Bye Nicky

[blueroyals]

The idea of Nigel Howe as director of football makes me feel a little but sick.

And this guy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tev ... born_1981)

Who I have never heard of before. How long has he been working at RFC for

[EverHopeful]

sad day, last of the old guard and has made us a fortune over the years and especially when you link it back to what came in (Doyle, Long etc)

worried about influence of owners in player recruitment as who is there to stop them??

[Kitsondinho]

He did a great job over the years and got us far more £££s than expected for so many players! However, I'm not surprised that he has gone as things obviously haven't been easy over the last few years. WBA have got themselves a great asset. I just hope Howe actually knows what he is doing!

[royalp-we]

I don't like it

[3points]

The idea of Nigel Howe as director of football makes me feel a little but sick.

And this guy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tev ... born_1981)

Who I have never heard of before. How long has he been working at RFC for

Well there's the link to the Dutch centre back sorted then. This guy must have been recruited by the Thais as part of the broader scouting network

[royalp-we]

The idea of Nigel Howe as director of football makes me feel a little but sick.

And this guy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tev ... born_1981)

Who I have never heard of before. How long has he been working at RFC for

Well there's the link to the Dutch centre back sorted then. This guy must have been recruited by the Thais as part of the broader scouting network

Yep there's the Dordrecht link sorted.

Now why has avram been at the mad Stad so much? It's a possibility

[howser]

Charles Watts raises the question of working with the Thais as a possible reason for his departure, surly SJM hasn't sold us down the river again ?????

[Huntley & Palmer]

More worrying for me is a 34 year old youth coach from Ajax now being in charge of international player recruitment

[Royal Ginger]

I don't know enough about the chap or the ins and outs of scouting to formulate an informed opinion about the chap that is either positive or negative. I'll reserve judgement until I see how he does.

[SapperBRoyal]

In dignified silence, he has grafted for this club. Bought low, sold high, did some unbelievable business (noting the contribution of BMcD as Chief Scout) and contributed a lot during our most successful seasons. Coveted by other clubs at stages including obviously West Brom and Arsenal, and didn't follow Pards to the Boleyn Ground. I am concerned about what this means for the club - Nigel Howe, really? I have no doubt he will be a massive success in the Premiership with WBA, where he will work in an executive team that rates him, has actual money to spend (but needs to invest prudently) and has a plan for the club that involves football. I hope this isn't a day that RFC will regret.

[From Despair To Where?]

Much valued and will be greatly missed. You do get the impression he's had one eye on the exit door for the last 2 years and was just waiting for the right opportunity.

All the best Nicky.

[P!ssed Off]

In dignified silence, he has grafted for this club. Bought low, sold high, did some unbelievable business (noting the contribution of BMcD as Chief Scout) and contributed a lot during our most successful seasons. Coveted by other clubs at stages including obviously West Brom and Arsenal, and didn't follow Pards to the Boleyn Ground. I am concerned about what this means for the club - Nigel Howe, really? I have no doubt he will be a massive success in the Premiership with WBA, where he will work in an executive team that rates him, has actual money to spend (but needs to invest prudently) and has a plan for the club that involves football. I hope this isn't a day that RFC will regret.

tbf Nicky Hammond isn't going to West Brom to buy players.
He's going there to sell players.

Wish him all the best though.

[P!ssed Off]

More worrying for me is a 34 year old youth coach from Ajax now being in charge of international player recruitment

Someone with good contacts at the best youth academy in the world. Sounds ideal.

[sandman]

More worrying for me is a 34 year old youth coach from Ajax now being in charge of international player recruitment

Someone with good contacts at the best youth academy in the world. Sounds ideal.

Maybe 20 years ago.

[AthleticoSpizz]

All part of our evolution.....but was Nicky pushed/poached/got wise?

Too much politics getting into the fans game

Too much over-analysing (Ian style)

[blueroyals]

Probably pushed out by all these Thai advisors which has made a DoF position pretty pointless.

Howe taking on DoF is just a soundbite - he'll be the one signing the contracts but it will be the Thai advisors behind the scenes as it has been for the last 12 months. I doubt there will be a DoF role moving forward.

[P!ssed Off]

More worrying for me is a 34 year old youth coach from Ajax now being in charge of international player recruitment

Someone with good contacts at the best youth academy in the world. Sounds ideal.

Maybe 20 years ago.

Bazoer, Riedewald, Tete, Klaasen, Van de Beek will all go on to play for major European teams.
Plenty more.
Youth like Peeters, Fosu-Mensah, Dilrosun have already moved to R. Madrid, Man United and Man City respectively.

Who is producing more talent right now?

[tee peg]

In dignified silence, he has grafted for this club. Bought low, sold high, did some unbelievable business (noting the contribution of BMcD as Chief Scout) and contributed a lot during our most successful seasons. Coveted by other clubs at stages including obviously West Brom and Arsenal, and didn't follow Pards to the Boleyn Ground. I am concerned about what this means for the club - Nigel Howe, really? I have no doubt he will be a massive success in the Premiership with WBA, where he will work in an executive team that rates him, has actual money to spend (but needs to invest prudently) and has a plan for the club that involves football. I hope this isn't a day that RFC will regret.

The last sentence says it all for me.

[Dr_Hfuhruhurr]

All part of our evolution.....but was Nicky pushed/poached/got wise?

I suspect he left because the club is going in the wrong direction, and there is no suggestion that trend is going to change in the near future. Given that his major deals were sometime ago now, there is a sense of now or never about it. Given that his decision to leave will have be an informed one, and given that Clarke only one week ago said Reading was a hard place to work, we should only be worried about the implications. Ive been a critic of Hammond's, but I see absolutely nothing good about this. Maybe we're all gulity of being fans, and, hence, believing that our revival is just around the corner - but there is very scant evidence of that.

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

This makes me very uneasy.

Squeaky did a superb job on the whole and the thought of Nigel Howe trying to step into it - other than signing the paperwork for a bunch of has-beens and never-will-bes - makes me shiver.