Gordon strachan

[Top Flight]

I would agree with Winchester that Pards is more important in terms of where we are today.

But Mcghee in a sense did get us started. He gave us more credibility as a club.

He showed that Reading can progress and it can do well.

He showed us that Reading can play great football and can be a force to be reckoned with.

And he set new expectations and raised our ambitions. Before McGhee everyone was happy with a lower division club.

After McGhee showed us that we can challenge at the top of the first division, our ambitions and expectations as supporters and chairman and all staff throughout the club changed. Terry Bullivant and Tommy Burns poor performances as bosses were not tolerated at all.

[Behindu]

I'd argue that we started to gain credibility as a club when we lost to Bolton in the playoffs.

Under Quinn and Gooding, not McGhee....

[SpaceCruiser]

personally i believe that Pardew has more importance to our situation than McGhee

Coppell>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Pardew + McGhee

[winchester_royal]

personally i believe that Pardew has more importance to our situation than McGhee

Coppell>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Pardew + McGhee

i never said he wasn't

[Riseley]

I agree with Spacey. FSB was crucial in the recent revival of RFC and was the main driver in our journey to the promised land. Pardew and Coppell are lucky to have succeeded him.

[1960]

Just as Mr Mad wants some sort of guarantee of attendance (ie staying in the Prem) before he builds to 38,000, in the same way does anyone believe that he would ever have committed to the Madstad if he had a team which yo-yoed between the third and fourth? No, McGhee showed him that Reading could be a force. I realise that Gooding & Quinn actually took us to Wembley, but it was with McGhee's team. He broke the belief that we were doomed to swim around with the also-rans (mixed metaphor).

[RoyalBlue]

McGhee played his part but to be honest I'd probably come up with a fair few people who I'd put ahead of him

JM
Steve Coppell
Nicky Hammond
Roger Smee
Maurice Evans

as a start

I'd have to think about whether Quinn / Gooding took us forward after Mcghee or saw us slip back a bit...

In terms of football I think Coppell's title winning side was leagues ahead of McGhee's.

If we did slip back under Quinn and Gooding I think it had more to do with the purse strings being pulled tightly shut (IIRC Mick Gooding subsequently complained that they hadn't even been allowed to sign a player on loan towards the end of that glorious season, when they felt they needed to add a bit more strength in depth) and the 'sale of the century' post the play-off loss, which saw the loss of the likes of Shaka and Osborn.

[Archie's penalty]

McGhee played his part but to be honest I'd probably come up with a fair few people who I'd put ahead of him

JM
Steve Coppell
Nicky Hammond
Roger Smee
Maurice Evans

as a start

I'd have to think about whether Quinn / Gooding took us forward after Mcghee or saw us slip back a bit...

In terms of football I think Coppell's title winning side was leagues ahead of McGhee's.

If we did slip back under Quinn and Gooding I think it had more to do with the purse strings being pulled tightly shut (IIRC Mick Gooding subsequently complained that they hadn't even been allowed to sign a player on loan towards the end of that glorious season, when they felt they needed to add a bit more strength in depth) and the 'sale of the century' post the play-off loss, which saw the loss of the likes of Shaka and Osborn.

And Taylor as well. Did Adie go after that season as well?

[PEARCEY]

McGhee played his part but to be honest I'd probably come up with a fair few people who I'd put ahead of him

JM
Steve Coppell
Nicky Hammond
Roger Smee
Maurice Evans

as a start

I'd have to think about whether Quinn / Gooding took us forward after Mcghee or saw us slip back a bit...

In terms of football I think Coppell's title winning side was leagues ahead of McGhee's.

If we did slip back under Quinn and Gooding I think it had more to do with the purse strings being pulled tightly shut (IIRC Mick Gooding subsequently complained that they hadn't even been allowed to sign a player on loan towards the end of that glorious season, when they felt they needed to add a bit more strength in depth) and the 'sale of the century' post the play-off loss, which saw the loss of the likes of Shaka and Osborn.

And Taylor as well. Did Adie go after that season as well?

He hung around for a few more months before Wolves signed him.

Going back t McGhee he hardly spent a bean did he? and put together a terrific sid. I think Osborne cost £100,000 and was sold for tenfold a season later.

[Shortbread]

Going back t McGhee he hardly spent a bean did he? and put together a terrific sid. I think Osborne cost £100,000 and was sold for tenfold a season later.

Shudders with memory both of Michael Meaker and of the weight (!) given him in the deal...

[PEARCEY]

Going back t McGhee he hardly spent a bean did he? and put together a terrific sid. I think Osborne cost £100,000 and was sold for tenfold a season later.

Shudders with memory both of Michael Meaker and of the weight (!) given him in the deal...

I always laugh when I think of Michael Meaker......given his performances I should be crying

[bobby m's syrup]

The reason why so much anger was directed towards FSB when he left us was that we recognised at the time we were losing a good manager, who had created a team playing (relatively) attractive and successful football. We didn't want him to leave, and were gutted by the manner and timing of his departure.

Of course he went to Leicester and Woves who are where just now?

[Behindu]

Weren;t Quinn and Gooding allowed to splash out a large sum on Lee Nogan ?

[PEARCEY]

Weren;t Quinn and Gooding allowed to splash out a large sum on Lee Nogan ?

£250,000 I think

[Archie's penalty]

Weren;t Quinn and Gooding allowed to splash out a large sum on Lee Nogan ?

Yeah 250,000 was a lot then...

[Behindu]

Wasn't it a club record (jointly with the sum paid for Steve Moran ?) or am I confused....

[Kitsondinho]

I look at Mcgoo as the first album by a band that went on to become great....the signs were there but not quite everything was fitting together the way it would in later years. Mcgoo - important yes vital - no

[Behindu]

I look at Mcgoo as the first album by a band that went on to become great....the signs were there but not quite everything was fitting together the way it would in later years. Mcgoo - important yes vital - no

Looked at it the other way round McGhee's time here was his promising first album. Some good tunes, original ideas and a nice cover released on an Independent label.
He signed for a major but never captured the promise of that first release. After half a dozen follow ups, each promising to be that long awaited 'great second album' he's now on the cabaret circuit.

[PEARCEY]

Wasn't it a club record (jointly with the sum paid for Steve Moran ?) or am I confused....

Well I cannot think of anyone else who would have cost more so it may have been a record at the time

[Behindu]

Wasn't it a club record (jointly with the sum paid for Steve Moran ?) or am I confused....

Well I cannot think of anyone else who would have cost more so it may have been a record at the time

I'm worried that Moran and Craig Maskell were the two who were our joint record. Can't work out where Nogan fitted in to the sequence of 'expensive' signings.