Pauno out

[Zip]

I’m not for sacking the manager.

I’ll repeat what I said when Bowen got sacked. Continually sacking managers is not a way to build a sustainable team with an identity and a plan.

He’s got to have more time to at least try to achieve the above. Can Pauno do it? is the question for me.

Struggling to see an identity/plan here currently. Can’t build something that doesn’t exist. Most teams have a defined style of play, would struggle to define ours

Time isn’t necessarily the contributing factor, just look at Mowbray under Blackburn for example, three successive seasons where they’ve got worse, Johnson at Bristol etc etc. They became pretty stale after too long. Not that Paunovic is at that stage yet mind, just finding it strange with comments of “should be given at least three years” for example

Personally like to see the manager learn from mistakes primarily. Currently, he’s too inflexible and too slow to react and most likely we won’t be going anywhere until he fixes it because our in game adaptations aren’t of the required standard. 0 shots on target up until the 80th minute and he’s made one sub? It ain’t good enough

Yep give him three years isn’t going to happen. The first three months of next season will be crucial for him. He has to be more flexible. We only played one upfront last night in a must win game. Only Joao can play that role. Puscas really struggled.
Even then he waited far too long to make subs leaving it to the final twenty minutes.
I also agree we lack identity. We have literally gone backwards. Too often we go back and sideways taking an age to get the ball into dangerous positions at which point we then become too intricate.

Lots to work on but let’s not forget the guy has had no money to spend. He deserves another crack at this.

[leon]

I’m not for sacking the manager.

I’ll repeat what I said when Bowen got sacked. Continually sacking managers is not a way to build a sustainable team with an identity and a plan.

He’s got to have more time to at least try to achieve the above. Can Pauno do it? is the question for me.

Struggling to see an identity/plan here currently. Can’t build something that doesn’t exist. Most teams have a defined style of play, would struggle to define ours

Time isn’t necessarily the contributing factor, just look at Mowbray under Blackburn for example, three successive seasons where they’ve got worse, Johnson at Bristol etc etc. They became pretty stale after too long. Not that Paunovic is at that stage yet mind, just finding it strange with comments of “should be given at least three years” for example

Personally like to see the manager learn from mistakes primarily. Currently, he’s too inflexible and too slow to react and most likely we won’t be going anywhere until he fixes it because our in game adaptations aren’t of the required standard. 0 shots on target up until the 80th minute and he’s made one sub? It ain’t good enough

Yep give him three years isn’t going to happen. The first three months of next season will be crucial for him. He has to be more flexible. We only played one upfront last night in a must win game. Only Joao can play that role. Puscas really struggled.
Even then he waited far too long to make subs leaving it to the final twenty minutes.
I also agree we lack identity. We have literally gone backwards. Too often we go back and sideways taking an age to get the ball into dangerous positions at which point we then become too intricate.

Lots to work on but let’s not forget the guy has had no money to spend. He deserves another crack at this.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying give him 3 years but one season isn’t enough.

Again I’m struggling to understand how we play. We are so easy to play against and have squandered the ability in the squad - wtf have we done to Puscas?

[Millsy]

Continually sacking managers is not a way to build a sustainable team with an identity and a plan.

But it is a way to find one that clicks.

I was against Bowen's sacking for the same reason but we have to agree sacking Bowen and hiring Pauno has been (for whatever reason ie either he's amazing or the change produced some megahoneymoon effect) a brilliant move that has resulted in a quantum leap in our achievements directly from relegation battlers to playoff contenders. So when you're stuck in a rut of a bunch of useless managers you don't stick with each one for 3 years you change until you get someone who clicks.

We'd both agree though Pauno does seem to be that click and he is one we should stick with for the foreseeable future probably.

[Pepe the Horseman]

For me Pauno has shown he is not well suited to manage the load a squad is exposed to during a uniquely congested season that will never likely happen again. It's notable that all 3 of the top 8 clubs that rotated the least during the busiest period have fallen off a cliff (us, Brentford and Swansea). It also didn't help that we were unable to strengthen in Jan, and I assume that wasn't down to him.

Even if he hasn't learned anything from that, that level of congestion is unlikely to happen again until we are competing regularly in Europe, so never.

Lets see how he gets on in more 'normal' conditions.

Positives:
- Best finish since Stam
- Huge growth in academy prospects (Olise, Holmes, TMac, Richards, Rino)
- Squad togetherness

Negatives:
- Poor squad management during periods of high load
- Baffling substitutions (and lack of)
- No plan B/completely reliant on double pivot

Nowhere near sackable at this stage

Not sure you can really blame that on him. The squad is wafer thin and we've had an appalling list of injuries. At times the majority of our bench has been academy players, simply because there are no other options. What really fcuked us what not being able to bring anyone in at the end of summer or in Jan, assume that was down to FFP. Even Riquelme would've at least given us another option. We were sitting ducks after January.

Agree his subs are poor and lack of plan B (or maybe even plan a!) Is a worry, but again a lot of that could be down to lack of options. He needs a chance to build his own team, but with our financial situation who knows if we'll be able to bring anyone in. Would be annoyed but not surprised if he gets replaced in the summer.

Would the Brexit changes make it harder for the owners to bring in another random foreign manager with a questionable CV?

[Coppells Lost Coat]

My 2 cents.

- Awful injury record
- A subs bench FULL of players that probably not gunna be here next season.
- IMO our pivotal players (Olise / Ejaria / Joao) are inconsistent at best.

His plan B has been slow and awful to watch. But if you look at the points above what is he supposed to do? His hands are tied.
This summer will be interesting. Zero money to spend plus a lot of our players are in the shop window.

[Vision]

My 2 cents.

- Awful injury record
- A subs bench FULL of players that probably not gunna be here next season.
- IMO our pivotal players (Olise / Ejaria / Joao) are inconsistent at best.

His plan B has been slow and awful to watch. But if you look at the points above what is he supposed to do? His hands are tied.
This summer will be interesting. Zero money to spend plus a lot of our players are in the shop window.

I said on another thread that I think those pivotal players have been run into the ground. They're flair players and Just not used to carrying the workload they've carried this season.

Ejaria gets a lot of stick on here for a supposed lack of urgency but what he's asked to do in this team in this team means he covers an awful lot of ground when we don't have the ball. I'd imagine thats not something he'll have experienced before over a whole season.

[paultheroyal]

No plan b
Questionable starting lineups/ formations
Poor subs

1 win in 8

Time to go get a proven championship manager in

I wondered who LordCKS was on here and now we know.

[morganb]

So, this time last year the headline would have been "Reading only lose one game in their last 6". This year it reads "Reading only win one game in their last 6". I guess it depends on what end of the table you are at. If we'd started at the bottom then climbed to 7th we'd all feel much happier than being top then slipping to 7th.

What would happen if we did sack Pauno? We would have to pay him and his backroom entourage off then find a replacement who we all know will be some unknown with zero Championship experience. The replacement would bring with them their own staff and new ideas but would need to work with essentially the same squad and have minimal budget for new players. If this was part of the job advert would you apply for the post?

How about keeping Pauno? You would hope he has gained some knowledge and experience of the players and the league, plus he should know the areas that need strengthening and what players we want/need to bring in (both skills and personality/mentality). However he does appear to have lost his way somewhat (believed the hype?) and if anything his management has deteriorated as the season has progressed (match play is more pedestrian and his use of subs for example, though the injuries won't have helped). Keeping him would also be financially better than sacking him.

As for the squad - we all know that certain players will leave, either due to contracts ending or agent involvement. There is essentially a good core to the team but there are areas that need to be strengthened which hopefully we will be able to achieve given the financial situation. We might have academy players who can be properly integrated into the first team.Tetek and Onen have been regular bench warmers this season plus the players coming back from loan may have gained sufficient experience to be of use.

Another element to consider is the other teams in the division - there will be six new teams plus the existing sides will add players or change managers. If you look at the table, QPR are just behind us in 8th - how did that happen? What has happened to Middlesbrough who were on a charge for the play-offs a month or so ago? It isn't only us who have peaked then slipped back. Looking at the play-off sides, Barnsley and Bournemouth are on fantastic runs while Brentford and Swansea have plateaued. Even if we finish in 6th would we win the play offs? If we did how would we do in the Prem? Are we better off having a few extra weeks between the end of this season and the beginning of next to rest and regroup?

[Coppells Lost Coat]

My 2 cents.

- Awful injury record
- A subs bench FULL of players that probably not gunna be here next season.
- IMO our pivotal players (Olise / Ejaria / Joao) are inconsistent at best.

His plan B has been slow and awful to watch. But if you look at the points above what is he supposed to do? His hands are tied.
This summer will be interesting. Zero money to spend plus a lot of our players are in the shop window.

I said on another thread that I think those pivotal players have been run into the ground. They're flair players and Just not used to carrying the workload they've carried this season.

Ejaria gets a lot of stick on here for a supposed lack of urgency but what he's asked to do in this team in this team means he covers an awful lot of ground when we don't have the ball. I'd imagine thats not something he'll have experienced before over a whole season.

So are you saying that we done a Leeds (from previous seasons) - Pauno has over worked the squad and with no depth,the latter stage of the season we have fallen off?

With the prospect of no money being available in the summer plus the potential of losing a few players, I wouldn't mind seeing more of Tetek / Dorsett and Onen.

[RoyalBlue]

No plan b
Questionable starting lineups/ formations
Poor subs

1 win in 8

Time to go get a proven championship manager in

Idiotic response. As dumb as Dellor with the tired old 'get a proven championship manager' line. Like who? And you do realise that we are now being kept out of the playoffs by a team managed by a foreign manager with no previous Championship experience?!

[Snowflake Royal]

Obviously a troll post and this doesn't even cross the mind of most sane fans.

But in all seriousness... Have we ever had such a monumental drop in form in one season before?

Was it 7points clear of second and now ridiculously bad form and dropping out of the top 6.

Iirc Dellor went through all the stats at 8 games or so and I'm not sure there were any teams with the start we had at that didn't end up in the playoffs at least.

One trick pony getting the youth motivated but no other ideas? Or top manager with just bad luck with injuries (João, right backs and lately Morro)?

Time will tell as we see what he manages next season. If we're not doing well by Xmas he'll probably be gone. Knowing our owners it could even be sooner.

If he starts badly next season he will be gone. Just look at Jose Gomes

Gomes was never good in the first place. He was likeable and briefly not awful.

[windermereROYAL]

No plan b
Questionable starting lineups/ formations
Poor subs

1 win in 8

Time to go get a proven championship manager in

Idiotic response. As dumb as Dellor with the tired old 'get a proven championship manager' line. Like who? And you do realise that we are now being kept out of the playoffs by a team managed by a foreign manager with no previous Championship experience?!

The last time i looked 5 of the 6 teams above us had foreign managers so that argument is totally bollocks.

[Millsy]

If we'd started at the bottom then climbed to 7th we'd all feel much happier than being top then slipping to 7th.

True, but there's a good reason for that. We'd feel there has been progression: that Pauno has learned the ways of the Champ, learned his players, instilled his style into the team and we'd feel positive about next season. What has happened seems to suggest an active unlearning of the championship, the team and how to get the best out of them.

[Sanguine]

Replace Pauno with who?
He has had no money to spend. No chance to strengthen in January. He deserves the summer to mould the squad to suit his playing style but will need a good start to next season that’s for sure

Chris wilder

You would have to totally alter the style of play and personnel for it to work with Wilder imo. Would rather give Pauno the first part of next season and if we are still struggling in the Autumn then time to say goodbye. Let’s give him more time. I think he deserves it given the lack of funding available to strengthen the squad.

He's had a season. We'll likely finish 7th, having comfortably finished bottom half for the last three years. And he gets until the autumn? Dear me.

[genome]

Any talk of Pauno going means he's a victim of his own success in those first 8 games. Take those first 8 results, spread them out amongst the rest of the season, no-one has an issue.

[TadleyURZ]

Definitely deserves a crack next season. Like many have already said his lack of a decent plan b is worrying, he also never kicked on at Chicago after a decent first year and maybe that is a sign that he doesn't learn his lessons but I would have taken 7th at the start of the season and sacking managers every 12 months gets us nowhere imo

[Millsy]

Any talk of Pauno going means he's a victim of his own success in those first 8 games. Take those first 8 results, spread them out amongst the rest of the season, no-one has an issue.

The concern - and I don't necessarily subscribe to it but I am mindful of it it - is that it's an issue of trend. Are those first 8 games really "his success" and something we can legitimately spread out? Or was it a mixture of very good luck (look at our shots/goals - all pundits could see what was coming), typical new manager honeymoon period, momentum, Joao's magic spell of Kebe-ness? The worry is it may have just been an extraordinary mixture of factors ( a bit like Gomes' spell of brilliance, or even Bowen's, or even Stam's season of boredom) but that since then we have pretty much been consistently poor.

This is why people are saying "take out the first 8 games" because there are two distinct Readings we're talking about. It's not as simple as just spreading those games out. If they were actually spread out throughout the season we'd be fine with it.

[Snowball]

No plan b
Questionable starting lineups/ formations
Poor subs

1 win in 8

Time to go get a proven championship manager in

Idiotic response. As dumb as Dellor with the tired old 'get a proven championship manager' line. Like who? And you do realise that we are now being kept out of the playoffs by a team managed by a foreign manager with no previous Championship experience?!

The last time i looked 5 of the 6 teams above us had foreign managers so that argument is totally bollocks.

And Jonathan Woodgate sounds foreign

[Brogue]

since the turn of the year, we have 31 points from 21 games. I can't see us getting anything from the final 3 games. which will put us on 31 points from 24 games. 1.2ppg. do that over a season its 55 points. Since the turn of the year, we are running at just above relegation form. it's a worthy discussion. Lose our last three games ( which is likely) it will be 1 win in 11 games . I don't care who you are that's shit and worthy of the sack. injuries or not the squad he has at his disposal is underperforming and has been for some time

[Silver Fox]

Football fans

Very much this Luxo, I made the mistake of looking at Twitter last night and christ what a bunch pf absolute helmets we have supporting us