FAO Brian

[Victor Meldrew]

Brian is usually the most considered of people and for most of the time he talks much more sense than most people in football.
Two things that annoy me however:
This season he has followed the trend of blaming referees when the fault is closer to home.
Secondly he plays the "we have done far better than people expected" card to dampen over- enthusiasm and high expectations.
Yesterday he referred again to people saying back in April that we wouldn't survive-I don't think people said that at all.
We won The Championship ahead of Saints and West Ham and had a wealthy new Russian owner-people expected us to "move on" and become a settled Premiership cllub with sensible management and the financial clout to do more than survive.

So Brian,stop apologising for being in the big time,remember where we were etc. and give it a go-that includes not playing 3 defensive midfielders at home to the 2nd bottom club.

[SPARTA]

Brian is quite possibly the nicest guy in football. However, it's his team, his signings, his tactics, his match preparation and instructions that have let us down this season and as much as I like and respect the guy, the buck starts and stops with him.

These players would play passing football if he told them too. Instead a team has been assembled to play long-ball, hit it into the channels football, and it clearly doesn't work at this level. The resent run of results only masks the problem, and people keep failing to see it was only when we threw the kitchen sink at it and went 4-4-2 that we got something from the game, but nevertheless, 4-5-1 see's us concede far too many goals still, and we end up chasing the game almost every week.

I'm not appealing for a return to 4-4-2, but I disagree wholeheartedly that 4-4-2 was the problem. We simply don't defend well enough at this level. Brian's answer to that was to go 4-5-1 and throw more bodies behind the ball and soak up the pressure, but we still let far too many goals in. Sure it's less than it was at the start of the season, but it's still 2's and 3's, and now with the added disadvantage that everyone is so busy trying to defend that they don't get forward to support the lone striker who doesn't suit that style of play!

At the end of the day you have to look at the two transfer windows and who was brought in, and they weren't good enough. Brian doesn't have a system that works, and it's hard to see what he claims to have learnt this season. Perhaps we'll see that in the future if he is given the time to show us.

Points wise we're still in with a chance of survival, but when you look at the fixtures next month, by the end of that month we will be well and truly buried.

[Royal Lady]

I don't think McD should be "protecting" the players - if they've played badly, he should "JOLLY" well admit it - tell them in the dressing room they were absolute crap, that he takes some blame but once they're out on the pitch it's down to them and that no-one should think their position is safe. Might gee one or two of them up a bit. Players only have to look on social media to see what the fans are thinking, so it's not like McD can protect them from that - and if they must all realise themselves that they were so poor yesterday.

Even Jason Roberts had the old cliches in his interview, wouldn't state we weren't good enough, we'll look to the next game blah blah blah.

And with reference to another thread where I said I'd rather watch us be there or there abouts in the Championship than be in this position every season in the Prem - yes I DID mean it. I'd rather see us winning more games and playing a good game than fighting for our lives every single game and being in a relegation spot for the majority of the season. Sorry, but that's just how it is for me. The Prem is all about the money. Money which we'll never invest in any great sum and what we do invest doesn't seem to be used wisely imo.

Stopped Reading at "jolly".

Time to find another club when RL gets angry enough to use such strong language.


Careful or RL will mod me out....oooooh.

HiLOLarious lads. I used jolly as opposed to a swear word but glad you just ignored my points.

[West Stand Man]

Considering my uncle works at the mad stad as back room staff, I have a good idea of what he is on. Also I agreed he dont get the service a player of his type requires, but there is nothing stopping his creating his own chances

Sorry, how does that logic flow? I couldn't tell you what the bloke working with me on my latest consultancy project earns. Why should your uncle know what pay the players are on just because he is employed by the club too?

[sandman]

Considering my uncle works at the mad stad as back room staff, I have a good idea of what he is on. Also I agreed he dont get the service a player of his type requires, but there is nothing stopping his creating his own chances

My uncle Jimmy used to work at Top of the Pops. You don't want to know what he used to get up to with the backroom staff.

[West_Reading]

Brian keeps talking about where we've come from in the last three years and how well the players have done in that time. He needs to remember thought that not everyone at the club has been here for those three years. Whilst the three years talk might help to keep up morale of some of the 'old crew', the new signings probably don't care. What matters to them, and probably most fans, is what we're doing here and now.

[AirRaidSiren]

Brian is quite possibly the nicest guy in football. However, it's his team, his signings, his tactics, his match preparation and instructions that have let us down this season and as much as I like and respect the guy, the buck starts and stops with him.

These players would play passing football if he told them too. Instead a team has been assembled to play long-ball, hit it into the channels football, and it clearly doesn't work at this level. The resent run of results only masks the problem, and people keep failing to see it was only when we threw the kitchen sink at it and went 4-4-2 that we got something from the game, but nevertheless, 4-5-1 see's us concede far too many goals still, and we end up chasing the game almost every week.

I'm not appealing for a return to 4-4-2, but I disagree wholeheartedly that 4-4-2 was the problem. We simply don't defend well enough at this level. Brian's answer to that was to go 4-5-1 and throw more bodies behind the ball and soak up the pressure, but we still let far too many goals in. Sure it's less than it was at the start of the season, but it's still 2's and 3's, and now with the added disadvantage that everyone is so busy trying to defend that they don't get forward to support the lone striker who doesn't suit that style of play!

At the end of the day you have to look at the two transfer windows and who was brought in, and they weren't good enough. Brian doesn't have a system that works, and it's hard to see what he claims to have learnt this season. Perhaps we'll see that in the future if he is given the time to show us.

Points wise we're still in with a chance of survival, but when you look at the fixtures next month, by the end of that month we will be well and truly buried.

I had a long answer ready to post, but it was more or less repeating what you have said and you've said it perfectly. Bloody good post indeed!

Brian might be a nice guy per se, but in the end it is him, and him alone, who is sending us down.

[winchester_royal]

Brian is quite possibly the nicest guy in football. However, it's his team, his signings, his tactics, his match preparation and instructions that have let us down this season and as much as I like and respect the guy, the buck starts and stops with him.

These players would play passing football if he told them too. Instead a team has been assembled to play long-ball, hit it into the channels football, and it clearly doesn't work at this level. The resent run of results only masks the problem, and people keep failing to see it was only when we threw the kitchen sink at it and went 4-4-2 that we got something from the game, but nevertheless, 4-5-1 see's us concede far too many goals still, and we end up chasing the game almost every week.

I'm not appealing for a return to 4-4-2, but I disagree wholeheartedly that 4-4-2 was the problem. We simply don't defend well enough at this level. Brian's answer to that was to go 4-5-1 and throw more bodies behind the ball and soak up the pressure, but we still let far too many goals in. Sure it's less than it was at the start of the season, but it's still 2's and 3's, and now with the added disadvantage that everyone is so busy trying to defend that they don't get forward to support the lone striker who doesn't suit that style of play!

At the end of the day you have to look at the two transfer windows and who was brought in, and they weren't good enough. Brian doesn't have a system that works, and it's hard to see what he claims to have learnt this season. Perhaps we'll see that in the future if he is given the time to show us.

Points wise we're still in with a chance of survival, but when you look at the fixtures next month, by the end of that month we will be well and truly buried.

I had a long answer ready to post, but it was more or less repeating what you have said and you've said it perfectly. Bloody good post indeed!

Brian might be a nice guy per se, but in the end it is him, and him alone, who is sending us down.

Complete nonsense. He's not perfect is our Brian but our squad is comfortably the worst in this league and that is why we're going down.

[AirRaidSiren]

Brian is quite possibly the nicest guy in football. However, it's his team, his signings, his tactics, his match preparation and instructions that have let us down this season and as much as I like and respect the guy, the buck starts and stops with him.

These players would play passing football if he told them too. Instead a team has been assembled to play long-ball, hit it into the channels football, and it clearly doesn't work at this level. The resent run of results only masks the problem, and people keep failing to see it was only when we threw the kitchen sink at it and went 4-4-2 that we got something from the game, but nevertheless, 4-5-1 see's us concede far too many goals still, and we end up chasing the game almost every week.

I'm not appealing for a return to 4-4-2, but I disagree wholeheartedly that 4-4-2 was the problem. We simply don't defend well enough at this level. Brian's answer to that was to go 4-5-1 and throw more bodies behind the ball and soak up the pressure, but we still let far too many goals in. Sure it's less than it was at the start of the season, but it's still 2's and 3's, and now with the added disadvantage that everyone is so busy trying to defend that they don't get forward to support the lone striker who doesn't suit that style of play!

At the end of the day you have to look at the two transfer windows and who was brought in, and they weren't good enough. Brian doesn't have a system that works, and it's hard to see what he claims to have learnt this season. Perhaps we'll see that in the future if he is given the time to show us.

Points wise we're still in with a chance of survival, but when you look at the fixtures next month, by the end of that month we will be well and truly buried.

I had a long answer ready to post, but it was more or less repeating what you have said and you've said it perfectly. Bloody good post indeed!

Brian might be a nice guy per se, but in the end it is him, and him alone, who is sending us down.

Complete nonsense. He's not perfect is our Brian but our squad is comfortably the worst in this league and that is why we're going down.

That's such a contradiction in itself. Isn't it Brian's squad?

[Jay o/]

Brian is quite possibly the nicest guy in football. However, it's his team, his signings, his tactics, his match preparation and instructions that have let us down this season and as much as I like and respect the guy, the buck starts and stops with him.

These players would play passing football if he told them too. Instead a team has been assembled to play long-ball, hit it into the channels football, and it clearly doesn't work at this level. The resent run of results only masks the problem, and people keep failing to see it was only when we threw the kitchen sink at it and went 4-4-2 that we got something from the game, but nevertheless, 4-5-1 see's us concede far too many goals still, and we end up chasing the game almost every week.

I'm not appealing for a return to 4-4-2, but I disagree wholeheartedly that 4-4-2 was the problem. We simply don't defend well enough at this level. Brian's answer to that was to go 4-5-1 and throw more bodies behind the ball and soak up the pressure, but we still let far too many goals in. Sure it's less than it was at the start of the season, but it's still 2's and 3's, and now with the added disadvantage that everyone is so busy trying to defend that they don't get forward to support the lone striker who doesn't suit that style of play!

At the end of the day you have to look at the two transfer windows and who was brought in, and they weren't good enough. Brian doesn't have a system that works, and it's hard to see what he claims to have learnt this season. Perhaps we'll see that in the future if he is given the time to show us.

Points wise we're still in with a chance of survival, but when you look at the fixtures next month, by the end of that month we will be well and truly buried.

Couldn't have summed that up better. Good post!

[Millsy]

Since you've dropped Pearce this season, we have 0.5 points per game, as opposed to 1.875 with him in - you do the maths. How you can brush off his dropping on the basis of one game at Stoke is an absolute disgrace and Morrison was toilet today. How can you bring off Akpan when he was our only effective player today and leave Leigertwood and Karacan on - 2 players who seem incapable of passing a football.

Oh, and referees don't cost you three goals - hth.

FAO Brian, you know I'm 110% behind you and will defend you through thick and thin, but I agree with Royalee.

[sandman]

Since you've dropped Pearce this season, we have 0.5 points per game, as opposed to 1.875 with him in - you do the maths. How you can brush off his dropping on the basis of one game at Stoke is an absolute disgrace and Morrison was toilet today. How can you bring off Akpan when he was our only effective player today and leave Leigertwood and Karacan on - 2 players who seem incapable of passing a football.

Oh, and referees don't cost you three goals - hth.

FAO Brian, you know I'm 110% behind you and will defend you through thick and thin, but I agree with Royalee.

Is there some kind of help you can get for that?

[royal67]

And yes he does not get the service he needs, so what's stopping him getting his big Russian ass off the floor and creating something for himself, I know he don't get the service he needs but that's a cop out

And Jason Roberts never falls over?...jesus christ all this Pog hating is getting tiresome. not a SINGLE outfield player played well yesterday but our Russian is the latest in a long line of scapegoats I have seen over the years, you hold the ball up looking to bring in other players you get a shove in the back you go down, is that too difficult to undetstand you plum?
He is the only one we have that can play the lone striker role, he has strength and a good first touch no matter what the mongs on here say.

^^ This.... ^^

[LoyalRoyalFan]

And yes he does not get the service he needs, so what's stopping him getting his big Russian ass off the floor and creating something for himself, I know he don't get the service he needs but that's a cop out

.... and, presumably, Noel Hunt never rolls around on the floor?

[Terminal Boardom]

I don't think McD should be "protecting" the players - if they've played badly, he should jolly well admit it - tell them in the dressing room they were absolute crap, that he takes some blame but once they're out on the pitch it's down to them and that no-one should think their position is safe. Might gee one or two of them up a bit. Players only have to look on social media to see what the fans are thinking, so it's not like McD can protect them from that - and if they must all realise themselves that they were so poor yesterday.

Even Jason Roberts had the old cliches in his interview, wouldn't state we weren't good enough, we'll look to the next game blah blah blah.

And with reference to another thread where I said I'd rather watch us be there or there abouts in the Championship than be in this position every season in the Prem - yes I DID mean it. I'd rather see us winning more games and playing a good game than fighting for our lives every single game and being in a relegation spot for the majority of the season. Sorry, but that's just how it is for me. The Prem is all about the money. Money which we'll never invest in any great sum and what we do invest doesn't seem to be used wisely imo.

Thank oxf*rd you aren't my boss. I would be first out the door if my work performances were slagged off in public.

[Royalee]

Like Pearce should be given McDermott's unprofessional comments about him postgame Saturday?

[sandman]

Still at least he didn't go off the deep end at the interviewer like previous managers have done.

[Big Ern]

I am sure what is said in public and what s said in private are 2 different things.

He has no choice but to defend them in publc as he has to make do with what he ha got until the end of the season.

[RoyalBlue]

Brian is quite possibly the nicest guy in football. However, it's his team, his signings, his tactics, his match preparation and instructions that have let us down this season and as much as I like and respect the guy, the buck starts and stops with him.

These players would play passing football if he told them too. Instead a team has been assembled to play long-ball, hit it into the channels football, and it clearly doesn't work at this level. The resent run of results only masks the problem, and people keep failing to see it was only when we threw the kitchen sink at it and went 4-4-2 that we got something from the game, but nevertheless, 4-5-1 see's us concede far too many goals still, and we end up chasing the game almost every week.

I'm not appealing for a return to 4-4-2, but I disagree wholeheartedly that 4-4-2 was the problem. We simply don't defend well enough at this level. Brian's answer to that was to go 4-5-1 and throw more bodies behind the ball and soak up the pressure, but we still let far too many goals in. Sure it's less than it was at the start of the season, but it's still 2's and 3's, and now with the added disadvantage that everyone is so busy trying to defend that they don't get forward to support the lone striker who doesn't suit that style of play!

At the end of the day you have to look at the two transfer windows and who was brought in, and they weren't good enough. Brian doesn't have a system that works, and it's hard to see what he claims to have learnt this season. Perhaps we'll see that in the future if he is given the time to show us.

Points wise we're still in with a chance of survival, but when you look at the fixtures next month, by the end of that month we will be well and truly buried.

I had a long answer ready to post, but it was more or less repeating what you have said and you've said it perfectly. Bloody good post indeed!

Brian might be a nice guy per se, but in the end it is him, and him alone, who is sending us down.

Complete nonsense. He's not perfect is our Brian but our squad is comfortably the worst in this league and that is why we're going down.

And who chose who to sign? Or does he let Nick Hammond do all of his shopping for him nowadays?! If the latter, it could be a bit like internet shopping, I suppose. Brian orders some prime English steak and ends up being sent a substitute of finest Romanian donkey!

As for protecting the players, I think there has to be a limit to that. When they perform as badly as they did on Saturday, does it really hurt anyone for a manager to occasionally come out with something along the lines of 'We let ourselves down and we let the supporters down. I have made that very clear to my players but equally I have to hold up my hands too. We all have to do a lot better and we're all coming in tomorrow (not Monday!) to sit down and discuss how we are going to go about doing that'.

Anyone remember Allan Clarke (think it was he) taking his players down a mine to see what real work was like, after they had significantly underperformed against us?

[floyd__streete]

And who chose who to sign? Or does he let Nick Hammond do all of his shopping for him nowadays?!

For this, I think you should look a bit more closely at TSI, whose takeover was going to take us 'to the next level'. LOL, yeah ok then