Ambition in question

[MeMeMe]

This week I have heard the following:

BMcD saying none of the money from the sale of Mills will be made available to him for new signings. Balancing the books is first and foremost.

Matt Mills stating:

“Now is about looking forward and this is the start of a new chapter for me. I am really excited to be here and hopefully go one step further than last year.”
&
“Obviously, I have received stick since I moved, but at the end of the day people don’t know what goes on behind the scenes, they just see the move."

Whilst I appreciate football is mostly about business and balancing books these days, I am worried that RFC seem to be more concerned with this than success on the pitch. As long as we do not go down, what we achieve on the pitch is a bonus.

I can understand the balancing act that the club faces here, but as a fan I question the clubs ambition to REALLY succeed. I feel like we are facing years of mediocrity in this league unless we find a new owner with very deep pockets.

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

This week I have heard the following:

BMcD saying none of the money from the sale of Mills will be made available to him for new signings. Balancing the books is first and foremost.

Matt Mills stating:

“Now is about looking forward and this is the start of a new chapter for me. I am really excited to be here and hopefully go one step further than last year.”
&
“Obviously, I have received stick since I moved, but at the end of the day people don’t know what goes on behind the scenes, they just see the move."

Whilst I appreciate football is mostly about business and balancing books these days, I am worried that RFC seem to be more concerned with this than success on the pitch. As long as we do not go down, what we achieve on the pitch is a bonus.

I can understand the balancing act that the club faces here, but as a fan I question the clubs ambition to REALLY succeed. I feel like we are facing years of mediocrity in this league unless we find a new owner with very deep pockets.

you dont need to question it....it doesnt exist

[loyalroyal4life]

This club is about being run as a business with a business model in place that ensures financial gain and profit

If Mills didnt accept wages within our structure and bracket then the only choice was to allow him to move.

£5m for a player with 1 year left on his contract is a great bit of business. Clichy went for £7m! Mills hasn't even played in the prem let alone Champs League!

[Royal Lady]

It all boils down to whether Jm sees this club as a FOOTBALL club or a business. I believe the football is incidental to him, personally.

[GreaterTorontoRoyal]

This club is about being run as a business with a business model in place that ensures financial gain and profit

If Mills didnt accept wages within our structure and bracket then the only choice was to allow him to move.

£5m for a player with 1 year left on his contract is a great bit of business. Clichy went for £7m! Mills hasn't even played in the prem let alone Champs League!

He played twice for Man City, although that was less than 90 minutes

[Ian Royal]

Personally I'd be ok with years of mediocrity in this league given what massive success we've already had recently and where we've come from. 10 years ago we'd have considered any season not fighting relegation to tier 3 a success.

And I struggle to see Madejski seeing the club as nothing but a business. According to the accounts, he's not taken a penny out despite putting millions in. At least that was the case up until a year or two ago. Now I'm not a businessman, but if I was running just a business, I'd be expecting to get the money I invested back + a lot on top.

We're doing pretty well for a club that's apparently had no ambition since 2005. And had no ambition quite alot before then according to many.

[FiNeRaIn]

Umm two seasons in the prem is " massive success"...ok. Lets not go overboard here.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Umm two seasons in the prem is " massive success"...ok. Lets not go overboard here.

Two play offs in the three seasons since we were relegated, despite the players being sold.

[Irvinchangeyaname]

Umm two seasons in the prem is " massive success"...ok. Lets not go overboard here.

I would totally agree with 'massive success'.

[Ian Royal]

Two FA Cup QFs. Three play off appearances and one promotion in the 9 years since getting out of Tier three, including one PO Final. Two seasons in the PL including a finish as the 8th best team in England. One bottom half finish in over 10 years.

It's nothing to Man Utd, but then we're not Man Utd.

[Libertine]

It was massive success...no matter how fleeting. It is in the past now. Where do we go from here? What are our ambitions now?

I think that is a legitimate question to ask. Even as recent as a couple years ago we were bringing in players like Mills. Now we are being told, through the manager, don't expect that kind of investment in the team now...after we sell Mills.

[Ian Royal]

It was massive success...no matter how fleeting. It is in the past now. Where do we go from here? What are our ambitions now?

I think that is a legitimate question to ask. Even as recent as a couple years ago we were bringing in players like Mills. Now we are being told, through the manager, don't expect that kind of investment in the team now...after we sell Mills.

Our ambition now? To remain self sustaining and keep plugging away around the edges of the play offs or better until we get it right and go back up again.

[Libertine]

Isn't a self sustaining football club an oxymoron Ian? Something akin to jumbo shrimp or military intelligence?

[fester_royal]

In 2004-2005 ssc was allowed to bring in a number of players, some cheaply like hunt n sonko but the board also took chances and gave money for ivar, kitson and most notably lita.. Now our board seem to think they can do exactly the same with kids. I am beginning to think sjm has been scared by our experience in the prem and is happy to be a second league team. It gives him just the right amount of media without costing him too much

[Wimb]

Do we really need ANOTHER thread on this?

[Friday's Legacy]

reading football club's ambition isn't in question, it's the chairman's that has changed since he realised the expense of being a premier league football club. it's above him and now it's all about paying off as much of the loans he has given the club while there's value in players to do so.

[Royalwaster]

reading football club's ambition isn't in question, it's the chairman's that has changed since he realised the expense of being a premier league football club. it's above him and now it's all about paying off as much of the loans he has given the club while there's value in players to do so.

No, it's not - it's about not having to take out further loans to fund the existence of this club; truth is all the clubs outspending us are doing just that. That's not the way SJM wants to run this club and fair enough to him. Anyone claiming that he is trying to make money out of the club is way off the mark.

[Row Z Royal]

I can understand the balancing act that the club faces here, but as a fan I question the clubs ambition to REALLY succeed. I feel like we are facing years of mediocrity in this league unless we find a new owner with very deep pockets.

you dont need to question it....it doesnt exist[/quote]

Define ambition.

[zummerset]

Mills is an interant pcunt- who gives a shite what he thinks (and I use then most expansive version of thinks)

[floyd__streete]

Ambition best summed up after the play-off final when Mr Chairman spouted his "Championship more exciting than the Prem anyway" line immediately after the final whistle sounded at Wembley. He only just stopped short of pumping his fist in the air at the end of 90 minutes.

Yeah, John, I'll remember how exciting the Championship is in 6 weeks time when I am watching us struggling to break down Barnsley.