Bibbo and Armstrong gone?

[Angry Shed Sex]

I hear Dave Beasant could be on his way in.

Young blood and all that.

[John Smith]

The club should be taking a look at our transfers over the last 4 years. Absolutely. Shocking.

The purpose of a DoF is to prevent the likes of HRK getting a lucrative contract extension. To prevent signings like Anton Ferdinand and Pog. To ensure we can keep hold of good players like Karacan. To stop us signing Akpan and Blackman.

Should have been Nicky Hammond getting the sack after the last 4 years, not the fucking kit man

Here here.

I can't believe people are getting on Clarke's back already. Look at the bigger picture: he came into a mess and he's still clearing it up. Judge him by Christmas when he's be able to apply his stamp on the club

[PeterReadingborn59]

Reading has always held keepers in high regard, from Steve Death through to Feds, and we were led to believe that the club had a conveyor belt process headed by Bibbo as the likes of Feds, McCarthy and others now at other clubs seemed to confirm. To now be told that most of the future goalkeepers have been released, Feds could be going and the replacement in waiting is not signed for next season. Is a bit of a bombshell and not an area most were looking to for significant change.

Certainly more news like this would make this a summer of change at the club. Hopefully, all moves to create a base for a more successful season in 2015 - 16.

[Coppelled_Streets]

The club should be taking a look at our transfers over the last 4 years. Absolutely. Shocking.

The purpose of a DoF is to prevent the likes of HRK getting a lucrative contract extension. To prevent signings like Anton Ferdinand and Pog. To ensure we can keep hold of good players like Karacan. To stop us signing Akpan and Blackman.

Should have been Nicky Hammond getting the sack after the last 4 years, not the fucking kit man

Here here.

There, there.

Oh and, hear hear. Excellent post, br.

[Sutekh]

Reports from the Leads end (weareleeds) suggesting Steve Head is also going...

Reports today are suggesting that Leeds have moved to bring in Reading’s Steve Head to the club. Steve Head would join to become the new Head of Recruitment following the departure of Nicola Salerno.

Steve Head’s key responsibility at Reading is European scouting and this would surely be key for Massimo Cellino. Head worked for ten years in Southampton’s very successful academy before moving to Fulham and spending similar time there.

It would be another positive move by the club, the infrastructure within seems to be getting stronger by the week. Hopefully this will come good in the coming days and we will have a man described as a “fantastic personality” on board.

Would seem to make sense seeing as Steve Shorey is doing domestics and Tony Spearing recently arrived to look after the European and International scene

[ZacNaloen]

Didn't Steve Head leave pretty much when Zingarevich left?

[Sutekh]

That's what I had thought but then the article seems to be applying he's still a going concern here .... and I didn't have anything for definite to say otherwise

[Geekins]

Maybe SC was intimidated by Sal's massive cock??

[Forbury Lion]

The club should be taking a look at our transfers over the last 4 years. Absolutely. Shocking.

The purpose of a DoF is to prevent the likes of HRK getting a lucrative contract extension. To prevent signings like Anton Ferdinand and Pog. To ensure we can keep hold of good players like Karacan. To stop us signing Akpan and Blackman.

Should have been Nicky Hammond getting the sack after the last 4 years, not the fucking kit man

I suspect:

Pog was signed by Anton with no discussion with the DoF or the Manager

Akpan and Blackman were relatively low risk punts taken by the manager at the time, who was also a former chief scout responsible for some of our best ever signings, So the DoF would have backed the manager. Plus with next to no cash available who else was he to sign? maybe these two were the best of a bad bunch? However the length of their contracts may be something that should have been looked at - both were making big jumps up to a Championship/Premiership team so would have still bitten our hands off had we offered appearance based contract extension clauses rather than a straight x number of years.

Karacan - The DoF is there to ensure we do not overpay for players, If the manager says Karacan is essential to his plans then they might offer a bit more, but he's had two big injuries and we can only offer him the cash that we have available, There is still room to negotiate.

Anton Ferdinand - Again, I think this was a favour for Samrit/the owners and the DoF/Club had to take the hit.

HRK - Perhaps a valid point, It's fair to say he hasn't developed as well as we would have hoped.

A few more:

Yakubu, Knight - In restrospect I wish we hadn't bothered signing either, but you can't argue with the DoF over the length of contracts given.

If anyone has read the Dave Kitson / secret footballer books he goes into great detail on the role of DoF and how their job is around the finances and budgets, the manager decides which players he wants not the DoF.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Dave Kitson at the club in the future as DoF, He said if he did anything like that it would only ever be with us.

[No Fixed Abode]

I'm sure the medical lads who got the sack (no pun intended) should get jobs elsewhere in the same profession. But if you're the kit man - where do you go from there? You'd be pretty lucky to get another job at a football or rugby club.....

[The Quiet Man]

Posted earlier that the old Nicky Hammond role doesn't appear to exist now as Clarke is talking as if he operates on budgets directly from the Thais in respect of first team affairs. Hammond may or may not have a role in the scouting set up but I would guess now he has been moved over to the new Academy project. I don't think Clarke had that level of access in January as we were still in the NH special arrangement for Murray debacle for a large part of the month which may well have been NH last direct involvement with first team affairs.

Clarke will stand or fall on his own signings and his experience of a hands on DoF set up at WBA would probably tell him you are better off being responsible yourself for players signed than taking responsibility for a committee decision taken elsewhere. The Thais will control the purse strings and also have access to players agents (links to Shinawatra/Man City set up) so he is not likely to be going completely gung ho.

[blueroyals]

I don't think that it was ever announced that Steve Head had left, but I'm sure if he didn't go around the time AZ left he would have left when Tony Spearing joined in Feb?

BTW, why haven't the club announced the staff culls yet?

[loyalroyaldaz]

Maybe Squeaky Hammond is going to be the Goal Keeper coach as well............


We're Fcuked

[JakeTheRoyal]

The club should be taking a look at our transfers over the last 4 years. Absolutely. Shocking.

The purpose of a DoF is to prevent the likes of HRK getting a lucrative contract extension. To prevent signings like Anton Ferdinand and Pog. To ensure we can keep hold of good players like Karacan. To stop us signing Akpan and Blackman.

Should have been Nicky Hammond getting the sack after the last 4 years, not the fucking kit man

I suspect:

Pog was signed by Anton with no discussion with the DoF or the Manager

Akpan and Blackman were relatively low risk punts taken by the manager at the time, who was also a former chief scout responsible for some of our best ever signings, So the DoF would have backed the manager. Plus with next to no cash available who else was he to sign? maybe these two were the best of a bad bunch? However the length of their contracts may be something that should have been looked at - both were making big jumps up to a Championship/Premiership team so would have still bitten our hands off had we offered appearance based contract extension clauses rather than a straight x number of years.

Karacan - The DoF is there to ensure we do not overpay for players, If the manager says Karacan is essential to his plans then they might offer a bit more, but he's had two big injuries and we can only offer him the cash that we have available, There is still room to negotiate.

Anton Ferdinand - Again, I think this was a favour for Samrit/the owners and the DoF/Club had to take the hit.

HRK - Perhaps a valid point, It's fair to say he hasn't developed as well as we would have hoped.

A few more:

Yakubu, Knight - In restrospect I wish we hadn't bothered signing either, but you can't argue with the DoF over the length of contracts given.

If anyone has read the Dave Kitson / secret footballer books he goes into great detail on the role of DoF and how their job is around the finances and budgets, the manager decides which players he wants not the DoF.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Dave Kitson at the club in the future as DoF, He said if he did anything like that it would only ever be with us.

I'm not sure thats how it works. So you're saying he just turned up to training one day without Brian knowing

[Uke]

Anton: "My mate Pavel who has just joined my vanity project will be at training tomorrow"

Brian: "OK"

[Coppelled_Streets]

Maybe Squeaky Hammond is going to be the Goal Keeper coach as well............


We're Fcuked

How has Hammond avoided the Cull?

[winchester_royal]

I don't think that it was ever announced that Steve Head had left, but I'm sure if he didn't go around the time AZ left he would have left when Tony Spearing joined in Feb?

BTW, why haven't the club announced the staff culls yet?

He's been Chief Scout at Norwich since last September

[Geekins]

Considering our strikeforce, would you have turned down Pog? If the owner did give McDermott the option and said we can Pog, yay or nay?, i reckon he would've wanted him anyway. Even Clarke said we missed Pog only a few games ago when he was out injured.

I agree now he should be looked to move on now, but at the time we were all excited about him coming here.

[PeterReadingborn59]

Considering our strikeforce, would you have turned down Pog? If the owner did give McDermott the option and said we can Pog, yay or nay?, i reckon he would've wanted him anyway. Even Clarke said we missed Pog only a few games ago when he was out injured.
I agree now he should be looked to move on now, but at the time we were all excited about him coming here.

Pav was missed as the squad does not have another recognised centre-forward, despite Blackman and HRK both claiming to be, neither cemented their claim when put up front. Pav will remain until summer 2016 as no other club would match or better his existing contract. I guess the resigning of Gunter and HRK is in the hope that their Welsh performances get a knee jerk reaction from a club to make an offer and allow RFC to recoup some monies. Otherwise, as Fed's departure demonstrates Reading FC cannot match Premier contracts or potential transfer fees, and with so many players being released it is likely that transfer fees will only be a luxury premier clubs can consider. AFC Bournemouth are showing a knack for picking players out of contract.

[Royal Lady]

Feds now gone to Bournemouth - great - do we still have Andersen? It's all very well getting shot of the coach and our first choice keeper but anyone who comes in doesn't have long to get going and we still have to find another keeper.