Oh dear.....

[Gordons Cumming]

...................... we are in for many years of mid-table mediocrity. Sad, sad...

What we're used to after the last few decades eh,old boy?

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

All the people saying relax, Coppell's not saying he won't buy anyone.

You all said the same last season and look what happened.

Coppell's not got the bottle to make big signings, he's proved that time and time again.

I said a week ago he'd come out with comments about 3 strikers being enough.

At least we've got Hunty's brother and another un known Irishman. Yes I know Doyle was an unknown Irishman, but so were Bennett and Long.

[strap]

WR, the whole summer has been deja vu.

Interesting that Coppell says that as i seem to recall last summer him telling us that our 4 forwards were our strongest suit, they then didn't muster 20 goals between them.

Utterly embarassing quotes from someone who is supposed to be an experienced top class manager. Coppell really has been replaced by Stevie Wonder it seems either that or he's actually an agent on a self implode mission....he's succeeding if that's the case.

I don't know what is more disconcerting - this pathetic excuse for an RFC pre-season, or the fact that I agree pretty much with everything Mr P has said this pre-season.

There is a definite groundswell of concern developing amongst the more enlightened members on here. I for one will be so pleased to have been proved wrong should we walk away with the league this year. Sadly, i cannot see any success for the foreseeable future. This pre-season smacks so much of 1994-95, (with class acts leaving [or threatening to], to be replaced by journeymen [if we're lucky!] at a fraction of the cost), and we all know what happened subsequently.

[Southbank Old Boy]

He says we have irons in the fire but that nothing is close to being resolved firstly before mentioning the other 3 strikers.

Completely changes the context from what some want to read in to it.

It also says that "Steve has options available to him in terms of bringing in new strikers, and the boss is keen to bolster his squad in case any of our remaining frontmen are the subject of outside interest."

This is yet another a PR own goal whichever way you look at it. If it is a true reflection of Coppell's thinking surrounding the make up of his squad then it's even more worrying and I just don't buy the excuse that we're just putting noise out there to help with any negotiation with clubs we're potentially dealing with.

Other clubs will not be swayed by these kind of articles on our website when it comes to accepting bids.

[Vision]

This pre-season smacks so much of 1994-95..........................................................................................................................................................and we all know what happened subsequently.

Spacey Mode on again >>> 2nd place in the League? <<< Spacey Mode Off Again.

[brendywendy]

the interview as a whole makes it quite clear that none of this reactionary rubbish is true

[Gordons Cumming]

Even still, I don't feel comfortable relying on 2 unproven blokes. .

Like Doyle and Long were?

[Gordons Cumming]

I think Mooney could be another Doyle.

[SteveRoyal]

I think Mooney could be another Doyle.

Let's hope so.

[readingbedding]

Has Meek lost the plot?

[Seal]

I'm sorry, but if you read the whole of that article and think that there is anything positive in there you are at best naive, and at worst plain dumb.

Let's break it down:-

"The boss is keen to bolster his squad in case any of our remaining frontmen are the subject of interest"

So that's at best a REPLACEMENT for one of the current 3.

"We have got a couple of possibilities but nothing has gone too far"

Exactly the rubbish that was spouted last summer. Completely non committal, no clear targets or movement.

"If we go into next season with three happy forwards I'd be fine with that"

LOL.

Interesting how the same people defending this tripe are (in the majority) the same ones who defended our transfer policy last year & told us not to panic in January.

[brendywendy]

I'm sorry, but if you read the whole of that article and think that there is anything positive in there you are at best naive, and at worst plain dumb.

Let's break it down:-

"The boss is keen to bolster his squad in case any of our remaining frontmen are the subject of interest"

So that's at best a REPLACEMENT for one of the current 3.

"We have got a couple of possibilities but nothing has gone too far"

Exactly the rubbish that was spouted last summer. Completely non committal, no clear targets or movement.

"If we go into next season with three happy forwards I'd be fine with that"

LOL.

Interesting how the same people defending this tripe are (in the majority) the same ones who defended our transfer policy last year & told us not to panic in January.

im happy to judge their decisions when theyve made them
rather than freaking out now
feck all we can do about it anyway

[RoyalBlue]

Can people actually use the full quote or the full story rather than just picking a random sentence to fit their stance.

http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/pa ... 86,00.html

I fully agree. What do people expect them to say, "we are desperate to sign a striker, so please feel free shaft us."

Come off it, the fine with 'three happy strikers' might work as a smoke screen for supporters but I very much doubt it will fool those inside the professional game. I'm sure that they will have a much clearer and informed view on the strength of our strike force and will also remember Coppell saying in the past that he felt it was important that a team had four quality strikers if they were to make a serious challenge for honours.

What's more, the moment RFC start enquiring about strikers they will know that, despite saying that he would be fine with three happy strikers, Coppell actually wants another. They will then think big money for Kitson, need a replacement, bend over........'

Surely the key word in that quote is "happy".

3 happy strikers is better for the club that 4/5 were 1 or 2 don't want to be here. Makes sense.

Well if the Vote of Confidence thread is anything to go by, those three 'happy' strikers are going to have to do a damn good job in order to win over some 7,000+ less than happy supporters!

[Huntley & Palmer]

Well if the Vote of Confidence thread is anything to go by, those three 'happy' strikers are going to have to do a damn good job in order to win over some 7,000+ less than happy supporters!

ALOL @ using a poll on here as a gauge of the RFC support, even then it has it as people voting that they are confident in the current administration. Clown

[cmonurz]

im happy to judge their decisions when theyve made them
rather than freaking out now
feck all we can do about it anyway

So how do you judge the same decisions made last season?

Trousers down Reading fans, bend over, hands against the wall.

[Seal]

I'm sorry, but if you read the whole of that article and think that there is anything positive in there you are at best naive, and at worst plain dumb.

Let's break it down:-

"The boss is keen to bolster his squad in case any of our remaining frontmen are the subject of interest"

So that's at best a REPLACEMENT for one of the current 3.

"We have got a couple of possibilities but nothing has gone too far"

Exactly the rubbish that was spouted last summer. Completely non committal, no clear targets or movement.

"If we go into next season with three happy forwards I'd be fine with that"

LOL.

Interesting how the same people defending this tripe are (in the majority) the same ones who defended our transfer policy last year & told us not to panic in January.

im happy to judge their decisions when theyve made them
rather than freaking out now
feck all we can do about it anyway

That's a fairly swift change of position from:

the interview as a whole makes it quite clear that none of this reactionary rubbish is true

Makes me think you're just a little too keen to always defend the club, rather than taking a step back and viewing things rationally. We're hardly freaking out, just raising increasingly legitimate concerns that the club seem to be making the same mistakes over and over.

[brendywendy]

im happy to judge their decisions when theyve made them
rather than freaking out now
feck all we can do about it anyway

So how do you judge the same decisions made last season?

Trousers down Reading fans, bend over, hands against the wall.

i judge them as wrong, but justifiable at the time

also that any of the players mentioned didnt guarantee a better finish than the players we had.

im just saying-im happy to judge later

you can continue in your own particular idiom, as you see fit
please do

and ill happily slate the club if we start the season with no new striker
no replacement RW
and no new LB
i really will-without hesitation, or mitigation

is that ok?

[fozzy]

It takes a lot for me to actually say something on here (40-odd posts in 4 years of the new board) but after 38 years as a fan this is one season I'm really starting to worry about before it's even started.

I was as happy as most to see Copp stay (I didn't really want the upheaval of a new guy trashing the squad) but all the noises coming from the Mad Stad point to either no money or not wanting to spend it. Or maybe inability to buy players. Or low wages. It's like the Spanish Inquisition sketch - you can always find one more thing to add to the list of possible reasons but at the end of the day, I'm not qualified or a fly-on-the-wall to know what the problem is.......

but I do know that I, personally, am getting ticked off with this because as I see it, the money I/we spend isn't being reinvested in the team. Now, that may be a very simple argument but I pay my season ticket, programmes, food, shirts, other merchandise etc and that's my choice... but I also pay money to Sky who last season (and this with parachute?) pay a big sum on to my club. £30m? £50m?

Where's it all going?

Are we really so cr*p that we can't attract any players? Christ, Derby just paid £1.75m for Rob Hulse. You may not like him, but if they are able to do that, where is our effort and looking / making offers / spending?

Less than 3 weeks to go and I wouldn't mind betting that by August 10th we have a squad which also does not include Shorey, Harper, Doyle and even Matejovsky (were he fit enough to attract an offer). What will Coppell say then "a chance for last season's fringe players to shine" ??

That's fine, but not at £400-odd quid a season mate*. start spending something on the team. (*and that's just the home games of course, and ignoring the fact i also pay for 2 teenagers)

That all may be very simplistic ... me>money>club/sky>team but you get my point. We're not competing with everyone else, and I'm already tired of Mr Mad's moral high ground over high wages and transfer fees. If we can't play with the big boys, why does he bother?

[brendywendy]

im happy to judge their decisions when theyve made them
rather than freaking out now
feck all we can do about it anyway

That's a fairly swift change of position from:

brendywendy wrote:
the interview as a whole makes it quite clear that none of this reactionary rubbish is true

LOLOLOL
how is it a change of position at all?!

they are both totally different things

one says ill happily judge the club when the transfer dealings are done.
the other is saying the interview from steve coppell doesnt say he " isnt going to buy a new striker at all."

not sure on what your argument is there at all

[loyalroyal4life]

I think Mooney could be another Doyle.

On the basis of what exactly? that he has scored 20 goals for....CORK