Reading’s transfer window – Part Two: the leavers

Following on from the new boys post from yesterday, here is a look at the numerous players that have left our hallowed club this summer. For reference, I’ve only included the players that have either left for good or loanees that are unlikely to return.

Marcus Hahnemann, 37, free transfer – now at Wolverhampton Wanderers

The big goalkeeper, who spent eight years with the Royals, played a massive part in our promotion campaign, along with several other of this summers departure lounge. The USA international was famed for his love of guns and cars, as well as for giving up his jersey at the end of every game. He also threw his ‘bus pass’ wristband to me from the promotion party bus before jokingly saying that it cost him 40p. We threw two 20 pence pieces at him. He caught one and dropped the other. His move will not adversly affect the team too much, Adam Federici is a more than adequate replacement for the Wolves new-boy.

Graeme Murty, 34, free transfer – now at Southampton

What can be said about our former-captain that hasn’t already been written? A true Reading legend and a player that no fan will ever forget. He wore the armband during the most successful period in the clubs history and the moment the net bulged from his penalty against Q.P.R is one of my favourite ever memories of supporting my team. However, the time was right for him to leave. Liam Rosenior had become the better option (although he too has now departed) and his legs were no longer up to this standard of football. Hopefully Cummings will be able to fill both his and Liam’s boots.

Michael Duberry, 33, free transfer – now at Wycome Wanderers

Another early departure, ‘Doobs’ also had his best days behind him. He spent two years with the club, making 48 appearances in total, but didn’t have a huge impact at the club. Always behind Bikey and Ingimarsson for most peoples money, he was a solid defender, but was all too prone to a big hoof up the field instead of holding on to the ball. Now club-captain at Wycombe, he has been more than adequately replaced by our new signings in the centre-back position.

Alan Bennett, 27, free transfer – now at Brentford

Signed from Cork City with high expectations after the success of Kevin Doyle and Shane Long, Bennett never troubled the first team and his release was no surprise. He did well for Brentford during his loan spells and I expect that he will continue to. However, he’ll still be best known to Reading fans as the guy that didn’t turn out to be a famous playwright.

Leroy Lita, 24, free transfer – now at Middlesbrough

The career of one Leroy Lita at Reading is best described as ‘a game of two halves.’ A sublimes first two seasons and then ridiculous in his last two. His goals helped to shoot Reading into the Premier League, a beautiful overhead kick against Crystal Palace being the pick of the bunch. He initially struggled in the top flight, before netting a brilliant header against Chelsea to start a run of ten goals in twelve games. He began his third season with the club sidelined with an, *ahem*, ‘interesting’ injury sustained while in bed. He finished his Reading career out on loan to several Championship clubs to try and regain some form, but couldn’t do so in blue and white. Although I’m sure he’ll do well at Middlesbrough, Reading was no longer the club for him and his move was for the best.

Scott Golbourne, 21, free transfer – now at Exeter City

Golbourne never really made much impact on the first team and his release was inevitable. He found his path blocked first by Nicky Shorey and then Chris Armstrong and never quite developed to become the player that his potential suggested he might. That said, I expect him to do well at the lower level he now finds himself at and hope that he does so.

Kevin Doyle, 25, to Wolverhampton Wanderers – club record £6.5m

Another Reading legend in my eyes, the Irishman spent four very successful years with the club after joining for a paltry £78,000. There have been more rags to riches stories about him in the press than I’ve had hot dinners, but it really is true. The impact that he had after joining from Cork City was unbelievable and completely unexpected. He scored 55 goals in 154 games for the club and really flourished in our first top flight season. His exit warranted a tribute on these pages and I have no doubt that he will be great signing for Wolves. As for us, I’m afraid to say that nobody we have at the club can currently replace him.

Stephen Hunt, 28, to Hull City – undisclosed fee of around £3.5m

I won’t write too much as I’ve already said everything that needed to be said, but an in-form Hunt will be missed here. However, that wasn’t really the Stephen Hunt we were seeing towards the end of his Reading career so I’m confident that the likes of Hal Robson-Kanu, Jimmy Kebe, James Henry and Jobi McAnuff will make sure his presence isn’t missed too much.

Andre Bikey, 24, to Burnley – fee undisclosed

He may have been something of a nutter, but he was also a bloody good defender and an absolute mountain at the back. He had his moments of poor concentration and was prone to the occasional mad moment, but was far too good to be plying his trade in the Championship and a move was inevitable. His presence will be missed, without doubt, but the replacements are promising enough to suggest that the team will manage without him.

Liam Rosenior, 25, on loan to Ipswich Town

Liam had something of a mixed reaction amongst Reading supporters, but for the majority of his time at the club I was a big fan. He’s very good at blocking crosses, is quicker than most wingers and strong in the tackle. He is let down, somewhat, by his passing abilities, which saw him just kick the ball down the line more often than not, sometimes chasing it himself like a headless chicken. His passion will be missed at the club, Rosenior was often the only player to applaud the fans at the end of the game and he did so win, lose or draw. That was always appreciated. I know very little about his replacement, Shaun Cummings, so I won’t speculate on how much we will miss him, but I will say that it seems to be a ridiculous decision to let him leave.

James Harper, 28, on loan to Sheffield United

Another decision that seemed strange at the time, Harper has gone out on loan to a Championship rival for the season in the last year of his contact and it seems that he won’t be returning when it expires. He looked likely to sign for another club in the summer and agreed terms with Wolves, only to fail a medical. He also split the Reading crowd, but it cannot be denied that he had a huge impact on the club in his eight years. Another player that will go down in Royals history for his part in our promotion to the big league, Harper also impressed in the division, his highlight being a great breakaway goal in the 3-1 defeat of Liverpool at the Madejski Stadium. He will be missed for his organisational skills (read pointing) and his banter around the ground. Hopefully, Brian Howard will do well as his replacement.

Reading’s transfer window – Part one: the new boys

So the transfer window has belatedly closed for Reading and Brendan Rodgers will now have to pretty much make do with the squad that he managed to assembled before the fabled glass ‘slammed shut.’ So here are the new boys and their potential impact on the squad:

Brian Howard, 26, from Sheffield United

The centre-midfielder signed a three-year contract after arriving from the Blades for a fee of around £500,000, with James Harper going the other way on loan for the season. Before spending a season in Sheffield, Howard was the club-captain of Barnsley and was named in the Championship team of the season for 2007/08, a season in which he scored 14 goals from midfield. He played 30 times for Sheffield United last season, scoring twice. The Guardian wrote an interesting profile of him back in May 2009.

Shaun Cummings, 20, from Chelsea

The young right-back signed a permanent deal with the Royals on transfer-deadline day for an undisclosed fee. Cummings had worked with Brendan Rodgers in the Chelsea Academy and is highly rated by the Reading manager. He had been expected to extend his loan at West Bromwich Albion before Rodgers swooped in to steal his man. He has been described as a “modern day full-back” so Reading fans should expect lots of attacking play from both flanks with Cummings and Bertrand at right and left-back respectively. He is also quite the charmer, as his facebook profile shows:

Darren O’Dea, 22, on loan from Celtic

The Republic of Ireland U21 international joins Reading on loan until January 2010 and can play either centre-back or left-back. He comes quite highly rated, having just signed a three-year deal with his parent club, Celtic, and has been praised by no less than Italian legend Paolo Maldini after playing against AC Milan in 2007. He should slot straight into the back four and I’d expect him to enjoy a very successful time here, given his standing within the game. Judging from this video, he could also inject some hi-jinks into the dressing room too…

Grzegorz Rasiak, 30, from Southampton

The Polish centre-forward has been around the block a bit since moving to England in 2004, making Reading his sixth club in his five years here. Standing at 6ft3, he is an aerial threat and should be able to make good use of Sigurdsson’s set-plays, although he can score with his feet too. He grabbed eight goals in 21 games last season whilst on loan to a Rodgers managed Watford side and clearly made a good impression on the manager. Although his ‘uncyclopedia’ profile was less complimentary:

“On August 27, 2009, Grzegorz Rasiak rocked 2 or 3 headlines in local community newspapers by signing with Reading. Apparently Reading were unable to secure the signings of several drunks in the local pubs and decided that if they aren’t going to be promoted in 2010, they may as well create a bloopers DVD for the season.”

Jobi McAnuff, 27, from Watford

Another player with a Watford link, the winger signed on the same day as Rasiak for an undisclosed fee. He began his career as a highly-rated youngster at Wimbledon before switching to West Ham United in 2004. He spent the next couple of years on the move, before settling at Watford where he won goal of the season for 2007/08. He is also the most web-minded of our new signings, with his own website, which *ahem* needs work. But why not have him as your desktop background? ‘Watford FC no.11′ – hmm. Oh, and he used to get bloody good on Championship Manager a long time ago.

Matthew Mills, 23, from Doncaster Rovers

The big centre-half signed for £2m way back at the beginning of August and has played three times for his new club so far this season, scoring once. Mills had attracted the interest of Birmingham, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest before deciding to join the Royals and, after a shaky start against Swansea, has started to settle in well. Born down the road in Swindon, Mills has experience at this level having featured 41 times for Doncaster last season. He also impressed Steve Claridge, who described Mills as “a little bit of a throwback, a player who combines the old and the new very well” in his Guardian blog back in February this year.

Ryan Bertrand, 20, on loan from Chelsea

The highly-rated young left-back joins Reading on loan for the season from his parent club, where he is seen as the natural successor to England international Ashley Cole. Bertrand has too represented his country, at U21 level, and is an attacking full-back that adds width to Reading’s play. His signing was penned back in July, so he has enjoyed a full pre-season working with Brendan Rodgers and his team. He has featured in all six games so far this season and has made an impressive start to his year with the Royals.

Who are you most excited about seeing this season? Comments are open….

Bikey’s departure leaves Reading with a dearth of experience

Reading’s firesale continues with Andre Bikey the latest big-name to exit the club, moving to Burnley for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to be around £3 million. Following the departures of Kevin Doyle and Stephen Hunt and with rumours of James Harper’s head being turned, you have to wonder where exactly this leaves the club should Rodgers’ plan A of bringing the kids through fails. Confident as I am, I can’t help but be plagued by the nagging memory of Southampton’s season last year. It may have been their finances rather than their choice to play the kids, but we all know that left them.

I wish Bikey well, the big nutcase, but I do wish that he had stayed with the club. Being an African Nations and World Cup year though, this was never likely to happen. This leaves a big brute shaped hole in our defence and, whilst not the oldest himself, Andre did have substantially more high-level experience than Alex Pearce, Matt Mills or Kalifa Cisse do playing at the back. I’ve high hopes for the defensive partnership of Mills and Pearce, but we would need them to gel quickly with our new captain Ingimarsson still out injured.

In my opinion, we need replacements and we need them soon. A couple of experienced heads would balance out our young side, with Jimmy Kebe the oldest player to have started in the league this season, at the ripe old age of 25. I’m still hankering for Tommy Smith as a replacement on the wing for Hunt. The price may be a little high, but he will already know Rodgers’ ‘world-class’ system and, at 29, should have the nous to turn games around when the chips are down. I’m looking forward to the return of Ivar as well, he is such a rock at the back that his presence can’t help but be missed and he could really lead this young side.

We play Swansea away tonight though and, if we can get a result, the game has the potential to kickstart our season. The first two games have been tough ones and I’m not overreacting yet. I was asked on Twitter if it is “too early for a must-win” and my answer was yes, of course it is. There is no need to panic, but I feel that, whilst the kids are alright, they need leaders on the pitch too. If we get a win tonight, who knows, we could kick on and start to impose ourselves on teams and push our way back up the table. If not, let’s keep things in perspective, but let’s also wish Ivar a speedy recovery.

NB. I’m not going to the Swansea game tonight, but I’ve hopefully got a guest blogger lined up to provide a short match report on the game.

Stephen Hunt’s letter to Reading fans

I just wanted to thanks everyone single person connected to Reading Football Club over the past four years.

I have had a great time and there have been many experiences that I will never, ever forget. On the pitch, that first year when we won the Championship was a brilliant team effort, and then we kept it going in our first year in the Premier League. On top of that, I have been able to play with my brother Noel and that was very, very special for me and my family, not many people get the chance to do that for a club, never mind their country as well.

Anyone else feel a little bad after reading Hunt’s letter?

Stephen Hunt: The good, the bad and the ugly

So Stephen Hunt has finally completed his move to this seasons Premier League whipping boys, Hull City, and I’ve decided to resist the temptation to write something that could be summarised as ‘good riddance’ and instead provide some more balance. We Royals fans didn’t alway dislike him, in fact there was a time where we all rushed to his defence after the incident with Petr Cech, so lets look at the highs and lows of his Reading career.

The good

Sporting some splendid attire on Match of the Day, a look that inspired me to set up this facebook group

The ‘pop up at the back post and score with a close range header’ move that he pulled off so well and so frequently in our Premier League debut season

Coming on in almost every game of our promotion season to help form a great substitution song – Ole, ole, Convey, Convey – Stephen Hunt, Hunt, Hunt! Did it actually go like that? It’s how I like to remember it anyway.

His hair. Steve Coppell jokingly blaming it for his poor form. When he subsequently had it cut. By about half an inch. He didn’t always look that way.

The bad

The incidents. The Cech injury springs to mind (I still maintain that it was an accident), but also >this one on Gelson Fernades, which was unpleasant. He was also involved in drama with Keith Gillespie (albeit being elbowed in the head) and was generally always found wherever the trouble was.

The attitude. Hunt has never kept quiet about his desire to leave and it is from this that most of the discontent amongst supporters stems. Happy to be linked with any number of clubs, he lost focus on the pitch in his desperation for a new club, despite signing a new and improved contract with ours.

The form. Another reason that we lost patience. It’s possible to get away with coveting the big clubs if you are producing the goods on the pitch. If you aren’t, and you don’t appear to be too bothered about it either, then you can’t.

The Ugly

I thought we covered that…

Doyle’s departure marks the beginning of Rodgers’ rebuild

With Kevin Doyle being the first departure of Brendan Rodger’s reign as Reading manager, we may now start to see more action in the transfer market as the new man tries to shape the team in his own image and replace the irreplaceable up-front. It is generally accepted that Doyle will not be the only man to leave the Madejski this summer, with Stephen Hunt wanting out of the club and Andre Bikey a possibility to follow him. These losses, along with the release of nine players at the end of the season, including captain Graeme Murty and goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, leave Reading with something of a depleted squad.

A quick head count suggests that the squad currently consists of thirty players, although twelve of those have played less than five senior games for the club. This count still includes the likes of Hunt and Bikey who may yet leave. With the new seven-sub rule, this would leave our squad seriously lacking should there be an injury crisis.

There has been lots of speculation about new signings, but the appointment of a manager with only six months experience under his belt gives little away about the type of player Rodgers will be seeking to attract. We have already made a “derisory” offer for Tommy Smith, presumably as a potential replacement for either Hunt or Doyle, but targets beyond the Watford man have been closely guarded. Rumours linking the club to Chelsea reserve players such as Ryan Bertrand and Michael Mancienne would make sense, with the managers links to Chelsea, but the players do not. Left-back is the least problematic area and it seems highly unlikely that a full England international would join a Championship team on loan, no matter how good the contacts.

Beyond that, it is very difficult to pick out potential players that we could sign. Unfounded rumours that Nathan Tyson and Simon Cox could return to the club are just that, unfounded. It certainly makes for an interesting summer as any signing is likely to come out of left-field and be relatively unknown to the Reading faithful. Presumably Brentford are far less worried about keeping their best players away from the eyes and ears of our scouts these days.

With Brendan Rodgers reportedly being given a lower budget than expected, it seems a certainty that the younger players will continue to be given opportunities this year. Jem Karacan, Adam Federici, Alex Pearce, Julian Kelly and Simon Church all broke into the first team last season and can be expected to fight for first team places again this year. The likes of Scott Davies, James Henry and Hal Robson-Kanu are sure to be closer to the first-team this season, with Henry in particular expected to break through and compete for the right-midfield berth with Jimmy Kebe, after a good spell at Millwall last season.

With the addition of a couple of good quality players, this could well be a good season for Reading. Replacements for Doyle and Hunt are the key areas that Rodgers should address, as unless Jay Tabb proves himself to be a left-sided player rather than the central midfielder that we saw last season, the team seems lacking in those areas. Noel Hunt and Shane Long are a good enough partnership at this level, but Mooney and Church are not experienced enough back-ups for the position, so a striker is the priority.

Adam Federici has proved himself to be a good goalkeeper at this level, but with Ben Hamer and Mikkel Anderson backing him up there is a lack of experience that Rodgers may feel the need to address. Armstrong, Ingimarsson, Bikey, Rosenior is a solid enough back-line, with Alex Pearce a very good back-up. If Bikey leaves though, a new centre-back would be required. Perhaps Ibrahima Sonko could return from Stoke and rekindle his partnership with Ivar at the back.

James Henry will surely force his way into the midfield at some point this season and a Henry, Tabb, Cisse, Matejovsky midfield seems quite strong. If Harper stays then there will be good competition for places in the midfield with Gunnarsson, Kebe and Karacan also available, but a left-winger could be necessary. Jimmy Kebe has long stated that his best position is on the left though, so perhaps we will see him lining up on the opposite side this season.

What positions do you think need to be addressed? Who do you think Rodgers should buy? As always, the comments are yours.

Kevin Doyle: A tribute

The expected summer saga was over relatively quickly as Kevin Doyle sealed his record £6.5m move to Wolves yesterday and with it proved himself to be that rare breed in football, a genuinely good bloke. Unlike a certain someone, he never complained about not being able to move, made it patently obvious that he was happy to stay at Reading should no team match his release clause and, more importantly, gave his absolute all to the club while he was here. Doyle could have left in the January transfer window, where his stock was arguably higher after his explosive start to the season, but he chose to sign a new contract instead signalling his intent to try and help Reading back into the Premier League. Although safe in the knowledge that nobody would begrudge him a move back to the top league should that attempt be unsuccessful, it spoke volumes about the man.

If there is any Reading fan out there with any bad feelings towards Doyle whatsoever, though I’m not sure there is, compare and contrast his attitude over his four years at the club with his fellow strikers. Dave Kitson caused dressing room problems in our relegation season, was caught drink-driving, bad-mouthed the FA cup and, when we went down, announced to all potential suitors that he belonged in the Premier League and wouldn’t be staying with us. Leroy Lita had numerous fall-outs with the manager, recorded a sex tape which made the newspapers,, was involved in Bristol nightclub ‘incidents’ and was generally such a nuisance that he had to be loaned out to another Championship club. Even Shane Long had one or two petulant moments.

Doyle, on the other hand, has never let his demeanor slip beyond that of the consummate professional. All of the cogs involved in his transfer were done behind the scenes, including the release clause that was put into his contract in January that ensured he would be able to leave for a reasonable amount, and he never went to the tabloids complaining about his lot. He revealed that he would have been happy to stay at Reading had no bids been made and, if we had been promoted, he would have stayed anyway. Even when the goals weren’t going in for him, he never let his head drop or hid on the pitch. He gave his all for the club and was loved by the fans for that.

It’s a well-trodden path, but his story really was something of a fairytale and nicely coincided with Reading’s own rise to the top. He was named player of the season in his first year and had an integral role in our promotion.

In his second season, our first in the top division, he scored one of the fastest goals in Premier League history and was nominated for Young Player of the Season. His third season ended in disappointment and, although his form dropped, nobody could blame Doyle for his work ethic and he continued to represent his country at the highest level.

In the wake of our relegation, Doyle won the respect of every Reading fan by staying with the club. He was amongst those expected to leave, but instead chose to stay and try to propel the team back to the top division. He scored 18 goals last season and, again his form petered off towards the end of the season, but this was not helped by injury problems and the shoddy performances of the team generally.

So farewell Kevin Doyle. You leave with the best wishes of the club, the manager, this blog and thousands of loyal Reading fans everywhere. You were one of us and we adored you for it. We wish you the best of luck with your career although I’m sure that I am not alone in hoping we swap places with Wolves come May and bring you back to the Madejski where you belong.

Doyle to be the second most expensive signing in football

Bloody hell. Seems a bit steep.

Kevin Doyle: Where’s he off to?

So Kevin Doyle is leaving. Stop crying you at the back, it’s happening so get over it. It has been widely reported that he is in talks with Wolves, who met his £6.5m release clause. Also interested are Fulham, whose interest was exclusively revealed (™ The Sun) on our Twitter feed, later confirmed. Although we hope they didn’t get it from us, the source wasn’t exactly HP. Aston Villa, Everton and Bolton are also thought to be interested. So where will he go?

Wolves

Well, frankly, he’d have to be mad to go there if the other three actually make concrete bids for him. Doyle’s ambition is to play in Premier League and presumably he’d like a nice pay-packet to go with it. Wolves have the least chance of staying in the division and are likely to only be able to offer one of lowest salaries too. Doyle will have watched what happened to Dave Kitson last season and will be wary of joining a newly promoted side. He’d be able to join his old mate Marcus Hahnemann there, but, if anything, that could actually be a minus point. Who wants to spend their top flight life watching USA’s wayward hoofs flying over your head and into the stands?

Fulham

Despite having Andy Johnson and being the team that survived at our expense, this would seem an attractive proposition for Kevin. He wouldn’t have to move very far, if at all, and would almost certainly become a first-team regular. After all, with Johnson and Zamora only scoring only nine times between them in the league last season, Fulham need goals. Doyle scores goals. A bit of speculation here, but he seems the type of guy that likes to be quite low-key and a move this close would allow him to stay in touch with the rest of the Irish contingent at Reading (or what is left of it come September.)

Aston Villa

A great club and certainly not an opportunity to turn your nose up, but I think this would be a wrong move for our Doyler. They have Agbonlahor, Carew and Heskey as options up front and all three are arguably better options than he. O’Neill often plays five in midfield, which could also limit his chances, although with Barry leaving this may change. Nicky Shorey’s switch to the Villa will also have warned Doyle that his place in the starting line-up would not be guaranteed.

Everton

This would have to be a very strong option in Doyle’s mind, should they meet his release price, by no means a certainty with their financial troubles. They have a manager renowned for bringing out the best in players, European football on offer and a vacant striking position with the Irishman’s name on it. Last season, Fellaini and Cahill spent much of their time moonlighting up-front with Moyes’ seeming to prefer to more injury-prone of forwards. With that in mind, would he be lining up a (ridiculous) move for Michael Owen instead?

Bolton

No, no and merry lump of lard no. If Doyle decides that his best option is to play alongside Kevin Davies in a team of lump it merchants and cloggers then he would go some way to proving a well-known stereotype to be true. Unless of course he needs to confimed that he ‘feels good’ every time he sticks one in the back of the net.

My vote is going to Everton. I think he would absolutely thrive there, playing alongside some top-quality players, and would score plenty of goals. That’s assuming they have any money at their disposal. If not, then Fulham. Where are you casting yours?

Of course this could all become completely irrelevent by tomorrow morning, if it turns out Wolves were actually the ones to bid and, therefore, win his signature by default. But I hope not. That would be boring.

Hunt to lead Reading exodus?

Reading’s new era looks set to begin with the sale of a star, with Stephen Hunt said to be at the front of the queue to leave the Royals telling Sky Sports that it was time for “a fresh start. The news will come as no surprise to Reading fans, who have seen the Irishman flirt with the exit door several times before, with the club reportedly turning down bids of up to £4.5 million for the left-winger last year. Everton and Wigan are reported to be interested in Hunt, but neither have yet made a move. His price tag may well have dropped since his excellent form in the Premier League dwindled upon a return to the Championship, but the club are understandably playing their cards close to their chest. The Irishman has made 172 appearances for the club since joining from Brentford on a free transfer in 2005 and has scored 20 goals.

In his interview with Sky Sports News, Hunt said: “My own situation is that I am happy at Reading, but in terms of my future, I’ve been loyal to Reading, maybe a fresh start would be good for me and the club.
I think me and the club agree it is time for a fresh start. I don’t know about that (Everton). I can’t talk about other clubs.”

Personally, I’d be happy if Hunt were to leave. More than happy. Carry me over the moon with a stick happy in fact. I’ve defended the little shit enough times over that Cech incident and, whilst I still don’t think he went out to injure him and it was purely an accident, I can’t wait for him to leave so that I can join in the rest of the footballing population in despising him for being the gobby, disloyal, shitbag that he really is. And that is coming from the guy who set up this facebook group.

I’m not being entirely fickle here either. Deep down, I’ve never really liked Hunt even when he was in his hay-day in that first season in the top division. I guess that I never really forgave him for keeping Bobby Convey out of the team, who was easily my favourite player over the previous couple of seasons (yes, even when he was hopeless.)

But then, the more that he played, the more his dirty, nasty side started to come out. We football fans will defend our players to the hilt, but I started to wonder why he was always central to any nastiness that happened on the pitch. Even when Gillespie elbowed him in the face, I quietly concluded that he probably did something to deserve it.

Anyway, if it means getting in a new face to replace the one-trick pony (run around a lot, umm…) then so be it. Even Jimmy Kebe on the left, James Henry on the right isn’t so bad a proposition when you think about as long as a couple of players are brought in to challenge them for those positions. Alternatively, we could just bring back Bobby. That would be lovely.

Bye Stephen. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.