Mills to Leicester 5 Million

[winchester_royal]

He has moved on to a club in our own division who we beat twice last season and who finished several places lower than us last season.....in order to further his career.

A damning verdict if ever there was one. Particularly as he insists that he wasn't looking for a move. But a switch to Leicester gives him the chance to realise ambitions he presumably doesn't think he can realise with RFC - i.e promotion to the Premier League and then staying there through serious investment in the playing squad.

And didn't the likes of Barry, Milner, Toure, Adebayor do the same thing when they joined Man City? Comparing Leicester 2010/11 to the potential of Leicester in 2011/12 isn't remotely fair.

We're not talking about Mills going to somewhere like Derby who spend about the same as us, we're talking about a club who's willing to dish out five million on a second tier player plus around 1.5million in wages. Who has a manager who's won Serie A and managed at three world cups

That's not Reading's lack of ambition that's a massive slice of 'we're going to splash the cash as much as we need to go up' by Leicester

Spot on. We can't compete in terms of financial power with Leicester, and if that's how Mills wants to judge ambition then fair enough. Not even remotely suprised, as he's always seemed like that kind of person.

[Ian Royal]

Feel free to slap me with the stupid stick and call me Susan if I'm wrong. But I reckon if we sell Long for £7m - £10m, we'll at least 50% of the non-add-on value spent this season, so call it a minimum of £2m more. Although that does include both transfer windows, making any loans permanent at the end of the season and possibly covering additional player's wages as well.

[Hiram K Hackenbacker]

I agree

[FiNeRaIn]

Nothing to see here, club sell another player for a shit load of money that won't be invested. People complain about the fact it won't be invested...RTG's state well run club don't do a bradford by reinvesting and to fvck off moaning elsewhere, bla bla bla. Just another season on HNA.

[Bacon Double Cheese]

I agree, nothing to see here. HTH

[loyalroyal4life]

Mills has moved to a team that does have a great chance of promotion whilst playing on higher wages. We fall short of both these facts on paper.

To be honest i think it was the right move for both parties, we can certainly cope without him

Just so long as the manager is given sufficient money (in his opinion, not that of the Chairman) to sign two decent centre backs before the season starts. Just as any team seriously aiming for promotion needs four decent strikers, they also need four decent centre backs.

I agree but i think we will only get one CB in. They will try and bring a youth one through and have 3 Cbs competing for 2 spots.

He can always put Harte at CB or even Griffin (sure he has played CB before). If this was the case i would like to see Griffin at CB as it allows Cummings to come in at RB

[Uke]

He has moved on to a club in our own division who we beat twice last season and who finished several places lower than us last season.....in order to further his career.

A damning verdict if ever there was one. Particularly as he insists that he wasn't looking for a move. But a switch to Leicester gives him the chance to realise ambitions he presumably doesn't think he can realise with RFC - i.e promotion to the Premier League and then staying there through serious investment in the playing squad.

FFS Mills moved for money nothing else, forget the crap about promotion or not. It's what every player spouts after every move.

His wage packet has increased and RFC plugged a financial gap. End of.

Everything in life moves on except STGs

[LoyalRoyal22]

Gutted St Ledger went Leicester aswell...would have been a perfect replacement

[Royal Rother]

On the other hand you have Mcanuff and Hal (who was out of contract and had first team offers elsewhere) who say that they want to play at RFC because you spend a fortune on players but you can't buy what they've got at RFC and think that we are doing it the "right" way.



He's another who thinks that overspending on players = ambition.

Dont agree that overspending on players = ambition.....its not about the cost of a player (after all isnt that what we have a DOF for to sort that ?)....but it is about bringing in players that fills the gaps of those that have left, and dont make the squad weaker .....and if we can get them for £1 each ...id be as happy as a pig in shit ... .......what I would say though is that if you want to attract those players you need to be seen as a club with some level of ambition

Would you not acknowledge the fact that 2010/11 RFC was significantly better than 2009/10 RFC?

So we sold our stable star, spent a bit on some new faces and ended up with a better team.

Amazing really.

Amazing really to see so many people completely unable to acknowledge the fact that only an extremely well run club could possibly expect to achieve that on the pitch whilst, at the same time, taking another step towards financial independence with a still further improved Balance Sheet.

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

RR agree but its fair to say that the 09/10 season was a disaster anyway given the position the team were left in by the Rodgers "mini-era" .......so last season was never going to be as bad anyway imho ....... and its fair to say that it was more the change of manager that made the difference between those two seasons .....

[Man Friday]

What we need is a Benefactor. Someone who's prepared to put in, without getting it back, their own money. SJM could do this of course, but he's not prepared to. Don't blame him but without that we'll never be a Top Ten Club as was the avowed ambition 4 years ago. We don't need SJM to try to be a self-financing club. Any of us could do that i.e. not put in our own money. In fact, I'd be very good at not putting in my own money. (What grates of course is that SJM has been happy getting the higher profile which in turn has helped his businesses.)

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Hasn't done his printers much good, or the Station Hill scheme. Best one is auto trader out east I am led to understand.

[Ian Royal]

What we need is a Benefactor. Someone who's prepared to put in, without getting it back, their own money. SJM could do this of course, but he's not prepared to. Don't blame him but without that we'll never be a Top Ten Club as was the avowed ambition 4 years ago. We don't need SJM to try to be a self-financing club. Any of us could do that i.e. not put in our own money. In fact, I'd be very good at not putting in my own money. (What grates of course is that SJM has been happy getting the higher profile which in turn has helped his businesses.)

Madejski was always upfront that he couldn't fund us to that level of success. Had we stayed up, he may well have got his trustworthy investors or takeover bid. Though I doubt it given the scummers that are taking over Prem clubs left right and centre.

And do remember that Madejski has businesses in trouble and has lost about £100m in the recession already. I don't think he would be pumping lots more money in if he could, he wants us to stand on our own two feet and survive beyond him. He can't afford to just throw money away on us anymore.

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

IR - i guess the question is why doesnt he just concentrate on being a business man in the business arena..if the club is running as a self sufficient entity ...then surely we do not need his involvement ?

As Ive said previously im not one who believes all his bluster about selling , because then he'd disappear out of the limelight and we all know that he likes the limelight ....hes always had his get out caveat for why he hasnt sold, or his PR team have, need someone with football at heart and with deep pockets yada yada yada...but i fear that his approach at some stage will start taking the club backwards .....

Either sell or stay and make his strategy for the club totally clear ...not a lot to ask IMHO

[Ian Royal]

He can only sell if someone wants to buy, and he won't sell to someone he knows won't benefit us. He already has made his strategy very clear, he can hardly just walk away without selling, and he's a man who takes his responsibilities seriously. And yes, I'm sure he does enjoy the higher profile being a chairman allows him.

[Royal Rother]

(What grates of course is that SJM has been happy getting the higher profile which in turn has helped his businesses.)

Huh? Now why would that grate with anyone?

Don't forget it was one of his other businesses that effectively funded everything that has happened to this club in the last 20 years!

[Gordons Cumming]

I reckon we'll bring in a centre back on loan.

HTH

[Royal Lady]

SJM isn't getting any younger - what happens if he were suddenly to become unable to be Chairman through illness or whatever?

[RoyalBlue]

SJM isn't getting any younger - what happens if he were suddenly to become unable to be Chairman through illness or whatever?

His daughter would take over.

[RoyalBlue]

He can only sell if someone wants to buy, and he won't sell to someone he knows won't benefit us. He already has made his strategy very clear, he can hardly just walk away without selling, and he's a man who takes his responsibilities seriously. And yes, I'm sure he does enjoy the higher profile being a chairman allows him.

How many more times! It's purely market forces. He could sell today if he was offering the club at a price and on the terms (name free etc.) that others were prepared to pay.

Did those who have bought all the other clubs that have sold in recent years have a real love for those particular clubs? In most, if not all, cases no. But those clubs were going for the right deal.