And its all gone quiet over there.....

[maffff]

It would be nice to get at least some sort of boilerplate release stating that the club is actively looking for a replacement to help us stay up instead of silence. It would be a bit more reassuring from the fans point of view. Silence makes it seem like they have no idea what to do or what they are doing...

That's exactly what they said yesterday.

Yes, but that was yesterday. We need a 24 hour phone line with automated message to reassure us that this is still the case. We may have given up

[Barry the bird boggler]

Silence from officials at the club is probably more to do with negotiating the terms of Brian's severance package than anything untoward, plus of course there's probably absolutely nothing more to be said at the moment

[mr_number]

Statement has been made. Anton found it the hardest decision he had to make, Brian still bezzies with him, everyone's going to live happily ever after.

[Royal Lady]

Also heard on BBCRB that RFC did not speak to anyone else before sacking McD. Now, not sure where that's come from - but if it's some kind of boast, it doesn't sit well with me - it's just like Wolves. I'd actually rather we'd had someone lined up, however bad that is for McD, than think we have no idea who might join us or if anyone wants to join us. Leaving Dolan in charge until the end of the season would be pointless imo, might as well have stuck with McD if that is to be the case.

Smacks of a knee jerk reaction by AZ if these reports are true and he's sacked McD because there was a bit of booing during and after the game on Saturday - none of which was particularly aimed at McD personally I'm lead to believe - did anyone hear shouts of "you don't know what you're doing" "McDermott Out" or anything similar? Because unless there was a unanimous voice against McD on Saturday, AZ has made a terrible mistake in that case....

[peterroyal76]

They must have sacked the media/website/twitter team as well thank f**k!

Of course theres no one to let us know though...

We've got STAR still tweeting!

and their press release!

[wingnut]

Smacks of a knee jerk reaction by AZ if these reports are true and he's sacked McD because there was a bit of booing during and after the game on Saturday - none of which was particularly aimed at McD personally I'm lead to believe - did anyone hear shouts of "you don't know what you're doing" "McDermott Out" or anything similar? Because unless there was a unanimous voice against McD on Saturday, AZ has made a terrible mistake in that case....

Certainly was heard in the north east corner after Hunt and Akpan were subbed

[Ian Royal]

http://www.readingfc.co.uk is like a veritible tumbleweed today, as it always is when something significant happens. At least we're spared the usual drivel about Sean Morrison's breakfast or a #flamey goal that someone scored in training.

Be nice if our owner could spare us a few words by way of tribute to the man he sacked and - y'know - perhaps a plan for the future, rather than KGB-esque secretiveness. And has anyone heard from our squeaky-voiced DoF of late, Mr Teflon himself.

Maybe he's, you know, busy trying to get it sorted.

[RoyalBlue]

Also heard on BBCRB that RFC did not speak to anyone else before sacking McD. Now, not sure where that's come from - but if it's some kind of boast, it doesn't sit well with me - it's just like Wolves. I'd actually rather we'd had someone lined up, however bad that is for McD, than think we have no idea who might join us or if anyone wants to join us. Leaving Dolan in charge until the end of the season would be pointless imo, might as well have stuck with McD if that is to be the case.

Smacks of a knee jerk reaction by AZ if these reports are true and he's sacked McD because there was a bit of booing during and after the game on Saturday - none of which was particularly aimed at McD personally I'm lead to believe - did anyone hear shouts of "you don't know what you're doing" "McDermott Out" or anything similar? Because unless there was a unanimous voice against McD on Saturday, AZ has made a terrible mistake in that case....

Yes, there was quite a loud chorus of 'You don't know what you're doing', which itself followed on from loud booing after his first really weird substitutions. As others have already pointed out, a lot of the sarcastic cheers when Legs was subbed were aimed at McDermott rather than the player. I also suspect that the boos at half and full-time were also largely intended for the management.

That aside, I really do think it's extremely unlikely that Anton sacked McDermott because of some booing from the crowd. He's an intelligent guy who McDermott himself said was very knowledgeable about football. As such, I am sure he was capable of making his own decision based on what he had seen for himself over the past few months. And let's face it, sadly there were some pretty clear signs that McDermott was struggling to turn things around. What's more, over this past season Anton had displayed far more patience than some new owners would have done.

I really doubt we will end up with Dolan in temporary charge for the remainder of the season. A new manager will come in and will benefit by having some time to assess the squad before the season draws to a close.

[The Rouge]

Also heard on BBCRB that RFC did not speak to anyone else before sacking McD. Now, not sure where that's come from - but if it's some kind of boast, it doesn't sit well with me - it's just like Wolves. I'd actually rather we'd had someone lined up, however bad that is for McD, than think we have no idea who might join us or if anyone wants to join us. Leaving Dolan in charge until the end of the season would be pointless imo, might as well have stuck with McD if that is to be the case.

Smacks of a knee jerk reaction by AZ if these reports are true and he's sacked McD because there was a bit of booing during and after the game on Saturday - none of which was particularly aimed at McD personally I'm lead to believe - did anyone hear shouts of "you don't know what you're doing" "McDermott Out" or anything similar? Because unless there was a unanimous voice against McD on Saturday, AZ has made a terrible mistake in that case....

Yes, there was quite a loud chorus of 'You don't know what you're doing'

^^^ I didn't hear that from Y23, where were you sat? Disrespectful IMO tbh. I didn't boo, I thought the substitutions were wholly sensible for what it is worth. Akpan and Hunt were ineffective and Hunt was the obvious person to take off for Blackman.

[Maguire]

Defo chants of you don't know what you're doing.

No idea why - Akpan was rubbish and Hunt was totally average.

[Cureton's Volley]

Pathetic chants, it wasn't like we had things going our way, why not make a change or two?

[Terminal Boardom]

I think there is far more tho BMcD's sacking than meets the eye. It is bizarre timing to say the least and I find it surprising that a replacement is not already in place. Typical Reading though. For years, they have sacked managers and been in limbo for ages. The only exceptions I can think of are when Branfoot took over from Maurice Evans and when BMcD took over from Bodgers - even then, it was only on a temporary basis to start with.

There must be a hell of a load of shit going on behind the scenes. If a few mongs booing results in a sacking of a manager, the job expectancy would be about 4 weeks. Just what is going on?

[Franchise FC]

I think there is far more tho BMcD's sacking than meets the eye. It is bizarre timing to say the least and I find it surprising that a replacement is not already in place. Typical Reading though. For years, they have sacked managers and been in limbo for ages. The only exceptions I can think of are when Branfoot took over from Maurice Evans and when BMcD took over from Bodgers - even then, it was only on a temporary basis to start with.

There must be a hell of a load of shit going on behind the scenes. If a few mongs booing results in a sacking of a manager, the job expectancy would be about 4 weeks. Just what is going on?

Just to clarify your statement, I presume you mean four years, as the last manager to be sacked before then was ....... not in this century. Doesn't sound 'typical'

[Spirit of Elm Park]

This all feels like a second 5-7 reverse of the season, after being 3 up at the break.

Joy of getting there, wondering how it happened, a sense of reality just before the break, all being able to see exactly where it is going to end up, and not doing anything about it until it is too late.

Given that it seems we didn't have anyone in place before letting Brian go, it seems a ridiculous decision. If a new man had 9 games to assess before the close season it would make great sense.

[under the tin]

Ridiculous?
Depends on which way you look at it. A new manager appointed before the January window indicates a board who are prepared to chuck the kitchen sink at survival.

A new appointment with just a handful of games left, in our position, indicates a board who are looking at next season.

Someone's getting the chance to evaluate, in real match situations, what kind of players he has inherited. He then has the whole summer to strip out the dead wood, and rebuild the squad in his own image, armed with the parachute money. That doesn't seem ridiculous to me.

[mr_number]

Ridiculous?
Depends on which way you look at it. A new manager appointed before the January window indicates a board who are prepared to chuck the kitchen sink at survival.

A new appointment with just a handful of games left, in our position, indicates a board who are looking at next season.

Someone's getting the chance to evaluate, in real match situations, what kind of players he has inherited. He then has the whole summer to strip out the dead wood, and rebuild the squad in his own image, armed with the parachute money. That doesn't seem ridiculous to me.

It seems very hard to justify this decision by saying we needed someone new for next season. With Brian's experience in the Championship, he'd be one of the leading contenders if we hadn't sacked him. Sure, if its 10/15 games in and not working next year, sacking him then would make sense. But not now.

If it's with regard to staying up this year, then it's just mental, as we have virtually no chance now. I realise they may have been waiting for after Villa & Wigan, but now we've got here, the best man to take us forward next year would have been Brian. Also, not having a man to come in straight away, given the limited time left this year, makes this even more mental. It's a fcvking shambles. Hope I'm proved wrong on this front later today.

[royal_cornwall]

Ridiculous?
Depends on which way you look at it. A new manager appointed before the January window indicates a board who are prepared to chuck the kitchen sink at survival.

A new appointment with just a handful of games left, in our position, indicates a board who are looking at next season.

Someone's getting the chance to evaluate, in real match situations, what kind of players he has inherited. He then has the whole summer to strip out the dead wood, and rebuild the squad in his own image, armed with the parachute money. That doesn't seem ridiculous to me.

It seems very hard to justify this decision by saying we needed someone new for next season. With Brian's experience in the Championship, he'd be one of the leading contenders if we hadn't sacked him. Sure, if its 10/15 games in and not working next year, sacking him then would make sense. But not now.

If it's with regard to staying up this year, then it's just mental, as we have virtually no chance now. I realise they may have been waiting for after Villa & Wigan, but now we've got here, the best man to take us forward next year would have been Brian. Also, not having a man to come in straight away, given the limited time left this year, makes this even more mental. It's a fcvking shambles. Hope I'm proved wrong on this front later today.

But maybe Anton is looking for a manager that can take us through the Championship and into the premier and progress thereafter. On this seasons evidence im not sure that person is Brain.

[Vision]

Ridiculous?
Depends on which way you look at it. A new manager appointed before the January window indicates a board who are prepared to chuck the kitchen sink at survival.

A new appointment with just a handful of games left, in our position, indicates a board who are looking at next season.

Someone's getting the chance to evaluate, in real match situations, what kind of players he has inherited. He then has the whole summer to strip out the dead wood, and rebuild the squad in his own image, armed with the parachute money. That doesn't seem ridiculous to me.

It seems very hard to justify this decision by saying we needed someone new for next season. With Brian's experience in the Championship, he'd be one of the leading contenders if we hadn't sacked him. Sure, if its 10/15 games in and not working next year, sacking him then would make sense. But not now.

If it's with regard to staying up this year, then it's just mental, as we have virtually no chance now. I realise they may have been waiting for after Villa & Wigan, but now we've got here, the best man to take us forward next year would have been Brian. Also, not having a man to come in straight away, given the limited time left this year, makes this even more mental. It's a fcvking shambles. Hope I'm proved wrong on this front later today.

But maybe Anton is looking for a manager that can take us through the Championship and into the premier and progress thereafter. On this seasons evidence im not sure that person is Brain.

I think that's why I'm still holding out the hope that it's a long term decision. Not just looking at the end of this season or even just next season but as a way forward in the longer term. Not that I'm happy with McD being sacked necessarily but if we're looking at the bigger picture rather than a knee jerk rwaction to the events of recent weeks then I'm a little less worried.

[mr_number]

The 'long term' justification is that next time we're in the top division, Brian's not the man for us. Is that what you're thinking?

I think that's a pretty ballsy way to justify it, given that it's quite a task to get us back to where we are now.

[The Rouge]

Defo chants of you don't know what you're doing.

No idea why - Akpan was rubbish and Hunt was totally average.

Was it the North Stand and Y19/20 dissenting then?

Both of those players fell under the 'good effort but ineffective' bracket on the day.

Going against what many have said, I think:

- the fans were at the point where they wanted some blood/wanted to have a go at the management. There have been bad substitutions this year but these were highly sensible, so the fans just used this point as an excuse to vent.*
- I think most of the fans were actually cheering that Ledge was being taken off, despite claims they were against McDermott (again for making a sensible substitution, albeit too late)

* On the plus side, a guy who has been annoying me with $hit interpretations of the game plus slagging off everything bad Ledge and McAnuff do (and ignoring good stuff) was standing up shouting and booing the Blackman for Hunt substitutions and I got to turn round and have a go back, asking him who he should have taken off for Blackman.. He looked incredulous that his opinion had been challenged and he had slightly watery, rage eyes.