Daniel Carr

[SCIAG]

Historically our academy just couldn't compete with the likes of Palace, Southampton etc. Times have changed.

You'd hope so, but Liam Bridcutt is much younger than Soares/Mullins etc., the same age as Karacan in fact. Today the best youth in Reading are snapped up by Chelsea. I think the next 15 years or so will contain as many Liam Bridcutts and Anton Rodgerses as James Henrys and Jordan Obitas.

[P!ssed Off]

I'm sorry but the club needs to be a bit more selfish. If we had kept Austin/Wickham (not really an option)/Cox/Carr surely at least one would've been successful for Reading. As it happened we let them all go, only profiting from Cox, who was sold for less than his potential.

We let Austin go because we had just signed Church, who at that age was much better, and Austin was surplus.

Simon Cox was fifth choice when he left. Assuming he'd stayed, this is how his standing in the side would presumably have changed:
08-09: fifth choice behind Doyle, Hunt, Long, and Lita.
January 2009: sixth choice behind the above and Dave Kitson
09-10: third choice behind Hunt and Long
10-11: second choice behind Long
11-12: first choice along with Le Fondre/Roberts

He would not have been prepared to stick around for another 2.5 years in order to displace Hunt. Now I appreciate that Hunt got injured and Rodgers didn't rate Long, but he could just as easily preferred Church/Rasiak to Cox. It is probable Cox would have run his contract down. Additionally, he would not have developed as well sat on the bench as he did playing for Swindon and West Brom. It would be similar with Scott Golboure, James Henry, Marvin Bartley, etc.

The club sold Cox to Swindon in Jan' 08 for, according to wikipedia, in excess of £200,000, plus addons I think. After 18 months and 32 goals in 54 games he then went to West Brom for an initial £1.5 million, also according to wikipedia.

Why do clubs in England not employ the buy-back-clause that clubs in Spain and elsewhere use with youth players? For instance, would Swindon really have objected to a buy back clause of £800,000, for example. This would have quadrupled their investment if Reading wanted to buy Cox back.

If Reading had bought Cox back in Summer 09 when West Brom bought him (note West Brom were in the Champ as well), I honestly do not think that a 22 year old would object to being third choice striker (as you designated him) at his hometown club that he joined at the age of 9.

For what it is worth, I also believe that whoever sold Reading-born, Reading fan James Henry without a buy back clause needs a slap in the face. It was clear at the time Henry had loads of potential. He is now possibly the best right winger in the Championship (no exaggeration) and still young and improving. I would honestly swap either of McAnuff and McCleary for Henry right now.

[P!ssed Off]

For anyone who wants to dispute James Henry being good:
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news ... ames-Henry

Even though it was only Villa supposedly interested Sky Sports clearly rate him this season.

[RockheadRumple]

For anyone who wants to dispute James Henry being good:
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news ... ames-Henry

Even though it was only Villa supposedly interested Sky Sports clearly rate him this season.

But he's no Jimmy Kebe.

[specialjon]

For anyone who wants to dispute James Henry being good:
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news ... ames-Henry

Even though it was only Villa supposedly interested Sky Sports clearly rate him this season.

But he's no Jimmy Kebe.

Indeed he is probably the complete opposite of Jimmy!

[RockheadRumple]

For anyone who wants to dispute James Henry being good:
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news ... ames-Henry

Even though it was only Villa supposedly interested Sky Sports clearly rate him this season.

But he's no Jimmy Kebe.

Indeed he is probably the complete opposite of Jimmy!

Wot r u tryna say m8?

[SCIAG]

If Reading had bought Cox back in Summer 09 when West Brom bought him (note West Brom were in the Champ as well), I honestly do not think that a 22 year old would object to being third choice striker (as you designated him) at his hometown club that he joined at the age of 9.

For what it is worth, I also believe that whoever sold Reading-born, Reading fan James Henry without a buy back clause needs a slap in the face. It was clear at the time Henry had loads of potential. He is now possibly the best right winger in the Championship (no exaggeration) and still young and improving. I would honestly swap either of McAnuff and McCleary for Henry right now.

If we'd have signed him in summer 09 I think he'd have been first choice given Hunt's injury (though I have no idea if he could have played as a lone striker). I was talking hypothetically, if we'd have kept him around. I don't think he'd have developed as well if we hadn't sold him to Swindon. As for the buy back clause, I think Swindon might well have objected.

Henry was sold for the same reasons, he wanted first team football. I was a big fan of Henry, I thought he'd be as good as Sigurdsson is, but he wasn't going to break into our first team. Whilst he's been very good for the past three seasons, he hasn't been as good as Kebe or McAnuff and not a great deal better than HRK, who doesn't have the same supposed attitude problems (specifically, Henry is supposed to have quite a large ego- understandable when everyone's been telling you you're going to be a top class footballer since you were 14).