The Summer ins, outs and new contracts 2012

[melonhead]

cant go developing raw prospects in the prem.
and its better for his career if we let him go and get decent game time in the championship with a nice sell on clause. imo
happy enough with a season long loan

[Woodcote Royal]

He started two games this year and failed to impress in either. .

That's at least 40 less poor games than Church has had since his debut with only a handful of decent ones to justify selection.

Having said that, I don't think we should be trying to fit either player into our squad for next season.

[andrew1957]

Can't believe how skewed peoples views of Antonio seem to be....some Reading "fans" never cease to amaze me with how little support they show our own players....

Prior to this season I thought he was raw and strong with some promise, but not good enough to displace Kebe, McAnuff and HRK so his chances were always going to be limited and so it proved (2 starts and 4 appearances as sub)...
He didn't really get in the game against Hull (his first start this season) but in the first half of the Bristol game I thought he presented our biggest threat - prepared to try to get to the byline and showed his strength in doing so, and put a couple of great crosses in...given that it was only his second start in the Championship, it's hardly surprising that he faded later on and was replaced by Cwyka.

In honesty I suspect he's now pushing HRK hard for the third spot on the wing (with Obita coming up fast on the rails)...

As far as him going to Sheffield permanently, I guess it might have a lot to do with what the player himself wants, and how he fits into plans for next year....if Brian is, indeed, intent on signing another winger, then Antonio is realistically only going to get a chance in the event of some kind of injury crisis. He seems to have settled well at Sheffield, and if it were me at his age, I'd probably fancy a whole season of Championship level football as the #1 choice on the right, rather than sit at Reading in the reserves.....

It might just be that he's asked to go, and we've said (as we tend to do in these circumstances) that we won't stand in his way....

Spot on. I thought he was very good against BC. What do people expect of a young player? Of course it will take time and he really seems to have come good on loan this season.

However, if we are going to sign McCleary there will be no spot in the 25, so the only options will be to sell or to extend his deal and to loan him again at least until the end of the year. If he improves again we could add him to the 25 in January - if say one of our wingers has a long term injury.

I really hope we don't sell - but as you say Antonio might not be prepared to sign an extension so we might have little option as we can get far more for him now than we are likely to get if it goes to tribunal next summer.

[ZacNaloen]

Antonio looks as raw as Long did a few years back and as out of control as Kebe did for ages.

Still think he could do something for us if he got a run of games in the team.

[melonhead]

when he played 2 games in a row he improved massively for the second one- which is a good sign- not something we can rely on in the prem though

[Snowball]

Big strong lad, with ball-skills, gets goals as a winger. Might yet make a striker.

[leww_rfc]

The OP looks healthy.

[sandman]

Big strong lad, with ball-skills, gets goals as a winger. Might yet make a striker.

I didn't know tripping over it was a ball skill.

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

Big strong lad, with ball-skills, gets goals as a winger. Might yet make a striker.

I didn't know tripping over it was a ball skill.

...but its ok when Kebe does it..??..

[sandman]

Kebe does it because he wants to.

[melonhead]

to lull the defender into thinking his some sort of wing based clown

then BOOM, he skins him the next time before putting a cross onto a forwards head/scoring a scorcher/hoofing it into the crowd/falling over

[Victor Meldrew]

Despite the good service they have given to the club over varying periods I don't see the point in offering new contracts to Bryn and Harte.
A sentimental decision by the club (unlike Salako?)similar to the situation with Ivar when we all knew he was past it.

I take it you've been to most games this season? Harte has been immense. Nothing to do with sentimentality whatsoever. He will make a superb back up for the defence in the Premiership. Hopefully we'll get someone like Wayne Bridge as first choice.

Opinions and yes I have been to every home and regrettably only a few away games.
Hopefully we won't get Wayne Bridge,a player IMHO who has gone rapidly downhill and Sunderland only used him as a sub when he went there.
We obviously don't agree on those left-backs but maybe we would both agree on Bertrand?

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

Personally dont think bridge is that good and agree that Bertrand is a better option ...keen to do well and impress...

..Bridge seems to be too much in love with his bank account, and has shown no ambition when clear he had no future at Citeh, to get off his ar*e and show he still had drive and ambition...he just sat snug with his obscene wages...but after a while felt he needed to be seen willing so went on loan...

...if he joined Reading he'd act like a big time charlie, and be a bit like.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHo2pXO_XAI

...the last bit is Bridge talking to Anton

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Ideal wrote: If we need a left back we should get Jonathan Parr from Crystal Palace.

+1 on this shout Ideal

Parr, Zaha and Clyne will all be good signings from Palace.

[Terminal Boardom]

If we need a left back we should get Jonathan Parr from Crystal Palace.

He can't take pens so would fit in perfectly.

[Friday's Legacy]

Personally dont think bridge is that good and agree that Bertrand is a better option ...keen to do well and impress...

..Bridge seems to be too much in love with his bank account, and has shown no ambition when clear he had no future at Citeh, to get off his ar*e and show he still had drive and ambition...he just sat snug with his obscene wages...but after a while felt he needed to be seen willing so went on loan...

...if he joined Reading he'd act like a big time charlie, and be a bit like.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHo2pXO_XAI

...the last bit is Bridge talking to Anton

I held the same opinion of Bridge, but perhaps wrongly. He has said he just wants to play football and it isn't about the money. That still doesn't mean he would be in our range, but it does sound like he wants regular football at this stage of his career. If we're still interested then it's one that could happen.

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

Personally dont think bridge is that good and agree that Bertrand is a better option ...keen to do well and impress...

..Bridge seems to be too much in love with his bank account, and has shown no ambition when clear he had no future at Citeh, to get off his ar*e and show he still had drive and ambition...he just sat snug with his obscene wages...but after a while felt he needed to be seen willing so went on loan...

...if he joined Reading he'd act like a big time charlie, and be a bit like.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHo2pXO_XAI

...the last bit is Bridge talking to Anton

I held the same opinion of Bridge, but perhaps wrongly. He has said he just wants to play football and it isn't about the money. That still doesn't mean he would be in our range, but it does sound like he wants regular football at this stage of his career. If we're still interested then it's one that could happen.

Friday ....cynical me would say " well he would say that wouldnt he" ...the mistake Winston Bogarde made was not saying that

[Big Ern]

Anybody who would not want Bridge at the club is mad. He is an excellent player and if he hadn't retired from International Football (thanks John Terry) I am sure he would be in with a good shout of going to the Euro's

He may be getting a fortune at CIty, but then again, who wouldn't have taken what they were offering, and his exclusion is more to do with his relationship with Mancini. Still think he would be out of our range though, but if by some small chance we did get him, it would be the biggest transfer coup in the clubs history.

[Simon's Church]

Anybody who would not want Bridge at the club is mad. He is an excellent player and if he hadn't retired from International Football (thanks John Terry) I am sure he would be in with a good shout of going to the Euro's

'greed, he looked brilliant in his 2 full games this season.

[cmonurz]

Anybody who would not want Bridge at the club is mad. He is an excellent player and if he hadn't retired from International Football (thanks John Terry) I am sure he would be in with a good shout of going to the Euro's.

+1, but then there’s a lot of short-sightedness on this board as to the actual quality of our playing squad compared to players who aren’t quite good enough for the top few teams in the Premier League – see some of the negative reaction to our proposed signing of Jason Roberts, for example.

There’s a real gap in class between the Championship and experienced Premier League players like Bridge, always has been.*



*The exceptions to the rule are, of course, Ray Houghton and Sir Les Ferdinand.