CONFRIMED: Latest rumours Confrimed as Unconfrimed

[Snowflake Royal]

It's about time they did after the years of hell we've suffered thanks to their incompetent mistakes. If it's a loan signing and we're paying little if any of their wages and the EFL know our wage to turnover complies with the league then they're doing their job letting us bring a replacement in.

What incompetent mistakes? We broke the rules we signed up to, we did it consistently and we kept doing it even after we were punished the first time. Year after year, despite warnings, agreed business plans and soft transfer embargoes, we ignored the financial parameters that we signed up to work within.

Everything, all of it, goes back to Dai. It's his years of hell and incompetence we've suffered, so direct your anger at him.

Maybe approving the takeover in the first place despite the Premier League having red flags? maybe by not clamping down on our overspending sooner?

Christ.

[From Despair To Where?]

Maybe approving the takeover in the first place despite the Premier League having red flags? maybe by not clamping down on our overspending sooner?

Do you really need it explaining to you for the 150th time????????

It wasn't Dai who caused the Hull deal to collapse.

Everything else happened after he bought the club so unless the EFL have a fcuking crystal ball, how the hell can they predict what he's going to do.

They did clamp down on our spending. They imposed a transfer embargo. We sold the ground, raising £28m, they lifted it and within a week we'd pissed through £16m on players, all of which still came in under the FFP limits. Are you suggesting the EFL micro manage every single transfer deal for all 72 clubs? That's not their job. It's up to the club's to spend responsibly and stay within limits.

You know this but you insist on being willfully ignorant. You really are intellectually tinpot.

Where has it actually said this? A quick google search of "Dai Yongge Hull takeover" says members of the consortium failed the test, but that doesn't mean that Dai or his sister weren't those members of the consortium who failed. What were the names of the supposed people in the consortium who failed? Maybe a deeper search will provide the answer.

Also when the takeover was announced the EFL statement said that they (the EFL) had "insisted upon - and the club/new owners have agreed to - a number of additional reporting requirements including enhanced financial monitoring" to "ensure" that Dai's performance was "consistent with the application we have considered." That would suggest they had doubts about Dai and his sister from the outset.

It was wildly reported at the time that it was another member of the consortium had failed the test.

Also "insisted upon - and the club/new owners have agreed to - a number of additional reporting requirements including enhanced financial monitoring" would suggest that the EFL did indeed put in place additional conditions which only goes to prove even further that Jimmy is absolutely talking out of his arse.

[Royal_jimmy]

I can't be arsed with this shit. Regardless it's quite obvious one of the key investors did not fail the directors test at Hull because Dai could have just bought the club on his own. So I don't buy this argument. It's clear he was the issue that caused the deal to collapse. Why would Dai use a big consortium when his wealth would easily buy Hull and he was the opportunity for him initially. The Dai's were the issue with the premier league, the EFL didn't do their diligence properly or take note of these red flags.

Fans turning on Couhig is ridiculous, he has no obligation to buy us but shows his benevolence to even do so. The agony needs to end and the club should give us an answer to prevent fan action.. It'd be a smart move from the club to do this because there will be protests from the Orient game if there's no signs of this takeover going through. We've waited long enough, takeovers take time but this one has gone on for half a year!

[Sutekh]

I can't be arsed with this shit. Regardless it's quite obvious one of the key investors did not fail the directors test at Hull because Dai could have just bought the club on his own. So I don't buy this argument. It's clear he was the issue that caused the deal to collapse. Why would Dai use a big consortium when his wealth would easily buy Hull and he was the opportunity for him initially. The Dai's were the issue with the premier league, the EFL didn't do their diligence properly or take note of these red flags.

This is what SKY wrote about the failed Hull takeover back in May 2017

An attempt by Dai Yongge and Hawken Xiu Li, his sister, to buy Hull involved the use of a third party, who insisted that he controlled the relevant funds necessary to undertake the deal.

It subsequently transpired that the finances were actually under the control of Mr Dai, with the Financial Times reporting last month that a Premier League investigation into him had raised several "red flags" over his commercial background.

Fans turning on Couhig is ridiculous, he has no obligation to buy us but shows his benevolence to even do so. The agony needs to end and the club should give us an answer to prevent fan action.. It'd be a smart move from the club to do this because there will be protests from the Orient game if there's no signs of this takeover going through. We've waited long enough, takeovers take time but this one has gone on for half a year!

Sales require a) a party willing to buy and b) a party that really wants to sell. While we have the former it seems the second part might be being called into question and if it is the case then this could be going on for years.

[Stranded]

Fair to say that unless we have the loan deals ready to go, if the takeover doesn't complete today we are very unlikely to be bringing anyone in this window.

In the grand scheme of things, that literally matters not one jot if the takeover goes through though - it just means the target for the squad and management would be to try and be competitive until January and strengthen then. If possible, and there are decent options, bring in 2 or 3 free agents that will give us extra bodies in the squad.

[Snowflake Royal]

Fair to say that unless we have the loan deals ready to go, if the takeover doesn't complete today we are very unlikely to be bringing anyone in this window.

In the grand scheme of things, that literally matters not one jot if the takeover goes through though - it just means the target for the squad and management would be to try and be competitive until January and strengthen then. If possible, and there are decent options, bring in 2 or 3 free agents that will give us extra bodies in the squad.

TBH, I almost think the free agents is a better route for us.

Loanees are going to be young and full of potential, but no experience. Our squad is chock full of that. Free agents are more likely to be aging, struggling with fitness and on a downward spiral, but they will have experience usually. Avoid committing big wages or long contracts and they're probably a better bet. And less pressure to play them if they end up not good enough/not needed than PL protostarlets

[Stranded]

Fair to say that unless we have the loan deals ready to go, if the takeover doesn't complete today we are very unlikely to be bringing anyone in this window.

In the grand scheme of things, that literally matters not one jot if the takeover goes through though - it just means the target for the squad and management would be to try and be competitive until January and strengthen then. If possible, and there are decent options, bring in 2 or 3 free agents that will give us extra bodies in the squad.

TBH, I almost think the free agents is a better route for us.

Loanees are going to be young and full of potential, but no experience. Our squad is chock full of that. Free agents are more likely to be aging, struggling with fitness and on a downward spiral, but they will have experience usually. Avoid committing big wages or long contracts and they're probably a better bet. And less pressure to play them if they end up not good enough/not needed than PL protostarlets

Yeah, can see logic there but as we play a high press, high intensity game, younger legs may be better but if the free agents we get have been training on say the PFA thing, they may be fit enough.

Ideal would be a couple of loans with 1 or 2 free agent signing potentially on deals just until January which can then either be extended or replaced when we have a little more freedom.

This is all of course assuming the takeover happens.

[traff]

"Then put your little hand in mine
There ain't no hill or mountain we can't climb
Babe
I got you babe
I got you babe"

[WestYorksRoyal]

Fair to say that unless we have the loan deals ready to go, if the takeover doesn't complete today we are very unlikely to be bringing anyone in this window.

In the grand scheme of things, that literally matters not one jot if the takeover goes through though - it just means the target for the squad and management would be to try and be competitive until January and strengthen then. If possible, and there are decent options, bring in 2 or 3 free agents that will give us extra bodies in the squad.

TBH, I almost think the free agents is a better route for us.

Loanees are going to be young and full of potential, but no experience. Our squad is chock full of that. Free agents are more likely to be aging, struggling with fitness and on a downward spiral, but they will have experience usually. Avoid committing big wages or long contracts and they're probably a better bet. And less pressure to play them if they end up not good enough/not needed than PL protostarlets

Yeah, can see logic there but as we play a high press, high intensity game, younger legs may be better but if the free agents we get have been training on say the PFA thing, they may be fit enough.

Ideal would be a couple of loans with 1 or 2 free agent signing potentially on deals just until January which can then either be extended or replaced when we have a little more freedom.

This is all of course assuming the takeover happens.

I agree free agents with experience are more suited to what we need. We have 14 - 15 players good enough and fit enough to play how Selles wants and challenge in the top half, we need extra bodies who can be a squad option and bring a bit of game management. If they are absolutely shagged after 70 minutes of pressing that's fine; they won't be playing 90 minutes every week. Better than bringing in youngsters who are slightly ahead of our own academy kids but not completely ready.

[Clyde1998]

Fair to say that unless we have the loan deals ready to go, if the takeover doesn't complete today we are very unlikely to be bringing anyone in this window.

In the grand scheme of things, that literally matters not one jot if the takeover goes through though - it just means the target for the squad and management would be to try and be competitive until January and strengthen then. If possible, and there are decent options, bring in 2 or 3 free agents that will give us extra bodies in the squad.

TBH, I almost think the free agents is a better route for us.

Loanees are going to be young and full of potential, but no experience. Our squad is chock full of that. Free agents are more likely to be aging, struggling with fitness and on a downward spiral, but they will have experience usually. Avoid committing big wages or long contracts and they're probably a better bet. And less pressure to play them if they end up not good enough/not needed than PL protostarlets

A one year deal for free agents may not be the worst idea. The only issue is most of the remaining free agents are likely not being picked up because their wage demands are too high for their current ability or (as you point out) they're a massive injury risk.

That said, getting someone like Martyn Waghorn, Dwight Gayle or Scott Hogan in as a back up to Sam Smith until the end of the season (or even until January), for example, would likely be worthwhile as a solution to get through this season.

Depending on when something like that happens, that could also open up the possibility of one of our younger players going out on loan to League Two (ideally) to get experience ahead of them being regularly involved next season.

[RG30]

If you are a free agent and a L1 club the size of ours come in you’d be a brave player to turn it down.

[RG30]

Close to London, recently in the Premier League, a great stadium and training facilities, well-connected by road and trains and not too far from Heathrow Airport, it has always been easy to see the upside with Reading FC.

For the last year or so, the Royals have been up there with Everton as a club that investors felt was teeming with potential but with financials that made you break out in a cold sweat, with any realistic deal incredibly difficult to envisage.

Even with five or six Championship clubs formally on the market, this League 1 basketcase still somehow seemed more appealing if there was a deal to be done.
After a few false starts, those close to the Reading takeover do - finally - expect it to happen fairly soon. Possibly within the next few days.

The up-and-down nature (to put it mildly) of this takeover has been hard for fans to cope with and is taking its toll on unpopular owner Dai Yongge too, who was miffed in recent weeks at a Rob Couhig tweet that he felt suggested Couhig had bought the club when there is still no signed purchase agreement. This week has been a down week, for those following.

There had been some optimism that Couhig’s purchase of the club would close before the first home game of the season, a win over Wigan Athletic, but further delays came as a result of issues around the stadium and the hotel attached to it and there is still no white (and blue) smoke in Berkshire.

Dai was still demanding £30m for the club in the spring but we understand the final price after all the relevant deductions (including loans that have kept the club running) will be closer to £14m.

For all those who looked at the books and didn’t take a punt on Reading, the Royals will be a club whose progress they closely follow over the coming years.

https://footbiz.beehiiv.com/p/welcome-footbiz-newsletter-1

[Stranded]

Jamie Hodder over on that there X posting that a statment of some description may be released at noon.

If so, it'll either be:

a) its done
b) please bear with us
c) its fallen through

My guess is probably b.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Jamie Hodder over on that there X posting that a statment of some description may be released at noon.

If so, it'll either be:

a) its done
b) please bear with us
c) its fallen through

My guess is probably b.

Also pre match press conf later....maybe Bowen will be there.

[Clyde1998]

Jamie Hodder over on that there X posting that a statment of some description may be released at noon.

If so, it'll either be:

a) its done
b) please bear with us
c) its fallen through

My guess is probably b.

or d) a completely unrelated statement.

[Stranded]

Jamie Hodder over on that there X posting that a statment of some description may be released at noon.

If so, it'll either be:

a) its done
b) please bear with us
c) its fallen through

My guess is probably b.

or d) a completely unrelated statement.

Carabao Drinks Ad.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Twitter going mad - all the ITK's out in force....

[RG30]

That went well.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

There was an announcement half an hour ago re some new players for the women...maybe that was it....

[Clyde1998]

Twitter going mad - all the ITK's out in force....

Some things never change.