Why wont the club tell us the truth?

[Snowball]

Like most of us, I don't know the truth of this window

But I CAN say that the directors in the bar, and Adkins seemed very
cool and comfortable up to 7:30 when I left, not under any pressure or disappointed.

When my daughter had her pickie taken with Adkins there was
plenty of banter and laughter.

I had the strong impression that our business was already done and
everyone was more than happy.

Adkins gave the strong hint we'd be getting loanees or out of contract players
AND he'd be bringing youths through. It was obvious at 7:00 that they weren't
desperately trying to beat the deadline.

[mr_number]

Point is, some people are saying the club have done nothing wrong and I disagree.

Either they were misleading with their intent, or the intent was there but mistakes were made in the transfer window - targeting the wrong players, not targeting enough players, poor valuation; doesn't matter - if you say you need/want seven players and only manage three, someone somewhere has f/cked up.

In which case, the club are more than open to criticism in my opinion.

What if there weren't any players of sufficient quality available who wanted to come and live in a shithole like Reading, and play for a team with a load of pcunts as fans?

[Royal Lady]

Point is, some people are saying the club have done nothing wrong and I disagree.

Either they were misleading with their intent, or the intent was there but mistakes were made in the transfer window - targeting the wrong players, not targeting enough players, poor valuation; doesn't matter - if you say you need/want seven players and only manage three, someone somewhere has f/cked up.

In which case, the club are more than open to criticism in my opinion.

What if there weren't any players of sufficient quality available who wanted to come and live in a shithole like Reading, and play for a team with a load of pcunts as fans?

They don't have to live in Reading

[sandman]

Point is, some people are saying the club have done nothing wrong and I disagree.

Either they were misleading with their intent, or the intent was there but mistakes were made in the transfer window - targeting the wrong players, not targeting enough players, poor valuation; doesn't matter - if you say you need/want seven players and only manage three, someone somewhere has f/cked up.

In which case, the club are more than open to criticism in my opinion.

What if there weren't any players of sufficient quality available who wanted to come and live in a shithole like Reading, and play for a team with a load of pcunts as fans?

But they loooooove money. If players merely didn't want to live in "shitholes" and play for clubs with "a load of pcunts as fans" then most clubs in English football wouldn't have any players.

[Hoop Blah]

Point is, some people are saying the club have done nothing wrong and I disagree.

Either they were misleading with their intent, or the intent was there but mistakes were made in the transfer window - targeting the wrong players, not targeting enough players, poor valuation; doesn't matter - if you say you need/want seven players and only manage three, someone somewhere has f/cked up.

In which case, the club are more than open to criticism in my opinion.

I don't think they've been misleading at all, I think they just came up short in getting the players they wanted for various reasons.

It doesn't have to be a f/ck up that they've not been able to get the right players in, it's just the reality of a very competitive market for the players that they think would improve the squad.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Point is, some people are saying the club have done nothing wrong and I disagree.

Either they were misleading with their intent, or the intent was there but mistakes were made in the transfer window - targeting the wrong players, not targeting enough players, poor valuation; doesn't matter - if you say you need/want seven players and only manage three, someone somewhere has f/cked up.

In which case, the club are more than open to criticism in my opinion.

What if there weren't any players of sufficient quality available who wanted to come and live in a shithole like Reading, and play for a team with a load of pcunts as fans?

Hey nums.

In all honesty, I'd suggest that the club didn't look hard enough. But I've had this argument with Melons before - he seems to think there are like two players in the world who meet the criteria of cost, ability and availability, and then you slowly go down a linear list of players ranked in ability, 99, 98, 97, 96 etc. until you edge out of your desired score, and stop bothering. I argue that in the real world of 300 million football players, there are an army of Billy Sharps. He’s not a unique footballer of X ability that every other player is either better or worse than.

Missing your targets in my eyes is a mistake. Not one to go ballistic over, people are right – shit happens. But “oh well can’t be helped, nobody is at fault”? It can and they are. No biggie, but nothing less than sacking everyone involved with the club and smearing their name as rapists, hookers and drug abusers a la Scientology is acceptable.

[mr_number]

I argue that in the real world of 300 million football players, there are an army of Billy Sharps. He’s not a unique footballer of X ability that every other player is either better or worse than.

Hey E-Po.
I think the bit above is the crux of the disagreement, isn't it? There probably is an army of Billy Sharps out there. Not a big one, but one that could probably take a small island and declare statehood. They probably can't all talk the same language, and some of them are probably dicks, but whatever. However, all those ones which we know about, there's a good chance that all our competitors know about. And 'our competitors' here probably means anyone from mid-table Prem down to the bottom of our league. And when you're competing with clubs for whom the minimum TV revenue they will get is more than Man Utd got in TV revenue last year, they're probably going to pay more than us. Similarly, the players, will probably fancy pretending they're premier league players for as long as possible. So, we move on for them, and look for other Billy Sharps. But so will all the other clubs around us. And, sadly we're just not as exciting a club to join as QPR or whoever. So our group of mercenary Billy Sharps is getting smaller all the time. Unless our scouting is materially better, or has a materially different focus to other clubs, we're still going to struggle. Of course, some clubs will get lucky (and it seems that knowing about Sissoko before other clubs, we nearly did there, even if we didn't really need a player like that.) I'm sure you'll still think that there are more Billy Sharps around who we might go for, but I don't think there are that many. We'll disagree on that, it's fine.
FWIW, I also feel that the jump between Top of the Chump wages and the wages paid by Prem clubs this year is probably quite huge, due to the TV rights increases. Obviously conjecture again, but I suspect that 'paying a little bit more' than we've offered may not be as easy as it sounds, or as successful. Basically, it's quite difficult to get players who we think are good enough to play in the Prem to play in the Champ, and to play for us.

Anyway, I'll phuck off back to AE now.

[Major Monkey]

#### off Newbie!

[Sport Economist]

Personally, I'm proud at what the club has achieved over the years without descending into Harry Redknapp style spendathons. Yes, we should have been bolder last season but this year, given the likely wages the likes of Pog, Drenthe and Bridge to name but three are on, we needed to be sensible. Plus the squad has been too big and we are still well catered for in most positions - as outlined here:

http://[url]thetwounfortunates.com/why-reading-were-right-to-prioritise-selling-over-buying-on-deadline-day/[/url]

The one exception is the striker position where a loan will likely be taken up.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

#### off Newbie!

You cant feck off your own first post, cock end

[SCIAG]

Well, I apologise and bow to your knowledge chaps - I've always thought "emergency" window was for just that - rather than just a loan window. You learn something new every day. Soz.

Have you seen this man?

[paddy20]

Like most of us, I don't know the truth of this window

But I CAN say that the directors in the bar, and Adkins seemed very
cool and comfortable up to 7:30 when I left, not under any pressure or disappointed.

When my daughter had her pickie taken with Adkins there was
plenty of banter and laughter.

I had the strong impression that our business was already done and
everyone was more than happy.

Adkins gave the strong hint we'd be getting loanees or out of contract players
AND he'd be bringing youths through. It was obvious at 7:00 that they weren't
desperately trying to beat the deadline.

What were they happy about do you think. There's either some cracking players on loan coming in or has positivity struck the whole board like an illness??

[melonhead]

Point is, some people are saying the club have done nothing wrong and I disagree.

Either they were misleading with their intent, or the intent was there but mistakes were made in the transfer window - targeting the wrong players, not targeting enough players, poor valuation; doesn't matter - if you say you need/want seven players and only manage three, someone somewhere has f/cked up.

In which case, the club are more than open to criticism in my opinion.

What if there weren't any players of sufficient quality available who wanted to come and live in a shithole like Reading, and play for a team with a load of pcunts as fans?

Hey nums.

In all honesty, I'd suggest that the club didn't look hard enough. But I've had this argument with Melons before - he seems to think there are like two players in the world who meet the criteria of cost, ability and availability, and then you slowly go down a linear list of players ranked in ability, 99, 98, 97, 96 etc. until you edge out of your desired score, and stop bothering. I argue that in the real world of 300 million football players, there are an army of Billy Sharps. He’s not a unique footballer of X ability that every other player is either better or worse than.

Missing your targets in my eyes is a mistake. Not one to go ballistic over, people are right – shit happens. But “oh well can’t be helped, nobody is at fault”? It can and they are. No biggie, but nothing less than sacking everyone involved with the club and smearing their name as rapists, hookers and drug abusers a la Scientology is acceptable.

tut.

you know full well im not saying there are only 2, or anywhere close.

im simply saying its physically impossible, and incredibly inadviseable to take every possible signing right to the point of signing, just incase all the others fall through.

a rough ball park for me would be

monitor 500 players who you think are good enough to improve the squad, are available, at the correct price range and would come here
actively watch 100-250 play
contact agent to see how amenable to move player would be ~50 players
contact club to ask if available, at what price, and if they would be happy for us to talk to them ~25 players.

once you get to that point though you simply cannot take every one of those from official bid, personal terms discussions, drawing up contracts, have player on site to sign, just in case all your others fall though.
just not practical, or advisable.pretty sureother clubs would get sick of you sharpish if every window you took one of their players to the brink of signing, but pulled out at the last minute cos one of your plans A-AA1000 actually came off.

[Extended-Phenotype]

As opposed to trying to sign player A, failing, and then shrugging, damning your own foolishness at focusing your entire efforts on a target that wasn't right and not having several similar players in line as back-up.

Oh, don't worry - Dave isn't available, so no point bothering looking anywhere else because we have to wait until more new players are born before we might happen upon someone of similar quality.

But that isn't what happens, is it? Dave isn't available and the club don't bother Dave again in the next window - what do you know? They have found another target!

Line these f/ckers up, try and get Dave first by a certain point that leaves you enough time to try and get Phil, then Mike or even Greg if it falls through.

Nobody is expecting a simultaneous 25 player signing mission, just have a couple of back ups if a first choice falls through and try and get shit done in time to allow yourself room for plan B or even C.

You TIT.

[facaldaqui]

I am slightly relieved we did not sign any more Drenthe-like players, and I am not over-confident about Sissoko. Maybe our best bet is team spirit and workaday players, as in the past. The chief scout talks a bit of psychobabble, it seems to me, and I suppose he is behind the Euro-signing efforts. Maybe someone should have told him we are not in the premier league any more.

The fans always moan that we don't buy enough players, but then mostly we go and do well anyway, with good runs, play-offs or promotion, so who needs fancy signings? The only recent pre-season that the fans were happy with our business was last summer, when we were bringing in Pogrebnyak, Shorey, Mariappa, Gunter, Guthrie, and McLeary ... so that shows how much they know. A couple of months later, they were piping up that we should have signed better players.

[melonhead]

As opposed to trying to sign player A, failing, and then shrugging, damning your own foolishness at focusing your entire efforts on a target that wasn't right and not having several similar players in line as back-up.

Oh, don't worry - Dave isn't available, so no point bothering looking anywhere else because we have to wait until more new players are born before we might happen upon someone of similar quality.

But that isn't what happens, is it? Dave isn't available and the club don't bother Dave again in the next window - what do you know? They have found another target!

Line these f/ckers up, try and get Dave first by a certain point that leaves you enough time to try and get Phil, then Mike or even Greg if it falls through.

Nobody is expecting a simultaneous 25 player signing mission, just have a couple of back ups if a first choice falls through and try and get shit done in time to allow yourself room for plan B or even C.

You TIT.

sissoko is clearly quite far down that list. You egg.

[Reading4eva]

Wonder if Anton used this bloke as his personal account manager, maybe that's why we haven't spent.

[southbank1871]

I argue that in the real world of 300 million football players, there are an army of Billy Sharps. He’s not a unique footballer of X ability that every other player is either better or worse than.

Hey E-Po.
I think the bit above is the crux of the disagreement, isn't it? There probably is an army of Billy Sharps out there. Not a big one, but one that could probably take a small island and declare statehood. They probably can't all talk the same language, and some of them are probably dicks, but whatever. However, all those ones which we know about, there's a good chance that all our competitors know about. And 'our competitors' here probably means anyone from mid-table Prem down to the bottom of our league. And when you're competing with clubs for whom the minimum TV revenue they will get is more than Man Utd got in TV revenue last year, they're probably going to pay more than us. Similarly, the players, will probably fancy pretending they're premier league players for as long as possible. So, we move on for them, and look for other Billy Sharps. But so will all the other clubs around us. And, sadly we're just not as exciting a club to join as QPR or whoever. So our group of mercenary Billy Sharps is getting smaller all the time. Unless our scouting is materially better, or has a materially different focus to other clubs, we're still going to struggle. Of course, some clubs will get lucky (and it seems that knowing about Sissoko before other clubs, we nearly did there, even if we didn't really need a player like that.) I'm sure you'll still think that there are more Billy Sharps around who we might go for, but I don't think there are that many. We'll disagree on that, it's fine.
FWIW, I also feel that the jump between Top of the Chump wages and the wages paid by Prem clubs this year is probably quite huge, due to the TV rights increases. Obviously conjecture again, but I suspect that 'paying a little bit more' than we've offered may not be as easy as it sounds, or as successful. Basically, it's quite difficult to get players who we think are good enough to play in the Prem to play in the Champ, and to play for us.

Anyway, I'll phuck off back to AE now.

Yeah I like what you've said here mr_numberers

[SLAMMED]

[Latecomer to RFC]

I just want someone at the club to tell us they have no real desire to be in the PL. This would then explain their behaviour to new signings last year and to the txfer window,

I was very critical of Brian McD last season as he was blamed for not bringing in new players by AZ but I suspect now he had no choice. Sounds strange and disloyal but I hope we continue not to win (and lose) games which will create more unrest and just maybe show the management how upset fans are.

As I said elsewhere the fact that Palace have taken 16 new players including Kebe (sad loss for me) tells me they are serious about staying up. No sign of that committment when we went up.

Just be up front with us RFC !! We can they make a decision to stay as fans or move our loyalty to a club with real desire.