New manager Brendan Rodgers *confirmed*

[Schards#2]

I rarely venture into "The Team" forum, but as this thread is talking about the methods of Brendan Rodgers I'll share some of what I learnt this afternoon when I was one of 3 STAR Board members invited to meet Brendan and spend some time with him at Hogwood.

What he said was very open, honest and enlightening, as well as being extremely inspiring. He outlined to us his career so far, what makes him the best person for this role and the process of how he came to be appointed. He then talked very openly about his way of working, what's important to him, his football philosophy and his vision for Reading, as well as some of the nuts and bolts (e.g. transfers in progress, etc). It's clear that communication is vital to him (with everyone), and that he is extremely methodical and detail-focused.

I obviously won't share the sensitive stuff about individual players, but some of the things he had to say about his vision and philosophy is superb - and I'm sure just what every supporter wants to hear. This "dossier" that people have leapt to take the piss out is is actually a large book (way more than "80 pages") which outlines all of this vision and philosophy - together with tactics, formations, attributes for each player etc. Reading it certainly inspires me and convinces me that he does know exactly what he's talking about and that he thinks deeply about the game and what he wants to achieve with this club - which is clearly special to him. We asked him how long it took to put together and his reply was "15 years."

I'll write my thought and impressions of this meeting up in more detail for the STAR website in the next few days, but I've come away feeling inspired and extremely confident that he's the best man for this role and that he has the vision and skills to make a great success of it.

The Hobnob cynics will no doubt say I've fallen for his "spin" - believe that if you really want to but my impressions after today are overwhelmingly positive.

TBH, unless you're going to spill the beans, this is just a big "look at meeeee" post

[readingbedding]

It's only for the Super-fan's eyes.
Nothing to see here, move along.

[Royal Lady]

If Rodgers has spoken to 3 reps from STAR, don't STAR represent the fans? Therefore, why aren't you allowed to impart what he told you about individual players - I hardly think he'd tell anyone outside of the Chairman/Hammond, if it was anything that shouldn't be out in the wider area, surely he wouldn't have told you or the other two STAR reps?

[ZacNaloen]

If Rodgers has spoken to 3 reps from STAR, don't STAR represent the fans? Therefore, why aren't you allowed to impart what he told you about individual players - I hardly think he'd tell anyone outside of the Chairman/Hammond, if it was anything that shouldn't be out in the wider area, surely he wouldn't have told you or the other two STAR reps?

Do you really want the media who read this forum upsetting the dressing room by spreading around what "rodgers" has reported to have said about individual players?

You keep saying you have contacts go find out the old fashioned way.

[CMRoyal]

If Rodgers has spoken to 3 reps from STAR, don't STAR represent the fans? Therefore, why aren't you allowed to impart what he told you about individual players - I hardly think he'd tell anyone outside of the Chairman/Hammond, if it was anything that shouldn't be out in the wider area, surely he wouldn't have told you or the other two STAR reps?

I thought they represented the STAR membership, who will no doubt get to read the minutes of the meeting in next May's 'Reading Matter', or whatever it's called.

[CMRoyal]

PS surely the least the lay person would expect is to be impressed by a footballing conversation with a manager at the level Rodgers is operating? They don't get to the position they're in without being pretty switched on when it comes to the game. Not taking anything away from the man - he's already showing signs of mostly doing the right things, as far as I'm concerned - but I'm with schards#2 on this; I don't think there's much to be gained by coming on here saying "yeah, I've spoken to him and if only you'd been as close to him as I have - he's, like, got such beautiful brown eyes.", which is what you might as well have done.

[STAR Voice]

Firstly, we will be posting a lot more about the meeting and our impressions from it over the weekend, but HNA? isn't the right place for that - it'll go onto the STAR website, where it can be linked to from here.

And to answer RL's question, BR was extremely open and honest - far more than we're used to with the previous regime. He talked about how he's planning to manage specific players, which players he's trying to sign and why, which players have expressed an interest in joining. As an example of how open he is, he's planning to allow supporters into Hogwood to watch training sessions, and he's ordered that the gates are open rather than locked and closed all the time.

Now he may well be happy for everything that he said to come out into the public domain - but I doubt that, and I don't want to jeopardise STAR's relationship with him and the club by making that judgement myself so I will always err of the side of caution - in my professional career I've learnt that that is nearly always the best policy. You can share a secret later but you can't un-tell it. Personally I think BR actually told us more than we needed to know, and that putting details of the current transfer targets out onto a public message board could maybe harm these deals and what he's trying to achieve. I regret mentioning them in my previous post if it leads to accusations of look-at-me-ism, but I was trying to make the point that BR is very open and honest and has big plans for Reading that I think most supporters would welcome.

And yes, whilst STAR does represent the supporters (or, more technically, our members - they are a sub-set of the total fan base) that doesn't necessarily mean in the guise of information gathering on their behalf. It's like the difference between newspapers publishing things "in the public interest" or publishing things that "interest the public". STAR's role isn't to provide information to damp down or inflame speculation on a message-board about what will happen on the pitch or transfer targets etc - no matter how many people want to know or how interesting that might be in a football-less summer. I enjoy the speculation and gossip of HNA? as much as the next person, and hate times like this where I can't join in - perhaps it was a mistake to venture onto "The Team" in an "official capacity."

Finally, for readingbedding, who seems to have more chips on his shoulder about BR than a branch of McCains - if you really must try and put value judgements on being a supporter, I don't hold myself worthy to touch the hem of supporters like Paul Black and even some of those I go to games with when it when it comes to dedication and longevity of support. I just put the hours in between matches to try and improve the issues that affect supporters and to help them have a better understanding of what goes on behind the scenes in the game so they can participate more in football.

[TFF]

Did he tell you what his HobNob user name is?

[Royal Rother]

Star, to be fair to readingbedding, he has long since demonstrated himself to be a pillock of the highest order, so there should have been no expectation that he would produce anything of sense or value when it comes to post-Coppell RFC.

As for accusations of look-at-me-isms - ignore it, it is born out of pure jealousy. Some people just want to have their noses put out of joint.

I was very interested in your post and took it for what it was - a demonstration of how BR thinks and operates. Obviously there are people in this world who know real stuff about RFC matters of which the majority of HNA readers and writers haven't a clue (and probably never will), you happen to be one of them. Big deal. The fact that you have shared with us your experience of meeting the new manager is great as far as I'm concerned, but I have precisely zero expectation that you would talk in specific terms about what was said regarding players - that would be madness.

[SteveRoyal]

http://brendanrodgers.com/

Everyone go vote.
It's not my site but a quick Google of Buck came up with that.

[CMRoyal]

As for accusations of look-at-me-isms - ignore it, it is born out of pure jealousy. Some people just want to have their noses put out of joint.

That's an assumption too far in my case - if there'd been more substance to back the superlatives, I'd have been the first to applaud.

[Royal Rother]

I dunno, it seems seems more than a little churlish to piss on someone's chips when all he's doing is giving his impressions of the bloke having spent time in his company, and read the dossier / book, something which none of the rest of us have had the opportunity to do.

He's excited by what he heard / read, and wanted to share it with other supporters, but surely could not be expected to betray confidences.

I just don't see the problem with what was said. We might not know specifics but we do now know a little more about BR than we did yesterday. That seems like a more valuable contribution than 99.9% of the stuff on here which is basically guesswork and half-arsed opinion.

[Baines]

I dunno, it seems seems more than a little churlish to piss on someone's chips when all he's doing is giving his impressions of the bloke having spent time in his company, and read the dossier / book, something which none of the rest of us have had the opportunity to do.

He's excited by what he heard / read, and wanted to share it with other supporters, but surely could not be expected to betray confidences.

I just don't see the problem with what was said. We might not know specifics but we do now know a little more about BR than we did yesterday. That seems like a more valuable contribution than 99.9% of the stuff on here which is basically guesswork and half-arsed opinion.

You say that RR, but I think STAR's credibility is shot to pieces with the suggestion that McCain's (of oven chip fame) have branches.

[Ian Royal]

I support STARCampaigns efforts.

STAR is not there to tell supporters or even it's members everything STAR is told IMO. They are there to represent the interests of supporters and inparticular their members. That is not the same as telling them everything they are told. If any of you want to be party to the full gory and quite possibly confidential details, join STAR and get heavily involved (run for president or whatever) so you're attending these meetings.

I'd much rather that someone with the supporters aims at heart was hearing this highly detailed information than not. If they have to report it to everyone then the chance is they simply won't get told it as it may be innapropriate that it enters the public domain.

I represent consumers professionally. That does not mean that I tell the consumers all the information I have, because some of it is confidential and they have no right to it. But to be able to represent them I need to know it. They don't.

If I suddenly had to divulge everything I knew about water companies and their plans, methods and other things, then I would quickly find that my organisation was cut out of the loop and therefore became ineffectual in its role.

[readingbedding]

Finally, for readingbedding, who seems to have more chips on his shoulder about BR than a branch of McCains - if you really must try and put value judgements on being a supporter, I don't hold myself worthy to touch the hem of supporters like Paul Black and even some of those I go to games with when it when it comes to dedication and longevity of support. I just put the hours in between matches to try and improve the issues that affect supporters and to help them have a better understanding of what goes on behind the scenes in the game so they can participate more in football.

Why would I have a chip on my shoulder about something that I like so much, and that I'm so keen to do well in?
Brilliant.
In fact as Phil 'Another Day in Paradise' Collins would say..."A few of you are talking...

[Royal Rother]

There'll be rolling in the aisles at that one.

[floyd__streete]

http://www.readingfc.co.uk/page/NewsDet ... 27,00.html

"world class" - even if he does say so himself . Enough of the teasing already; I am open-minded about this new regime. Being highly thought of, talking a good game and coming equipped with more dossiers than Don Revie does not matter one iota in the grand scheme of things. I like the fact that he seems to be getting stuck in to this job with the dilligence it demands, it is just after the softly-softly quiet approach of Coppell we as supporters are perhaps not so used to such a bullish manager.

[readingbedding]

I like Chris Morris, and I like Brendan 'The Book' Rodgers, I also like RFC.

How come we couldn't match Sheffield United's bid for Superman?

[readingbedding]

http://www.readingfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10306~1710827,00.html

"world class" - even if he does say so himself . Enough of the teasing already; I am open-minded about this new regime. Being highly thought of, talking a good game and coming equipped with more dossiers than Don Revie does not matter one iota in the grand scheme of things. I like the fact that he seems to be getting stuck in to this job with the dilligence it demands, it is just after the softly-softly quiet approach of Coppell we as supporters are perhaps not so used to such a bullish manager.

I agree totally, people getting a big boner about the fact that he has a bumper book of soccer tactics, has 'good' ideas etc, etc means nothing.
I too, think he's getting stuck in, although respectful of the man before, he's definitely going to do things his way, which is the best way and we'll all be right behind him.
I also LOVE his big watch!
Where can I get one?

[Compo's Hat]

And to answer RL's question, BR was extremely open and honest - far more than we're used to with the previous regime. He talked about how he's planning to manage specific players, which players he's trying to sign and why, which players have expressed an interest in joining. As an example of how open he is, he's planning to allow supporters into Hogwood to watch training sessions, and he's ordered that the gates are open rather than locked and closed all the time.

Got any idea on when he's planning to start doing that?

Know a certain little kid who would love to spend a morning there and the summer holidays are on the horizon.