Confimred new owners of Raeding Footbal Club

[Royal Rother]

Using an iPad to post are you Nameless? (proxy spellcheck shite they have.)

[Nameless]

Using an iPad to post are you Nameless? (proxy spellcheck shite they have.)

Bane of my life,, that and predictive text.

[rfc58]

Just wished Madejski would shut his mouth about the owners having deep pockets, as he loves to call it.

Any club entering in to negotiations with us about selling their players will remember this, and adjust the price accordingly.

No doubt over the years he's been a very astute business man, but those kind of comments don't help us in future negotiations.

You're so right. He should have said "Our new owners are totally skint" that would have got the fans on side all right, and done wonders for the club's creditworthiness.

Or maybe the third option, say nothing. It's not needed. The new owners actions will speak louder than words, time will tell if they plan to spend big, small or somewhere in between.

[kwik-silva]

I would guess that any club that's just been taken over is going to be assumed to have deep pockets, not sure if Madejski's comments are going to change much.

[Ian Royal]

Reasons to be cheerful:
1) Expectations were that we'd have to sell all our best players. We've sold one, arguably.

Name the seriously saleable assets we have these days? McCarthy and Obita perhaps, although the latter has had just one season. Pog's wages would put teams off, I am sure. Otherwise.....who would want our 'best' players?

As you say, McCarthy, Obita. Plus McCleary, Williams, Karacan, Guthrie and yes, even Pog although the wages will put some off I agree. It doesn't change the simple fact of what I said though. Pearce has some pretty good experience that other managers might appreciate too. Gunter, though not brilliant, is still one of the better RBs in the division.

2) There were concerns we wouldn't be able to keep all of our promising young players. We've kept the lot.

They are all almost exclusively unproven, who would be willing to spend money on players (Obita excepted) who haven't featured in first team football.

Obita was unproven this time last year. They're youth team players Floyd, what do you expect, Champions League experience to play in our U21s? Kuhl has turned down big big clubs to stay with us. Some could easily have been lost to other clubs or just not had their contracts renewed if things were really that bad.

3) There were concerns we'd go into Administration and start the season on -10 points. We've not.

-10 could always potentially apply any time during a season of course, admittedly that looks somewhat less likely now.

Very generous to concede this, no matter how begrudgingly and half-heartedly.

4) The ownership saga is nearly at an end after about 10 / 11 months. SJM is hopefully applying the "once bitten, twice shy" and "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me" principles.

His recent track record in terms of decision making and spurious statements to the media (ie. January 2014: "there will be resources available for signings") is concerning so we'll reserve judgement on that shall we.

You sound like RoyalBlue. That's considerably below you. Note I said the ownership saga is coming to an end, not that the new owners would be successful.

5) The season starts at the end of the week, so we've got football to look forward to.

Can it be any worse than it was last season?

Yes Floyd, a fukton. We finished 7th and the football really wasn't that inspid.I'd have thought you'd recognise that given how long you've been going and to how many games. We could play like we did for most of Rodgers tenure. Or Burns!

6) There's still time for signings yet.

True, but the recent past has suggested that one shouldn't get one's hopes up in that department.

I don't think I have told anyone to get their hopes up. In fact the very next point builds on that we might not.

7) Even if we don't make (m)any signings, we can look forward to seeing how our promising youngsters progress.

.....or watching a car crash unfold as an inexperienced team gets rolled every other week.

Is it possible for you to not take the dimmest view of all possibilities? Thank fook you've not renewed your ST. Though if there's a God (there isn't), we'll have an absolutely fantastic season just to spite you. I really hope the Thais get it right and we sort ourselves out, because it would be great to have a positive floyd back. I mourn his loss since about 2008

8 ) We shouldn't be in a relegation fight.

On what basis do you say that? Hugely lacking up front now and missing experience in the form of McAnuff, Gorkss etc.

Because even in a total shambles we were still better than the majority of teams in the division. We've lost relatively few key players and the inexperienced ones are a season older and more experienced.

9) Even if we are, we should survive it.

Again, on what basis do you say that, given the inexperienced/untried nature of our team?

See above.

I'm sure you'll delight in coming back and telling me how wrong I was if the worst should happen. But I can tell you confidently that even if it does, I'll still have enjoyed my season more than you, Eeyore

[Ian Royal]

Just wished Madejski would shut his mouth about the owners having deep pockets, as he loves to call it.

Any club entering in to negotiations with us about selling their players will remember this, and adjust the price accordingly.

No doubt over the years he's been a very astute business man, but those kind of comments don't help us in future negotiations.

You're so right. He should have said "Our new owners are totally skint" that would have got the fans on side all right, and done wonders for the club's creditworthiness.

Or maybe the third option, say nothing. It's not needed. The new owners actions will speak louder than words, time will tell if they plan to spend big, small or somewhere in between.

Yeah, saying nothing is always popular with our fans. And you can have deep pockets and not spend big. In fact, that's really the ideal scenario for us.

[Victor Meldrew]

Not if the money stays in those pockets it isn't.
Bit of a sexist comment by the mad man when it looks as though it is a woman now in control.
"Large purse" doesn't quite have the ring of "deep pockets" although "controlling the purse strings" may never have been so apt.

[Royal & Ancient]

I know It will annoy Ian immensely but I have picked up my toys and renewed my S/T again!
Can he,or someone, explain to me,in simple terms, how this (apparently brilliant -SJM-) management team have managed to screw up what must have been the most successful decade in the history of the Club.
I have followed this thread through from rumours etc. and recognise that many contributors have input huge financial knowledge whilst it is some 30 years since Balance Sheets etc were part of my daily life.
As I understand it the Club borrowed forward against the parachute payment ( £25m?) against a general charge over the Club.presumably the parachute monies came through, the overseas bankers were not repaid so some £50m plus normal income went into the running of the Club last year,at a loss! Enlightenment please.
Perhaps this is simplistic but somehow I don't have the same faith in the supporting management team.
But still looking forward to the new season.

[rfc58]

Ian, I've given up on hanging dreams on someone's comments, wise enough to sit back, and watch their actions, talk is very cheap... On hang on, maybe I shouldn't have used the word cheap.

[Royal Rother]

Can he,or someone, explain to me,in simple terms, how this (apparently brilliant -SJM-) management team have managed to screw up what must have been the most successful decade in the history of the Club.
I have followed this thread through from rumours etc.

I suggest you read it again - all the answers are in there. (The Anton Ferdinand thread (a mere 4 pages ) has some info as well.)

[Angry Shed Sex]

Deep pockets - small arms.

[brighton_royal]

Lacist

[RoyalBlue]

Just wished Madejski would shut his mouth about the owners having deep pockets, as he loves to call it.

Any club entering in to negotiations with us about selling their players will remember this, and adjust the price accordingly.

No doubt over the years he's been a very astute business man, but those kind of comments don't help us in future negotiations.

This old chestnut.

I really don't believe that clubs that deal with us base their financial negotiations on what Madejski says about how rich or poor we are, any more than businessmen in any other walk of life would do. Did clubs really drop their prices for players when Madejski kept claiming we were skint? I think not. Prices tend to be driven by the wider market forces. Only when there is just one buyer in the market will they tend to be dictated by that buyer's level of wealth and, even then, astute buyers will be looking for other signs of wealth, or lack of, rather than just listening to words from the buyer himself.

I'm sure the Thais didn't get their deep pockets by just throwing their money around and not negotiating hard deals.

[RoyalBlue]

4) The ownership saga is nearly at an end after about 10 / 11 months. SJM is hopefully applying the "once bitten, twice shy" and "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me" principles.

His recent track record in terms of decision making and spurious statements to the media (ie. January 2014: "there will be resources available for signings") is concerning so we'll reserve judgement on that shall we.

You sound like RoyalBlue. That's considerably below you. Note I said the ownership saga is coming to an end, not that the new owners would be successful.

Don't worry Floyd. If sounding like me is considerably below you, it is still a long way above the pompous & self-righteous Ian Royal who, in his world, is the only one who can see clearly and hence is never wrong!

[melonhead]

Just wished Madejski would shut his mouth about the owners having deep pockets, as he loves to call it.

Any club entering in to negotiations with us about selling their players will remember this, and adjust the price accordingly.

No doubt over the years he's been a very astute business man, but those kind of comments don't help us in future negotiations.

You're so right. He should have said "Our new owners are totally skint" that would have got the fans on side all right, and done wonders for the club's creditworthiness.

Or maybe the third option, say nothing. It's not needed. The new owners actions will speak louder than words, time will tell if they plan to spend big, small or somewhere in between.

LOL. loads of people have been going on about how theres nothing coming out of the club about it.
he says something and now hes going on about it too much.

[JIM]

Will this page reach 500 b4 club calls press conference.?

[Horsham Royal]

Will this page reach 500 b4 club calls press conference.?

Posting rate since pg 400 = 4 pages in 3 days.
So at current posting rate, 75 days to 500.
Press conf to announce 5 new signings within 2 weeks.
Therefore, answer is a resounding NO.

[Royal Biscuitman]

You're so right. He should have said "Our new owners are totally skint" that would have got the fans on side all right, and done wonders for the club's creditworthiness.

Or maybe the third option, say nothing. It's not needed. The new owners actions will speak louder than words, time will tell if they plan to spend big, small or somewhere in between.

Yeah, saying nothing is always popular with our fans. And you can have deep pockets and not spend big. In fact, that's really the ideal scenario for us.

Maybe the deep pockets comment was also aimed at the clubs creditors..... don't force us into administration over unpaid bills and end up with 1p in every £1, wait for the new owners who are loaded.

Also, it sends out a signal that we don't need to sell and that we have cash to pay for new signings so no need to insist on cash up front for fear of not getting the rest later.

[Zana Badawi]

Reasons to be cheerful:
1) Expectations were that we'd have to sell all our best players. We've sold one, arguably.

Name the seriously saleable assets we have these days? McCarthy and Obita perhaps, although the latter has had just one season. Pog's wages would put teams off, I am sure. Otherwise.....who would want our 'best' players?

You miss the point.

Earlier in the summer the talk was that in order to survive financially we would be shipping players out left right and centre, which hasn't happened and is a good thing. Apart from the two you mention McCleary and Hector were linked to moves away and Guthrie, Karacan and Williams would not find it hard to find a buyer. We also know Man City were very interested in the totally inexperienced Kuhl.

Again, I hate to say it but I agree (in principal) with FS. Though, if you dissect it, our only three real saleable assets are Le Fondre, Gunter and Federici*, so saying we arent a selling club is based on the fact we havent sold Gunter and Feds.

(* worked out as thus:
Mcleary and Williams would fail a medical anywhere.
Guthrie, Pogrebnyak and Drenthe joined us on a free and have shown no ability to suggest they are any better than a club in Reading's position. Given WCBAP for two, if not all of them, they are unsellable to the championship (and/or overseas) and not good enough for the premiership
Karacan has been out for the best part of two seasons and needs to stay with us until at least January.
McCarthy is on the slide and no longer a premiership target. He could be if he gets a good start to the season, but if we sell him now we undersell him.
HRK and Pearce are on decent contracts here which wont be matched elsewhere.
If you were scouting Morrison would you really feed back that he's worth a place in your team? See also Blackman.
Hector and Obita are on the cusp but need at least another half a season before any potential buyer is better than a L1 side.
The U18s/U21s all need game time - it will increase their asking price significantly.
Cummings and Kelly are frees at best and dont input into any transfer strategy)


Leaves Gunter and Federici (though he hasnt been on the pitch, really, in a season))

I would say the fact we sold Le Fondre and Mariappa in the last two seasons when we could have done with both of them is more indicative of the state of the clubs selling policy than assigning worth to players that are essentially worthless in today's football climate.

[Zana Badawi]

Maybe the deep pockets comment was also aimed at the clubs creditors......

Maybe it was aimed at the Football League assessors; or simply at cynical journalists.

Given that we've just come out of a rough part ownership deal; and now the word 'partnership' has suddenly be added to the journalistic lingo surrounding this affair; I think we have every right to view this with suspicious until our new partners prove themselves. It currently appears another step in SJM's desperate need to get rid of the club. Sort of.