'Unknowns' - The Way Forward?

[tomrfcurz]

I know there's bound to be a kneejerk from BWP and i'm worried maybe this is mine but i've been thinking today about Mr Mad and his cash. Why invest in unknowns? The only ones who have ever worked out are Doyler and Kitson; any others would go through our academy for a while i.e. Long, Antonio etc. The signing of first Dave Mooney, now Brett Williams seem to kick out and suggest Madejski previous form for investing small in players then them coming off has been brought into every signing. I started this thread to see your opinions not slag off mine but i really do not see this unknowns as the way forward, its a lottery of sorts, except Madejski's pocket isn't being hit one jot. We NEED a player with form, no i'm not talking 35 years old having done a stint at one Premier League club; i mean a player who is known for what they do best. I'm talking about the Matty Fryatts, the Charlie Austin's; nowhere near past it but well known for what they do. Come on Mr Madejski, i don't like slagging you off after what you've done for the club but it's old news now, its like a stuck record. We're in the present now don't live in the past with your investment; put up or leave.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Club income will now be down to about £15m at a guess, where will this money come from,and why?

[tomrfcurz]

Club income will now be down to about £15m at a guess, where will this money come from,and why?

Where? I'm sure £1.5mil for Austin out of the £7.5mil odd from Sig isn't out of the question but i understand majority should and can be used for balancing the club

Why? Huh? To fulfill our need of a striker for example. Because Long has started scoring it doesn't make the problem go away

[glass half full]

Club income will now be down to about £15m at a guess, where will this money come from,and why?

Where? I'm sure £1.5mil for Austin out of the £7.5mil odd from Sig isn't out of the question but i understand majority should and can be used for balancing the club

Why? Huh? To fulfill our need of a striker for example. Because Long has started scoring it doesn't make the problem go away

Long scoring has eased the problem, however.

Many 'unknowns' come good after a while of settling in because they are hungry for success and, with astute and careful development, they can become a massive acquisition and asset. Probably the best example of all is Gylfi. There was no-one more unknown than he but he grew with Brian McDermott and the rest, we know, is history.

[tomrfcurz]

Club income will now be down to about £15m at a guess, where will this money come from,and why?

Where? I'm sure £1.5mil for Austin out of the £7.5mil odd from Sig isn't out of the question but i understand majority should and can be used for balancing the club

Why? Huh? To fulfill our need of a striker for example. Because Long has started scoring it doesn't make the problem go away

Long scoring has eased the problem, however.

Many 'unknowns' come good after a while of settling in because they are hungry for success and, with astute and careful development, they can become a massive acquisition and asset. Probably the best example of all is Gylfi. There was no-one more unknown than he but he grew with Brian McDermott and the rest, we know, is history.

I am simply worried that we are putting to much trust in them and wondering what you bunch make of that opinion. Is it a Mr Mad cop out?

[ankeny]

Garlic Bread,Thats the future

[Royal Lady]

Have we signed Brett Williams?

[tomrfcurz]

Have we signed Brett Williams?

All but confirmed apparently. Waiting on the medical

[Svlad Cjelli]

Is it a Mr Mad cop out?

Absolutely not. People seem to think that SJM is hands-on at the club, but he's most definitley not. He leaves the RFC management board to get on with it, and in the past he's only got involved when money is needed - but now as they know there'll be no money other than what they've got already then they can just get on with it themselves.

[pea]

I see your concern but Griffin, Khizanishvili and Leigertwood were hardly unknowns were they? All seemed like fairly average signings but (i think) ended up significantly improving our side.

I can see the frustration that we're forming a good side and we're almost there and just one special player would be the difference between us staying in this division or going up. Perhaps an inform BWP would have been that player, Cox and Austin have also supposedly been on McDermotts radar, which shows that we want to bring that player in but arn't quite ready to make the gamble on a player who could get injured for a while or has an inflated price.

[Svlad Cjelli]

When we went up we were called "the team with no stars" - the problem of having a single outstanding player is if they get bought then you're back to square one.

Much better to go back to where we were with a super squad of players who together were greater than the sum of their parts.

[roadrunner]

When we went up we were called "the team with no stars" - the problem of having a single outstanding player is if they get bought then you're back to square one.

Much better to go back to where we were with a super squad of players who together were greater than the sum of their parts.

Indeed, but one reason my love for the game has diminished so much since our trip into the heady heights of the Premiership is because of said players who we all felt a bond with got all big-headed and believed their own hype, and were ultimately our down fall in PL Season 2. Would I be excited about watching us in the top flight again? Not really, no. Do I feel any attachment to the players I watch each week? Not any more, no. I don't want to go off on a tangent, but money has ruined this game, it's taken away the religious type passion I always had for it, and for me it's merely an interest/habit now, and that is sad. Once upon a time a Reading result would make or break my weekend. Now it's a sigh at worst.

[philM]

In my opinion the hunger of the 05/06 squad was a big part of what made them great. Once they got there the hunger wasn't there and complacency set in, and they started to think they were better than they were, eg Lita, Shorey, Kitson, Sonko etc

Unless we are in a position to buy the truly great players then "unknowns" seems to be the way forward. The desire needs to be a big part of any great "budget" team pushing for their first prem season.

[Svlad Cjelli]

When we went up we were called "the team with no stars" - the problem of having a single outstanding player is if they get bought then you're back to square one.

Much better to go back to where we were with a super squad of players who together were greater than the sum of their parts.

Indeed, but one reason my love for the game has diminished so much since our trip into the heady heights of the Premiership is because of said players who we all felt a bond with got all big-headed and believed their own hype, and were ultimately our down fall in PL Season 2. Would I be excited about watching us in the top flight again? Not really, no. Do I feel any attachment to the players I watch each week? Not any more, no. I don't want to go off on a tangent, but money has ruined this game, it's taken away the religious type passion I always had for it, and for me it's merely an interest/habit now, and that is sad. Once upon a time a Reading result would make or break my weekend. Now it's a sigh at worst.

No arguments with any of that.

I often think I should have just stopped watching football after that first season in the PL - nothing was ever going to match those two seasons, when we experienced highs we'd never even drempt of. After that, everything is an anti-climax.

[prostak]

If we, as a support, really thought that there is a star striker out there just waiting to join us, why not club together? I'm not necessarily being flippant - FC Koln fans had a campaign to raise funds for signing Podolski, some 'buy a pixel' thing. A lot of people here seem to expect Madejski to donate personal funds to gamble on the team's future, so why not do that themselves? Don't give me that 'I buy my season ticket every year' nonsense either, particularly as publicly-available accounts show that this doesn't even cover running costs.

[Svlad Cjelli]

Beacuse the sums involved are astonomical. We're talking about at least a million, even excluding wages.

So that'd be about £80 from each season ticket holder.

[prostak]

Eighty as a one-off, though? That's, what... Just over a tank of petrol? I'm not personally interested in donating anything, it's just a suggestion. Would the club be opposed to a large donation, if it came with the caveat of being used for a transfer?

[Svlad Cjelli]

That includes £80 from kids and OAPs, though.

In any case, I'd not pay anything. If I was putting my money into the club I'd want something back for it, like supporter representation or participation - I'm not just going to give them money!

A million ought to get an 80th share of the Club - or 1.25% of the shares.

[Hoop Blah]

When we went up we were called "the team with no stars" - the problem of having a single outstanding player is if they get bought then you're back to square one.

Much better to go back to where we were with a super squad of players who together were greater than the sum of their parts.

We may not have had any one player that was regarded as a big name, but through their performances that seasons Sonko, Sidwell, Kitson and Little were every bit the outstanding players. The rest set standards that were very high too and so we didn't have a massive gulf between the stars and the water carriers as, for example, QPR might have this season.

Buying the 'unknows' is a fine policy IF it's combined with injecting ready made players into the squad who can strengthen the side where it's needed immediately. The likes of Hahnemann, Ingimarsson, Sidwell, Convey (albeit after a years injury) and Little did just that.

It's all about balance. I'm not sure as have that right now, but perhaps in a few weeks time we will.

[Snowball]

Maybe we should start a thread on this but supporter-fund-raising, when organised
can make a huge difference.

I was born in Newport and followed Newport County. Years ago I walked 32 miles
with others to raise the wages for one week and when NCAFC were exiled to play in
England I ran 80 miles with 3 others to arrive at Moreton in the Marsh 5 minutes
before kick-off (only time I have run on to a pitch to applause form the crowd!)

But a few years later, after another money-crisis I changed tack arguing that these regular
"emergencies" were plain stupid, we lurched from one to the next one.

I started a thing which got called Amber Army where supporters signed up and many
paid £5 a week to buy shares. The AA had a full board representative and they may
have two now. The AA committee led the fund-raising for a club-house (profits bought
more shares and more representation.)

I've lost touch with the fund-raising side now but fans raise a substantial amount for a small club
and we are still in with a chance of being in the football league next season

2,000 fans raising a fiver each a week by standing order can make a big difference. Remember
that £5 is over the year, so worth about £8 a week in the season... Those same groups, now
they have a base (and accrue shares and a genuine voice) also arrange all sorts of fund-raisers
and the club gives something back with privileges.

At RFC that might be (for example) a Xmas do with the players, invites to training days etc

Don't pooh-hoo the idea without investigating it. The difference is it becomes a steady trickle of money
and (usually) grows (as long as there are keen people at the centre. AA started about 14-15 years ago
and my personal £21.67 per month standing order has now raised £3,900. (I still pay)

Now imagine that multiplied by a thousand member = 3.9 MILLION and 2,000 members? 7.8 MILLION