So sad to see club decline

[king canary 7,681]

Every window since we''ve come down we''ve sold at least one of our best players.

Summer 16- Redmond

January 17- Brady, Olsson

Summer 17- Jacob, Howson

January 18- Pritchard

Summer 18- who knows?

At least when we first came down we were replacing these players.

So it isn''t just ''we''ve sold one player.'' It is that we''re consistently selling our best players and we no longer have the funds to replace them.

In isolation selling Pritchard isn''t bad- we''ve got others who can play his position and we''ve performed OK without him at times.

However as fans we can see the pattern- Maddison is gone in the summer barring a miracle promotion, if Lewis continues to impress he''ll be off too.

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

[quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="Hoola Han Solo"]The Reading fan is correct. We’re selling off our best players and replacing with lesser ones, which will make it very difficult to be competitive. The only way going forwards I can see us improving is by unearthing hidden gems in the lower leagues/overseas or producing some from our academy. Without significant investment, we’ll be closer to L1 than the PL in the next few seasons, unless of course we’re very astute and build a competitive squad on a shoestring budget.[/quote]We have sold one player who we would have preferred tp keep, that is all and we will likely move on players who we no longer want because they will not ft into the new system.  Last season we moved on a few - Jacob and Howson - who wanted to go.  Ruddy?  Not the best keeper we have ever had - Gunn is better imo (loan or not). The rest that moved we were happy largely to see the back of.  Olssen? Brady? Always looking to move - and in left back we have Lewis who looks the real deal. So it is not correct to simply say we are selling our best players and replacing them with lesser ones.  Trybull and Zimmermann are excellent. Hanley is a strong player - better than what we had in Bennett and Martin. As always it''s an evolution in process. No-one likes to see players like Jacob and Pritchard being sold on, but that is life - they wanted to move and we were happy to have the money. And so the squad develops.....

[/quote]

Absolute airy-fairy nonsense.

This is devolution in its finest form.

Howson - Vrancic

Olsson - Djiks - Husband

Brady - Wildshut

Ruddy - Gunn (loan player)

Klose (when he leaves) - Raggott

Dorrans - Reed

Jacob Murphy - Steipermann/watkins

The only players signed recently that offer anything close to an upgrade are Hanley and Trybull.

[Jim Smith 2,349]

[quote user="paul moy"]What happened to salary cuts on relegation which surely the whole idea of which was to make the club sustainable ?  It appears to me that there has been a dereliction of duty as we would not require a firesale.   [/quote]

As I understand it most of our players are on reducing contracts albeit I suspect that their wages have reduced to a level that is sustainable with parachute payments on the basis that by the end of those parachute payments their contracts will more or less have run out (see e.g. Tettey and Wes). I suspect we signed Pritchard on similar levels of wages given he was signed post relegation but we needed to outbid Brighton.

What has been suggested and appears to me to be perfectly plausible is that in the more recent transfer windows under Neil our desperation to sign a couple of players (namely Klose and Naismith (not sure about Jarvis) MAY have led to the club departing from standard procedure and agreeing contracts that did not have the usual wage reductions on relegation in one or more of those cases. This is just rumour and speculation, but may in part explain why we are having to sell others first as we can''t shift Naismith and also why we appear to be preparing for life without Klose.

[shefcanary 2,492]

[quote user="king canary"]Every window since we''ve come down we''ve sold at least one of our best players.

Summer 16- Redmond

January 17- Brady, Olsson

Summer 17- Jacob, Howson

January 18- Pritchard

Summer 18- who knows?

At least when we first came down we were replacing these players.

So it isn''t just ''we''ve sold one player.'' It is that we''re consistently selling our best players and we no longer have the funds to replace them.

In isolation selling Pritchard isn''t bad- we''ve got others who can play his position and we''ve performed OK without him at times.

However as fans we can see the pattern- Maddison is gone in the summer barring a miracle promotion, if Lewis continues to impress he''ll be off too.[/quote]

Actually you can make a similar list up for every club in the UK - from Chelski / Man City / ManUre down to Barnet. It''s called player trading and keeping the squad fresh.

The world hasn''t ended, although personally I''m writing this season off now and allowing Farke time to work his magic.

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

Ironic isn''t Jim.

Talented players being sold due to huge unsustainable contracts given to other players, including a player who has been injured for 2 years and another who is desperate to play for free for another club.

Brilliant isn''t it?

[Mello Yello 2,306]

Every player has a price......I just personally thought AP was worth more.......

[Jim Smith 2,349]

The Naismith deal was a disaster.

In my book though Jarvis was worse given he''d done very little to merit a permanent signing and he was actually injured when we bought him.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

I guess we have to hope that the young, promising players that we have come through and do the business. Lewis might end up better than Olsson the rate he is going, same with Raggett, who is to say he won’t turn out better than Klose.

I’d rather we keep to signing these type guys than washed up, over the hill “experienced” players that couldn’t cut it at higher level.

With Godfrey, we could have a potential £20m+ player on our hands if he keeps developing at the speed he has recently. He looked a class above the other day vs West Ham, made a mockery of their attacking midfield.

Perhaps the board/coaches know something we don’t and the likes of Middleton are ready to burst onto the scene?

[Van wink 2,994]

lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) wrote the following post at 11/01/2018 1:43 PM:

Ironic isn''t Jim.

“Talented players being sold due to huge unsustainable contracts given to other players, including a player who has been injured for 2 years”

Just as an aside, how does insurance work here, presumably it covers a fair bit of Jarvis’s wages?

[king canary 7,681]

"Actually you can make a similar list up for every club in the UK - from Chelski / Man City / ManUre down to Barnet. It''s called player trading and keeping the squad fresh. "

Firstly, no you can''t

Secondly those clubs, if they have to sell one of their best players they have the funds to replace them.

[lake district canary 4,551]

[quote user="lincoln canary Golden Coppel"]This is devolution in its finest form.

Howson - Vrancic

Olsson - Djiks - Husband

Brady - Wildshut

Ruddy - Gunn (loan player)

Klose (when he leaves) - Raggott

Dorrans - Reed

Jacob Murphy - Steipermann/watkins

The only players signed recently that offer anything close to an upgrade are Hanley and Trybull.[/quote]

Dearie me......Vrancic may still be finding his feet, but has a touch of class about him too. Howson, classy at times and a great servant, but isn''t exactly pulling up trees at Middlesborough and disappeared in some matches for us.  Ollson, Dikks and Brady - good players but I''d rather watch Lewis. (Wildschut has left on loan in case you hadn''t noticed)Gunn....better than Ruddy. Klose - hasn''t left yet and even if he does we are covered. Dorrans? Good player, but we have Trybull.

[king canary 7,681]

So if all these players are improvements on what we had how come we''re sitting in mid-table?

[Hoola Han Solo 448]

lake district clapper. We will finish nowhere near 8th this season, like we did last. So either we have a poorer squad or they’re not being coached and managed properly. I think both.

[Rich T The Biscuit 563]

I’m sorry LDC but I have yet to see anything in Vrancic that tells me he’s anything other than mediocre at best, certainly no replacement for Pritchard.

[Hoola Han Solo 448]

Agreed. Not suited to us or this league. Vrancic has been a poor signing.

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

[quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="lincoln canary Golden Coppel"]This is devolution in its finest form.

Howson - Vrancic

Olsson - Djiks - Husband

Brady - Wildshut

Ruddy - Gunn (loan player)

Klose (when he leaves) - Raggott

Dorrans - Reed

Jacob Murphy - Steipermann/watkins

The only players signed recently that offer anything close to an upgrade are Hanley and Trybull.[/quote]

Dearie me......Vrancic may still be finding his feet, but has a touch of class about him too. Howson, classy at times and a great servant, but isn''t exactly pulling up trees at Middlesborough and disappeared in some matches for us.  Ollson, Dikks and Brady - good players but I''d rather watch Lewis. (Wildschut has left on loan in case you hadn''t noticed)Gunn....better than Ruddy. Klose - hasn''t left yet and even if he does we are covered. Dorrans? Good player, but we have Trybull.

[/quote]

You''d rather watch Lewis over those players based on one or two games! Deary, Deary me. You are claptastic at it''s best.

Yes Lewis is a prospect, but if you were offered a Djiks or Brady right now instead, you''d be stupid not to take them.

[ROBFLECK 132]

I am saddened too by the decline, but I don''t think there is a cause to overreact like some do...

I still think it''s all about the money! We could have become an established PL club if we had had a board that had the numb for bussiness and the money to back. They didn''t do what was needed to become a settled PL side for at least a few years imo (extra investment, dare to take decisions when needed). Is it just them?...no...as they do not have the wealth of owners like the Sheikh Mansour, Glazers etc... I have read the comments of the so called happy-clappers , saying money ain''t everything...but it is bloody crucial in football nowadays! No dough...no PL show

We''re a Championship club at best and will remain that for a fair few years to come!!!

[Rich T The Biscuit 563]

I can’t see us being anything but now, as soon as all the saleable assets are gone, where does the money come from.

People say buying a developing players, do we believe we can still do this and make the money.

We attracted the likes of Pritchard and Maddison as it looked like a club going somewhere, these kind of players will be heading elsewhere in future a there are many many clubs more progressive than we are at the moment!!

[Donkey dangler 0]

What a shambles!

[Rich T The Biscuit 563]

On a positive note for all the fans that want Delia and Co out, whilst the club keeps going downhill it starts to become less viable as a purchase and therefore the price for selling drops in line with it.

Poor old Tom might end up with a club being financially worth next to nothing and will probably have wished Auntie and Uncle sold on the crest of the wave and not under it!!

Ironically does make it slightly more attractive to those that can see the potential value but want a bargain

[Norfolk Mustard 94]

Has anyone heard Tom Smith actually speak? Doesn''t appear much of a leader so far...

[unique 443]

Say what you like about Bennett, but rest assured he will be part of a Premier League squad next season.

Both he and Ruddy, deemed not fit for purpose, will be having the last laugh....

[komakino 275]

As a public speaker, Tom Smith is awful. He is Bruce Forsyth (when alive) in reverse.