RFC - a total shambles

[Skin]

Its all about

SECOND
SEASON
SYNDROME.

O'h dear.

[floyd__streete]

SECOND
SEASON
SYNDROME.

I think to be fair I am suffering from Second Season Syndrome myself. I have enjoyed about three Premier League games this season, and Reading only played in one of those. I was delighted with a defeat on Tuesday sparing us the expensive inconvenience of another trip to the Old Trafford theme park*.

*Disclaimer - I do realise I am not obliged to attend all matches.

[RoyalBlue]

:lol: Nice one Floyd...your post has brought together the worst of everything. The worst sort of pessimist, the cringeworthy optimists, personal insults directed at people I find to be very agreeable and the death of a family member.

As AP has rightly pointed out it is the nature we are going about losing that is really frustrating. Those who do not get more annoyed by how we play away from home clearly have not been to many away games this season or more importantly went to very few last season.

Last season we went to play our own football. I think of Man City - one of the finest performances I've ever seen from Reading given the quality of opponent. I look at Bolton when we never stopped playing our own football, came from a goal behind and blitzed them.

Why has this stopped? Our manager fears our opposition. We try and contain teams with a defence that would be unable to contain an invasion from an army of one-legged Frenchmen. A reasonable enough tactic considering a draw here in there would have got us to Europe last season, completely unreasonable with the personnel. So do we strengthen the squad, clearly weakened with the departure of Sidwell? No. We lump for a slow, ageing central midfielder who could not get in the championship side. Bugger loyalty I would rather have a competitive midfield.

The club forever bleats about ambition. Show us some oxf*rd evidence! Pay higher wages, attract better players - they've said the club is in record profit, so go for it. I hate the attitude of some of the people on this board - the "we should be happy to be here" brigade. Bollocks. Why do we spend thousands of pounds a season in tickets and travel to a team just happy to be here?

As fans, we deserve more than what we are getting at the moment. Last year we were two maybe three players short of European qualification - little Reading in Europe. Isn't that what we all want see - or is consistently finishing 15th good enough for us?

So often people say "look how far we've come" tell you what, watch how far we'll drop if we get relegated. Then we really will be little Reading again. 18,000 attendances and fighting for players whom would rather join Sheffield Utd and Charlton or even Leeds!

So yeah, be thankful for how far we've come but for the love of God don't give me or anyone else stick for wanting more. It's not pessimism, it's actually perverse optimism that I think this club has the potential to be more than what it is.

Great post Floyd.

there is nothing wrong with wanting Reading to be better than they are just you have to be realstic about it. look at what has happened to alot of teams that go out and spend big money, leeds, ipswich, bradford to name three. where are they now?
Coppel and JM are building something great here at Reading but it will take time, if we rush it we'll end up back where we came from. have patientce, we've only been in this league for one full season so we have a bad year this year but we will keep progressing forward as a club.

Except, of course, if we get relegated at the end of this season at which point it will become a case of 1 step forward 135 backwards!

[Vision]

:lol: Nice one Floyd...your post has brought together the worst of everything. The worst sort of pessimist, the cringeworthy optimists, personal insults directed at people I find to be very agreeable and the death of a family member.

As AP has rightly pointed out it is the nature we are going about losing that is really frustrating. Those who do not get more annoyed by how we play away from home clearly have not been to many away games this season or more importantly went to very few last season.

Last season we went to play our own football. I think of Man City - one of the finest performances I've ever seen from Reading given the quality of opponent. I look at Bolton when we never stopped playing our own football, came from a goal behind and blitzed them.

Why has this stopped? Our manager fears our opposition. We try and contain teams with a defence that would be unable to contain an invasion from an army of one-legged Frenchmen. A reasonable enough tactic considering a draw here in there would have got us to Europe last season, completely unreasonable with the personnel. So do we strengthen the squad, clearly weakened with the departure of Sidwell? No. We lump for a slow, ageing central midfielder who could not get in the championship side. Bugger loyalty I would rather have a competitive midfield.

The club forever bleats about ambition. Show us some oxf*rd evidence! Pay higher wages, attract better players - they've said the club is in record profit, so go for it. I hate the attitude of some of the people on this board - the "we should be happy to be here" brigade. Bollocks. Why do we spend thousands of pounds a season in tickets and travel to a team just happy to be here?

As fans, we deserve more than what we are getting at the moment. Last year we were two maybe three players short of European qualification - little Reading in Europe. Isn't that what we all want see - or is consistently finishing 15th good enough for us?

So often people say "look how far we've come" tell you what, watch how far we'll drop if we get relegated. Then we really will be little Reading again. 18,000 attendances and fighting for players whom would rather join Sheffield Utd and Charlton or even Leeds!

So yeah, be thankful for how far we've come but for the love of God don't give me or anyone else stick for wanting more. It's not pessimism, it's actually perverse optimism that I think this club has the potential to be more than what it is.

Great post Floyd.

there is nothing wrong with wanting Reading to be better than they are just you have to be realstic about it. look at what has happened to alot of teams that go out and spend big money, leeds, ipswich, bradford to name three. where are they now?
Coppel and JM are building something great here at Reading but it will take time, if we rush it we'll end up back where we came from. have patientce, we've only been in this league for one full season so we have a bad year this year but we will keep progressing forward as a club.

Except, of course, if we get relegated at the end of this season at which point it will become a case of 1 step forward 135 backwards!

Except of course it will actually be 1 step backward.

I'm not sure whats worse really, people who think if we're relegated we will automatically bounce straight back up or people who think it will signal the permanent return to lower league obscurity.

[RoyalBlue]

:lol: Nice one Floyd...your post has brought together the worst of everything. The worst sort of pessimist, the cringeworthy optimists, personal insults directed at people I find to be very agreeable and the death of a family member.

As AP has rightly pointed out it is the nature we are going about losing that is really frustrating. Those who do not get more annoyed by how we play away from home clearly have not been to many away games this season or more importantly went to very few last season.

Last season we went to play our own football. I think of Man City - one of the finest performances I've ever seen from Reading given the quality of opponent. I look at Bolton when we never stopped playing our own football, came from a goal behind and blitzed them.

Why has this stopped? Our manager fears our opposition. We try and contain teams with a defence that would be unable to contain an invasion from an army of one-legged Frenchmen. A reasonable enough tactic considering a draw here in there would have got us to Europe last season, completely unreasonable with the personnel. So do we strengthen the squad, clearly weakened with the departure of Sidwell? No. We lump for a slow, ageing central midfielder who could not get in the championship side. Bugger loyalty I would rather have a competitive midfield.

The club forever bleats about ambition. Show us some oxf*rd evidence! Pay higher wages, attract better players - they've said the club is in record profit, so go for it. I hate the attitude of some of the people on this board - the "we should be happy to be here" brigade. Bollocks. Why do we spend thousands of pounds a season in tickets and travel to a team just happy to be here?

As fans, we deserve more than what we are getting at the moment. Last year we were two maybe three players short of European qualification - little Reading in Europe. Isn't that what we all want see - or is consistently finishing 15th good enough for us?

So often people say "look how far we've come" tell you what, watch how far we'll drop if we get relegated. Then we really will be little Reading again. 18,000 attendances and fighting for players whom would rather join Sheffield Utd and Charlton or even Leeds!

So yeah, be thankful for how far we've come but for the love of God don't give me or anyone else stick for wanting more. It's not pessimism, it's actually perverse optimism that I think this club has the potential to be more than what it is.

Great post Floyd.

there is nothing wrong with wanting Reading to be better than they are just you have to be realstic about it. look at what has happened to alot of teams that go out and spend big money, leeds, ipswich, bradford to name three. where are they now?
Coppel and JM are building something great here at Reading but it will take time, if we rush it we'll end up back where we came from. have patientce, we've only been in this league for one full season so we have a bad year this year but we will keep progressing forward as a club.

Except, of course, if we get relegated at the end of this season at which point it will become a case of 1 step forward 135 backwards!

Except of course it will actually be 1 step backward.

To paraphrase rather corruptly:

'Every long slide starts with a single step.'

On the dark side:

Our manager and best players will leave. The club will once again justify high season ticket prices - this time on the basis of helping us straight back. Significant numbers of supporters will decide that is taking the p*ss once too often. The Chairman will find his showbiz pals are no longer quite so keen to spend Saturday afternoons sat next to him. Worse still the supporters no longer smother him with adulation (some even doing the opposite) so he decides to cut his losses/crystalise his gains and cuts and runs.............

[Vision]

:lol: Nice one Floyd...your post has brought together the worst of everything. The worst sort of pessimist, the cringeworthy optimists, personal insults directed at people I find to be very agreeable and the death of a family member.

As AP has rightly pointed out it is the nature we are going about losing that is really frustrating. Those who do not get more annoyed by how we play away from home clearly have not been to many away games this season or more importantly went to very few last season.

Last season we went to play our own football. I think of Man City - one of the finest performances I've ever seen from Reading given the quality of opponent. I look at Bolton when we never stopped playing our own football, came from a goal behind and blitzed them.

Why has this stopped? Our manager fears our opposition. We try and contain teams with a defence that would be unable to contain an invasion from an army of one-legged Frenchmen. A reasonable enough tactic considering a draw here in there would have got us to Europe last season, completely unreasonable with the personnel. So do we strengthen the squad, clearly weakened with the departure of Sidwell? No. We lump for a slow, ageing central midfielder who could not get in the championship side. Bugger loyalty I would rather have a competitive midfield.

The club forever bleats about ambition. Show us some oxf*rd evidence! Pay higher wages, attract better players - they've said the club is in record profit, so go for it. I hate the attitude of some of the people on this board - the "we should be happy to be here" brigade. Bollocks. Why do we spend thousands of pounds a season in tickets and travel to a team just happy to be here?

As fans, we deserve more than what we are getting at the moment. Last year we were two maybe three players short of European qualification - little Reading in Europe. Isn't that what we all want see - or is consistently finishing 15th good enough for us?

So often people say "look how far we've come" tell you what, watch how far we'll drop if we get relegated. Then we really will be little Reading again. 18,000 attendances and fighting for players whom would rather join Sheffield Utd and Charlton or even Leeds!

So yeah, be thankful for how far we've come but for the love of God don't give me or anyone else stick for wanting more. It's not pessimism, it's actually perverse optimism that I think this club has the potential to be more than what it is.

Great post Floyd.

there is nothing wrong with wanting Reading to be better than they are just you have to be realstic about it. look at what has happened to alot of teams that go out and spend big money, leeds, ipswich, bradford to name three. where are they now?
Coppel and JM are building something great here at Reading but it will take time, if we rush it we'll end up back where we came from. have patientce, we've only been in this league for one full season so we have a bad year this year but we will keep progressing forward as a club.

Except, of course, if we get relegated at the end of this season at which point it will become a case of 1 step forward 135 backwards!

Except of course it will actually be 1 step backward.

To paraphrase rather corruptly:

'Every long slide starts with a single step.'

On the dark side:

Our manager and best players will leave. The club will once again justify high season ticket prices - this time on the basis of helping us straight back. Significant numbers of supporters will decide that is taking the p*ss once too often. The Chairman will find his showbiz pals are no longer quite so keen to spend Saturday afternoons sat next to him. Worse still the supporters no longer smother him with adulation (some even doing the opposite) so he decides to cut his losses/crystalise his gains and cuts and runs.............

Someone needs to buy you a beer and quickly.

[Jeffers217]

I fear that with all the speculation surrounding Hunt, Reading might be so enthused about retaining him and almost see it as a signing.

All that player has is enthusiasm and that is simply not good enough for the premiership. £4.5 mil is a superb deal for us I have no idea wjhy we are not accepting the bid and using the money where needed

[Upper West?!?]

Jeffers217 Posted: 18 Jan 2008 17:35 Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skin wrote:
I fear that with all the speculation surrounding Hunt, Reading might be so enthused about retaining him and almost see it as a signing.


All that player has is enthusiasm and that is simply not good enough for the premiership. £4.5 mil is a superb deal for us I have no idea wjhy we are not accepting the bid and using the money where needed

Fan baiting on discussion sites is now a recognised Olympic sport.

[brendywendy]

I fear that with all the speculation surrounding Hunt, Reading might be so enthused about retaining him and almost see it as a signing.

All that player has is enthusiasm and that is simply not good enough for the premiership. £4.5 mil is a superb deal for us I have no idea wjhy we are not accepting the bid and using the money where needed

Bah!

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

I fear that with all the speculation surrounding Hunt, Reading might be so enthused about retaining him and almost see it as a signing.

All that player has is enthusiasm and that is simply not good enough for the premiership. £4.5 mil is a superb deal for us I have no idea wjhy we are not accepting the bid and using the money where needed

given that Hunt has been one of our most effective players, it astounds me that you can say he isn't good enough for the premiership.


All things considered, I thing 5 million would be a fair price for him, but signing a replacement is easier said than done.

[brendywendy]

I fear that with all the speculation surrounding Hunt, Reading might be so enthused about retaining him and almost see it as a signing.

All that player has is enthusiasm and that is simply not good enough for the premiership. £4.5 mil is a superb deal for us I have no idea wjhy we are not accepting the bid and using the money where needed

given that Hunt has been one of our most effective players, it astounds me that you can say he isn't good enough for the premiership.


All things considered, I thing 5 million would be a fair price for him, but signing a replacement is easier said than done.

id say he was worth about 4-6 million in a normal market
but to us, at this point in time, he is worth about 8
and i still struggle to think of someone we could buy for that, who offers as much as hunt to the team

[Old Biscuitman]

Given our seemingly complete inability to sign Prem League players, even though we have the funds available, selling Hunt would be a disaster, even at £6m. The monies received would simply sit in the bank, making us financially even more secure, but heading for the drop.

[Royal Rother]

I fear that with all the speculation surrounding Hunt, Reading might be so enthused about retaining him and almost see it as a signing.

All that player has is enthusiasm and that is simply not good enough for the premiership. £4.5 mil is a superb deal for us I have no idea wjhy we are not accepting the bid and using the money where needed

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but some people are that stupid they really shouldn't be allowed to express them in public.

[bobby1413]

I fear that with all the speculation surrounding Hunt, Reading might be so enthused about retaining him and almost see it as a signing.

All that player has is enthusiasm and that is simply not good enough for the premiership. £4.5 mil is a superb deal for us I have no idea wjhy we are not accepting the bid and using the money where needed

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but some people are that stupid they really shouldn't be allowed to express them in public.

Agree with RR, what an idiotic opinion you have posted. Stephen Hunt has held the team together at some points during recent games, he has improved consistently from 2-3 years ago, and is a major link within the current line up and I would go as far to say he is our BEST player.




I must admit to feeling a little uneasy after seeing Derby (yea I know they are bottom), Birmingham and a couple of other bottom teams strengthen themselves with a few players.