Pre season tour

[Hound]

There are people at the club's who job is it to determine whether a player will be good enough. With Stacey they failed, simple as really.

Not saying its an easy job because of course its far from.

[NewCorkSeth]

There are people at the club's who job is it to determine whether a player will be good enough. With Stacey they failed, simple as really.

Not saying its an easy job because of course its far from.

This. I dint remember many people kicking up a fuss when we let him go. Also I dont see anyone bemoaning us letting Fosu go.

The club made an error in judgement. It happens. At least they had the good sense to slap on a sell on fee.

[sandman]

The club didn't make a mistake, the club wanted to keep him. He didn't think the first team management at the time were beneficial to his development so he moved on.

[NewCorkSeth]

The club didn't make a mistake, the club wanted to keep him. He didn't think the first team management at the time were beneficial to his development so he moved on.

I thought he had 2 years left on his contract but refused a new one? Surely if that were the case then we could have kept him despite his protests.

[From Despair To Where?]

I'm not sure I'd say signing Aluko, losing a talented Academy player, nearly getting relegated twice and being buggered on FFP is working out well for us. Small factor this is in some that.

It's certainly not worked out badly for Stacey.

Yeah, but at the start of that season, we'd just got in the playoffs, were investing heavily in the squad and he would have been looking at being 3rd or 4th choice RW or 2nd or 3rd choice RB. Much like the Antonio situation, you can't say he might have done this or he might have done that or the club fcuked up at the time on the basis of 2 years of hindsight.

His move was driven by a desire for regular first team football and there was absolutely no way we could have guaranteed that.

The worst part is that I think he would have been given regular football had he stayed...hindsight and all that

Obita was injured and Blackett was struggling so Gunter had to shift LB. As we had no backup RB, we had to play Bacuna there who was awful there and I think Stacey would have fitted in perfectly there

Or on the wing, Barrow had the left wing cemented. On the right Aluko was contributing very little, McCleary was injured half the time and when he wasn't he was contributing very little, Beerens didn't fancy it any more and Popa was a waster

That doesn't mean however he'd had turned out how he is now had he have stayed. He may not have been ready for regular Championship football at that time and if that was Stam's conclusion at the time, there was probably logic to it

Exactly but at the time he left, both Obita and Gunter were fit and Watson and Richards were getting bigged up as full back cover. Add Blackett to the mix and there is no guarantee of first team football. Likewise, we had depth in the wings and we're in the process of signing Aluko and Bucuna. There were plenty of players ahead of him in the pecking order.

The club didn't make a mistake, the club wanted to keep him. He didn't think the first team management at the time were beneficial to his development so he moved on.

I thought he had 2 years left on his contract but refused a new one? Surely if that were the case then we could have kept him despite his protests.

No point keeping a player who isn't happy. The smart move at the time was to let him move but slap on a sell on clause.

[morganb]

There are 23 names on the published list. Do we assume that Boadu has also travelled? Also, I guess if we make any new signings in the next fortnight then they will fly out and meet up with the rest of the squad?

Wonder what the implications are now for Baldock - is he back in the team or simply filling a hole until another striker ia found/recovers from injury?

[NewCorkSeth]

Yeah, but at the start of that season, we'd just got in the playoffs, were investing heavily in the squad and he would have been looking at being 3rd or 4th choice RW or 2nd or 3rd choice RB. Much like the Antonio situation, you can't say he might have done this or he might have done that or the club fcuked up at the time on the basis of 2 years of hindsight.

His move was driven by a desire for regular first team football and there was absolutely no way we could have guaranteed that.

The worst part is that I think he would have been given regular football had he stayed...hindsight and all that

Obita was injured and Blackett was struggling so Gunter had to shift LB. As we had no backup RB, we had to play Bacuna there who was awful there and I think Stacey would have fitted in perfectly there

Or on the wing, Barrow had the left wing cemented. On the right Aluko was contributing very little, McCleary was injured half the time and when he wasn't he was contributing very little, Beerens didn't fancy it any more and Popa was a waster

That doesn't mean however he'd had turned out how he is now had he have stayed. He may not have been ready for regular Championship football at that time and if that was Stam's conclusion at the time, there was probably logic to it

Exactly but at the time he left, both Obita and Gunter were fit and Watson and Richards were getting bigged up as full back cover. Add Blackett to the mix and there is no guarantee of first team football. Likewise, we had depth in the wings and we're in the process of signing Aluko and Bucuna. There were plenty of players ahead of him in the pecking order.

The club didn't make a mistake, the club wanted to keep him. He didn't think the first team management at the time were beneficial to his development so he moved on.

I thought he had 2 years left on his contract but refused a new one? Surely if that were the case then we could have kept him despite his protests.

No point keeping a player who isn't happy. The smart move at the time was to let him move but slap on a sell on clause.

Well as you say he likely would have played. We could have played hard ball and he might have gotten his chance. That could have placated his original outrage at being forced to stay.

But I mostly agree. Dont keep young players who want to leave and arent likely to play. It's not right.

[From Despair To Where?]

Or more likely he would have been shipped out on loan to League 1 and still been in the same situation a year later.

Stacey made a decision based on the circumstances at the time, he's made a name for himself in the lower leagues, got a move to the Premiership and we've banked £1m+ for a player who's first team career for Reading can be counted in minutes rather than games.

He could also have done a Tariq Fosu and be playing for Oxford. I just don't see the point in bemoaning the club letting young players who are squad makeweights go when they go on to achieve success somewhere else. It's all ifs, buts and maybes.

[Snowflake Royal]

The club didn't make a mistake, the club wanted to keep him. He didn't think the first team management at the time were beneficial to his development so he moved on.

I thought he had 2 years left on his contract but refused a new one? Surely if that were the case then we could have kept him despite his protests.

I think the issue is that he was clearly not part of first team plans and given the impression he wouldn't be involved.

My point, and I think URZZZ is we should have been looking to involve him and we could have.

Instead we lost a highly rated player, who has gone on to prove himself more than capable at L1, and instead of using him we made our worst ever signing, and played a central midfielder at RB.

I doubt very much he was demanding regular first team starts.

Comparisons to Antonio don't work. With him we were promoted and had multiple genuine options better than he was at that time. Doesn't apply to Stacey.

Always rated Stacey higher than Fosu.

[Simon's Church]

Anyone seen much of odimayo then? Any good?

[NewCorkSeth]

The club didn't make a mistake, the club wanted to keep him. He didn't think the first team management at the time were beneficial to his development so he moved on.

I thought he had 2 years left on his contract but refused a new one? Surely if that were the case then we could have kept him despite his protests.

I think the issue is that he was clearly not part of first team plans and given the impression he wouldn't be involved.

My point, and I think URZZZ is we should have been looking to involve him and we could have.

Instead we lost a highly rated player, who has gone on to prove himself more than capable at L1, and instead of using him we made our worst ever signing, and played a central midfielder at RB.

I doubt very much he was demanding regular first team starts.

Comparisons to Antonio don't work. With him we were promoted and had multiple genuine options better than he was at that time. Doesn't apply to Stacey.

Always rated Stacey higher than Fosu.

Which is fair enough. Obviously none of us were in the room when the decision was made so we can only speculate as to why he was let go. My guess? He asked to leave, was offered a contract to stay but didn't fancy kicking around in the reserves. Smart move from him.

ALOLuko has proven to be a god awful mistake and the fee for him was ridiculous but nobody could have predicted how shite he would be. If he had come in and been anything other than the absolute shit show he was then I think the argument that we "could have fit him in here and there" falls to pieces.

Nobody could have predicted the injury crisis at full back (and he wasnt exactly a RB for our youth teams was he) and not many would have predicted Aluko would stink the place out. Hindsight is playing a strong hand in the we should have kept him camp.

[Vision]

I'm not sure what the relevance of signing Aluko has with whether Stacey stayed or not.

Aluko would still have been signed even if we'd guaranteed Stacey first team football. He was a marquee type signing (lol) to appease the fans (plus Stam to certain degree) because we didn't get Oliveira.

Aluko proved to be a terrible signing but it has naff all to do with letting Stacey leave. One thing we know with Stam is that if you impressed him in training you could come from left field and get into the first team equation. Stacey, rightly in my opinion, decided he didn't want to take that chance. Fair play to him for that,

[Barney]

Wednesday evening is now a game versus Gibraltar United (as our previously named opponents, Europa FC, are playing in a Europa league qualifying game).

[URZZZZ]

1-0 Holsgrove - Baldock assist

[Hound]

3-0 now. Nova and Holsgrove again

[Barney]

3-0 at half time.

First half team...

Andresson

Watson Osho Odimayo Richards

A.Trialist Holsgrove East Olise

Baldock Novakovich

[Barney]

And second half team...

Walker

Howe Moore Mcintyre Blackett

Rinomhota Swift Meite Barrow

Barrett Loader

[Barney]

4-0. Meite penalty

[Barney]

5-0. Loader. 30 minutes to go.

[Hound]

Few interesting assumptions so far

Howe is ahead of Watson
McIntyre/Moore likely to start the season unless a signing comes in
Loader >> Novakovich
Gomes likes Barrett