Have Reading done enough this transfer window?

[Sir Rodney Effing]

Take a look at how much haw been spent by all the big clubs in window. Down by over £100m from last year. The recession how finally arrived at football, and most clubs are using the loan system.

Of course I'm pissed of that we couldnt spend more, but it just aint gonna happen.

I'm just waiting for the arrorogant sods' wages to drop next...

[BR2]

We needed a first-choice striker. I assumed Thor would be that, but Long and even Bignall have got on ahead of him, which doesn't bode well. If we don't stay up, Madejski may regret not putting his hand further into his pocket. Goalscorers are out there for loan: Sheff Wed picked up Luke Varney, for instance.

Football is really a simple game: the more goals, the more wins. I don't know about signing Thorvaldsson full time, and surely Church and Long have to go in the summer. Neither are regular goalscorers, nor ever likely to be; so lets get people in who can poke the ball in the net.

long can go, but give Church a chance ffs. It's his first full season in the CCC and he's in a pretty poor team. his movement is second to none in our side, goals will come.

Patrick Sayzee and Michael Jackson were good movers but neither of them were recognised goalscorers.
I don't like this "We have until March" way of thinking.
Knowing how long it takes players to bed in at our club the season will be over and our fate decided before new loanees make an impression.
I hate all this loan stuff at all levels of football and the idea of Premiership clubs taking players on loan is just crazy.
If clubs can't afford to buy players they should not be playing in a professional league and the sooner Divs 1 and 2 go part-time the better.
No other country in the world has so many professional clubs and nowadays some 5th division teams are fully professional which is ludicrous.
Rant over-yes I wish we had bought a new big striker and dynamic central midfielder because we could do with them NOW and not when the season is almost over.

[CMRoyal]

I think MaccyD has identified a strong, experienced defence as the counter to a lack of firepower, and in that respect it's been a good window. He's probably hoping that one of the forwards suddenly hits a rich vein of form. Otherwise, it's going to be a matter of grinding out results from hereonin.

[Hoop Blah]

We've done as much as we can without spending loads of money. We've missed out on a couple of signings... Welbeck - to Fergie's son, McSheffrey - Leeds. But that's it, not a lot happened.

There will have been plenty of players available that haven't moved during the window so I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean. We haven't necessarily missed out on them of course but I do agree with BR that we should probably have done a little more (or at least been a bit more successful) to bring in the required quality to give us as good a chance as possible of beating the drop. We'll be running out of games and have potentially have left it too late by the we act.

That goes for Rodgers previously as well as McDermott this time around.

[Thaumagurist*]

We needed a first-choice striker. I assumed Thor would be that, but Long and even Bignall have got on ahead of him,

You made that assumption from one game?

[Hoop Blah]

...He's probably hoping that one of the forwards suddenly hits a rich vein of form.

Which, by the nature of centre forward, is always something that is quite possible, especially with the likes of Long or Rasiak, but much less so with Church and, judging by his goals record, Thorvaldsson.

Considering Rasiaks ability to find the net I'm a little surprised that McDermott hasn't found a way of getting him into the side, or at least tried to. I can understand leaving him out because he doesn't contribute a hell of a lot but one thing he can do is bag a goal.

[Hoop Blah]

We needed a first-choice striker. I assumed Thor would be that, but Long and even Bignall have got on ahead of him,

You made that assumption from one game?

Think that reads more likely that the assumption was that the forward we were going to bring in would hopefully be better than the collection of below par ones we've already got. He's been available a month now and has hardly got a proper look in.

I can see McDermotts logic in using Bignall for the last 15/20 minutes against Barnsley though, and he's told the 5 forwards that they'll be rotated around and used to get the best out of each other at different times...which is an intersting statement.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

[I hate all this loan stuff at all levels of football and the idea of Premiership clubs taking players on loan is just crazy.
If clubs can't afford to buy players they should not be playing in a professional league and the sooner Divs 1 and 2 go part-time the better.

Have to agree with this. If you cannot afford the players go without.

And why do we keep hearing about players going out on loan for experience?

Why are we and many others bringing through the playes for the lower leagues.

And go back to 3 subs again, waste of money.

[Thaumagurist*]

Surely loans usually are "try before you buy". Clubs don't want to be buying duff players. This is also a good way, for the club loaning the player, of easing the wage burden for a short period.

[Hoop Blah]

Surely loans usually are "try before you buy". Clubs don't want to be buying duff players. This is also a good way, for the club loaning the player, of easing the wage burden for a short period.

Usually? I'd say more like occassionally!

I don't have too much of an issue with the loan system itself, but I do think the practise of big clubs hoarding talent in their large squads is doing us no good as far too many good players basically stop playing and stop progressing.

The new rules on subs and the 'home grown' quotas probably aren't going to help that either.

[Thaumagurist*]

but I do think the practise of big clubs hoarding talent in their large squads is doing us no good as far too many good players basically stop playing and stop progressing.

I'd agree with that, I seem to remember Coppell moaning about the big clubs overloading their squads.

Should there be a limit on players per club?

[papereyes]

The last couple of times it really mattered, my thoughts were no (and it really wasn't enough) and probably (and Kitson proved to be a complete spafftard).

This time, it has to.

Griffin and the Georgian are good, solid players.
Thor needs to score goals. Needs to.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Surely loans usually are "try before you buy". Clubs don't want to be buying duff players. This is also a good way, for the club loaning the player, of easing the wage burden for a short period.

Duff players, hmmm they could try scouting.

As Hoopy says all that happens is that clubs hoard players, i really think that the football we are watching at this level is little better than what was Div 3 in the 70's, most Prem clubs now have two full teams, rather than the 18 players common in the 70.'/80's.

[Thaumagurist*]

Duff players, hmmm they could try scouting.

But would scouting tell them whether the player will fit into their squads?

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

you only have to look at how large our playing staff really is, and how large it was just a cpl of years ago in the Prem. Part of it is to hoard players, the big four always do it, anyone with a bit of promise gets signed up, like the lad that went from MAn U from Fulham, did they actually need him, i think not, but would rather he was with them than a proper competitor.

[Jeffers217]

I would say moderate but I think relegation has been confirmed by other relegation rivals signing decent players. Derby have signed Tonge on loan, Plymouth signed Johnson on loan- all better than what we've got. I'm just going to try and enjoy the last few months we have in the 2nd tier for a while. Anyone with Long and Church up front is doomed. Thor does look good but please keep the donkey out the team

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Duff players, hmmm they could try scouting.

But would scouting tell them whether the player will fit into their squads?

Ever had an interview for a job Spacey????

[Hoop Blah]

you only have to look at how large our playing staff really is, and how large it was just a cpl of years ago in the Prem. Part of it is to hoard players, the big four always do it, anyone with a bit of promise gets signed up, like the lad that went from MAn U from Fulham, did they actually need him, i think not, but would rather he was with them than a proper competitor.

I think the wages on offer for a player moving to one of the big clubs makes it very dificult for the player to turn it down, when in 'the old days' a promising player would probably stay at a club like Fulham to develop properly before moving on to better things as a more accomplished player.

Look at the likes of Parker, Wright-Phillips, Sidwell, Bale, Walcott, the two Sheff Utd lads that went to Spurs, the list goes on, of players who get snapped up then don't play much for their new club.

You could argue that they get to train with and learn off of some of the worlds best players but it's on the pitch in the heat of battle that you really learn your trade.

Smalling will get the rest of the season at Fulham which is good for him, but as a centre back he probably needs two or three more seasons in the first team to develop properly. He's only played a dozen first team games!!

I think Utd do need him though. Vidic and Rio are not getting any younger, and Brown is a bit toilet. Evans looks good but I guess their thinking is that Smalling can be groomed to be Evans' long term partner.

[Woodcote Royal]

Given the state we were in when he took over and the fact he's not spent a penny in transfer fees, our former Chief Scout, not surprisingly, has had an excellent window and it beggars belief that some would suggest otherwise............................what do you want, blood, FFS

Compare this with Coppell who always had money to spend but usually elected not to spend it.

Compare this with the right back Rodgers decided to buy.

I was delighted to see Bignall get a brief outing on Saturday.

As one of those who watched his impressive display against Burton in the cup, seeing him shipped out on loan shortly after was rather odd until it became clear that Rodgers was losing the plot.

Whilst Rasiak was one of Brendan's better signings, and we certainly have room for this type of striker in the squad, like Marek he will never be the future of this club and is past his best.

So, faced with a goal drought, trying a youngster who has already shown a lot of promise is hardly rocket science, is it? There is no point in him being here unless he gets a chance.

If a certain manager had been prepared to give a chance to a striker now playing for West Brom our current problem might be non existent.

[Thaumagurist*]

If a certain manager had been prepared to give a chance to a striker now playing for West Brom our current problem might be non existent.

How could he? Cox had to compete with Kitson, Doyle, Lita and Long. And Premiership wasn't his level yet. Cox wasn't prepared to wait and probably at the time didn't think Reading would be relegated.