NO LONGER A RUMOUR - Karl Sheppard

[floyd__streete]

Can someone enlighten me as to whether I am supposed to be more or less excited about this one than the signing of Baseya?

"Low risk"
"Not going to cost us much in terms of wages"
"Give the lad a chance"

Just some of the soundbites from then that I am hearing again now. Brace of goals against Reading Uni and a bench-warming loan move to basement-dwellers Barnet later, I think it is fair to say that my cynicism from then might just turn out to be justified.

So what's different here?

[Hoop Blah]

I think Sheppard is a jump up in potential class from Baseya. He has at least scored a goal in the last few years!

[floyd__streete]

I think Sheppard is a jump up in potential class from Baseya. He has at least scored a goal in the last few years!

[Terminal Boardom]

20 years of age with good Europa League experience. What's the big deal? This is a far more impressive signing than Williams, Mooney, Baseya and Manset put together.

[Libertine]

OK...project signing #1. We can expect at least one more of them. I am very happy with those kind of signings because the club has a good track record of developing young talent over the course of years. Good Luck to the lad and welcome to Reading FC.

We sit 5th in the table tho. Any chances of a signing where we can expect an immediate contribution be made to the first team.

[Extended-Phenotype]

But how has cheap transfer activity on unknowns been a major factor in our ‘success’?

Current team:

Feds: Non-contract youth
Cummings: Managers previous academy
Gorks: Proven
Pearce: Academy
Harte: Proven
Jobi: Bigger money
Legs: Proven, bigger money
Karacan: Academy
ALF: As yet unsuccessful
Church: Academy

Where are these anonymous players we’ve “bought cheap” and turned into superstars? That's my point. It's just a myth.

[who are ya?]

Any chances of a signing where we can expect an immediate contribution be made to the first team.

No

[Svlad Cjelli]

But how has cheap transfer activity on unknowns been a major factor in our ‘success’?

Current team:

Feds: Non-contract youth
Cummings: Managers previous academy
Gorks: Proven
Pearce: Academy
Harte: Proven
Jobi: Bigger money
Legs: Proven, bigger money
Karacan: Academy
ALF: As yet unsuccessful
Church: Academy

Where are these anonymous players we’ve “bought cheap” and turned into superstars? That's my point. It's just a myth.

So you're arguing for a team full of academy products?

It's also 12th January - 19 days to go yet before everything's done and dusted.

And, once again, it's not about what you spend, it's about how well you spend - how efficiently you use your money. Reading has consistently used their limited resources in the most efficient way possible, and far more better than competing clubs have.

[floyd__streete]

We sit 5th in the table tho. Any chances of a signing where we can expect an immediate contribution be made to the first team.

Be careful posing that kind of very reasonable question on this board. You'll be accused of causing 'incitement to financial meltdown' by the usual rabid suspects on here.

[Svlad Cjelli]

We sit 5th in the table tho. Any chances of a signing where we can expect an immediate contribution be made to the first team.

Be careful posing that kind of very reasonable question on this board. You'll be accused of causing 'incitement to financial meltdown' by the usual rabid suspects on here.

I refer you to the answer I gave a short while ago :

It's also 12th January - 19 days to go yet before everything's done and dusted.

[FiNeRaIn]

Reading has consistently used their limited resources in the most efficient way possible, and far more better than competing clubs have.

Our resources are FAR greater than many of our competitors, yet we spend significantly less. There is nothing limited in receiving over 40 million in transfers since relegation from the prem. Thats amongst the highest in the UK.

[facaldaqui]

Why are proven players always likely to flounder?

Or is that the only way people can justify the 'Buying Sh/t and see what happens' strategy?

If you bring a proven player in at the mid-season window, I believe they're more likely to flounder than not. Last year even Yakubu couldn't get Leicester to the playoffs. It's not easy to bed players in mid-season. We tried it with Kitson and Little and it made matters worse: if such players were in form their clubs wouldn't let them go.

[winchester_royal]

But how has cheap transfer activity on unknowns been a major factor in our ‘success’?

Current team:

Feds: Non-contract youth
Cummings: Managers previous academy
Gorks: Proven
Pearce: Academy
Harte: Proven
Jobi: Bigger money
Legs: Proven, bigger money
Karacan: Academy
ALF: As yet unsuccessful
Church: Academy

Where are these anonymous players we’ve “bought cheap” and turned into superstars? That's my point. It's just a myth.

Lets have a look at the 05/06 team instead:

Hahnemann: Cheap, relatively unproven in english game
Murts: Big money, fair enough
Ingi: Proven, but not expensive
Sonko: Cheap, unproven
Shorey: Cheap, unproven
Little: Free transfer
Harps and Sids: Were both young, not proven at this level, and relatively cheap
Convey: Expensive, but not proven
Doyle: Cheap, unproven at this level
Kitson: Not expensive, unproven at this level

Then we had the likes of Oster, Hunt, and Long all of whom were cheap and unproven at this level.

I'd say thats at least 80% of the core squad who were cheap, unproven, or both

[Ian Royal]

The same muppets on here moaning about this signing were the ones moaning about Doyle when he signed..

Good on ya nice to see that you dont change..

Good luck to Sheppard Only has to score 4 goals this season and hes better than Simon Church was last season

Think you'll find this is basically incorrect. Virtually no one has automatically written him off as rubbish. And I certainly welcomed Doyle at the time. But then we had also signed Leroy Lita for £1m at the same time and had one of the best strikers in the division already in Kitson. A player who was regularly scoring close to 20 goals a season. Rather a different situation, don't you think?

[FiNeRaIn]

But how has cheap transfer activity on unknowns been a major factor in our ‘success’?

Current team:

Feds: Non-contract youth
Cummings: Managers previous academy
Gorks: Proven
Pearce: Academy
Harte: Proven
Jobi: Bigger money
Legs: Proven, bigger money
Karacan: Academy
ALF: As yet unsuccessful
Church: Academy

Where are these anonymous players we’ve “bought cheap” and turned into superstars? That's my point. It's just a myth.

Lets have a look at the 05/06 team instead:

Hahnemann: Cheap, relatively unproven in english game
Murts: Big money, fair enough
Ingi: Proven, but not expensive
Sonko: Cheap, unproven
Shorey: Cheap, unproven
Little: Free transfer
Harps and Sids: Were both young, not proven at this level, and relatively cheap
Convey: Expensive, but not proven
Doyle: Cheap, unproven at this level
Kitson: Not expensive, unproven at this level

Then we had the likes of Oster, Hunt, and Long all of whom were cheap and unproven at this level.

I'd say thats at least 80% of the core squad who were cheap, unproven, or both

I'm not havnig sidwell or harper in that. Jog on

Both came from arsenal and had big reputations outside the prem. We paid significant money for both back in those times.

[Svlad Cjelli]

Reading has consistently used their limited resources in the most efficient way possible, and far more better than competing clubs have.

Our resources are FAR greater than many of our competitors, yet we spend significantly less. There is nothing limited in receiving over 40 million in transfers since relegation from the prem. Thats amongst the highest in the UK.

Ah, that same old figure you keep using. Keep reciting it again and again - it still won't be the correct figure.

According to Soccerbase, Reading's transfers out have been :

2008/09 £5.5M
2009/10 £7.1M
2010/11 £6.0M
2011/12 £6.5M
TOTAL £25.1M

And this is all part of a progression - without selling Kitson & Doyle we'd never have been able to develop Long, and ditto with Sonko to Matt Mills.

But do keep reciting the £40M mantra if it makes you happy.

[Wimb]

Similarly look at other clubs that do spend big on proven players.

How are Mills and Beckford getting on at Leicester? How did all those SPL stars get on when they went to Boro

[FiNeRaIn]

Ah soccerbase...the reliable bain of knowledge.

Surely you can use your basic maths skills to look over the players we've sold since relegation and see it far exceeds 25 million.

[Libertine]

We sit 5th in the table tho. Any chances of a signing where we can expect an immediate contribution be made to the first team.

Be careful posing that kind of very reasonable question on this board. You'll be accused of causing 'incitement to financial meltdown' by the usual rabid suspects on here.

I keep asking the question and consistently get criticized as an American who "doesn't understand" the game of football.

[who are ya?]

Rumour has it that Wolves are already tracking his progress