S-Clarke

urrrgh Milner. Was it any coincidence that we looked more threatening once he was subbed and replaced by Theo? Nope. He's a hard worker, but a clogger. Doesn't do much and is never a wide player, way too slow and predicable to do that.

Exactly this.

I just don't think the guys that run this club are the sort to tease us with crap. We barely get any bits like this out of the club, so when it does pop out you can be assured that there is serious intent to make it happen in the long-term future, and therefore financial backing. Similar was said about the training ground when the pictures first came out, but you could tell the intent was there and after a bit of a wait it finally started and that won't be cheap either.

Would imagine it's years away, as you said, but we may see little things being added as we go along - maybe those pictures are what they want the final outcome to be after 10 or so years? They're pictures, but they've come officially out of the club and it's the first time we've seen them comment on stadium improvements, so at least it shows these are being considered. Forgot about the industrial freehold though, and the front outside the stadium - that wouldn't be done overnight.

True. I think next year is key though, going straight back down will put us back I reckon. Everything is going to plan so far... We need to stay up next year and then I think we'll push on even more, next year should be all about consolidation and finishing between 12-15th. I think most would take that!

What is sarcastic about that?

Nope...going by this thread I thought they had, but I'm struggling to see anything other than ''Reading are linked''. Nothing concrete in this at all.

To be fair there is a total difference here. That design was thought up by people who only just had enough to pay the designers, it was never going to happen unless they got additional investment. I think it's fair to say that we're as best placed as we have ever been to see plans like this through, the upgrade to the training ground kind of implies that - and ok, this is a huge scale development, but I'd say there is genuine intent to make it happen unlike the Skates.

We all knew there were plans to improve the stadium, this confirms it. It also confirms that were are backed with some serious $$$.

That's a big statement from them, they have the $$$ then.

To be fair, we've been active than most teams already. Don't think anyone outside of the top 4 have closed a 'big' transfer as we did.

Yep, you're right. Will be interesting to see what they do this summer in terms of additions as wheelan has already said there will be money to spend.

I said that last year after they sold Nzogbia - but they did it again! They are guarenteed to be awful for the first few months, but bloody good in the final quarter of the season

Yep, that's the sort of signing as i'd class as exciting in Sky Sports terms. He's just not done it at Juventus for whatever reason and the club/his agent have been offering him around, I doubt many of the ''bigger'' clubs are too keen on taking a gamble so it leaves the middle half/bottom load of teams in the PL' and other european leagues. I imagine we'd have to pay a decent wedge in terms of a loan fee and a % of his wages, so I'd be inclined to say that would knock out quite a few of the bottom half premiership clubs. I might be talking rubbish and he's not the player we're interested in, but to be honest when Sky say an exciting deal I doubt it's someone from the NPC.

That's the first name that sprung into my head. For some reason I think his 'exciting' criteria equals a very talented forigen signing, who hasn't got his chance at a 'big club'.

To be fair, I'd fade out the customer number on that pic.

That DVD seems a nice touch.

Works for Sky, as their football reporter I think. Pretty solid source I'd have to say. Wonder who it is that he'd class as Exciting? Let the name guessing begin.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18495965#

''one or 2 new signings by the start of pre-season'' was what he said. There will be a couple more after that, I'm sure.

I don't have too much knowledge in this, but I just have the feeling that it's not as simple as that. He's got a basic wage applied to his contract which needs to be met wherever he is, surely? So we either pay 50% and the other club pay 50%, or we pay 0% and the other club pay 100%. I don't think you can just forfeit your contracted wage.

Footballer with fit missus shocker. She's a stunner though.

Clealry is us stopping the move in some way. I imagine it's financial and we don't want to help towards the wage, or we want some ridiculous loan fee. We acted the same with Puncheon for some reason, plenty of takers but we put a silly price on his head.

A bit more attractive than the £10+ figures that I was reading. It's still a hell of alot of money though, I think there are better wide players out in Europe who we could snare for that price (or less).