Squad for 2020/21

[Wycombe Royal]

If we're going back on our word with Liverpool only to sign him on a free, I assume they will never loan/sell us anybody again and could have grounds to take us to court. I assume we're making a late attempt to get him to agree to a lower wage, which isn't as silly as it sounds in the current environment.

Reading presumably only had an option to purchase.

Not according to the Liverpool official website. They said their goodbyes to him and said the deal WILL become permanent this summer.

[Old Man Andrews]

Charlie Adam has confirmed his contract will not be renewed.

[royalp-we]

Had a chat with my step dad earlier and whilst it is agreed shifting the deadwood is a must, do we really want to be just focussing solely on recruiting ‘young and hungry’ players this summer?

We need an overhaul. Everyone knows that. But I think we need a bit of experience (esp with Adam and McCleary leaving), just one or two especially in midfield and/or attack, because at times we’ve looked devoid of ideas when we go on the counter. It just hasn’t flowed. João is a presence, but with him out of these past few games it’s showed nobody else really stood up.

As much as it will probably be shot down (yes he’s had injury problems) I do feel we are missing someone in a similar ilk to Forestieri that makes people stand up and take notice; who can be a constant threat to opposition defences.

Swift / Olise / Ejaria etc all looked class at the start but really tailed off. By the end of the season they didn’t really stick it up the opposition at all.

Im not saying let’s spend a wedge on experienced has-beens. But you need some quality pros in this division, we cannot underestimate things next season by taking punts on all transfers.

[Zip]

Had a chat with my step dad earlier and whilst it is agreed shifting the deadwood is a must, do we really want to be just focussing solely on recruiting ‘young and hungry’ players this summer?

We need an overhaul. Everyone knows that. But I think we need a bit of experience (esp with Adam and McCleary leaving), just one or two especially in midfield and/or attack, because at times we’ve looked devoid of ideas when we go on the counter. It just hasn’t flowed. João is a presence, but with him out of these past few games it’s showed nobody else really stood up.

As much as it will probably be shot down (yes he’s had injury problems) I do feel we are missing someone in a similar ilk to Forestieri that makes people stand up and take notice; who can be a constant threat to opposition defences.

Swift / Olise / Ejaria etc all looked class at the start but really tailed off. By the end of the season they didn’t really to stick it up the opposition at all.

Bowen has made reference to playing at a higher tempo. That’s what I want to hear. We have had too much slow tempo stuff in the past few years. It needs to change.
However if we do play high tempo football fitness levels need to improve on the past four or five years.

[Old Man Andrews]

Had a chat with my step dad earlier and whilst it is agreed shifting the deadwood is a must, do we really want to be just focussing solely on recruiting ‘young and hungry’ players this summer?

We need an overhaul. Everyone knows that. But I think we need a bit of experience (esp with Adam and McCleary leaving), just one or two especially in midfield and/or attack, because at times we’ve looked devoid of ideas when we go on the counter. It just hasn’t flowed. João is a presence, but with him out of these past few games it’s showed nobody else really stood up.

As much as it will probably be shot down (yes he’s had injury problems) I do feel we are missing someone in a similar ilk to Forestieri that makes people stand up and take notice; who can be a constant threat to opposition defences.

Swift / Olise / Ejaria etc all looked class at the start but really tailed off. By the end of the season they didn’t really stick it up the opposition at all.

I'd be all for Forestieri if he were fit and didn't have a load of baggage. He is a bit like Ross McCormack in a way, really talented player but has a heap of issues that has badly affected their careers.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Had a chat with my step dad earlier and whilst it is agreed shifting the deadwood is a must, do we really want to be just focussing solely on recruiting ‘young and hungry’ players this summer?

We need an overhaul. Everyone knows that. But I think we need a bit of experience (esp with Adam and McCleary leaving), just one or two especially in midfield and/or attack, because at times we’ve looked devoid of ideas when we go on the counter. It just hasn’t flowed. João is a presence, but with him out of these past few games it’s showed nobody else really stood up.

As much as it will probably be shot down (yes he’s had injury problems) I do feel we are missing someone in a similar ilk to Forestieri that makes people stand up and take notice; who can be a constant threat to opposition defences.

Swift / Olise / Ejaria etc all looked class at the start but really tailed off. By the end of the season they didn’t really stick it up the opposition at all.

Im not saying let’s spend a wedge on experienced has-beens. But you need some quality pros in this division, we cannot underestimate things next season by taking punts on all transfers.

Good post. Agree young and hungry is what we need but as you say on the other hand we need some experience, to organise and also help should we hit a bad spell, to hold the team together, people who have been through good and bad times in a team

[Old Man Andrews]

Jordan Obita has left the club.

[Hendo]

Just saw that on Twitter. He just isn’t the same player after the injuries which is a massive shame but I hope he finds a good club and starts playing regularly for them.

[Old Man Andrews]

Interesting he said there was an offer and the club withdrew it. We must be in severe shit money wise, worse than we might have imagined.

[royalp-we]

Sad to see him leave. A great servant to this club.

With Blackett going too and no left winger at the club, we must have several transfers in the works for that left side.

[Old Man Andrews]

Sad to see him leave. A great servant to this club.

With Blackett going too and no left winger at the club, we must have several transfers in the works for that left side.

Blackett will 100% go imo. Think anyone earning big money is done.

We are in real trouble financially, even worse than we thought.

[genome]

Quite gutted to see Obita go to be honest - academy product, Reading through and through and on his day a superb player. Such a shame about his injuries - hope he has every success elsewhere.

[Glasgow_Royal]

The one thing we don't need as it stands are more strikers.

We need 3 wingers
2 CDM's
2 attacking midfielders
Left back
2 central defenders

Why do we need attacking midfielders when we have Ejaria, Olise and Holsgrove assuming Swift does go?

Ejaria isn't reliable enough, goes missing. Needs competition in order to stay sharp.

Olise is a kid, not fair to rely on him.

Holsgrove is an unproven kid, nowhere near ready for the first team. Could do with a League 1/2 loan move.

Holsgrove is an unproven kid? More than held his own in pre season last year (looked very tidy against a strong Sevilla side) and has just come back from a very successful loan in Spain (won the title and included in multiple 'team of the seasons by Spanish media). More than deserves his opportunity IMO

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Shame to see him go, as others have said been. A good servant to the club.

Sadly isn’t the player he was and if his wages were high, then the right decision for him to move on, wish him the best.

[royalp-we]

Sad to see him leave. A great servant to this club.

With Blackett going too and no left winger at the club, we must have several transfers in the works for that left side.

Blackett will 100% go imo. Think anyone earning big money is done.

We are in real trouble financially, even worse than we thought.

I don’t think we are; I think it’s more a case that Nigel Howe knows that a wage cap is coming...

[genome]

I can see the phrase "young and hungry" really getting on my nerves this summer

[Old Man Andrews]

I can see the phrase "young and hungry" really getting on my nerves this summer

More of a "mature and full up" man?

[genome]

I can see the phrase "young and hungry" really getting on my nerves this summer

More of a "mature and full up" man?

You can do better than that mate

[Old Man Andrews]

I can see the phrase "young and hungry" really getting on my nerves this summer

More of a "mature and full up" man?

You can do better than that mate

I think we both know that isn't true...

[Snowflake Royal]

Sorry made an error. The 23 players are earning 30 million a year and the ones we released only 10 million a year. There is no way that can be true. It would mean the other 23 players are on an average of 25k a week.

I did the calculations on the previous page for you.
Why did I bother FFS.

Sorry I missed that. Thank you x

Anyway, point stands even if that website is disputed by others on here. There is no way we are are not cutting our wage bill more than they assume.

Is the argument thrown my way every year. Every year it's wrong.