Madejski Out

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Madejski has to sadly take a certain amount of blame for the current situation.

He sold out firstly to an individual with very questionable credentials, and who had already been rejected by Everton as having failed their due diligence tests, and then repeated the mistake again with the Thais, who were clearly just interested in land deals rather than the footbaling side, just to get a big dividend back on his investment.

Check the club's financials out from the period (available to view at Companies House) if you don't believe me.

I know I will be shouted down for this, but sadly the facts and numbers don't lie.

[grey_squirrel]

ISTR when Sidwell left, Coppell decided no replacement was needed.

IMO THAT was the decision that cost us - and effectively still is. Nothing to do with Madejski.

Call it short sighted, naive, frugal or whatever, but that was the defining error.

[muirinho]

Madejski has to sadly take a certain amount of blame for the current situation.

He sold out firstly to an individual with very questionable credentials, and who had already been rejected by Everton as having failed their due diligence tests, and then repeated the mistake again with the Thais, who were clearly just interested in land deals rather than the footbaling side, just to get a big dividend back on his investment.

Check the club's financials out from the period (available to view at Companies House) if you don't believe me.

I know I will be shouted down for this, but sadly the facts and numbers don't lie.

What numbers? Madesjki got no dividend at all back, because he'd pumped in billions in the form of interest free loans, and didn't even get all of that back, let alone the interest he could have got, if he'd put his money in somewhere else.

Also, on the whole "failure to invest" thing - IMO it was Coppell that failed Madejski rather than the other way around - firstly by deciding not to replace Sidwell, and secondly, by not imparting any sense of urgency to the players in the second half of that season. I've heard interviews where people like Doyle basically admitted they never thought they were going to get relegated. That fight that got us promoted was gone when it came to being relegated. And for all Coppell did to get us up, he was a big part in us going down.

[sandman]

Everyone has a part to play when a team gets relegated. Coppell and Madejski had a big part to play and if you believe the Secret Dave Kitson, someone else had a massive part in it.

[Zip]

We stood still in the summer of 2007. That’s what cost us. All of our rivals strengthened. We didn’t and paid the price.We have never properly recovered. Yes I know we went up again under McDermott but that squad wasn’t good enough. The 2005/06 boys were and with decent strengthening we could have been well set for years.

[quickwingerswife]

The Chinese owners have made 1 big mistake. Clement has a history of pissing off the fans with his over planned tactics. Talk to Swansea and Derby people ! Was it Gourlay who did an old boys bit with Clement? If so, he should go as well.

John Madjeski remains my hero. Do you remember the days when the piss ran down the South Bank as the urinals overflowed at Elm Park? JM took us away from all that?

Let’s not go back to those pissy days. Clement and Gourlay out now!;

[Snowflake Royal]

ISTR when Sidwell left, Coppell decided no replacement was needed.

IMO THAT was the decision that cost us - and effectively still is. Nothing to do with Madejski.

Call it short sighted, naive, frugal or whatever, but that was the defining error.

He tried to get in whatsisname? Brown? Was at Celtic? And also brought in Fae. There was a point where he decided not to sign someone and put his faith in the togetherness of the squad, but that's at least partly because some of the players he had brought in (Fae and Halford) had been disruptive and damaging to the squad.

The failure to replace Sidwell with someone any good certainly did hurt us. The amount we spent from that first PL January through to the January we got relegated was not huge but it was plenty to keep us up, if it had been spent wisely. Sadly we got Halford, Fae, Rosenior, Duberry, Bikey, Kebe and Matejovsky to replace Sidwell, Little, Seol, Convey, Murty and Sonko who all either left, played less, or to a much lower quality.

[3points]

We got promoted in 2005/06. We finished 8th in 2006/07. We got relegated in 2007/08. Now what was it that happened in around 2008? Oh that's right, the GEC where Madejski lost approximately half his fortune having sunk a lot of it into print media and developing real estate in the centre of Reading. Then Anton sodded off having got us into stupid debt and Madejski kept us afloat until someone else could save us, even though he couldn't really afford us anymore.

That isn't actually what happened. Madejski didn't put any money in when Anton disappeared. They borrowed against the parachute payments from Vibrac and Anton's dad covered the remaining losses until the end of the season giving Samuelson time to get the club sold to the Thais. SJM had to sell as he needed £25m to cover debts at Sackville Properties, otherwise the company would have gone into administration and he would have lost the lot. The only realisable asset he had was the football club - Anton paid £12.5m or so for 49% of the shares and repaid about £12m of the loans SJM had put in over the years.

[Lower West]

, because he'd pumped in billions in the form of interest free loans

Not in that league sadly.

[Henley Royal 1]

Love to Sir John saved us back in the very early 90s does anyone remember are christmas present that year .

[Lower West]

The 2005/06 boys were and with decent strengthening we could have been well set for years.

All teams rise and wane. That's why we love the game. Not to watch one team spend a billion and walk away with the title every year.

[muirinho]

, because he'd pumped in billions in the form of interest free loans

Not in that league sadly.

I spotted my typo afterwards but was too lazy to correct!

[Zip]

ISTR when Sidwell left, Coppell decided no replacement was needed.

IMO THAT was the decision that cost us - and effectively still is. Nothing to do with Madejski.

Call it short sighted, naive, frugal or whatever, but that was the defining error.

He tried to get in whatsisname? Brown? Was at Celtic? And also brought in Fae. There was a point where he decided not to sign someone and put his faith in the togetherness of the squad, but that's at least partly because some of the players he had brought in (Fae and Halford) had been disruptive and damaging to the squad.

The failure to replace Sidwell with someone any good certainly did hurt us. The amount we spent from that first PL January through to the January we got relegated was not huge but it was plenty to keep us up, if it had been spent wisely. Sadly we got Halford, Fae, Rosenior, Duberry, Bikey, Kebe and Matejovsky to replace Sidwell, Little, Seol, Convey, Murty and Sonko who all either left, played less, or to a much lower quality.

Sonko was never the same player after he was injured against Everton.

[RATM]

Love to Sir John saved us back in the very early 90s does anyone remember are christmas present that year .

Yep the one and only Danny Bailey!!

[Maneki Neko]

Madejski has to sadly take a certain amount of blame for the current situation.

He sold out firstly to an individual with very questionable credentials, and who had already been rejected by Everton as having failed their due diligence tests, and then repeated the mistake again with the Thais, who were clearly just interested in land deals rather than the footbaling side, just to get a big dividend back on his investment.

Check the club's financials out from the period (available to view at Companies House) if you don't believe me.

I know I will be shouted down for this, but sadly the facts and numbers don't lie.

What numbers? Madesjki got no dividend at all back, because he'd pumped in billions in the form of interest free loans, and didn't even get all of that back, let alone the interest he could have got, if he'd put his money in somewhere else.

Also, on the whole "failure to invest" thing - IMO it was Coppell that failed Madejski rather than the other way around - firstly by deciding not to replace Sidwell, and secondly, by not imparting any sense of urgency to the players in the second half of that season. I've heard interviews where people like Doyle basically admitted they never thought they were going to get relegated. That fight that got us promoted was gone when it came to being relegated. And for all Coppell did to get us up, he was a big part in us going down.

He tried to replace him but in the end couldnt get the right player in and decided not to go for a third choice he dint really want

[Maneki Neko]

Madejski has to sadly take a certain amount of blame for the current situation.

He sold out firstly to an individual with very questionable credentials, and who had already been rejected by Everton as having failed their due diligence tests, and then repeated the mistake again with the Thais, who were clearly just interested in land deals rather than the footbaling side, just to get a big dividend back on his investment.

Check the club's financials out from the period (available to view at Companies House) if you don't believe me.

I know I will be shouted down for this, but sadly the facts and numbers don't lie.

People will disagree because what youve written in just incorrect

[Sutekh]

Madejski has to sadly take a certain amount of blame for the current situation.

He sold out firstly to an individual with very questionable credentials, and who had already been rejected by Everton as having failed their due diligence tests, and then repeated the mistake again with the Thais, who were clearly just interested in land deals rather than the footbaling side, just to get a big dividend back on his investment.

Check the club's financials out from the period (available to view at Companies House) if you don't believe me.

I know I will be shouted down for this, but sadly the facts and numbers don't lie.

What numbers? Madesjki got no dividend at all back, because he'd pumped in billions in the form of interest free loans, and didn't even get all of that back, let alone the interest he could have got, if he'd put his money in somewhere else.

Also, on the whole "failure to invest" thing - IMO it was Coppell that failed Madejski rather than the other way around - firstly by deciding not to replace Sidwell, and secondly, by not imparting any sense of urgency to the players in the second half of that season. I've heard interviews where people like Doyle basically admitted they never thought they were going to get relegated. That fight that got us promoted was gone when it came to being relegated. And for all Coppell did to get us up, he was a big part in us going down.

Some truth in that. As I recall players like Gary O'Reilly and Matthew Taylor were available and we were linked but instead of players of that ilk, who we know were experienced and could do a good job at the top level, money was wasted on the likes of Fae, Matejovsky and Kebe who just weren't the types of player required instead of the aforementioned.

[genome]

As I recall players like Gary O'Reilly and Matthew Taylor were available

I'm pretty sure Gary O'Reilly was in his 40s when Coppell was here.

[Old Man Andrews]

We stood still in the summer of 2007. That’s what cost us. All of our rivals strengthened. We didn’t and paid the price.We have never properly recovered. Yes I know we went up again under McDermott but that squad wasn’t good enough. The 2005/06 boys were and with decent strengthening we could have been well set for years.

This 100%.

[Greatwesternline]

If sir John had just taken the risk and invested in our great 2006 side we could have been a Bournemouth or Brighton, instead he was scared of the huge costs of sustaining PL survival. I still don't believe all that TV money went out on wages, Bournemouth get crowds of 11.000 for Christ sake. it was a big chance missed and we went down in the 2nd season.

Yep, it was considered slanderous by some to say that at the time (or to even think it), but it's true, I think. Whether he could have afforded it is another matter, but it was clear that one way or another more investment was needed to keep us there.
Similar would be required if we went up now. The PL is what it is, and we don't get to set the rules. I'm not sure any club of our approx size who goes up totally embraces everything the PL embodies.

We got promoted in 2005/06. We finished 8th in 2006/07. We got relegated in 2007/08. Now what was it that happened in around 2008? Oh that's right, the GEC where Madejski lost approximately half his fortune having sunk a lot of it into print media and developing real estate in the centre of Reading. Then Anton sodded off having got us into stupid debt and Madejski kept us afloat until someone else could save us, even though he couldn't really afford us anymore.

You've spotted a detail which i've mentioned before, the GEC made a big difference to Madejski. RBS were the clubs banker and called in their overdraft of £8million very quickly as they did for many many other small businesses.

A similar thing happened to Anton shortly after he took ownership. In 2013 Cyprus froze Russian oligarchs' money. Many many Russian olygarchs had their cash in Cyprus becuase it was an easy place to store their money, and often could give them EU citizenship. At the time i posted on here that this may have big consequences for Anton, or his Dad. Not long after everything went downhill. It may be correlation but not causation, but i still think it may have made a big difference.