Next Season

[AF1]

Wally Downes........Not sure what he has given us the last couple of seasons


ALOL


17(?) clean sheets this season



dog shit > team board

[Thaumagurist*]

Wally Downes........Not sure what he has given us the last couple of seasons


ALOL


17(?) clean sheets this season



dog shit > team board

Just counted up the clean sheets, Coventry last Sat was actually the 18th clean sheet. Which is great, when you consider our fantastic goal difference.

[yappy]

Its obvious that our squad will need trimming. All relegated clubs who don't bounce back up always have to dramatically decrease the wage bill, and if we go up- well half our squad isn't good enough.

This is who i'd get rid of;

Hahnemann... fantastic servant for the club, but IMO its Federici, Andersen & Hamers chance to battle now. Federici has already proved hes good enough.

Murty... also a fantastic servant, we'll miss his leadership (as we have this season) but his fitness is no longer there.

Gunnarsson... no longer has the legs, and we have plenty of other options in midfield.

Lita... the better hes gone, the better for us, and for him. His heart is no longer here.

Sodje... who??? Not good enough.

Bennett... same as Sodje. Not good enough.

Duberry... yes i will probably be slated for this, but IMO hes too old and too slow. With Bikey, Pearce and Ivar (and possibly Cisse covering) I think were good enough there.

That will leave us with a squad looking like:

Goalkeepers- Federici, Andersen, Hamer
Defenders- Rosenior, Kelly, Bikey, Pearce, Ingimarsson, Armstrong
Midfielders- Kebe, Henry, Cisse, Harper, Matejovsky, Karacan, S.Hunt, Tabb, Robson-Kanu
Strikers- Doyle, N.Hunt, Long, Mooney

Apart from lack of competition for full-backs, I'd say that is still a squad full of quality, good enough for the Championship. Obviously a few people may leave (S.Hunt, Doyle) and would need to be replaced, and if we went up we would need a few more players, but if we started next season with that squad in the Championship, I'd be happy (even happier if Simon Cox rejoined!!)

[Handsome Man]

I don't really care as long as there are a few new faces, we get a whole summer of transfer rumours, and Marek leaves.

[rhroyal]

If we stay down I want to see Karacan, Henry, Pearce, Kelly and Robson-Kanu given decent chances in the team next season. We could realistically lose Harper and Hunt which would make natural space for Robson-Kanu and Karacan. Henry deserves a chance at challenging Kebe anyhow. Pearce is already in the mix truth be told and I think he will become a regular as he matures and Duberry and Ingimarsson get older. Kelly may have to be more patient.

I'd say Sigurdsson would benefit from another year's loan somewhere else but I would be delighted if he got a chance too. I'm not convinced by Church, but we have a 24 year old Mooney who looks to be alright.

If we stay down players will be sold. People will criticize the club for not bringing in replacements at over £1mill each. However for once I'd honestly say that we have players ready to step up and fill the void of any players who leave. Give them a chance. Worst case scenario I can't imagine for a moment they'd take us down, I really can't see that giving them a chance would cause too much harm. I personally think we'd be in a push for promotion.

[Royal Rother]

Marcus................ £1m
Gunnarsson........... Free
Marek.................. £1m
Lita.................... Nil
Kebe................... £600k
Hunt S................. £3m
Tabb................... won't go
Sodje.................. Free
Harper................. £3m
Golbourne............. £150k
Doyle................... £6m
Bikey................... £1.5m

The earlier list + Doyle & Bikey seems pretty realistic but I'm sure there'd be some other departures that wouldn't generate a fee.

I'd be perfectly happy with about £15m+ coming in and our host of fine youngsters being given a chance. It would be a very different, but no less exciting, season than of late to look forward to.

[SLAMMED]

Hunt S................. £3m

ALOL @ 3 miLOLLOLion.

[Royal Rother]

What do you think then? I don't think we'd need to go lower than £2.5m - he has a certain reputation and has done well at international level so would probably bring more than the player we've seen for most of the last 18 months might appear to be worth.

Or were you suggesting £3m is too low?

[Blue Biscuit]

Can't believe that you have valued S Hunt and Harper the same. Neither have set the division alight this season but because of his international experience I would have thought Hunt is worth more than Harper, but neither of them are worth £3 million.

[PEARCEY]

What do you think then? I don't think we'd need to go lower than £2.5m - he has a certain reputation and has done well at international level so would probably bring more than the player we've seen for most of the last 18 months might appear to be worth.

Or were you suggesting £3m is too low?

I think we would struggle to get £3 million for Harper now...he's pushing 30 and having a very average season...maybe £1.5 million for him.
Would we get anything for Hahnemann?

[Blue Biscuit]

It's hard to imagine who would be interested in Marcus. A prem club, as cover..? They might pay something. A Championship side or Lg one side..? But would they be prepared to part with any serious cash..? Somehow I doubt it. If he were to leave maybe he would return to the States, and that might be our best option for a decent fee.

[Royalee]

A million quid for Hahnemann? Dream on.

[Uke]

Be careful what you wish for...

I can see it now...

Parky has a contract until the end of the season.
Coppell takes his 'break' if we don't go back up at the end of the season.
Parky is named Reading manager.

Parky is a first class guy and deserves all the success that comes is way.My daughter and I met him in Tescos a few years ago he spent lots of time chatting to her and he let her hold his little baby,not many footballers would do that.One dayI would like to think he would be good enough to manager our club.

Personally I'd love us to have a manager who has a real affintity to the club and the fans and isn't just here because it's the club willing to pay him the most or give him the best chance of progressing to another club.

Obvioulsy 99% of players, managers and other members of staff are in it for the money and it's their profession but knowing that the man at the top has some feeling and history with the club helps to maintain the right atmospher and culture at the club.

That manager has to be good enough though, but at least Parky looks to have the same thoughts on how to run things as Pardew and to a lesser extent Coppell.

It's the continuity and feel for the clubs culture and history that means an ex-player, and sepcifically one that was here for so long and was so well regarded, is always going to be suggested as a potential manager.

I bet Parky is Reading manager within the next 5 years!!

Parky. It'll be Parky!

He's P.A.R.K.Y.......

[PEARCEY]

No thanks.

[papereyes]

It's hard to imagine who would be interested in Marcus. A prem club, as cover..? They might pay something. A Championship side or Lg one side..? But would they be prepared to part with any serious cash..? Somehow I doubt it. If he were to leave maybe he would return to the States, and that might be our best option for a decent fee.

Contract runs out, goes and sees out career in MLS

FACT

[Blue Biscuit]

Can easily see Marcus leaving for the MLS.
Parky as manager at some point is also highly likely I would think. What about Gareth Southgate, if he loses his job as a result of Middlesboro' getting relegated..?

[Franchise FC]

Interesting last season we leeked goals for fun

Did we ?

We had two freak games which blew our Goals Against figures. Replace them with a couple of 2 goal defeats and our stats look not much different to a lot of the teams last season. We also improved defensively in the second half of the season IIRC.

Replace them with a couple of two goal defeats and we'd have improved our goal difference by a MASSIVE +1.
The defeat at Tottenham was actually better than a 2-0 defeat because of the extra goals scored.

[Hoop Blah]

I expect to see wholesale changes this summer.

Coppell will more than likely be the first, followed by Downes (I expect Dillion to stay unless he gets a chance to manage lower down the leagues) as a new man comes in.

The majority of the players over 30 will move on (contracts/offers allowing) as will the likes of Sodje, Bennet and the youngsters out on loan below league 1.

Our 'stars' will also move on, which means we'll lose Bikey, Doyle, Hunt and Harper with Matejovsky also likely to be on his way somewhere depending on the new manager. Lita will almost certainly be joining them too unless he senses the new manager will build our attack around him. More likely though he already knows where he's going and the deal is all but signed.

We'll be left with the promising youngsters plus Duberry, Armstrong, Rosenoir, Kebe, Ivar, Hunt, Long and Tabb.

We'll need to sign a bit of experience and some good characters too.

[CMRoyal]

I expect to see wholesale changes this summer.

Coppell will more than likely be the first, followed by Downes (I expect Dillion to stay unless he gets a chance to manage lower down the leagues) as a new man comes in.

The majority of the players over 30 will move on (contracts/offers allowing) as will the likes of Sodje, Bennet and the youngsters out on loan below league 1.

Our 'stars' will also move on, which means we'll lose Bikey, Doyle, Hunt and Harper with Matejovsky also likely to be on his way somewhere depending on the new manager. Lita will almost certainly be joining them too unless he senses the new manager will build our attack around him. More likely though he already knows where he's going and the deal is all but signed.

We'll be left with the promising youngsters plus Duberry, Armstrong, Rosenoir, Kebe, Ivar, Hunt, Long and Tabb.

We'll need to sign a bit of experience and some good characters too.

When you put it like that, it's actually quite an exciting prospect.

[brendywendy]

its weird....but missing out at wembley, and getting to see the kids try and get us out of this division next year >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>going up and getting mullered all year in the prem


and i also think that coppell is teh best man for that job if it happens, those kids will only continue to improve under his guidance


hell go though