Life after Brendan

[Ian Royal]

On another note first 7 games in charge form (discounting Burton who were so far below the quality of our reserves it's a worthless comparison.

Rodgers: DLDLLWD (Rodgers last 7 games: WDWLWLD)
BMcD: DDLDWLW

So even on Rodgers best form BMcD is only converting one draw to a win from matching it. And arguably against stronger opposition. He just needs to translate his cup results into the league. Which I expect him to start doing in the next month.

Are you even for real?

You discount one of Rodgers' wins completely because it doesn't suit your agenda, then go on to illustrate that his record in the 7 games leading up to his departure were better than the 7 games following it?

Like I said, results have got worse (WE HAVEN'T WON IN THE LEAGUE) yet you're still slavishly trotting out your Rodgers hatred and praising a manager who hasn't delivered a league win yet. Bewildering.

Thank God one or two Reading fans still have a bit of perspective.

So you think Burton Albion are in any way comparable in quality to any other team we've played this season. It's such a standout difference in quality as to be utterly worthless. It has absoutely nothing to do with my agenda.

Surely the fact that I also put in Rodgers best (but still not very good) form shows that I'm not trying to manipulate anything to pursue my agenda.

You need to get off your sucking Rodgers' cock agenda Mags.

[Royalee]

Spot on Mags

[Man Friday]

We'll see who is the best manager. My money's on McD. Can't be bothered to trot out the reasons - they've been well-rehearsed these last couple of months. McD's had 4 league games. Give him another 6 to make 10 and then let's compare results. We'll let the facts speak for themselves at that point. No bullshit excuses about injuries on either side. No bullshit excuses about easier/harder fixtures. Let's just see. If I'm wrong, I won't need to say; the facts will speak for themselves.

[Ian Royal]

We'll see who is the best manager. My money's on McD. Can't be bothered to trot out the reasons - they've been well-rehearsed these last couple of months. McD's had 4 league games. Give him another 6 to make 10 and then let's compare results. We'll let the facts speak for themselves at that point. No bullshit excuses about injuries on either side. No bullshit excuses about easier/harder fixtures. Let's just see. If I'm wrong, I won't need to say; the facts will speak for themselves.

well said

[Maguire]

So you think Burton Albion are in any way comparable in quality to any other team we've played this season. It's such a standout difference in quality as to be utterly worthless. It has absoutely nothing to do with my agenda.

Surely the fact that I also put in Rodgers best (but still not very good) form shows that I'm not trying to manipulate anything to pursue my agenda.

You need to get off your sucking Rodgers' cock agenda Mags.

I think Rodgers played something of a second string side against Burton Albion, Ian, and I think he won 5-1. That's a fact, which is what I like dealing in wherever possible.

Your last line is the sort of childish nonsense that betrays the fact you don't really have anything worthwhile to say. I'm neither pro-Rodgers nor am I anti-McDermott, I just wish people could develop a well-balanced viewpoint without typing out the reams of crap you have done over the last, well, forever.

[Ian Royal]

And it's a fact that Burton are incomparable in terms of quality to the rest of the teams we've played this season and to a large extent so was the team we fielded. Therefore it is utterly worthless in a comparison of form between our two managers' starting form.

You want me to include a team who have never played in the league prior to this season to the best of my knowledge to make Rodgers' poor form at the start of the season look better.

You need to get over Rodgers. He was sacked, he's gone and now we have McDermott.

[Maguire]

You want me to include a team who have never played in the league prior to this season to the best of my knowledge to make Rodgers' poor form at the start of the season look better.

You need to get over Rodgers. He was sacked, he's gone and now we have McDermott.

I know he's been sacked and I know who the manager is. That doesn't make it okay to rewrite history.

[Ian Royal]

I'm not rewriting anything. I just have much less loyalty to Rodgers now he is no longer manager and so I'm not interested in making excuses for him.

[Royalee]

I'm not rewriting anything. I just have much less loyalty to Rodgers now he is no longer manager and so I'm not interested in making excuses for him.

You never had any loyalty for him in the first place, unless loyalty is using expletives every week after not having attended the game.

[Ian Royal]

I'm not rewriting anything. I just have much less loyalty to Rodgers now he is no longer manager and so I'm not interested in making excuses for him.

You never had any loyalty for him in the first place, unless loyalty is using expletives every week after not having attended the game.

Now that is rewriting history.

[Royalee]

No Ian. What also isn't rewriting history is that we were 3 points clear of relegation when Rodgers was sacked and we are now 4 points adrift.

[Ian Royal]

No Ian. What also isn't rewriting history is that we were 3 points clear of relegation when Rodgers was sacked and we are now 4 points adrift.

That is correct, but it's hardly the whole picture is it? And is as much down to a club below us putting a run together as it is results under McDermott. Only the most blinkered Rodgers fan would expect us to have got much more out of the four games we've played. A win at Plymouth would still see us in the bottom three.

[Royalee]

So now you only expect us to get results against teams below us? That's quite a change from bemoaning draws with Doncaster and defeats to Palace. You're full of shit Ian.

[Ian Royal]

So now you only expect us to get results against teams below us? That's quite a change from bemoaning draws with Doncaster and defeats to Palace. You're full of shit Ian.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying.

[papereyes]

Taking one particular bit

I actually think B-Mac comes across well and really hope he succeeds ...

Yes!

But pld 4 D2 L2 is only going to see us go down.

We still need a striker and maybe Thor will come good, Church will learn how to finish or Long will resist the black stuff but without that, and with Rasiak being rather off-form post-Rodgers, we're a teensy bit fecked.

A few wins, and I think they'll come, and then maybe we'll have a fighting chance.

PS I want Long to spearhead our charge up the table. He's got it in him. Next to two big macs.

[marcusopp]

Seems most of us agree that things are looking better.
As several of you have pointed out;
4-4-2, everyone know's what they're doing.
Mills in the team, £2M is a lot at this level for a centre half, he'll get better and better.
Griffin will do as a stop-gap, nothing fancy (execpt 86th minute v's burnley!).
The other guys will be tried one at a time, which is good. BR was changing all ten outfield players!
BM is giving Church a good run, but I think Shane Long is a better player, and with a good run and a goal or two, his confidence will see him as the first striker on the team sheet. The other forward position is up for grabs. Not all that impressed with Rasiak lately, looks hung-over. The new fella will hopefully be decent. Basically, we need Noel Hunt (aka johnny vegas) back from his knee injury.

Like you've all mostly said, get us a few points (1.5/game minimum) and the job is yours BM.

[glass half full]

Like it or not, this team has suffered a severe attack of retrenchment and what is needed is a steady period of redevelopment and improvement.
I personally believe that, given time, Brian McDermott will be the man to lead us out of our present Championship difficulties but whoever eventually takes over the reins has a battle on his hands to keep us up. The team has, however, shown what it can do in the FA Cup, so let us hope that this can be carried into the league. Personally, I believe that the Irvine and Mariner effects will be short-lived but we wait and see.
Let's leave the past behind us and work at the present and towards a better future.

[rhroyal]

An F.A. Cup run isn't enough to win McD over for me. Some very encouraging signs no doubt, but we need league wins. Remember that we've lost our last 2 league games, and 3 out of 4 halves involved were as poor as we ever were under Rodgers. A win at Sheff Utd will make up my minds that McD deserves until the end of the season.

[Ian Royal]

I think a win against Sheffield is doable under the circumstances. But they are fairly strong at home.

I think it's the three matches after Sheffield that really tell us if McDermott is the right man and will keep us up.

[Royal Lady]

And if McDermott can't get us many points in the next 4 games - who do those of you who want someone else to come in suggest? No-one worth their salt as an experienced manager is going to want to come in half way through a season, with no possibility of signing anyone and with not a lot in the way of wages themselves, I suspect, so who do you think would want to come here under the current circumstances?

Giving McDermott the job until the end of the season, at least, settles the players, gives McDermott a chance to prove his worth and build on, particularly, our FA Cup performances, he KNOWS his job is to keep us up - if he can achieve that, he should be given the job on a 3 year contract imo. If he doesn't succeed in keeping us up, then I, for one, won't be apportioning much in the way of blame towards him if the team at least continue to show a bit of fight and determination and he doesn't tinker with the team/subs too much. Next season, if we're relegated, we need to find a manager who can work with little to no finance, and who is able to work wonders with the limited resources at his disposal (not unlike Coppell tbf but I'm not advocating we get him back at all).