Confimred new owners of Raeding Footbal Club

[multisync1830]

In real life he thinks of himself as a great businessman but I suspect he comes across as a bigot and a bully to both his family and employees. Time he took a step back and took a long hard look at himself.

You suspect wrong, very wrong. As I have said many times I met him in a commercial and social capacity and he has always been a gentleman.Please reset your compass by someone who knows.

Whilst hindsight is a wonderful thing, running a football club is not easy and it's player wages which is destroying the modern game not poor chairman. FFP is an attempt to rectify this but it is being ignored and circumvented by the ultra's that the income v wages % is not getting better. As soon as more money enters the sport, agents are straight onto the owners for an increase or we'll be forced to look elsewhere...

Fans want bigger profile players then moan when the club can't afford them and really moan when they get into financial trouble trying.

He was talking about Victor not SJM I believe.

sorry I got confuzzed..

[Hampshire Royal]

I may not have used exactly the same words as you, Victor, but you definitely did say words to that effect about the Coppell era, on a number of occasions. I was just interested to know how you define 'the past few years'. Last year we were a gnat's scrotum from making the playoffs. The previous year we were in the PL. The year beofre that we were Football League champions. The year before that we got to the playoff final. The year before, we finished 9th in the second tier (poor by our recent standards). The year before that we got to the playoffs. The two years before that we were in the PL, after winning the League title with a record number of points. We play in a pretty good stadium before crowds that we could never have dreamed of 20 or 30 years ago and are now considered to be a PL/Chapionship club.

The recent investment in trhe Academy now looks like it's paying off, and we have done all this without splashing stupid amounts of money on foreign mercenaries. It gave me a sense of real pride that we won the League 2 years ago without spending ridiculous amounts of money.

In spite of what you're saying, the Reading Way works for Reading FC and long may it continue.

As far as me wanting nursing care, just remember that you're older than I am.

[Victor Meldrew]

I may not have used exactly the same words as you, Victor, but you definitely did say words to that effect about the Coppell era, on a number of occasions. I was just interested to know how you define 'the past few years'. Last year we were a gnat's scrotum from making the playoffs. The previous year we were in the PL. The year beofre that we were Football League champions. The year before that we got to the playoff final. The year before, we finished 9th in the second tier (poor by our recent standards). The year before that we got to the playoffs. The two years before that we were in the PL, after winning the League title with a record number of points. We play in a pretty good stadium before crowds that we could never have dreamed of 20 or 30 years ago and are now considered to be a PL/Chapionship club.

The recent investment in trhe Academy now looks like it's paying off, and we have done all this without splashing stupid amounts of money on foreign mercenaries. It gave me a sense of real pride that we won the League 2 years ago without spending ridiculous amounts of money.

In spite of what you're saying, the Reading Way works for Reading FC and long may it continue.

As far as me wanting nursing care, just remember that you're older than I am.

Oh dear, I was referring to the mess financially that our club has had to such an extent that we had to sell a player to pay a tax bill.
I wonder also if the delay with McCleary having his operation had anything to do with money.

[Victor Meldrew]

In real life he thinks of himself as a great businessman but I suspect he comes across as a bigot and a bully to both his family and employees. Time he took a step back and took a long hard look at himself.

You suspect wrong, very wrong. As I have said many times I met him in a commercial and social capacity and he has always been a gentleman.Please reset your compass by someone who knows.

Whilst hindsight is a wonderful thing, running a football club is not easy and it's player wages which is destroying the modern game not poor chairman. FFP is an attempt to rectify this but it is being ignored and circumvented by the ultra's that the income v wages % is not getting better. As soon as more money enters the sport, agents are straight onto the owners for an increase or we'll be forced to look elsewhere...

Fans want bigger profile players then moan when the club can't afford them and really moan when they get into financial trouble trying.

He was talking about Victor not SJM I believe.

I sincerely hope not-I have never met nor want to meet this individual.
Who the hell do you think you are acting as arbiter for other people's postings.
You are of course one of those that used to go on and on about how well our club and Arsenal are run but have gone remarkably quiet on the matter since the debacle of the last 2 years.

[Royal Rother]

8 of the 14 players to feature in yesterday's game had come through the Academy, as had all 7 on the bench.

In 2005/6 not one SINGLE Academy product started a SINGLE game during the entire season in all competitions.

I'm sorry but the development of the Academy in the last 8 years is enough to give most sane Reading supporters a major hard on, but no, Victor is so set in his moan mode of the last 7 years that he remains blind / impotent to such an amazing progression.

[Victor Meldrew]

In reply to Rother's pathetic question about following and seeing Liverpool the answer is probably more than you seeing Reading but what on earth does that have to do with how the club that I have followed (not from an armchair) for more than 50 years is being run?

[Royal Rother]

You suspect wrong, very wrong. As I have said many times I met him in a commercial and social capacity and he has always been a gentleman.Please reset your compass by someone who knows.

Whilst hindsight is a wonderful thing, running a football club is not easy and it's player wages which is destroying the modern game not poor chairman. FFP is an attempt to rectify this but it is being ignored and circumvented by the ultra's that the income v wages % is not getting better. As soon as more money enters the sport, agents are straight onto the owners for an increase or we'll be forced to look elsewhere...

Fans want bigger profile players then moan when the club can't afford them and really moan when they get into financial trouble trying.

He was talking about Victor not SJM I believe.

I sincerely hope not-I have never met nor want to meet this individual.
Who the hell do you think you are acting as arbiter for other people's postings.
You are of course one of those that used to go on and on about how well our club and Arsenal are run but have gone remarkably quiet on the matter since the debacle of the last 2 years.

Arbiter of other peoples postings?

Merely pointing out a misunderstanding.

Hints of a Kes sized RattLOLed shining through methinks.

[Royal Rother]

In reply to Rother's pathetic question about following and seeing Liverpool the answer is probably more than you seeing Reading but what on earth does that have to do with how the club that I have followed (not from an armchair) for more than 50 years is being run?

Because you daft old goat, the fact you haven't seen Liverpool for years doesn't seem to prevent you holding numerous passionate discussions about the merits of the club.

And, despite their obvious decline over the last 20 years (as obvious as Reading's progress in same timescales) you remain stoically supportive of everything they do.

Are the parallels (and indeed divergences) clear enough?

[Martin41]

Stand back everyone I think Victor is about to explode!!!

[sandman]

Angry, angry old man.

[Ian Royal]

What you mean is that some continue to be blinded by Madejski's self-publicity.

As for my ability to depress - it is perfectly possible to be highly supportive of the club without having to kiss the *rse of someone who has now proven that he is not quite the brilliant, infallible businessman that some still hold him out to be.

So I am quite positive about Adkins and the team he is assembling, particularly given all of the difficulties that he has had to face due to the manner in which a certain individual managed the sale of the club.

I don't know about this yellowcoat or that sandman person but the most vociferous are Rother and Ian who don't even follow our club.
Amazing-all the answers when they know f*** all.

Well Victor, speaking for myself, I do follow Reading - very closely in fact. From my armchair.

How many Liverpool games do you get to these days?[/quote]
I also follow Reading very closely. You can tell by how much of my life I spend on here.

[Victor Meldrew]

8 of the 14 players to feature in yesterday's game had come through the Academy, as had all 7 on the bench.

In 2005/6 not one SINGLE Academy product started a SINGLE game during the entire season in all competitions.

I'm sorry but the development of the Academy in the last 8 years is enough to give most sane Reading supporters a major hard on, but no, Victor is so set in his moan mode of the last 7 years that he remains blind / impotent to such an amazing progression.

A totally different point and a red herring.
As a regular and a season-ticket holder I am delighted that the club (out of necessity with all the injuries rather than completely by design) is giving these lads at least a sniff of first team football even if, inevitably, very few are likely to make it at this level.
My earlier point was about how the finances of the club have been so badly mis-managed of late and how the change at the top is welcome.

I had the pleasure of seeing Adie Williams, Scott Taylor, Archie Lovell and earlier Lawrie Sanchez and Neil Webb and many hundreds before them come through the youth system and love the idea that local lads make it into the first team so don't (once again) put words into my mouth.
My grouse is that having reached the zenith the club has f****d up.
There was such a wonderful opportunity to become established as a mid-lower Prem club but we blew it.

BTW what I don't get is people like yourself who live just down the road from the club when presumably you are physically able and financially able to go but choose not to go and see what is supposedly THEIR club at every opportunity.
When I lived in Reading I would go to Reserve games as well as following the first team.
I will be there on Tuesday night having worked till past 5-00 p.m. and will make the 160 mile round trip , get back home around midnight and feel knackered the next day.
The travelling gives plenty of time to think about what I have seen.
My mate will do the same from Gillingham as will the fellow who sits near us from Honiton and so will many others but many local people like yourself won't bother and yet you and those absentees shout loudest about MY and our club.

I know that Hampshire Royal can't get to games and Ian Royal seldom puts himself out to go but at least in their cases there are geographical considerations and in Ian's case not the same commitment as others have and yet....you and Ian have so much to say when you haven't witnessed what has happened on the pitch.
The sooner the mad man retires from RFC the better and I further hope that the ground will be renamed to bring in extra revenue as even clubs as big as City and Arsenal have done.

[Victor Meldrew]

Angry, angry old man.

Less of the angry please.

[Ian Royal]

It's sad when an old person gets confused and aggressive.

[Victor Meldrew]

It's sad when an old person gets confused and aggressive.

Even sadder when a younger person is voted the most unpopular poster on a website and STILL spends all of his (her?) time on there.

[Victor Meldrew]

In reply to Rother's pathetic question about following and seeing Liverpool the answer is probably more than you seeing Reading but what on earth does that have to do with how the club that I have followed (not from an armchair) for more than 50 years is being run?

Because you daft old goat, the fact you haven't seen Liverpool for years doesn't seem to prevent you holding numerous passionate discussions about the merits of the club.

And, despite their obvious decline over the last 20 years (as obvious as Reading's progress in same timescales) you remain stoically supportive of everything they do.

Are the parallels (and indeed divergences) clear enough?

"Daft old goat"
"Senile old git"
You and Ian are such wordsmiths that you are wasted on here.
I haven't seen Liverpool yet this season but saw them last season which really has no relevance to how our club has f****d up it's finances.

[Ian Royal]

It's sad when an old person gets confused and aggressive.

Even sadder when a younger person is voted the most unpopular poster on a website and STILL spends all of his (her?) time on there.

You did count all the nominations then, you loser. How many votes did I get compared to the number for best posters? Who came second in the worst stakes?

[Victor Meldrew]

It's sad when an old person gets confused and aggressive.

Even sadder when a younger person is voted the most unpopular poster on a website and STILL spends all of his (her?) time on there.

You did count all the nominations then, you loser. How many votes did I get compared to the number for best posters? Who came second in the worst stakes?

So I now add "loser" to your insults-Ian you are building up to being reported and banned for using abusive language.
What would you do with your right hand (or maybe left) if you could no longer post on here?

[Nameless]

Victor.
I defended your name on a thread a short while ago, not entirely sure I got the right person as you seem to have taking a turn off into the bizarre and rather delusional world usually only inhabited by Royal Blue.
The club finances have been analysed and discussed ad infinitude over many years. As a club we've always teetered on the brink of financial problems for a long time. That's because football is an economic disaster , especially for clubs of our size with aspirations to rise up the ladder. The likes of Stoke, Fulham, Wigan and Southampton have managed to because they have had a rich benefactor willing to pump large sums of money in to the club to support expenditure that would not be possible if they relied purely on their real income. We have never had that. SJM has always made it plain that whilst he would ensure we never sunk to the levels we were at before he took over he was not going to lavish millions on us. He ensured the club was well run (which it was) and we enjoyed unprecedented success for a decade or more.
Sadly he also made it clear that he needed to pass ownership on, for a variety of reasons but a amour one being that he simply was not wealthy enough to continue as the sole backstop for the club's finances. It looked like he had found a perfect match in TSI but whilst I don't believe Anton was a crook or a fraudster we all know he was simply unable to deliver on his promises. It was a shame that this only became apparant after Anton had assumed control and started spending money on things that realistically we couldn't afford. Whether SJM was happy with this we don't know, but he had lost control of the club so was in no position to put a stop to the contracts being handed out to Anton's players. There can be no doubt that the last 30 months has seen the club lose it"s way financially. That is 100% down to Anton. The fact that we still have a club is largely due to the fact that we were a solid club before Anton came on board, and that there has been a huge battle to recover from the mess he left 12 months ago. If any company found it had lost almost all the revenue streams it was planning on funding it's activities the. It would struggle. We appear to have survived that struggle with almost all our assets intact. Really quite a miracle.
So while there has unquestionably been a major earthquake in the club,it has survived and is already showing at least the hints of new life emerging. Rather than take the ultra negative view that you have, I prefer (being an unashamed optimist in life generally) to see it as a triumph that we have to followed Pompey, Luton, Leicester, etc etc etc into the administration shame. I don't doubt we came close, but we avoided it. We have the same people running the club day to day who have been there throughout our glory years and whilst I hope we get new blood and new ideas to go with new money I think we'll remain a force to be reckoned with in coming seasons
I'd be amazed if anyone has bothered to read this far. I don't think I've said anything that has been in wide discussion for a long time, but you did say no one was willing to talk about the running of the club and I thought I'd spell it out as I saw it for your benefit.
I doubt you'll agree with me, but thenI don't buy your end of the world, woe is me depression because I simply don't think it reflects the way things actually have been.

[Ian Royal]

I read it. Good post Nameless.