Coppell Looks For Excuses Already

[brendywendy]

I'm not even sure we needed any replacements then. We went down on goal difference - just one goal in the right match would have made the difference up. If they'd only played a bit better - if only - if, if, if...

we will only replace those that leave IMO.+1 winger
that, along with the probability that our youth may get their chance to be back up players this time out means we will be freshened up regardless.

ive not given up on cisse, or kebe yet either
though i probably should with the latter

[Alan Partridge]

I'm not even sure we needed any replacements then. We went down on goal difference - just one goal in the right match would have made the difference up. If they'd only played a bit better - if only - if, if, if...

which again shows that 2 or 3 impact players that would have improved our team would have almost certainly gained us a few more points to finish comfortbaly above the relegation zone.

The players we had weren't good enough as a collective bunch after 38 games. Not 'if only they'd played better' They weren't good enough.

[Bill Oddie's Beard]

I'm not even sure we needed any replacements then. We went down on goal difference - just one goal in the right match would have made the difference up. If they'd only played a bit better - if only - if, if, if...

we will only replace those that leave IMO.+1 winger
that, along with the probability that our youth may get their chance to be back up players this time out means we will be freshened up regardless.

ive not given up on cisse, or kebe yet either
though i probably should with the latter

Let's not give up on Kebe yet. I know he does look pretty useless, but he has only played 5 games!

[Sarah Star]

But you don't know they'd have played any better... blah, blah, blah

What am I doing? This is the same circular argument that's been going round since the end of last season.

[Alan Partridge]

All managers whose teams finished lower than expectations will consider they made mistakes during the season. And a good number of those who did not will also have a few "if onlys" in their minds.

The fact is that Coppell is one of the few managers who has the absolute integrity and honesty to answer questiosn thrown at him in an honest and thoughtful manner.

For the small-minded individuals who feel they need to apportion blame and seize on those considered and honest comments, it might leave him more open to criticism than if he had instead put a "wasn't my fault Guv" spin on it all but I for one love that (almost unique in football) quality in him and long may it last.

(I know almost unique is a contradiction but let that one slide if you will....)

Well as long as he can answer questions thoughtfully I'm sure Reading will be fine

Probably the only 2 reasons I wasn't that bothered that e'd stayed despite the terrible mistakes last season were a) He deserves the chance to put the wrongs - right and b) there are little alternatives for a replacement who would be significantly better.

[Hoop Blah]

Sarah - it'd might've only been on goal difference but we should really have been 7 or 8 points safer than we were considering the fact that it was basically a side that was only a goal short of Europe the year before. The alarming way in which we went backwards so quickly and without trying to really address it was the hardest thing to take.

RR- yes Coppell admits to mistakes which is a refreshing change, but it doesn't alter the fact that the side went backwards massively. I think most of us expected a less fruitful campaign than the previous season, but admitting your mistakes doesn't make them any less damaging.

AP - totally agree with your take on things.

[zummerset]

I do have a great deal of personal respect for the manner in which SC conducts himself. What screwed us last year was the paralysis that lead to the eight games in a row being lost. My only concern is that we still are in that state given the lack of activity. Hopefully the next few weeks will resolve that and we will have some splendid new players to get excited about

[Seal]

I saw on the TV at work yesterday an interview with Coppell on SSN. It was repeatedly being shown throughout the day (well it SSN news). The volume of the TV was off so I didn't catch what he was saying.

Anyone see it & know what he was talking about? I imagine it was something non-committal around our transfer policy but still interesting to hear...

[Coppell's Right Footed 11]

I saw on the TV at work yesterday an interview with Coppell on SSN. It was repeatedly being shown throughout the day (well it SSN news). The volume of the TV was off so I didn't catch what he was saying.

Anyone see it & know what he was talking about? I imagine it was something non-committal around our transfer policy but still interesting to hear...

Basically everything written in todays evening post. Few offers, some players made it clear they want to leave etc.. bla bla

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Certainly starting to feel just like last season.

If Coppell couldn't learn from his mistakes in January, why will he learn from them now? Remember all the things Coppell was saying in Novemeber/December last season? About all the things he would do in January, we had a few weeks of nothing (with the rtg's telling us all Coppell knew what he was doing) and then we ended up with Kebe (a player who was signed to keep us up and couldn't even make it in the top French league) and Marek, a fine player, but not the player we needed. We got relagated cause Coppell didn't bring in the players. Extra quality would have got us the points we needed.

The club needs a change in attidude and that comes from the top. Coppell still appears to have the make do attidude that got us relegated.

If we have another season of making do, we won't have the season we all want.....

[Sarah Star]

I still think it's harder to sign players than some fans think. You can track them and maybe decide, yes, they're the ones you want, but when you make them an offer and they turn it down, where does that leave you? And how do you tempt them to Reading when they don't want to move? And do you pay the silly money they might be asking? What makes us a better bet than say QPR or Stoke?

[Southbank Old Boy]

I still think it's harder to sign players than some fans think. You can track them and maybe decide, yes, they're the ones you want, but when you make them an offer and they turn it down, where does that leave you? And how do you tempt them to Reading when they don't want to move? And do you pay the silly money they might be asking? What makes us a better bet than say QPR or Stoke?

Nothing really makes us a better bet than the majority of the division, apart from our recent history of competing at the top of this division and being in the one above.

At the end of the day it comes down to selling the club to potential players and offering them the money that reflects their perceived worth. We have to be proving to them that we want them and we can offer them the opportunities that our rivals can't. That comes down to the manager, and in our case the director of football also.

Can we do that? Recent evidence suggests probably not, or more likely that we haven't even tried which, in my book, is probably a lot worse.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

We do need to buy one or two new players.Fact.

[Royalee]

We need three players at the moment - a winger for either side and a good defensive midfielder to partner Matejovsky. Won't happen though.

[brendywendy]

We need three players at the moment - a winger for either side and a good defensive midfielder to partner Matejovsky. Won't happen though.

i think there is a danger we will go into the season with kebe as cover for both wings,
and bikey in midfield with matejovski

but i think ive juist been infected with your neverending negativity

[Royalee]

We need three players at the moment - a winger for either side and a good defensive midfielder to partner Matejovsky. Won't happen though.

i think there is a danger we will go into the season with kebe as cover for both wings,
and bikey in midfield with matejovski

but i think ive juist been infected with your neverending negativity

Yet you're still confident we'll have a good season with the existing squad? It's a bit like Man United if you take their creativity out of the team in Ronaldo and take out Hargreaves so that there's no defensive presence - suddenly they don't look half the team. Don't get me wrong, we have some good players in the squad capable of playing in the Premiership, but then again England have some world class players in Ferdinand, Terry, Gerrard and arguably Rooney, but too many holes which meant they didn't qualify for the Euros.

[brendywendy]

We need three players at the moment - a winger for either side and a good defensive midfielder to partner Matejovsky. Won't happen though.

i think there is a danger we will go into the season with kebe as cover for both wings,
and bikey in midfield with matejovski

but i think ive juist been infected with your neverending negativity

Yet you're still confident we'll have a good season with the existing squad? It's a bit like Man United if you take their creativity out of the team in Ronaldo and take out Hargreaves so that there's no defensive presence - suddenly they don't look half the team. Don't get me wrong, we have some good players in the squad capable of playing in the Premiership, but then again England have some world class players in Ferdinand, Terry, Gerrard and arguably Rooney, but too many holes which meant they didn't qualify for the Euros.

no

in my darker moments i feel that the club could try and make do-if we do i am much less confident
and will be a little miffed
though i feel that a bikey/marek partnership would do well, i fear for the defence without bikey
i also think that if convey stays fit, and either kebe/henry steps up then well be fine in that scenario

but i wont come on here wringing my hands and shouting about it if not

id rather be positive, or nothing at all

[Southbank Old Boy]

id rather be positive, or nothing at all

I don't think you need to be suicidal

[Royalee]

no

in my darker moments i feel that the club could try and make do-if we do i am much less confident
and will be a little miffed
though i feel that a bikey/marek partnership would do well, i fear for the defence without bikey
i also think that if convey stays fit, and either kebe/henry steps up then well be fine in that scenario

but i wont come on here wringing my hands and shouting about it if not

id rather be positive, or nothing at all

I admire your optimism, really I do, but you are clutching at straws.

[brendywendy]

no

in my darker moments i feel that the club could try and make do-if we do i am much less confident
and will be a little miffed
though i feel that a bikey/marek partnership would do well, i fear for the defence without bikey
i also think that if convey stays fit, and either kebe/henry steps up then well be fine in that scenario

but i wont come on here wringing my hands and shouting about it if not

id rather be positive, or nothing at all

I admire your optimism, really I do, but you are clutching at straws.

if we made do i believe i would be clutching at straws

but i do believe that we will get a Winger and a CM in during the window, as well as a LB
so i reckon we'll be fine

like i said, only in my darker moments do i think those awful thoughts, usually im just blindingly positive-little point in being otherwise IMO