Shane Long

[peterroyal76]

You get guaranteed European football playing in the Welsh League.

Don't Celtic usually get hammered in Europe?

Celtic-Rangers big games.

Half-decent v Hearts

Quarter-decent v Dundee Utd/Aberdeen

But HAMILTON with gates as low as 2,000?

Promoted club Dunfermline had home gates under 3,000

The 3rd club was thirty points behind the top two. It's not a LEAGUE is it?

Yes and a league where Michael Duberry was fans player of year at St Johnstone

I believe you have just proved snowball's point!!

[The Prisoner]

http://twitter.com/#!/ShaneLong09

Anyone know if this is his actual twitter? If it is a couple of interesting tweets.

"I'm happy where i am. No change."

"Thank you Reading FC. In the words of Oprah: I won't say goodbye, I'll only say until we meet again. HUGE love"

RFC's official twitter feed said it was fake along with an alleged Ian Harte one. They knew the Harte one was fake cos he said he'd run for a bus and caught it.....

[CayeneMatt]

I think going to Celtic would be a bad move.

Going to a Prem team likely to struggle/be relegated isn't a great move except for the money.

I think Shane is an unusual case in that 50 starts made him twice the player (as at least one person predicted )
and should he get another full season with RFC always top-six he could become a much, MUCH hotter property.

Meanwhile he's a star in a place where he feels at home, where his GF prefers to be etc.

If the team stays together and has a great season, winning auto, how would that compare to being bottom 4 in the Prem.

Of course if Everton came in, they are likely to be top half, aiming for 6th/7th... that would be different. Tough choice.

The old firm,especially Celtic, rarely spend big

At the risk of sounding like our dearly departed '1teamberk..' friend, I know someone on the inside at Celtic, and although Lennon was watching him and they have lodged an official interest in him, they know they can't afford him.

Promise..... Long will not go to Celtic.

[Hoop Blah]

Totally seriously, in Shane's position I would want to STAY (on better money with a huge bonus for promotion)
unless I could move to a top-half Prem team where it wouldn't be a 9 month struggle.

It must be reasonably exciting to think, "We could be Champions if we stay together"

Not saying that's bound to happen, but I don't think it's AUTOMATIC that he'd leave (or want to)

As I said earlier today, there's nothing to say that even if this side stay together with nobody leaving that we'll really push for automatic promotion. Yes it's a possibility but there will again be some very good sides in the league next season and we could well recreate the form of pre-Christmas as post-Christmas (I know that Legeirtwood make a big difference but things change).

On a personal level Long has been here for 5 or 6 years or whatever it is and can't really top his last six months. He may fail next season as plenty of players have purple patches for 3-6 months but struggle to recapture that ever again. Hopefully that won't happen to Long but I do think now is his time to kick on and challenge himself elsewhere (as much as I'd love him to stay and get us another 20+ goals).

[readingbedding]

Exactly, his profile is the best it has been up to now, progression.
If the opportunity is there, he'll move and no ostrich will stop that.

[boycey]

Those in the know, know that Shane is staying until Jan transfer window at least.

[readingbedding]

Be great if he stayed forever and ever.

[loyalroyal4life]

Be great if he stayed forever and ever.

If he has a shocker all will be saying he should have left in the summer

[readingbedding]

So will he.

[Snowball]

Totally seriously, in Shane's position I would want to STAY (on better money with a huge bonus for promotion)
unless I could move to a top-half Prem team where it wouldn't be a 9 month struggle.

It must be reasonably exciting to think, "We could be Champions if we stay together"

Not saying that's bound to happen, but I don't think it's AUTOMATIC that he'd leave (or want to)

As I said earlier today, there's nothing to say that even if this side stay together with nobody leaving that we'll really push for automatic promotion. Yes it's a possibility but there will again be some very good sides in the league next season and we could well recreate the form of pre-Christmas as post-Christmas (I know that Legeirtwood make a big difference but things change).

On a personal level Long has been here for 5 or 6 years or whatever it is and can't really top his last six months. He may fail next season as plenty of players have purple patches for 3-6 months but struggle to recapture that ever again. Hopefully that won't happen to Long but I do think now is his time to kick on and challenge himself elsewhere (as much as I'd love him to stay and get us another 20+ goals).

IF you/people think Shane has "only had a good six months" (I strongly disagree and his minutes/goals have always been very good over a season)

then surely managers looking at him would think that too?

What manager is going to pay 3/4/5/6 million just because a player has had a good six months?


Now if a manager noticed a promising (raw) kid getting 4 goals in 550 minutes,
then some nice cameos in the next two 1,000 minute Premiership seasons, who
then followed up with two 9-goal seasons when not even playing the
equivalent of half-a-season and finally topping all that with 25+3 season and
showing he thrives on 90-minute games, THEN maybe he'd splash the cash

[Hoop Blah]

Long played so much better over the last 6 months than he has throughout the rest of his time here. He's really stepped up a level.

If you can't acknowledge that his reputation and profile are higher now than they ever have been before, and that that means he's in the best position to move and get the best deal possible the your not being realistic.

If he repeats his form and goalscoring between August and January then his stock will continue to rise but there is a risk he may fail or get injured etc. In the cold light of day that may mean now is his time to move.

[RG30]

Shane Long will not be a Reading player next season, simples. Good luck to him, done brilliantly throughout the season and will do a job for someone either in the Premiership or the SPL.

[Snowball]

Long played so much better over the last 6 months than he has throughout the rest of his time here. He's really stepped up a level.

If you can't acknowledge that his reputation and profile are higher now than they ever have been before, and that that means he's in the best position to move and get the best deal possible the your not being realistic.

If he repeats his form and goalscoring between August and January then his stock will continue to rise but there is a risk he may fail or get injured etc. In the cold light of day that may mean now is his time to move.

OF COURSE his rep is at his highest. That's because he's reaching his potential. He's only 24 even now, young(ish) for
a striker and very young for him as he didn't start kicking a ball around until he was 13.

But one minute this thread is saying it might be a six-month flash-in-the-pan he can't repeat
next season (wouldn't managers think that too?) and in the next breath he's "much much better" etc

If he goes now, we are probably talking 4-5 Million, a low-mid-table Prem side, and commensurate wages. If, OTOH he
continues next season scoring 1 every 2 games, IMO his price will ROCKET and by next January he could be worth more than 10M.

People keep saying it's just 6 months, but in 15 months playing time (Jan 2010-May 2011) he has scored 9 + 25 + 2 + 3 = 39 Goals, 5 in internationals, plus scoring against Villa, Liverpool, WBA.

[Snowball]

Prior to this season, aged 18-23, despite all the changes in management
and teams, and two seasons in the Prem, Long had 6,875 Minutes over 5
seasons and scored 30, a goal every 229 minutes (excluding internationals - no figures)


This season (excl internationals) he has 25 goals in 4,414 = 177 minutes per goal, better,
obviously, but that's almost all championship football, not Premiership.

The big difference this year is not really goals per minute, but more that he's had those minutes.

This season he played 42.5% of all his career minutes and got 45.54% of his goals. (25/55)
So there hasn't been that much of a change except playing a lot.

[Hoop Blah]

Which bit of might or could are you struggling with?

Every transfer is a gamble and a player may lose his form, or improve it, as a result.

Managers may well have a concern that Long won't recapture the form of the last six months if he moves but that won't stop them coming in for him because they will think they can get more out of him, improve him further, make the most of his strengths etc etc. Like players they will back themselves to achieve a positive result.

Nobody has said Long has probably just had his purple patch, or that he's likely to be unable to recreate it.

Furthermore, playing much much better doesn't negate an opinion that he may have had his purple patch. They go hand in hand!

[ZacNaloen]

Shane, I certainly wouldn't begrudge you a move to Munich btw

[Row Z Royal]

<link to comment on UR&G>

[The Prisoner]

Every transfer is a gamble and a player may lose his form, or improve it, as a result.

As is every hoped for move that doesn't materialise. Mr S Hunt: great for the first half of out first season back in the championship. Complete passenger for the second half after nothing happened in Jan and that "they're keeping things from me" rant. I'd love Shane to stay, hope/think he will, but if he isn't 100pc on it he should go. I'd like to think his bond with the club (and the fact that we've really only had one great season from him) would see him give at least another six months, but 100% committed Church/Manset/Williams etc >>>>>>> S Long with S Hunt strop attitude

[loyalroyal4life]

Shane, I certainly wouldn't begrudge you a move to Munich btw

and especially at 7m!

[Terminal Boardom]

This talk about Shane being so much better over the second half of the season is a load of bull. What DID happen was he started to score regularly. His work rate throughout the season was excellent. Could be asid that his work rate while at the club can't be faulted.