Reading chairman John Madejski has hit out at the Premiership's escalated spending.

"A few more noughts have been added on," Madejski said yesterday. "Oh God, yes. I've always said that the money that comes into football just slips into players' pockets. It's so disappointing that whatever comes into the game sort of comes in one door and goes out the other.

"Yes, I still get het up about it and it really irks me when pundits bring up the idea of players earning £200,000 a week in three years' time. We have these fantastic opportunities to get it right but, before we know it, the money has evaporated and gone to the players.

"You never seem to move forward. As a business, you're always running on the spot. Don't get me wrong, you can't blame the players. But the point is, where do you stop? You have to put something good out on the park and if you don't, then somebody else will. You're right between a rock and a hard place."