How we stack up against the opposition in terms of signings

[RoyalBlue]

I suspect you are spot on!

Isn't it amazing how easy it is to protect your longer term interests, and avoid the nightmare scenario, if you negotiate and draw up the contracts carefully!

And of course it might just be that very clause and King's refusal to sign it that is holding up the deal - as it has done many times in the past when dealing with transfers to clubs at the risky end of the table.

Isn't it amazing how easy it is for a player who knows he is wanted by another club to call the shots on contract negotiations?

Only if you live in London and listen to the local radio you would be pretty clear that this is not what is holding up the move. Both Boothroyd and King himself have said that they are happy for the deal to go ahead and hope that it still does. However, Fulham are now making an issue about King's injury last season. In Boothroyd's view, this is a last ditch attempt by Fulham to try to edge the transfer fee back down a little.

Incidentally, relegation clauses can work in the favour of both parties. i.e. player has the right to move (subject to a mininum fee) if the club are relegated. I would imagine most, if not all players, confident in their own ability would be happy to agree to such a move.

In view of this, I still maintain it is quite possible and relatively easy for clubs to avoid the risk of being left with a financial millstone around their necks if they carefully draft and negotiate the contracts.

[cmonurz]

Fulham may sign Jari Litmanen after he was released by Malmo

Can't believe he is only 36!

[West Stand Flash]

So still every single club around is strengthening for the dog fight ahead. Reading are still keeping hold of their already thin squad & not adding any real numbers. If they are adding numbers to the squad (one so far & Kebe maybe?), are these players really going to make any difference?

Feb to May could be very very depressing.....

[The whole year inn]

24th January and still nothing has been done about the right wing problem

TICK TOCK

[Stranded]

Are those at the other clubs?

Feb to May could be very depressing from them also.

[Royal Rother]

I suspect you are spot on!

Isn't it amazing how easy it is to protect your longer term interests, and avoid the nightmare scenario, if you negotiate and draw up the contracts carefully!

And of course it might just be that very clause and King's refusal to sign it that is holding up the deal - as it has done many times in the past when dealing with transfers to clubs at the risky end of the table.

Isn't it amazing how easy it is for a player who knows he is wanted by another club to call the shots on contract negotiations?

Only if you live in London and listen to the local radio you would be pretty clear that this is not what is holding up the move. Both Boothroyd and King himself have said that they are happy for the deal to go ahead and hope that it still does. However, Fulham are now making an issue about King's injury last season. In Boothroyd's view, this is a last ditch attempt by Fulham to try to edge the transfer fee back down a little.

Incidentally, relegation clauses can work in the favour of both parties. i.e. player has the right to move (subject to a mininum fee) if the club are relegated. I would imagine most, if not all players, confident in their own ability would be happy to agree to such a move.

In view of this, I still maintain it is quite possible and relatively easy for clubs to avoid the risk of being left with a financial millstone around their necks if they carefully draft and negotiate the contracts.

Indeed, I am merely countering with an equally plausible storyline to show that it's not as easy for clubs as you were suggesting.

[Whore Jackie]

24th January and still nothing has been done about the right wing problem

TICK TOCK

Little's started running and Oster played for the reserves.
I think we can put to bed any thoughts of a right midfielder signing this window.

[Stranded]

I thought Kebe was a right midfielder, so should that deal go through then we'll have bought one.

[West Stand Flash]

Little just started light jogging so we shouldn't buy a new right winger???/ Er dont be stupid.
Little will not be about again this season & the bloke is 32. We need to be looking for a replacement ASAP, not just playing players out of position. It is just stupid.

[Royal Rother]

I thought Kebe was a right midfielder, so should that deal go through then we'll have bought one.

He doesn't count because nobody has heard of him and the price is less than £4m.

[brendywendy]

I thought Kebe was a right midfielder, so should that deal go through then we'll have bought one.

but that doesnt fit with the negative slant some people seem obsessed with putting on everything reading related
theyll just ignore it, then when/if he does sign, theyll moan that he is someone who theyve never heard of that will just sit in the reserves and never play

[Alan Partridge]

I thought Kebe was a right midfielder, so should that deal go through then we'll have bought one.

but that doesnt fit with the negative slant some people seem obsessed with putting on everything reading related
theyll just ignore it, then when/if he does sign, theyll moan that he is someone who theyve never heard of that will just sit in the reserves and never play

If and when that happens, they will have every reason to.

[brendywendy]

I thought Kebe was a right midfielder, so should that deal go through then we'll have bought one.

but that doesnt fit with the negative slant some people seem obsessed with putting on everything reading related
theyll just ignore it, then when/if he does sign, theyll moan that he is someone who theyve never heard of that will just sit in the reserves and never play

If and when that happens, they will have every reason to.

no they wont, not really

we will have bought a player to address the right side problem, which then didnt work out,
oster will be playing in a week or so, and little will be back before the end of the season.so we will be ok anyway.and all that only if he doenst turn out to be the player that copps and co think he is.
ok they could moan about the less than 100% record of our scouting/signing record
but no manager in the world can stand that sort of scrutiny, if anything those at the top, have records much much worse than us
we have never spent 20+ million on a player who hasnt worked for example
spending 400k on a potentially good player is a no lose situation in my book

and how dare you question "the reading way"

[Alan Partridge]

[but that doesnt fit with the negative slant some people seem obsessed with putting on everything reading related
theyll just ignore it, then when/if he does sign, theyll moan that he is someone who theyve never heard of that will just sit in the reserves and never play

If and when that happens, they will have every reason to.

no they wont, not really

we will have bought a player to address the right side problem, which then didnt work out,
oster will be playing in a week or so, and little will be back before the end of the season.so we will be ok anyway.and all that only if he doenst turn out to be the player that copps and co think he is.
ok they could moan about the less than 100% record of our scouting/signing record
but no manager in the world can stand that sort of scrutiny, if anything those at the top, have records much much worse than us
we have never spent 20+ million on a player who hasnt worked for example
spending 400k on a potentially good player is a no lose situation in my book

and how dare you question "the reading way"

It's a lose situation if he turns out to be poor/ no better than we have and we go down. Of course that's looking at the worst case scenario. Instead we could have spent a bit more for a better standard of player who would give us a better chance of winning games.

Who knows tbh, I've never heard of this lad, he could be the new Pele for all i know.........at the same time he could be the next Ali Dia.

The one thing that gives me a bit of comfort is they MUST have scouted this guy extremely well. I don't think anyone outside of Lens and his current club have ever heard of him, so how Reading came about finding him is a bit of a mystery, but also they must have seen enough when they found out about him.

The only thing that will annoy me is if we hear the 'he'll take some time but he's one for the future' crap. We don't need players for the future, we need them for the here and now, without reinforcements there is every chance this team will be relegated at the end of the season. Foreign players especially won't want to stick around in the English 2nd division. Reading needs 2 or 3 players that can impact our season, make sure they keep us up then we plan about the future.

The return of Oster has little if any positive impact imho he's never held down a place here, for the few things he does well, he'll do something equally crap in just about every game he plays. In fact i'd say his best performances have been in central midfield. He isn't the answer to the right side problem at all.

Little's fitness is a concern and we can't rely on him coming back, with no match fitness for the last 5 games to save us. I'd be surprised to see him this season in all honesty.

[Platypuss]

Roy Carroll signs on loan for Derby.

[Whore Jackie]

I thought Kebe was a right midfielder, so should that deal go through then we'll have bought one.

Strong rumours that he's signing today. Can't work out from all the reports whether or not he's a specialist right midfielder. Let's hope he's lacking in versatility.

You'd never-say-never regarding the possible return of Little, but it's been clear for ages that we need a long-term replacement for him. We've tried all sorts of 'versatile' players there with varying degrees of success, none have come close to giving us the attacking (and defensive) strength that Little did.

[West Stand Flash]

I thought Kebe was a right midfielder, so should that deal go through then we'll have bought one.

Strong rumours that he's signing today. Can't work out from all the reports whether or not he's a specialist right midfielder. Let's hope he's lacking in versatility.

You'd never-say-never regarding the possible return of Little, but it's been clear for ages that we need a long-term replacement for him. We've tried all sorts of 'versatile' players there with varying degrees of success, none have come close to giving us the attacking (and defensive) strength that Little did.

Where are these reports?

[RoyalBlue]

24th January and still nothing has been done about the right wing problem

TICK TOCK

I really hope we're not going to see a repeat of the ridiculous transfer antics that we saw just before the closure of the last window.

We need a top class specialist right winger now - whatever that takes to achieve. Surely our own former top class specialist right winger can see that?!

[Whore Jackie]

I thought Kebe was a right midfielder, so should that deal go through then we'll have bought one.

Strong rumours that he's signing today. Can't work out from all the reports whether or not he's a specialist right midfielder. Let's hope he's lacking in versatility.

You'd never-say-never regarding the possible return of Little, but it's been clear for ages that we need a long-term replacement for him. We've tried all sorts of 'versatile' players there with varying degrees of success, none have come close to giving us the attacking (and defensive) strength that Little did.

Where are these reports?

Try wading through viewtopic.php?f=1&t=71008 and assorted links within.

[Huntley & Palmer]

24th January and still nothing has been done about the right wing problem

TICK TOCK

I really hope we're not going to see a repeat of the ridiculous transfer antics that we saw just before the closure of the last window.

We need a top class specialist right winger now - whatever that takes to achieve. Surely our own former top class specialist right winger can see that?!

What, you mean signing two players in the positions we needed to?