Brendan Watch

[Royalee]

So say Blackpool get relegated will that make Ian Hollaways tenure a failure?

Staying up in the prem was always going to be a hard task, many teams before us had failed to do it and many teams after us will not suceed but it doesn't make those managers a failure.

No, because Blackpool were expected to go down from the Championship last season - even if they go down, they'll have more money and they'll still be in the Championship which is a success.

[Royalee]

... and it would take a heartless soul not to say that 05-06 and 06-07 were the two best seasons in the club's history thus far.

Yeah, best two seasons, but totally undone in the next two. Coppell also had the best starting point of any Reading manager, so it's all relative.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

How about a manager who took over a team who made the play-offs in the championship, and left them just above the relegation zone?

[Royalee]

:lol:

I stand by what I said I'm sure there's many who'll agree. Those two thought they were better than Reading Football Club and they ruined the good things they did by leaving before they completed their work. whatever you think of how his time here ended Coppell was in tune with this club and he respected it which is more than can be said for Pardew and McGhee.

Some of us can see past how the two left the club and recognise they progressed the club far more than someone who got promoted once and relegated once, an aggregate of no promotions rather than 1.

A bit like Brian Clough at Forest then......another failure by your reasoning.

Not really as Clough won the European Cup twice in the process (even he was critical of himself though when he got them relegated, which goes to show how much more of a man he was about management than Coppell).

[Royalee]

How about a manager who took over a team who made the play-offs in the championship, and left them just above the relegation zone?

Except half of that team had left in the summer.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

How about a manager who took over a team who made the play-offs in the championship, and left them just above the relegation zone?

Except half of that team had left in the summer.

So being relegation candidates was all that team could manage?

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Not really as Clough won the European Cup twice in the process (even he was critical of himself though when he got them relegated, which goes to show how much more of a man he was about management than Coppell).

Coppell was critical of himself when Reading went down. That's partly why he resigned. He also took Reading to their best achievement, but none of that compares to taking Reading to the verge of relegation I suppose.

[Royalee]

How about a manager who took over a team who made the play-offs in the championship, and left them just above the relegation zone?

Except half of that team had left in the summer.

So being relegation candidates was all that team could manage?

No, only half the season was played for a team in transition and he wasn't given the January transfer window.

[Royalee]

Not really as Clough won the European Cup twice in the process (even he was critical of himself though when he got them relegated, which goes to show how much more of a man he was about management than Coppell).

Coppell was critical of himself when Reading went down. That's partly why he resigned. He also took Reading to their best achievement, but none of that compares to taking Reading to the verge of relegation I suppose.

He resigned because he couldn't hack the fact that he bottled it.

[comeonyouroyals]

How about a manager who took over a team who made the play-offs in the championship, and left them just above the relegation zone?

Except half of that team had left in the summer.

But he did have over 3mil to spend so can't really use that as a reason add to that he had the Sig.

[Royalee]

How about a manager who took over a team who made the play-offs in the championship, and left them just above the relegation zone?

Except half of that team had left in the summer.

But he did have over 3mil to spend so can't really use that as a reason add to that he had the Sig.

He plucked Sigurdsson (who Coppell refused to give a chance along with our other youngsters) from the reserves and is the reason he was in the team in the first place. I don't think £3 million's much to replace £12 million's worth of players, plus several players who were released that summer if I'm honest, do you?

[sandman]

Coppell gave Sigurdsson his Reading debut.

[Royalee]

Coppell gave Sigurdsson his Reading debut.

Great, he brought him on for one game.

[comeonyouroyals]

Well if it wasn't why was he giving it the big I am about getting promoted? And why almost within a month under Brian were we should going up the table? and why did he not play Mills? and why did Kebe suddenly become a good player? and why did he try to change our style of play despite knowing we didn't have the players to suit? Basically Rodgers had a very difficult job in suceeding Coppel but he didn't do himself any favours and was a utter failure.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

No, only half the season was played for a team in transition and he wasn't given the January transfer window.

Right. So external factors can only be used when it backs up your case, and can be dismissed when they don't?

Coppell's successes can be dismissed because he took over a good team (actually the team he took over was little more than mid-table) while Rodgers is doing a fantastic job, despite taking over a team that did well the previous year?

Rodgers can't be knocked for his failings at Reading because he had to sell players, but McDermott can be knocked, even though he has had better results with a squad that's even weaker than the one Rodgers had?

Coppell can be dismissed as a failure (despite his success) because he left the club in the same division as when he took over, but Clough can't despite meeting that criteria exactly.





There were no signs at all that we might have improved under Rodgers. We were actually getting worse.

The football under McDermott isn't always the best, but he's making the best of what he's got.

Brendan couldn't do that. He have insisted on playing "his way" because his ego prevented him from admitting his "world class" tactics weren't working.

[sandman]

Coppell gave Sigurdsson his Reading debut.

Great, he brought him on for one game.

Despite being in your estimation a master tactician Rodgers didn't know what to do with Sigurdsson and played him out of position. McDermott however, who is apparently tactically inferior to Rodgers, put Sig in the right position built the team around him and the results spoke for themselves.

Rodgers signed experienced Championship players with big reputations at this level like Jobi, Howard and Rasiak. He also signed a CB for £2 million basically He had money to spend and he failed. The players that replaced the ones who left may not have been as good as Doyle, Kitson etc but they were more than good enough for this level. Rodgers didn't seem to be too worried about the quality of the squad when he talked up promotion.

Rodgers brought Cummings in and failed the poor lad at West Brom where the master tactician failed to see that Shaun needed someone in front of him to protect him against a rampaging Jerome Thomas this put Cummings career back a year. Fast forward through that year and Cummings again comes up against Thomas, this time the manager has faith in him and he copes brilliantly.

Will you admit to any of Rodgers mistakes or are you going to keep up the obsessive stalker act?

[swansea jack]

^ who cares. 2nd

[PEARCEY]

^ who cares. 2nd

Enjoy it SJ. Your team looked the real deal today. I didn't think Swansea would last the pace. They are now virtual certainties for the play-offs and are genuine promotion contenders. Hope you go up.

[Skyline]

No, only half the season was played for a team in transition and he wasn't given the January transfer window.

Right. So external factors can only be used when it backs up your case, and can be dismissed when they don't?

Royalee's not related to Snowball is he?

[Wiggypop]

Royalee is a proper bell end!