Rumour - Roberts to Swindon as player / coach

[Michael Meaker]

This is the first I've heard of this:

http://www.givemesport.com/364725-readi ... utoplay=on

Probably BS

[One8Seven1]

Hopefully true, but expect it's bullshit. He was told his hip was so bad he may never play again. He then activated an additional year on his contract as insurance, and he's still a long way off being fit. The chances of him breaking down and then calling time on his career are very high, and all the while he's cashing in on over 20k a week. Join Swindon, join Talksport, join anyone. Just get off the wage bill so we can use that money on someone else.

[paddy20]

Hopefully true, but expect it's bullshit. He was told his hip was so bad he may never play again. He then activated an additional year on his contract as insurance, and he's still a long way off being fit. The chances of him breaking down and then calling time on his career are very high, and all the while he's cashing in on over 20k a week. Join Swindon, join Talksport, join anyone. Just get off the wage bill so we can use that money on someone else.

Bit harsh. Not his fault he's injured. If you had sick pay at work would you resign and give it up? I feel for players with long term injuries although I guess Roberts has a job in the media to possibly look forward to.

[Mike Hunt]

Hopefully true, but expect it's bullshit. He was told his hip was so bad he may never play again. He then activated an additional year on his contract as insurance, and he's still a long way off being fit. The chances of him breaking down and then calling time on his career are very high, and all the while he's cashing in on over 20k a week. Join Swindon, join Talksport, join anyone. Just get off the wage bill so we can use that money on someone else.

Bit harsh. Not his fault he's injured. If you had sick pay at work would you resign and give it up? I feel for players with long term injuries although I guess Roberts has a job in the media to possibly look forward to.

I would only get 10 days sick pay though....

[ankeny]

Hopefully true, but expect it's bullshit. He was told his hip was so bad he may never play again. He then activated an additional year on his contract as insurance, and he's still a long way off being fit. The chances of him breaking down and then calling time on his career are very high, and all the while he's cashing in on over 20k a week. Join Swindon, join Talksport, join anyone. Just get off the wage bill so we can use that money on someone else.

Bit harsh. Not his fault he's injured. If you had sick pay at work would you resign and give it up? I feel for players with long term injuries although I guess Roberts has a job in the media to possibly look forward to.

I would only get 10 days sick pay though....

As Mike says,normally sick pay runs out after a period then you get about seventy quid off the government,Footballers seem to hang around for years getting thousands for doing fuk all.

[jazz]

Hope this is true, for his sake and ours. He will never do a proper shift here again.

[One8Seven1]

Hopefully true, but expect it's bullshit. He was told his hip was so bad he may never play again. He then activated an additional year on his contract as insurance, and he's still a long way off being fit. The chances of him breaking down and then calling time on his career are very high, and all the while he's cashing in on over 20k a week. Join Swindon, join Talksport, join anyone. Just get off the wage bill so we can use that money on someone else.

Bit harsh. Not his fault he's injured. If you had sick pay at work would you resign and give it up? I feel for players with long term injuries although I guess Roberts has a job in the media to possibly look forward to.

The difference being that Roberts knew he was very unlikely to play for the club again and then cunningly ensured his pockets would be filled with £1m+ by extending his contract. Yes it's his right, as we gave him that contract, but nevertheless, it's £1m+ that we are throwing away on sod all.

Give me a fit Jason Roberts who can play 30 plus games and I'd be delighted, but he is unlikely to manage more than a handful of appearances again. The sooner he's off the books the better!

[nevo1970]

True enough but what did the club earn from the season in the prem? Without Roberts we not have secured that income.
It's fair to say even with extending his contract I think he has paid his way.
I agree that does not necessarily help us now but Pog is more of an issue if you want to compare contribution/return v expenditure. I know people will say he got no service but if he was half decent he would have made more happen for himself or bought more players into the game.
Good luck to Roberts good bloke and also been good for our overall profile.

[blueroyals]

Why didn't the club put a clause in the clause that allowed him to extend his contract stating he could only do so if he wasn't injured.

Club have oxf*rd up on this one IMO

[FridaysGhost]

Roberts has been a waste of space for a year and is now far too old and far to injured. He should not have been given a squad number. He says all the right things whilst sucking £20,000 a week out of RFC when he knows it is just his pension. Of course, we can't get rid of him - that would suddenly become racism!

[paultheroyal]

Roberts has been a waste of space for a year and is now far too old and far to injured. He should not have been given a squad number. He says all the right things whilst sucking £20,000 a week out of RFC when he knows it is just his pension. Of course, we can't get rid of him - that would suddenly become racism!

[Ian Royal]

True enough but what did the club earn from the season in the prem? Without Roberts we not have secured that income.
It's fair to say even with extending his contract I think he has paid his way.

He was worth his signing absolutely, but given we don't have PL money just sitting about earning interest because we've spent it all on wages etc already. No, he hasn't paid his way last season and he's unlikely to this season.

Really, he should have taken the insurance pay out from a career ending injury and gone into the media. Instead he's activated a clause we were stupid to put in his contract and gone on milking us for all we're worth despite adding the square root of bugger all since we got promoted.

Do I blame him? Not particularly.

[sandman]

Jason Roberts is a very determined guy imo! He will not for one second think his career at Reading is over and he will do his best to get back to full fitness. If it doesn't work out then the people to blame are those at the club who gave him a new contract because they should've done something to get out of it if they didn't think he could get back.

People use his Media thing as an attack on him and assume that he just cares about that but that's just an easy excuse to have a go at him. He wouldn't go through all the rehab and effort to get back if he didn't think he could do it especially at this stage of his career.

[FridaysGhost]

Jason Roberts is a very determined guy imo! He will not for one second think his career at Reading is over and he will do his best to get back to full fitness. If it doesn't work out then the people to blame are those at the club who gave him a new contract because they should've done something to get out of it if they didn't think he could get back.

People use his Media thing as an attack on him and assume that he just cares about that but that's just an easy excuse to have a go at him. He wouldn't go through all the rehab and effort to get back if he didn't think he could do it especially at this stage of his career.

B*llocks!

[yappy]

Roberts has been a waste of space for a year and is now far too old and far to injured. He should not have been given a squad number. He says all the right things whilst sucking £20,000 a week out of RFC when he knows it is just his pension. Of course, we can't get rid of him - that would suddenly become racism!

Think it's more breach of contract rather than racism pal!

[sandman]

Jason Roberts is a very determined guy imo! He will not for one second think his career at Reading is over and he will do his best to get back to full fitness. If it doesn't work out then the people to blame are those at the club who gave him a new contract because they should've done something to get out of it if they didn't think he could get back.

People use his Media thing as an attack on him and assume that he just cares about that but that's just an easy excuse to have a go at him. He wouldn't go through all the rehab and effort to get back if he didn't think he could do it especially at this stage of his career.

B*llocks!

It's obvious that you don't like the guy and his views but taking that away as a player he just doesn't strike as the sort of guy who just gives up.

[AbovetheI]

Roberts has been a waste of space for a year and is now far too old and far to injured. He should not have been given a squad number. He says all the right things whilst sucking £20,000 a week out of RFC when he knows it is just his pension. Of course, we can't get rid of him - that would suddenly become racism!

You need to get on twitter Paul.

[loyalroyaldaz]

My problem with him is he is totally non commital on his fitness.
He is all over twitter with his rants on racism and pushing his team jamaica stuff or 606 but says basically feck all about his fitness or more importantly his likelihood of playing or not.
Sure he tells us he is in the gym and training but he never goes beyond that.
Dont get me wrong i think he was awesome when he joined us but his lack of form/injuries/rants are just too much now.
If somebody actually gave him another year on his contract without an injury clause then that person should get sacked.

In most proffessions there is such a thing as a Capabilty Policy which basically means if for whatever reason an employee becomes physically unable to do the job they were employed to do and the employer has given sufficient support, ie rehabilitation etc the the employer can dismiss them.

Get Rid
Bye Jason, thanks, but thats yer lot pal....

[Royal Ginger]

Why didn't the club put a clause in the clause that allowed him to extend his contract stating he could only do so if he wasn't injured.

Club have oxf*rd up on this one IMO

HR rules still apply. Fast track to tribunal if an illness/disability are the reason for a termination.

[RoyalBlue]

Why didn't the club put a clause in the clause that allowed him to extend his contract stating he could only do so if he wasn't injured.

Club have oxf*rd up on this one IMO

HR rules still apply. Fast track to tribunal if an illness/disability are the reason for a termination.

And what HR rules would those be? Some a bloke down the pub told you?! There are times when the law is an ass but it's not mad enough to insist that an employer continue to employ someone who is fundamentally incapable of performing a job that they were employed to do. Otherwise we might all be dodging blind bus drivers! An employer is expected to make reasonable adjustments if that would help the employee to undertake his/her job but I'm not sure allowing Roberts to take to the pitch in a wheel chair could be regarded as 'reasonable'!