Rumour - Rafael van der Vaart

[Hendo]

I thought Bridge was fantastic for us before he got injured and was incredibly unlucky in his time here. Criticism of him from Reading fans is on the harsh side for sure.

[wingnut]

It wasn't meant as a criticism of him but more our record of signing "name" players coming to the end of their careers on big money - it nearly always ends in disappointment and recriminations.

[Focher]

If it wasn't for Jason Roberts we'd never have got promoted. If their attitude is right it can work. Im not saying he's at Van Der Vaarts level but an example of a high profile signing working, like Bridge for the short period he played.

[Maneki Neko]

bridge was also excellent till his injury

[MoorgateRoyal]

I also thought Bridge was a class act before the injury. It was just a shame that it worked out like it did.

[Nameless]

We've signed many more lesser known players where they have not done anything once signed. I think that is the nature of signing players, it doesn't always work out and whether they are a so called 'big name' or not is not really the point.
It looks like we're being careful on this one, if we do sign him you'd imagine that Jaap will have looked at fitness, desire etc etc and only brought his mate in if he is sure it's a good deal.
If VvV is just looking for a last fling before he retires you'd hope he'd not be expecting Premiership wages and would be happy with a deal heavily weighted towards playing / performance bonuses.
We shall see, as others have said I think the squad needs strengthening elsewhere and this should be a bonus if it happens with nothing taken away from the budget for defenders, which is very stitched both in terms of numbers and quality.

[bluerinse]

apparently he stayed at the hotel last night with his agent

[One8Seven1*]

apparently he stayed at the hotel last night with his agent

Source? No bush watch..

[genome]

source?

[Ian Royal]

If it wasn't for Jason Roberts we'd never have got promoted. If their attitude is right it can work. Im not saying he's at Van Der Vaarts level but an example of a high profile signing working, like Bridge for the short period he played.

This true. But we also had to pay Roberts wages whilst also paying for his treatment for two years afterwards whilst getting no other benefit. For me, that made it a poot deal overall, when perhaps we could have got the same short term boost from someone else, or given a contract that didn't involve giving large sums off money to a crock for 2 years.

We're also in a different place now. We're not competing at the top end, so a shortterm boost is much less effective.

If he can play 20 games on a reasonable wage and we're not tied to a long contract it's obviously a no brainer. Otherwise i wouldn't touch with a bargepole. We need to be building towards 2017/18 not only thinking of now.

[Pepe the Horseman]

apparently he stayed at the hotel last night with his agent

GAY

[maffff]

GAY

If that's his scene maybe Gunts can help him acclimatise..

[Nameless]

If it wasn't for Jason Roberts we'd never have got promoted. If their attitude is right it can work. Im not saying he's at Van Der Vaarts level but an example of a high profile signing working, like Bridge for the short period he played.

This true. But we also had to pay Roberts wages whilst also paying for his treatment for two years afterwards whilst getting no other benefit. For me, that made it a poot deal overall, when perhaps we could have got the same short term boost from someone else, or given a contract that didn't involve giving large sums off money to a crock for 2 years.

We're also in a different place now. We're not competing at the top end, so a shortterm boost is much less effective.

If he can play 20 games on a reasonable wage and we're not tied to a long contract it's obviously a no brainer. Otherwise i wouldn't touch with a bargepole. We need to be building towards 2017/18 not only thinking of now.

Getting promoted earned enough to cover Roberts wages while he was injured. And a player getting injured doesn't make signing him a bad deal. We GOT the boost signing Roberts so suggesting we MIGHT have got the same boost signing some other unnamed player is a shockingly weak argument !
I think the Roberts situation was poorly dealt with and we should have persuaded him to give up and take the insurance money but that is nothing to do with whether signing him was a good or bad deal to start with.

If VDV stayed at the hotel then that suggests he'll sign on the pitch tonight and make a second half cameo appearance. Possibly suffering a niggly hamstring injury celebrating a goal meaning he misses the rest of the season....

[Victor Meldrew]

At 33 he won't surely get a big club so maybe he will turn up looking a bit overweight in the hoops which are never that flattering to anybody carrying that bit extra.
.

hoops make you look thinner...you're thinking of stripes m8

What would Drenthe and Kanu have looked like in stripes?

[WoodleyRoyal]

http://www.northstandchat.com/showthrea ... +der+Vaart

obviously ruffling a few feather with the most obsessed set of supporters on the planet

[From Despair To Where?]

http://www.northstandchat.com/showthread.php?341036-Rafael-van-der-Vaart&highlight=Rafael+van+der+Vaart

obviously ruffling a few feather with the most obsessed set of supporters on the planet

Excellent stuff. Apparently, averaging 12 goals a season from midfield isn't very good.

[Royal Ginger]

We all have our mongs. I particularly like the way that they don't realise how similar to us they are.

[Sutekh]

Are things that dull at Brighton they have to start a thread about the possibility of another club signing a supposed "big name". Just what is it with their obsession about Reading?

[moo]

Are things that dull at Brighton they have to start a thread about the possibility of another club signing a supposed "big name". Just what is it with their obsession about Reading?

Well, a hilarious story really. They are ghey.

[Royal Ginger]

Photos of VDV being shown round a stadium in Denmark are doing the rounds on Twitter. Looks like this farce is over.