Official Deadline Day Thread......

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

And to think we could have got someone like Clint Dempsey for a mere £6M...but he is off to the Spurs. Meanwhile the clock continues to tick...

Not sure this one was ever a starter. Fabulous player, and I would have welcomed him signing, but lets be honest. Possible relegation dogfight v possible top 6 challenge + European football. No contest.

He almost went to Villa but didn't because the fee couldn't be agreed to. And Villa might be the leading relegation candidate right now...

personally, i think relegation candidates are wigan, villa, southampton, qpr, or norwich. i personally dont see us going down because if we are in the relegation dogfight come janurary, im 100% sure that anton, mcdermott, and sir john will do ANYTHING to keep us up, weather it be spend huge amounts of money on players or whatever.

[leicsRoyal]

The beauty of the way RFC is run is that it's always about the team rather than the individuals. With that in mind, you will always have someone hungry wanting a chance to prove what they can do - there will always be bargains to be had if they fit the Reading mould. It's a good way to be & hasn't done us wrong so far. We don't have to spend zillions.

Ultimately yes the net spend will go up year on year but we don't need to just endlessly oxf*rd money.

You do realise that we have only spent two previous years in the history of RFC in the top flight?

[Libertine]

Jesus Christ! Do you SERIOUSLY think Dempsey would have come here?

Do you SERIOUSLY think it would have been sensible for us to meet his wage demands and pay him double what anyone else is earning here.

The word DELUDED doesn't do you justice.

Settle down, will ya. I was using Dempsey as an example of the quality out there at a reasonable price...

[Avon Royal]

Nice to see some of the fans are still keeping the small club mentality...might need it again in the not too distant future.

It'll be interesting to revisit this thread as we close in on the new year. If I am wrong I will gladly admit it. But while the signings we made up until now were good ones, we, one, still had a couple holes to fill and, two, the others clubs improved themselves. And we could have picked up those couple players (re: see Dempsey's £6M transfer) at a fee which wouldn't have broken the bank or our wage structure...but we stood pat.

Seriously, in what world does Dempsey leave Fulham and join us for £6m? Stop looking at the price tag and understand where we are in the football feeding chain.

Think you kind of proved his point for him Rob.......

[MmmMonsterMunch]

The beauty of the way RFC is run is that it's always about the team rather than the individuals. With that in mind, you will always have someone hungry wanting a chance to prove what they can do - there will always be bargains to be had if they fit the Reading mould. It's a good way to be & hasn't done us wrong so far. We don't have to spend zillions.

Ultimately yes the net spend will go up year on year but we don't need to just endlessly oxf*rd money.

You do realise that we have only spent two previous years in the history of RFC in the top flight?

What exactly is your point?

[Libertine]

Jesus Christ! Do you SERIOUSLY think Dempsey would have come here?

Do you SERIOUSLY think it would have been sensible for us to meet his wage demands and pay him double what anyone else is earning here.

The word DELUDED doesn't do you justice.

But just to add, again, he almost went to Villa and they look far worse off than us. That is what I am talking about fans keeping our beloved "small club" mentality...

[Avon Royal]

And to think we could have got someone like Clint Dempsey for a mere £6M...but he is off to the Spurs. Meanwhile the clock continues to tick...

He almost went to Villa but didn't because the fee couldn't be agreed to. And Villa might be the leading relegation candidate right now...

personally, i think relegation candidates are wigan, villa, southampton, qpr, or norwich. i personally dont see us going down because if we are in the relegation dogfight come janurary, im 100% sure that anton, mcdermott, and sir john will do ANYTHING to keep us up, weather it be spend huge amounts of money on players or whatever.

2008 called, it wants its blind optimism back.

[Pepe the Horseman]

At least we don't support Villa I s'pose

[leicsRoyal]

The beauty of the way RFC is run is that it's always about the team rather than the individuals. With that in mind, you will always have someone hungry wanting a chance to prove what they can do - there will always be bargains to be had if they fit the Reading mould. It's a good way to be & hasn't done us wrong so far. We don't have to spend zillions.

Ultimately yes the net spend will go up year on year but we don't need to just endlessly oxf*rd money.

You do realise that we have only spent two previous years in the history of RFC in the top flight?

What exactly is your point?

The RFC way is not going to secure top flight football. A club looking to stay in the top league in the world does not rely on 'bargains to be had'

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

2008 called, it wants its blind optimism back.[/quote]


really? cause 1995 called, it sounded pretty pissed that you stole its joke...

[Cypry]

And we could have picked up those couple players (re: see Dempsey's £6M transfer) at a fee which wouldn't have broken the bank or our wage structure...but we stood pat.

As if Dempsey would want to come to us given options with both Liverpool and Spurs - it takes two to tango....

I suspect we're indeed working on a budget this year - we've probably netted £30M extra THIS YEAR from promotion, used some to fill the annual black hole (£6M last year I seem to remember), almost certainly had to increase the wage bill for existing players, spent a bit in the transfer market (£4.5 M on fees, but we'll also have had to cover agents fees, signing on fees for players etc, and we obviously had the apability to spend up o £4M on Zaha if that had worked). I wouldn't rule out some further action over the next week on the free market....

Not only that, but we're trying to buy and develop a 140 acre training ability in the Thames Valley (be amazed if that doesn't cost £10M....).....

So we are spending money, just not on last minute "panic buys" on transfer deadline day....

[Libertine]

I can't believe we are still talking of black holes with our Russian oligarch owner...

[sputnik]

He almost went to Villa but didn't because the fee couldn't be agreed to. And Villa might be the leading relegation candidate right now...

Maybe, or, as reported elsewhere, Fulham accepted a bid of 7million, but he snubbed Villa because he was holding out for a move to Liverpool.

http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/ast ... illa-move/

I do agree though that Villa will probably be involved in a relegation battle this year.

[sandman]

And we could have picked up those couple players (re: see Dempsey's £6M transfer) at a fee which wouldn't have broken the bank or our wage structure...but we stood pat.

As if Dempsey would want to come to us given options with both Liverpool and Spurs - it takes two to tango....

I suspect we're indeed working on a budget this year - we've probably netted £30M extra THIS YEAR from promotion, used some to fill the annual black hole (£6M last year I seem to remember), almost certainly had to increase the wage bill for existing players, spent a bit in the transfer market (£4.5 M on fees, but we'll also have had to cover agents fees, signing on fees for players etc, and we obviously had the apability to spend up o £4M on Zaha if that had worked). I wouldn't rule out some further action over the next week on the free market....

Not only that, but we're trying to buy and develop a 140 acre training ability in the Thames Valley (be amazed if that doesn't cost £10M....).....
So we are spending money, just not on last minute "panic buys" on transfer deadline day....

But I'm watching Sky Sports and I want to see a reporter surrounded by idiots outside Hogwood like they have at Stoke telling us we're going to sign some washed up has been for £20 Gazillion quid.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

The RFC way is not going to secure top flight football. A club looking to stay in the top league in the world does not rely on 'bargains to be had'[/quote]

Obviously - but you have perhaps 1-2 'names' & then mix it up with a few bargains & hope for the best. Like what we've done this year essentially. As a Reading fan I genuinely don't get why you see that as such an issue?? Are you confusing us with Man City?

So what if we become a yo-yo club? In reality that is the next logical step for this club ala West Brom, Birmingham, West Ham. I don't really have an inferiority complex - if we get relegated yes it will be a bit shit but it will soon be forgotten once the new season starts. Still amazed we're even in the PL. Just sit back & enjoy the ride.

[Cypry]

I can't believe we are still talking of black holes with our Russian oligarch owner...

But it's still there....the difference between income and outgoings for LAST YEAR didn't simply evaporate when we were taken over and it will still show in the accounts....The £28M debt, didn't simply vanish into thin air either.....

We're run as a business, and TSI have never given any indication that this would change...

[Tamworth_Royal]

If the Peterborough game in which we played a full strength team wasn't a wake up call, then god help us.

You lot really don't get what the Premiership is all about do you. Do you think Tabb, Hunt HKR are going to change matches from the bench !.

You've been Madejski brainwashed.

See you all in 9 months agreeing with Madejski's cloth cutting

[Ups and Downs]

If we get relegated then there's little chance of that debt going away.

We beat Southampton last year but looking at heir squad with Ramirez, i think they would beat us now. That's not good.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

If the Peterborough game in which we played a full strength team wasn't a wake up call, then god help us.

You lot really don't get what the Premiership is all about do you. Do you think Tabb, Hunt HKR are going to change matches from the bench !.

You've been Madejski brainwashed.

See you all in 9 months agreeing with Madejski's cloth cutting

LOL. Signing Pog & Guthrie & McCleary & not having to sell any players is cloth cutting. This is what I hate about the PL - its fcuking vulgar & brings out the worst in people.

[Tamworth_Royal]

And we could have picked up those couple players (re: see Dempsey's £6M transfer) at a fee which wouldn't have broken the bank or our wage structure...but we stood pat.

As if Dempsey would want to come to us given options with both Liverpool and Spurs - it takes two to tango....

I suspect we're indeed working on a budget this year - we've probably netted £30M extra THIS YEAR from promotion, used some to fill the annual black hole (£6M last year I seem to remember), almost certainly had to increase the wage bill for existing players, spent a bit in the transfer market (£4.5 M on fees, but we'll also have had to cover agents fees, signing on fees for players etc, and we obviously had the apability to spend up o £4M on Zaha if that had worked). I wouldn't rule out some further action over the next week on the free market....

Not only that, but we're trying to buy and develop a 140 acre training ability in the Thames Valley (be amazed if that doesn't cost £10M....).....
So we are spending money, just not on last minute "panic buys" on transfer deadline day....

But I'm watching Sky Sports and I want to see a reporter surrounded by idiots outside Hogwood like they have at Stoke telling us we're going to sign some washed up has been for £20 Gazillion quid.

long established Premiership teams and fans