Kitson signs for Stoke for £5.5 million

[Dirk Gently]

How do you even know he doesn't want to play for us???

Derived from more speculation?

...

[Royal Lady]

It's not speculation Spacey - just because some people can't divulge everything they know, doesn't mean it isn't happening.

[Uke]

It's not speculation Spacey - just because some people can't divulge everything they know, doesn't mean it isn't happening.

When he's gone will you tell all?

[Royal Lady]

I didn't necessarily mean me.

[Sarah Star]

Couldn't you just whisper it to me.
I promise not to tell anyone in the whole wide world.

[Uke]

sarah blabs, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me...

[Royal Lady]

I don't know anything!!!

[Southbank Old Boy]

but we'll still be losing our best centre forward.

It's what happens to relegated clubs.

I know, and I didn't expect any less, but it was Dirks comments as if it wasn't really a big deal as he'd only scored 2 goals in the last 17 games or whatever it was.

He was/is still our best centre forward and as much as we have to put on a brave face about losing our better players, it's just a bit rich to start making out it wasn't a problem as he didn't score.

[North Somerset Royal]

Dave Kitson is on his way to Stoke City after Reading accepted a £4m bid.
The initial fee for the former non-league striker is believed to be in the region of £2m with the remainder based on Stoke's success during their first season in the Barclays Premier League.

Stoke-bound: Dave Kitson
Birmingham also approached Steve Coppell but he was reluctant to allow them to speak to Kitson because he sees them as one of Reading's main rivals for promotion from the Championship next season.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis has also contacted Ipswich Town over a £2m deal for midfielder-cum-forward Jonathan Walters.
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/sport/foo ... itson.html

[Uke]

Dave Kitson is on his way to Stoke City after Reading accepted a £4m bid.
The initial fee for the former non-league striker is believed to be in the region of £2m with the remainder based on Stoke's success during their first season in the Barclays Premier League.

Stoke-bound: Dave Kitson
Birmingham also approached Steve Coppell but he was reluctant to allow them to speak to Kitson because he sees them as one of Reading's main rivals for promotion from the Championship next season.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis has also contacted Ipswich Town over a £2m deal for midfielder-cum-forward Jonathan Walters.
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/sport/foo ... itson.html

Apparently the Mail on Sunday was owned by the same company that publishes the Evening Standard and the Daily Mail at 20:22 on this thread yesterday evening

[Dirk Gently]

but we'll still be losing our best centre forward.

It's what happens to relegated clubs.

I know, and I didn't expect any less, but it was Dirks comments as if it wasn't really a big deal as he'd only scored 2 goals in the last 17 games or whatever it was.

He was/is still our best centre forward and as much as we have to put on a brave face about losing our better players, it's just a bit rich to start making out it wasn't a problem as he didn't score.

The point I was making was that while I agree he *was* our best striker by a long way, that was when he had the hunger of the last Championship season and the first PL season.

I think that by January this year, when he was doing all the "holier than thou" newspaper interviews and there was talk of being the "top scoring English striker" and of England call-ups, that he was no longer the young and hungry Dave Kitson who was our best striker.

Psychologically he thought he'd arrived as a PL player and his case - more than anyone - is the perfect example of the "loss of hunger" that I'm now convinced is really what is they root cause of "Second Season Syndrome." If anyone can re motivate him and turn him back into a hungry player again I'd love him to stay - but sadly convinced that this can't be done in his case. The fact that he's happy to talk a club like Stoke suggests that he feels his place in in the PL - with any PL club.

But the essential point is that once the hunger has gone he's of no use to us and fills a shirt that could be worn by someone who wants to succeed. The point of quoting 2 goals in the last 17 matches was to try and demonstrate that (like Hunty) we lost him completely after January.

[Badger Finger]

According to this we want £6 Million?

[Sarah Star]

According to this we want £6 Million?

I'm glad about that, but the Reading Chronicle told me Little was going to stay and sign a new contract the day before he left so I'm not completely convinced.

[Southbank Old Boy]

The point I was making was that while I agree he *was* our best striker by a long way, that was when he had the hunger of the last Championship season and the first PL season.

I think that by January this year, when he was doing all the "holier than thou" newspaper interviews and there was talk of being the "top scoring English striker" and of England call-ups, that he was no longer the young and hungry Dave Kitson who was our best striker.

Psychologically he thought he'd arrived as a PL player and his case - more than anyone - is the perfect example of the "loss of hunger" that I'm now convinced is really what is they root cause of "Second Season Syndrome." If anyone can re motivate him and turn him back into a hungry player again I'd love him to stay - but sadly convinced that this can't be done in his case. The fact that he's happy to talk a club like Stoke suggests that he feels his place in in the PL - with any PL club.

But the essential point is that once the hunger has gone he's of no use to us and fills a shirt that could be worn by someone who wants to succeed. The point of quoting 2 goals in the last 17 matches was to try and demonstrate that (like Hunty) we lost him completely after January.

Kitson has always been like that though.

All through his Reading career he's had spells where he's looked demotivated and like he's losing patience with his teammates. He's always at his best when he has something to prove.

I've always thought he's the biggest arguement against Coppell's ability as a man-manager, even more so than the spat with Lita last season.

Totally agree about the cause of second season sydrome, and without wanting to sound too much like a broken record (too late I know), that's why the lack of effective freshening up of the squad last season was even more of a mistake by Coppell than some like to admit.

[ArfnipIsARoyal]

He was going to stay, he was going to sign a contract, then ol' 'arry reared his ugly mug

[Archie's penalty]

The point I was making was that while I agree he *was* our best striker by a long way, that was when he had the hunger of the last Championship season and the first PL season.

I think that by January this year, when he was doing all the "holier than thou" newspaper interviews and there was talk of being the "top scoring English striker" and of England call-ups, that he was no longer the young and hungry Dave Kitson who was our best striker.

Psychologically he thought he'd arrived as a PL player and his case - more than anyone - is the perfect example of the "loss of hunger" that I'm now convinced is really what is they root cause of "Second Season Syndrome." If anyone can re motivate him and turn him back into a hungry player again I'd love him to stay - but sadly convinced that this can't be done in his case. The fact that he's happy to talk a club like Stoke suggests that he feels his place in in the PL - with any PL club.

But the essential point is that once the hunger has gone he's of no use to us and fills a shirt that could be worn by someone who wants to succeed. The point of quoting 2 goals in the last 17 matches was to try and demonstrate that (like Hunty) we lost him completely after January.

An excellent point DG. He got the Prem-bug and can't survive without it anymore.

Still will be pretty sad to see him go to Stoke!

[andrew1957]

I could just about live with us accepting £6M for Kits but £2M from Stoke with no guarantee of any more would be an absolute joke considering Zamora went for £6M and Kitson is just as good if not better.

We must hold out for more or refuse to sell.

[Agent Balti]

I think it's gone beyond that point already. The game was up when Dave had a *cough* cold *cough*. That's always parlance for the door being opened.

2m is a snip, but as long as we have someone to come in very shortly (and miracles occur) then we could get the 4m that was touted - then the offer seem a bit sweeter.

[Alan Partridge]

I could just about live with us accepting £6M for Kits but £2M from Stoke with no guarantee of any more would be an absolute joke considering Zamora went for £6M and Kitson is just as good if not better.

We must hold out for more or refuse to sell.

Zamora didn't go for £6million

[SpaceCruiser]

I think it's gone beyond that point already. The game was up when Dave had a *cough* cold *cough*. That's always parlance for the door being opened.

http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/footb ... als_rescue

Dave Kitson, a target for Stoke City, was once again missing from the side although the club insisted it was down to illness and not an imminent move away from Madejski Stadium.