Clear out in the summer?

['lista]

If we get relegated this season there will be a clear out of 'fans' in the summer

[Forbury Lion]

If we get relegated this season there will be a clear out of fans in the summer

Indeed, out with those who can't afford to pay Premiership prices for Championship matches.

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

i reckon there will be a clear out in the summer, not neccesarily due to squad numbers(we still have one of the smallest squads if you take away the ' youth' players on professional contracts) but simply because i think Reading are now in a period of transition with several players reaching the end of the road in Coppells programme of rebuilding.

I think to suggest getting rid of Sonko is very far fetched, until his injury he looked quite the assured Premiership CB and his positional sense and strength was coming on game after game. Now after a year out the physical demands of a match day have been taken away from him and we expect him to return with the same strength and speed- its just not possible to get that back immediately. He is coming into his prime as a centre back in terms of age and far better to assess him in the summer which is when i believe that he will only have fully recovered.

As for players leaving, i can see Gunnarson going as we have plenty of 'defensive' midfielders as well as Bennett,Sodje and Brown going- centre backs that ultimately have so many numbers ahead of them to get past. Ideally i think Ingi has had his time at Reading and looks out of his depth so i would move him on too and get a decent CB replacement (Mensah?!). I think Halls will also go as we have too much competition at RB. Its a shame but i also think DLC will go for the same reason. I think Murty wil stay but hopefully you will find Rosenior taking his position. I think Oster will be given another season and its highly likely that cox will leave in the summer too. I could see Long going out on loan but lita/shorey staying for the meantime. I can see the argument raised by others about convey but am pretty sure Coppell will stand by him , Little on the other hand is not so clear cut and depends on the injury. As for the others i would be quite happy to see Doobs,Bikey remaining at Reading- i think Bikey has more to come personally. Hanehmann has looked increasingly shaky and could well be off in the summer so a replacement goalie of experience is needed.

All in all would seem quite a clear out (anything up to 8 first team regulars in my book) but Coppell did it at the start of his tenure so should not be frightened to do so again. This of course would mean a number of players coming in to supplement, whether it happens as well as the players moving on is pie in the sky though. What i think will be interesting is our CB pairing- it could well completely change next season, especially if Cisse/Bikey improve. I dont see many youth players leaving until there contracts start to run out.

[Cookie]

There is no way that Sonko should be leaving yet. If any player can come back stronger next season it will be him!

Now and again a player just doesn't make a come-back from a major (leg) injury, I'll always remember what a disappointment Barry Hunter was after his injury.

But as for getting rid of Sonko, maybe the jury will be out for a little while longer.
Coppell thinks the world of him and who can blame him for that after Sonko's debut season in the Premier League. You've all seen the t-shirt.

There's a suspicion though, that Coppell brought him back too early.

[strap]

Too early to say. If we stay up, Sir Steve may decide he wants to retain a big squad, albeit with question marks as to its overall depth in quality terms. If we go down, he may want to stay loyal to the group of players thath got us up in the first place.

I just wonder how long loyalty will be a yardstick for ability. I've said it here before that the age of this team is now 4 years - far in excess of what can reasonably expected of a group without significant additions.

[Millsy]

If we get relegated this season there will be a clear out of fans in the summer

All 8000 of us? Nah, there'll be a clearout of the plastics. Some of them will have turned into fans though.

[Elm Park Old Boy]

It takes some courage to cut loose players that were key to your success. Does Coppell have previous form in re-building his own team?

There are few managers that get long enough in a job to build and mature a team and then re-build & mature a second generation. Ferguson and Wenger are about the only current examples.

This is an interesting point, which I don't think I've seen mentioned before. In my opinion Coppell has a clear record of improving just about every team he has taken over (dramatically so at Reading, for which we can all be grateful forever).

But I am not sure he has ever taken on and passed the next big test: to overhaul and rebuild his own team when the time came.

That isn't to say I don't want him to stay and try: I do.

['lista]

If we get relegated this season there will be a clear out of fans in the summer

All 8000 of us? Nah, there'll be a clearout of the plastics. Some of them will have turned into fans though.

Point taken. I've made a subtle change to my original post.