in January. I for once believe the club; there is no point in Reading being transparent in the transfer dealings, because they will know next season all the fans know they are prepared to dig a bit deeper.

Fans never forget!!!

IF we stayed up an refused to go for some heavier investment then there would be a bloody riot!

[royal_ross]

What is with everyone's criticism of Carrico? Like I said in a earlier post, he's played 6 MINUTES of football at Lisbon this season

...and in we swoop, drooling at the mouth at those attractive stats. Who needs players who can play?

I'd rather be in our situation where we've got 4 decent players and went for it with Siggy.

You mean we decided he wasn't worth the price. Well, I guess we will never know because quelle surprise we didn't bother.

How do you know Caricco can't play? You've based what you've seen on 45 mins of football and the guy is clearly not match fit? Same with Siggy what if he didn't want to come back as previous posters have said, some people are so quick to put down the club and new signings before they've proven themselves.

[winchester_royal]

The irony is all those shouting 'CONSPIRACY' are the same posters who moan at the club for not being open enough with the fans.

[Pandoras Box]

wonder if we did sell one or two, if we could have upped our bid for the Sig. Legsofwood for example, could fetch 1 million, to pump straight into the Gylfi deal.

Can I ask how many of our own players were looked at (wanted?) by other clubs in this window?

[Maguire]

That's not about making up stories about bids though, is it?

That's a reason the club doesn't want to get relegated. Why would they sit around thinking "oh, those fukkwits on HNA will notch a 12 page moan if we don't look like we've done something. I know, let's say we bid on Thomas Ince"

I'm not saying they put in bids they knew would fail to appease the fans. I'm saying that once they knew that those bids were destined to fail they should have had other options.

Just sign anyone, yeah?

[Extended-Phenotype]

The irony is all those shouting 'CONSPIRACY' are the same posters who moan at the club for not being open enough with the fans.

Think the conspiracy is a bit far fetched. Fans would be as, if not more angry we underbid and missed out on players we need, as they would not trying at all.

Either way, costly decisions which could jeopardise our campaign.

[The Beardy Man]

Like the summer (retrospectively) it's been a window where you have to wonder whether our business has been good enough to make a difference. Unlike the summer, given our league position, this window very much had to be dealt with having more than one eye on the Championship next season.

On the whole I think we've done a good job of balancing the signings we've made for not being crippling if we go down, but still improving our squad for this season and being likely to hang around.

We could have taken a different approach and pushed the boat out to buy a better and more ready midfielder than Akpan or Carrico, or a better and more ready striker than Blackman, and made more effort to get a number 10 / new winger. Looked to improve left back and CB more determinedly as well. But I'm comfortable with the business we've done. Especially considering the change in our fortunes recently. Which I don't subscribe to luck. It's played a part, but a far bigger one has been the change in formation and the shift in emphasis (if only relatively small) in possession and passing, and much more importantly, defensively and tactically.

We were always going to struggle this season, but in hindsight, if we'd started with our current tactics and stuck to them. I think we'd be looking, if not safe, then significantly more secure.

I've always said our squad was just about good enough to stay up. It's the way it was being used, combined with a number of bits of misfortune and injuries / disputes compounding the tactical errors that was the real problem. We were always going to be involved in a relegation fight, just perhaps not from being in the bottom three for half a season or more.

Good post, agreed.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Don't think a bit more investment would have crippled us and think we were silly not to sign a creative mid, but we shall see.

Our game has improved, but let's not get carried away - the games won were generally awful performances rescued at the last minute by throwing everything we had at teams, but belief and hardwork aren't going to be enough.

Left-back is still a concern and while Pearce and Mapps have grown better they are still making mistakes and being ripped apart.

Jem and Ledge are up and down, Jobi and Kebe are sporadically effective and we still can’t seem to create chances in a 4-5-1.

I'm chuffed we've gotten some points on the board and have climbed out of the bottom three temporarily, but I can't say our team or performances have me confident we can keep clawing these results with 10 minutes of decent football.

[MartinRdg]

I'm going to reserve judgement until after Sunderland.

The 2 ALF goals masked just how lacking we are. For 85 minutes we were as toothless a home side as I have ever seen in the prem.

I just home Danny Graham doesn't get a hatrick.

And you thought we would be able to match Chelsea did you?

[Big Ern]

Just got up and finding it quite amusing reading all this.

Despite melonheads club rectum kissing, have we really dramatically improved the squad this transfer window? Of the starting 11 before Jan, there is only 1 change and that was to replace the RB we bought in the summer with an upgraded version. The rest appear very much for next season so buying for the future. Although a sound policy, not what we need now. We have signed 1 player of proven Premiership experience in Kelly, and by no coincidence, he looks the part, but where are the others with the Prem experience the clus stated we so desperateky needed? This is the key and for that I would say in premiership terms this window has been a abject failure. If we go down, it will be for the same reasons as last time, lacking 1 quality player.