Relegation

[Royal_jimmy]

Squad numbers are out - https://www.readingfc.co.uk/teams/ Azeez isn't listed, but has been given the number 30.

Give that a fair few of those pictured on there are either out injured or not in contention (McNulty) ... that looks like quite a small squad doesn't it? I guess it just shows that we'll be relying a lot on the U23s to bulk up the squad.

If any more were ready to play at this level. They would have been on the bench today.

Exactly. The EFL are undermiming the championship if they're expecting us to play a bunch of 18 year old kids who have no football league experience let alone ready for 2nd tier football

[Lower West]

Give that a fair few of those pictured on there are either out injured or not in contention (McNulty) ... that looks like quite a small squad doesn't it? I guess it just shows that we'll be relying a lot on the U23s to bulk up the squad.

If any more were ready to play at this level. They would have been on the bench today.

Exactly. The EFL are undermiming the championship if they're expecting us to play a bunch of 18 year old kids who have no football league experience let alone ready for 2nd tier football

Those teams that haven't broken the rules might feel aggrieved. Why have rules if owners are simply going to ignore them. Being a billionaire doesn't mean that you can bully the EFL.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Wycombe relegated, whilst Derby ‘pardoned ‘

No pecking orders

[Snowflake Royal]

Think you'll find it's us, having spent so much money on mediocrity that's our only option.

If we didn't like the consequences, we shouldn't have broken the rules. Or should have done far more to get back under control quicker.

[Stranded]

Think you'll find it's us, having spent so much money on mediocrity that's our only option.

If we didn't like the consequences, we shouldn't have broken the rules. Or should have done far more to get back under control quicker.

As the embargo is FFP related, then 1 of 2 things must be true. 1 the EFL are doing this to stop a likely breach or 2 we have already breached and a 12 point penalty later this season or next is guaranteed.

[Hound]

We’ve already breached. The embargo is the punishment I reckon

[Notts Royal]

Think you'll find it's us, having spent so much money on mediocrity that's our only option.

If we didn't like the consequences, we shouldn't have broken the rules. Or should have done far more to get back under control quicker.

It’s pretty simple really isn’t it…

Moore £10m
Meite £5m
Loader £5m
Swift £5m
Olise - renegotiated contract then £15m
Richards - ditto then say £8m

Not signing Puscas, when we only needed the 1 striker that window…£6.5m saved.

That’s £45m literally thrown down the drain.

Would never have happened in Hammond’s day.

The rules are the rules. We broke them so deserve this. Only issue is we should be able to get those free agents through the door to at least stay competitive when our injury-prone team inevitably gets crocked

[Stranded]

We’ve already breached. The embargo is the punishment I reckon

Possibly. Would be good to know if there is a sliding scale of punishments and if so where embargo sits. Had a quick look on the EFL site and it's either not explicit there or I missed it.

[blythspartan]

I get that we have to take what’s coming but the embargo feels like a slow death sentence. I’d almost rather take a 9 point deduction and hope that we can stay up.

I am not even sure if relegation would be so bad. League 1 could be a great place to blood our youngsters and to re-build the squad with young hungry players that won’t cost the earth. Crowds would be good if we did well and I miss the days of playing Swindon, Oxford and Gillingham. However, I don’t know what the financial impact would be if we dropped down a division and we’d need the owners to stick with us.

[Torbay Royal]

Let's hope Preston, Derby and Peterborough are worse than us this season

On yesterdays evidence, it's quite possible.

[Hound]

I get that we have to take what’s coming but the embargo feels like a slow death sentence. I’d almost rather take a 9 point deduction and hope that we can stay up.

I am not even sure if relegation would be so bad. League 1 could be a great place to blood our youngsters and to re-build the squad with young hungry players that won’t cost the earth. Crowds would be good if we did well and I miss the days of playing Swindon, Oxford and Gillingham. However, I don’t know what the financial impact would be if we dropped down a division and we’d need the owners to stick with us.

It’d be rubbish. Rebuilding etc hasn’t worked for the likes of Sunderland, Ipswich and Portsmouth and once you go down it’s hard to then build a squad that’ll compete in the champ again even if you do go up

Crowds would dwindle further, less tv money, less attractive to any decent players. Oxford maybe fun, but morecambe, Shrewsbury at home bringing 100 fans really wouldn’t be

Our u23s have shown themselves to be able to compete at champ level - Rino, Olise, Holmes, McIntyre - now hopefully Azeez to add to that. Don’t need to go down to give them a chance

[3points]

The EFL will be presented with a plan / budget for this season. If it shows were operating within P&S rules then they will allow signings. If it doesn’t then we’re stuck with what we’ve got. The trick for the club is to find ways to bend the rules (eg sale of the stadium, twice, in the past 3 seasons). Only thing we can really do is now sell Bearwood to Mr Dai at a Profit.

Thinking about Mark Bowen last summer, he clearly wanted Moore off the wage bill to help with P&S. The club knew they needed to sell last summer but the transfer window was very strange due to COVID, it was very short and very little money available for transfers. Therefore we’ve ended up in an unholy mess. The EFL is actually trying to do the right thing but the rules make it feel very unfair when it happens to you

[Royal Rother]

11/2 for relegation.

If Joao continues to misfire and / or his shoulder problem requires surgery, and Swift breaks down again (all of which seem fairly likely) then we are fully fcuked.

Not sure I can bring myself to put a bet on it, but 11/2 is certainly worth considering.

[Hound]

The EFL will be presented with a plan / budget for this season. If it shows were operating within P&S rules then they will allow signings. If it doesn’t then we’re stuck with what we’ve got. The trick for the club is to find ways to bend the rules (eg sale of the stadium, twice, in the past 3 seasons). Only thing we can really do is now sell Bearwood to Mr Dai at a Profit.

Thinking about Mark Bowen last summer, he clearly wanted Moore off the wage bill to help with P&S. The club knew they needed to sell last summer but the transfer window was very strange due to COVID, it was very short and very little money available for transfers. Therefore we’ve ended up in an unholy mess. The EFL is actually trying to do the right thing but the rules make it feel very unfair when it happens to you

Yep Bowen clearly did. Prob had more of an insight into the finances.

Interesting if Pauno now thinks the same if it meant being able to bring in more players

Being as we can’t cancel contracts for the likes of Moore and swift, we’d need buyers if we were going to stay within FFP this season. I guess just working with them and showing we are trying to do the right things will be enough rather than encouraging us to bend rules is the better option

Think QPR have to be the blueprint. Stayed fairly competitive whilst letting expensive contracts expire - and now seem to be in solid position again

[Snowflake Royal]

We’ve already breached. The embargo is the punishment I reckon

Possibly. Would be good to know if there is a sliding scale of punishments and if so where embargo sits. Had a quick look on the EFL site and it's either not explicit there or I missed it.

I suspect its the punishment on the basis that if they hit us with points they'll need to do it again next season and maybe the one after.

2/3 points deductions doesn't look good and will be widely noticed. While embargos won't get much notice outside our fans.

[Snowflake Royal]

I get that we have to take what’s coming but the embargo feels like a slow death sentence. I’d almost rather take a 9 point deduction and hope that we can stay up.

I am not even sure if relegation would be so bad. League 1 could be a great place to blood our youngsters and to re-build the squad with young hungry players that won’t cost the earth. Crowds would be good if we did well and I miss the days of playing Swindon, Oxford and Gillingham. However, I don’t know what the financial impact would be if we dropped down a division and we’d need the owners to stick with us.

Decreases the income that already isn't enough.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

I get that we have to take what’s coming but the embargo feels like a slow death sentence. I’d almost rather take a 9 point deduction and hope that we can stay up.

I am not even sure if relegation would be so bad. League 1 could be a great place to blood our youngsters and to re-build the squad with young hungry players that won’t cost the earth. Crowds would be good if we did well and I miss the days of playing Swindon, Oxford and Gillingham. However, I don’t know what the financial impact would be if we dropped down a division and we’d need the owners to stick with us.

League 1? No way, an increasingly hard league to get out of, less coverage and income from tv, sponsorship etc that would be our slow death plus always the chance of dropping down again.

Vital we stay in the championship even if it’s painful for a while

[SouthDownsRoyal]

I get that we have to take what’s coming but the embargo feels like a slow death sentence. I’d almost rather take a 9 point deduction and hope that we can stay up.

I am not even sure if relegation would be so bad. League 1 could be a great place to blood our youngsters and to re-build the squad with young hungry players that won’t cost the earth. Crowds would be good if we did well and I miss the days of playing Swindon, Oxford and Gillingham. However, I don’t know what the financial impact would be if we dropped down a division and we’d need the owners to stick with us.

It’d be rubbish. Rebuilding etc hasn’t worked for the likes of Sunderland, Ipswich and Portsmouth and once you go down it’s hard to then build a squad that’ll compete in the champ again even if you do go up

Crowds would dwindle further, less tv money, less attractive to any decent players. Oxford maybe fun, but morecambe, Shrewsbury at home bringing 100 fans really wouldn’t be

Our u23s have shown themselves to be able to compete at champ level - Rino, Olise, Holmes, McIntyre - now hopefully Azeez to add to that. Don’t need to go down to give them a chance

Bang on

[SouthDownsRoyal]

11/2 for relegation.

If Joao continues to misfire and / or his shoulder problem requires surgery, and Swift breaks down again (all of which seem fairly likely) then we are fully fcuked.

Not sure I can bring myself to put a bet on it, but 11/2 is certainly worth considering.

If joao hits form and if swift stays fit, things gonna be good

[blythspartan]

I get that we have to take what’s coming but the embargo feels like a slow death sentence. I’d almost rather take a 9 point deduction and hope that we can stay up.

I am not even sure if relegation would be so bad. League 1 could be a great place to blood our youngsters and to re-build the squad with young hungry players that won’t cost the earth. Crowds would be good if we did well and I miss the days of playing Swindon, Oxford and Gillingham. However, I don’t know what the financial impact would be if we dropped down a division and we’d need the owners to stick with us.

It’d be rubbish. Rebuilding etc hasn’t worked for the likes of Sunderland, Ipswich and Portsmouth and once you go down it’s hard to then build a squad that’ll compete in the champ again even if you do go up

Crowds would dwindle further, less tv money, less attractive to any decent players. Oxford maybe fun, but morecambe, Shrewsbury at home bringing 100 fans really wouldn’t be

Our u23s have shown themselves to be able to compete at champ level - Rino, Olise, Holmes, McIntyre - now hopefully Azeez to add to that. Don’t need to go down to give them a chance

Yeah, you’re probably right. There have been success stories in the past such as Leicester, Norwich and Leeds. Also, Hull managed to bounce straight back up. But we could just as easily tumble down to league 2.