CONFIRMED - Billy Sharp

[SPARTA]

This isn't a computer game, LR. You and many other younger fans have developed unrealistic expectations of the club. Sharp would be an excellent addition to the club, and I really am struggling to see what players we should be "aiming higher" to get? Perhaps you can list them for us, just for comedy value if nothing else?

[LoyalRoyal22]

This isn't a computer game, LR. You and many other younger fans have developed unrealistic expectations of the club. Sharp would be an excellent addition to the club, and I really am struggling to see what players we should be "aiming higher" to get? Perhaps you can list them for us, just for comedy value if nothing else?

I don't see why you and the 'older' fans are obsessing over Sharp who is a good championship striker at best, maybe it's because you have heard off him and you consider it to be a safe option. Hooper or Austin would be much better but if we sign Sharp it would indicate we bottled those transfers. Apart from that our scouting team should have come up with a suitable option from all the games they scouted in Europe last season.

[alfiesaywhat]

This isn't a computer game, LR. You and many other younger fans have developed unrealistic expectations of the club. Sharp would be an excellent addition to the club, and I really am struggling to see what players we should be "aiming higher" to get? Perhaps you can list them for us, just for comedy value if nothing else?

I don't see why you and the 'older' fans are obsessing over Sharp who is a good championship striker at best, maybe it's because you have heard off him and you consider it to be a safe option. Hooper or Austin would be much better but if we sign Sharp it would indicate we bottled those transfers. Apart from that our scouting team should have come up with a suitable option from all the games they scouted in Europe last season.

Not unrealistic expectations at all Sparta. LR, I completely agree with you

[Mike Hunt]

oxf*rd Sharp, aim higher. He didn't do much at Southampton so can't see Nigel Adkins actually wanting him. I imagine we would have signed him already if we really wanted him.

You keep saying aim higher. Like who then? You really do need to get real! The club doesn't throw money around, it still tries to be prudent, so you wont see £4m+ spent on anyone at this level, certainly not unless we sell someone and use much of that money to fund it. You seem to be getting a tad carried away in thinking we can attract proven Premier League strikers here (why would they drop down?). Sharp is proven at this level and could walk into ANY of the sides in this league! Can he do it if we go up? Probably not, no - but nor can a lot of this squad. You then have to be ruthless and chop and change, not overly loyal as BM and STC were.

Very true, we are not a club like QPR who throws money around, but I think under Adkins and Zingarevich it will be slightly different than the Coppell and McDermott years (excluding Rodgers as I don't remember him signing anyone). Compare the transfers from this summer to last and tell me that they are of the same quality. No way would we have gotten Drenthe, Bridge and the promising Williams last summer as it was partly Reading's strategy but mainly McDermott's to sign players of championship and below levels. I would be pleased with Sharp as he is a good striker at this level but I do think that he is perhaps very slightly below the standard of player that would prove our status as a top Championship team who can get promoted and stay there for a while (ie longer than a season (no disrespect to BM)). By aim higher he means the likes of Hooper and Austin, not players who are proven in the Premier League but players who would not in any way be dropping down a level if they came to Reading.

You lost me there there mate, so thus the rest of your post is null and void.

Unless you were 5, how could you not remember Rodgers signing anybody?

- Our Captain, Jobi McAnuff
- Our former Captain, Matt Mills
- One of the greatest strikers to ever put on the Hoops, Grzegorz Rasiak
- Brian Howard
- Am i missing anybody else?

If someone would have said that Sharp could be signing 2 years ago, this board would have been in meltdown. I guess this shows how far the club has come in the past 2 years without even breaking the transfer record...

Edit - here is a thread from January 2012. Before TSI came in.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=110950&hilit=billy+sharp&start=20

[LightwaterRoyal]

Shaun Cummings, Bongani Khumalo, Darren O'Dea.

[Ian Royal]

Shaun Cummings, Bongani Khumalo, Darren O'Dea.

KhumaLOLo was McDermott.

[Optimist]

Shaun Cummings, Bongani Khumalo, Darren O'Dea.

Bongani was brought in by Brian two years later!

Bertrand was Rodgers' work though.

[LightwaterRoyal]

Correct Ian, although we missed Bertrand and I'm not positive but didn't we loan Throvaldsson that season?

[SydenhamRoyal]

Shaun Cummings, Bongani Khumalo, Darren O'Dea.

KhumaLOLo was McDermott.

And could be soon be Mick McCarthy. Hopefully just before we play them and McCarthy finds out ...

[Ian Royal]

Correct Ian, although we missed Bertrand and I'm not positive but didn't we loan Throvaldsson that season?

Shout. Thorvaldsson was January after MaccyD took over. Although we probably started looking at it under Bodgers.

[sandman]

Shaun Cummings, Bongani Khumalo, Darren O'Dear.

Corrected.

[Elm Park Pasty]

This isn't a computer game, LR. You and many other younger fans have developed unrealistic expectations of the club. Sharp would be an excellent addition to the club, and I really am struggling to see what players we should be "aiming higher" to get? Perhaps you can list them for us, just for comedy value if nothing else?

I don't see why you and the 'older' fans are obsessing over Sharp who is a good championship striker at best, maybe it's because you have heard off him and you consider it to be a safe option. Hooper or Austin would be much better but if we sign Sharp it would indicate we bottled those transfers. Apart from that our scouting team should have come up with a suitable option from all the games they scouted in Europe last season.

Not unrealistic expectations at all Sparta. LR, I completely agree with you

I am with Sparta on this. We are in the Championship now, and you cannot accuse the club of not showing ambition with the signing of Williams, Bridge and particularly Drenthe. However, I really don't understand the idea that the club would have bottled something if Austin and Hooper don't sign. There are certainly question marks about Austin in relation to both on the field and rumoured off the field. Parking the off the field as they are rumours, how would you feel if we sign Austin, for say £5M and then the next week his cruciate ligament goes or maybe his shoulder pops (depending on which injury story you believe), both are potentially long-term injuries which we would have been aware of going into the deal. Not exactly £5M down the toilet, but certainly on hold (presuming he came back from either injury ok). Next Hooper, if he doesn't want to drop into the Championship, thinking that he would get better exposure in the SPL, what should the club do then? What if Hooper says yes but then wants £100k a week?? Do you think we should sign them at any cost??? You think that we would have 'bottled' a transfer if Austin has a fragile knee or Hooper wants silly money? If we could not get either of these two for the reasons stated than I also think Sharp would be a good option. And you still didn't answer the question of who you would target instead.

[sandman]

This isn't a computer game, LR. You and many other younger fans have developed unrealistic expectations of the club. Sharp would be an excellent addition to the club, and I really am struggling to see what players we should be "aiming higher" to get? Perhaps you can list them for us, just for comedy value if nothing else?

Funny as you've described your own attitude last season very well there.

[alfiesaywhat]

I am with Sparta on this. We are in the Championship now, and you cannot accuse the club of not showing ambition with the signing of Williams, Bridge and particularly Drenthe. However, I really don't understand the idea that the club would have bottled something if Austin and Hooper don't sign. There are certainly question marks about Austin in relation to both on the field and rumoured off the field. Parking the off the field as they are rumours, how would you feel if we sign Austin, for say £5M and then the next week his cruciate ligament goes or maybe his shoulder pops (depending on which injury story you believe), both are potentially long-term injuries which we would have been aware of going into the deal. Not exactly £5M down the toilet, but certainly on hold (presuming he came back from either injury ok). Next Hooper, if he doesn't want to drop into the Championship, thinking that he would get better exposure in the SPL, what should the club do then? What if Hooper says yes but then wants £100k a week?? Do you think we should sign them at any cost??? You think that we would have 'bottled' a transfer if Austin has a fragile knee or Hooper wants silly money? If we could not get either of these two for the reasons stated than I also think Sharp would be a good option. And you still didn't answer the question of who you would target instead.

I've not accused the club of that and I don't think LoyalRoyal has either. The way I see it, LR means that the club would have bottled something in the sense that we apparently do have the resources from the board (call me delusional but we have to something with the parachute payments and Zingarevich's money) to sign one of these two players yet we are going for the cheaper and safer option in Sharp. Austin, whether he's failed a medical at Hull or not is still a top,top striker (25 goals in Champ. proving this) and although may have off-field problems and physical problems they seemingly are not affecting his form. Hooper is a bit crazy if he thinks another 20 goals in the SPL will increase his chances of World Cup action and although I'm not saying he will have a better chance should he come to Reading, which is in no way dropping down a level, he will probably attract a bit more attention because to be honest the championship is definitely a more established league than the SPL. For example Andy Carroll's performances for Newcastle in their promotion season earned him his first cap. I certainly don't think we should sign either of them if they demand high wages or their clubs demand high fees (which is very unlikely as both to my knowledge only have 1 year left and have not expressed a desire for extensions), there is definitely a limit Reading should set. Hooper is also not going to ask for 100k a week as he certainly won't be earning anything near that at Celtic and isn't going to take that big a leap in salary. Also what club is going to pay him that? Apart from money throwing QPR. I just think that Sharp is a slightly less ambitious option than the other two even though the other two do have their problems and supposed desperation for money, but he is a good player.

[SPARTA]

This isn't a computer game, LR. You and many other younger fans have developed unrealistic expectations of the club. Sharp would be an excellent addition to the club, and I really am struggling to see what players we should be "aiming higher" to get? Perhaps you can list them for us, just for comedy value if nothing else?

Funny as you've described your own attitude last season very well there.

I'm a notorious pessimist. Care you explain?

[Elm Park Pasty]

I am with Sparta on this. We are in the Championship now, and you cannot accuse the club of not showing ambition with the signing of Williams, Bridge and particularly Drenthe. However, I really don't understand the idea that the club would have bottled something if Austin and Hooper don't sign. There are certainly question marks about Austin in relation to both on the field and rumoured off the field. Parking the off the field as they are rumours, how would you feel if we sign Austin, for say £5M and then the next week his cruciate ligament goes or maybe his shoulder pops (depending on which injury story you believe), both are potentially long-term injuries which we would have been aware of going into the deal. Not exactly £5M down the toilet, but certainly on hold (presuming he came back from either injury ok). Next Hooper, if he doesn't want to drop into the Championship, thinking that he would get better exposure in the SPL, what should the club do then? What if Hooper says yes but then wants £100k a week?? Do you think we should sign them at any cost??? You think that we would have 'bottled' a transfer if Austin has a fragile knee or Hooper wants silly money? If we could not get either of these two for the reasons stated than I also think Sharp would be a good option. And you still didn't answer the question of who you would target instead.

I've not accused the club of that and I don't think LoyalRoyal has either. The way I see it, LR means that the club would have bottled something in the sense that we apparently do have the resources from the board (call me delusional but we have to something with the parachute payments and Zingarevich's money) to sign one of these two players yet we are going for the cheaper and safer option in Sharp. Austin, whether he's failed a medical at Hull or not is still a top,top striker (25 goals in Champ. proving this) and although may have off-field problems and physical problems they seemingly are not affecting his form. Hooper is a bit crazy if he thinks another 20 goals in the SPL will increase his chances of World Cup action and although I'm not saying he will have a better chance should he come to Reading, which is in no way dropping down a level, he will probably attract a bit more attention because to be honest the championship is definitely a more established league than the SPL. For example Andy Carroll's performances for Newcastle in their promotion season earned him his first cap. I certainly don't think we should sign either of them if they demand high wages or their clubs demand high fees (which is very unlikely as both to my knowledge only have 1 year left and have not expressed a desire for extensions), there is definitely a limit Reading should set. Hooper is also not going to ask for 100k a week as he certainly won't be earning anything near that at Celtic and isn't going to take that big a leap in salary. Also what club is going to pay him that? Apart from money throwing QPR. I just think that Sharp is a slightly less ambitious option than the other two even though the other two do have their problems and supposed desperation for money, but he is a good player.

I didn't mean to sound so sharp in my comment, but you both seem to be making an assumption that if the individual player does not come here then it will be a failure on the club's part for that happening, and I am certainly not calling you delusional in terms of what you feel the club may be able to afford. No one knows if the club has spoken to either player (although Hooper's representative said something along these lines) or what the result of any chat could have been. Hooper may have expressed no interest at all in joining a Championship club or he may decide to run down his contract and become a free agent next summer. Austin, could be a different matter, depending on whatever his 'mysterious injury' is. Someone made a good point on the Austin thread (think it was Soggy Biscuit) that a medical can be failed because the value the selling club put on a player is not equal to the value of the player once a medical has taken place, e.g. that any potential injury could knock £s off the price. If Burnley don't want to deal at a lower price then no deal will take place, and again it wouldn't be Reading's fault. The point I was trying to make was that there could be a multitude of reasons a player does not come to a club, and at this moment I am not sure if I would expect 'bottling it' to be one of them. Just ask any Arsenal fan if you want a critique of 'bottling it' as Arsene seems to have turned it into an art form the last few years.

[genome]

I didn't mean to sound so sharp in my comment

[alfiesaywhat]

I didn't mean to sound so sharp in my comment, but you both seem to be making an assumption that if the individual player does not come here then it will be a failure on the club's part for that happening, and I am certainly not calling you delusional in terms of what you feel the club may be able to afford. No one knows if the club has spoken to either player (although Hooper's representative said something along these lines) or what the result of any chat could have been. Hooper may have expressed no interest at all in joining a Championship club or he may decide to run down his contract and become a free agent next summer. Austin, could be a different matter, depending on whatever his 'mysterious injury' is. Someone made a good point on the Austin thread (think it was Soggy Biscuit) that a medical can be failed because the value the selling club put on a player is not equal to the value of the player once a medical has taken place, e.g. that any potential injury could knock £s off the price. If Burnley don't want to deal at a lower price then no deal will take place, and again it wouldn't be Reading's fault. The point I was trying to make was that there could be a multitude of reasons a player does not come to a club, and at this moment I am not sure if I would expect 'bottling it' to be one of them. Just ask any Arsenal fan if you want a critique of 'bottling it' as Arsene seems to have turned it into an art form the last few years.

You're right in fact, I was wrong to say the club would have bottled it if we don't sign Hooper or Austin but get Sharp instead. There are many reasons they might not want to come but I would be disappointed if we don't at least lodge a good bid with Celtic if we can afford it and then see what Hooper says. Austin is a different matter as we do not know what is going on with his knee/shoulder/off-field problems and therefore might be a risk to get him and anyway Burnley may not budge on their price, failed medical at Hull or not. For me it's just when I compare Austin and Hooper to Sharp I immediately know which two I would prefer yet really I wouldn't be too disappointed with Sharp. Good scoring record and good work rate, I just failed to see it before when I knew we were looking into Hooper and Austin. Just found this by the way - http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/ ... -1-3001506 That mixes things up a bit!

[maffff]

Although he would do a perfectly good job in the Championship I think is be underwhelmed with us signing Sharp

[Elm Park Pasty]

Although he would do a perfectly good job in the Championship I think is be underwhelmed with us signing Sharp

Ditto, but again we are back to the argument of who else could be available?