1st December 1990

[brendywendy]

I find it had to think that anyone could have done as well as Reading in their first Premiership season with such little investment.
Who has a better £s per point rating?

On his first round of assessment the author only rated clubs that lasted three seasons. When he dropped the criteria to two seasons RFC/Coppel's rating was second to two separate seasons by Big Sam. (The sums involved are equalised for football-inflation, and all at today's money.

Lyall did very well with Ipswich. The top ten are Lyall, Allardyce, Coppell, Dave Jones, Curbishley, Dowie, Bassett, Kinnear, Smith, Ball, and in 11th, Jewell.


At today's prices, Coppel spent £788,392 PER POINT

so big sam took them to higher than 8th place after spending less than 6.5 million on his whole squad?
my arse(he says without actually checking!)

[Vision]

people are happy for new owners because they think its the cure all of modern football-despite the evidence.
personally id be happy for JM to stay for another twenty years.

I know its a bit pedantic but it irritated me when I saw it on the Official site as well. Think its a bit of a stretch to call a relegation one of our best seasons ever. He may have presided over 9 of our 10 highest placed finishes in terms of the overall football league placing but it doesn't make them our best seasons as if the season itself was some sort of acheivment. We could have finished bottom of Premier league with 0 points and by this criteria it would have been our 2nd best season ever!

Still thankful for and to JM for everything though, the highs and the lows.

[brendywendy]

i think final placing on the ladder of english football is as good a measure as any other- but i see what youre saying

[Ian Royal]

Is that per £ spent on the squad as a whole, or per £ spent that season? I'd like to see both for us ideally...

[No Fixed Abode]

The Roman Abramovich of Reading FC, bankrolling the club.

[Snowball]

so big sam took them to higher than 8th place after spending less than 6.5 million on his whole squad?
my arse(he says without actually checking!)

Maybe the judgment isn't made on a single season, but on an average of three seasons, or maybe two seasons.


Folks could always BUY THE BOOK.

And anyway, they are stats, who cares about stats?

[Terminal Boardom]

so big sam took them to higher than 8th place after spending less than 6.5 million on his whole squad?
my arse(he says without actually checking!)

Maybe the judgment isn't made on a single season, but on an average of three seasons, or maybe two seasons.


Folks could always BUY THE BOOK.

And anyway, they are stats, who cares about stats?

Talking of which, what happened to the Long Must Go thread? I was just getting into that.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Ticks the report card,

could have done better

Would be great if all clubs were run like RFC, but they are not, so have doubts about the longer term success of the strategy.

If so many are so happy, why do so many look ahead to a new owner, is it because we long to be better than we are, which is always the aim.

in twenty years he has presided over 9 of our ten best ever seasons.
could have done better my arse!

people are happy for new owners because they think its the cure all of modern football-despite the evidence.
personally id be happy for JM to stay for another twenty years.

If he had done better it would still be 9/10 of our best ever seasons, unless we were now on our tenth season in the prem

[prostak]

If SJM had not stepped in, someone else would have done. Fact.

I was first taken to see Reading in 1991, so this is a genuine question - Whom?

[Barry the bird boggler]

Deal was completed on 13th December 1990. The only other interested party at the time from what I recall was the former chairman of Hibernian.

JM waited until the last minute to agree terms, to get himself the best price he could. He's done brilliant things for this club but, IMO, has taken it as far as he can/wants/is able.

When he does go though, there should be a statue put up to him somewhere in the town.....

[Barry the bird boggler]

I saw Mr Mad close up on Saturday and he's really starting to look old.
20 years would be very optimistic, Strap.

I shook his hand at Watford 2 years ago. He had the cold, limp grip of an impending death.

Interesting thought that - If Sir John did keel over after munching his half time Balti Pie - to never return - what would happen to our club...?

Maybe a question for STAR to investigate

If that should happen it wouldn't be left to his daughters. I would expect executors to be appointed (led probably by Nigel Howe) to run the club in the interim and search for the best possible buyer.

It's much more likely though that he'll finally decide he's too old for all the hassle and will look to realise what he can for the business and go out leaving it in as safe a pair of hands as he can find in the market at that time.

[Svlad Cjelli]

If that should happen it wouldn't be left to his daughters. I would expect executors to be appointed (led probably by Nigel Howe) to run the club in the interim and search for the best possible buyer.

It's much more likely though that he'll finally decide he's too old for all the hassle and will look to realise what he can for the business and go out leaving it in as safe a pair of hands as he can find in the market at that time.

You're assuming that he runs the club on a day-to-day basis, which he certainly doesn't do. So the club could function to a certain extent, like all his business units, for a while untl the ownership question was settled.

[readingbedding]

I doubt she'd (Camilla) be interested to be honest.

[Hoop Blah]

I doubt she'd (Camilla) be interested to be honest.

The other one (Helen) might be though.

[readingbedding]

That's more doubtful to be honest

[Royal With Cheese]

Deal was completed on 13th December 1990. The only other interested party at the time from what I recall was the former chairman of Hibernian.

He was the man who wanted to merge Hibs and Hearts as I recall.

:shudders:

Was a dark time in the clubs history.

[STAR Liaison]

Interesting thought that - If Sir John did keel over after munching his half time Balti Pie - to never return - what would happen to our club...?

Maybe a question for STAR to investigate

Isn't that a bit personal? So Sir John let us see your will please? It will be decided by what his Last Will and Testament says - and can change any time he changes his will.

[brendywendy]

id imagine itll be much the same as any other owner passing away- if the c lub is hugely in debt- itll be bad. if not- merely sad.

[brendywendy]

The malaise of football and how easy it is to get wrong is there for all to see.

“The trick is to get it right and that takes an awful lot of effort from an awful lot of people.

“Again it is only trying to get it right because sport is mercurial and you can never guarantee anything in football.

“

wise words SJM, that i think many on here forget occasionally

[Tinrib]

Interesting thought that - If Sir John did keel over after munching his half time Balti Pie - to never return - what would happen to our club...?

Maybe a question for STAR to investigate

Isn't that a bit personal? So Sir John let us see your will please? It will be decided by what his Last Will and Testament says - and can change any time he changes his will.

i dont think thats an unreasonable request - despite the personnel nature of the issue.

I dont doubt that JM would ensure the best interests of the club - and to those ends would suggest that this information albeit not detailed to the enth degree, is something that JM, or, the Club might want to clarify at some point.

Afterall - in many businesses - succession planning is part and parcel of day to day life.