Reading chairman John Madejski has announced that captain Graeme Murty (pictured) will not be given a testimonial even if he signs a new contract to take him into his tenth year at the club. The 32-year-old, who is currently mulling over a new deal, is out of contract in the summer after nine seasons with Reading.
Madejski has revealed that Murty’s loyalty will not be rewarded with a bumper payday. He said: "We don’t do testimonials any more. There is just no reason for them any more. In days gone by there was a reason for them because players were paid diddly squat. That is not the case now — they are paid an incredible amount of money."
As that wise old sage John Barnes pointed out during last night’s football coverage, surely a testimonial is about rewarding loyalty above anything else? And what if Mr Murty fancied turning the occasion into a charity event (a la Niall Quinn and others)? Madejski might like to have a bit of a re-think.
[Rob Parker]