SIGNED - Hope Akpan

[Ian Royal]

double it. At least.

[marcusopp]

5 grand a week and all the pork scratchings you can eat[/quote]

[Ian Royal]

"Akpan Everton didn’t look very assured in midfield position. 1st touch was shocking, his passing was wayward looked off the pace"

With quotes like that he should fit nicely to Reading's midfield. Do doubt Akpan will go down the pan along with the other cheapo signings by McDonet.

Get Real we are getting ready for Division One. Let alone the Championship. Real Facts from the Main Man. You know it makes s enseeeeeeeeeee

I think most people would trust a highly-rated manager over you. If he feels that Akpan is a good signing, I think we can trust him to make the correct call.

And Coppell will have told Brian to steer clear if he wasn't good for us.

Same people moaning about this are the same ones who bemoaned the signings of S.Hunt, Shorey, Ingimarrson, Sonko, Kitson... "No ambition"..

It'd be a good signing if we were in the same position as when we signing those players. All of which were bought in when we played at a lower level.

As it is it's a promising signing - after we're relegated, but not before.

[Sir Dodger Royal]

What like all the other recent cheapo signings now out on loans at Division 2 Conference level. Emm. Get a life mate. You too are a clueless RTG. Little hope with comments like yourssssss

[winchester_royal]

"Akpan Everton didn’t look very assured in midfield position. 1st touch was shocking, his passing was wayward looked off the pace"

With quotes like that he should fit nicely to Reading's midfield. Do doubt Akpan will go down the pan along with the other cheapo signings by McDonet.

Get Real we are getting ready for Division One. Let alone the Championship. Real Facts from the Main Man. You know it makes s enseeeeeeeeeee

What he did for Everton is pretty irrelevant given it was 2 years ago when he was 19.

Crawley fans say he has developed massively in the last 6 months, has been the star for them this season, and is the focal point for most of their attacking play.

He's 21, clearly not going to be close to the finished product, but available for cheap money and given that he's starring in League 1 at that age it's fair to assume that in 3 or 4 years time he could have developed into a very good player.

Nobody in the club has said anything in the way of they have signed Akpan to be the guy to keep us up this season. For all we know we could still be looking to sign a couple of more experienced and proven players, but the opportunity has come up to sign Akpan at a low cost and therefore the club has decided to take it.

These are exactly the type of signings that the club should continue making, regardless of which league/position we may find ourselves.

[SPARTA]

Agree with many when they say it's for next season, but to be fair to BM, he has to plan for both scenarios. You don't want him loaning in PL players, going down, then being behind on preparation for next season. I'm happy with this. (It might push Leigertwood further down the pecking order..)

[pea]

It could be the steward from Crawley.

really hope so

[madreadingfan]

The thing I'm worried about is MCD hasn't really got a good history of signing young players and them not ending at a lower league club. I think he would be better bringing more experienced players in like he did with Jason Roberts and Ian Harte which helped us secure promotion. It seems like he has a better eye for experienced players then younger players. But I suppose he does bring the best out of players but just not really in his own signings that he makes

[pea]

Crawley fans I've spoken to have compared him to Paul Scholes and reckon he's destined to go higher than Reading ever will. Palace and Cardiff supposedly had bids turned down last week. We're more likely to sign him whilst we're in the Premier League, and he won't be included in the 25 man squad because he was under 21 on January 1st 2011, so there is no negative to this transfer. Obviously we want to see Premier League players come in who will make an impact on the 1st team immediately as a priority, but those types of deal usually take longer to negotiate.

[royal67]

Looks like him to me.
They are still sat there now. I would suggest this will be announced shortly as they are all smiles - awaiting paperwork etc.

They could be waiting for the bill.

5 grand a week and all the pork scratchings you can eat

I don't think that the hotel sell pork scratchings.... These might need to be substituted for chilli peanuts.... Potential deal breaker...?

[Norfolk Royal]

It's not really 'having an eye' though with Roberts and Harte is it?

They are experienced players with top level experience over god knows how many years. It hardly takes a brain surgeon to work out they can do a job for you.

[TFF]

The thing I'm worried about is MCD hasn't really got a good history of signing young players and them not ending at a lower league club. I think he would be better bringing more experienced players in like he did with Jason Roberts and Ian Harte which helped us secure promotion. It seems like he has a better eye for experienced players then younger players. But I suppose he does bring the best out of players but just not really in his own signings that he makes

LOLWUT

You are aware that he was our Chief Scout aren't you?

[madreadingfan]

The thing I'm worried about is MCD hasn't really got a good history of signing young players and them not ending at a lower league club. I think he would be better bringing more experienced players in like he did with Jason Roberts and Ian Harte which helped us secure promotion. It seems like he has a better eye for experienced players then younger players. But I suppose he does bring the best out of players but just not really in his own signings that he makes

LOLWUT

You are aware that he was our Chief Scout aren't you?

Yeah but as a manager...

Don't get me wrong he was excellent as chief scout.

[pea]

The thing I'm worried about is MCD hasn't really got a good history of signing young players and them not ending at a lower league club. I think he would be better bringing more experienced players in like he did with Jason Roberts and Ian Harte which helped us secure promotion. It seems like he has a better eye for experienced players then younger players. But I suppose he does bring the best out of players but just not really in his own signings that he makes

LOLWUT

You are aware that he was our Chief Scout aren't you?

Yeah but as a manager...

Don't get me wrong he was excellent as chief scout.

errr

[jellytot]

It is Akpan. Fordham is all over this. So is he another water carrier or can he pass the ball?

Guess the promised experienced pl pros will come later?

[Colin Cheeselog]

If this is one of the "2 or 3" players Brian said he was trying to sign, the this is absolutely pathetic from the club and confirms we are not even going to try to stay up.

You're right, absolutely disgraceful. How dare the club take the low risk strategy of signing a promising young player for the future for a small fee, on low wages.

Signing a young promising player and a more experienced one are mutually exclusive, the two things just can’t happen, that would be a physical impossibility. No football club has ever signed more than two players in one transfer window.

We should be throwing money at washed up has-beens instead, with no care paid to the future, that’s what we all want to see, following the Portsmouth model.

[Divvy]

BM recently told Anton the situation was Dyer and we could only Hope to stay up.

Hope Akpan is close to signing and Kieran was released today.

[Esteban]

Crawley fans I've spoken to have compared him to Paul Scholes and reckon he's destined to go higher than Reading ever will. Palace and Cardiff supposedly had bids turned down last week. We're more likely to sign him whilst we're in the Premier League, and he won't be included in the 25 man squad because he was under 21 on January 1st 2011, so there is no negative to this transfer. Obviously we want to see Premier League players come in who will make an impact on the 1st team immediately as a priority, but those types of deal usually take longer to negotiate.

+1 to this. PL clubs will want to bring in replacements before they let anybody go, unless they are surplus to requirements. IF we manage to bring in anyone with PL experience on loan, I expect it'll be towards the end of the window.

[winchester_royal]

'Greed.

[Divvy]

It is Akpan. Fordham is all over this. So is he another water carrier or can he pass the ball?

Guess the promised experienced pl pros will come later?

Physical def.midfielder who likes to bomb forward and has a decent shot on him apparently. At 21 he's worth a punt.