Open letter to Sir John

[andrew1957]

Dear Sir John

If you ever do venture on to these pages you will know that I have been a keen supporter of all that you have done for the club over the years. I try to look on the positive side and have frequently been vilified as one wearing rose tinted spectacles.

I accepted the decision not to straighten the squad in the January 2008 transfer window - but fear this cost us our place in the PL.

I supported the club in its transfer policy last season, but like all our fans I was dismayed by our capitulation in the second half of the season.

I started this season with great expectation and not a little excitement as I agreed totally that Brendan Rodgers is the man for the job of getting us back to the PL again, but I am now becoming increasingly concerned.

We seem to be selling or releasing a succession of our more senior professionals, but not replacing them with anyone with experience. We have some fantastic young talent but a tough Championship season will also require some toughened older players to be included in our squads along the way.

As for the saga over Tommy Smith - that is becoming embarrassing. We sold 28 year old Stephen Hunt for over 3 million and yet seem to be baulking at paying a decent proportion of that amount for Smith - as he is the ripe old age of 29! Surely the negotiation could be sorted out more quickly than the two months or so it has rumbled on. We need players with more experience and he fits the bill. If it takes 1.8 million then so be it.

We also need more defensive options. Two of our 4 full backs are injured and we need to replace Bikey, so that Cisse can return to his defensive midfield duties as although Tabb and Karacan are excellent players, we need more bite in that area and Cisse offers size and strength.

I have not given up hope that we will strengthen the squad considerably by 31st August. I believe you will authorise this, but I just wanted to warn you that if not the likelihood is that the target for this season will be to just survive in this division and nothing more. In that case I expect even more fans to desert the club and disillusionment to increase substantially.

I look forward to positive news in the near future.

[YateleyRoyal]

Plastic

[andrew1957]

Plastic

Hardly. I will still be there at the matches but I can assure you that the real plastics won't be!

[YateleyRoyal]

Plastic

Hardly. I will still be there at the matches but I can assure you that the real plastics won't be!

Does that mean I'm a plastic as I can't get to every game because of being at university? I get to games when I can but I cant afford to/can't get tickets. I can assure you that I'm much less of a plastic than a lot of my friends who still hold season tickets

[bigmike]

Plastic

Hardly. I will still be there at the matches but I can assure you that the real plastics won't be!

Does that mean I'm a plastic as I can't get to every game because of being at university? I get to games when I can but I cant afford to/can't get tickets. I can assure you that I'm much less of a plastic than a lot of my friends who still hold season tickets

Plastic

[Ozymandias]

oh gawd, here comes the "plastic" argument.

I'm more of a fan than you are, etc etc

My dad's bigger than your dad.

andrew1957 - Nice letter, but it won't make any difference, they have a plan, much like any other BUSINESS, it'l succeed or it'll fail, so far I believe that it's a successful business, being made ripe for a sale, or to kick on. Cash rich, no older high earners, young players who want to succeed.

[YateleyRoyal]

oh gawd, here comes the "plastic" argument.

I'm more of a fan than you are, etc etc

My dad's bigger than your dad.

andrew1957 - Nice letter, but it won't make any difference, they have a plan, much like any other BUSINESS, it'l succeed or it'll fail, so far I believe that it's a successful business, being made ripe for a sale, or to kick on. Cash rich, no older high earners, young players who want to succeed.

Well said

[starbug]

Dear Sir John

If you ever do venture on to these pages you will know that I have been a keen supporter of all that you have done for the club over the years. I try to look on the positive side and have frequently been vilified as one wearing rose tinted spectacles.

I accepted the decision not to straighten the squad in the January 2008 transfer window - but fear this cost us our place in the PL.

I supported the club in its transfer policy last season, but like all our fans I was dismayed by our capitulation in the second half of the season.

I started this season with great expectation and not a little excitement as I agreed totally that Brendan Rodgers is the man for the job of getting us back to the PL again, but I am now becoming increasingly concerned.

We seem to be selling or releasing a succession of our more senior professionals, but not replacing them with anyone with experience. We have some fantastic young talent but a tough Championship season will also require some toughened older players to be included in our squads along the way.

As for the saga over Tommy Smith - that is becoming embarrassing. We sold 28 year old Stephen Hunt for over 3 million and yet seem to be baulking at paying a decent proportion of that amount for Smith - as he is the ripe old age of 29! Surely the negotiation could be sorted out more quickly than the two months or so it has rumbled on. We need players with more experience and he fits the bill. If it takes 1.8 million then so be it.

We also need more defensive options. Two of our 4 full backs are injured and we need to replace Bikey, so that Cisse can return to his defensive midfield duties as although Tabb and Karacan are excellent players, we need more bite in that area and Cisse offers size and strength.

I have not given up hope that we will strengthen the squad considerably by 31st August. I believe you will authorise this, but I just wanted to warn you that if not the likelihood is that the target for this season will be to just survive in this division and nothing more. In that case I expect even more fans to desert the club and disillusionment to increase substantially.

I look forward to positive news in the near future.

Absolutely Pathetic.

This season is fascinating - quite possibly the best young team outside the Prem, we really have a chance to earn a reputation for good football and good youngsters encouraging future young players to want to play for us and sustaining that reputation and high level of football for years to come.

Players haven't been sold simply because of money (except Hunt), they simply wanted to play in the Premier but more importantly we have great young prospects to replace them so its an easy decision to let them go and I totally agree with every sale so far.

The future is bright at Reading, very bright, we may not get promoted this season but we're in position to sustain a play off challenge for at least the next few years.

[Arnie_Pie]

Delete this thread and then repost it at the end of the transfer window if we have bought nobody.

[Barry the bird boggler]

You do not know 100% that it is the board's penny pinching over the managements lack of interest in signing what we may see as players of note.

We've just splashed 2 million on Mills so I hardly think BR is not being backed when needed.

Likewise, in earlier transfer windows, they were complete bog ups by Coppell and I'm sure if he had his time over again he'd do different things in those windows.

That's not to say JM is perfect, I'd like to see a more postive spin from the club in terms of finances but guess we'll never get that....

[Gordons Cumming]

Desert the club?

Heretic!!

[andrew1957]

I have in no way been critical of the player sales that have happened. Doyle, Bikey and Hunt all deserve another crack at the PL. I have not criticised the management for past policies BUT IMO consistently putting out a team with an average age of 23 or less is risky. If it works then brilliant -but if results go the wrong way for a period then many clubs who have tried this have ended up at the wrong end of their respective league table and relegation is then a risk. Southampton last season are a good example. Several good young players - some of whom have now moved on to better clubs - but they just did not win enough games.

When the going gets tough having sufficient experience in the squad is vital and IMO we need to buy some more experience in to the club.

Having said this I am still hopeful of a win tonight and then we will all feel a lot better.

[Ian Royal]

We have so many nominees for the 2009/10 Schards Ill-advised Over-reacting Kneejerk Trophy it is unbelieveable

[ElmParker]

Dear Sir John

If you ever do venture on to these pages you will know that I have been a keen supporter of all that you have done for the club over the years. I try to look on the positive side and have frequently been vilified as one wearing rose tinted spectacles.

I accepted the decision not to straighten the squad in the January 2008 transfer window - but fear this cost us our place in the PL.

I supported the club in its transfer policy last season, but like all our fans I was dismayed by our capitulation in the second half of the season.

I started this season with great expectation and not a little excitement as I agreed totally that Brendan Rodgers is the man for the job of getting us back to the PL again, but I am now becoming increasingly concerned.

We seem to be selling or releasing a succession of our more senior professionals, but not replacing them with anyone with experience. We have some fantastic young talent but a tough Championship season will also require some toughened older players to be included in our squads along the way.

As for the saga over Tommy Smith - that is becoming embarrassing. We sold 28 year old Stephen Hunt for over 3 million and yet seem to be baulking at paying a decent proportion of that amount for Smith - as he is the ripe old age of 29! Surely the negotiation could be sorted out more quickly than the two months or so it has rumbled on. We need players with more experience and he fits the bill. If it takes 1.8 million then so be it.

We also need more defensive options. Two of our 4 full backs are injured and we need to replace Bikey, so that Cisse can return to his defensive midfield duties as although Tabb and Karacan are excellent players, we need more bite in that area and Cisse offers size and strength.

I have not given up hope that we will strengthen the squad considerably by 31st August. I believe you will authorise this, but I just wanted to warn you that if not the likelihood is that the target for this season will be to just survive in this division and nothing more. In that case I expect even more fans to desert the club and disillusionment to increase substantially.

I look forward to positive news in the near future.

Well, if that doesn't sort things out, nothing will.

[Baines]

Dear Sir John

44 more cup finals!!!!11111!!!!eleven!!!!!

Yours
andrew

Agreed.

[SteveRoyal]

E-mail them.
They always reply, even if it's "thanks for your shite letter".

[1960]

We've just splashed 2 million on Mills so I hardly think BR is not being backed when needed.

We lose Kitson, Doyle and Lita, will not pay for a replacement but will pay £2m for a centre back (who hasn't played yet). I just hope that something is done in the next two weeks.

[Arch]

If it takes 1.8 million then so be it.

No. This is wrong. If someone had offered 3 million, would you be saying "if it takes 3 million..." or 5 or ten? The club is absolutely right to stick to its valuations. I can't see any reason for people on this board to be shouting "pay 1.8 mil" purely on the grounds that another club allegedly offered that and then failed to close the deal.

[Royalee]

Dear Sir John

If you ever do venture on to these pages you will know that I have been a keen supporter of all that you have done for the club over the years. I try to look on the positive side and have frequently been vilified as one wearing rose tinted spectacles.

I accepted the decision not to straighten the squad in the January 2008 transfer window - but fear this cost us our place in the PL.

I supported the club in its transfer policy last season, but like all our fans I was dismayed by our capitulation in the second half of the season.

I started this season with great expectation and not a little excitement as I agreed totally that Brendan Rodgers is the man for the job of getting us back to the PL again, but I am now becoming increasingly concerned.

We seem to be selling or releasing a succession of our more senior professionals, but not replacing them with anyone with experience. We have some fantastic young talent but a tough Championship season will also require some toughened older players to be included in our squads along the way.

As for the saga over Tommy Smith - that is becoming embarrassing. We sold 28 year old Stephen Hunt for over 3 million and yet seem to be baulking at paying a decent proportion of that amount for Smith - as he is the ripe old age of 29! Surely the negotiation could be sorted out more quickly than the two months or so it has rumbled on. We need players with more experience and he fits the bill. If it takes 1.8 million then so be it.

We also need more defensive options. Two of our 4 full backs are injured and we need to replace Bikey, so that Cisse can return to his defensive midfield duties as although Tabb and Karacan are excellent players, we need more bite in that area and Cisse offers size and strength.

I have not given up hope that we will strengthen the squad considerably by 31st August. I believe you will authorise this, but I just wanted to warn you that if not the likelihood is that the target for this season will be to just survive in this division and nothing more. In that case I expect even more fans to desert the club and disillusionment to increase substantially.

I look forward to positive news in the near future.

1. Straighten the squad?

2. So in the space of 10 days you've gone from supreme optimism to wanting to slit your wrists because we lost 1 game to Newcastle and have sold players we don't need for silly money?

3. Gunnarsson, Ingimarsson, Matejovsky, Noel Hunt and Kebe (even if he is shit) are all senior pros who have represented their countries at international level, so we have not sold all our senior pros you buffoon. We replaced Bikey with Mills for over £2 million, which makes your argument that we're selling all our players and refusing to spend rather laughable.

4. So you'd happily stump up whatever Watford ask for? Who's to say they won't accept our latest bid and we save £600k to put towards another signing as Rodgers has said he wants more than one player brought in? Would that be 'embarrassing?' I certainly don't think it would be quite as embarrassing as your childish rant my 9 year-old cousin could have written.

5. Defensive options? We have 4 full backs at the club, go and have a look at how many full backs other clubs have - Chelsea have only got one left back at their club ffs, it's just unfortunate Kelly's out at the moment because I think he can do better than Rosenior, but injuries are a part of football. We've already replaced Bikey as I said - we have Bertrand, Armstrong, Rosenior, Kelly, Pearce, Ingimarsson, Mills, Cisse and Gunnarsson who can play in defence, 9 players. Find me 5 other Championship clubs with that many options and I'll find you a liar.

6. Lastly, do you honestly believe an experienced businessman who is trying to improve the value of this club as much as he can in order to sell it would feel the best way of doing this is to sell off all top assets and weaken the team in order for the selling price to drop? Can you even spell 'business acumen'?

[Who Moved The Goalposts?]

You've just gotta love this thread.It's symptomatic of this entire board.

Someone takes the time and effort to post what is a heartfelt if not necessarily completely coherent rant (and we all rant on here, however you want to dress it up), and out come the sanctimonious, holier-than-thou brigade.

It's just an opinion. And until proven otherwise, an equally valid pov to any here. Can we just lighten a little, please?

FWIW, I think season has the potential to polarise said opinion more than most in recent times. This is because I feel we'll either do well, or struggle - without that grey area in between. I have no idea which it will be, and if someone does know, can they also please tell me the lottery numbers for next Wednesday week. By PM will be fine