No Trust, No strategy, No effective Communication

[RoyalAuzzie]

Why do football fans have these funny ideas that they have a right to know who owns 'their' club?

Agreed. I cannot think of any other club in the history of the game that has openly discussed these internal topics to their "fans"

Buying a season ticket does not mean you are a shareholder. It is your choice to spend money on watching the footy every week. You have to appreciate the good with the bad.

[Tommy Jenkins]

Don't you think the new owners should have got all of us fans on side with some communication. This way we could have gained an insight on who they are and what there plans & ambitions are for the club. Something called PR & STRATEGY

As for the director of footballs interview sorry there no strategy attached there or link to what new the owners are thinking of.

Johhny Fordham seems to have similar concerns, please see quote below

Southbanker: READING FC FANS DONT KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT ANYMORE

Reading fans are not stupid and they realise that all the off-field uncertainties have not helped the process of rebuilding a side capable of challenging at the top end of the Championship

Over the last few years, Reading have not excelled when it comes to the small matter of managing supporters’ expectations.

Nigel Adkins raised the bar on arrival with his positive assertion that Royals would aim to win the Championship last season and score 100 goals in the process.

In Adkins’ defence, his spurious notion was broadcast before he realised that the Russian had done a runner, leaving the Madejski cupboard bare.

A further year in the ownership wilderness didn’t help and while the club now appears to be under a new and stable stewardship, the fans have been kept in the dark as to the plans and aspirations of the Thai consortium.

Consequently, the fans don’t know what to expect anymore.

Last Saturday’s bore draw with Bolton was the latest in a long line of uninspiring performances and did little to raise expectations that we’re on the right track.

Unfortunately, the current team finds it difficult to score goals and keep a clean sheet at the same time.

Reading fans are not stupid and they realise that all the off-field uncertainties have not helped the process of rebuilding a side capable of challenging at the top end of the Championship.

But opinion remains divided as to whether the present coaching regime should be getting more from this squad of players.

The pro-Adkins lobby believe that given proper backing, the Reading manager will create a team to match his initial expectations.

But according to Nick Hammond, the Financial Fair Play restrictions will. in all probability. mean that Reading will not sign any new players in January or even next summer unless some of the high earners are sold first.

So, for the foreseeable future, we will have to rely on what we have got and hope that the returning walking wounded somehow gel with the promising batch of home-grown youngsters.

The very least that fans expect from their players is total commitment to the cause and they certainly don’t want to see players bottling a 50/50 challenge, as Hal Robson-Kanu appeared to do last Saturday.

The prospect of an entertaining FA Cup third-round tie lifted the mood until the draw was made.

[Portsmouth Royal]

When TSI and AZ came in they said they were going to invest in the team whilst maintaining the ethic of sustainability from the previous regime. What they actually did was spend silly money on wages then scarper leaving the club floundering.

Moral of the story being that new owners could come in and say almost anything....judge them by their actions.

There is a reason that people who 'work' in PR are held in contempt by anybody who has a proper job.....

[Once were Biscuitmen]

This thread makes my eyes hurt.

We can't spend money because we are still recovering from the TSI ownership.

People criticized SJM for using the club as a 'ego trip.' Yet now the Thais aren't on the loud and proud mic before every home game reading out their life stories this is some sort of conspiracy.

What are the club supposed to say when everybody can see that until the big earners are out of contract it will be a struggle to aim for anything much beyond mid table in the 2nd tier?

If anybody needs this pointing out to them in this GCSE Business studies, 'PR marketing and comms plan strategy' it better have pictures and a low reading age.

[melonhead]

Thanks for the almost bit Melonhead

Whats your take on all this ?

well tommy, (can i call you tommy?) I'm glad you asked.


1. you say we arent being told about injuries, but i say theyve been very open, and its often come back to bite them when a player doesnt return when we predicted.so i welcome a bit of circumspection.the players get back when they get back, and you knowing about it wont speed it up.
2.weve been very transparent about the financial situation. only the other week we got full and frank disclosure from our director of football of what the situation is, and why we will again be feeding off scraps in the transfer window. its pretty clear that we were nearly oxf*rd due to anton and TSI, and that we could also be oxf*rd again if we spend too much this year due to FFP. there is at least sunshine on the horizon with some of the higher earners leaving in the summer. i hope that allows adkins to build a team of his own design, and add to the already very decent players he has brought into the club this year.
3. the ownership isnt uncertain. we are currently owned by 4 thai businessmen/women who head a consortium.
the club already has a chairman who is the public figurehead of the owners/board. the thai woman was introduced to us once, and i have no great need to be constantly hearing about how much she loves reading, and the club etc, when we all know theyll be in it for profit. we can only hope that in order to profit theyll have to make us into a half decent football team. i think their initial investment of taking on/paying off debts, and funding some decent spending (on a tight budget) in the summer, before ownership was even official.
we knew who our owner was before, but that didnt make a blind bit of difference when he fooked orf.
4. it is exactly clear how we are running at a loss. we pay wages way in excess of what we can afford, or what we bring in. in the past SJM would fill this gap with his money, or player sales. now those gaps cannot be filled due to FFP, so we have/had to sell players.
5. reading between th elines with karacan, theyre probably worried about him and dont want to put undue pressure on him, or raise fans hope of an imminent return.

[leon]

I can only think that the OP did not hear the Hammond interview on BBCRB before the match last Saturday. He had clearly been given the brief by the club to fully disclose the current situation and was clear and honest about it.

He said - the club was shafted by the previous regime
- there is no money to spend because if we do the FFP regulations will be breached
- we won't be buying players (other than possibly Murray - for whom there are funds in the budget) in January unless we sell players first
- the wage bill is massively too high
- a lot of the players out of contact next summer will be released as we cannot afford them (wage bill too high)
- next summer will give NA a chance to restructure the squad
- the new owners are very supportive but their hands are tied
- he said that NA's position as manager was safe and had not even been discussed at board level

I thought he was very open honest and I was reassured. For all the idiots saying the club is saying nothing WTF do you expect them to say other than the above. I think there are far too many morons supporting RFC.

And can you blame the new owners for keeping a low profile. Their hands are tied and they cannot spend money even if they want to apart from on the Academy – which we know they are doing. But even though this is because of the last regime, many on here will still want then hung drawn and quartered for not spending billions on new players. All they can do is keep a low profile until at least next summer.

Come on guys support the club during this difficult period and stop bleating and moaning about everything - it is getting boring.

"morons" like me believe we're under performing and have been for over a year.

But we won't be getting rid of Adkins not because he's doing well but because we can't afford to

[Pseud O'Nym]

we are currently owned by 4 thai businessmen/women who head a consortium.

Isn't it about time we grew out of these silly transsexual jokes?

[Mr Cinema]

This is the only post that I have attempted to write ( or did I write the original piece?)since joining in 2009, so that's how concerned I am right now about the situation

?

I assume not enough people got as outraged as you hoped in the original Shoot article this was posted in.

You have my sympathies, I've spent years trying to get people sign my petitions by scaremongering and talking absolute nonsense. Keep it up though, you're doing a sterling job.

[under the tin]

This is the only post that I have attempted to write ( or did I write the original piece?)since joining in 2009, so that's how concerned I am right now about the situation

?

I assume not enough people got as outraged as you hoped in the original Shoot article this was posted in.

You have my sympathies, I've spent years trying to get people sign my petitions by scaremongering and talking absolute nonsense. Keep it up though, you're doing a sterling job.

I doff my cap to you, Mr. Cinema.

[STAR Liaison]

I'm just really concerned about the big disconnection that's happening between the clubs lack of communication to our fans.

I am wondering if STAR should be trying to also take responsibility in putting this to the club and be prepared to challenge if they get kicked back?

STAR did make a suggestion along these lines to the club in late October and again last week. You can read the Nicky Hammond interview as a way of partly addressing this issue.

It has to be said different owners have different styles - you don't hear much directly from the guys in charge at Man City. You hear rather more from the guy at Cardiff.

There are a couple of good posts on here from Andrew1957 and melonhead (I think) which pretty much spell out the basic picture for Tommy J. I've had enough of football for today to add any more right now.

[Tommy Jenkins]

Well, Well, Well,

It appears from some fellow HOB NOBERS that all is fine & dandy with what's is going on at the club.

I guess and I was told this might be the case, but fear not I will also bury my head in the sand because after all we are very happy about whats going on and what we are BEING NOT told .

Good night Zeberdee & Florence !

[Para Handy]

CBA to read all that. I'm pretty sure that Melonhead with his 70 thousand odd posts of absolute bollox is going to be defending the club tho.

[Para Handy]

Oh, and Tommy, lest you think I'm agreeing with you. I'm not.

People like you are pretty tiresome with your multiple usernames. I'm guessing the Siege is one of them. Twat.

[melonhead]

CBA to read all that. I'm pretty sure that Melonhead with his 70 thousand odd posts of absolute bollox is going to be defending the club tho.

Twat.

[Para Handy]

CBA to read all that. I'm pretty sure that Melonhead with his 70 thousand odd posts of absolute bollox is going to be defending the club tho.

Twat.

Lol. You're a pcunt etc. Which bit is untrue?

[AirRaidSiren]

CBA to read all that. I'm pretty sure that Melonhead with his 70 thousand odd posts of absolute bollox is going to be defending the club tho.

Twat.

WHOOOOOOSH....

[Tommy Jenkins]

Dont worry you caant spell stunt !

[Para Handy]

Dont worry you caant spell stunt !

So, Tommy, your point is what? Apart from showing you can register as a different person albeit with the same myopic views, I'm struggling to understand exactly what you're trying to achieve here. We're quite used to absolute fucking wankers wanting to express their views. I see nothing to get excited about in your post.

[Tommy Jenkins]

Well what is Owners' opinion?

It would be interesting to hear what the owners make of the current goings-on on the field.

And what their intentions are in the short and long term.

Do they still have faith in Nigel Adkins?

Adkins is now 10/1 to be the next Championship manager to be sacked, second favourite after Brighton boss Sami Hyypia.

[P!ssed Off]

3. the ownership isnt uncertain. we are currently owned by 4 thai businessmen/women who head a consortium.

Melonhead, m8, you seem pretty clued up about this sort of thing.
If you could please tell us the names of the 4 Thais that own RFC, I would be grateful.*

*This request is for Melonhead only, I'm not interested in some twat who's not ITK, spouting incorrect 'certainties'. The Board* deserves more than that.
*The Team Board, that is.