New signings

[RoyalBlue]

http://www.reading.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=168780

Whats the point of the transfer window if you can confirm signings after the deadline? Whilst many Royals fans were left disappointed at 5pm on Tuesday, Wednesday morning they were left struggling to keep up with the transfer developments!

Firstly the swap deal involving James Harper and Brian Howard, with Sheff Utd has gone through, both joining on season long loans. That was expected after news broke last night that it had been completed before the deadline and just awaited league approval.

The deals that no one saw coming involve 2 right backs, 1 in, 1 out. Liam Rosenior, who earlier in the week insisted he wanted to stay at the club, joined Ipswich on loan for the season and he was replaced by 20 year old Shaun Cummings from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee.

Cummings spent the last few weeks on loan at West Brom but jumped at the chance of a permanent move to the Madejski Stadium knowing full well his chances at Stamford Bridge would be limited.

The deals involving Howard and Rosenior have yet to be confirmed by either club but Vital Reading has learned that both deals have been already been completed.

Almost as far behind the story as the EPO

But nowhere near as far behind as the Official Shite!

Has someone at the club peed off the league so much that they deliberately leave our signings until last and at least a day later before ratifying them?!

Don't recall this sort of thing happening before, nor to other clubs on this occasion.

As for the transfer dealings themselves, just what the hell is going on? Just a few days ago Rodgers was talking about the importance of surrounding our youngsters with experienced players. The next moment two of our few remaining experienced players are shipped out!

Ducksarse must be creaming himself at the savings made in the wages bill. Still won't stop more 'need to sell before we can buy' & 'cutting cloth' next season I'm sure.

[The whole year inn]

I am a huge sceptic of Rodgers but even I dont see the problem with these transfers to be honest..

Howard is a good, solid attacking midfielder. I imagine he is here as we didn't get Smith?

Cummings did brilliantly on loan at MK Dons and Rodgers knows him very well.

Rosenior and Harper are both struggling for form and huge earners (by our standards)

As long as he doesn't let Marek go without giving him a good run in the team first....

[Tamworth_Royal]

just walked in.

Quick look at OS say's nothing about signing Howard although most other internet sites say we have including Chronicle??

Does anybody know if we signed him or not. ???

[07RFC]

just walked in.

Quick look at OS say's nothing about signing Howard although most other internet sites say we have including Chronicle??

Does anybody know if we signed him or not. ???

apparently waiting for ratification from the FA for the deal

[Tamworth_Royal]

just walked in.

Quick look at OS say's nothing about signing Howard although most other internet sites say we have including Chronicle??

Does anybody know if we signed him or not. ???

apparently waiting for ratification from the FA for the deal

Cheers 07

[Glen Little's Nose]

I assume that Harper and Rosenior will not be able to play against us this season?

Also, why no official news on Brian Howard if we have paid 500k for him? If it is only a loan do we have to wait a week to confirm it?

[seahawk10]

Where is the Brian Howard thread? Does that mean we missed out on him?

[leon]

Where is the Brian Howard thread? Does that mean we missed out on him?

no it means that rainman, twatypuss and royalr(l)e(e)tard aren't interested. not to say we shouldn't.....scored a goal at Anfield apparently....

[Royal Rother]

You should have left the pub earlier.

[leon]

You should have left the pub earlier.

sorry, was that addressed to me? If so why?

[themadstad]

Regarding Brian Howard I believe he is a permanent signing For us. Now the club is waiting for ratification of the deal before it's officially announced.

[Arch]

Where is the Brian Howard thread? Does that mean we missed out on him?

The news signings all share one thread - 50-odd pages and 40k views; only the guy who went to Portsmouth gets his own thread - 111 pages and 80k views.

[Agent Balti]

http://www.reading.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=168780
Whats the point of the transfer window if you can confirm signings after the deadline? Whilst many Royals fans were left disappointed at 5pm on Tuesday, Wednesday morning they were left struggling to keep up with the transfer developments!

What's the point of being supposedly 'on the pulse' of VItal Reading when they don't understand the half of what a transfer actually contains. It's not just "Ere Brian, sign this - job done." How many transfers (and failed ones) do the FA/Agents/Managers/Players themselves have to deal with in the last throes of the window? Richard Dunne's transfer to Villa was reported last week yet only got finalised yesterday.

"Whilst Royals fans were left disappointed at 5pm"...seriously? Anyone with a pair of eyes could read a wonderful thing called a 'website' that knew we were dealing with at least 2 players and O'Dea had signed early doors that day (and Rasiak and McAnuff had signed the week before.)

"...left struggling to keep up..." Oh it's such a frenzy!!! Harper and Rosenior out and Howard and Cummings in. Fan me down, I'm all overcome!

Not having a pop at the poster btw, just "Vital" Reading - jeez, schoolboy *cough* journalism, if one can dare to call it that.

[exileinleeds]

So to sum up, Mr Rodgers took over a failing unmotivated team in June. He shipped out under-performing (and very expensive) players to the clubs that were prepared to pay handsomely for the hope they can regain the past glorious form they showed for us.

He spent the pre-season looking at, and assessing the squad left- some of whom he knew as youngsters from his time here. He gave everyone (fitness permiting) an option to play for a place. Some stepped up to the mark superbly, others show good potential, and others have been...err less than convincing. So he got rid. And signed up some other players that he knows, players he is sure can be part of what he is building.

It is his first real chance at building a team. At Watford he merely worked with what he had- and did pretty well.

Five games do not define a season- and frankly the first five are the least important. We now have a squad of young ambitious talent, and eight months for them to gel, learn from each other, grow stronger.

I am more optomistic about the long term success and security of this club than most in this league, and one or two in the Prem.

[SteveRoyal]

So to sum up, Mr Rodgers took over a failing unmotivated team in June. He shipped out under-performing (and very expensive) players to the clubs that were prepared to pay handsomely for the hope they can regain the past glorious form they showed for us.

He spent the pre-season looking at, and assessing the squad left- some of whom he knew as youngsters from his time here. He gave everyone (fitness permiting) an option to play for a place. Some stepped up to the mark superbly, others show good potential, and others have been...err less than convincing. So he got rid. And signed up some other players that he knows, players he is sure can be part of what he is building.

It is his first real chance at building a team. At Watford he merely worked with what he had- and did pretty well.

Five games do not define a season- and frankly the first five are the least important. We now have a squad of young ambitious talent, and eight months for them to gel, learn from each other, grow stronger.

I am more optomistic about the long term success and security of this club than most in this league, and one or two in the Prem.

Completely agreed. +1.

['lista]

So to sum up, Mr Rodgers took over a failing unmotivated team in June. He shipped out under-performing (and very expensive) players to the clubs that were prepared to pay handsomely for the hope they can regain the past glorious form they showed for us.

He spent the pre-season looking at, and assessing the squad left- some of whom he knew as youngsters from his time here. He gave everyone (fitness permiting) an option to play for a place. Some stepped up to the mark superbly, others show good potential, and others have been...err less than convincing. So he got rid. And signed up some other players that he knows, players he is sure can be part of what he is building.

It is his first real chance at building a team. At Watford he merely worked with what he had- and did pretty well.

Five games do not define a season- and frankly the first five are the least important. We now have a squad of young ambitious talent, and eight months for them to gel, learn from each other, grow stronger.

I am more optomistic about the long term success and security of this club than most in this league, and one or two in the Prem.

Your post has given me my first decent erection for months.

Many thanks.

[CMRoyal]

So to sum up, Mr Rodgers took over a failing unmotivated team in June. He shipped out under-performing (and very expensive) players to the clubs that were prepared to pay handsomely for the hope they can regain the past glorious form they showed for us.

He spent the pre-season looking at, and assessing the squad left- some of whom he knew as youngsters from his time here. He gave everyone (fitness permiting) an option to play for a place. Some stepped up to the mark superbly, others show good potential, and others have been...err less than convincing. So he got rid. And signed up some other players that he knows, players he is sure can be part of what he is building.

It is his first real chance at building a team. At Watford he merely worked with what he had- and did pretty well.

Five games do not define a season- and frankly the first five are the least important. We now have a squad of young ambitious talent, and eight months for them to gel, learn from each other, grow stronger.

I am more optomistic about the long term success and security of this club than most in this league, and one or two in the Prem.

I'm in suppport of Rodgers, but I wish I didn't have this nagging doubt about the scenario you paint above. Maybe it's just his manner, but the impression I gained from him pre- the Newcastle match was that he felt he pretty much had the squad he needed, with three or four additions needed here and there (Bertrand and Mills were already on board, add Smith and maybe one other).

The whole mood seemed to change after that drubbing. He looked like he'd been mugged by reality, and started talking in terms of us still being in pre-season (a bizarre statement). So my reading of the situation is that he went to the board and said "look, we're in trouble here, too many of the youngsters are not up to it [I'm thinking Church, HRK, Henry, Davies...damn, pretty much all of them] and I need more money to seriously strengthen the squad further." To his credit, in my imagined scenario he's done that admirably early, and equally admirably the club have backed his judgment. But there was no way he was going to be able to do it without releasing more funds, so Harper, Rosenior and Marek had to go (although the latter remains for the time being) and we have had to be realistic in the limits of what we can get in.

All water under the bridge now, of course, but I have belief in BR's team-building capabilities and at least he's acted on his doubts, rather than hoping that the thin, inexperienced squad improved beyond measure as the season progressed. Intersting, very interesting, last week or so. Can't wait for the next three games.

[Terminal Boardom]

I'm in suppport of Rodgers, but I wish I didn't have this nagging doubt about the scenario you paint above. Maybe it's just his manner, but the impression I gained from him pre- the Newcastle match was that he felt he pretty much had the squad he needed, with three or four additions needed here and there (Bertrand and Mills were already on board, add Smith and maybe one other).

The whole mood seemed to change after that drubbing. He looked like he'd been mugged by reality, and started talking in terms of us still being in pre-season (a bizarre statement). So my reading of the situation is that he went to the board and said "look, we're in trouble here, too many of the youngsters are not up to it [I'm thinking Church, HRK, Henry, Davies...damn, pretty much all of them] and I need more money to seriously strengthen the squad further." To his credit, in my imagined scenario he's done that admirably early, and equally admirably the club have backed his judgment. But there was no way he was going to be able to do it without releasing more funds, so Harper, Rosenior and Marek had to go (although the latter remains for the time being) and we have had to be realistic in the limits of what we can get in.

All water under the bridge now, of course, but I have belief in BR's team-building capabilities and at least he's acted on his doubts, rather than hoping that the thin, inexperienced squad improved beyond measure as the season progressed. Intersting, very interesting, last week or so. Can't wait for the next three games.

Now this makes sense and I can accept this far easier than the inane ramblings of some on here. This is what SSC SHOULD have done when he saw the need. Thanks CM Royal.

[exileinleeds]

^^^ Is there ANYTHING MORE POINTLESS than banging on about what Coppell should or should not have done?

What is done is done, cannot be changed, we cannot go back and lose to Liverpool instead of Bolton. We did not do enough to stay in the Prem or get back there last season. Not any one persons fault. It is done.

Look at the here and now. This is what we have. You either support the team or don't. If you don't then stop making my eyes bleed and piss of to the Man City site- I bet they are recruiting new "supporters."

[cmonurz]

But I don't live in Manchester.