Confimred new owners of Raeding Footbal Club

[Pepe the Horseman]

Lol @ 'caliba'

[Handsome Man]

bare in mind

[Terminal Boardom]

At least we know Dave-Royal didn't post it

[Vision]

Madejski has built a club that is now a genuine contender season in/season out for promotion to the Premier League. Sometimes we achieve promotion, sometimes we don't.

With his money he knew that would always be the case, so he's tried to get someone in with pockets deep enough to take us to that next level.

He thought he'd gotten that with the Russians, but that ship sailed slightly in the wrong direction, although you could argue that the Russians' small investment in the January of the last promotion season, saw us sneak over the line and earned the club our second crack at the big time.

JM has not, and is not failing as a chairman of our club. He's not prehistoric. If anything, he's realised that the modernisation of the game and the spending requirements have moved on to a level he can no longer support, and taken action to solve the problem.

There ain't that many people out there willing to cough up the dough to buy a club like Reading, so the fact he's even found someone to stump up 51% is impressive, and thank god he did retain 49%, otherwise where might we be if the Russians had 100% control?

Since Cureton's goal at Brentford took us to the Championship I think there's been only one season where we haven't either been in the top flight or entered the last game of a Cahmpionship season without a chance of promotion to the top flight (and even that season the last 3 months saw promotion form and results). When we have succeeded in promotion there are still shouts of "fluke" and "lucky" or its a hit league this season. At some stage even the perpetually miserable might have to admit that for the most part the club know what they're doing and we've moved on massively over the last 20 years (especially the last decade or so)

They don't get everything right of course and JM is a bit of an odd fish but really he's been the same for 20 years or so. What's amusing is that's it's the same people who've had a crab on about him through most of that time that are still the one's bleating about being mislead.

Even if as seems likely we've seen the last of Anton and TSI, has their tenure really been that disastrous? They provided momentum for a championship winning campaign ("fluke","luck" "shit league" etc etc), have invested in the future with CAT1 Academy status and also set the ball rolling towards a possible new training facilities. There's been no fire sale on relegation, no implosion within the club and even with the longest injury list I can remember there's a fair chance we will enter the last day of the season still in with a shout of top flight football next season.

We still haven't worked out how to sustain top flight football as yet but it's always going to be tricky when we're still a relatively small club in modern top flight terms and we're not prepared to take huge risks financially to redress some of that balance.

Like I said we don't get everything right and mistakes have been made but because of the way we're run none of those mistakes lead to the sort of fall out some clubs have experienced. I realise it's become almost a dirty phrase but guess what? We are a "well run club" and generally the people at the top know what they're doing because lets face it, all the hand wringing and worrying in the world aint gonna make any difference.

[Mr Angry]

Madejski has built a club that is now a genuine contender season in/season out for promotion to the Premier League. Sometimes we achieve promotion, sometimes we don't.

With his money he knew that would always be the case, so he's tried to get someone in with pockets deep enough to take us to that next level.

He thought he'd gotten that with the Russians, but that ship sailed slightly in the wrong direction, although you could argue that the Russians' small investment in the January of the last promotion season, saw us sneak over the line and earned the club our second crack at the big time.

JM has not, and is not failing as a chairman of our club. He's not prehistoric. If anything, he's realised that the modernisation of the game and the spending requirements have moved on to a level he can no longer support, and taken action to solve the problem.

There ain't that many people out there willing to cough up the dough to buy a club like Reading, so the fact he's even found someone to stump up 51% is impressive, and thank god he did retain 49%, otherwise where might we be if the Russians had 100% control?

Since Cureton's goal at Brentford took us to the Championship I think there's been only one season where we haven't either been in the top flight or entered the last game of a Cahmpionship season without a chance of promotion to the top flight (and even that season the last 3 months saw promotion form and results). When we have succeeded in promotion there are still shouts of "fluke" and "lucky" or its a hit league this season. At some stage even the perpetually miserable might have to admit that for the most part the club know what they're doing and we've moved on massively over the last 20 years (especially the last decade or so)

They don't get everything right of course and JM is a bit of an odd fish but really he's been the same for 20 years or so. What's amusing is that's it's the same people who've had a crab on about him through most of that time that are still the one's bleating about being mislead.

Even if as seems likely we've seen the last of Anton and TSI, has their tenure really been that disastrous? They provided momentum for a championship winning campaign ("fluke","luck" "shit league" etc etc), have invested in the future with CAT1 Academy status and also set the ball rolling towards a possible new training facilities. There's been no fire sale on relegation, no implosion within the club and even with the longest injury list I can remember there's a fair chance we will enter the last day of the season still in with a shout of top flight football next season.

We still haven't worked out how to sustain top flight football as yet but it's always going to be tricky when we're still a relatively small club in modern top flight terms and we're not prepared to take huge risks financially to redress some of that balance.

Like I said we don't get everything right and mistakes have been made but because of the way we're run none of those mistakes lead to the sort of fall out some clubs have experienced. I realise it's become almost a dirty phrase but guess what? We are a "well run club" and generally the people at the top know what they're doing because lets face it, all the hand wringing and worrying in the world aint gonna make any difference.

Absolutely spot on Vision; a fantastic post (though I'm sure there will be some who come on and slag it off....)

[madstadblues]

Madejski has built a club that is now a genuine contender season in/season out for promotion to the Premier League. Sometimes we achieve promotion, sometimes we don't.

With his money he knew that would always be the case, so he's tried to get someone in with pockets deep enough to take us to that next level.

He thought he'd gotten that with the Russians, but that ship sailed slightly in the wrong direction, although you could argue that the Russians' small investment in the January of the last promotion season, saw us sneak over the line and earned the club our second crack at the big time.

JM has not, and is not failing as a chairman of our club. He's not prehistoric. If anything, he's realised that the modernisation of the game and the spending requirements have moved on to a level he can no longer support, and taken action to solve the problem.

There ain't that many people out there willing to cough up the dough to buy a club like Reading, so the fact he's even found someone to stump up 51% is impressive, and thank god he did retain 49%, otherwise where might we be if the Russians had 100% control?

Since Cureton's goal at Brentford took us to the Championship I think there's been only one season where we haven't either been in the top flight or entered the last game of a Cahmpionship season without a chance of promotion to the top flight (and even that season the last 3 months saw promotion form and results). When we have succeeded in promotion there are still shouts of "fluke" and "lucky" or its a hit league this season. At some stage even the perpetually miserable might have to admit that for the most part the club know what they're doing and we've moved on massively over the last 20 years (especially the last decade or so)

They don't get everything right of course and JM is a bit of an odd fish but really he's been the same for 20 years or so. What's amusing is that's it's the same people who've had a crab on about him through most of that time that are still the one's bleating about being mislead.

Even if as seems likely we've seen the last of Anton and TSI, has their tenure really been that disastrous? They provided momentum for a championship winning campaign ("fluke","luck" "shit league" etc etc), have invested in the future with CAT1 Academy status and also set the ball rolling towards a possible new training facilities. There's been no fire sale on relegation, no implosion within the club and even with the longest injury list I can remember there's a fair chance we will enter the last day of the season still in with a shout of top flight football next season.

We still haven't worked out how to sustain top flight football as yet but it's always going to be tricky when we're still a relatively small club in modern top flight terms and we're not prepared to take huge risks financially to redress some of that balance.

Like I said we don't get everything right and mistakes have been made but because of the way we're run none of those mistakes lead to the sort of fall out some clubs have experienced. I realise it's become almost a dirty phrase but guess what? We are a "well run club" and generally the people at the top know what they're doing because lets face it, all the hand wringing and worrying in the world aint gonna make any difference.

Absolutely spot on Vision; a fantastic post (though I'm sure there will be some who come on and slag it off....)

I also totally agree with this, I definitely sense a rising level of realism that the vocal minority who continue to moan and bitch are a minority and when you analyse the facts we have been very successful under Madejski's stewardship and there is much to be positive about and look forward to.

[Royal Rother]

Yep, top post Vision.

[Wimb]

Agree with the vast majority of that Vision, the only problem I've got is the legacy that TSI have/will/could leave behind them.

If we do get a takeover this season then in all likelihood no lasting damage has been done.

On the other hand you could point to the huge contracts given to players like Federici, Roberts, Pogrebnyak and Drenthe that could well damage this football club going forward if no fresh investment materialises. Similarly I won't congratulate them on the training ground until it's actually finished.

There's also the point to consider that without this 6 month period of uncertainty, Nigel Adkins/Brian McDermott/whoever, might have had a chance to build a more rounded squad that had a better chance of going straight back up, rather than the half finished squad that our manager has had to deal with.

I'll always thank TSI for that financial push they gave us in early 2012 but since that date they've done nothing that any other owner wouldn't have been able to accomplish with the vast amounts of cash thrown at clubs in the Premier League.

As a club we've certainly not gone backwards but given the hope and optimism they falsely sold to many of us, I think we're all a little more jaded as a fanbase.

[SPARTA]

Agree with the vast majority of that Vision, the only problem I've got is the legacy that TSI have/will/could leave behind them.

If we do get a takeover this season then in all likelihood no lasting damage has been done.

On the other hand you could point to the huge contracts given to players like Federici, Roberts, Pogrebnyak and Drenthe that could well damage this football club going forward if no fresh investment materialises. Similarly I won't congratulate them on the training ground until it's actually finished.

There's also the point to consider that without this 6 month period of uncertainty, Nigel Adkins/Brian McDermott/whoever, might have had a chance to build a more rounded squad that had a better chance of going straight back up, rather than the half finished squad that our manager has had to deal with.

I'll always thank TSI for that financial push they gave us in early 2012 but since that date they've done nothing that any other owner wouldn't have been able to accomplish with the vast amounts of cash thrown at clubs in the Premier League.

As a club we've certainly not gone backwards but given the hope and optimism they falsely sold to many of us, I think we're all a little more jaded as a fanbase.

Good post, Wimb.

[Vision]

This is the bit I struggle a bit with though. Aside from the obvious disappointment after relegation I don't see why fans would be more jaded now than the last time we got relegated.

Go back two years on here to the takeover and I really don't see what lead people to believe we were suddenly going to gatecrash English football's elite. The vast majority of talk was of business as usual and how we would continue to be run on sensible lines but with some added investment. Sure there was the odd fanciful statement went pressed about what could be achieved and what they hoped to achieve but nothing that any new owners of any club doesn't say. JM chucked his oft quoted "deep pockets" line into the mix as well but after 20 years I'd have thought most of us know to take his public utterances with a pinch of salt.

No question Pog and Drenthe were Anton fantasy signings although the former is arguably our best player this season and as such makes sense. Equally giving Federici who was one of the best keepers in the championship (and at the time up there as one of our most saleable assets) a lengthy contract made sense at the time. Roberts with hindsight was a mistake (which is why our previous policy of only giving only 1 year deals to older players was correct despite some people moaning about that too) but again logically he has great experience of relegation battles and also gaining championship promotion so it wasn't that left field a deal.

Again I don't think our situation is that much different to 08/09. If we don't bounce back then we will need follow JM's cloth cutting mantra but it's not like we#re QPR and massively overcommitted on a huge squad of older premiership wage players with little or no sell on value. If we were then I'd be worried but we're not.

Ultimately we're in pretty much the same position as we were at this exact point two years ago when TSI were about to take over. Granted the current wage bill is significantly higher but equally we have another 3 seasons of parachute money to ease any transition that might be needed. Since then we've had the rollercoaster of promotion.relegation, a season of top flight football and who knows possibly another promotion campaign to look forward to. Add to that the continual improvement of the Academy then I genuinely don't think it's been too bad a tenure.

In the end I think Anton never really quite grasped what running a football club at the highest level of English football was all about. He's introduced some good things here and made mistakes but probably realised that the reality as was too much for his more fanciful ideas. He wouldn't be alone in that though. JM knew it too which is why TSI came on board in the first place.

It's certainly frustrating at this precise moment in time because the uncertainty means we don't appear able to provide the impetus that could propel us into a very successful season but in the overall scheme of things there's far more to be happy with than pissed off about.

[Reading4eva]

I think with all takeovers there will be that level on uncertainty. There would have been when Madejski took over from Smee, a man who effectively rescued the club from Maxwell. There was always that fear when Anton took over, but a lot of us put that to one side when the effect was felt on McDermott's team. They really turned it around, and Roberts, although he is now always crocked was a masterstroke.

Unfortunately since then, promises have not been fulfilled by TSI, Anton or Chris Samuelson and it appears they are no more. The day SJM walks out of this club completely we are in the wilderness, so maybe it was good this didn't happen last time round. If the Omani takeover is 100% it increases the risk. I hope SJM is screwd and keeps hold of some of the club at the very least, even if the Omani's are very very respectful and are here for the right reasons.

The reason what happened to Portsmouth happened was because Mandaric sold up 100%

[andrew1957]

I hope SJM is screwd

Bit harsh to want to see him screwed after all he has done for the club.

[Reading4eva]

Should be shrewd lol

[Mr Angry]

The reason what happened to Portsmouth happened was because Mandaric sold up 100%

That's rubbish.

Mandaric and 'Arry were already spending well beyond their means long before the various buyouts took place; in fact, it could be argued that Mandaric knew what a financial basket case he had which is why he sold up when he did.

Furthermore, it wasn't the sale of the club per se that screwed Pompey; its who they were sold to. Not all sales result in financial meltdown - Southampton seem to be doing ok for example, and whilst the jury is still out on Cardiff and Hull in terms of their long term financial viability, their fans have had success on the pitch (which is the only place the majority of fans care about); also, a Chairman who has been at a club for almost as long as SJM is Phil Gartside at Bolton - and look at the mess they are in financially!

The reality is that - with one brief exception when he was in the Far East and Tommy Burns was Manager - SJM has kept a tight lid on all expenditure (much to the frustration of a certain type of fan) which is why Reading FC is in a considerably better financial position, and so attractive to a buyer, than a lot of other clubs.

[andrew1957]

Should be shrewd lol

Sorry could not resist!

[Who Moved The Goalposts?]

This is the bit I struggle a bit with though. Aside from the obvious disappointment after relegation I don't see why fans would be more jaded now than the last time we got relegated.

Go back two years on here to the takeover and I really don't see what lead people to believe we were suddenly going to gatecrash English football's elite. The vast majority of talk was of business as usual and how we would continue to be run on sensible lines but with some added investment. Sure there was the odd fanciful statement went pressed about what could be achieved and what they hoped to achieve but nothing that any new owners of any club doesn't say. JM chucked his oft quoted "deep pockets" line into the mix as well but after 20 years I'd have thought most of us know to take his public utterances with a pinch of salt.

No question Pog and Drenthe were Anton fantasy signings although the former is arguably our best player this season and as such makes sense. Equally giving Federici who was one of the best keepers in the championship (and at the time up there as one of our most saleable assets) a lengthy contract made sense at the time. Roberts with hindsight was a mistake (which is why our previous policy of only giving only 1 year deals to older players was correct despite some people moaning about that too) but again logically he has great experience of relegation battles and also gaining championship promotion so it wasn't that left field a deal.

Again I don't think our situation is that much different to 08/09. If we don't bounce back then we will need follow JM's cloth cutting mantra but it's not like we#re QPR and massively overcommitted on a huge squad of older premiership wage players with little or no sell on value. If we were then I'd be worried but we're not.

Ultimately we're in pretty much the same position as we were at this exact point two years ago when TSI were about to take over. Granted the current wage bill is significantly higher but equally we have another 3 seasons of parachute money to ease any transition that might be needed. Since then we've had the rollercoaster of promotion.relegation, a season of top flight football and who knows possibly another promotion campaign to look forward to. Add to that the continual improvement of the Academy then I genuinely don't think it's been too bad a tenure.

In the end I think Anton never really quite grasped what running a football club at the highest level of English football was all about. He's introduced some good things here and made mistakes but probably realised that the reality as was too much for his more fanciful ideas. He wouldn't be alone in that though. JM knew it too which is why TSI came on board in the first place.

It's certainly frustrating at this precise moment in time because the uncertainty means we don't appear able to provide the impetus that could propel us into a very successful season but in the overall scheme of things there's far more to be happy with than pissed off about.

Agree with most of this, Vision, perhaps with the exception of your first sentence: I can sympathise as to why fans may feel more jaded following the latest relegation - and that's because it appeared we learnt sod all from being in the PL first time around and made exactly the same mistakes (which to be fair, is something RFC have admitted to)

What hits home to me though is the complete paradox I and probably many others find myself in. My dilemma is that I hate and despise what the PL stands for and what it has done to football in this country - yet I want us to be there. It's a circle I just cannot square no matter how hard I try and it keeps me from attending many matches and parting with my dwindling, hard-earned cash.

[Mr Optimist]

Agree with all of that Goalposts. I think the saying is that the chase is better than the catch.

My personal disappointment was that we hadn't learnt from our frugal ways and it was blatantly obvious by September that we weren't going to be good enough to stay up last season but still wasted the admittedly slim opportunity we had to try and rescue the situation in the January transfer window by signing to third division players and a portugeezer with one working leg when we obviously were crying out for some proven premier league experience and know how.

Palace currently having a good stab at showing us how it maybe should have been done last year.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Not sure Palace are a good example, they're only in with a chance because of Pulis. They signed an entire new squad, some of which didn't even make the 25. If Holloway had've stayed they'd be down by now.

[maffff]

Not sure Palace are a good example, they're only in with a chance because of Pulis. They signed an entire new squad, some of which didn't even make the 25. If Holloway had've stayed they'd be down by now.

I think they are suggesting we should have sacked McDermott early in the Prem season.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Not sure Palace are a good example, they're only in with a chance because of Pulis. They signed an entire new squad, some of which didn't even make the 25. If Holloway had've stayed they'd be down by now.

Then surely they are a good example?