Since promotion

[shadesrwrf]

I'm with schards on this one. The spin coming out from the club these days is complete bollox. We're looking to spend big bla bla bla, no we're not, we haven't. We aren't attracting anyone and we aren't bidding high enough for anyone. We charge too much for season tickets when we don't need the extra funds. Madejski bleats on about not paying players and clubs massive funds, and how we won't be held to ransome in the transfer market, he also moans how everyone in football these days is overpaid. So then what does he do? Charges the fans ridiculously high modern day prices. Hypocrite.

A club like reading will never sustain premiership status, thats the sad thing. Its all about money in this day and age, you have to spend big to remain big. Clubs with good intentions finish nowhere.

Enter the kiss of death to Schards arguement. When Daniella agrees with you, you know your arguement is weak as it poses a great oppertunity for fishing.

I actually agree with alot of what Daniboy has to say here. The only thing I take issue with is his use of the word "we".

[working class hero]

As to the claim that we have not lost out on financial grounds might I mention....... Sidwell?

WE could have matched Chelsea's offer and he would still have left. Why unsettle other memebers of the squad chasing someone who probably had no intention of ever re-signing?

I did not suggest we should destabilise the squad morale - quite the opposite in fact.
I just pointed out that we had actually lost out over a player for financial reasons. Sidwell was quite clear that he would stay if his demands were met.[/b]

[Wycombe Royal]

I just pointed out that we had actually lost out over a player for financial reasons. Sidwell was quite clear that he would stay if his demands were met.[/b]

Did he? I don't think he ever said that. Chelsea for £40k per week or Reading for £40k per week - he would still have chosen Reading.

He left us because there were bigger clubs who wanted him, not for financial reasons.

[woodley_royal_124]

Sidwell said in the Independant News today that he had the opportunity to go to a big club and said if he hadnt taken the chance, he would have probably regretted it. Its a case of 'carpe diem'. The bloke wants to better himself and also play for a massive club. I am sure if the opportunity arose elsewhere, it would happen. Football shows no loyalty. Thats why it has been important to secure the current players by offering new deals this summer.

[nivek elyod]

He's also since said that he decided to move partly because he "wanted to train alongside world class players". Is he saying that Seol isn't world class?

[savage 4 england]

Hopefully we don't spend anything and there's another ITV digital.

[Behindu]

I just pointed out that we had actually lost out over a player for financial reasons. Sidwell was quite clear that he would stay if his demands were met.[/b]

I don;t recall Sidwell ever saying he would stay, and as we offered him what he asked for then it seems likely that he was always planning on moving.

[working class hero]

I just pointed out that we had actually lost out over a player for financial reasons. Sidwell was quite clear that he would stay if his demands were met.[/b]

I don;t recall Sidwell ever saying he would stay, and as we offered him what he asked for then it seems likely that he was always planning on moving.

He said what he wanted at the START of last season. We offered him those terms at the END of the season - so he was out of pocket for about 40 weeks. By then he had other better offers and we couldn't hope to keep him.

I applaud the club for their stance but wish Sidwell all the best. I do wish the RTGs would stop trying to crawl up the clubs collective arse though and could see the reality..... Hammond says we can compete with the top clubs - but we cannot, either in terms of fees or wages. So what? RFC is the club we support and many of us supported them in the lower leagues [and may do so again].

[Behindu]

I just pointed out that we had actually lost out over a player for financial reasons. Sidwell was quite clear that he would stay if his demands were met.[/b]

I don;t recall Sidwell ever saying he would stay, and as we offered him what he asked for then it seems likely that he was always planning on moving.

He said what he wanted at the START of last season. We offered him those terms at the END of the season ]

That's two very different scenarios... he may have mentioned a figure he was looking for but that's not the same as him staying. I think it's obvious that he was never going to stay. I suspect his agent threw in a figure which he was pretty sure we wouldn;t pay just to keep things ticking over but the plan was always to move on in footballing and financial terms.

[I applaud the club for their stance but wish Sidwell all the best. I do wish the RTGs would stop trying to crawl up the clubs collective arse though and could see the reality..... Hammond says we can compete with the top clubs - but we cannot, either in terms of fees or wages. So what? RFC is the club we support and many of us supported them in the lower leagues [and may do so again].

I can;t make that all out !
Hammond has never pretended we could compete with the top clubs on fees or wages.
We have competed with the top clubs on the pitch.
I can;t recall anyone saying we can be the next Man Utd - you seem to be suggesting that for some reason our relegation is inevitable. Based on last season we can compete without going down the route of financial suicide that so many others are following. I think we will find a level below what we acheived last season and we may well flirt with relegation. What reality are you trying to get people to accept ?

[Ian Royal]

Ian royal- the biggest stalker on the board. Go run along to your clique.

I'm in a clique!? Who with? Me?

[working class hero]

Hammond has never pretended we could compete with the top clubs on fees or wages.

The Chronicle Extra suggests that 'Hammond insists funds are available to lure the best players to the Madejski'

Hammond is quoted as saying 'we would like a top, top player to come here..... we are prepared to go out there and be in the market place for that in terms of finances'

As for the idea that we want to be the next Man U..... I think Howe was recently touting us as potentially bigger than Arsenal?

[papereyes]

I think Howe was recently touting us as potentially bigger than Arsenal?

Indeed. After the stadium expansion, mind.

[Behindu]

I think Howe was recently touting us as potentially bigger than Arsenal?

Indeed. After the stadium expansion, mind.

Huge difference between someone speculating that one day in the future we'd like to become a big club (which is what Howe did), and claiming that Hammond has said we can compete with the top 4 at the moment....

Context being relevant perhaps ?

Hammond did also say that they would love to do a deal that would make everyone sit up and take notice. That would be in line with all the similar deals we've done - Cureton, Kitson, Doyle.... none of which involved millions ! Again I don;t think doing top quality deals means that we are going to compete with Man Utd for Tevez !

[working class hero]

Cureton, Kitson, Doyle

Hardly 'top, top players' - or at least not when they came to us....

[Ian Royal]

Cureton, Kitson, Doyle

Hardly 'top, top players' - or at least not when they came to us....

Cureton was an excellent steal at the time and the original bargain. Kitson and Doyle I'd agree on though.

[Royal Lady]

Cureton, Kitson, Doyle

Hardly 'top, top players' - or at least not when they came to us....

Cureton was an excellent steal at the time and the original bargain. Kitson and Doyle I'd agree on though.

He wasn't a top, top player though. Which is what WCH said.

[Ian Royal]

Hardly 'top, top players' - or at least not when they came to us....

Cureton was an excellent steal at the time and the original bargain. Kitson and Doyle I'd agree on though.

He wasn't a top, top player though. Which is what WCH said.

we were in division 2 of course he wasn't a top top player. He certainly wasn't an unknown quantity with no previous at that level. He'd been scoring goals for fun in that division before he joined us. I seem to recall 4 at least iirc

I guess I'm trying to say he was a top player for our level when he joined us. He'd have cut it in the champ when we got promoted if it wasn't for Pardew's tactics and alienation as well

[Behindu]

Cureton, Kitson, Doyle

Hardly 'top, top players' - or at least not when they came to us....

And no one would claim they were...

... the point was about doing deals that make people sit up and take notice. Which each of the 3 quoted did in various ways.

[Ian Royal]

Cureton, Kitson, Doyle

Hardly 'top, top players' - or at least not when they came to us....

And no one would claim they were...

... the point was about doing deals that make people sit up and take notice. Which each of the 3 quoted did in various ways.

Do you mean sit up and take notice in the who the oxf*rd are they and why have we bought them way? thats what happened with Kits and Doyle.