We are just not good enough.....

[martin fife]

I watched the game in with the Gooners yesterday, they were full of praise for Marcus, and were getting frustrated with the squandering of so many chances in front of goal.

As I sat there watching Jimmy Kebe running around like a baby stork, and the rest of our team trying their best but not putting Arsenal under any real pressure, it finally hit me, the reality of our situation. Until Emerse Fae came on, I think Andre Bikey was our most expensive player on the pitch, he cost us £1.5m, everyone else has come from the bargain basement and yesterday it really showed.

We did great things last season, we over achieved etc etc, this term has been a big reality check for us, the fans. The club decided not to invest some of their enormous income on strengthening the team with players of proven Premiership quality, fair enough, we are where we deserve to be. The Clubs around us, Wigan, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Bolton, Sunderland and Fulham all strengthened for the fight, most of them will be OK.

The last few months have shown up our paucity of tactical know how and lack of "Premiership Nouse", our back four are constantly firefighting, the midfield is being overun, providing no service to our wingers who in turn put nothing into the box which doesnt matter because our strikers are never there to capitalise.

But, because they are doing there best (last week excepted) I can't criticise them anymore. Maybe our natural home is the Championship, the Club certainly seem to think so.

[readingbedding]

I watched the game in with the Gooners yesterday, they were full of praise for Marcus, and were getting frustrated with the squandering of so many chances in front of goal.

As I sat there watching Jimmy Kebe running around like a baby stork, and the rest of our team trying their best but not putting Arsenal under any real pressure, it finally hit me, the reality of our situation. Until Emerse Fae came on, I think Andre Bikey was our most expensive player on the pitch, he cost us £1.5m, everyone else has come from the bargain basement and yesterday it really showed.

We did great things last season, we over achieved etc etc, this term has been a big reality check for us, the fans. The club decided not to invest some of their enormous income on strengthening the team with players of proven Premiership quality, fair enough, we are where we deserve to be. The Clubs around us, Wigan, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Bolton, Sunderland and Fulham all strengthened for the fight, most of them will be OK.

The last few months have shown up our paucity of tactical know how and lack of "Premiership Nouse", our back four are constantly firefighting, the midfield is being overun, providing no service to our wingers who in turn put nothing into the box which doesnt matter because our strikers are never there to capitalise.

But, because they are doing there best (last week excepted) I can't critise them anymore. Maybe our natural home is the Championship, the Club certainly seem to think so.

Some of them won't be Ok, and we're have not been relegated, what's your point?
Tell me more about 'Premiership nouse' - sounds brilliant.

[martin fife]

Well I mean quality, first touch, stuff like that, something more than honest endevour. I suppose my point is you cant blame the players for not being good enough, maybe we just expect too much of them?

[readingbedding]

I don't 'expect' anything from them - football has a nasty habit of kicking you in the teeth if the fans turn up expectant against any opposition side.

[2.8 lita injection]

I watched the game in with the Gooners yesterday, they were full of praise for Marcus, and were getting frustrated with the squandering of so many chances in front of goal.

As I sat there watching Jimmy Kebe running around like a baby stork, and the rest of our team trying their best but not putting Arsenal under any real pressure, it finally hit me, the reality of our situation. Until Emerse Fae came on, I think Andre Bikey was our most expensive player on the pitch, he cost us £1.5m, everyone else has come from the bargain basement and yesterday it really showed.

We did great things last season, we over achieved etc etc, this term has been a big reality check for us, the fans. The club decided not to invest some of their enormous income on strengthening the team with players of proven Premiership quality, fair enough, we are where we deserve to be. The Clubs around us, Wigan, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Bolton, Sunderland and Fulham all strengthened for the fight, most of them will be OK.

The last few months have shown up our paucity of tactical know how and lack of "Premiership Nouse", our back four are constantly firefighting, the midfield is being overun, providing no service to our wingers who in turn put nothing into the box which doesnt matter because our strikers are never there to capitalise.

But, because they are doing there best (last week excepted) I can't criticise them anymore. Maybe our natural home is the Championship, the Club certainly seem to think so.

We dont have any wingers, we have stephen 'head down' Hunt who isnt the same player as we saw in the first quarter of the season.

[firstdivision]

One explanation could read like this..

"Reading FC is a collection of previously unknown players who have played together as a fantastic team over a couple of years. If you take the team away, we dont have one particular player who can really change a game (possible exception being Shane Long) or who is a shining star for us. So when the team misfires we look like a bunch of average players.

The Chairman has been the saviour and backbone of the club over the years, but is not prepared to pay the wages for players that our rivals are paying, and so even if Jose Mourinho was our manager, with a few billion in the transfer kitty we wouldnt be able to attract star players unless we paid them the going rate. So what chance has SSC got? Even if he has the money to buy players he wont have the money to pay them so they go elsewhere. This leaves him shopping in the football equivalent of Lidl's.

Fortunately he can spot a bargain so we have coped, but next year (I do believe we will just nick it this year) we will really struggle without serious investment to let us compete"

This may be the obvious, but we were up against class yesterday against a team that had a number of players who could really change a game at will. Men against boys...

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Well I mean quality, first touch, stuff like that, something more than honest endevour. I suppose my point is you cant blame the players for not being good enough, maybe we just expect too much of them?

The players are good enough. They just aren't good enough to expect to stay up comfortably. If a team's players are good enough to finish 17th, then they are good enough for the premiership. You don't have to finish 12th to be considered good enough.

Last year we overachieved playing well. This year we've underachieved playing badly.

[westongeezer]

QUOTE : Reading 3 Liverpool 1 , we are good enough, i feel theres a confidence issue here thats all, i would also add although there where clear stupid school boy errors yesterday we played fair and now brums are being stuffed theres light at the end of tunnel.

[strap]

I don't 'expect' anything from them - football has a nasty habit of kicking you in the teeth if the fans turn up expectant against any opposition side.

Reading 0 - 2 Fulham case in point. Hope the players have got it out of their system now.

[Cookie]

As I sat there watching Jimmy Kebe running around like a baby stork, and the rest of our team trying their best but not putting Arsenal under any real pressure, it finally hit me, the reality of our situation. Until Emerse Fae came on, I think Andre Bikey was our most expensive player on the pitch, he cost us £1.5m, everyone else has come from the bargain basement and yesterday it really showed.

But, because they are doing there best (last week excepted) I can't criticise them anymore. Maybe our natural home is the Championship, the Club certainly seem to think so.

How much did Paul Scholes, Ryan Gigs et al cost Manchester United?

[papereyes]

As I sat there watching Jimmy Kebe running around like a baby stork, and the rest of our team trying their best but not putting Arsenal under any real pressure, it finally hit me, the reality of our situation. Until Emerse Fae came on, I think Andre Bikey was our most expensive player on the pitch, he cost us £1.5m, everyone else has come from the bargain basement and yesterday it really showed.

But, because they are doing there best (last week excepted) I can't criticise them anymore. Maybe our natural home is the Championship, the Club certainly seem to think so.

How much did Paul Scholes, Ryan Gigs et al cost Manchester United?

Its actually wages that shows the strongest correlation to success.

And, if we had a single youth player of the calibre of even a young Ryan Giggs, well, I'd be

[Cookie]

As I sat there watching Jimmy Kebe running around like a baby stork, and the rest of our team trying their best but not putting Arsenal under any real pressure, it finally hit me, the reality of our situation. Until Emerse Fae came on, I think Andre Bikey was our most expensive player on the pitch, he cost us £1.5m, everyone else has come from the bargain basement and yesterday it really showed.

But, because they are doing there best (last week excepted) I can't criticise them anymore. Maybe our natural home is the Championship, the Club certainly seem to think so.

How much did Paul Scholes, Ryan Gigs et al cost Manchester United?

Its actually wages that shows the strongest correlation to success.

And, if we had a single youth player of the calibre of even a young Ryan Giggs, well, I'd be

That's right, a big splash in the transfer market doesn't always equal success. Didn't Derby and Fulham spend around £40M between them last summer?

[papereyes]

How much did Paul Scholes, Ryan Gigs et al cost Manchester United?

Its actually wages that shows the strongest correlation to success.

And, if we had a single youth player of the calibre of even a young Ryan Giggs, well, I'd be

That's right, a big splash in the transfer market doesn't always equal success. Didn't Derby and Fulham spend around £40M between them last summer?

But who knows how well they might have done without that cash?

[rfc58]

Spending millions doesn't guarantee success, but spending a sensible amount does help, i.e Blacburn.. hardly spent vast fortunes, but they have got a pretty good squad being assembled, and if they make in roads/progress each season, they simply add to a good squad again, and it could become even better.

Gilkesy came out with a sensible comment during the Bolton away game, "man for man, we are similar to Bolton on todays evidence, but their stars have been the difference between a draw and the 3-0 loss we suffered".

I think the club could afford to invest say 20-25 million from the money they have enjoyed in recent years, that would be ambitious and sensible.

I also think if they showed true ambition, season ticket sales next season will be good, but I think they will drop alarmingly even if we stay up.

[Big Ern]

Spending millions doesn't guarantee success.

Nope, but it does give you a much better chance of satying up. It is whats known as 'trying to compete', something this club has talked about wanting to do, but to date, hasn;t done it. Actions speak louder than words. The other clubs around us have invested and we haven't. I fear that could be telling at the end of the seaons.

And, to anyone thinks that we will spend big in championship terms next seaons, then I think you will be dissapointed. It will be another close season of picking people out the basement bin hoping we have uncovered something special. No doubt the club will come up with some far fetched excuse as to why we suddenly have no money left which they will expect us to swollow and the seaons ticket prices will remain the same.

[rfc58]

Spending millions doesn't guarantee success.

Nope, but it does give you a much better chance of satying up. It is whats known as 'trying to compete', something this club has talked about wanting to do, but to date, hasn;t done it. Actions speak louder than words. The other clubs around us have invested and we haven't. I fear that could be telling at the end of the seaons.

And, to anyone thinks that we will spend big in championship terms next seaons, then I think you will be dissapointed. It will be another close season of picking people out the basement bin hoping we have uncovered something special. No doubt the club will come up with some far fetched excuse as to why we suddenly have no money left which they will expect us to swollow and the seaons ticket prices will remain the same.

Ern, Don't think my comment you used is supporting the clubs stance, it couldn't be further from the truth.

I agree with what you said, and I have said countless of times, if we had invested say 15 million on three players last summer, I think they might have helped bring the best out of the current crop.

Imagine two top draw midfield players, a winger etc, that may have brought players like Doyle and Lita into the game more.

But I guess we will never know the answer to that.

[Royal Rother]

And, to anyone thinks that we will spend big in championship terms next seaons, then I think you will be dissapointed.

I will be disappointed if we are in the Championship next season but I certainly won't be disappointed if we don't spend big because we simply won't need to; we already have a squad more than capable of bouncing straight back, with maybe one or two additions (depending on likely departures).

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

And, to anyone thinks that we will spend big in championship terms next seaons, then I think you will be dissapointed.

I will be disappointed if we are in the Championship next season but I certainly won't be disappointed if we don't spend big because we simply won't need to; we already have a squad more than capable of bouncing straight back, with maybe one or two additions (depending on likely departures).

We have a squad capable of staying up too - but with them playing so badly, and having played badly for so long, the odds of us just snapping back into 2005/6 style performances are not good.

[North Somerset Royal]

And, to anyone thinks that we will spend big in championship terms next seaons, then I think you will be dissapointed.

I will be disappointed if we are in the Championship next season but I certainly won't be disappointed if we don't spend big because we simply won't need to; we already have a squad more than capable of bouncing straight back, with maybe one or two additions (depending on likely departures).

Yeah. Just like Charlton, Sheffield United and Watford

[Big Ern]

And, to anyone thinks that we will spend big in championship terms next seaons, then I think you will be dissapointed.

I will be disappointed if we are in the Championship next season but I certainly won't be disappointed if we don't spend big because we simply won't need to; we already have a squad more than capable of bouncing straight back, with maybe one or two additions (depending on likely departures).

Yeah. Just like Charlton, Sheffield United and Watford

Seconded

If we go down, there ill be loads of people on here who think we will bounce straight back up, but in reality it will be very very difficult. I think we we lose quite a few players if we go down such as Lita, Shorey, Hunt, Harper, Doyle, Marek and posibly Kitson for a start. Other players in our squad will need replacing as they are potentially past it , even at championship level.

We will have to pick up players on the cheap and there is no guarantee these will be a success. It may mean a much smaller sqaud which mean we will rely on staying fairly injury free. The new team will take time to settle and out of all the teams going down (assuming it is us and Fulham that joind Derby) I think we will be in the worse position.