CONFIMRED - John O’shea signs for Reading

[CountryRoyal]

John O’shite eh guys amirite amirite??

All jokes aside I don’t like writing anyone off before they’ve even played for us, but this is just bafflingly meh.

[Snowflake Royal]

This is thoroughly under whelming. Yet another past it player to come in and earn a tidy sum in the twilight of their career (or in O'Shea's case the witching hour), contribute very little on the field and block opportunities for our academy players.

Very please with Yiadom.... perfectly ok with Meyler, totally meh about O'Shea. Just killed any enthusiasm I was building for the season.

He's finished 13th, 17th, 14th, 16th, 17th, 20th and 24th at Sunderland.

Last four seasons' defeats and goals conceded for Sunderland:
14 - 37%, 53 - 1.4pg
17 - 45%, 62 - 1.6pg
26 - 68%, 69 - 1.8pg
23 - 50%, 80 - 1.7pg

Yep, he'll sort our defence out. Total winner.

[LWJ]

This is thoroughly under whelming. Yet another past it player to come in and earn a tidy sum in the twilight of their career (or in O'Shea's case the witching hour), contribute very little on the field and block opportunities for our academy players.

Very please with Yiadom.... perfectly ok with Meyler, totally meh about O'Shea. Just killed any enthusiasm I was building for the season.

He's finished 13th, 17th, 14th, 16th, 17th, 20th and 24th at Sunderland.

Last four seasons' defeats and goals conceded for Sunderland:
14 - 37%, 53 - 1.4pg
17 - 45%, 62 - 1.6pg
26 - 68%, 69 - 1.8pg
23 - 50%, 80 - 1.7pg

Yep, he'll sort our defence out. Total winner.

6 of those in the premier league ffs you melt

[Zip]

I presume we are still in for Elphick but will only sign him if Moore leaves.
I see us therefore starting the new season weaker at centre back if this all pans out.

[Snowflake Royal]

This is thoroughly under whelming. Yet another past it player to come in and earn a tidy sum in the twilight of their career (or in O'Shea's case the witching hour), contribute very little on the field and block opportunities for our academy players.

Very please with Yiadom.... perfectly ok with Meyler, totally meh about O'Shea. Just killed any enthusiasm I was building for the season.

He's finished 13th, 17th, 14th, 16th, 17th, 20th and 24th at Sunderland.

Last four seasons' defeats and goals conceded for Sunderland:
14 - 37%, 53 - 1.4pg
17 - 45%, 62 - 1.6pg
26 - 68%, 69 - 1.8pg
23 - 50%, 80 - 1.7pg

Yep, he'll sort our defence out. Total winner.

6 of those in the premier league ffs you melt

Obviously. Losing and failing are habit forming at whatever level you're at though. He's a big part of Sunderland being utterly shit for four consecutive years. He's thirty sodding seven and we've signed him from one of the very few teams that were actually shitter than us at the same level last season. Not up to it, rank bad signing.

[genome]

Ian Harte

That is all

[Zip]

Ian Harte

That is all

Harte had only just turned 33 when he joined us. We are already carrying too many journeymen without adding O’Shea to the list.

[Hound]

It’s an odd one certainly

I really hope it we’re shortly getting rid of some deadwood. Don’t mind the signing so much if we get rid of Danzell, Evans, Edwards, Joey etc. Basically it’s a relatively cheap one year deal, so at least we won’t be stuck with him if and when he is crap

[Scutterbucketz]

Ian Harte

That is all

I knew someone wouldn’t be able to resist an Ian Harte comparison. As someone stated, he was only just gone 33.

I’d say this is more akin to Martin Keown. Only much worse.

[Snowflake Royal]

Ian Harte

That is all

Harte had only just turned 33 when he joined us. We are already carrying too many journeymen without adding O’Shea to the list.

He also hadn't just spent four seasons losing and joined an otherwise successful and upward trending Reading.

[tidus_mi2]

I presume we are still in for Elphick but will only sign him if Moore leaves.
I see us therefore starting the new season weaker at centre back if this all pans out.

If Moore leaves then that's a given but the upside of selling Moore is that it should allow us to strengthen the team overall. Frankly our defence last season wasn't too bad on paper but loss of confidence and with a powder puff midfield in front of it left it more exposed.

[Zip]

I presume we are still in for Elphick but will only sign him if Moore leaves.
I see us therefore starting the new season weaker at centre back if this all pans out.

If Moore leaves then that's a given but the upside of selling Moore is that it should allow us to strengthen the team overall. Frankly our defence last season wasn't too bad on paper but loss of confidence and with a powder puff midfield in front of it left it more exposed.

Yes our midfield was our biggest problem last season. The lack of protection for our defence was woeful.
We do need to offload some of these midfielders with two of Van Den Berg, Edwards and Evans needing to be offloaded. I also don’t think we can play Swift and Kelly together.

A good fee for Moore will help. As a priority we need some creativity and goals. Signing Maddison would hopefully give us that creativity. We then need that elusive striker.

[Snowflake Royal]

Can you imagine the striker(s) we could afford if we hadn't spunked good money after bad on ilori, Rakels, Grabban, Berg, Edwards, Blackett, Aluko, Bacuna, Weiser, Gravenberch, Kermie's extension and just given Tanner, Cooper, Dickie, Hyam, Keown, Samuel, Novakovich, Evans etc a proper go.

I'm not saying we'd be in for Ronaldo, but we'd have a hell of a wedge.

[Zip]

Can you imagine the striker(s) we could afford if we hadn't spunked good money after bad on ilori, Rakels, Grabban, Berg, Edwards, Blackett, Aluko, Bacuna, Weiser, Gravenberch, Kermie's extension and just given Tanner, Cooper, Dickie, Hyam, Keown, Samuel, Novakovich, Evans etc a proper go.

I'm not saying we'd be in for Ronaldo, but we'd have a hell of a wedge.

We have done some very poor business in the past couple of seasons and let go youngsters who should have been given more of a chance. I would rather we still had Jake Cooper and would play him ahead of O’Shea every day of the week.

[genome]

Ian Harte

That is all

Harte had only just turned 33 when he joined us. We are already carrying too many journeymen without adding O’Shea to the list.

He also hadn't just spent four seasons losing and joined an otherwise successful and upward trending Reading.

Revisionist. We struggled in the first half of 09/10, and flirted with relegation before picking up form under a new manager. Upward trending, yes, I suppose, successful? No. Harte also joined from a League One club who had narrowly avoided relegation to League Two when Harte was there.

Regardless, my point was Harte received very similar complaints when he joined (people certainly weren't saying he was "only 33" ) and turned out to be a great signing. I wasn't comparing the two as players nor am I saying O'Shea is definitely going to be a success. I am saying reserve judgement.

Anyway, why is O'Shea a journeyman? He's had two permanent clubs his entire career

[Lower West]

I would rather we still had Jake Cooper and would play him ahead of O’Shea every day of the week.

Stam let Cooper go. We are where we are. Another free transfer. More leadership within the club. Clement has clearly identified real issues within the squad. Something that cannot be rectified within one summr transfer window, Staying up is obviously next years priority.

[PremAddict]

So in summary, everyone is hugely excited about this signing and we are just one more free transfer from being automatic promotion favorites!

[Zip]

I would rather we still had Jake Cooper and would play him ahead of O’Shea every day of the week.

Stam let Cooper go. We are where we are. Another free transfer. More leadership within the club. Clement has clearly identified real issues within the squad. Something that cannot be rectified within one summr transfer window, Staying up is obviously next years priority.

Leadership was a big issue. Meyler will provide some much needed dog in midfield. Yiadom will give us the necessary right back option. All good with that. I just don’t think O’Shea is up to it any longer and takes up a space in the squad.
If we offload a couple of our midfielders it won’t feel such a poor signing. Right now we seem top heavy in midfield.

[leon]

John O’shea?

Fcuking hell.

[Jackson Corner]

I wonder how many other clubs were after his signiture? Could you imagine Millwall or Brentford? No they look for hungry young talent from lower leagues. That's why they have done so well the last few seasons our player recruitment s a joke. He's just come here to get 15k a week while he gets his coaching badges. He won't give a toss when we go down next season he's managed it the last two seasons.