Exodus

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

We are going to loose a few first team players and we'll hear the same old spin when no one joins us this summer either. " hard to find the right players", " got to be the right players with the right personality". No guys, it really doesn't, we can't afford to be that picky. Find a good player and buy him, simple as that.

The problem is buying players isn't like playing championship manager. You can't just go out and sign players "simple as that" and expect things to work. You can't find players that simply. You can't persuade the club to sell that simply, and you can't make them want to come to Reading that simply.

It's no good thinking Reading should use all the parachute money going for broke to try and get back up, because if we do that and fail, we'll really be in the crap financially and it'd see us in the lower divisions in administration within 5 years.

With our track record when we do flash the cash, it's not an option that'd fill me with confidence. We do need to spend some money through. We did make money from our premiership venture, and we should use that money as a springboard rather than a mattress. If we can't find players to bring in then we really, as a club, need to sit down and figure out why. We do currently have the money to compete and although it is difficult to bring players in, it shouldn't be impossible.

[Ian Royal]

"Offensive, petulant and patronising"? (Still living with Mum and Dad eh?)

Care to deal with my question about your logic now?

Parents raised me to respect those value's, shame yours didn't.

As for logic, it's based on the last two seasons. Plenty of money to spend, not one decent signing. Two years we could of taken advantage of our situation and brought in youngsters or prospects and didn't. Why would the championship be any different now we are in a weaker position? Can't understand your logic there.

There's a lot of words in your posts, but all I'm seeing is:

"Blah blah blah, same old shit, blah blah blah, make it up as i go along, blah blah blah, tiresome prick, blah blah blah, tired points I've used before and were no more relevent then blah blah blah."

Which frankly is slightly more amusing than "THis is a post by Finerain who is on your ignore list" or whatever it says. Only just mind.

Just to point out We have signed a good young player from prem/championship club(s): Rosenior = Finerain wrong AGAIN
Oh and we have made good signings: Bikey, Matejovsky & Rosenior at least, with a few as potentials still. = Finerain wrong AGAIN.

Of course we have made some poor signings too: Kebe, Halford & Fae and some less than great ones: Cisse, Bennett, Sodje, Seol & co. But then we've been incredibly lucky that so many of Coppell's signings did work in th eor so before we got promoted.

Oh and momentum? Exactly what momentum does 4th, 9th, 7th give you? Ooo we were really shooting up the league at that point.

[FiNeRaIn]

What values? (Note the lack of an apostrophe - it's plural you see.)

And please, 2 years we've been telling you, it's could have, not could of.

Parents not so strong on the old basic grammar I guess.

And no, I don't find it surprising that my logic is beyond you.

Patronising enough for you? (Sorry, I just have an allergy to your posts. Note, the posts not the poster.)

Could have would have should have, who cares?

How did your logic fare last season when you laughed off claims of reading being relegated? Thought so, shhh.

Ian royal, forgot about rosenior so I was wrong, even still, at fault for a fair few goals. What exactly has matejovsky or bikey done? Not one assist from a creative midfielder and a defender who ss a carbon copy of sonko, out of his depth at prem level and prone to mistakes.

[sheshnu]

Ever sat back and thought that perhaps you take things a little too seriously?

Just relax and try to enjoy life without thinking you have to argue and fight about absolutely everything..!

[Royal Rother]

If the speculation is true and we are going to lose harper, hunt, shorey and doyle,etc, i'll be very happy if we manage to avoid relegation to league one, I genuinely mean that. With the clubs transfer policy we will not bring in players anywhere near that quality. I hope for the teams sake that all apart from shorey stay.

Where is the logic in suggesting that Coppell will sign worse players than he did when we had less money in the Championship last time?

Of course it MIGHT happen like that, but it's totally illogical to to say that the transfer policy means it WILL happen, when it was the transfer policy that brought those players in in the first place.

It's also ridiculously pessimistic to be talking about relegation when, in Coppell, we have a manager who has taken teams up to the top flight more times than anyone else currently in work, a feat he has achieved always with less money (and arguably less established talent) than he will start next season with.

[The 17 Bus]

And our players are so poor that one has left to go back to the Prem, and at least 3 others look likely to do the same, seems that other managers see more in them than many Reading fans.

Roll on Forest, lets go kick arse again, and enjoy it all.

[Millsy]

If the speculation is true and we are going to lose harper, hunt, shorey and doyle,etc, i'll be very happy if we manage to avoid relegation to league one, I genuinely mean that. With the clubs transfer policy we will not bring in players anywhere near that quality. I hope for the teams sake that all apart from shorey stay.

Where is the logic in suggesting that Coppell will sign worse players than he did when we had less money in the Championship last time?

Of course it MIGHT happen like that, but it's totally illogical to to say that the transfer policy means it WILL happen, when it was the transfer policy that brought those players in in the first place.

It's also ridiculously pessimistic to be talking about relegation when, in Coppell, we have a manager who has taken teams up to the top flight more times than anyone else currently in work, a feat he has achieved always with less money (and arguably less established talent) than he will start next season with.

As the one who would bring up Coppell's golden track record into almost every discussion not long ago, I have this observation: he never did it in one season, did he?

I mean, no-one could. When losing a third of our team surely even a god like Coppell would need a couple of seasons to get his team to gel, get the players up to speed etc etc...

As positive as I recently have been, I have to say that losing the bulk of our players will make a promotion challenge this year extremely difficult indeed.

The only solution is to convince Coppell to stay for 3 or 4 years to get us back into the Prem if Madejski is willing to do that. To expect anything near autopro with the probable exodus looming is totally unfair on Coppell, even given hsi incredible track record. My fear is that if we have this unrealistic expectation fans will be calling for his head come the end of next season instead of turning up a his parking space begging him to stay!

[Ian Royal]

So many of you must lead such depressing lives. Constantly worrying about what might happen and always preparing for the worst.

Worry about what'll happen and how we'll replace half a dozen crucial players when they actually leave. It's the clubs job to know who and how many they will let go and find prospects to replace them, not the fans.

Stay guardedly optimistic but prepare for a long hard slog.

Seems to me it's a much happier way to go. Look at me and Rother for example. We're not throwing our toys about and crying about midtable obscurity or worse with a team a shodow of its former self. We're waiting to see what happens with a hint of nerves and a load of excitement.

Some of you will worry yourselves into an early grave.

[Rex]

So many of you must lead such depressing lives. Constantly worrying about what might happen and always preparing for the worst.

Worry about what'll happen and how we'll replace half a dozen crucial players when they actually leave. It's the clubs job to know who and how many they will let go and find prospects to replace them, not the fans.

Stay guardedly optimistic but prepare for a long hard slog.

Seems to me it's a much happier way to go. Look at me and Rother for example. We're not throwing our toys about and crying about midtable obscurity or worse with a team a shodow of its former self. We're waiting to see what happens with a hint of nerves and a load of excitement.

Agree with that. Why worry about what has not happened yet. What ever happens is out of our control.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

The only solution is to convince Coppell to stay for 3 or 4 years to get us back into the Prem if Madejski is willing to do that. To expect anything near autopro with the probable exodus looming is totally unfair on Coppell, even given hsi incredible track record. My fear is that if we have this unrealistic expectation fans will be calling for his head come the end of next season instead of turning up a his parking space begging him to stay!

"Coppell out!" was the comment of choice for many during the 2004/5 season, after we blew the play-off spot that collectively we didn't look good enough at the time to claim anyway.

I do think a lot of our fans, particularly those who have only started going since moving from Elm Park, have unrealistic expectations, partly due to us having the kind of perpetually successful time of it that you'd don't normally get outside playing football manager computer games, and partly because the media has helped foster a culture among fans that has them demanding the manager be sacked at the first hint of a poor season.

The truth is that thinking your team has had a good season is actually uncommon. For years on end, the end of season WSC survey of fans has had around 60% of fans being disappointed with their season, and about a quarter being pretty much disgusted with the way things have gone. Sorry people, but unless you are a gloryhunter fan of a big club, the good times are the exception rather than the rule. It doesn't mean, as some seem to claim, that there are poeple here who are happy and content with relegation and a probably return to mediocrity, just an acceptance that you can never expect to be able to punch above your weight.

[Royal Rother]

But an indisputable fact is that we are now heavier than we were 3 years ago. That's progress.

[CentiaRoyal]

Who'd begrudge a player taking probably their last chance to play in the top flight of English football? I certainly wouldn't

the only sensible thing said on this board for weeks

[Royal Rother]

FWIW that, and similar, has been said many times.

[papereyes]

So many of you must lead such depressing lives. Constantly worrying about what might happen and always preparing for the worst.

This is a quote from someone richer and more successful than me

"Prepare for the worst but hope for the best"

And another, from my old cadet instructor

"Perfect planning and preparation prevents pisspoor performance"

I don't think you can move on to next season without being aware of what was successful or otherwise in the previous seasons. I genuinely don't think we prepared well enough for last season and I am not sure we moved onto last season fully aware of what drove the side to the heights we reached in 2007 and how to replace, renew and refresh that squad. I am afraid, perhaps irrationally, that we will make the same mistakes again.

It is up to the club to have a long hard look at what we need and what we need to do. And then act on whatever decisions they make.

In their actions lie whether or not we will be successful or not. Not in their track record, not in hoping for the best. In what they do and in what team we produce for next season.

[Royal Rother]

Neither you nor anyone else on here can have any influence on whether those lessons have been learned or action has been taken to your satisfaction.

But I think we can legitimately point to the track record of the club's improvement and Coppell's management record over many seasons.

Mistakes were made last season, fair enough and fully acknowledged by Coppell, but it is bizarre not to have at least some belief that the Manager's manager of the year for 2005/6 and 2006/7 is doing just what you desire.

Just accept it is happening and move on would be my advice - if we are a shambles in the early part of the season you can take up the cudgel again.

[papereyes]

Neither you nor anyone else on here can have any influence on whether those lessons have been learned or action has been taken to your satisfaction.

But I think we can legitimately point to the track record of the club's improvement and Coppell's management record over many seasons.

Mistakes were made last season, fair enough and fully acknowledged by Coppell, but it is bizarre not to have at least some belief that the Manager's manager of the year for 2005/6 and 2006/7 is doing just what you desire.

Just accept it is happening and move on would be my advice - if we are a shambles in the early part of the season you can take up the cudgel again.

Only to have another thread like the one after Bolton?
Only to be told that 5, 10, 15, 20 games is too soon to 'panic'?
Only to be told that "we can't do anything about our summer dealings now so why should we talk about them anymore"

[Schards#2]

There was a debate throughout last season where those who feared the worst, and explaained why perfectly coherently, were ridiculed and patronised by some of the eternal optimists right up to the point of relegation.

The optimists are quite entitled to voice the opinion that they remain positive and expect great things but, having been so conclusively wrong last time, it's amazing to see them adopting the same patronising tone in addressing the opinions of those who, last year, were proved so conclusively right.

[Royalee]

But an indisputable fact is that we are now heavier than we were 3 years ago. That's progress.

Time will tell whether we're stronger as a squad than we were 3 years ago come the start of the season. At this point in time we are not - far from it in fact.

[Sarah Star]

I'm worried that losing Little wasn't in the plans. In fact, I have a feeling we were banking on keeping him.

[Stranded]

There was a debate throughout last season where those who feared the worst, and explaained why perfectly coherently, were ridiculed and patronised by some of the eternal optimists right up to the point of relegation.

The optimists are quite entitled to voice the opinion that they remain positive and expect great things but, having been so conclusively wrong last time, it's amazing to see them adopting the same patronising tone in addressing the opinions of those who, last year, were proved so conclusively right.

Fair point but surely it is valid to accept mistakes were made this season and have been ackowledged by the club. And we are now in a division where this management team have shown they have the ability to create a team with more than a decent chance of challenging.

Whether this can be done over one summer is open for debate, dependent on the ins/outs that take place. To date we've let go of some players we don't want and lost one at the last minute when he was about to sign.

For my own stance I'm cautiously optimistic but fully aware that the way we start next season (and that in some way does involve the fans) will map out what 08/09 will be. If the mood of dispondancy that seems to be prevalent amongst many appears on the 10h at Forest or at home to Plymouth the week after it could perpetuate a vicious circle which could see the prospect of a poor start and mid table obscurity come to pass. If the mindset of all the club is one of positivity then we can do well.

The biggest battle next season will be a mental one, and it seems that from the viewpoint of some fans it's one we've already lost.