WHO IS TO BLAME?

[The Echo]

Spot on Quiet Man

[rhroyal]

Spot on Quiet Man

Echoing his sentiments.

[Ian Royal]

Not really "clearly", is it? He didn't sell off or loan out every player of any value in the squad, did he?

All this could've been avoided if we'd gone up again last season. And there's not a single good excuse why that didn't happen. We were utter shit for all of 2009 and the likes of Coppell and players like Stephen Hunt need to have a long hard look at themselves.

I'm answering who is resposible for our current problems involving relegation this season.
Rodgers started with a squad capable of mid-table without too much difficulty and ended with a squad that should have been capable of mid-table.

He made many many mistakes, ergo our current plight is his responsibility. Last season has very little to do with this season in that respect.

If you want it more in depth than that, then I need multiple options, which isn't clearly isn't what this thread is about. It's about picking one person you think has most responsibility for NOW.

He DID sell off or loan out close to half the players who are no longer with us this season. Not all I grant you, but he was in charge for plenty of the outgoings.

You're so short-sighted. Why do you think the reason we're facing relegation this season has to be solely down to other things that happened *this* season? How can you think the current plight has "very little to do with last season"? It's got everything to do with last season. It's why we don't have any money. It's why we've lost all our best players.

And do you really think Rodgers was the one who chose to get rid of Doyle and Hunt and Bikey etc? Not a fooking chance mate.

You don't get it do you? Relegation this season is about what's happening this season. The reason we were in the position where a manager could under achieve badly and put us in a relegation battle is much more complicated.

As I've said several times. If you want one man, it's Rodgers. If you want a detailed answer then it's many more factors and people than that. But at least the others have a good record of giving Reading FC positives.

Understand yet? I'm not the person wanting a simple scapegoat. That's what the thread is asking for. You want something else, start another thread.

[Hoop Blah]

Relegation this season isn't just about what happens this season though Ian, not when you looking into WHY we're in the situation we are.

This squad, this situation, this season, can't be taken in isolation because it's the culmination of 2 and a half years, possible 3 years of neglect and lack of forward planning.

Rodgers was a bit of a patsy if you ask me. He was given a tough job, and was making an ok go of it (with a few mistakes along the way of course) before they pulled the rug from under him.

[Ian Royal]

Relegation this season isn't just about what happens this season though Ian, not when you looking into WHY we're in the situation we are.

This squad, this situation, this season, can't be taken in isolation because it's the culmination of 2 and a half years, possible 3 years of neglect and lack of forward planning.

Rodgers was a bit of a patsy if you ask me. He was given a tough job, and was making an ok go of it (with a few mistakes along the way of course) before they pulled the rug from under him.

Do you accept that I am only following the intent of the thread and picking the person I hold most to blame for our failures this season? If so, there's nothing else to talk about, if not, it might be a good idea to try it.

Or take it to another thread where it's not just about picking one person or factor.

[Forbury Lion]

I blame Ian Royal

[Baines]

Bloody hell you're an idiot, Ian.

Mags got it spot on IMO.

[Hoop Blah]

Relegation this season isn't just about what happens this season though Ian, not when you looking into WHY we're in the situation we are.

This squad, this situation, this season, can't be taken in isolation because it's the culmination of 2 and a half years, possible 3 years of neglect and lack of forward planning.

Rodgers was a bit of a patsy if you ask me. He was given a tough job, and was making an ok go of it (with a few mistakes along the way of course) before they pulled the rug from under him.

Do you accept that I am only following the intent of the thread and picking the person I hold most to blame for our failures this season? If so, there's nothing else to talk about, if not, it might be a good idea to try it.

Or take it to another thread where it's not just about picking one person or factor.

If you're trying to answer a question that wasn't asked why don't you take that to another thread instead?

As far as I can see the question is: Who must take **most** of the blame for the continuing slump in fortunes of RFC?

To me, and plenty of others it seems, that means the whole situation and how we got here...

[Ian Royal]

Fine. I think who has to take the blame for our current situation is Rodgers and that all those others who are to blame for things are only to blame for us being in a difficult financial position, not being in the Premier League and not being in a position to challenge at the top of this division.

Our current relegation worries are based on performances on the pitch, which are down to Rodgers inept handling of the start of our season.

[The whole year inn]

I am going to go with Ian here - it's not as if BR was given no money. He was given the best part of 4 million quid minus the Smith saga

Any half decent manager would have supplemented the squad (departures included) with that money and have us around mid-table

[Dorset-Knob]

I am going to go with Ian here - it's not as if BR was given no money. He was given the best part of 4 million quid minus the Smith saga

Any half decent manager would have supplemented the squad (departures included) with that money and have us around mid-table

Agreed!

[Hoop Blah]

I am going to go with Ian here - it's not as if BR was given no money. He was given the best part of 4 million quid minus the Smith saga

Any half decent manager would have supplemented the squad (departures included) with that money and have us around mid-table

I don't agree.

The losses to the squad were massive and that was from a squad that failed to win at home for 4 months, amassing a massive 20 points from the last 17 games. To take out a large chunk of that first team squad, including some of it's best players, and ask for much more than what was delivered is a bit unrealistic.

As for £4m to spend, he was backed reasonably by the board, and I don't blame them for not giving him more (taking into account the money that was also available for Smith) but I do blame them for sacking him just as things were starting to piece together (unless there are things we don't know about).

I'm not saying Rodgers was blameless by any means, but I think he was in a very difficult position and he was making an OK job of re-building a squad decimated by the events of the previous 2 seasons.

[The whole year inn]

I am going to go with Ian here - it's not as if BR was given no money. He was given the best part of 4 million quid minus the Smith saga

Any half decent manager would have supplemented the squad (departures included) with that money and have us around mid-table

I don't agree.

The losses to the squad were massive and that was from a squad that failed to win at home for 4 months, amassing a massive 20 points from the last 17 games. To take out a large chunk of that first team squad, including some of it's best players, and ask for much more than what was delivered is a bit unrealistic.

As for £4m to spend, he was backed reasonably by the board, and I don't blame them for not giving him more (taking into account the money that was also available for Smith) but I do blame them for sacking him just as things were starting to piece together (unless there are things we don't know about).

I'm not saying Rodgers was blameless by any means, but I think he was in a very difficult position and he was making an OK job of re-building a squad decimated by the events of the previous 2 seasons.

with the squad that was left to BR, plus his 4 million quids worth of signings do you think we should have been raped at home by Crystal Palace (check out their spending over the past 3 years). The away game at QPR was a joke

[AthleticoSpizz]

we were "raped" by some p1ss poor goalkeeping and a kid with an eye for goal who is a class above this level of football.
All in all that night, we weren't that bad (by our recently acquired standards).

[The whole year inn]

we were "raped" by some p1ss poor goalkeeping and a kid with an eye for goal who is a class above this level of football.
All in all that night, we weren't that bad (by our recently acquired standards).

Madejski picked the goalkeeper did he? - rodgers decision

Much like the mysterious idea to send Davies out on loan

[Hoop Blah]

Totally agree those were very poor performances.

This division is like that though, look at some of the results other teams get, do you think Newcastle should get turned over by Scunthorpe or fail to beat Bristol City at St James'? Should Forest get trounced at home to a poor Watford side or beaten by Blackpool? Should West Brom get stuffed by Barnsley 3-1, or lose to Swansea and Cardiff at home? Should throw away a 4 goal lead against Peteborough, or get beaten by Ipswhich at home?

Our squad is nothing special and we started appallingly (one of the things Rodgers took for granted was that he had more time and could use those early games to asses the squad he'd been left with after so many left) so why should we be immune to the kind of results that even the top teams suffer in this league.

It would've been better if those results you mentioned were in isolation of course, but even with the players Rodgers brought to the club (three of them being 3 of our top 4 performers this season remember) we still have a poor set of players to work with.

It amazes me the lack of perspective and grasp on reality around here sometimes.

[AthleticoSpizz]

we were "raped" by some p1ss poor goalkeeping and a kid with an eye for goal who is a class above this level of football.
All in all that night, we weren't that bad (by our recently acquired standards).

Madejski picked the goalkeeper did he? - rodgers decision

Much like the mysterious idea to send Davies/HARPER/ROSENIOR out on loan

perleese, we all know who calls the tune at the moment

[The whole year inn]

Totally agree those were very poor performances.

This division is like that though, look at some of the results other teams get, do you think Newcastle should get turned over by Scunthorpe or fail to beat Bristol City at St James'? Should Forest get trounced at home to a poor Watford side or beaten by Blackpool? Should West Brom get stuffed by Barnsley 3-1, or lose to Swansea and Cardiff at home? Should throw away a 4 goal lead against Peteborough, or get beaten by Ipswhich at home?

Our squad is nothing special and we started appallingly (one of the things Rodgers took for granted was that he had more time and could use those early games to asses the squad he'd been left with after so many left) so why should we be immune to the kind of results that even the top teams suffer in this league.

It would've been better if those results you mentioned were in isolation of course, but even with the players Rodgers brought to the club (three of them being 3 of our top 4 performers this season remember) we still have a poor set of players to work with.

It amazes me the lack of perspective and grasp on reality around here sometimes.

The millions he wasted on bench warmers and the reliance on Coppell signings did not help

[Hoop Blah]

we were "raped" by some p1ss poor goalkeeping and a kid with an eye for goal who is a class above this level of football.
All in all that night, we weren't that bad (by our recently acquired standards).

Madejski picked the goalkeeper did he? - rodgers decision

Much like the mysterious idea to send Davies out on loan

We weren't that bad against Palace of course, but results speak for themselves. Yes, Rodgers did pick the keeper, but did he really have enough chance or budget to replace him? He had what he had left to work with once the club had given Federici a contract and let Hahnemann go.

For what it's worth I think Federici deserved his chance, and I think Rodgers had to give it to him.

As for Davies...he's an energetic player who gives the ball away too much to get into our midfield above the players we've kept on. Having him in there would've been the wrong balance in my opinion so getting him more games out on loan (to an awful side in the league below by the way, so no great measure of his abiilty to sort us out) was a good move.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Well, I'm still wondering why we put £17 million into a hotel extension when we could have spent it on players or the wages of players we currently had - it just doesn't sit easy with me. .

Sorry I am a bit behind on here at the mo, but surely JM paid for the Hotel extension with the loan, as shown in the accounts, he must have decided that to put it there was better than putting his money into new players and wages?????

Nowt to do with the football side of thngs.