Looking FORWARD to 2008/9 already! Understand? NOT Backwards

[rg6royal]

I'm looking for fans to have more sensible views next season and more realistic aims.

Play-Offs?

[Alan Partridge]

I'm looking for fans to have more sensible views next season and more realistic aims.

Play-Offs?

[Southbank Old Boy]

At least all the oxf*rd plastics will be gone

Personally I hope they stay.

For years we've said we need more numbers through the gates to break even and compete with the likes of Wolves, Palace, Sheff Utd etc etc. If all the new fans we've picked up over the last 5 years of success disappear then we've lost more than our Premiership status.

[winchester_royal]

At least all the oxf*rd plastics will be gone

Personally I hope they stay.

For years we've said we need more numbers through the gates to break even and compete with the likes of Wolves, Palace, Sheff Utd etc etc. If all the new fans we've picked up over the last 5 years of success disappear then we've lost more than our Premiership status.

The ones who stay are not plastics........

Just coz they started supporting us when we went up, doesn't make them lesser fans

It is the ones who stop suppoting us now who are the pathetic ones

[RoyalBlue]

as long as we keep matey, bikey, kitson and doyle, we'll be back i no time; if we lose any of those guys i'll be gutted, but at least the club get the parachute payments for the next year of so, so wages will not have to be decreased, which will hopefully keep the better players at Reading

Let me introduce you to our Chairman: Mr 'Cutbacks' Madejski who already has his scissors out to 'cut our cloth according to our means'. The parachute payments will go wherever the rest of the PL money went and personally I don't believe that was all on transfer fees and players wages!

RB, what evidence do you have that the Chairman hasn't backed his manager with significant funds that are enough to have given Coppell and the club a fair chance of building a squad capable of survival.

It would appear that Coppell is willing to accept his portion of the blame. You seem to only see Madejski at fault.

Coppell has largely walked the talk and kept his promises. Madejski hasn't. We will never get any real evidence as to what happens behind the scenes at the club because we are just mug punters to be milked of our cash and given the mushroom treatment by the Chairman. However, listen to people who have worked for Madejski in the past e.g. Gooding, as well as those who have a lot of contact with people within the club e.g. the BBCRB mob, and it would appear there is enough smoke to suggest a fire is burning somewhere there. Even today Joel Hufford was saying that from his discussions with players and other people at the club, whilst it might have been true that there was money available for transfer fees, the wage structure was still such as to make it nigh near impossible to attract players that were better than what we already had. i.e. Nothing to do with being 'Little Reading' and everything to do with being poor paying Reading!

Yes Coppell is big enough to accept his portion of the blame but will Madejski put his hands up to anything (other than to acknowledge the applause of those still prepared to fall in homage at his feet)?

And what backing is the Chairman promising now? Even before we were down, he was announcing the need for 'cutbacks'. Mind you, I bet the line changes a bit when the ticket prices are announced for next season!! Then we will be promised all sorts again!

[Southbank Old Boy]

Coppell has largely walked the talk and kept his promises.

Coppell has said a lot of things he hasn't followed through on. Strengthening the squad, not buying foreigners, bringing in players with Prem experience, making changes to his side, pushing on for Euro football, going out to win cup games etc etc...

Madejski hasn't. We will never get any real evidence as to what happens behind the scenes at the club because we are just mug punters to be milked of our cash and given the mushroom treatment by the Chairman. However, listen to people who have worked for Madejski in the past e.g. Gooding, as well as those who have a lot of contact with people within the club e.g. the BBCRB mob, and it would appear there is enough smoke to suggest a fire is burning somewhere there. Even today Joel Hufford was saying that from his discussions with players and other people at the club, whilst it might have been true that there was money available for transfer fees, the wage structure was still such as to make it nigh near impossible to attract players that were better than what we already had. i.e. Nothing to do with being 'Little Reading' and everything to do with being poor paying Reading!

Yes we have a wage structure but Coppell has come out and said he had the chance to bring in a number of players that he decided against, players that probably would've strengthened our squad and probably his starting side too. I think our wage bill is closer to the competitions wages than we really appreciate. The last figures I saw on here said 2007 wages were £26m. That's a decent figure in comparison to others us from what I've heard and read.

Yes Coppell is big enough to accept his portion of the blame but will Madejski put his hands up to anything (other than to acknowledge the applause of those still prepared to fall in homage at his feet)?

And what backing is the Chairman promising now? Even before we were down, he was announcing the need for 'cutbacks'. Mind you, I bet the line changes a bit when the ticket prices are announced for next season!! Then we will be promised all sorts again!

I'm pretty sick and tired of the spin that comes out of the club, but Madjeski is right not to risk the future of the club and he can't make his manager spend money can he?

Will he put his hands up and say he's made mistakes and shoulder some of the blame? Probably not, but that doesn't mean it's all his fault and that he's not given Coppell the funds to build a better squad. Your witch-hunt this evening against a man who's done more for this club than Coppell (who has still done more than most!) just seems a bit misguided.

[Royal Rother]

So there really aren't enough threads pulling Madejski apart elsewhere? Blimey, you are a sad arsed creature Royal Blue.

[RoyalBlue]

So there really aren't enough threads pulling Madejski apart elsewhere? Blimey, you are a sad arsed creature Royal Blue.

I make no apology for that at all. I'm an extremely bitter b*stard at present and I am p*ssed off with those who continue to massage the Chairman's ego by licking his *rse. If you really think he is going to change his spots and give his manager the support needed to get us straight back then you really are deluded. Even before we were down, he was talking of cutbacks from what were already laughable budgets compared to those of the clubs we are expected to compete against.

IMO he deserves every critical thread going. He was so quick to reap every bit of glory and hero worship going when things were going well (it made me laugh to hear someone say on BBCRB today that JM made out that he hadn't realised his picture would be all over the papers when we were promoted ) I have yet to hear him even intimate that he might have at least some responsibility for what has happened today.

IMO the Chairman has got to where he is by making sure he looks after no 1 and IMO what he has done for the club primarily has been done for that very same purpose and not out of purely philanthropic motives

I am looking FORWARD to 2008/9 and what I see looking FORWARD is a repeat of what happened after our Wembley playoff final failure.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Fair enough RB, but your criticism of Madejski seems to be out of proportion with all the evidence of who's responsilble for the failures this season.

I agree he lapped it up before, and I bet he'll develop some slopy shoulders over the next week or so, but you seem to lump the whole deal on JM without any real founding.

[sam1]

Well I'm itching to renew my season ticket. Am really looking forward to next season and the teams we'll play.

[Royal Rother]

So there really aren't enough threads pulling Madejski apart elsewhere? Blimey, you are a sad arsed creature Royal Blue.

I make no apology for that at all. I'm an extremely bitter b*stard at present and I am p*ssed off with those who continue to massage the Chairman's ego by licking his *rse. If you really think he is going to change his spots and give his manager the support needed to get us straight back then you really are deluded. Even before we were down, he was talking of cutbacks from what were already laughable budgets compared to those of the clubs we are expected to compete against.

IMO he deserves every critical thread going. He was so quick to reap every bit of glory and hero worship going when things were going well (it made me laugh to hear someone say on BBCRB today that JM made out that he hadn't realised his picture would be all over the papers when we were promoted ) I have yet to hear him even intimate that he might have at least some responsibility for what has happened today.

IMO the Chairman has got to where he is by making sure he looks after no 1 and IMO what he has done for the club primarily has been done for that very same purpose and not out of purely philanthropic motives

I am looking FORWARD to 2008/9 and what I see looking FORWARD is a repeat of what happened after our Wembley playoff final failure.

I'm sorry, but this is just pathetic, blame culture bullshit.

I don't care how much of JM's motives were self-promotion, a pretty common factor in most football chairmen's minds I would have thought, the fact remains that he rescued the club, built a new stadium, and took us to the Premier League, and built an infrastructure that will pay dividends for many years to come. ALL OF THAT was achieved on the back of HIS MONEY, and HIS ACUMEN.

Whatever you think of his financial management, after what he has done for this club to disrespect him personally, and to bad mouth him in thread after thread after thread as you have done over the last few months shows you up as one of the lowest, most snivelling little worms it has been my displeasure to come across on these forums, and believe me there have been a few.

[Apocalypse Now]

If Coppell stays things will be OK and Reading will go up.

The only players I can see leaving are Shorey, Lita and Fae. Shorey would be the biggest loss but the money made on the sale of said players (£10m minimum) would give Coppell the ability to buy some excellent replacements. Theres not many clubs in the Championship who will have the sort of spending power Reading will have next season.

Hahnemann/Federici

Rosenior/Murty
Sonko/Ingimarsson
Bikey/Duberry
Golbourne/?

Little/?
Harper/Cisse
Matejovsky/?
Hunt/Convey

Kitson/Long
Doyle/?

Positions that need looking at will be left back, central midfield, right wing and upfront. A first choice left back will be needed with the departure of Shorey. Central midfield looks strong if Harper and Matejovsky stay with the club so a back up attacking midfielder is all that's needed. A first choice right winger is the key position to strengthen as Little can't be relied on. Theres plenty of options upfront but a experienced target man would be a good addition.

Looking at the competition and how poor the Championship was this season and the sides that have come down, I can see Reading and Birmingham heading straight back up next season.

[papereyes]

At least all the oxf*rd plastics will be gone

Personally I hope they stay.

For years we've said we need more numbers through the gates to break even and compete with the likes of Wolves, Palace, Sheff Utd etc etc. If all the new fans we've picked up over the last 5 years of success disappear then we've lost more than our Premiership status.

The next time we go up, they won't be plastic anymore.

[brendywendy]

mr mad promised a reduction in season ticket prices on radio berks this am

[papereyes]

The only players I can see leaving are Shorey, Lita and Fae. Shorey would be the biggest loss but the money made on the sale of said players (£10m minimum) would give Coppell the ability to buy some excellent replacements. .

I think that's a bit optimistic. Possible, but optimistic. I could easily see us barely getting 3 or 4 million for them.

Positions that need looking at will be left back, central midfield, right wing and upfront. A first choice left back will be needed with the departure of Shorey. Central midfield looks strong if Harper and Matejovsky stay with the club so a back up attacking midfielder is all that's needed. A first choice right winger is the key position to strengthen as Little can't be relied on. Theres plenty of options upfront but a experienced target man would be a good addition.

Looking at the competition and how poor the Championship was this season and the sides that have come down, I can see Reading and Birmingham heading straight back up next season

Agreed, but other than the left back, that's what I think we could have done with at the start of this season.

[Hoop Blah]

I'm looking forward to the building of a new team and hopefully the emergence of a new set of players including a few local lads making an impact.

However I'm really going to miss the subtle craft of Shorey when he leaves, the tireless work of Doyle and the explosive finishing of Lita.

Fingers crossed the likes of Kitson and Harper stay though to give us some continuity to the side.

[Stranded]

mr mad promised a reduction in season ticket prices on radio berks this am

Good, good. Anticipating them being around £480 myself. Just over £20 a game.

[loyalroyal4life]

i was looking forward to next season on basis i thought we would have real chance of coming back up.

Now i am not so sure. headlines cover COPPELL RESIGNING vastly and i believe this will no doubt happen.


If it does i dont think we will get a manager in that will take us up straight away as it will take time for new ways to kick in and more players will leave than as opposed to if coppell stayed.

Plus Mr mad will get someone in who will have a shocker someone like ian dowie

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Im looking forward to more midweek games at the Mad Stad. Been in short supply the last couple of years.

[RG30]

I look forward to seeing the new generation of players like Pearce and Henry get their chance, they're probably ready (certainly Pearce) and add to that the experience and quality and we have a great chance of getting promoted.