Sam Smith confimred

[Sutekh]

Head of Football Operations, Mark Bowen, said: “Sam has all the attributes we are seeking in a new recruit – young and hungry for success, full of energy, power and explosive pace, a proven goalscoring record at this level and his roots are Royal! I’m delighted he is come back home to Reading Football Club and I can’t wait to see how, during two years at Cambridge, he has matured into the player he is now and what sort of a striker he can become in the next three years in blue and white hoops.”

Really don't remember that, but then only saw him play a couple of times

[WestYorksRoyal]

Even if he does shit he will have resale value. We should be looking to sign 100 free transfers this season and offload 80 in January/next summer all for profit. Do this every year. Next year we can buy them instead of the freebies buy 15 players for 100k each, and sell them for 200k each. 1.5 mill in the coffers each year. Then start buying 200k players and sell them for 400k and so on and so on.

Just go full Football Manager mode and sell the free transfers immediately. "Feels like he was brought to the club under false pretences"

[Brogue]

Even if he does shit he will have resale value. We should be looking to sign 100 free transfers this season and offload 80 in January/next summer all for profit. Do this every year. Next year we can buy them instead of the freebies buy 15 players for 100k each, and sell them for 200k each. 1.5 mill in the coffers each year. Then start buying 200k players and sell them for 400k and so on and so on.

Just go full Football Manager mode and sell the free transfers immediately. "Feels like he was brought to the club under false pretences"

Well I’ve obviously gone to extremes to prove my point. But I see no reason why we can’t start picking players we have no intention to play but have a resale value. Pick up a freebie send them out on loan get the loan club to cover the wages and then sell them at the end of the year.

[rabidbee]

Even if he does shit he will have resale value. We should be looking to sign 100 free transfers this season and offload 80 in January/next summer all for profit. Do this every year. Next year we can buy them instead of the freebies buy 15 players for 100k each, and sell them for 200k each. 1.5 mill in the coffers each year. Then start buying 200k players and sell them for 400k and 500k players sell them for a mill. so on and so on.

This is how I’d run a football club anyway

You're not counting the cost of their wages then?

[Brogue]

Even if he does shit he will have resale value. We should be looking to sign 100 free transfers this season and offload 80 in January/next summer all for profit. Do this every year. Next year we can buy them instead of the freebies buy 15 players for 100k each, and sell them for 200k each. 1.5 mill in the coffers each year. Then start buying 200k players and sell them for 400k and 500k players sell them for a mill. so on and so on.

This is how I’d run a football club anyway

You're not counting the cost of their wages then?

See my last post. Loan them out and get the other clubs to cover the wages then sell them when they return

[Royal_jimmy]

Whilst they may say 'never go back', Sam Smith never got a chance with us. Pleased with him re-joining especially with Plymouth linked and hopefully he can get the service and bang in 15-20 for us this season. We need to sign players that care and want to get this club back up and Smith falls into that category strongly.

[Royal_jimmy]

Some quotes from Cambridge forum.

Yep would've loved to have kept Smith, he's aggressive, high energy style of play won't be easily replaced.
Add to that he's rarely injured, and the fact hes a v capable goalscorer, great shame we couldnt keep him.

mith is an arse but he was an excellent centre forward for us and scored some great goals. That goal v Forest Green was phenomenal but he scored two other brilliant volleys too (Cheltenham and Burton I think). I’d have kept him. Natural goal scorer who just needed some service.

On Smith, I would have thought that he would have had plenty of offers this summer so it's a bit odd that he's maybe going to end up at the club that released him 2 years ago. I am aware that Reading were a Championship side then and a different manager but its not where I expected him to turn up potentially.

Last comment is sour grapes to me.

[Royal_jimmy]

It is certainly a very positive sign, could see a real influx of new signings this week I reckon.

Despite the chaos, we're a big fish in L1. I bet a tour of the training ground blows the players away - only really Derby can compete with our facilities and infrastructure. Compare that to the Championship, where there are a lot of ex-PL clubs and we're a middling size. Fishing at the bottom of the pool last year, but not at this level.

We were only really fishing at the bottom of the pool last season due to our situation as well. Ordinarily, we'd be well in with most clubs outside of those with parachute payments you'd imagine.

We should be one of the better sells in this league, we've certainly been one of the more successful clubs at higher levels than most in this league.

Yeah this, we should easily be a bigger pull for players than 80% of the clubs in league one.

[MartinRdg]

Even if he does shit he will have resale value. We should be looking to sign 100 free transfers this season and offload 80 in January/next summer all for profit. Do this every year. Next year we can buy them instead of the freebies buy 15 players for 100k each, and sell them for 200k each. 1.5 mill in the coffers each year. Then start buying 200k players and sell them for 400k and 500k players sell them for a mill. so on and so on.

This is how I’d run a football club anyway

Hmmm - unfortunately, you would need to pay the players some sort of salary in the meantime (and may have an issue with changing room space at Bearwood!)

[blythspartan]

Happy with this signing and probably the best we could hope for. I always thought he had potential as a youngster when he made cameo appearances.

We are signing the right type of player now and it’s good to see some continuity at last.

[SCIAG]

Always been a sweet striker of the ball but didn't really look like he was up to it in the Championship.

He's developed into, at the least, a respectable League One striker.

The main question is whether we'll actually be able to create chances for him.

[Schards#2]

Sam Smith was one of the worst players I've ever seen in a Reading shirt.....however, I would have said the same about Michael Antonio a few years back so who knows.

It's a measure of the state we are/were in that its reassuring to see players think of Reading as a better option than Cambridge. Sadly, these are the waters we will be fishing in now but, at least, we are building a squad with players who are proven to be able to perform at this level which is a start in stabilizing things.

[NathStPaul]

You can't have seen many players then.

[Brogue]

sam smith > marc mcnulty
Sam Smith > Sam Baldock

[Royal_jimmy]

Sam Smith was one of the worst players I've ever seen in a Reading shirt.....however, I would have said the same about Michael Antonio a few years back so who knows.

It's a measure of the state we are/were in that its reassuring to see players think of Reading as a better option than Cambridge. Sadly, these are the waters we will be fishing in now but, at least, we are building a squad with players who are proven to be able to perform at this level which is a start in stabilizing things.

Without disrespecting teams like Cambridge as they have potential themselves, we should be a better option for most players over them with the training ground facilities and stadium that we have regardless of the mess the club is in. Also have to remember we're a big fish in league one and we'll always be expected to be competing at the top of the league and have spent the last 21 years playing at a higher level than them. So yes, I'd back us to beat many clubs to signings at this level.

[South Coast Royal]

Even if he does shit he will have resale value. We should be looking to sign 100 free transfers this season and offload 80 in January/next summer all for profit. Do this every year. Next year we can buy them instead of the freebies buy 15 players for 100k each, and sell them for 200k each. 1.5 mill in the coffers each year. Then start buying 200k players and sell them for 400k and 500k players sell them for a mill. so on and so on.

This is how I’d run a football club anyway

You're not counting the cost of their wages then?

See my last post. Loan them out and get the other clubs to cover the wages then sell them when they return

This is what Chelsea do with some success so not that crazy a notion.

[CountryRoyal]

The main question is whether we'll actually be able to create chances

It’s not really the Reading way.

[South Coast Royal]

Sam Smith was one of the worst players I've ever seen in a Reading shirt.....however, I would have said the same about Michael Antonio a few years back so who knows.

It's a measure of the state we are/were in that its reassuring to see players think of Reading as a better option than Cambridge. Sadly, these are the waters we will be fishing in now but, at least, we are building a squad with players who are proven to be able to perform at this level which is a start in stabilizing things.

He did nothing for us nor during his many loan deals but seems to have found himself at Cambridge and of course is now that much older and more experienced.
Let's hope he does as well as an earlier signing from Cambridge in Martin Butler.

[CountryRoyal]

I’m not sure I can get too excited about a 1in3 striker but given our position I guess it’s the best we could have hoped for.

[Hendo]

I’m not sure I can get too excited about a 1in3 striker but given our position I guess it’s the best we could have hoped for.

Isn't the 1 in 3 mark usually used as the sign of a decent striker?

1 in 3 will get SS 15 goals next season, which wouldn't be a horrific return.