Chris Makin

[SpaceCruiser]

Yes, indeed, Woodcote. Why the worry? I weary of these who complain about the fact that we have only bought two (Yes, TWO!) players. I weary of having to repeat myself about the fact that Coppell has tried to bring in players and it's not his fault if the clubs don't want to sell their best/promising players.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

The infantile obsession with "Prem experience" grows more wearing by the day.

Thanks for last season, Chris, you gave us good service whenever it was needed whilst being unfortunate not to have played more often.

I guess if we'd spent £5m on Emile Heskey there wouild be a few less soiled under pants in these parts....................

Reading fans showing a complete lack of faith in their own team, whatever next............

Exactly, the premiership experience at Brum did they well last season didn't it? We have young, hungry players who want to prove what they can do, not over-paid donky's who just play for themselves and not the club or team.

Come on, we all wanted signings over the summer, sho wouldn't? but this down-beat feeling is crazy, how many times have people been wrong before? people moaned about SC coming in, then Sonko was a gamble then whay did we buy 2 Irish unknowns? etc

[Royalee]

Good lucky Chris and thanks for some of the solid displays you put in for us last season. A good honest pro and I hope he goes on to do well at Southampton.

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

The infantile obsession with "Prem experience" grows more wearing by the day.

Thanks for last season, Chris, you gave us good service whenever it was needed whilst being unfortunate not to have played more often.

I guess if we'd spent £5m on Emile Heskey there wouild be a few less soiled under pants in these parts....................

Reading fans showing a complete lack of faith in their own team, whatever next............

Hardly an obession if a variety of posters have voiced the same opinions. I would say there is also a hardcore of posters here with a rabid hatred of over 30's owing to the history of goater,ferdinand and Keown. I have faith in our 1st eleven, yet we have few players over 30 AND with prem experience-mixing the experience and younger players can surely only benefit???

[Schards#2]

The infantile obsession with "Prem experience" grows more wearing by the day.

Thanks for last season, Chris, you gave us good service whenever it was needed whilst being unfortunate not to have played more often.

I guess if we'd spent £5m on Emile Heskey there wouild be a few less soiled under pants in these parts....................

Reading fans showing a complete lack of faith in their own team, whatever next............

So you don't trust Coppell's judgement then when he said we needed 5-6 new players?

[LoyalRoyal22]

Makin did a very good job when needed, abit sad to see him go. But with Halls and Golbourne and Hunt we have full-backs covered, would be nice to bring threw Golbourne, had a nice touch when he came on against Stoke. We do need a new centre-back though, preferbly someone with Prem Exp. Someone like De Zeeuw would be nice but it wont happen.

[readingbedding]

From the EP

CHRIS MAKIN has joined Southampton – just weeks after signing a contract extension at Reading.

The 33-year-old full-back has been granted permission to join the Championship club on a free transfer. Saints have given him a two-year deal at St Mary’s.

Manager Steve Coppell told the Post: “During the summer Chris signed a one-year deal but we had an agreement that if someone came in and offered him longer he could go.


“I have kept that obligation to him. Chris’s mentality is he wants to play and we can’t guarantee that. But he goes with my 100-per-cent blessing because in the year he was with us he was terrific – and cost us nothing.

“I like to think we helped him as he certainly helped Reading Football Club and contributed to a memorable season.â€

[Platypuss]

The infantile obsession with "Prem experience" grows more wearing by the day.

Those who hold the opinion that we should create a balanced blend of youth and experience by adding a couple of seasoned pros with decent top-flight records have backed up their argument with well-reasoned, adult discussion.

You, as usual, have not. Who then is the infant?

[SpaceCruiser]

The infantile obsession with "Prem experience" grows more wearing by the day.

Thanks for last season, Chris, you gave us good service whenever it was needed whilst being unfortunate not to have played more often.

I guess if we'd spent £5m on Emile Heskey there wouild be a few less soiled under pants in these parts....................

Reading fans showing a complete lack of faith in their own team, whatever next............

So you don't trust Coppell's judgement then when he said we needed 5-6 new players?

But what can he do about it when other clubs refuse to sell their players, eh, Schards????

[Platypuss]

The infantile obsession with "Prem experience" grows more wearing by the day.

Thanks for last season, Chris, you gave us good service whenever it was needed whilst being unfortunate not to have played more often.

I guess if we'd spent £5m on Emile Heskey there wouild be a few less soiled under pants in these parts....................

Reading fans showing a complete lack of faith in their own team, whatever next............

So you don't trust Coppell's judgement then when he said we needed 5-6 new players?

But what can he do about it when other clubs refuse to sell their players, eh, Schards????

How is that relevant to Schards's point, Spacey?

[Woodcote Royal]

The infantile obsession with "Prem experience" grows more wearing by the day.

Thanks for last season, Chris, you gave us good service whenever it was needed whilst being unfortunate not to have played more often.

I guess if we'd spent £5m on Emile Heskey there wouild be a few less soiled under pants in these parts....................

Reading fans showing a complete lack of faith in their own team, whatever next............

So you don't trust Coppell's judgement then when he said we needed 5-6 new players?

We all would have liked more signings but it's the obsession (which is what it is) with Premiership experience that defies logic.

We have a handful of players who have had this experience but very few of them would make our first 11.........................Hoop Blah, for instance, insists that Oster was always going to be 3rd choice in his favoured position

Any team can buy players who have previously played in the Premiership but I wouldn't swap any of our top 4 strikers for Emile Heskey (£5m ) or that former Arsenal thug that some would have liked us to sign.

The only Prem experience that will be of any use to us is the type that we've been trying get..................unfortunately, we won't be near the top of these players' lists of club they would consider joining.

So, Chris Makin and his long ago Prem experience has left for Southampton.................how much impact does this really have on our prospects for this coming season? Very little in my view.

But, as others have said, this would seem to suggest that SC is fairly confident with what he's got and/or in replacing anything that Makin may have provided.

I really can't see the need for mass panic following this news.

[readingbedding]

The infantile obsession with "Prem experience" grows more wearing by the day.

Thanks for last season, Chris, you gave us good service whenever it was needed whilst being unfortunate not to have played more often.

I guess if we'd spent £5m on Emile Heskey there wouild be a few less soiled under pants in these parts....................

Reading fans showing a complete lack of faith in their own team, whatever next............

So you don't trust Coppell's judgement then when he said we needed 5-6 new players?

He's saying he needs two more not 5-6.

[bracknell loyal royal!]

WTF we need to get at least 2 defenders in.

[Huntley & Palmer]

I agree with Platypus. When Jaidi and N'Gotty were available, we mad eno attempts to sign either of them. In my opinion, we were crying out for them.

I'd like to see someone like Matty Holland come in the midfield area.

I'm also surprised that there were no offers for Matt Upson. If we are willing to pay 3.4 for Mensah, surely a bid for Upson is worth it?

Agreed on the Jaidi and N'Gotty.

Isn't Upson out for another 3-6 months yet?

Wigan went and bought two experienced Premiership central defenders to base their team around. I think we missed the boat on Jaidi and N'Gotty being our one's.

[Woodcote Royal]

The infantile obsession with "Prem experience" grows more wearing by the day.

Those who hold the opinion that we should create a balanced blend of youth and experience by adding a couple of seasoned pros with decent top-flight records have backed up their argument with well-reasoned, adult discussion.

You, as usual, have not. Who then is the infant?

Refer this particular adult/infant to the reply I made earlier.

[Gordons Cumming]

I'm happy with our first team.

If we get injuries to key players we will struggle.

Steve Coppell knows this. It's being sorted as we speak.

End of.

[Royal Lady]

The infantile obsession with "Prem experience" grows more wearing by the day.

Thanks for last season, Chris, you gave us good service whenever it was needed whilst being unfortunate not to have played more often.

I guess if we'd spent £5m on Emile Heskey there wouild be a few less soiled under pants in these parts....................

Reading fans showing a complete lack of faith in their own team, whatever next............

So you don't trust Coppell's judgement then when he said we needed 5-6 new players?

He's saying he needs two more not 5-6.

Coppell changed his stance from about June when he originally said the squad needed 5 or 6 more players, to saying we need a couple more, more recently.

[readingbedding]

The infantile obsession with "Prem experience" grows more wearing by the day.

Thanks for last season, Chris, you gave us good service whenever it was needed whilst being unfortunate not to have played more often.

I guess if we'd spent £5m on Emile Heskey there wouild be a few less soiled under pants in these parts....................

Reading fans showing a complete lack of faith in their own team, whatever next............

So you don't trust Coppell's judgement then when he said we needed 5-6 new players?

He's saying he needs two more not 5-6.

Coppell changed his stance from about June when he originally said the squad needed 5 or 6 more players, to saying we need a couple more, more recently.

Perhaps he was including the players that we have purchased already with his recent quote of 2 being needed.

Doestn't matter, it's not for want of trying on his part and we just have to get on with it until it changes.

Can't do anything about it.

[Hoop Blah]

We all would have liked more signings but it's the obsession (which is what it is) with Premiership experience that defies logic.

I don't see any obsession. I do see a large number of posters expressing the opinion that we could probably do with adding a few good players to strengthen our side, and that these players would ideally have some experience and proven ability in the league we're about to play in. That only seems sensible to me.

We have a handful of players who have had this experience but very few of them would make our first 11.........................Hoop Blah, for instance, insists that Oster was always going to be 3rd choice in his favoured position

Any team can buy players who have previously played in the Premiership but I wouldn't swap any of our top 4 strikers for Emile Heskey (£5m ) or that former Arsenal thug that some would have liked us to sign.

The only Prem experience that will be of any use to us is the type that we've been trying get..................unfortunately, we won't be near the top of these players' lists of club they would consider joining.

I'm not getting into the Oster debate again, but your missing the point that people are making. The view is that we need to strengthen the team, preferably with players who know what the upcoming season will entail. Regarding Oster, he does not have much in the way of worthwhile Premiership experience and playing him is, in my opinion, weakening our side not strengthening.

The likes of N'Gotty who have been available this summer and might've strengthened our side have passed us by and we're left with a very small and and inexperienced squad.

I can understand why posters have expressed concerns instead of just corssing their fingers that last seasons team can survive.

[Woodcote Royal]

The point I've made is that Premiership experience in its self counts for very little.....................as witnessed by your insistance that Oster will be 3rd choice behind Seul and Little.

Furthermore, as witnessed by Heskey's £5m transfer fee, too many people in this game over value Premiership experience, making Heskey a far bigger gamble than Kevin Doyle (who, IMHO, is the better player by a distance despite having no Premiership experience)

Thus I see the constant mention of Premiership experience as an obsession amongst the doom merchants on these pages.

Perish the thought, but have you considered the possibility that you frequently miss the point being made?