No Trust, No strategy, No effective Communication

[Tommy Jenkins]

Royals fans are in for another bleak Christmas as the club continues to maintain the silence with its fans. The club has failed to give the fans a proper answer over some of the ongoing injuries, as well as being vague about the financial situation at the club and the prospect of any January signings. On top of all this is the continued uncertainty with the ownership of the club.

The Thai Consortium have still not introduced themselves to the fans, given them any idea of what the plans for the future are, or given any indication of how the club will be run and what exactly co-chairman John Madejski’s exact involvement with the club is. I think this is a worry for all Reading fans as not knowing exactly what the ownership situation of the club is, means that there will always be an underlying anxiety about what might happen, especially after the Anton Zingarevich era.

Not knowing who the owners of the club are is particularly bizarre and I think that the fans definitely have a right to know. Whilst the club has provided the names of the new owners, they have not provided details of their backgrounds, or what they do, and no one even knows what some of them look like. It is now four months after the takeover and Reading and the new consortium should come clean and be honest with Royals fans.

Another worry for fans is recent remarks about the January transfer window and Reading’s stance on the financial fair play regulations. It has emerged that during this financial year, Reading are currently at a loss of £6m, with the club concerned that if they do spend in January, they may not meet the criteria for the current campaign. It really is not clear how the club is running at a loss after the sale of Alex McCarthy and Sean Morrison, but yet again the fans have been left in the dark about the whole situation.

What is clear however, is that for a third successive transfer window, Reading will have limited funds available and Nigel Adkins will once again have to be patient in the transfer market. Whilst things did look to be picking up in the summer, there was still hardly any money available and most of what Reading did spend came as part of the sell on fee for Michail Antonio.

Even small issues with the club at the moment are causing a problem, with the club and Adkins remaining tight-lipped about when some of the players are returning from injury. Club captain Jem Karacan, for example, has been out for 15 months, and every month since the beginning of this season it has been reported that he is close to a return with nothing ever materialising. Since Adkins has arrived at the club, training injuries and small tweaks and strains have occurred much more frequently, even causing some to question his training methods.

Again, this is something that the fans deserve to know about. Reassurances by the club would go a long way in comforting the supporters. The fans knew that this was going to be a tough season but it has not been made any easier by the club. The supporters have waited long enough for some answers and the club has to treat them with respect. It is time for the club to come forward, face up to the media and the fans and give them all some much needed reassurance.

[leon]

I think we need a business change strategy

[Royalwaster]

It is not clear why the club is running at a loss? Surely every Champ club is running at a loss - and ones relegated from the Prem recently even more so, so there's no really no need for any grand statement on that. It's quite simple - we're spending more (on wages) than we're bringing in ....

[melonhead]

A thread of almost total nonsense

[Tommy Jenkins]

Thanks for the almost bit Melonhead

Whats your take on all this ?

[Tommy Jenkins]

It is not clear why the club is running at a loss? Surely every Champ club is running at a loss - and ones relegated from the Prem recently even more so, so there's no really no need for any grand statement on that. It's quite simple - we're spending more (on wages) than we're bringing in ....

So the bigger picture is , where's the strategy from the new owners to address this ??

[Ian Royal]

It is not clear why the club is running at a loss? Surely every Champ club is running at a loss - and ones relegated from the Prem recently even more so, so there's no really no need for any grand statement on that. It's quite simple - we're spending more (on wages) than we're bringing in ....

So the bigger picture is , where's the strategy from the new owners to address this ??

Not buy more expensive players and wait for contracts of the higher earners we can't sell to expire.

It's not rocket science.

[RoyalBlue]

Royals fans are in for another bleak Christmas as the club continues to maintain the silence with its fans. The club has failed to give the fans a proper answer over some of the ongoing injuries, as well as being vague about the financial situation at the club and the prospect of any January signings. On top of all this is the continued uncertainty with the ownership of the club.

The Thai Consortium have still not introduced themselves to the fans, given them any idea of what the plans for the future are, or given any indication of how the club will be run and what exactly co-chairman John Madejski’s exact involvement with the club is. I think this is a worry for all Reading fans as not knowing exactly what the ownership situation of the club is, means that there will always be an underlying anxiety about what might happen, especially after the Anton Zingarevich era.

Not knowing who the owners of the club are is particularly bizarre and I think that the fans definitely have a right to know. Whilst the club has provided the names of the new owners, they have not provided details of their backgrounds, or what they do, and no one even knows what some of them look like. It is now four months after the takeover and Reading and the new consortium should come clean and be honest with Royals fans.

Another worry for fans is recent remarks about the January transfer window and Reading’s stance on the financial fair play regulations. It has emerged that during this financial year, Reading are currently at a loss of £6m, with the club concerned that if they do spend in January, they may not meet the criteria for the current campaign. It really is not clear how the club is running at a loss after the sale of Alex McCarthy and Sean Morrison, but yet again the fans have been left in the dark about the whole situation.

What is clear however, is that for a third successive transfer window, Reading will have limited funds available and Nigel Adkins will once again have to be patient in the transfer market. Whilst things did look to be picking up in the summer, there was still hardly any money available and most of what Reading did spend came as part of the sell on fee for Michail Antonio.

Even small issues with the club at the moment are causing a problem, with the club and Adkins remaining tight-lipped about when some of the players are returning from injury. Club captain Jem Karacan, for example, has been out for 15 months, and every month since the beginning of this season it has been reported that he is close to a return with nothing ever materialising. Since Adkins has arrived at the club, training injuries and small tweaks and strains have occurred much more frequently, even causing some to question his training methods.

Again, this is something that the fans deserve to know about. Reassurances by the club would go a long way in comforting the supporters. The fans knew that this was going to be a tough season but it has not been made any easier by the club. The supporters have waited long enough for some answers and the club has to treat them with respect. It is time for the club to come forward, face up to the media and the fans and give them all some much needed reassurance.

Well considered, well written post. However, the usual suspects will hurl insults at you, dismiss the post in one sentence rather than advance their own arguments (do they have any?), purely because they don't agree with you and/or you have dared question something about the club and the way it is being run.

[Man Friday]

Hard to disagree with anything you've said tbf.
Communication has been appalling without doubt.

[Tommy Jenkins]

Thanks for your comments Royal Blue & Man Friday

Yeah I'm just really concerned about the club we all love & support right now.
I remember the dark old days at Elm Park where the attendances fell to around 3500, Sir John has built the club up fantastically well since those days. I'm just really concerned about the big disconnection that's happening between the clubs lack of communication to our fans.

I am wondering if STAR should be trying to also take responsibility in putting this to the club and be prepared to challenge if they get kicked back?

Just wondering what anyone else thinks? because if the club continues to saying nothing on the important issues that face the club right now it will add fuel to the suspicion of things not be handled at all well at all levels

[Sutekh]

I think we need a business change strategy

Isn't that supposedly on the way

http://hobnob.royals.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=124234

[WAZZOCK]

Why do you feel you need the right to know all this information?

[under the tin]

The title immediately gives away the motivation behind it to be a critique of the current regime.
Now that's fair enough, but as I read the original post, I was expecting it to have a source/link at the end of it, because it's written just like a press release: third person style, from the outside looking in.
This is different from a rant on here by an old duffer like me. This looks like a commissioned piece.

We all love a good mystery, particularly around the festive season, and I do wonder whether there are underlying reasons for the deafening silence coming from Thailand.
Perhaps our Woodley correspondent is on to something.

I'd just like to ask you, Mr. Jenkins, a couple of questions.

If a photograph is not monochrome, then it's in 1. color or 2. colour
The red sauce you might put on say, a burger, is 1. to-may-tow or 2. to-mar-tow

[Tommy Jenkins]

The response from STAR is deafening

I thought STAR represented our supporters??,

I think it’s now time for STAR & its members to step out of their shadows and prove that they are not merely yes men for the club.

They apparently met with jack Srisumrid on December 10th and you promptly told us nothing apart from what everyone else know about FFP ( Financial Fair Play)

STAR, I would appreciate a response and tell us what you have actually achieved for Reading FC supporters in the last four months

[andrew1957]

I can only think that the OP did not hear the Hammond interview on BBCRB before the match last Saturday. He had clearly been given the brief by the club to fully disclose the current situation and was clear and honest about it.

He said - the club was shafted by the previous regime
- there is no money to spend because if we do the FFP regulations will be breached
- we won't be buying players (other than possibly Murray - for whom there are funds in the budget) in January unless we sell players first
- the wage bill is massively too high
- a lot of the players out of contact next summer will be released as we cannot afford them (wage bill too high)
- next summer will give NA a chance to restructure the squad
- the new owners are very supportive but their hands are tied
- he said that NA's position as manager was safe and had not even been discussed at board level

I thought he was very open honest and I was reassured. For all the idiots saying the club is saying nothing WTF do you expect them to say other than the above. I think there are far too many morons supporting RFC.

And can you blame the new owners for keeping a low profile. Their hands are tied and they cannot spend money even if they want to apart from on the Academy – which we know they are doing. But even though this is because of the last regime, many on here will still want then hung drawn and quartered for not spending billions on new players. All they can do is keep a low profile until at least next summer.

Come on guys support the club during this difficult period and stop bleating and moaning about everything - it is getting boring.

[Tommy Jenkins]

I see (Under The Tin) could be onto something?

This is the only post that I have attempted to write ( or did I write the original piece?)since joining in 2009, so that's how concerned I am right now about the situation

WHY?

There appears to be something going on that is very disconcerting to the welfare of the club, or is it merely the case that the club have forgotten to communicate openly and honestly since the Russian threw away his toy?

What this silence does tell us is that in the past the club would never have allowed this to happen.

However the club we are told were close to going out of business.

Sir John brokered a deal with the Thais to save the day, Well done Sir John

But has Sir John just put a sticking plaster on the situation to stop TSI from gaining control ??

I'm not sure, I'm only opening up the debate. There have surely been many opportunity's for the club and the new owners or STAR to shoot down these concerns from not just me but the many in the last month or so.

Interestingly they choose not to

Why ?

[Froomes]

It's all well and good Hammond coming out and bemoaning the previous regime, although he kept waxing lyrical about them whilst they were here.

As DoF are Wages, Contract renewals, etc not part of his remit? He signs off on the wages we offer players!

I'll readily admit he probably had little say in Pogs and Drenthe's contracts but they aren't the only high earners at the club are they, but for him to moan about a high wage bill is quite frankly farcical...

[Ian Royal]

Hammond works to te budget he's given. If the money covering it never materialises its not his fault.

There is no silence from the club unless your willfully avoiding ttying to avoid finding anything out.

As for criticising star, have you actually raised this with the m? Or are you expecting them to know youve asked tge a question in a forum thats got little to do with them a whole day or two ago?

[AirRaidSiren]

I can only think that the OP did not hear the Hammond interview on BBCRB before the match last Saturday. He had clearly been given the brief by the club to fully disclose the current situation and was clear and honest about it.

He said - the club was shafted by the previous regime
- there is no money to spend because if we do the FFP regulations will be breached
- we won't be buying players (other than possibly Murray - for whom there are funds in the budget) in January unless we sell players first
- the wage bill is massively too high
- a lot of the players out of contact next summer will be released as we cannot afford them (wage bill too high)
- next summer will give NA a chance to restructure the squad
- the new owners are very supportive but their hands are tied
- he said that NA's position as manager was safe and had not even been discussed at board level

I thought he was very open honest and I was reassured. For all the idiots saying the club is saying nothing WTF do you expect them to say other than the above. I think there are far too many morons supporting RFC.

And can you blame the new owners for keeping a low profile. Their hands are tied and they cannot spend money even if they want to apart from on the Academy – which we know they are doing. But even though this is because of the last regime, many on here will still want then hung drawn and quartered for not spending billions on new players. All they can do is keep a low profile until at least next summer.

Come on guys support the club during this difficult period and stop bleating and moaning about everything - it is getting boring.

Top post

[Portsmouth Royal]

Why do football fans have these funny ideas that they have a right to know who owns 'their' club?

Reading are not a community owned club, you have as much right to info about Readings directors as you do about Tesco's, in fact even less if anything as we are not a PLC. We live live in a nakedly capitalist society, shady ownership of business is a direct consequence. You want that to change? Change the sort of people you vote for.

As to a lack of info in a more general sense, I would echo some of the previous posts. Hammond's interview made it entirely clear what has gone on, and what is going to go on for the next year or so.

Finally I would add to those who respond to the cries 'Where has the money gone?' with the obvious statement 'Wages!'. Show me the clubs at our level with absolutely no level of debt at all and we can discuss what they are doing better than us.