The Final Countdown

[The Cap]

Royal Lady wrote

My brother in law said at the game today that Kitson and Little are the new Keown and Ferdinand.

.

I think you'll find that ethnic origin and hair colouring discount this theory.

[dellwoodboy]

As we approach the final games of the season you hope that we might suddenly play half decently again. Since we went off colour on Boxing Day other than Watford we have not had a really good result( not even Wolves) in 17 games and our home form is dire.
This latter part of the season the side has been reguarly changed and we have even god forbid brought in loan players, but nothing is working. Even after our away wins when you hoped that this could be the start of something better it is back to rubbish the next game.
The problem must be squarly laid at the managers feet and his staff(nobody ever seems to mention them or are they just puppets?)
My question is does the manager really actually care what happens to Reading this season Knowing he is probably off anyhow. Is he just going through the motions? It is not as if we are in danger of relegation.
WHAT DO OTHER SUPPORTERS THINK????

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

I do actually think one of Coppell's biggest failings has been an inability to bring in players beyond those he's worked with elsewhere with any degree of success.

You mean like Doyle, Rosenior, Noel Hunt, Armstrong, Bikey, Duberry etc. etc.

How great are Rosenior, Armstrong or Duberry, really? I like Noel Hunt, but I can't see him scoring more than 5 goals if we went up (actually, how we are playing currently, the whole team getting 5 is almost ambitious).

Doyle was a good buy, and Bikey has progressed, but it took a while. Neither were "his" players though. I just feel that he doesn't look beyond players he knows, and our scouts don't seem to know the sort of players he wants. I don't think we've signed a single player since 2005/2006 that is better than any player in that team.

Each manager has different strengths and weaknesses though. To expect any mamager to be good at all aspects of the job is unrealistic.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

I do actually think one of Coppell's biggest failings has been an inability to bring in players beyond those he's worked with elsewhere with any degree of success.

You mean like Doyle, Rosenior, Noel Hunt, Armstrong, Bikey, Duberry etc. etc.

How great are Rosenior, Armstrong or Duberry, really? I like Noel Hunt, but I can't see him scoring more than 5 goals if we went up (actually, how we are playing currently, the whole team getting 5 is almost ambitious).

Doyle was a good buy, and Bikey has progressed, but it took a while. Neither were "his" players though. I just feel that he doesn't look beyond players he knows, and our scouts don't seem to know the sort of players he wants. I don't think we've signed a single player since 2005/2006 that is better than any player in that team.

Each manager has different strengths and weaknesses though. To expect any mamager to be good at all aspects of the job is unrealistic.

Backed into a corner with Armstrong, remember he wanted to play Hunt left back? Even Bikey, a player who we had already had on loan, he still seems reluctent to trust.

I've never known of a football manager so reluctent to take risks in the transfer window. Tabb and Harding are great examples of that.

How we've managed to make such a pigs ear of the season amazes me, it's a shocking league, even Wolves are not that good. But Coppell managed to get us relagated last season, so should we be that surprised?

We all know he's going in the summer, the players prob do too, which may be part of the problem.

Still though, we've got as good a chance as any. Never known a season like it.

[strap]

At the start of the season I was moaing about lack of ambition etc, and suggested we would be end up around upper mid-table. Consequently, the current position of THIRD, in my opinion, is a successful season. Given the transfer activity since we left the PL, if we finish THIRD this season, I think it will be a considerabel achievement.

If everyone was to remember their predictions made at the start of the season, I would suggest there aren't many on here who have good cause to be moaning about a bad season! I suppose the fly in the ointment is the fact that during the first half of the seaons we were playing some bloody good football, and looked the part. For whatever reason, we have become nervy and lost the free-flowing approach.

Agree that Friday has become the biggest game of the seaosn. As ususal with RFC, it;s going to be a roller coaster! Third time lucky in a Wembley play-off final anyone?

[CMRoyal]

At the start of the season I was moaing about lack of ambition etc, and suggested we would be end up around upper mid-table. Consequently, the current position of THIRD, in my opinion, is a successful season. Given the transfer activity since we left the PL, if we finish THIRD this season, I think it will be a considerabel achievement.

If everyone was to remember their predictions made at the start of the season, I would suggest there aren't many on here who have good cause to be moaning about a bad season! I suppose the fly in the ointment is the fact that during the first half of the seaons we were playing some bloody good football, and looked the part. For whatever reason, we have become nervy and lost the free-flowing approach.

Spot on. I predicted 8th, and lived in the hope that we'd at least have something to play for up till the latter part of the season. Much like how it's turned out for Bristol C and Swansea. It's the extreme drop-off in form that grates - it just feels like we've blown a golden opportunity to go back up.

[Man Friday]

+1.

Small prediction: last game of the season will be meaningless for us but significant for Birmingham.

Our position will be 4 or 5.

[Dirk Gently]

+1.

Small prediction: last game of the season will be meaningless for us but significant for Birmingham.

Our position will be 4 or 5.

Nope - I think both teams will play their reserves so as to not give anything away before they meet in the play-off semi-final aa week or so later. Sheff Utd will have sewn up second place long before then.

[Royalee]

Just the 7 games left now, if we make the playoffs and I for one cannot wait.

[The whole year inn]

Just the 7 games left now, if we make the playoffs and I for one cannot wait.

Who do you honestly think JM is going to hire in Coppell's place should he leave? It will be an internal promotion (Gold help us if Dillon or Dolan get near the job) or someone on the cheap.

Coppell is the best person for this club with its current setup. To get the kind of progress young fans like you desire needs a change at the very top, as well as manager.

This board will be begging for Coppell to come back a dozen games into the 09/10 season when we are languishing in the bottom half having been beaten at home by MK Dons

[Royalee]

Just the 7 games left now, if we make the playoffs and I for one cannot wait.

Who do you honestly think JM is going to hire in Coppell's place should he leave? It will be an internal promotion (Gold help us if Dillon or Dolan get near the job) or someone on the cheap.

Coppell is the best person for this club with its current setup. To get the kind of progress young fans like you desire needs a change at the very top, as well as manager.

This board will be begging for Coppell to come back a dozen games into the 09/10 season when we are languishing in the bottom half having been beaten at home by MK Dons

We shall see.

[Scarface]

problem must be squarly laid at the managers feet and his staff(nobody ever seems to mention them or are they just puppets?)
My question is does the manager really actually care what happens to Reading this season Knowing he is probably off anyhow. Is he just going through the motions? It is not as if we are in danger of relegation.
WHAT DO OTHER SUPPORTERS THINK????

He didn't want to stay last summer mate, so of course he's not 100% committed to the future of the club. Every week my rage at those w@nkers who protested in his car park space grows, if I ever meet one of them..........

[Forest Gump]

I think Coppell is always too reluctant to change and too loyal to drop failing players. Once again he has over-rated his team and failed to plan for the transfer market. We need a new man at the helm now so that we can have a go at the play-off and prepare the mass clearout for next season - whichever way it goes now this team is finished.

[The whole year inn]

Just the 7 games left now, if we make the playoffs and I for one cannot wait.

Who do you honestly think JM is going to hire in Coppell's place should he leave? It will be an internal promotion (Gold help us if Dillon or Dolan get near the job) or someone on the cheap.

Coppell is the best person for this club with its current setup. To get the kind of progress young fans like you desire needs a change at the very top, as well as manager.

This board will be begging for Coppell to come back a dozen games into the 09/10 season when we are languishing in the bottom half having been beaten at home by MK Dons

We shall see.

I'd rather not to be honest

Considering you were advocating Allardyce (!!!! - LOL) a couple of years ago, it can be safely assumed that you opinion is worth the square root of oxf*rd all

Calm down and compare this season to 95-2005

If you were out of nappies then?

[Royalee]

2002/3 was an improvement on this season.

[Jeffers217]

Coppell has proven he can't cope with pressure. We had no pressure and expectation when we went up before and same for the first season in the prem. The weight of expectation since has shown his weaknesses. I'm so bored of this season...I'm so bored of Steve Coppell. At least under Pardew we had a motivator who did well with what he had. Coppell on the other hand can sign some decent players but has no idea about how to play them together. I have never been such a demoralised Reading fan in my life...if we go up we'll come straight back down. If we stay down we lose some of our decent players. A new manager would do wonders for this club. If they were the right person and put the youth in the team and we started to pick up momentum I think every fan's spirits would take a huge lift at this club. Stop looking at Coppell's past achivements, we need to look at the future. And right now the future may not be that bad. We are still well supported, still have players capable of playing at a higher level. If we continue on a downward spiral for the next few seasons we will start to become VERY ordinary and struggle. No one wants to see that