NH on Radio Berkshire

[tmesis]

I gave a list of possible targets on Page 5.
I'll repost it as you clearly missed it:

Possible targets:
Nakhi Wells Age: 23 (Bradford) Last Season: League 2 39 Games, 18 Goals; This Season: League 1 5 Games, 5 Goals
We couldn't afford him?

Will Grigg (Brentford) Age: 22 League 1 Last Season: 41 Games, 19 Goals; League 1 This Season: 4 Games, 2 Goals
Snapped up by Brentford on a free in the Summer. We couldn't compete with Brentford for a free transfer?

Sam Baldock (Bristol City) Age: 24 Championship Last Season: 24 Games, 10 Goals; League 1 This Season: 5 Games, 4 Goals
We couldn't afford him?

Paddy Madden (Yeovil Town) Age 23 League 1 Last Season: 35 Games, 22 Goals
So what Yeovil got promoted, we couldn't afford him or convince him to leave Yeovil?

None of these strikers would have improved our forward options?
You can't possibly argue that Grigg (League 1's joint second top goalscorer last season) was too expensive, he was available on a free!!

why do you assume we missed out on signing them?

Maybe we just looked at them and thought they weren't good enough. Perhaps out scouts base ability on a little more that August's goal stats. Perhaps they were decent players, but didn't look like they fit into the sort of system Adkins wants to play.

And maybe they weren't available for £500k.

Weren't good enough to compete with an injured Roberts, a distinerested Pog and Nick Blackman you mad?
And as I said Will Grigg, 22 years old, was available on a free transfer so nothing to do with price.
You keep saying we couldn't buy a striker at a decent amount, I've named four decent young strikers that we could easily have afforded.

What do you think is more likely

a) we were outbid by Brentford and other league 1 teams for these players
b) we didn't want them

[Nameless]

Someone snapped up on a free in Div 1 over the summerwas probably not the sort of player we were looking at then, and exactly the sort that would have had HNA ablaze with complaints about our lack of ambition.
Are we saying we wanted any old forward, or a Championship / Premiership standard forward. None of those named fit into the latter category.
I can actually sympathise with the answer that ANY forward would probably have been better than none !

[P!ssed Off]

Weren't good enough to compete with an injured Roberts, a distinerested Pog and Nick Blackman you mad?
And as I said Will Grigg, 22 years old, was available on a free transfer so nothing to do with price.
You keep saying we couldn't buy a striker at a decent amount, I've named four decent young strikers that we could easily have afforded.

What do you think is more likely

a) we were outbid by Brentford and other league 1 teams for these players
b) we didn't want them

The question "We couldn't compete with Brentford for a free transfer?" was rhetorical. Obviously if we wanted him we could have signed him.
I don't think we even considered him, or these other suggestions, that's why I'm annoyed.
We were too busy chasing the big names but the big name transfers have fallen through.

I bet if someone told Adkins he could have Grigg, League 1's second top scorer from last season (only 22 years old and still improving), on a free then he'd be delighted.
I bet if someone told Adkins he could have Wells, League 1's August player of the month (only 23 years old and still improving), for a pittance then he'd be delighted.
Well it's too late now. Missed his chance.

Not sure how your failing to grasp my point. When I say "we couldn't afford so and so?", that's a rhetorical question, of course we could afford them.
You keep telling me "we didn't want them". I'm well aware we didn't want them, that's why I'm annoyed.

[P!ssed Off]

Someone snapped up on a free in Div 1 over the summerwas probably not the sort of player we were looking at then, and exactly the sort that would have had HNA ablaze with complaints about our lack of ambition.
Are we saying we wanted any old forward, or a Championship / Premiership standard forward. None of those named fit into the latter category.
I can actually sympathise with the answer that ANY forward would probably have been better than none !

That's not how it works.
Premiership standard players stay in the Premiership.
The best Championship players move up to the Premiership.
The best League 1 players move up to the Championship.

Taking the top scorers from the division below e.g. Madden and Grigg is definitely not a case of "taking any old forward".

[peterroyal76]

I gave a list of possible targets on Page 5.
I'll repost it as you clearly missed it:

Possible targets:
Nakhi Wells Age: 23 (Bradford) Last Season: League 2 39 Games, 18 Goals; This Season: League 1 5 Games, 5 Goals
We couldn't afford him?

Will Grigg (Brentford) Age: 22 League 1 Last Season: 41 Games, 19 Goals; League 1 This Season: 4 Games, 2 Goals
Snapped up by Brentford on a free in the Summer. We couldn't compete with Brentford for a free transfer?

Sam Baldock (Bristol City) Age: 24 Championship Last Season: 24 Games, 10 Goals; League 1 This Season: 5 Games, 4 Goals
We couldn't afford him?

Paddy Madden (Yeovil Town) Age 23 League 1 Last Season: 35 Games, 22 Goals
So what Yeovil got promoted, we couldn't afford him or convince him to leave Yeovil?

None of these strikers would have improved our forward options?
You can't possibly argue that Grigg (League 1's joint second top goalscorer last season) was too expensive, he was available on a free!!

why do you assume we missed out on signing them?

Maybe we just looked at them and thought they weren't good enough. Perhaps out scouts base ability on a little more that August's goal stats. Perhaps they were decent players, but didn't look like they fit into the sort of system Adkins wants to play.

And maybe they weren't available for £500k.

Weren't good enough to compete with an injured Roberts, a distinerested Pog and Nick Blackman you mad?
And as I said Will Grigg, 22 years old, was available on a free transfer so nothing to do with price.
You keep saying we couldn't buy a striker at a decent amount, I've named four decent young strikers that we could easily have afforded.

Did you pass your transfer dossiers on to the club? I'm sure they would be interested!

[Extended-Phenotype]

They would probably stare at them with suspicion and confusion, wondering what on earth a body of research on more than 2 players could all mean.

[Maguire]

Do people honestly think that RFC don't know who Paddy Madden or Nakhi Wells are? They're prolly seen them play loads of times.

Suggesting we didn't sign them because we couldn't afford them or didn't know who they were is crazy. Even if we had signed them this board would be full of people going "so, we can only afford players from Yeovil/Bradford then? Hammond OUT etc

[Extended-Phenotype]

Fair points.

It's difficult to know what is going on behind the scenes, really. All we can go on is what they say they intend to do and what they actually do.

What they (and any club) say they intend to do is often sexed up for business reasons like keeping/attracting players and customers/fans - which is understandable, if frustrating.

[P!ssed Off]

Do people honestly think that RFC don't know who Paddy Madden or Nakhi Wells are? They're prolly seen them play loads of times.

Suggesting we didn't sign them because we couldn't afford them or didn't know who they were is crazy. Even if we had signed them this board would be full of people going "so, we can only afford players from Yeovil/Bradford then? Hammond OUT etc

I made a list of a few players purely so one poster who was bizarrely saying "good stikers are worth £1 million, but will cost £5 million", would shut up.
My question "We couldn't afford so and so?" was merely rhetorical; obviously we could but this one particular poster was acting as if we were dirt poor.
It didn't work clearly because he just kept repeating "but we didn't want those players".

tbh I'd rather have 3 decent strikers and forum members upset, than what we currently have: 1 decent striker, two shit ones and forum members upset.

[Barry the bird boggler]

We are looking for PL standard players from what I've seen in the media. Therefore the club are not going to chase players from lower leagues.

Of course the club may revise its aim in the future if it is to get anyone in short term but they weren't about to do that last window.

Lets see if anything happens in the loan window......

[P!ssed Off]

We are looking for PL standard players from what I've seen in the media. Therefore the club are not going to chase players from lower leagues.

Of course the club may revise its aim in the future if it is to get anyone in short term but they weren't about to do that last window.

Lets see if anything happens in the loan window......

I'd rather sign a lower league striker than look at a PL standard player.
Looking at a player is not going to score us any goals, is it?

[Terminal Boardom]

Interview in full...

http://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/article/hammond-040913-1035297.aspx

I can understand the frustration of the people who put their hands in their pockets and go to games. To say that the club were hopeful of getting more in and failing does not help with managing expectations, however, it is supporters who should manage expectations.

As for Sissoko, as he is a free agent I don't see what the fuss is. He is free to join whenever he wants - all he is doing is keeping his options open. Anyone in the same or similar position would do the same. I guess people need to have something to moan about.

[tmesis]

Do people honestly think that RFC don't know who Paddy Madden or Nakhi Wells are? They're prolly seen them play loads of times.

Suggesting we didn't sign them because we couldn't afford them or didn't know who they were is crazy. Even if we had signed them this board would be full of people going "so, we can only afford players from Yeovil/Bradford then? Hammond OUT etc

I made a list of a few players purely so one poster who was bizarrely saying "good stikers are worth £1 million, but will cost £5 million", would shut up.

that was an example - illustrating the fact that while players we may value at £1 million might be out there, the clubs we want to buy them from might up the price.

My question "We couldn't afford so and so?" was merely rhetorical; obviously we could but this one particular poster was acting as if we were dirt poor.

No. I was saying that we might think such overpriced players might not be worth the money the selling club is asking.

It didn't work clearly because he just kept repeating "but we didn't want those players".

That was when you produced your detailed scouting report asking why we didn't sign some certain lower league players. Just because you think they'd be great doesn't mean the club does too.


Christ, you grasp arguments about as well as Abu Hamza grasps Maltesers.

[Extended-Phenotype]

AnalogyFail. I'd imagine a hook is the perfect utensil for round chocolate balls.

[melonhead]