Re: Reading and Boro track Liege's USA defender That's a bold statement. Let me ask you this question which is the bigger league, the Eredivisie where small teams like PSV play or the Premiership which is home to such goliaths as Reading?
Reading hold the all-time English record for most points in a season and the all-time English record for most games won at the start of the season.
Reading where also the first winners of the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup which is one of the oldest football competitions in the world, it's ten years older than the football league and 20 years older than the Eredivisie. Also I believe they've won the Berks and Bucks Cup more times than any other team.
See earlier in the thread, I've already explained how Reading would of surely won the Euroepan Cup in 1988 instead of PSV if Enlgish clubs had not been banned from the competition.
If this is true you can count Reading out of the Gooch chase... http://sports.bostonherald.com/soccer/view.bg?articleid=142851
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2006260549,00.html Looks like some quote doctoring by someone... http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=370416&campaign=rss&source=soccernet&cc=5901
Okay, the quote vanished, but it was referring to the pds 5m fee. Reading can afford the transfer fee at that level. I don't know if they're able, or willing, to completely rework their wage scale to match the salary apparently on offer. Reading were talking about pds 7-12m before the new tv deal, which increases rev by about 7m a season, if my math iis correct (which it almost never is). I wonder about that number, however, and not because I think my estimation of value is better than others, but because he's noting it as "reports" and every other report I've seen says pds 2m. Course, could be that Gooch told him the amount otr and and he's covering. But I agree with mvann and others in their assessment that this pairing for Reading, Gooch and Sonko, would go a long ways towards staying up, and I think he would therefore be worth what for reading is a massive fee (they're going to shatter their transfer record this summer on someone, mihgt as well be him).
If he goes to Boro, that creates another team I can watch when they show them on Saturday. I'm already going to watch Reading. So for selfish reasons I want Boro to sign him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111
The eredivisie has not been a very weak league at all, many teams in it have had great european success, Ajax, Feijenoord, PSV, AZ Alkmar (recently), and Heerenveen. Lately PSV and Ajax have been successful in the UCL, making it as far or farther than englishteams (last year) except for arsenal. I know also Feijenoord, AZ and Heerenveen have had success in the Uefa cup, beating english teams (premiership, not just promoted like reading) and other pretty good teams. I'm not so sure one of the worst teams in the ERedivise like Willem 2 or Twente couldn't beat one of the worst teams in the Premiership. Wow, Reading won the Burks and the Bucks cup, you got me there I guess that clinches it for Reading Lol.
From the WTF category comes this... http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/5068458.stm In other Reading news/rumors... http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/5068458.stm
Yep there's no point in buying James. We do need another keeper because we haven't got that many on our books, but Hahnemann's a decent keeper so there's no need to replace him in the starting line-up. 2.5m pounds is a steal for Sidwell, i fyou look at what the other top Championship players (JOhnson, Ashton, Lescott, etc) have been going for. Sidwell apparently has a clause in his contract that says he can tlak to any club making 2m pound bids. It's basically a pay dispute, Sidwell's not happy with the 18,000 per week he's been offered.
Sidwell has a clause that any offer of pds 2m will be discussed, but it's not an escape clause. the club has to have their valuation met, and it's not 2.5m. reading between the lines, it's not even in the neighborhood. The third man is revealed here: Pope. According to this, they're looking at Gooch (top target) Pope, Mensah and others, but they believe they need a center half. http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/...als-targetting-world-cup-stars-name_page.html
Wow. Pope admittedly looked good right up until the WC but had a rough time in Germany. Maybe they also got a look at Jimmy Conrad (who would be a better buy) and will shift gears to focus on him??
Eddie Pope would be used like a turnstyle in the EPL. That would be flat-out ugly. Just get Gooch if you can. You'll thanks us later when you sell him for 5x the money.
Gooch has to learn not use his hands he so big the ref are already watching him I think he will fit in the EPL with his agressive play