Hard to see any progress for the forseeable future

[brendywendy]

do sweeneys do a humble pie?

[PEARCEY]

Some things we do already know:-

a) we have had a reasonable stab at an immediate return to the Prem
b) we didn't lose £10m worth of player in January
c) we did only get about £1m worth of player in in January
d) there have been many dull and uninspiring performances

Points to be argued about ad infinitum:-

e) that January was spent fretting about losing players whilst our rivals strengthened
f) how forseeably far the future is

Still in "time will tell" mode:-

g) we won't get autopromotion
h) we'll probably not make the playoffs
i) we won't be promoted even if we do
j) Coppell may well leave at the end of the season
k) we won't find a reasonable replacement for him
l) Mr Madejski is unwilling to invest in our long term future

Unresolvable?:-

m) that it's been a wasted season



Did I miss anything?

Whats your point?

[SLAMMED]

LOL @ thinking we wont make playoffs.

[AlexY25]

LOL @ thinking we wont make playoffs.

+1

[CMRoyal]

Some things we do already know:-

a) we have had a reasonable stab at an immediate return to the Prem
b) we didn't lose £10m worth of player in January
c) we did only get about £1m worth of player in in January
d) there have been many dull and uninspiring performances

Points to be argued about ad infinitum:-

e) that January was spent fretting about losing players whilst our rivals strengthened
f) how forseeably far the future is

Still in "time will tell" mode:-

g) we won't get autopromotion
h) we'll probably not make the playoffs
i) we won't be promoted even if we do
j) Coppell may well leave at the end of the season
k) we won't find a reasonable replacement for him
l) Mr Madejski is unwilling to invest in our long term future

Unresolvable?:-

m) that it's been a wasted season



Did I miss anything?

Whats your point?

I don't have one, I'm just summarising the main points from the initial discussion, as I understand them, and their current status. I thought it might be worth trying to summarise them for ease of discussion - or my own understanding at least!

[rhroyal]

I think that at the time this thread was created many posters on here would have regarded making the play-offs as progress in the foreseeable future. No need to eat humble pie quite yet. It's just disappointing because IF we miss out on auto promotion we'll know it could have been so much better.

[rhroyal]

Indeed I quote Schards at the start of this thread:

"I could live with mid table finish if we were rebuilding a team for the future but we are not. A mid table finish this year is a continuation of a downward drift and gradual erosion of our dream team rather than a first step for a growing new side. A totally wasted season that simply puts any genuine stab at a return to the prem back twelve months."

Well, we've made progress compared to those forecasts.

[Hoop Blah]

Indeed I quote Schards at the start of this thread:

"I could live with mid table finish if we were rebuilding a team for the future but we are not. A mid table finish this year is a continuation of a downward drift and gradual erosion of our dream team rather than a first step for a growing new side. A totally wasted season that simply puts any genuine stab at a return to the prem back twelve months."

Well, we've made progress compared to those forecasts.

To be fair I'd suggest we haven't as we aren't really building a team for the future.

I think a lot of honest fans expect the like of Doyle, Hunt and Harper to be leaving at the end of this season irrespective of the outcome. The team hasn't really evolved that much from the one that got relegated last season and although we're higher up in the league than I, or Schards by the looks of it, expected next season is surely going to see a totally different team line up come August.

[brendywendy]

but if we go dont up we have a near ready made team of yooves already

[Hoop Blah]

Schards has said that he wants people to 'eat humble pie'. Why? All I and a few others have done is to support our team and always hope for the best for them. That, in my opinion, is what being a fan is all about. What's the point in being a fan of a football club and always expecting the worst from them?

I know things aren't perfect at the moment, but if we get promotion this season - which is still possible - all the poor performances will be forgotten, in the same way that the poor performances in 05/06 are forgotten. If we don't get promoted, then come the start of next season, the old optimism will return and will be increased or decreased depending on results (not performances).

I refuse to accept that I am wrong in wanting the best for and from my club, and being eternally optimistic about their prospects. Eat humble pie for daring to support my team? What a stupid thing to say.

Probably because of the number of people that called him out as being wrong and the glee they took over it at the time.

I don't agree with a lot of Schards arguement throughout the thread, but I do agree that this season has not seen us building for the future and not a lot of progress along the way. The way he's behaved through the thread is laughable but he's taken a lot of undue stick over the original comments.

Supporting your team is one thing, wanting the best for them is all well and good, but blindly not accepting criticism or admiting that some things aren't where you'd want them to be in an ideal world is counter productive and won't bring long term success.

[brendywendy]

disagree, i say weve gone some way to building two seperate teams for two seperate possible futures

[Hoop Blah]

but if we go dont up we have a near ready made team of yooves already

Obviously thats the one strong argument for progress, but they've not really been here being built into that future team.

Most of them look good prospects for this level, but they've not generally been tested enough at this level to think they'd for that successful team we all hope they will.

As indiviuals they've held their own in our side. Put them all in together without the senior, experienced and superior pro's alongside them to help them grow into the side and I think it might be a different story. You only have to look at Southampton to see an example of how a team of youthful promise and sought after individuals don't necessarily produce consistent results.

[brendywendy]

agreed

but i reckon those that will tsay if we dontgo up = the best of the yooves sees us in a very good position for next season considering, though not one that will see us challenging for the automatics again


agreed if we do go up though

we are fecked!

[Hoop Blah]

disagree, i say weve gone some way to building two seperate teams for two seperate possible futures

I think we've got Pearce, Karacan and possibly Henry who could step into a decent Championship side plus Kelly, Sigurdsson and Robson-Kanu who may be able to contribute as squad players, but whichever future we have infront of us come May this squad will need some serious work.

[Hampshire Royal]

Hoop Blah, I agree that the club should be open to criticism. My issue with Schards is that his criticism was vaccuous - he just says that we're crap without putting forward any suggestions that might improve our situation. At least Royalee suggests what he thinks would improve us - sack Coppell. I don't agree with him, but at least he's got an idea for improvement.

[brendywendy]

disagree, i say weve gone some way to building two seperate teams for two seperate possible futures

I think we've got Pearce, Karacan and possibly Henry who could step into a decent Championship side plus Kelly, Sigurdsson and Robson-Kanu who may be able to contribute as squad players, but whichever future we have infront of us come May this squad will need some serious work.

2 definites, and 3 very decent possibles is a very good return for us , academy wise

but i understand what you are saying

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Indeed I quote Schards at the start of this thread:

"I could live with mid table finish if we were rebuilding a team for the future but we are not. A mid table finish this year is a continuation of a downward drift and gradual erosion of our dream team rather than a first step for a growing new side. A totally wasted season that simply puts any genuine stab at a return to the prem back twelve months."

Well, we've made progress compared to those forecasts.

I think (I'd have to check back, if I could be arsed) that he thought we'd finish around 14th. It would be a fairly radical analysis of the outcome to suggest that reaching the play-offs would see him being proven right.

[rfcjoe]

Horrid thread.

[SLAMMED]

Horrid thread.

'greed.

[juanpablo]

this thread needs to be kept because despite its epic shitness and the team being shit now


my bet with Schards is somewhere in this clusterfuck and im still looking good for the money, deffo not over tho