Coppell's lack of ambition

[shadesrwrf]

I want us to be in Europe next season - simply for the honour and prestige of it. We may never get another chance.

It's that little Reading (losers) mentality that just won't go away

History shows that 'smaller clubs' - e.g. Huddersfield, Blackpool, Forest, Wimbledon, Oxford - tend to have one good era and subside. A friend who supports Oxford bitterly regrets that, after Heysel, they never got the Euro chance for when they won the League Cup and they never will now, he thinks. I want us to get the most out of ours.

Whatever anyone says about building for the future (which I support) it's not inevitable that it will happen. Will Mr Mad and SSC be here in 3 years? I would think we are an even money bet to be relegated in the next 5 years and 90% likely to go down (and possibly up again) in the next 10.

As a matter of interest, what clubs in Europe are like us - first-timers in the top flight from outside the big cities? Villareal? Auxerre? Chievo?

What you're advocating is short termism on the basis that you see us as a little club that is having its day in the sun. This is the losers mentality that has infected our fan base thanks to years of failure.

Thank God Coppell is ignoring this defeatist view whilst he and the Chairman build a club that looks more like Aston Villa than Blackpool by the day.

Spot on. Anybody who suggests Coppell has no ambition after what he has achieved for this club over the past two seasons is an idiot. There are far too many people suffering from the modern disease of wanting everything to happen yesterday. As Woodcote says, thank goodness those in charge of our club don't display similar foolishness.

[Victor Meldrew]

What odds? Now, let's not be pessimistic.

Like I suggested before. Any betting man care to comment?

Even money to go down in next 5 years.
1-10 to have gone down in next 10 years.

If you want pessimism how long did it take Bradford to go from Prem to League Two! Very much doubt that would happen to us.

Bradford went down very quickly because they overspent and didn't keep their wage structure in check.

What if we underspend?
It looks as though this year's other mid-table clubs will be buying in the Summer and we know that clubs like 'Boro and Newcastle as well as the two so-far promoted clubs will do likewise.
Now I know that spending doesn't necessarily improve a side that much as transfers are often big gambles but I raise the point about underspending and underpaying as a by-product of brick-by-brick building because neither methods are guaranteed to work.

The club has done brilliantly in recent times with it's signings,particularly Marcus,Shorey,Sonko,Sidwell,Little,Kitson and Doyle but there is no certainty that we will unearth more of these although it would be marvellous if we did.
Brick-by-brick,fine in theory but football isn't about theory and I will be happy if we stay up next season with or without significant signings.

Reading's brick by brick approach is working well so far, no reason why not that we can't keep on progressing over the next few years.

[Man Friday]

"...if you think we would have won the FA cup/League cup and finished in the top 10 of the premiership then you are deluded."
I'd rather finish, say, 15th and win a cup than 9th and no cup. At the end of the day, 9th, 15th, 12th, what does it matter without some silverware to show for your efforts?
Actually, I agree with Steve's philosophy this season and probably next season if he adopts the same approach. However, after a few years I'd like to see us go for the cups seriously ala Bolton, Middlesborough, Aston Villa, etc.

[working class hero]

And he said "This is a great opportunity to play teams from South America & Asia, and when would we get that opportunity again? We were sounded out, we had various options but we knew this would be tasty" about the Peace Cup in Korea. We would get that opportunity in the UEFA Cup next season,

-

UEFA cup now allowing entrants from ASia and S America....

[Stranded]

"...if you think we would have won the FA cup/League cup and finished in the top 10 of the premiership then you are deluded."
I'd rather finish, say, 15th and win a cup than 9th and no cup. At the end of the day, 9th, 15th, 12th, what does it matter without some silverware to show for your efforts?
Actually, I agree with Steve's philosophy this season and probably next season if he adopts the same approach. However, after a few years I'd like to see us go for the cups seriously ala Bolton, Middlesborough, Aston Villa, etc.

Bolton and Boro change their sides as much as we do (if not more) in the cups and have done for seasons.

[Coppelled Streets]

Coppell added: “You have to realise that what I was saying in public may not have been the same thing I was saying behind closed doors.
I felt that was the best way to deflect it.â€

[seahawk10]

[quote="Coppelled Streets"]Coppell added: “You have to realise that what I was saying in public may not have been the same thing I was saying behind closed doors.
I felt that was the best way to deflect it.â€