2013 Summer Transfer Window

[SPARTA]

It really annoys me that RFC and the fans have known our destination for weeks now and there is still not one word from the club about transfers in

Seriously? It's June 3rd for Christ's sake! How many clubs are doing any business yet?

[W&E Royal]

It really annoys me that RFC and the fans have known our destination for weeks now and there is still not one word from the club about transfers in - nor one piece of speculation that links us with the players that we need. Anyone we buy needs to be integral to our challenge of immediate promotion and then staying in the Prem. Not one thread on this board has come anywhere close yet!

You really are a prick aren't you.

[Plymouth_Royal]

Seeing D'Ath at the likes of Cheltenham I don't think he has enough about him to ever break into the side. He's another of those attacking midfielder prodigies that people want to see pushed forward but infinitely isn't good enough. See Scott Davies and Jake Taylor as examples.

Likewise Dom Samuel who wasn't exactly shining at Colchester - but has something about him and time on his side. I wouldn't say he's ready yet.

We have more prospects with more chance of coming through in time in the under 18s. Aaron Kuhl looks the stand out player and Craig Tanner is a good prospect 'in the hole'. Both a bit raw and ready but if they continue developing could push the first team.

Seeing Uche Ikpeazu is the most 'Drog-like' we have - but seeing him up against Stephen Arthurworrey in the u18's final showed how the main thing to his game is his strength which gives him an advantage up top at that level. If he were playing against experienced centre backs at a higher level they would know how to counter that and he'd probably be pretty much invisible (again, unless he keeps building up to Drogba like proportions).

We offered D'Ath a new deal, so I'm assuming Adkins see's something in him.

[SCIAG]

Seeing D'Ath at the likes of Cheltenham I don't think he has enough about him to ever break into the side. He's another of those attacking midfielder prodigies that people want to see pushed forward but infinitely isn't good enough. See Scott Davies and Jake Taylor as examples.

Infinitely? All three are good players who should be League 1 players at the least. Davies has seemingly got worse as his career has advanced (he's gone from being important for Aldershot and Wycombe to the fringes at Crawley and now Oxford), and Taylor is too versatile for his own good. D'Ath is a good goalscorer but IMO lost out when we got promoted and will need to drop down now because we've got too many ahead of him. Certainly not "infinitely" far from being good enough given Marvin Bartley has become a Championship midfielder.

I don't remember Davies being pushed forward (certainly compared to Henry, Pearce and Karacan) and even Taylor was never seriously talked about as the solution to our "no creativity in the centre" problem.

[Royalwaster]

Unusual but I agree with TheSiege ... yuk, makes me feel dirty!

[FridaysGhost]

First Post, I accept all abuse pre-emptively. I've watched this board for a few years to get transfer info and now I've deided to join. Two things, Etherington and Albrighton seem to be good calls if they come without baggage, I'd choose Albrighton if it's either/or. Also, is there some sort of virus on HNA, I have watched some posts with interest and might have replied but they have all suddenly changed?

[LightwaterRoyal]

First Post, I accept all abuse pre-emptively. I've watched this board for a few years to get transfer info and now I've deided to join. Two things, Etherington and Albrighton seem to be good calls if they come without baggage, I'd choose Albrighton if it's either/or. Also, is there some sort of virus on HNA, I have watched some posts with interest and might have replied but they have all suddenly changed?

I think that might be when the moderator merges different threads on the same subject together. Throws me off a little bit sometimes.

Welcome, and oxf*rd off Newbie

[FridaysGhost]

Thanks for the reply but, I know what you refer to . This is different, it may be my Computer, If I look at a topic half the posts are there and half have disappeared. All of the Knowledgeable but controversial ones seem to be disappearing. Some posts seem to be attached somehow to other posts that no loner exist. I might try a reload as I wanted to reply to posts that have somehow disappeared.

[FridaysGhost]

There seem to be loads of players being freed by their clubs at the moment, surely those from current Premiership clubs need to be looked at?

[SPARTA]

There seem to be loads of players being freed by their clubs at the moment, surely those from current Premiership clubs need to be looked at?

Bit of a silly question isn't it?

[FridaysGhost]

Given the last few years in the transfer market, No, I do'nt think so.

[SPARTA]

Given the last few years in the transfer market, No, I do'nt think so.

Go on? In the last few years we've signed a number of Premier League players at this level. Gorkss, Leigertwood, Khizanishvili, Shorey and Roberts for a start. To suggest we aren't active enough or don't look at the Premier League for players is quite frankly bizarre.

[FridaysGhost]

I think you misunderstand, I was talking about looking for the gems amongst the non-retained. None of your five fit that pattern except, perhaps, Shorey. He did seem to initially step up when we signed him. The other 4 did jobs for us in a season when we overachieved but why keep them when we can buy far better? If memory serves, all were surplus to requirements in failing Premiership teams. Now it's a couple of years later.

[LightwaterRoyal]

I think you misunderstand, I was talking about looking for the gems amongst the non-retained. None of your five fit that pattern except, perhaps, Shorey. He did seem to initially step up when we signed him. The other 4 did jobs for us in a season when we overachieved but why keep them when we can buy far better? If memory serves, all were surplus to requirements in failing Premiership teams. Now it's a couple of years later.

All of them have had massive impacts on our teams. Khizanishvilli shored up the defence, Leigertwood was dominating midfields, Gorkss was unbelievably good for us and Roberts was simply incredible.

[FridaysGhost]

And that will hapen forever, despite their obvious failures in the Premiership?

[LightwaterRoyal]

No, but who said we had to keep the same players. Sparta was simply pointing out that we have been plucking players released from Premier League teams and they have shone in our side.
What exactly are you trying to say?

[FridaysGhost]

A year ago we could have given a contract to Arouna Kone and a host of other Rangers players. Some of those guys have done well where they've gone. I'm not saying that every released Rangers player would have helped us but, some might have. Also, look back over our previous seasons. Look at the players we actually bought and look at the players who were available or potentially available. It is my own opinion of course, but I think we could have done better with our purchases or loans. To win the Championship is brilliant but we all know it was a squad far less good than the previous promotion. Better players in the Championship campaign might have made our Promotion deals a lot easier.

[LightwaterRoyal]

We couldn't afford to be offering players contracts that were on big money. What part of ''The Reading way'' don't you understand?

[FridaysGhost]

We couldn't afford to be offering players contracts that were on big money. What part of ''The Reading way'' don't you understand?

The Reading Way went when the Ownership changed. The Reading Way was to over-achieve on a season and then have your best two players bought to satisfy a bank debt. The old 'Reading Way' is not something that anyone should be now concerned with. The 'Reading Way' pretence has passed and needs to be updated. We can buy and sell with the best of the Championship and we can certainly assemble a Promotion squad with the players we have and the ones we can buy.

[LightwaterRoyal]

We couldn't afford to be offering players contracts that were on big money. What part of ''The Reading way'' don't you understand?

The Reading Way went when the Ownership changed. The Reading Way was to over-achieve on a season and then have your best two players bought to satisfy a bank debt. The old 'Reading Way' is not something that anyone should be now concerned with. The 'Reading Way' pretence has passed and needs to be updated. We can buy and sell with the best of the Championship and we can certainly assemble a Promotion squad with the players we have and the ones we can buy.

I agree with you there, but you were questioning the signings of Legertwood, Zurab, Gorkss etc and I was merely pointing out that at the time we had limited resources.

You're right we dont HAVE to do that now, but you can't change history.