THE INQUEST

[Millsy]

I felt numb all day.

Didn't go to a barbecue I was meant to go to.

Stayed in my bedroom in numbess all day.

Ate nothing but a pack of crisps since.

Am awake now despite work tomorrow morning.

The way it happened was all so cruel.

BUT

What makes us think we'll be "marooned forever in a championship wasteland"???

We've been tinkering on the edge of promotion for a good few years now, have we not?

We won't sink into oblivion, we'll go back to tinkering on the edge of promotion again.

Remember last time we were 4 minutes away from the Premiership was Wembley 95 and look what we did since then. This is the Reading mentality. This is what being an ancient hungry club with bags of history does: one small sniff of success and within 11 years it became a reality.

This time we miss out on a few minutes/few goals goal difference/ whatever.... and what do you think will happen? As before we'll be hungrier and will come back stronger and we'll have learned our lesson for when we do go up TO INVEST.

Tests make us stronger. The disappointment of Wembley 95 gave us this. The disappointment of coming down from the Prem for the first time in our history will reap the same rewards.

One thing will guarantee us success though and one thing only... and I mean this with all my heart....

COPPELL MUST STAY

[stl_royal]

I felt numb all day.

Didn't go to a barbecue I was meant to go to.

Stayed in my bedroom in numbess all day.

Ate nothing but a pack of crisps since.

Am awake now despite work tomorrow morning.

The way it happened was all so cruel.

BUT

What makes us think we'll be "marooned forever in a championship wasteland"???

We've been tinkering on the edge of promotion for a good few years now, have we not?

We won't sink into oblivion, we'll go back to tinkering on the edge of promotion again.

Remember last time we were 4 minutes away from the Premiership was Wembley 95 and look what we did since then. This is the Reading mentality. This is what being an ancient hungry club with bags of history does: one small sniff of success and within 11 years it became a reality.

This time we miss out on a few minutes/few goals goal difference/ whatever.... and what do you think will happen? As before we'll be hungrier and will come back stronger and we'll have learned our lesson for when we do go up TO INVEST.

Tests make us stronger. The disappointment of Wembley 95 gave us this. The disappointment of coming down from the Prem for the first time in our history will reap the same rewards.

One thing will guarantee us success though and one thing only... and I mean this with all my heart....

COPPELL MUST STAY

my thoughts exactly...we cant think that this is the end. its only the end of one season, now that we have experienced this we know what we must do to avoid it again. so when we get back up (be it next season, or the one after that, or the one after...and so on) we will be better prepared to fight. but if we want to get back up next season (and i for one do) SC is the man to get us there, and i dont know how it'll end up without him at the reigns.

[1871royals]

Feeling dejected about relegation but trying to look forward to the championship. Thought id sum up where I think it went wrong.

1.Not replacing Sidwell
2. No strengthening in Jan, McFadden, Taylor and Cahill all would have improved us.
3. I think letting Seol go as even though he wanted to leave, probably should have kept him until Jan so we could have a fit right-winger
4. S Hunt having his head turned by Sunderland bid/new contract
5. N Shorey having his head turned by England call up/ West Ham bid
6. Apart from Bikey/Marek, most of the new signings have struggled to make an impression on the first xi
7. SC being too loyal to his “favourites” Doyle, Hunt, Shorey
8. Not giving an opportunity to Doobs, Leroy, DLC and Bikey earlier
9. Changing formation - IRC Man U (a) was the only time we got any points playing anything other than 4–4 2
10. Not giving Leroy a place on the bench after he scored 5 goals in the reserves/ loaning out Leroy
11. After being our best player against Arsenal, Convey cant even get on the bench so that SC lovechild can play 90 mins
12. Poor service to strikers
13. Strikers forgetting how to score.
14. Midfield forgetting that you need to protect your defence

Now for optimism about next season:

Should get rid of the players who have had their heads turned – Shorey, Hunt etc
Promising youngsters, especially Pearce who already has made an impression on this division
Opportunity to brood and develop younger players
Winning more games (hopefully)
Cheap fun/winnable away days
Parachute payment/ strong financial footing of the club, should be one of the richest clubs in the division

[Fezza]

So to summarise, we've gone down to lack of investment?

Rubbish there's much more to it...

We've gone down due to the complete lack of commitment of the players for much of the season and shockingly bad decisions by our best ever manager.

I would put down to;

Failing to trust anyone untried in the premiership on the right wing; namely Cox and Henry
Failure to drop out of form players while it still mattered; namely Shorey, Doyle and Murty
Loaning out of players who would have improved the team; serial shagger Leroy Lita
Complacency in the last 15 minutes of games
Harper not tackling
A manager saying he was thinking of leaving back in November

After 38 games we weren't good enough, we gave six points to each of Fulham and Bolton. Can anyone really see us fairing any better against the likes of Sheffield United and Watford?

[Schards#2]

With hindsight i'm sure both Coppell and Madejski would admit to having made mistakes over this campaign but, by christ, have they not earned the right to make a mistake or two without being thrown to the dogs.

No one, in any walk of life, gets everything right. Both these guys have a huge amount in the plus column behind them, now is not the time to be scapegoating the manager or chairman because we are now in division we would have loved to be in a few years back.

Someone one BBC Berkshire this morning said "we're back where we started" no we're not, under Madjeski, we started a division lower with a crap squad in a crap stadium, totally and utterly skint.

Both men still have my undying respect and gratitude.

[Stranded]

With hindsight i'm sure both Coppell and Madejski would admit to having made mistakes over this campaign but, by christ, have they not earned the right to make a mistake or two without being thrown to the dogs.

No one, in any walk of life, gets everything right. Both these guys have a huge amount in the plus column behind them, now is not the time to be scapegoating the manager or chairman because we are now in division we would have loved to be in a few years back.

Someone one BBC Berkshire this morning said "we're back where we started" no we're not, under Madjeski, we started a division lower with a crap squad in a crap stadium, totally and utterly skint.

Both men still have my undying respect and gratitude.

Hear, hear Shards - nice t-shirt yesterday by the way...

I said on a thread during the week, that no matter what happened yesterday we as a club are in a much stronger position that pretty much any time we have ever been in. Yes we're down but we'll be one of the more solvent clubs in the CCC, more than likely be one of the favourites to bounce back and be one of the more attractive clubs to join in the CCC.

Going down isn't great but could easily just be the start of a bright new future....

[Platypuss]

With hindsight i'm sure both Coppell and Madejski would admit to having made mistakes over this campaign but, by christ, have they not earned the right to make a mistake or two without being thrown to the dogs.

Hear hear.

Now is the time to be "sensible and realistic".

[Alan Partridge]

With hindsight i'm sure both Coppell and Madejski would admit to having made mistakes over this campaign but, by christ, have they not earned the right to make a mistake or two without being thrown to the dogs.

Hear hear.

Now is the time to be "sensible and realistic".

As long as the club doesn't over react we'll be fine

[Big Ern]

Now is the time to be "sensible and realistic".

LMAO.

Although you could face the wrath of RR for doing so.

[Reading West]

Unfortunately SC's big mistake was in not looking to re-build the side, as the current side is predominatly the championship side of 3 seasons back . Even if Sidwell stayed, and Little remained fit SC should of been looking to rebuild the side with players to take Reading to the next Level (or at least not to fall back)especially the spine of the side.. Instead he merely looked to buy in replacements for Sidwell, and in the case of Little, who was known for months that he would not be fit until near the end of season, SC sold his 2nd choice winger, and purchased no replacements so from the start the team lacked the shape from the previous season.Reading relied on the element of suprise, and good team spirit matched with exciting wing play, and being full of adrenilin following a record breaking season to get them to 8th last year.Wing Play has been Reading's major asset for the last 2 seasons with 2 high impact wingers so with no impact wingers Reading struggled.

SC overreliance on sticking with the same side for one more season has cost Reading it's Premiership status and possibly his job

[brendywendy]

woke up at 4 am this morning, couldnt get back to sleep
feeling sick, running through the season in my head

then murts on radio berks this a.m absolutely ruined me
turned up at work with red eyes and tear streaks

[CMRoyal]

I'd be amazed if this article hasn't already been mentioned, but it might take me a while to find it, so I'll provide a link anyway:-

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foot ... 25891.html

Slightly harshly headlined, but a reasonable summary of most of what's been said in this forum over the season.

Thought Number 13 were simply magnificent yesterday, noisy and upbeat - it was a nightmare being near the front as all those inflatables rained down!

Too sunburnt/hungover/proud/disappointed/worried that SC might soon resign to really be up to an inquest. I think that article comes close enough.

[brendywendy]

good article

and about right

gutted

[Platypuss]

I don't remember writing that Independent article, but I might as well have done.

[bcubed]

Very good article

Only thing I would add to that is someone's observation on here about the players no longer being hungry.
That was the basis of the Championship and first Premier year success - the team being greater than the sum of the parts. This only works when everyone believes in it. Once they start to think they are better than they are, they no longer gel and it all falls apart.

[North Somerset Royal]

The more I think about yesterday and the fantastic way that everyone got behind the team for the whole match I cannot help thinking that if we had got behind them like that at Fratton Park in September and the Lane in December we would not have conceded the 13 goals that ultimately sent us down.
You can blame JM for insisting on a tight wages structure that is not competitive, SSC for believing that given the limited budget the players he had were as good as he was likely to get or NH for not being able to secure several players targeted by SC. At the end of the day all these elements were responsible and you cannot point the finger at any one person.

[kieran]

more than likely be one of the favourites to bounce back and be one of the more attractive clubs to join in the CCC.

Apart from Wolves, Birmingham, Derby, Southampton, Notts Forest, Leeds (Most likely), Charlton, Cardiff, Ipswich, Norwich, Sheff Utd, QPR (loads of money), Preston.

In fact let list those that are less attractive :

Blackpool, Barnsley, Burnley (Maybe), Watford (But money may be factor), Plymouth.

Even Murts this morning said that its just not attractive to come to Reading. Be honest if you were a player would you choose Wolves or Reading. Face facts we are down there with Barnsley and Blackpool not along side Wolves, Ipswich, Norwich, leeds, Forest

[zummerset]

more than likely be one of the favourites to bounce back and be one of the more attractive clubs to join in the CCC.

Apart from Wolves, Birmingham, Derby, Southampton, Notts Forest, Leeds (Most likely), Charlton, Cardiff, Ipswich, Norwich, Sheff Utd, QPR (loads of money), Preston.

In fact let list those that are less attractive :

Blackpool, Barnsley, Burnley (Maybe), Watford (But money may be factor), Plymouth.

Even Murts this morning said that its just not attractive to come to Reading. Be honest if you were a player would you choose Wolves or Reading. Face facts we are down there with Barnsley and Blackpool not along side Wolves, Ipswich, Norwich, leeds, Forest

Are Stoke, Bristol City and Hull big attractions then? Going up all of them whilst the 'big clubs' do very little.

[Platypuss]

Are Stoke, Bristol City and Hull big attractions then? Going up all of them whilst the 'big clubs' do very little.

Is someone else going to tell him, or shall I?

[papereyes]

That article must be wrong. It says "you simply cannot stand still"

CLOLueless.

Oh.