Hoop Blah Not really bothered by the debate, just thought it was a bit of an over reaction by H&P to bring up Sidwell etc as if they were proof that there aren't a number of players who've left us and then generally failed.
Some of them are just natural career paths of course, but some are just bad career moves, a bit like Hectors could be.Dr_Hfuhruhurr I personally think that this is a great move for everybody. We give him games whilst Chelsea decide what to do with him; we get an extra CB for a year - and he has a season to impress his new bosses. If of course, we play him. And lets face it 4 mill is there or thereaboutsHoop Blah Without really thinking about it, here are a few that left us 'for better things' that didn't really work out that way for various reasons
Ashdown - He wasnt even first team for us. His move was definitely an improvement for him He left us at a time when he probably would've progressed to become our number 1, spent years on the bench or in the stands for Pompey before dropping down through the leagues
Shorey -Granted
Lita - A succession of sideways moves. No blockbusters. He was a bit of a special case, but he certainly thought he was going on to bigger things than us but never really had success to match, and despite moves to 'bigger' clubs he kept getting bombed out on loan
Kitson - Pretty much fits your description
Doyle - Wolves killed him. He was probably their best player (Mick loved him) but they didnt play him as a goalscorer Harsh perhaps as he did have success in the Premier League at first
Seol -Hang on, we got him from the premiership. He left because we apparently sang songs about him eating dogs. He still left us for a Premier League side but never quite made it (less than 20 games in 2 seasons) and got sent back to the the Saudi and Korean leagues.
Bikey - ??? What was this big move again He left us, in the Championship, to sign for Premier League Burnley. Guess you could argue he did ok there (including another relegation) but he was soon back in the Championship and is now a free agent after stints at Charlton and some side in Greece. Did he succeed elsewhere or end up back in the Championship?
Mills - We sold him to a team in the same league because we hated him We still left for a team he thought was bigger, better and more likely to go up than us, for the money ultimately, and where did he end up? Below us as we went on to win the league!
Sonko - He got dropped by Stoke because he kept treading on the ball, but he didnt go there to sit on the bench. They played him. So he was largely on the bench before returning to the Championship and below then?
Little - LOL. What on Earth are you talking about here - he moved strictly for the contract. He was spent. We wanted him to stay, he went elsewhere, admittedly for one last crack at the Premier League before his legs totally gave up, and then he ended up worse off.
Federici (so far but early days of course) - LOL. Christ on a bike. errrm, he's left us to go and sit on the bench at another club. We'll have to wait and see how that works out for him but my money is on him being back in the Championship or still on a bench in two years time.
McCarthy (initially) - Still early days
Halford - We sold him for 'undisclosed reasons'. He's actually had a pretty decent career, given that So we sold him to a Premier League side, where he bombed, and then ended up in the Championship after failing there?
Hunt - Which one? Shunt was played frequently in the Prem. Nhunt was an end of contract special. Stephen, and to be fair he did get a couple of Premier League moves before naturally dropping back down to his level in the Championship. It's probably harsh to have him on the list
Marriappa (not down the leagues,yet) - So whats your point? He's hardly played for Palace, but yeah, not dropped down back to his level yet, presumably because he's too expensive to attract a Championship club to take him not because he's been a success after jumping ship after a season with us
Kebe - Granted.
I don't think any of them have left Reading and enjoyed any real success or progression have they?
But the inference in 'they left us' is that they chose to do so when we wanted them to stay.
Of that list :
Ashdown wasn't even getting game time
McCarthy had somehow become second choice behind Federici (by the way I would say AMc has definitely progressed)
Halford we couldn't get him out the door fast enough after discovering the 'personal' issues
Little was all but completely finished when he left - as shown by his fruitless return
Chelsea's policy of hoovering up as much young talent as possible if only to prevent their rivals from getting their hands on such players is as reprehensible as you would expect from that repulsive club.
