Why don't we just leave it here?

[g]

i voted yes coppell OUT

[Dirk Gently]

s I said yesterday, ther's got to be a mid=point between the extremes of "total shambles" and "no problems."

We're there but the few who are happy to nail their flag to that mast are minimal.

I think that wrong. I think most are in that middle band. Some are suggesting solutions and possibly criticising the club/Coppell for the short comings that have created the problems, but they're still pretty much in the camp of "we can easily pull out of this" and not "we're doomed end the season now" that you seem to be placing everyone.

I guess it somes down to an individuals perspective, and we're quite used to your perspective being that the club can do, and has done, no wrong (that's not meact to place you in with the others in the "smelling of roses" pigeon hole).

Fair enough - I understand why I might be seen that way. I'd personally put myself in the "I know more about how the club is run and who it's run by than most people, and this gives me confidence that they'll be doing everything possible to find a solution instead of fiddling while Rome burns as many seem to suggest is happening."

Do all these people wringing their hands in despair really think that the problems that they've seen and described have really not also been seen by SC and everyone else at the club? Presumably not from many of the posters on here....

[SpaceCruiser]

Yep, Dirk, that's just about right. Smoking Kills Dancing Does seems to think he can see the problems that Coppell can't.

[Hoop Blah]

Fair enough - I understand why I might be seen that way. I'd personally put myself in the "I know more about how the club is run and who it's run by than most people, and this gives me confidence that they'll be doing everything possible to find a solution instead of fiddling while Rome burns as many seem to suggest is happening."

Do all these people wringing their hands in despair really think that the problems that they've seen and described have really not also been seen by SC and everyone else at the club? Presumably not from many of the posters on here....

Fair comment, you've got an insight which gives you a different perspective at times.

It does sometimes come accross as though you can't see the short comings of the powers that be though, and the readiness to which you jump to their defence is often quite sychophantic. I'm very pleased with who we have running the club, and very thankful that between them Mr M, Coppel, Hammond and even Howe are running our club and that they have the best interests of the club at heart.

That doesnt stop me from thinking that sometimes I disagree with aspects of what actually happens.

[Platypuss]

When people are calling for "Coppell out" and when someone is caling the club "a total shambles" I'm not so sure.

Who has seriously said "Coppell out"? Name (and shame) and quote.

The twelve who voted "Yes" in that poll.

Please try again. I asked for names and quotes.

Well?

[West Stand Flash]

s I said yesterday, ther's got to be a mid=point between the extremes of "total shambles" and "no problems."

We're there but the few who are happy to nail their flag to that mast are minimal.

I think that wrong. I think most are in that middle band. Some are suggesting solutions and possibly criticising the club/Coppell for the short comings that have created the problems, but they're still pretty much in the camp of "we can easily pull out of this" and not "we're doomed end the season now" that you seem to be placing everyone.

I guess it somes down to an individuals perspective, and we're quite used to your perspective being that the club can do, and has done, no wrong (that's not meact to place you in with the others in the "smelling of roses" pigeon hole).

Fair enough - I understand why I might be seen that way. I'd personally put myself in the "I know more about how the club is run and who it's run by than most people, and this gives me confidence that they'll be doing everything possible to find a solution instead of fiddling while Rome burns as many seem to suggest is happening."

Do all these people wringing their hands in despair really think that the problems that they've seen and described have really not also been seen by SC and everyone else at the club? Presumably not from many of the posters on here....

Considering the problems at the club are so glaringly obvious, why have Coppell, Hammond, Howe & Madejski done nothing about it.

It has been pretty darn obvious since April last year we needed strength in depth & better quality players. To this day, the Championship side with Sidwell is better than we have now. 2 years on...!!!!!

[anR]

I think he's a thoughtful and intelligent manager but I would like to see him actually try and change things around little bit

When he does this, be it when we are missing a few players for some reason or changing the formation, don't we normally get stuffed?

[West Stand Flash]

I think he's a thoughtful and intelligent manager but I would like to see him actually try and change things around little bit

When he does this, be it when we are missing a few players for some reason or changing the formation, don't we normally get stuffed?

Think he is more talking about new personnel?

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Fair enough - I understand why I might be seen that way. I'd personally put myself in the "I know more about how the club is run and who it's run by than most people, and this gives me confidence that they'll be doing everything possible to find a solution instead of fiddling while Rome burns as many seem to suggest is happening."

Do all these people wringing their hands in despair really think that the problems that they've seen and described have really not also been seen by SC and everyone else at the club? Presumably not from many of the posters on here....

Fair comment, you've got an insight which gives you a different perspective at times.

It does sometimes come accross as though you can't see the short comings of the powers that be though, and the readiness to which you jump to their defence is often quite sychophantic. I'm very pleased with who we have running the club, and very thankful that between them Mr M, Coppel, Hammond and even Howe are running our club and that they have the best interests of the club at heart.

That doesnt stop me from thinking that sometimes I disagree with aspects of what actually happens.

Why do you have so much confidenece we'll sort these problems out?

We needed these players in the summer, but we didn't do anything about it them, with Coppell making the exact same comments now that he did then.

2.5 years and not one signing has improved our team. Is it not fair to question some of these decisons?

Or does it make me less of a fan?

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

For Darius we used to sing:- "He's our Polish international" is it pc or appropriate to use:- "He's our 'Slovakian international" for Marek? or are Czech's insulted to be lumped in with Slovakia?

PC? It's just plain wrong. It'd be like calling Marcus or Convey "Canadian".

But yeah, it's a great song if you want to look like a total moron who can't tell the difference between two countries.

[anR]

I think he's a thoughtful and intelligent manager but I would like to see him actually try and change things around little bit

When he does this, be it when we are missing a few players for some reason or changing the formation, don't we normally get stuffed?

Think he is more talking about new personnel?

Oh, I see, just like Tommy Burns did, ok then.

[Gordons Cumming]

I'm bored.

[Dirk Gently]

Fair enough - I understand why I might be seen that way. I'd personally put myself in the "I know more about how the club is run and who it's run by than most people, and this gives me confidence that they'll be doing everything possible to find a solution instead of fiddling while Rome burns as many seem to suggest is happening."

Do all these people wringing their hands in despair really think that the problems that they've seen and described have really not also been seen by SC and everyone else at the club? Presumably not from many of the posters on here....

Fair comment, you've got an insight which gives you a different perspective at times.

It does sometimes come accross as though you can't see the short comings of the powers that be though, and the readiness to which you jump to their defence is often quite sychophantic. I'm very pleased with who we have running the club, and very thankful that between them Mr M, Coppel, Hammond and even Howe are running our club and that they have the best interests of the club at heart.

That doesnt stop me from thinking that sometimes I disagree with aspects of what actually happens.

Fair enough - certainly there times when I disagree with aspects of what actually happens and I'm not afraid to say so. Other times when everyone is screaming blue murder about some decisions that are made I have more information about why they were made which gives a different perspective.

For instance, I think SC is too conservative with his substitutions and his team selections, but then again I think that it was the whole package of SC (conservatism and all) that gave us the best two years that any supporters in the world could be entitled to expect. At that point the knee-jerking of the Championship Manager generation for radical change makes my blood boil.

And as for the phrase "a total shambles" - get to Leeds, get to Crawley Town, get to Gillingham, get to countless other clubs if you want to see "a total shambles". I wonder why anyone who's been writing us off for months and seems to take such a vicarious pleasure in how badly we're doing bothers to turn up at matches if they hate them so much.

[West Stand Flash]

I think he's a thoughtful and intelligent manager but I would like to see him actually try and change things around little bit

When he does this, be it when we are missing a few players for some reason or changing the formation, don't we normally get stuffed?

Think he is more talking about new personnel?

Oh, I see, just like Tommy Burns did, ok then.

Talking about Burns is taking it to the extreme. Stop being a pleb.
It is obvious to all a new centre back, central midfielder & right winger are needed ASAP.

[SpaceCruiser]

Considering the problems at the club are so glaringly obvious, why have Coppell, Hammond, Howe & Madejski done nothing about it.

What makes you think they've done nothing?

When people are calling for "Coppell out" and when someone is caling the club "a total shambles" I'm not so sure.

Who has seriously said "Coppell out"? Name (and shame) and quote.

The twelve who voted "Yes" in that poll.

Please try again. I asked for names and quotes.

Well?

Try those:

I think we should offer Neil Warnock the job.

I've never rated Steve Coppell.

Presumably this is a tongue in cheek comment!!!!!!!!!!! So I wont pass comment.
Certainly any manager that presides over a record breaking 106 league points followed by 8th place in the Premiership on a fraction of the budget of his peers (who happen to think he has been their best during that period) deserves time to sort the current malaise out. He has made mistakes, no-one is perfect but if we go down he deserves the chance to bring us back up again. I believe most Reading fans would go along with that.

Do you really think that if we go down he will want to stay around to fix things?!

I fear that if we go down without having tried everything possible to stay up (and that includes some big signings, even if only to get us out of the shyte in the short term) Steve Coppell will rapidly go from hero to zero in many people's eyes.

I suspect even some of the current supporters/RTGs will change their views if they have time in the CCC to reflect on how easily/casually/criminally we threw away our extremely hard won PL status.

So SC, if the board really are backing you with the money/wages you need to sign the players that are needed to maintain that PL status then please make use of that support without further delay.

If, on the other hand, that backing is more spin than cash, then blow the whistle. It is the board that owe you a great debt of loyalty, not the other way around. You would not deserve to take the blame for their failings.

[Platypuss]

Ok, thanks for comprehensively proving that you can't manage it.

I wonder if Dirk will have any more joy?

[Alan Partridge]

Ok, thanks for comprehensively proving that you can't manage it.

I wonder if Dirk will have any more joy?

Exactly. No one has posted up a serious post saying 'Coppell should go' anywhere on HNA. It's the RTG's (i hate that phrase but can't think of another) who instead of listening and taking others views on board, go back to the schoolboy reaction of 'well Coppell out then' whenever anyone questions ANYTHING to do with RFC. It's quite funny really.

[Gordons Cumming]

Ok, thanks for comprehensively proving that you can't manage it.

I wonder if Dirk will have any more joy?

Come on, Spacey, do as Platypuss asks.......COME ON!!!!

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Ok, thanks for comprehensively proving that you can't manage it.

I wonder if Dirk will have any more joy?

Exactly. No one has posted up a serious post saying 'Coppell should go' anywhere on HNA. It's the RTG's (i hate that phrase but can't think of another) who instead of listening and taking others views on board, go back to the schoolboy reaction of 'well Coppell out then' whenever anyone questions ANYTHING to do with RFC. It's quite funny really.

They are just better fans than we are.

[RoyalBlue]

I thought most of the 'negative' posters were being reasonably balanced and saying, words to the effect of, we have a good chance of being relegated if we carry on like we are and don't do something to add to the squad in this window.

That's been jumped on by many of the apologists and RTG's to the extent that views have been polarised so that you think we're fine and dandy or doomed to relegation. Dirk, your post just exemplifies how it's neigh on impossible to voice an opinion right now without it being pigeon holed into one camp or the other.

Personally, I keep trying to repeat my feeling that we are right in the midst of a serious relegation battle. The club needs to reinforce a woefully under strength squad in order to try and reduce the chance of relegation. I'm still of the opinion that I think we'll be unfortunate to go down because I think at least 3 teams will finish below us BUT with the addition of 2 or 3 players in the right positions who can step into and hopefully improve the side NOW we'll be in a better position to ensure we have more than 3 teams below us.

This place is getting more and more like a tabloid/x-factor type pantomime with all the instant polarisation of all posts.

Absolutely spot on - the whole posting. Reflects my views exactly.

i think people are upset by the implication that reading are not, and will not do anything else during the window that gets on most RTG peoples nerves. moan at the end of jan, & dont moan about made up stuff

I'm moaning because the club are taking so long to do anything. Yes, end of January (if they do significantly strengthen the squad by then) will be better than nothing but why do we seem to be so slow out of the blocks?

They cocked up big time by not strengthening last summer. They admitted that more than a couple of months ago. Since then SC also said that he needed to make at least 3 very significant signings each season.

Despite that we are now half way through the window and we have made just one signing who isn't yet ready to make his first team debut. We are starting to get to the stage where every game now really counts. We are constantly being told that new signings will need time to settle into the team. That means the earlier we get those signings on board the better. What's more, by the time the transfer window is about to close, we could well be in the bottom three which will surely make us even less attractive to potential signings than before.

As I've said before, the only reason a club has to wait for the transfer window to open is to register the actual transfer. I don't believe there is anything at all stopping everything bar that registration being as good as signed, sealed and delivered before that date. That was why Spurs were able to announce a new signing a day or so before this window opened.