Summer 2009 Coming and Going

http://www.readingfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10306~1659013,00.html
The end of this article mentions that Kevin Dillon and Wally Downes left as well. I don't see Doyle or S. Hunt hanging around much longer. Staying in the Championship may be the goal for next year with this many changes coming.

 

Hahnemann reflects on Reading exit:

Yanks Abroad

Class act that Hahnemann. Hope he gets picked up by a Prem club for a year or two.

 

The rumor is that he may play in Murty's testimonial. I hope he has time to do it and the fans show up to give him and Murt's the ovation that they both deserve.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/r/reading/8052962.stm (Audio interview)

Ahh, i feel kinda bad for him now. He seemed really connected to Reading.

 

Well, we'll certainly be looking at a very different team come next season. I suppose things will start to take shape after a manager is brought in.

 

Kelly, Pearce, Henry, Karacan, Bozanic, Long, Sigurdsson, Kanu, church are all 20 and could all be huge, as soon as this season (more likely next).
Beyond that, losing Doyle, Bikey and S Hunt are blows.
But we're a championship side with experienced midfield options of marek, harps, Cisse, Kebe and Tabb and the youngsters.
Up top, Long is ready to be a full time starter, as is noel hunt, and mooney scores goals. We bring in one more, and we're very strong for the second, aren't we? But with church's devo, do we even need one more? (yes, I think).
And at the back, Bikey hurts the most. I know, he didn't even start that often for us (what, with the red cards and injury), but he's class. Duberry and Murty (love them) aren't starters anymore. Bikey would've started under Rodgers, but Duberry and Murty shouldn't have made the bench. On the outside, Armstrong, Rosenoir, with kelly mean the backs are set with cover. Centrally, Pearce and Iggy (if he recovers) and Gunn make up at least one great full time starter.
I hate losing Marcus, but he's a in a better place (the prem, not heaven) and I think we're strong with Fed and Hamer and the dane.
Who else can draw on that amount of talent?
Here are my thoughts, we need one very, very good cb. Maybe a top level left wing. And we need cover for right back.
I think this team could be better than last year's version. There's enough experience that folks know what it takes, but there's also a huge amount of excitment, with young players and a new manager.
This side feels like the 106 pt summer, all promise. Now, we won't get that again, but we, as copps put it, have every reason to expect Reading to be there or thereabouts next may.

 

Hunt's been pretty awful for ages. I don't think he's wanted to play for us for 18 months, an it shows.

I think we'd accept any non-derisory offer, and few fans would be sorry to see him go.

Doyle was different, but £6.5 million is more than anyone thought we'd get for him.

The key is how much we have to spend, and how much we will spend. There's still a feeling that our scouting policy is aimed at finding players who are very cheap rather than very good.

 

it is kind of disturbing that rodgers has made it very clear smith is his priority, and we're getting beat by blades, just after bringing in the doyle money. and with what we'll get for hunt (i agree, tired of him) and bikey(whom I really regret losing) it will probably be about 11m when said and done. and we can't come up with 1.8m for a new manager's prize?

 

Thanks for the heads up: the players

Devrite from hotspur and Bertrand from Chelsea. Very young. I don't think I've seen either play, i certainly don't remember them. does anyone? In any case, Rodgers does know young talent, so this should be good news. REally young back line, though, with ivar out, duberry gone and bikey leaving, that means Pearce is the old man? Sounds like Devrite will certainly have his chances.

 

Having watched the two pre-season games so far, a 5-1 win a Didcot on Tuesday night, with the vivid backdrop of a dramatic glowing orange sky, as the sun dipped slowly behind the cooling towers of Didcot B Power Station, and a less than inspiring 2-1 loss at Kettering today (regardless of what the BBC results page says), I think it needs to be said that we really really need a new striker.

Four years of occasional sub appearances have taken their toll on Shane Long, who really ought to have gone out on an extented loan at some stage. He still looks the same raw player he was at 18, and doesn't look at all ready to start games. Church, who does have experience, looks a better bet now.

Neither fill you with enough confidence to make you think they'll break 15 goals this season, and this season's apparent gameplan, with lots of one-touch passing and moving, is still a work in progress.

A new centre-back would also be nice, if only a loan signing for cover while we are a bit stretched in that area.


In both games Reading were far the better team, dominating possession as you'd expect, but failed to turn that superiority into clear cut chances and goals. Had there been more of a cutting edge, the 9 goals hit at Didcot last year would probably have been overtaken, and at least a couple more would have been added at Kettering. As it was, Kettering only had about 3 chances in the whole game (one a penalty), but managed to take two of them.

 

Shame re: Long. Is Mooney simplyin over his head?
This is the problem with a youth movement. Lot's of talent, lot's of exciting footiball, not so many results. They do a lot of things right, but they lack the ability to do the little things that lock away a match, and the knack of forcing goals.
sigh

 

No idea about Mooney. I've never seen him play. He scored 3 in 9 for Norwich on loan, which isn't a great return (Lita hit 6 in 13 for the same team by comparison, albeit not at exactly the same time) bu they were struggling.

He's apparently quite poor in the air, but then again our crossing is pretty poor, so that's not an immediate issue as there'd be little for him to head anyway.

It definitely looks like a transitional season rather than a big promotion push this year. With a new striker and a bit of luck in getting the players to play the way Rodgers wants them to play, then the play-offs aren't unrealistic, but there's a definite rebuilding job to do.

 

if we get s hunt off the books, the club won't have any prem level salaries to deal with, right (course, the reports that he's on pds 40k a week are hardly official). i think we need a rebuilding year. and if we make playoffs, go up, because youngster devo faster than expected, that's gravy. i think the cupboard is very far from bare, but your report that long hasn't improved is a bad sign.
my hope is that after 15 games, the younsters are good enough that we could make a run. the season though, might not be salvagable by the time they come around

 

Curious about Coppell. Haven't heard boo about the man who was once rumored to be on the short list to replace SAF when he retires.

Anyone know if he's been connected w/any club?

 

Coppell is currently over in the USA as it happens.

He's not job hunting though. He's just over to spend time with his son who has just graduated from a university over there, and is trying to start a career as a pro golfer (his son, that is, not Steve).

 

Agree on Shane Long stagnating. Saw him play last season and while his pace and workrate caused problems but technically and tactically he did look like an 18 year old. Really needs a confidence boost.

I saw Mooney at Cork and he did look quite decent to be honest. A real goalscorer, he is quick and a good finisher but he did look very raw in the Irish league which isn't too good. A lot of running round like a headless chook and crap touches, but out of nowhere he got two chances and took them both. Could make it.