Do you think Long will stay?

[Snowball]

I'd say Shane was "not a star".

Very good, still improving player, but still IMO not a Billy Big Bollocks type.

[Sarah Star]

Depends what he meant.

Did he mean he didn't want a "billy big bollocks" sort of attitude or did he mean he wanted a team where no one was more important than anyone else?

[andrew1957]

In answer to the original question I would say that it is at elast 90% certain that he will go.

Cannot see the club risking him ging on a free and if he was gong to sign a new contract I think it would have happened by now.

[Silver Fox]

Long helping the promotion push > Cashing in on him now

[rhroyal]

Long helping the promotion push > Cashing in on him now

Well that depends if it's a successful promotion push or not. Let his contract run down and in 12 months time it'd either a master stroke or an error which had cost the club £5m+.

[RobRoyal]

West Ham offer is rumoured to be £5.5m rising to £8m. Reading (according to the BBC) have turned it down.

WE'VE DONE WHAT??

[urz13]

Last I heard, McDermott wanted a team that was a team without any "stars".

I doubt he'd turn down Messi on a free.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

West Ham offer is rumoured to be £5.5m rising to £8m. Reading (according to the BBC) have turned it down.

WE'VE DONE WHAT??

Would you expect anything other than top whack cash up front from that lot?

[Ups and Downs]

A client of mine, who is affiliated with RFC, told me on Friday last week that the club are going to wait and see what offers come in for him from premier league clubs. If their valuation isn't met (£8m) then they will offer him a new contract on improved wages so that if he does have a good season next year then we don't lose him for nothing at the end. That would be the ideal situation for us as fans.

[loyalroyal4life]

A client of mine, who is affiliated with RFC, told me on Friday last week that the club are going to wait and see what offers come in for him from premier league clubs. If their valuation isn't met (£8m) then they will offer him a new contract on improved wages so that if he does have a good season next year then we don't lose him for nothing at the end. That would be the ideal situation for us as fans.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have agreed something to go to shane behind the scenes ie 'lets offer him 20k wages a week with release clause of x that he can leave on next summer

[Extended-Phenotype]

It is obvious what will happen. We are so obvious, other teams can read us like a really easy book that even Wayne Rooney could read. I.e. one of those ones that comes with a cassette which reads it out for you.

Everyone knows we are dying to sell, and that if they wait JM will start sweating and we’ll drop Long’s price towards the end of the window to get shot.

Not that him leaving at the end of the window matters a bollock anyway; we already have his replacement and the money is needed to plug the predicted blackhole three seasons in the future which, despite the money from Long paying that off, will still exist because by the time we get to that blackhole we will be toldthat Long’s cash plugged a blackhole three seasons in the past.

Or maybe I’m just furious about the bitch from admin dobbing me in to my manager about my 25 minute cigarette break.

[Muskrat]

I'm getting more confident of him staying. I'd go so far as to say I'd call it 77-23 in favour of him going now.

Absolutley ludicrous. 74-26 maybe, but not 77-23...

[Jackson Corner]

A club that runs within budget can't buy anyone. A club over a 100 million in the the red. Buying players for 8 million? I'm confused..

[fester_royal]

Everyone knows the real transfer period is the last week in august. Clubs see what they have an panic, raiding what ever talent they can from lesser teams.. Unfortunately also leaving 'us' very little time to raid other clubs!!

Alternatively maybe clubs are just holding on until he's free next year. If we signed him on a new contract then yes I'd be happy but him staying now means next summer we loose a good striker and a bucket load of cash!

[rhroyal]

We're very lucky that Long has a good attitude and likes the club. We won't have a Mills or SHunt situation.

There are 2 worst case scenarios. The first is either a Siggy, where we sell very late and don't have time to replace but still fetch a very high fee which meets our asking price. The 2nd is a Sidwell, where we take the risk and allow him to run down his contract and go for free. This backfires if he doesn't fire us to the Premier League.

I can picture better scenarios though. I can't see us budging much on our asking price. Why should we? The player is happy here and won't force a move. We've filled our "black hole" by selling Mills for £5.5million. The message for all suitors is clear. Make an offer too good to refuse. If this happens in good time, with a week or so of August left, we'll be in a great position to strengthen the rest of the squad, or prepare for next year's running costs.

If this doesn't happen at all, I believe we could well make another agreement with Long. NH and BM will sit him down and explain that nobody has matched their valuation. They'll then offer him a new contract with better wages, with a release clause if we don't go up at the end of the season. At which point this saga repeats itself in 12 months time. I can see Long accepting this, and using the season to prove to suitors that he is worth £8mill or so.

Lets not forget that Long's dream is to play in the Premiership WITH READING. There are only 2 reasons he will leave us. First, he's made an offer too good to refuse (essentially the chance to play in the Premier League now), which all parties seem to be holding out for right now. Second, he becomes unconvinced that we've got the set up and ambition to reach the Premier League.

I don't want to open the ambition debate. All I will say is that Long is very much the "Reading type" and has close relationships with many around this club. IF nobody comes in during this transfer window, I can see him buying what NH and BM say to him, whether you personally view that as spin or truth.

In conclusion, if we lose Long it will be for good money. If nobody offers that, expect bare minimum 100% from Long this season, with possibly a new deal being signed.

Look at all sales from this club in recent years. I saw 1 poster talking about JM lowering his demands out of desperation to sell. Bollocks. When has that ever happened? When we sell, we get good prices. We mugged £8.5million from Stoke for Kitson and Sonko! . We got £7mill for a player with 1 season's Championship experience, however bright a prospect he was. £6.5m for Doyle. £5.5m for Mills. I go on. If Long leaves, expect £££££££££ for it.

[floyd__streete]

If Long is still at RFC after the August transfer deadline I'll tap dance naked in Broad Street. He is absolutely going just as soon as the right bid comes in. Don't really care where he goes, I just want him sold quickly so a replacement can be purchased and settled in. However, I wouldn't be surprised with a last minute departure and an announcement from BMc that he's "happy with what we've got" NHunt/Church/Manset/WiLOLLOLiams

[ZacNaloen]

Noel/Hal/Church/Manset/Williams/Ugwu/Bignall

Probably in that order as well

[floyd__streete]

Noel/Hal/Church/Manset/Williams/Ugwu/Bignall

Probably in that order as well

Hal is a winger . Probably says it all that you have placed him ahead of Church, Manset et al though

[ZacNaloen]

Noel/Hal/Church/Manset/Williams/Ugwu/Bignall

Probably in that order as well

Hal is a winger . Probably says it all that you have placed him ahead of Church, Manset et al though

Hal can and does play anywhere across the front.

[Gordons Cumming]

No, he will go.

It's a waiting game.

Not sure how long( ) it will last though.

HTH