Bye Bye Oster

[ShrewsandRoyals]

More than often you see players that have loads of talent but totally lack a footballing brain. Oster seemed to have a footballing brain, but didn't quite have what it took in his ability.

For what it's worth, I thought there were moments when he and Marek seemed to have an understanding between them that could have developed. But on 15K a week as a fringe player, and with doubts about his approach to games rearing their head from time to time, he had to go.

I also think that he's one of those players that could have been so much better but will end up being talked about in the "if only" term.

[Royal Rother]

Thanks for the memories john. Much like marek he was one of the most technical players in the squad. You could tell he'd been given a premiership education and it showed. The problem with oster in the side is that we have championship mentality players who were never in the position they should be, thats why a lot of balls went to waste and john was singled out.
Oster's ball against blackburn last year which bentley scored from stood out for me. Shorey should of been 5 yards further forward and we would of had a decent attack, instead he was way off play stood diddling his thumbs and the ball went to bentley. Premiership players move into space and a lot of the times balls are played into an area where people SHOULD be running, reading players never made that movement and thats why we never had large periods of possession in the prem or couldn't string more than 5 passes together.
Oster played a lot of under-rated balls like that and its a shame our players didn't have the mentality or awareness to find space and make better runs. One of the genuine " football" players we've had in recent times.
Take care john.

Have to say that is a fantastic assesment of Oster's Reading career, agree with a lot of that. I always had a lot of time for Oster, sad to see him go.

Blimey! I actually have some sympathy with that assessment as well - but it's FR, so I feel a little dirty now...

Anyway, it'll be fun to see what Man Friday has to say about it - doubtless in his apoplexy he'll splutter something including "anyone who's played Sunday League football"....

[LoyalRoyal22]

Good professional. Hope he finds another club.

[Denver Royal]

Thanks for the memories john. Much like marek he was one of the most technical players in the squad. You could tell he'd been given a premiership education and it showed. The problem with oster in the side is that we have championship mentality players who were never in the position they should be, thats why a lot of balls went to waste and john was singled out.
Oster's ball against blackburn last year which bentley scored from stood out for me. Shorey should of been 5 yards further forward and we would of had a decent attack, instead he was way off play stood diddling his thumbs and the ball went to bentley. Premiership players move into space and a lot of the times balls are played into an area where people SHOULD be running, reading players never made that movement and thats why we never had large periods of possession in the prem or couldn't string more than 5 passes together.
Oster played a lot of under-rated balls like that and its a shame our players didn't have the mentality or awareness to find space and make better runs. One of the genuine " football" players we've had in recent times.
Take care john.

That all sounds good in theory, but the fact is he's never established himself at a Premiership club. There must be reasons for that.

People didn't give Oster a chance.

Again, I disagree. Having chances is one thing he's had plenty of. He's had numerous chances at numerous clubs.

[Man Friday]

...Much like marek he was one of the most technical players in the squad. You could tell he'd been given a premiership education and it showed. The problem with oster in the side is that we have championship mentality players who were never in the position they should be, thats why a lot of balls went to waste and john was singled out.
Oster's ball against blackburn last year which bentley scored from stood out for me. Shorey should of been 5 yards further forward and we would of had a decent attack...

Please tell me you're having a laugh, right? Please.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

RIP Johnny, a flawed genius.

Could set League 1 alight if someone signs him up.

[Man Friday]

Chance after chance after chance. It wasn't the average skill that put me off Oster (after all, not many of his teammates shone in that dept either), it was his lack of commitment, not so much not getting "stuck in" as not chasing back. Even against Derby for crying out loud. Some people were giving him a lot of stick at that match and I've got to say it was deserved.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Chance after chance after chance. It wasn't the average skill that put me off Oster (after all, not many of his teammates shone in that dept either), it was his lack of commitment, not so much not getting "stuck in" as not chasing back.

what a load of bull.the poor f3cker could not do right for doing wrong for the likes of you.

Better paid and better qualified were more at fault than he



anyway as of today...ex Reading (despite warranting more bandwidth on HNA than the piss poor Nicky Shorey right now)......

[beno]

glen little > scott taylor > scott murray > john oster > jimmy kebe > michael meaker

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Chance after chance after chance. It wasn't the average skill that put me off Oster (after all, not many of his teammates shone in that dept either), it was his lack of commitment, not so much not getting "stuck in" as not chasing back.

what a load of bull.the poor f3cker could not do right for doing wrong for the likes of you.

Better paid and better qualified were more at fault than he



anyway as of today...ex Reading (despite warranting more bandwidth on HNA than the piss poor Nicky Shorey right now)......

Amen to that. He was at no more fault than plenty of other players, and people were turning up to games with the intention to have a go at him no matter how he performed. If he made a mistake, however minor, people were on his back. If he did something wrong people were quick to point out the next or previous mistake.

[FiNeRaIn]

Thanks for the memories john. Much like marek he was one of the most technical players in the squad. You could tell he'd been given a premiership education and it showed. The problem with oster in the side is that we have championship mentality players who were never in the position they should be, thats why a lot of balls went to waste and john was singled out.
Oster's ball against blackburn last year which bentley scored from stood out for me. Shorey should of been 5 yards further forward and we would of had a decent attack, instead he was way off play stood diddling his thumbs and the ball went to bentley.

Yep, Shorey (and his England caps) are certainly Championship class.

Hob Nob's intellectual heavyweight strikes again.

I take it you didn't follow reading this season then

Reading fans are a fickle bunch who know little about football, comments on here have summed that up. You're probably one of the mindless idiots that boo'd him off when he was subbed, what a horrible fanbase we have.
He's no glen little but he had a go at creating chances and goals, he had bottle no one else in our team has. All gormless fickle fans have to have a boo-boy or a scapegoat, he was made reading's when he nowhere near the worst performer in the team.
ROFLeading fans, one of the worst in england.

[9165]

It will be interesting to see if any more not out of contract players will be made available - Sodje, Bennett, then maybe Convey and Cisse. It looks like the club is doing the right thing so far (assuming Steve C is staying) by releasing the has beens and never have beens, and hopefully starting to look at the academy boys (at long last). It all depends on who come in for which of the senior players (probably Shorey, Hunt, Lita, Doyle, Matejovsky, Rosenior) before we know what sort of squad we`ll have come August.

Shame John Halls has been released though !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

[kwik-silva]

It will be interesting to see if any more not out of contract players will be made available - Sodje, Bennett, then maybe Convey and Cisse. It looks like the club is doing the right thing so far (assuming Steve C is staying) by releasing the has beens and never have beens, and hopefully starting to look at the academy boys (at long last). It all depends on who come in for which of the senior players (probably Shorey, Hunt, Lita, Doyle, Matejovsky, Rosenior) before we know what sort of squad we`ll have come August.

Shame John Halls has been released though !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

There's some stuff on BBC Sport about players leaving and staying

[Wax Jacket]

in years to come (and probably this week too) Halls will be seen as one of our worst ever signings, espeically bearing in mind the level we operated during his time here.

hardly ever played a game, couldn't get games on loan, stuck around for 3 years. terrible.

[Pseud O'Nym]

As a keen amateur art historian I was researching Da Vinci the other day when I came across this enhanced detail of "the Last Supper"



Shocking proof, I believe, that this is about much more than just the relegation of a small football club...

[Denver Royal]

Reading fans know little about football, what a horrible fanbase we have. He's no glen little but he had a go. ROFLeading fans, one of the worst in england.

Do you include yourself in that damnation? Or is it just everyone else?

I would agree that Oster 'had a go'. He has 'had a go' at numerous clubs.

Problem is, despite him 'having a go', we got relegated.

What conclusions might one draw from that?

(P.S. You yourself have already stated that Oster is no Glen Little...who himself has never really been a star in the Premiership.)

[The whole year inn]

Thanks for the memories john. Much like marek he was one of the most technical players in the squad. You could tell he'd been given a premiership education and it showed. The problem with oster in the side is that we have championship mentality players who were never in the position they should be, thats why a lot of balls went to waste and john was singled out.
Oster's ball against blackburn last year which bentley scored from stood out for me. Shorey should of been 5 yards further forward and we would of had a decent attack, instead he was way off play stood diddling his thumbs and the ball went to bentley.

Yep, Shorey (and his England caps) are certainly Championship class.

Hob Nob's intellectual heavyweight strikes again.

I take it you didn't follow reading this season then

Reading fans are a fickle bunch who know little about football, comments on here have summed that up. You're probably one of the mindless idiots that boo'd him off when he was subbed, what a horrible fanbase we have.
He's no glen little but he had a go at creating chances and goals, he had bottle no one else in our team has. All gormless fickle fans have to have a boo-boy or a scapegoat, he was made reading's when he nowhere near the worst performer in the team.
ROFLeading fans, one of the worst in england.

Righto.

Go home and sleep it off

[Diddyroyal]

not good enough.

[Irvinchangeyaname]

it was his lack of commitment, not so much not getting "stuck in" as not chasing back. Even against Derby for crying out loud. Some people were giving him a lot of stick at that match and I've got to say it was deserved.

Of course, Derby! That was the game where Oster was busting a gut for the team and got jeered, yet Hunt appeared inept and disinterested for 90 minutes and nobody said a word?

[Jerry St Clair]

Of course, Derby! That was the game where Oster was busting a gut for the team and got jeered, yet Hunt appeared inept and disinterested for 90 minutes and nobody said a word?

Arguing the toss about the relative merits of Oster and Hunt is a bit like trying to decide whether you'd prefer Syphilis or Chlamydia.