Brian: The right decision?

[sandman]

Yeah that Sigurdsson was rubbish wasn't he? McDermott just couldn't get the best out of him or that Long fella.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Yeah that Sigurdsson was rubbish wasn't he? McDermott just couldn't get the best out of him or that Long fella.

Don't really agree that a mere switch to 4-5-1 is the definition of more sophisticated football, or that two players make a team.

[Cureton's Volley]

Rodgers approach is rather advanced. While he lacked the flexibility to operate with beginner players, he's done pretty well with players at the right ability for his tactics.

Brian's approach is perfect for lower-level players but currently lacks the skills to operate at a higher standard.

As we are in a sort of transitional phase, we kinda need someone in the middle, who has a good basic strategy and the ability to operate at a higher level.

Adkins on the Brian-Rodgers Scale:


Brian-------------------------------------Adkins-----------Rodgers


It's pure maths but secret maths.

It's a very logical approach, but what is to stop the managers at either end of the spectrum swallowing their pride and adapting to the situation in hand. If they don't have the knowledge themselves, bring in support within the back room staff. Then it a matter of gradually coaching the team towards the target playing style. Nigel's problem IMO has been he tried to do this too quickly and it hasn't really worked.

[Hoop Blah]

IMO Rodgers wasn't rigid in his approach on just asking players to do things they weren't capable of. His biggest mistake was trying to do things a little too quickly and believing the club when they said he had time on his side, hence his daft view of the early part of the season as an extention of his pre-season when he was experimenting with the squad too much.

I don't think he needs money to make it work as such either. All managers want to be able to bring in their own players, and Rodgers certainly wanted to do that hence his apparent request for funds that proved to be the tipping point with Nigel Howe, but I think it was a massive job to take on when he came to Reading.

As daft as it sounds, if you look back to that run of games before he was sacked, and the Scunthorpe game that prompted the childish spat with Dellor, we were playing pretty well but couldn't take our chances. Nothing to say that even without the money he asked for he'd have got us firing after that if given the chance and the internal backing that obviously wasn't there.

[Extended-Phenotype]

I think it's a lack of patience from up-and-coming managers. They have a "winning formula" that they want to install and get running as quickly as possible, often without the right tools.

[Ian Royal]

It's patently obvious that Rodgers is a very good manager. It's also patently obvious that he didn't do a good enough job here.

He tried to do too much too quickly, without any appreciation that he needed to keep an eye out for the trap door opening below us. He was too rigid and uncompromising in his approach to start with and his recovery was a little too late and a little too unconvincing. He was also generally not really very likable in personality when following Coppell.

It's also obvious McDermott is a good manager and did a good job here. But that his experience, style and skills were lacking when it came to a weaker side playing with the big boys (Hardly surprising for a man in his first 'professional' managerial job). There's just only so far that organisation and self-belief can take a decent group of players. Especially when that self-belief is being eroded by losing so many games and playing against people way better than them every week.

It's also obvious that Adkins is a good manager, but who happens to be struggling a bit at the moment.

[From Despair To Where?]

I always understood that the main issue that did for Rodgers was not necessarily results but telling the board he needed x amount of pounds because he didn't have the right players a mere 3 months after spending a significant amount of money on half a team and then not playing them.

[Zana Badawi]

I always understood that the main issue that did for Rodgers was not necessarily results but telling the board he needed x amount of pounds because he didn't have the right players a mere 3 months after spending a significant amount of money on half a team and then not playing them.

This.

[Agent Balti]

Bobbins. I defy any manager to get it right, hit the ground running, achieve all targets, all within one season. Not with the squad we had at the time.

[Extended-Phenotype]

I always understood that the main issue that did for Rodgers was not necessarily results but telling the board he needed x amount of pounds because he didn't have the right players a mere 3 months after spending a significant amount of money on half a team and then not playing them.

This.

Can't remember who he brought in now.

[From Despair To Where?]

Off the top of my head

Ryan Bertrand
Jobi McAnuff
Matt Mills
Gregorz Raziak
Darren O'Dea
Brian Howard

Missed anyone?

I also heard that main motivator behind him leaving was Nigel Howe who allegedly didn't get on with him. Not saying it's a fair reason for sacking him alone but if you are looking for ammunition to give some one the push and they come out with that then what do you expect?

[maffff]

Off the top of my head

Ryan Bertrand
Jobi McAnuff
Matt Mills
Gregorz Raziak
Darren O'Dea
Brian Howard

Missed anyone?

I also heard that main motivator behind him leaving was Nigel Howe who allegedly didn't get on with him.

Shaun Cummings?

[stealthpapes]

Off the top of my head

Ryan Bertrand
Jobi McAnuff
Matt Mills
Gregorz Raziak
Darren O'Dea
Brian Howard

Missed anyone?

I also heard that main motivator behind him leaving was Nigel Howe who allegedly didn't get on with him.

Shaun Cummings?

I think that's everyone. O'Dea and Bertrand were loans, the rest full transfers.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Ah, Brian Howard.

How to f/ck up your career as a Reading midfielder - creativity.

[Ian Royal]

And iirc the costs were something like

Mills - deal worth up to £2.5m
McAnuff - £500k
Howard - £500k
Cummings - £300k
Raziak - £300k
O'Dea - Loan
Bertrand - Loan

Which is a lot of money to include a centre back who can't or won't play the way you want, a back up striker, a midfielder who (at the time) falls over a lot, a full back who (at the time) isn't ready for our level and a centreback you don't really seem to want to play.

[Extended-Phenotype]

And iirc the costs were something like

Mills - deal worth up to £2.5m
McAnuff - £500k
Howard - £500k
Cummings - £300k
Raziak - £300k
O'Dea - Loan
Bertrand - Loan

Which is a lot of money to include a centre back who can't or won't play the way you want, a back up striker, a midfielder who (at the time) falls over a lot, a full back who (at the time) isn't ready for our level and a centreback you don't really seem to want to play.

Decent enough.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Also I remember that Rodgers was done over in the transfer market by Potless FC waving money they didn't have about.

Getting that player - I just can't remember his name for some reason - may have made quite a difference to what he was trying to do here, least that seemed to be the vibe at the time.

[Ian Royal]

And iirc the costs were something like

Mills - deal worth up to £2.5m
McAnuff - £500k
Howard - £500k
Cummings - £300k
Raziak - £300k
O'Dea - Loan
Bertrand - Loan

Which is a lot of money to include a centre back who can't or won't play the way you want, a back up striker, a midfielder who (at the time) falls over a lot, a full back who (at the time) isn't ready for our level and a centreback you don't really seem to want to play.

Decent enough.

switch Mills for Howard who was one of the key players in Brian's initial revolution and I'd agree. Even Cummings hasn't turned out too bad.

Tommy Smith baz. The one Rodgers banged on endlessly in the media that signing him was a done deal. That was another major nail in his coffin.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

I have a feeling the Mills deal may have been at least agreed in principle before Rodgers joined

[Elm Park Old Boy]

It's patently obvious that Rodgers is a very good manager. It's also patently obvious that he didn't do a good enough job here.

He tried to do too much too quickly, without any appreciation that he needed to keep an eye out for the trap door opening below us. He was too rigid and uncompromising in his approach to start with and his recovery was a little too late and a little too unconvincing. He was also generally not really very likable in personality when following Coppell.

It's also obvious McDermott is a good manager and did a good job here. But that his experience, style and skills were lacking when it came to a weaker side playing with the big boys (Hardly surprising for a man in his first 'professional' managerial job). There's just only so far that organisation and self-belief can take a decent group of players. Especially when that self-belief is being eroded by losing so many games and playing against people way better than them every week.

It's also obvious that Adkins is a good manager, but who happens to be struggling a bit at the moment.

Hey, you know you'll only get in trouble writing such patent good sense on here?