John Swift

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'The Glory of Reading'

That line alone made it worth listening to
 

Some oddballs in Reading.

Think it every time I go.
 
Ldn_Rd_Blades said:
Readings sacked their manager, that can’t help
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Not sacked him, moved him back to his previous position of technical director. The problem comes with their movement of the former CEO, he was only one who would let Swift leave, the only one who understood the implications of FFP but has now been moved away from any football/squad related matters.
 
SufcBilly said:
Not sacked him, moved him back to his previous position of technical director. The problem comes with their movement of the former CEO, he was only one who would let Swift leave, the only one who understood the implications of FFP but has now been moved away from any football/squad related matters.
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Getting a yes man in them I guess
 
Mmmmm...from reading posts on here, plus the number of stories that say we've spent most of our transfer budget, the idea that anyone of substance will arrive before the deadline is just wishful thinking. We're buggered on two fronts - from all accounts we're not able to exceed the fee expected for Forest's Cash, so we're not in a position to compete with other interested clubs, plus we cannot compete on wages, and that alone makes any interest in a player dead in the water before negotiations begin.

Let me stress, I know Chris is a canny operator so who knows who's about to come through the dressing room doors? Neither am I anti-Wilder, but given the apparent slowness regarding who we might be interested in, it seems we might have a squad that has been tinkered with, rather then the dramatic positional changes that many of us had hoped for, so any hope of a decent attacking player joining us in this window seems slim to non-existent. The names that have featured heavily, Reading's Swift, and Forest's Cash, won't be wearing our colours. A shame, but those seem to be the facts.

This coming season might be more of a struggle than we had hoped for. Hope I'm wrong of course.
 
Not sure I comprehend the (perennial) Armageddon scenarios re (perceived / predicted) transfer 'failings' . [be gentle with me; I chose to live in Sunderland!]
Outwith Robinson our apparent / alleged 'targets' haven't signed for anyone else despite the 'common knowledge' that each & every other club interested in players linked with us can / will financially out- muscle us. The plethora of other clubs apparently interested in, eg Cash; Swift will be aware of what we've offered(& likely what Forest; Reading want) but haven't signed 'em (yet ?)
C/f It didn't take long for Robinson to sign eldewhere following the 'doubts' being raised
Then compare theRamsdale signing - once our interest was public the 'black dogs' were convinced Villa would / had gazumped us
We are one of the few clubs that have actually made a significant (I'd big money) signing to date
Just because the popular (sic) press (sic) hasnt announced signings doesn't mean that things aren't progressing / developing - they've got 5 or six pages to fill (with shit) everyday -
Dirty L###s Infirmary Coronary Care unit must be full to bustin given their lack of signings despite being 'linked' to the equivalent of the population of a small to medium sized Baltic Republic

Chill, fuckin chill, (please)
 
Moan? Nope-I saw Longhorn said:
Not sure I comprehend the (perennial) Armageddon scenarios re (perceived / predicted) transfer 'failings' . [be gentle with me; I chose to live in Sunderland!]
Outwith Robinson our apparent / alleged 'targets' haven't signed for anyone else despite the 'common knowledge' that each & every other club interested in players linked with us can / will financially out- muscle us. The plethora of other clubs apparently interested in, eg Cash; Swift will be aware of what we've offered(& likely what Forest; Reading want) but haven't signed 'em (yet ?)
C/f It didn't take long for Robinson to sign eldewhere following the 'doubts' being raised
Then compare theRamsdale signing - once our interest was public the 'black dogs' were convinced Villa would / had gazumped us
We are one of the few clubs that have actually made a significant (I'd big money) signing to date
Just because the popular (sic) press (sic) hasnt announced signings doesn't mean that things aren't progressing / developing - they've got 5 or six pages to fill (with shit) everyday -
Dirty L###s Infirmary Coronary Care unit must be full to bustin given their lack of signings despite being 'linked' to the equivalent of the population of a small to medium sized Baltic Republic

Chill, fuckin chill, (please)
Click to expand...
I agree
Too many believe what they see in the media.
Relax : all will be fine.
 
Moan? Nope-I saw Longhorn said:
Not sure I comprehend the (perennial) Armageddon scenarios re (perceived / predicted) transfer 'failings' . [be gentle with me; I chose to live in Sunderland!]
Outwith Robinson our apparent / alleged 'targets' haven't signed for anyone else despite the 'common knowledge' that each & every other club interested in players linked with us can / will financially out- muscle us. The plethora of other clubs apparently interested in, eg Cash; Swift will be aware of what we've offered(& likely what Forest; Reading want) but haven't signed 'em (yet ?)
C/f It didn't take long for Robinson to sign eldewhere following the 'doubts' being raised
Then compare theRamsdale signing - once our interest was public the 'black dogs' were convinced Villa would / had gazumped us
We are one of the few clubs that have actually made a significant (I'd big money) signing to date
Just because the popular (sic) press (sic) hasnt announced signings doesn't mean that things aren't progressing / developing - they've got 5 or six pages to fill (with shit) everyday -
Dirty L###s Infirmary Coronary Care unit must be full to bustin given their lack of signings despite being 'linked' to the equivalent of the population of a small to medium sized Baltic Republic

Chill, fuckin chill, (please)
Click to expand...
TBF Leeds have already spent 40-50m on Costa and Rodrigo.
 
I’m surprised by all the negativity. Just how many transfers have been completed this window. Every club apart from the obvious few will have to trim their budgets. The football finance bubble is in danger of bursting. All I see in the press are agents trying to get moves by linking players with all and sundry. I’m sure they’ll be some mad bids come September, but I’m comfortable with a lack of signings. The simple truth in my opinion is that football finance is changing as Lundstram, Grealish etc are discovering.
 
itsinyerblood said:
Mmmmm...from reading posts on here, plus the number of stories that say we've spent most of our transfer budget, the idea that anyone of substance will arrive before the deadline is just wishful thinking. We're buggered on two fronts - from all accounts we're not able to exceed the fee expected for Forest's Cash, so we're not in a position to compete with other interested clubs, plus we cannot compete on wages, and that alone makes any interest in a player dead in the water before negotiations begin.

Let me stress, I know Chris is a canny operator so who knows who's about to come through the dressing room doors? Neither am I anti-Wilder, but given the apparent slowness regarding who we might be interested in, it seems we might have a squad that has been tinkered with, rather then the dramatic positional changes that many of us had hoped for, so any hope of a decent attacking player joining us in this window seems slim to non-existent. The names that have featured heavily, Reading's Swift, and Forest's Cash, won't be wearing our colours. A shame, but those seem to be the facts.

This coming season might be more of a struggle than we had hoped for. Hope I'm wrong of course.
Click to expand...

Mate, I think most of us would be alarmed at the thought of those "dramatic positional changes" you mention. Have you forgotten it is the shortest pre season ever? Add to that we are still restricted in many ways due to CV-19, wholesale changes were never going to happen, just not the time to do it, & anyway why should we, we did just finish 9th you know, not 17th? Post lock down form was not the disaster a lot are saying it was, extrapolated out it would have had us finishing 13th.
 
itsinyerblood said:
Mmmmm...from reading posts on here, plus the number of stories that say we've spent most of our transfer budget, the idea that anyone of substance will arrive before the deadline is just wishful thinking. We're buggered on two fronts - from all accounts we're not able to exceed the fee expected for Forest's Cash, so we're not in a position to compete with other interested clubs, plus we cannot compete on wages, and that alone makes any interest in a player dead in the water before negotiations begin.

Let me stress, I know Chris is a canny operator so who knows who's about to come through the dressing room doors? Neither am I anti-Wilder, but given the apparent slowness regarding who we might be interested in, it seems we might have a squad that has been tinkered with, rather then the dramatic positional changes that many of us had hoped for, so any hope of a decent attacking player joining us in this window seems slim to non-existent. The names that have featured heavily, Reading's Swift, and Forest's Cash, won't be wearing our colours. A shame, but those seem to be the facts.

This coming season might be more of a struggle than we had hoped for. Hope I'm wrong of course.
Click to expand...
Given that we defied all expectations by finishing 9th last season, who are the 'many' who hoped for 'dramatic positional changes'? Surely we're not too far away from being able to push on, and throwing the baby out with the bathwater would be folly?

I always hoped that we wouldn't turn into one of those clubs like Stoke or Bolton who find themselves in the Premier League for more than one season and suddenly start thinking that they're a better and more desirable destination for quality players than they actually are. I don't think we should avoid ambition, but neither do I think that wholesale changes to a formation and squad that so far has worked wonders would be a sensible thing to do, at all.
 
blade13 said:
I’m surprised by all the negativity. Just how many transfers have been completed this window. Every club apart from the obvious few will have to trim their budgets. The football finance bubble is in danger of bursting. All I see in the press are agents trying to get moves by linking players with all and sundry. I’m sure they’ll be some mad bids come September, but I’m comfortable with a lack of signings. The simple truth in my opinion is that football finance is changing as Lundstram, Grealish etc are discovering.
Click to expand...
Stop giving dignified answers we demand chaos from all parties.
 

Speedracer said:
Mate, I think most of us would be alarmed at the thought of those "dramatic positional changes" you mention. Have you forgotten it is the shortest pre season ever? Add to that we are still restricted in many ways due to CV-19, wholesale changes were never going to happen, just not the time to do it, & anyway why should we, we did just finish 9th you know, not 17th? Post lock down form was not the disaster a lot are saying it was, extrapolated out it would have had us finishing 13th.
Click to expand...

Quite right, it was the shortest pre-season in living memory. We we already warned that money would be in short supply, so my opinions weren't based om despair, but it has been clear for some time that we need 'better' up front, plus we also need a creative type in midfield, and there's always a case for bring in cover, something that George needs. GB has shown to be consistently good, but the consensus seems to be that he needs someone to push him.

My point was that with it being a fact that we had a far smaller budget to dip into, why the talk of looking at Dennis, valued at a minimum of £20mil, Cash valued at £15mil, and then see these suggestions fade as it's clear we weren't seriously able to compete? Maybe the powers that be think that the fans needed a sign that we're still looking at targets of substance. For me this was never going to happen, so the purchase of Ramsdale has been this window's major acquisition, and we'll have to hope that we'll be in better shape for the January window.
 
Le Cynique said:
Given that we defied all expectations by finishing 9th last season, who are the 'many' who hoped for 'dramatic positional changes'? Surely we're not too far away from being able to push on, and throwing the baby out with the bathwater would be folly?

I always hoped that we wouldn't turn into one of those clubs like Stoke or Bolton who find themselves in the Premier League for more than one season and suddenly start thinking that they're a better and more desirable destination for quality players than they actually are. I don't think we should avoid ambition, but neither do I think that wholesale changes to a formation and squad that so far has worked wonders would be a sensible thing to do, at all.
Click to expand...

Not a great deal to disagree with there mate. My point was centred on the adage that a club needs to evolve and strengthen, even if it's based on positions that are obviously in need of strengthening. A goalie was an obvious acquisition, as for other parts of the team, yes, our first eleven, twelve, or thirteen are good, but beyond that? I wasn't expecting a spending spree, but a player up front with speed and who offers more of a goal threat, plus a creative midfield type, these seem to be obvious areas that we need to look at.
 
I think if you look at our forwards as a whole then we are pretty well equipped to cover different scenario's, for me the supply has to be better, & tweaking the system to try & achieve that has to be the first move before replacing the players who have got us into the position we are now in. Of course signing better players will happen & I would welcome them, but I think the way we play means replacing one player can affect the shape more so other teams with not such a sophisticated style of play.
 
blade13 said:
The simple truth in my opinion is that football finance is changing as Lundstram, Grealish etc are discovering.
Click to expand...

I posted at the start of lockdown that this will stuff up Lunny’s pay rise negotiations. It’s hard to see who will pay him drastically more until he’s available on a free.

I can only think of about three or four clubs who might conceivably want him, be willing to pay a fee, and are high payers. Is he going to be reduced to seeing out his contract on our bench as his market value declines? It’s a risk for him.

Just sign up, fella.
 
Just because we're in the Prem it doesn't make us rich in relative terms.

To really move to another level we need our exposure to bring investment.

Without that Wilder can weave his magic and keep us competing but we will need to be at max and avoid injury nightmares.

Last season was amazing but we shouldn't lose sight of reality.
 
itsinyerblood said:
Not a great deal to disagree with there mate. My point was centred on the adage that a club needs to evolve and strengthen, even if it's based on positions that are obviously in need of strengthening. A goalie was an obvious acquisition, as for other parts of the team, yes, our first eleven, twelve, or thirteen are good, but beyond that? I wasn't expecting a spending spree, but a player up front with speed and who offers more of a goal threat, plus a creative midfield type, these seem to be obvious areas that we need to look at.
Click to expand...
Evolving and strengthening is one thing; a dramatic change to the way we play is quite another. At our best, we can go toe-to-to with any other team in this league, by playing football our way to our strengths. On our day, we play some of the best and most exciting football I've ever seen us play. Sure, I'd like to see us create more solid chances and score more goals, but that's an evolution of our style and a gradual building of the team, not ripping everything up and starting again just because we're in our second season in the top flight.
 
Le Cynique said:
Evolving and strengthening is one thing; a dramatic change to the way we play is quite another. At our best, we can go toe-to-to with any other team in this league, by playing football our way to our strengths. On our day, we play some of the best and most exciting football I've ever seen us play. Sure, I'd like to see us create more solid chances and score more goals, but that's an evolution of our style and a gradual building of the team, not ripping everything up and starting again just because we're in our second season in the top flight.
Click to expand...

Re-reading my previous post and then your reply, it's as if you're replying to another poster.

I don't recall asking for dramatic changes or ripping everything up. As has been said elsewhere, stagnancy is comparable to going backwards. The notion that bringing in new players will completely destroy what has been worked so hard to build answers itself. We didn't need lots of players this season, but it would be helpful to bring in players who were as good if not better than those we currently have on our books. It creates competition for places, it should signal that there are players raring to go if anyone allows standards to drop.

I do understand why spending tens of millions is neither wise or sensible, so cutting your cloth whilst attempting to improve seems completely appropriate.
I do agree that we're capable of playing great football, and under Wilder and Knill we have grown into a team that offers far more than any other United team I've seen. If it's not meant to be this season, or this transfer window, then I'll accept that this is what was meant to be, but none of this affects my view that there are positions that need to be strengthened.
 
itsinyerblood said:
Quite right, it was the shortest pre-season in living memory. We we already warned that money would be in short supply, so my opinions weren't based om despair, but it has been clear for some time that we need 'better' up front, plus we also need a creative type in midfield, and there's always a case for bring in cover, something that George needs. GB has shown to be consistently good, but the consensus seems to be that he needs someone to push him.

My point was that with it being a fact that we had a far smaller budget to dip into, why the talk of looking at Dennis, valued at a minimum of £20mil, Cash valued at £15mil, and then see these suggestions fade as it's clear we weren't seriously able to compete? Maybe the powers that be think that the fans needed a sign that we're still looking at targets of substance. For me this was never going to happen, so the purchase of Ramsdale has been this window's major acquisition, and we'll have to hope that we'll be in better shape for the January window.
Click to expand...
Im with you ib re evolving and the depth of the squad. Wonder if funds are tight for HRH because he’s spreading his wealth on his new toy in Belgium.
 
itsinyerblood said:
Re-reading my previous post and then your reply, it's as if you're replying to another poster.

I don't recall asking for dramatic changes or ripping everything up. As has been said elsewhere, stagnancy is comparable to going backwards. The notion that bringing in new players will completely destroy what has been worked so hard to build answers itself. We didn't need lots of players this season, but it would be helpful to bring in players who were as good if not better than those we currently have on our books. It creates competition for places, it should signal that there are players raring to go if anyone allows standards to drop.

I do understand why spending tens of millions is neither wise or sensible, so cutting your cloth whilst attempting to improve seems completely appropriate.
I do agree that we're capable of playing great football, and under Wilder and Knill we have grown into a team that offers far more than any other United team I've seen. If it's not meant to be this season, or this transfer window, then I'll accept that this is what was meant to be, but none of this affects my view that there are positions that need to be strengthened.
Click to expand...

I don't want to pointlessly argue with you, but you literally said this: "it seems we might have a squad that has been tinkered with, rather then the dramatic positional changes that many of us had hoped for,".

Do I misunderstand you when you say 'dramatic positional changes'? That doesn't sound like 'strengthening and evolving' to me. If I'm misunderstanding, I apologise - but what you said definitely sounded like you were asking for dramatic changes!
 

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