Don't forget the not insignificant investment in the infrastructure of the club that we rarely hear about or see. Academy 1 status will cost us a fortune, not to mention upgrading the first team training facilities, re-organising the club's finances, etc. Can't argue that we haven't taken the team ...

hence why its an improvement going into a prem season with harte as our only left back cummings our only right back church as one of our 3 strikers only two CDs cummings our only right back and kanu and mcanuff our only two wingers wasnt really an option was it and given 5 million quid, how would y...

Whilst I agree that even with a top, top class manager at the helm we would still be at the wrong end of the table....to assert that we would have lost badly to all our relegation rivals is a step beyond to my mind. You certainly can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear....but you can fashion a stu...

Why did JM sell to TSI? To keep Kebe, sign Roberts, Gunter, Marriappa, McLeary, Shorey, Guthrie & Pog? That's not taking the club to the next level, if that was the price of Reading FC, I would have prefered mid table championship and a fight for the play off's. It may not be the next level som...

in the summer the club had a choice - spend 30 million, rebuild the entire teamn, and hope they all gelled together and kept us up against a load of other teams who spent exactly the same/more. or spend what we could afford, build the side, and take relegation if/when it came, but be in great shape...

We have to deal with it on our terms with what qualities we possess. It can be done, Swansea and Norwich are showing that with (on paper) a group of players that mostly would have fallen into the journeyman category before they hit the Premiership. Even with the limited resources available though, ...

I often wonder, is it me that needs to be realistic or the club? It's you that needs to be realistic. We can't spend money we don't have. We could have gambled on future income by spending 20-30 million like Saints, but remind me where they are in the table again? Is their future in the top flight ...

:| Whilst disappointing in his last appearance, Roberts has been a loooong was from our worst player this season. In fact our (very slight) upturn in results coincided with his coming back into the starting 11. When he was unavailable in our last game we were utterly unable to retain possession in t...

Spotted an article about our game against Arsenal tonight by Roger Titford in WSC. Link below.

http://www.wsc.co.uk/wsc-daily/1155-dec ... s-problems

I've stayed away from this for the last couple of days, but I still think, like a decent proportion of those who've posted, that McDermott has to carry a certain amount of blame for the way this has developed. He's not got the best out of Guthrie and his place in the squad still looks a bit of an o...

Are our current youngsters being brought up to play in any kind of a noticeable style? The under 21's when Angus MacDonald was there was very much hoooooooooooof, hit and hope. Like a young Matt Mills - when he was out on loan the squad seemed to be a lot more free flowing. Up front we have the lik...

Jason Roberts, even if he hasn't scored, and has been annoying on twitter, is easily or most hardworking striker, who does the most for our teamwork&tactical plan. Along with Noel Hunt, Shorey and Morrison, I'd say he has been one of our better performers this year. Not sure Noel Hunt has been ...

I too find the point about the style our academy play to be an interesting one. A good number of our current first team academy graduates would have been brought up playing their football under Brendan Rodgers I think? So thus would have been used to playing a patient, passing 4-5-1 formation? Mind ...

Doe's Guthrie care? Probably not.

Did I mention it here? Certainly not.

Should people be discussing it on an internet discussion forum? Well, that's up to them...but it seems as appropriate a place as any.

I hope Brian stays.... and that the idiots calling for his head will just go and support chelsea if they want glory. Brian is a good bloke who had done well with limited resources. I appreciate that this is the internet...but you must be able see that there is a quite considerable grey area between...

Can't understand how people can think youngsters like Obita and Samuel can be the answer right at this minute. I don't doubt they have great potential, and probably should be in and around the first team squad gaining experience and some pitch time, but to suggest they would outplay the likes of McA...

Just seen Brian's Press Conference today. It is about 7 mins long on the RFC site. He is at least talking about the need for experienced PL players needed in Jan. One thing I thought I noticed is that Brian seems to have lost a bit of sparkle. (Get the tinsel out mate) I wonder what is going on beh...

To be fair to Brian - and I'm sure this has been said somewhere in the previous 113 pages - he probably felt it right to give the players who had done so well in the championship their chance. It's the refusal to do this that is responsible, in part, for the success of someone like Ferguson who had...

Keown actually got somewhere near our first team in pre season didn't he? Does he look a cut above at this level?

I think some miss the point, about whether this manager is a cheap option, or whether, short-term, another manager can turn things round. Nor is it relevant what a player or manager has done for us in the past. In the case of the manager of a team where confidence is shot, where in-fighting has beg...