MCDERMOTT SACKED

[facaldaqui]

I would not have sacked him. But then, unlike the top brass, I am not partly to blame, so I can see why they might do this. Brian is a legend, and even taking us down would not be the end of the world. Perhaps I would have negotiated Brian's stepping down at the end of the season, if we went down, but Brian has made me love this club more than ever: I sincerely hope a lot of his values remain.

[grey_squirrel]

Dick Advocaat next perhaps?

I'd prefer Mourinho personally

Hate to say it, but Adkins for me.

[andrew1957]

On the face of it this seems and incredibly mad decision. If the club had sacked McD after we lost 7 at the year end - you could understand it. If they sacked him at the end of the season - the same. I thought he would have 20 games at the start of next season myself. What is the point of making a change when we are doomed already? Madness.

The only possible justification would be if we have a top manager lined up who we might not get later. Literally the only one I can think of who I would not mind coming would be Di Matteo. I cannot think of anyone else I would be vaguely happy with.

Good luck Brian. You deserved better than this and I felt you deserved another crack at the Championship. I hope you get another chance soon. I bet you wish you had taken the Wolves job now. So much for loyalty.

[Cripple Creek]

Absolutely appalling decision with potentially disastrous long-term consequences. We are going down whatever happens and while I've found some of Brian's team selections extremely uninspiring he is perfect for the Championship and I'm sure he's learned invaluable lessons over the past season. I imagine other clubs looking for a decent man with massive experience in football, contacts and enthusiasm and commitment as well as, by the players' own admission, excellent man management skills will be delighted. Good luck to Brian in the future. I hope he takes a few months off, enjoys himself and returns, as I'm sure he will, as a successful manager elsewhere. Gutted to be honest.

[facaldaqui]

Thanks for your efforts Brian but you were your own downfall signing naff players with no quality just to fit in with the spirit of the dressing room.

We did not sign the right players, admittedly, but it's important to buy players who will fit in with the squad. We will get nowhere bringing in skillful players with the wrong mentality.

[LoyalRoyal22]

I would have waited until the end of the season. Some of his tactical decisions and loyalty to players such as Ledge and Harte has been embarrassing. We need to move on from this high tempo 442. His signings have been hit and miss, and his failure to buy a creative midfielder in January has really cost us. Good luck to him though, legend of our club.

[Muskrat]

Absolutely appalling decision with potentially disastrous long-term consequences. We are going down whatever happens and while I've found some of Brian's team selections extremely uninspiring he is perfect for the Championship and I'm sure he's learned invaluable lessons over the past season. I imagine other clubs looking for a decent man with massive experience in football, contacts and enthusiasm and commitment as well as, by the players' own admission, excellent man management skills will be delighted. Good luck to Brian in the future. I hope he takes a few months off, enjoys himself and returns, as I'm sure he will, as a successful manager elsewhere. Gutted to be honest.

cba to read the previous 16 pages, obvs, but basically this ^^^^. Plus I hope all the McD h8ters are satisfied now

[Pandoras Box]

Love Brian, hate his style of football.

Ever thought that his style of football was all he could ever do with half the inept fvckers on that field? Should the manager really need to motivate them in those 6 pointers - can't they play out of their skins to get a result without having to be told? If you sack Brian - you might as well sack most of the incompetent playing staff while you're at it. Let's go ground zero.

[Y21]

Love Brian, hate his style of football.

Ever thought that his style of football was all he could ever do with half the inept fvckers on that field? Should the manager really need to motivate them in those 6 pointers - can't they play out of their skins to get a result without having to be told? If you sack Brian - you might as well sack most of the incompetent playing staff while you're at it. Let's go ground zero.

How many of those inept fvckers on the field were Brians players..?

[Victor Meldrew]

Tremendous over-reaction as usual,especially all the stuff about nasty Russians and that some will never support this club again etc,etc.and to believe that the bit of booing last Saturday made a difference is beyond belief-what fantasy world do melonhead and some of you others live in?
Probably the right decision for the wrong reason-it has been portrayed as necessary to give us a chance of staying up when really (as just a couple of posters have said already) it is an opportunity for a new man to weigh up what we have got and plan during the summer transfer window.
Brian will get a big pay-off and a job with a lower division club as he has done so well with the media as everybody loves the guy as we do for last season.

To suggest that the mad man wouldn't have done this is ridiculous-in the past he has not been particularly slow to wield the axe,what short memories people have.
Good luck to Brian and to the new manager,he will need it with so little talent to work with.
I did see Stuart Pearce at the game on Saturday but you can add him to the Di Canio list of those that we wouldn't want.
I do wonder if it is Parky time for many reasons because as a championship club there would be a chance to build again without the pressures of the Premier League.

I wouldn't mind Poyet and the style of his team but he might well be looking at bigger than us however money can talk and we are told the the Russian family have plenty of that so who knows?

[facaldaqui]

Love Brian, hate his style of football.

Ever thought that his style of football was all he could ever do with half the inept fvckers on that field? Should the manager really need to motivate them in those 6 pointers - can't they play out of their skins to get a result without having to be told? If you sack Brian - you might as well sack most of the incompetent playing staff while you're at it. Let's go ground zero.

How many of those inept fvckers on the field were Brians players..?

I have never felt Reading were inept. We have been extremely close in most games. If we were inept, we'd've been losing 6 nil each week. Recently I think the colossal pressure has shown on the players, damaging their play--not helped by some of the morale-deflating abuse from the crowd. The quality of the team did go down a bit, though, what with injuries to the likes of Feds and Kebe and the suspension of Pog.

[Man Friday]

On the face of it this seems and incredibly mad decision. If the club had sacked McD after we lost 7 at the year end - you could understand it. If they sacked him at the end of the season - the same. I thought he would have 20 games at the start of next season myself. What is the point of making a change when we are doomed already? Madness.

The only possible justification would be if we have a top manager lined up who we might not get later. Literally the only one I can think of who I would not mind coming would be Di Matteo. I cannot think of anyone else I would be vaguely happy with.

Good luck Brian. You deserved better than this and I felt you deserved another crack at the Championship. I hope you get another chance soon. I bet you wish you had taken the Wolves job now. So much for loyalty.

Never thought I'd find myself so wholeheartedly in agreement with a Flat Earther* but I am.

* I seem to recall said poster being a Climate Change-denier in a debate a year or so ago.

[Man Friday]

Tremendous over-reaction as usual,especially all the stuff about nasty Russians and that some will never support this club again etc,etc.and to believe that the bit of booing last Saturday made a difference is beyond belief-what fantasy world do melonhead and some of you others live in?
Probably the right decision for the wrong reason-it has been portrayed as necessary to give us a chance of staying up when really (as just a couple of posters have said already) it is an opportunity for a new man to weigh up what we have got and plan during the summer transfer window.
Brian will get a big pay-off and a job with a lower division club as he has done so well with the media as everybody loves the guy as we do for last season.

To suggest that the mad man wouldn't have done this is ridiculous-in the past he has not been particularly slow to wield the axe,what short memories people have.
Good luck to Brian and to the new manager,he will need it with so little talent to work with.
I did see Stuart Pearce at the game on Saturday but you can add him to the Di Canio list of those that we wouldn't want.
I do wonder if it is Parky time for many reasons because as a championship club there would be a chance to build again without the pressures of the Premier League.

I wouldn't mind Poyet and the style of his team but he might well be looking at bigger than us however money can talk and we are told the the Russian family have plenty of that so who knows?

Quite. We have been told.

[Hoop Blah]

Mags, I was replying to seahawks point really, but it is quite a contrast from just a few weeks ago!

Agreed

You are right HB, MOTM is really not a great indicator. And it is a stark contrast. I just have a sick feeling in my stomach after this news. I do not think firing the manager at this point in the season will do any good. I also don't think he deserved it.

Did he deserve it? His team are all but relegated, have just lost limply to two relegation rivals at home in games that victories would've moved the club 5 points clear of relegation.

All season his team selection and tactics have been inconsisten and ineffective. He's failed, in my opinion at least, to get the best out of any of his squad and seemingly had issues with a number of that squad which suggests they possibly feel the same way.

I didn't want to see him sacked but I can certainly see there is significant justification for it. In terms of the timing, keeping him for another couple of months or even giving him a stab at starting next season is pointless if the owner thinks he's not up to the job he wants from him. I tend to agree in the sense that I can't see McDermott building a side that can play a more cultured brand of football that would stand us in better stead for the longer term with the way the majority of the league play.

[Hoop Blah]

Fine, we'll agree to disagree then. I look at the latest example of how that worked out...the 2011/2012 edition of the Wolves. And as far as being able to assess the squad, that is what video tapes (or CD's) are for.

The comparison with Wolves will only hold water if we haven't got the next manager in place in the next few weeks. If we do then he'll be given a good chance to get a feel for what he's got and what he needs.

I know you don't really get football, being American and all that, but assesing the squad properly takes a lot more than watching the odd game on a screen. For starters you only see a fraction of what goes on during a game that way, but more importantly you don't get to know the players, their characters, what they can and can't do and you certainly don't really know what they were being asked to do in the games you watch on tape.

What an incoming manager will be able to do is get a feel for which of the current squad are able to play the way he wants them to. Which of them are actually up for the fight and which will want to be with him.

[tulip]

OMG... I just heard this news. I am quite sad as he is such a likeable bloke, don't think our predicament is entirely his fault.

[Sanguine]

The fans reaction at the weekend, combined with the last two inept performances at home, will have most likely pushed Zingaravich over the edge.

Is it a good move? I can certainly see some logic in it as we're going down with him and they presumably feel he's not the man to rebuild in the way they want to. In the meantime perhaps we could see a mini-bounce effect that sometimes sacking a manager can have. A couple of results might save the season but its very very unlikely.

Most likely this is with a view of getting someone in to bed in before the summer and start to make plans for the rebuilding whilst they can assess the current squad and who to retain or shunt out before coming back for pre-season (so we don't get the situation where Hammond was left to boot out 5 or 6 before Rodger got the job and was left with a bigger rebuild than perhaps he'd have wanted).

Thanks for the sterling work Brian, but ultimately I think you came up short this season.

This for me, and like IR, shocked but not too gutted. We have played diabolical football, achieved shit results, and McDermott has not IMHO proven up to task in his ability to get the best from players, to grind out results and to approach games with strategy and tactics befitting the league.

I expect this is a 'footballing' decision to the extent that the new manager will be expected to change the way we play and the depth of our tactics.

Sad to see Brian go because of everything he has done for the club. It's a shame Anton waited until now IMHO, but for all those now on Anton's back, it's a measure of the man that it seems he tried to give McDermott as long as possible.

[Ascotexgunner]

Only just found out. I'm gobsmacked. Feel so sorry for Brian. I wanted him to stay. The board have to take the blame for our failure this season IMO. They never gave Brian the money to buy the quality we needed.
They must have someone ready to take over. Please not Di Canio.
Brian I thank you for everything you've done.

[RoyalBlue]

Absolutely appalling decision with potentially disastrous long-term consequences. We are going down whatever happens and while I've found some of Brian's team selections extremely uninspiring he is perfect for the Championship and I'm sure he's learned invaluable lessons over the past season. I imagine other clubs looking for a decent man with massive experience in football, contacts and enthusiasm and commitment as well as, by the players' own admission, excellent man management skills will be delighted. Good luck to Brian in the future. I hope he takes a few months off, enjoys himself and returns, as I'm sure he will, as a successful manager elsewhere. Gutted to be honest.

cba to read the previous 16 pages, obvs, but basically this ^^^^. Plus I hope all the McD h8ters are satisfied now

The we'll end up like Pompey brigade are out in force. Why has it got potentially disastrous long term consequences? Has McDermott learned any lessons? I think his downfall largely came about because there was little sign that he had and he kept repeating the same mistakes. I never was a McDermott hater but, like many, was getting extremely frustrated by what was going on, culminating in some of the ludicrous signings he made in January and the performances of the past month.

Why sack him now when we are going down whatever happens? Simples. It gives a lot more time to get a new manager on board and to prepare a squad for next season. Seems pretty logical to me.

And for those turning all the hatred towards Anton, don't forget that Madejski and Hammond were extremely likely to have been involved in that decision too. Somewhat ironic to those of us who feel their policies aka 'The Reading Way' did nothing whatsover to help McDermott.

I'm sure some will argue that Madejski would have been against this and/or that it wouldn't have happened had he still owned the club. If that is true then he should have shown some backbone and resigned as Chairman in protest.

[Royal Rebel]

Really nice bloke (and fellow Sloughite) but clearly out of his depth at this level. Having said that he has had virtually zero backing financially from the Board (which Reading Manager ever did from any Reading Board ???).

"The Reading Way" is to blame and until they change their attitude Reading will be at best a Yo Yo team.