RUMOUR - Robert Beric

[Royalwaster]

PS: it says wages in the Championship are about 10 times higher than in the Austrian league ....

I know it's only the Daily Mail, but this article suggests 3 times

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2833020/Premier-League-wages-dwarf-Europe-flight-players-England-earning-average-2-3million-year.html

<EDIT> I think that's the article you're referring to Ian.

Still, for me the wages have never been the issue and I think the Central and Eastern European leagues are a good place to scout because of the wage discrepancies. it's been the prospective transfer fee of £3.5m that raises eyebrows for me.

The Austrian league is very unbalanced though with RB Salzburg paying way above the odds for players - likely to be close or even above what we currently pay ....

[Sutekh]

So, the Championship/Division 2 is the 8th highest paying football league in the world, obviously the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A are above them but interested to know what the others would be?

I would also presume that the Championship/Division 2 is the highest paying non-top division in the world.

If this goes through then Robert Beric would take over from Fae, Gunter and Mariappa (all £2.5m) as our record signing. Prior to them I think the holders were something like (I'm sure Strap could confirm though)

2007 - Greg Halford (£2.25m)
2006 - Seoul Ki-Hyeon (£1.5m)
2005 - Leroy Lita (£1m)
2004 - Bobby Convey (£900k)
1997 - Carl Asaba (£800k)
1996 - Darren Caskey (700k)
1990 - Craig Maskell (£250k)
1988 - Steve Moran (£250k)
1987 - Keith Curle (£150k)
1986 - Terry Hurlock (£92k)
1979 - David Moreline (£50k) ??
1979 - David Shipperley (£40k) ??
1978 - Hugh Cheetham - (£25k)
1970 - Steve Death (£20k)

Overall, as with all transfers at any price, a pretty hit and miss bunch to be honest. Most have either did well or at were least OK though.

[Snowball]

On the plus side...

He's just 24 and got a shed-load of goals last season

Those 27 goals were 1 every 102 minutes.

His career average is 190 and he's improving.




On the "but" side

Expensive, at least transfer-wise.

However, an awful lot of those goals were far-post tap-ins, laid on a plate. Scoring is better than blasting over the bar, of course, and you have to "get there" but the YouTube clips suggest his fantastic season was more about great service than him individually.

Have to presume that the scouts see more than we do and aren't blinded by one extremely good season. Seems we've been watching for a few years. If he stayed in Austria and had a second 25-30 goal season he'd probably cost over 10 million next summer.

[Royalwaster]

RE. Sutekh- see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... -year.html for the list

The view in Austria is that 5.4 million is too much - he's scored a lot of goals for a very attacking team ... also previously played for 2 similar teams (Maribor and to a lesser extent Sturm Graz) and not sure how he'll do for a team that finished 19th last season .... i.e. he's not the kind of player who will score goals out of nothing, but he's a very good finisher ...

[Wycombe Royal]

i.e. he's not the kind of player who will score goals out of nothing, but he's a very good finisher ...

However we showed last season after Murray left how much we missed a finisher. So often balls were played across the box and there was no-one there to put it in the goal, normally because Pog had been running the channel and didn't have the legs to get into the penalty area. Being in the right place at the right time is a skill in itself and is one that is instinctive rather than taught.

[Sutekh]

RE. Sutekh- see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... -year.html for the list

Thanks, not sure how much to trust that though seeing as apparently players in England's divisions 3 and 4 must be earning less than the £130 per week average being paid in 34th placed Nigeria... it's no wonder HRK wouldn't consider a drop down to play for Wigan

[Sutekh]

The view in Austria is that 5.4 million is too much - he's scored a lot of goals for a very attacking team ... also previously played for 2 similar teams (Maribor and to a lesser extent Sturm Graz) and not sure how he'll do for a team that finished 19th last season .... i.e. he's not the kind of player who will score goals out of nothing, but he's a very good finisher ...

Which, presumably, would indicate that SC is planning on building Reading to be a very attack minded team ....

[Nameless]

The view in Austria is that 5.4 million is too much - he's scored a lot of goals for a very attacking team ... also previously played for 2 similar teams (Maribor and to a lesser extent Sturm Graz) and not sure how he'll do for a team that finished 19th last season .... i.e. he's not the kind of player who will score goals out of nothing, but he's a very good finisher ...

Which, presumably, would indicate that SC is planning on building Reading to be a very attack minded team ....

The fact that we finished 19th last season is probably an irrelevance. Half that team has gone, replaced by players chosen by the manager. My expectation is at Clarke will have a team of players who he wants and who can play his it way and are prepare to do so. We are building a team to finish significantly higher than 19th.
Let's take the positive line and consider how Beric might fit into a team that reached the FA cup semi final and scared Arsenal silly, and natural goal scorer might have won that game for us.....

[Snowball]

Having listened to chat from Thailand, I'm feeling seriously optimistic.

[Maneki Neko]

what is the chat that you be hearing?

[Lacoste]

Where dio I find this chat?

[melonhead]

give us the chat damnit

[Lacoste]

Narin Nituttinanon "they'll be many more signings to come" #ReadingFC

[WoodleyRoyal]

what is the chat that you be hearing?

Narin Niruttinanon , the majority shareholder at Reading Football Club has spoken to the media and revealed plans to develop the current Madejski Stadium Car Park into a "multi million pound arena/conference centre" and that they are in talks with Reading Borough Council on the matter and wants the public informed as soon as possible once project has been approved.
He also said Championship teams don't make enough money, we need to look elsewhere as retail too , but insisted club has to benefit from off field projects too.
He has confirmed there is no "owners signings" and that the only person that decides on players is Steve Clarke and then they try to buy them and that there are more players to come.

[Sutekh]

Narin Nituttinanon "they'll be many more signings to come" #ReadingFC

Over the next 10 years

[Snowball]

The 50% owner guy says he's targeting promotion this year, maybe via the POs,
that they are very serious, will be bringing in more "recruits", that the manager is
selling the club to possible recruits as serious promotion contenders.

They are going to convert the RFC Car Park into a huge conference "arena"

[Maneki Neko]

what is the chat that you be hearing?

Narin Niruttinanon , the majority shareholder at Reading Football Club has spoken to the media and revealed plans to develop the current Madejski Stadium Car Park into a "multi million pound arena/conference centre" and that they are in talks with Reading Borough Council on the matter and wants the public informed as soon as possible once project has been approved.
He also said Championship teams don't make enough money, we need to look elsewhere as retail too , but insisted club has to benefit from off field projects too.
He has confirmed there is no "owners signings" and that the only person that decides on players is Steve Clarke and then they try to buy them and that there are more players to come.

sounds very postive.
but where will all the cars park!

[genome]

Where the fcuk am I going to park?

[Sutekh]

The 50% owner guy says he's targeting promotion this year, maybe via the POs,
that they are very serious, will be bringing in more "recruits", that the manager is
selling the club to possible recruits as serious promotion contenders.

They are going to convert the RFC Car Park into a huge conference "arena"

As long as they don't touch the amount of space needed for park and ride then they should be OK with that plan.

[Sutekh]

Where the fcuk am I going to park?

It'll be a huge conference "arena" with parking

It that happens perhaps they could also build this conference "arena" so that could also become a top place on the gig circuit which is something the Thames Valley is desperately without.