No striker on the horizon

[Stranded]

Interesting words from Brian McD on the Get Reading website today:

McDermott has also dashed fans’ hopes of bringing in another striker on loan as he puts his trust in Shane Long, Noel Hunt and Simon Church to do the damage up front for Reading,

He added: “I get bored about talking about players coming to the club and listening to people talking about players that aren’t here.

“It seems to be a constant theme around football now where clubs talk about players that aren’t at their club and I don’t understand that.

“If there’s someone we think will enhance the club then we will do it.

“If I feel there isn’t then we won’t. I’ve done the scouting job for 10 years and if I thought there was someone out there who would add to us then I would do it.”

[Barry the bird boggler]

Felt this was a total non-news story. Manager in "we'll only bring in someone who adds to the squad" shock.

[Dave the rave]

Felt this was a total non-news story. Manager in "we'll only bring in someone who adds to the squad" shock.

Or he's put the nail in the coffin on the subject.
This is it for this season now. Live/die by the sword time.

[Royal Lady]

So, effectively, he's saying there is no one out there available who he believes are better than the 3 strikers we already have?

[Wycombe Royal]

So, effectively, he's saying there is no one out there available who he believes are better than the 3 strikers we already have?

That we can afford.

I also think he's right when he says he's been scouting for 10 years so he knows what he's doing.....

[BR2]

So, effectively, he's saying there is no one out there available who he believes are better than the 3 strikers we already have?

That we can afford.

I also think he's right when he says he's been scouting for 10 years so he knows what he's doing.....

He did make Marcus Williams his first summer signing.

[NR_Royal]

Here's what will happen.

We'll go until January with Long, Church and Hunt.

Long will be OK, but the same as he has been the whole time.
Church will be useless. He seems to have lost something (maybe confidence).
Hunt won't regain the form he had prior to injury.

The goals will come from Kébé, Karacan and pens and in January we will finally succumb to bringing in a striker on loan with a view to buy.

[Royal Lady]

So, effectively, he's saying there is no one out there available who he believes are better than the 3 strikers we already have?

That we can afford.

I also think he's right when he says he's been scouting for 10 years so he knows what he's doing.....

Doesn't indicate the affordability in his quote though, does he?

[BR2]

"The manager not knowing what it is like to be a fan"shocker.
Fans of all clubs talk about what players their clubs should get rid of or what players they should buy,it's what they do Brian.
With all of his 10 years of scouting I find it strange that he doesn't know of any player out there who would provide a different option to our 3 strikers-Brian they are all little and every other club seems to have at least one bigger target striker as something different if necessary and in a lot of cases as the main mane.g:-
Drogba
Berbatov
Torres
Crouch
Carew
Chamakh(sp.)
Saha
Carroll etc,etc
and in our division
Oh I can't be bothered-Brian you are rightly sticking to the Reading maxim of "We go with what we have got" but I would just add that we had Kitson in the 106 team and Newcastle had Carroll last season so to win this division it does look as though you need somebody over 6ft up front for at least parts of games whereas we now have nobody,seemingly from what our manager has said,out of choice who fits the bill.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

So, effectively, he's saying there is no one out there available who he believes are better than the 3 strikers we already have?

That we can afford.

I also think he's right when he says he's been scouting for 10 years so he knows what he's doing.....

Doesn't indicate the affordability in his quote though, does he?

well I think most would take it as read that there's little point scouting players he knows he has no chance of signing.

[FiNeRaIn]

McDermott has also dashed fans’ hopes of bringing in another striker on loan as he puts his trust in Shane Long, Noel Hunt and Simon Church to do the damage up front for Reading,

He added: “I get bored about talking about players coming to the club and listening to people talking about players that aren’t here.

“It seems to be a constant theme around football now where clubs talk about players that aren’t at their club and I don’t understand that.

I get bored of not buying anyone when its been clear for ages we need too.

[Z175]

"The manager not knowing what it is like to be a fan"shocker.
Fans of all clubs talk about what players their clubs should get rid of or what players they should buy,it's what they do Brian.
With all of his 10 years of scouting I find it strange that he doesn't know of any player out there who would provide a different option to our 3 strikers-Brian they are all little and every other club seems to have at least one bigger target striker as something different if necessary and in a lot of cases as the main mane.g:-
Drogba
Berbatov
Torres
Crouch
Carew
Chamakh(sp.)
Saha
Carroll etc,etc
and in our division
Oh I can't be bothered-Brian you are rightly sticking to the Reading maxim of "We go with what we have got" but I would just add that we had Kitson in the 106 team and Newcastle had Carroll last season so to win this division it does look as though you need somebody over 6ft up front for at least parts of games whereas we now have nobody,seemingly from what our manager has said,out of choice who fits the bill.

Of course a make a good point but somehting different doesn't necessarily equate to big target man - you include players like Torres and Chamakh who are deceptively strong. I would suggest Long is in this mould although of course a cheaper version. He is our something different, which is why we play him up fornt with instructions to lay it off and to have his back to goal. hunt is our big target man and Church, if he steps up can be a pacey finisher.

I have no issue with our current striking options, (other than the lack of faith in church /his lack of confidence when 1 on 1), I think its just a numbers issue. long will inevitably get a red at some point and Church and Hunt will pick up knocks. The idea of Hal Robson Kanu leading the line with Bignall doesn't thrill many fans, hence our understandable desire for a new striker.

[FiNeRaIn]

The goals will come from Kébé, Karacan and pens and in January we will finally succumb to bringing in a striker on loan with a view to buy.

LOL!!!!!!!!

Go back to bed. More likely to have federici weighing in with goals than Karacan.

[Hoop Blah]

Z175, have you seen Shane Long play?

McDermott is saying exactly what you'd expect him to.

As for his 10 years of scouting blah blah blah. Not only did he bring in Williams but he was part of the the team suggesting and buying all those other failures we've seen over that period. His knowledge doesn't make him immune to getting it wrong!

Our lack of options up front is limiting, and I'm amazed that we can't do anything positive about it, even within our tight financial contraints.

[loyalroyal4life]

what a shock this is

[brendywendy]

Lost 1 game so far you bunch of gaybos. If required we will get one in jan. Go support man city if it irks u.

[RoyalBlue]

Lost 1 game so far you bunch of gaybos. If required we will get one in jan. Go support man city if it irks u.

There's an effing big difference between only losing one game and being in with a genuine chance of pushing for promotion. Just how far do they want to let the top teams get away before they realise they have a strike force competing with a bunch of eunuchs to see how many blanks they can fire!

One again the only answer the Madesjki fan club can come up with is to tell other supporters to go and support another team. Still, makes a change from the bogeyman stories about us going bust and disappearing like all those other clubs (which exactly?) have done. There is a sodding long way between Madejski's approach and that of Man City. All most of us 'dissidents' are asking is that the club is allowed to move a bit more into that middle ground.

So, effectively, he's saying there is no one out there available who he believes are better than the 3 strikers we already have?

That we can afford.

I also think he's right when he says he's been scouting for 10 years so he knows what he's doing.....

Yep have to concede, he is particularly hot on spotting young promising full backs and then finding older replacements for them just a few months later!

As for what we can afford - what a joke! Despite brilliant financial management in the past, frequent cloth cutting and balancing the books, the jackpot secured by the sale of The Sig has managed to completely disappear into another Madejski 'black hole' ! The only visible benefit being that the club can now afford to splash out on a cheap one way flight up to Teesside!

[Millsy]

It's all fine.

It's not like we've lost our top/best goalscorer and replaced him with nothing.

It's not like our strikers can't score in a brothel.

It's not like we only got an allegedly unexpected/unwanted windfall of several million to play with.

And it's not like a striker who's actually capable of scoring could only seriously make the difference between midtable/playoffs/pro.

I hopeThe Madejski Rectum is cosy if there are any fans still living up it.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

The most galling thing is that we desperately needed one even before Gylfi left. Our midfielders really have to step up this season if we want to be top half let alone playoff material.

Dissappointing.

[PEARCEY]

It really is a bit ridiculous to write off our current strike-force. All three have perfectly good goals per games ratios at this level...