RUMOUR - Danny Graham?

[dogzbollox]

No thanks. We have more than enough up top IMO.

Get a double hard b@stard in CM who can pass. Surely that is the priority above all others?!

Who??..best player I can think of has retired from football, is now an actor and does tv commercials on how to save people from heart attacks

Ah ah ah ah ..stayin alive ...stayin alive

#doublehardman

[royalsteve]

Graham would not be a good signing for Reading. At 27 years old, a four year contract would mean that we would get relatively little back if we sold him. Plus more importantly, I think he is just a reasonable championship level striker and for that worth about a million.
If Simon Church had played the same pitch time for Swansea and had the same well crafted chances I would have expected him to score about 12 goals compared to Graham's 15 and I would rate Church as just a reasonable Div 1 striker.

are you on drugs - graham is MILES better than Church - Graham is a decent champ player, Church is at best L2 - he was inept against Stevenage when they were in div2

[SPARTA]

No thanks. We have more than enough up top IMO.

In the short-term, but what about the long term?

Next season Hunt and Roberts could go on frees. Church is off. If we go down Pog is also off. That leaves us with Alf and Samuel, two decent options for that level but with us needing two more strikers. No thanks to Danny Graham is bonkers. He would be a top signing (good enough for this level and top end for the Champ).

[Royal Ginger]

No thanks. We have more than enough up top IMO.

In the short-term, but what about the long term?

Next season Hunt and Roberts could go on frees. Church is off. If we go down Pog is also off. That leaves us with Alf and Samuel, two decent options for that level but with us needing two more strikers. No thanks to Danny Graham is bonkers. He would be a top signing (good enough for this level and top end for the Champ).

Hunt contract extension can be sorted outside of the window once we've got a better idea of the how the season is going to go, and we can pick-up a couple in Summer when the prices aren't as inflated and there's more free agents around. The January window isn't the best time for investing in the future.

[SPARTA]

No thanks. We have more than enough up top IMO.

In the short-term, but what about the long term?

Next season Hunt and Roberts could go on frees. Church is off. If we go down Pog is also off. That leaves us with Alf and Samuel, two decent options for that level but with us needing two more strikers. No thanks to Danny Graham is bonkers. He would be a top signing (good enough for this level and top end for the Champ).

Hunt contract extension can be sorted outside of the window once we've got a better idea of the how the season is going to go, and we can pick-up a couple in Summer when the prices aren't as inflated and there's more free agents around. The January window isn't the best time for investing in the future.

I'm not for one minute suggesting do all the summer shopping now, but if Graham is available now then he would be a dam good acquisition for us. It would give us one less striker to replace in the summer. As for Hunt staying on, only as 4th choice then I hope. Love his work-rate but he's very limited. I'd rather see Roberts get another year at that level to be honest.

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

to be honest i would prefer charlie austin.

[Diddyroyal]

to be honest i would prefer charlie austin.

No he is a fat scumdon c**t

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

to be honest i would prefer charlie austin.

No he is a fat scumdon c**t

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgHgh8vENR8

he looks pretty good here. also is your avatar the carolina panthers logo?

[Diddyroyal]

Yes it is, went travelling in America about 10 years ago and stayed in chapel hill NC for a while , and have followed them since!

Austin took a while to make an impact in the championship, let alone make the step up again, however his record this season is pretty impressive , ill give you that!

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

Yes it is, went travelling in America about 10 years ago and stayed in chapel hill NC for a while , and have followed them since!

Austin took a while to make an impact in the championship, let alone make the step up again, however his record this season is pretty impressive , ill give you that!

i feel he could make the step up, he is afterall only 23 and improving all the time!

chapel hill is about a hour from where i live, i live about 30 minutes from charlotte as well where the bank of america stadium is! being a lifelong UNC fan i love chapel hill!

[SPARTA]

Sunderland apparently the favourites now to get him. £5m they say (Daily Mail)

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

Sunderland apparently the favourites now to get him. £5m they say (Daily Mail)

...twice our all time club record fee for a player ...I'd say close the thread...Hammond would have nightmares about such a fee

[royalp-we]

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/want- ... story.html

According to the man himself it's all down to what comes of his meeting with Laudrup in the next few days....

But if they want a sizeable fee, as others have said I would prefer to bolster the midfield. Hit and hope has hardly been kind to our current strikers and I can't see how bringing in another striker is going to change that. Thinking ahead, he would be a top quality signing for the champ (when we might be able to string more than 5 passes together and give him a and the other strikers half a chance and maybe create one or even two clear chances a game!).

[SapperBRoyal]

Sunderland apparently the favourites now to get him. £5m they say (Daily Mail)

...twice our all time club record fee for a player ...I'd say close the thread...Hammond would have nightmares about such a fee

£5M for Graham, when Chelsea have just paid in region of 7 for Demba Ba!? He's not worth it. I'd far rather have Roberts fit. That said, I do think that this is an opportunity for AZ to show some intent and back the rhetoric with some funds - so if we need £5M+ to compete, then he should be reaching into the deep pockets SJM said he came with, and giving NH and BMcD a fighting chance to get what we evidently lack.

[RobRoyal]

Sunderland apparently the favourites now to get him. £5m they say (Daily Mail)

...twice our all time club record fee for a player ...I'd say close the thread...Hammond would have nightmares about such a fee

£5M for Graham, when Chelsea have just paid in region of 7 for Demba Ba!? He's not worth it. I'd far rather have Roberts fit. That said, I do think that this is an opportunity for AZ to show some intent and back the rhetoric with some funds - so if we need £5M+ to compete, then he should be reaching into the deep pockets SJM said he came with, and giving NH and BMcD a fighting chance to get what we evidently lack.

Bemba Ba had a release clause - otherwise he would have cost twice that.

You'd really rather have Roberts than a guy who's 27 and scored 12 premier league goals last season?

[SapperBRoyal]

I see your point, JR is past his peak arguably and never top drawer, but he is integrated with our club and the playing squad and has PL pedigree. Graham was playing in a flying Swansea side when he got his 12 goals. If he got the service and stayed fit, I am confident Roberts could make double figures and we'd save ourselves a few million towards a decent CM.

[72 bus]

If he got the service and stayed fit, I am confident Roberts could make double figures and we'd save ourselves a few million towards a decent CM.

Jason Roberts premiership scoring record

Year Goals
2002-3 3
2003-4 4
2005-6 14
2007-7 5
2008-9 5
2009-10 7
2010-11 5
2011-12 5
2012-13 1

Still confident ?

[SapperBRoyal]

If he got the service and stayed fit, I am confident Roberts could make double figures and we'd save ourselves a few million towards a decent CM.

Jason Roberts premiership scoring record

Year Goals
2002-3 3
2003-4 4
2005-6 14
2007-7 5
2008-9 5
2009-10 7
2010-11 5
2011-12 5
2012-13 1

Still confident ?

Ah yes, stats. Might be worth looking at some context; appearances, injuries, team performance etc. Hardly prolific I grant you though. But is Roberts for Graham really a marked improvement? Do we get another ok forward in a similar vein to what we already have, or do we end January with a better finisher and more physicality or pace up top?

[72 bus]

Games/Goals
Roberts 509 168
Graham 315 102

[Joe 90]

No thanks. We have more than enough up top IMO.

Get a double hard b@stard in CM who can pass. Surely that is the priority above all others?!

Can't we get a couple of electrodes and a set of jump leads and a battery and re animate Terry Hurlock?