If RFC don't make the play-offs....

[bcubed]

Why would be disappointed not to make the play offs?
Our record is hardly anything to get excited about!

[Hound]

We didn't play hoofball under BMcD. We played fluid, exciting attacking football. Spirit and flair. That's the Reading way. That's the BMcD way and that was the Leicester way last night.

ha, not last year we didn't

[Top Flight]

We didn't play hoofball under BMcD. We played fluid, exciting attacking football. Spirit and flair. That's the Reading way. That's the BMcD way and that was the Leicester way last night.

ha, not last year we didn't

Which is why Steve Clarke has lost so much of his credibility as a football manager.

Last year was a mess remember before Brian came in. Poor recruitment by Clarke left us in a state.

[MoorgateRoyal]

If every single player is invested in the playing style, it will more often than not look good and be effective.

If you play the ball on the floor and build from the back and roll over a team 4-0, everyone thinks it looks great. The same if you win 4-0 playing kick and run, or a combination of both.

If you play any of these styles and lose 4-0, people will invariably think it's shit.

[NewCorkSeth]

We didn't play hoofball under BMcD. We played fluid, exciting attacking football. Spirit and flair. That's the Reading way. That's the BMcD way and that was the Leicester way last night.

ha, not last year we didn't

Which is why Steve Clarke has lost so much of his credibility as a football manager.

Last year was a mess remember before Brian came in. Poor recruitment by Clarke left us in a state.

He didnt have much of a squad to work with thanks to the 2 previous managers work in the transfer department.

He inherited a squad where our ST options were Pog, Blackman and and Cox, Akpan and Guthrie were CMs, had no LB and only 1 GK.. He tried god love him!

[bracksroyal10]

Please god no

Why not? Granted we still need to work on a plan B but look where it has got us in a season

Very short sighted IMO .. prefer it when we played BMD hoofball?

We didn't play hoofball under BMcD. We played fluid, exciting attacking football. Spirit and flair. That's the Reading way. That's the BMcD way and that was the Leicester way last night.

I disagree with your comment on the second spell under BMcD, the back end of last season all I can really recall is pumping the ball up to Kermorgant from offsides/goal kicks and hoping to play off anything he won in the air half the time we may as well have just kicked the ball back to the opposition keeper! We even did this with Simon Cox in the games that he played. It made absolutely no sense to sell Orlando Sa at the time given that he was in the mould of what we needed as a lone striker.

Spirited yes full of determination yes but at times we were doing things that made no sense at all e.g aiming for Simon Cox at goal kicks and hoping for him to win the ball against x2 6ft + defenders. Norwood looking for the hollywood Beckham pass and kicking it out of play when all it required was a little 10 yard pass to keep the momentum going and the opposition working off the ball.

[stealthpapes]

yeah, but Orlando Sa and his missus wanted to get the fuck out of Reading.

[RoyalBlue]

Please god no

Why not? Granted we still need to work on a plan B but look where it has got us in a season

Very short sighted IMO .. prefer it when we played BMD hoofball?

We didn't play hoofball under BMcD. We played fluid, exciting attacking football. Spirit and flair. That's the Reading way. That's the BMcD way and that was the Leicester way last night.

F*ck me! Was I turning up at the wrong stadium last season?1

[Top Flight]

You must have been watching Swindon Royal Blue. We've always been brilliant under McD

[No Fixed Abode]

We didn't play hoofball under BMcD. We played fluid, exciting attacking football. Spirit and flair. That's the Reading way. That's the BMcD way and that was the Leicester way last night.

ha, not last year we didn't

Which is why Steve Clarke has lost so much of his credibility as a football manager.

Last year was a mess remember before Brian came in. Poor recruitment by Clarke left us in a state.

You mean Clarke who had a better PPG record than McDermott?

[Top Flight]

Those ppg stats are as meaningless as our possession stats this year under Stam.

McDermott won the title Clarke won Nothing.

[bracksroyal10]

We didn't play hoofball under BMcD. We played fluid, exciting attacking football. Spirit and flair. That's the Reading way. That's the BMcD way and that was the Leicester way last night.

ha, not last year we didn't

Which is why Steve Clarke has lost so much of his credibility as a football manager.

Last year was a mess remember before Brian came in. Poor recruitment by Clarke left us in a state.

Did it? Or did Clarke's decision to speak to Fulham leave us in a state?

Up until QPR last year, we were playing some great football players were buying into his methods and it was shaping up to be a great season for us.

[tidus_mi2]

ha, not last year we didn't

Which is why Steve Clarke has lost so much of his credibility as a football manager.

Last year was a mess remember before Brian came in. Poor recruitment by Clarke left us in a state.

Did it? Or did Clarke's decision to speak to Fulham leave us in a state?

Up until QPR last year, we were playing some great football players were buying into his methods and it was shaping up to be a great season for us.

Imo the first poor performance and then subsequent slide in form was the home win against Charlton, despite winning we didn't look convincing.

[genome]

Last season was a weird one. I wonder how different our situation would be now had we held onto that 2-0 lead at Fulham.

[Ian Royal]

I don't think this is really the case is it Ian?

Expectations wouldn't have been high at the start of the season but seeing as Reading have been in the top 6 for the majority - surely fans would be a little bothered if Reading missed out now.

He's so not bothered that he feels the need to comment on every BFTG and pre game thread all season, over analysing absolutely everything.

Quite. He's one of those football fans who tries to convince himself he's not bothered.

I'm exceptionally bothered about Reading FC, just not about finishing the play offs this season. It's not like I only just started saying it.

I hope you both enjoy your little orgasm at my reply though. Happy to bring some joy into your desperate existance.

[BR0B0T]

He's so not bothered that he feels the need to comment on every BFTG and pre game thread all season, over analysing absolutely everything.

Quite. He's one of those football fans who tries to convince himself he's not bothered.

I'm exceptionally bothered about Reading FC, just not about finishing the play offs this season. It's not like I only just started saying it.

I hope you both enjoy your little orgasm at my reply though. Happy to bring some joy into your desperate existance.

Ian Royal do you ever choose the 'Ian Royal' selection...

In your shoes, I most definitely wood!

[No Fixed Abode]

Those ppg stats are as meaningless as our possession stats this year under Stam.

McDermott won the title Clarke won Nothing.

Clarke would have got Reading to an FA Cup Final if it wasn't for Adam Flapperici.

[No Fixed Abode]

He's so not bothered that he feels the need to comment on every BFTG and pre game thread all season, over analysing absolutely everything.

Quite. He's one of those football fans who tries to convince himself he's not bothered.

I'm exceptionally bothered about Reading FC, just not about finishing the play offs this season. It's not like I only just started saying it.

I hope you both enjoy your little orgasm at my reply though. Happy to bring some joy into your desperate existance.

People who say others have a desper8 existence usually have a desper8 existence.

[genome]

Fcuks sake Ian, I'm going to break my "don't engage with Kes on the Team board" rule if you keep biting

[Top Flight]

Those ppg stats are as meaningless as our possession stats this year under Stam.

McDermott won the title Clarke won Nothing.

Clarke would have got Reading to an FA Cup Final if it wasn't for Adam Flapperici.

We would have still had to go on and beat Arsenal for that to happen either on penalties or in the remainder of extra time.

At the end of the day, McDermott has achieved considerably more than Clarke in football management. 3 FA Cup quarter finals, 1 play off final and one league title. Clarke just has a semi-final to his name and lots of sackings for poor performance.

You can argue all you like about what you think might have happened with Clarke or McDermott. But in terms of real substance and track record, McDermott has proven himself to be an outstanding manager always achieving great outcomes for his football club even despite having crazy owners constantly selling his star players every transfer window. Clarke has always been backed and achieved nothing. He was backed at WBA. He was backed at Reading and he was backed at Villa. McDermott has always had owners that didn't back him and kept pulling the rug out from under his feet. He still achieved despite all of that.

McDermott was a perfect fit for RFC. He wouldn't walk away in times of trouble or turmoil. He would have just signed another Shane Long from Cork City and propelled us to the top end of the table.