Time for excuses is over

[Royalee]

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

[sandman]

I say get Madejski out now. Let's get a Saudi billionaire in and then we can compete properly against the other billionaires.

This time next year we may be properly challenging for a play-off place rather than the miserable 12th place we currently hold.

It's not miserable. It's disappointing, but being established in this division for another season is also a relief, after our flirt with the relegation zone last season.

I do not want a Saudi millionaire. I want Reading to continue as they are until the right manager and players come along to make us a force at the top of the table again. It's not just about billionaires: see Blackpool and Burnley for recent examples of success on low budgets.

I wonder if my love for the club would be compromised by it becoming the toy of millionaire foreigners. Would I swap places with Pompey fans? No. You could argue that Pompey fans have memories we don't: winning the cup, doing well in the prem with a string of internationals--James, Kranjcar, Defoe, Crouch, Muntari, Yakubu, Campbell, et al. But for me that would have turned to ashes in my mouth by now, and would seem morally dubious, given the number of creditors who were ripped off to fund the success. OK, not all billionaires are like the string of wideboys who ran Pompey. But where does the money of these various Saudi, Thai, Emirates, Russian, Indian billionaires come from? From corrupt practices in their own countries, from exploitation of their workers, from what may even amount to theft (think Shinawatra)? I'd rather their money be spent on their own poor people than on turning our little British football club into their toy.

No way get Mubarak and his 44 Billion in now. Can't be worse than Madejski.

[Irvinchangeyaname]

I say get Madejski out now. Let's get a Saudi billionaire in and then we can compete properly against the other billionaires.

This time next year we may be properly challenging for a play-off place rather than the miserable 12th place we currently hold.

It's not miserable. It's disappointing, but being established in this division for another season is also a relief, after our flirt with the relegation zone last season.

I do not want a Saudi millionaire. I want Reading to continue as they are until the right manager and players come along to make us a force at the top of the table again. It's not just about billionaires: see Blackpool and Burnley for recent examples of success on low budgets.

I wonder if my love for the club would be compromised by it becoming the toy of millionaire foreigners. Would I swap places with Pompey fans? No. You could argue that Pompey fans have memories we don't: winning the cup, doing well in the prem with a string of internationals--James, Kranjcar, Defoe, Crouch, Muntari, Yakubu, Campbell, et al. But for me that would have turned to ashes in my mouth by now, and would seem morally dubious, given the number of creditors who were ripped off to fund the success. OK, not all billionaires are like the string of wideboys who ran Pompey. But where does the money of these various Saudi, Thai, Emirates, Russian, Indian billionaires come from? From corrupt practices in their own countries, from exploitation of their workers, from what may even amount to theft (think Shinawatra)? I'd rather their money be spent on their own poor people than on turning our little British football club into their toy.

I might be wrong, but I think he was being sarcastic.

[facaldaqui]

I say get Madejski out now. Let's get a Saudi billionaire in and then we can compete properly against the other billionaires.

This time next year we may be properly challenging for a play-off place rather than the miserable 12th place we currently hold.

It's not miserable. It's disappointing, but being established in this division for another season is also a relief, after our flirt with the relegation zone last season.

I do not want a Saudi millionaire. I want Reading to continue as they are until the right manager and players come along to make us a force at the top of the table again. It's not just about billionaires: see Blackpool and Burnley for recent examples of success on low budgets.

I wonder if my love for the club would be compromised by it becoming the toy of millionaire foreigners. Would I swap places with Pompey fans? No. You could argue that Pompey fans have memories we don't: winning the cup, doing well in the prem with a string of internationals--James, Kranjcar, Defoe, Crouch, Muntari, Yakubu, Campbell, et al. But for me that would have turned to ashes in my mouth by now, and would seem morally dubious, given the number of creditors who were ripped off to fund the success. OK, not all billionaires are like the string of wideboys who ran Pompey. But where does the money of these various Saudi, Thai, Emirates, Russian, Indian billionaires come from? From corrupt practices in their own countries, from exploitation of their workers, from what may even amount to theft (think Shinawatra)? I'd rather their money be spent on their own poor people than on turning our little British football club into their toy.

I might be wrong, but I think he was being sarcastic.

He may have been. But my principle is always to challenge what people say, if I disagree with it, sarcastic or not. You know what they say about sarcasm ...

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Back then we weren't paying our best players high salaries as most of the team had come up with us from the division below, nor were we in a transitional phase caused by selling players we could no longer afford to keep.

But as you said, you have to be pretty dumb if you can't spot the difference between then and now.

Yes we were thats why we were losing £6m a year. we had a load of players on bloody good money.

[andrew1957]

I have just looked back at last season.

After 31 games we had just lost 2-0 to Blackpool and were on 35 points and in 20th place in the table.

In the next 9 games our results were WWWWDWDLW for 20 points and we moved to 55 points and 12th place.

A repeat of 20 points off 9 games would take us back into play off contention. Just a thought.

[Snowball]

I have just looked back at last season.

After 31 games we had just lost 2-0 to Blackpool and were on 35 points and in 20th place in the table.

In the next 9 games our results were WWWWDWDLW for 20 points and we moved to 55 points and 12th place.

A repeat of 20 points of 9 games would take us back into play off contention. Just a thought.

I just put the same sequence against our upcoming fixtures. Swap Preston and Ipswich around
and it's certainly not impossible. We live in hope.

W Watford Home
W Millwall Home
W Palace Away
W Middlesboro Home
W Ipswich Away (Draw?)
D Preston Home ((WIN?)
W Barnsley Away
D Portsmouth Home
L Forest Away
W Scunthorpe Away

for 20 points and we would move to 63 points and 6-8th Place?

[RAF Royal]

andrew1957 wrote:

I am still clinging to the hope of a miracle like Blackpool produced last season or I see a very bleak future ahead.

Interesting one - I married Blackpool (my wife's sister, brother-in-law, nephews all season ticket holders for the last million years) and consequently get to see as many of their games as ours (she got to my children first - and no, before I'm called a cnut, there's no question. Last Reading v Blackpool game I saw in November 2009, they all went in the away end and I was in Block Y throwing abuse; we won (first time at home that season) 2-1. Cut me open and I'm Royal Blue through-and-through - okay, with a hint of Sky Blue from the 60s). Back to the thread ...

Saw Blackpool quite a few times last year including 2nd leg of play-offs and Wembley (strange experience - winning games in play-offs). The Blackpool miracle was born out of an unbelievable team spirit, total belief that they were unbeatable. Not sure we have that. Their players cost pennies and are paid less. As individuals they're nothing special - as a team they were awesome. While I'd love to see it, we don't have that same self-belief or team ethos.

[Terminal Boardom]

andrew1957 wrote:

I am still clinging to the hope of a miracle like Blackpool produced last season or I see a very bleak future ahead.

Interesting one - I married Blackpool (my wife's sister, brother-in-law, nephews all season ticket holders for the last million years) and consequently get to see as many of their games as ours (she got to my children first - and no, before I'm called a cnut, there's no question. Last Reading v Blackpool game I saw in November 2009, they all went in the away end and I was in Block Y throwing abuse; we won (first time at home that season) 2-1. Cut me open and I'm Royal Blue through-and-through - okay, with a hint of Sky Blue from the 60s). Back to the thread ...

Saw Blackpool quite a few times last year including 2nd leg of play-offs and Wembley (strange experience - winning games in play-offs). The Blackpool miracle was born out of an unbelievable team spirit, total belief that they were unbeatable. Not sure we have that. Their players cost pennies and are paid less. As individuals they're nothing special - as a team they were awesome. While I'd love to see it, we don't have that same self-belief or team ethos.

Not easy to have that sort of ethos when the better players move on. I wonder how many of the current crop are thinking about who will be next to go.

[Scarface]

Look at our last 9 games, there is nothing to suggest we can win 9 on the bounce!! Season over get used to it, not sure I'll even bother going today and spend the day with my little lad instead.

[leicsRoyal]

Athough a Royal through and through, I live in Leicester now and regularly read their forum Foxes talk.
They have a thread predicting the top 6 at the end of the season and from about 30 predictions we don't appear on one of them, got to admit, I tend to agree!

It's going to be a summer of in's and out's, just hope we show our ambition!

[Snowball]

The next sentence I write is NOT a prediction - I mean only that it is a genuine possibility given correct circumstances.

I genuinely believe we could win 8-9-10 of our remaining games.

By that I mean WE ARE CAPABLE OF DOING SO.

But for it to happen we need a GOOD win to get the confidence back, followed immediately by another good win.

For example (NOT saying it'll happen) thump Watford 3-0, get a bit of luck for once,
then thump Millwall by the same score, suddenly our tails are up and MAYBE then
we could go to Palace and grind out a win. IF we did that then anything is possible.

I strongly suspect it WON'T happen, to be clear.

I could see us WDL in any order in the next three league games (that's not a prediction) and then start playing the fringe players once we are safe.


At least if we are clearly out of the running we might get to see the new CB, Brett Williams, and maybe cameos from the yanks.

[floyd__streete]

The next sentence I write is NOT a prediction

(NOT saying it'll happen)

I strongly suspect it WON'T happen, to be clear.

(that's not a prediction)

Thanks for that Nostradamus. So that little rant was basically saying we might win some of our future games and this will help our chances of finishing in the top six but you're not nailing your predctions to the mast. All a bit pointless really, makes *this* posting look enlightening by dint of juxtaposition.

[Snowball]

The next sentence I write is NOT a prediction

(NOT saying it'll happen)

I strongly suspect it WON'T happen, to be clear.

(that's not a prediction)

Thanks for that Nostradamus. So that little rant was basically saying we might win some of our future games and this will help our chances of finishing in the top six but you're not nailing your predctions to the mast. All a bit pointless really, makes *this* posting look enlightening by dint of juxtaposition.

Not even slightly, but when did I ever expect a Hob-Nobber to engage brain
and maybe just once discuss something constructively

It MEANS I believe we have the players to win a lot of games, but we need something
to move us into a higher gear, something like a couple of decent wins followed by (say)
a lucky one. THEN it could really happen.

IMO we have a side, right now, (if Elwood plays) that could, with luck get those 9-10 wins
but, because they've made it hard with all those draws, confidence must now be slipping.

Sides are so close in this league, but small things make large differences. Watford have been awesome,
then crap, then awesome again (eg winning very well at QPR) then off the boil again.

RFC OTOH have been pretty much "OK" but 1% short of a lot more wins, since about game 8.

[floyd__streete]

Not even slightly, but when did I ever expect a Hob-Nobber to engage brain
and maybe just once discuss something constructively

Maybe when you post something of even the remotest interest I will. THIS IS NOT A PREDICTION.

Your latest post contains the stark revelation that teams in the Championship tend to be on a par and rather inconsistent. This nearly made me fall off my seat. You're the Julian Assange of Hob Nob. You make reference to needing 'luck' often in your posts, tbh that is entirely bogus - we are neither lucky nor unlucky, we are just massively AVERAGE.

[Snowball]

I put all those extras in because this list has the
nasty habit of quoting stuff out of context
and then exaggerating it.

IMO ALL this league is average including QPR and Cardiff

Their difference is they have a couple of Premiership-quality players each
who turn defeats into draws and draws into wins. QPR without Taraabt
would probably not make the top six. Bellamy makes a huge difference to Cardiff.

of course some sides are more average than others

[floyd__streete]

IMO ALL this league is average including QPR and Cardiff

Their difference is they have a couple of Premiership-quality players each
who turn defeats into draws and draws into wins. QPR without Taraabt
would probably not make the top six. Bellamy makes a huge difference to Cardiff.

of course some sides are more average than others

Yeah, entirely agree. Apart from the bit about QPR not being a top 6 side without Taarabt, they have plenty of additional quality.

It's just the 'luck' thing that winds me up. You can be lucky or unlucky over the course of a game, but not over a 46 game season. Were we lucky in 05/06? Were we unlucky in 07/08? You'll end up where you deserve to be. Karacan's sending off at Norwich wasn't bad luck, it was bad play. Harte being beaten to the ball at the far post wasn't bad luck, it was bad play. Playing one striker against a team without a win in eons, that wasn't bad luck. This just in the last week. Counterbalance that against a soft looking Sheff U penalty, sure - but the bad play, the bad players, the daft tactics will always tip things against you more readily than luck will.

[S09Royal]

Look at our last 9 games, there is nothing to suggest we can win 9 on the bounce!! Season over get used to it, not sure I'll even bother going today and spend the day with my little lad instead.

Oh how I will @ you if we do the impossible and win 9 on the bounce.

ashame it'll never happen

[S09Royal]

IMO ALL this league is average including QPR and Cardiff

Their difference is they have a couple of Premiership-quality players each
who turn defeats into draws and draws into wins. QPR without Taraabt
would probably not make the top six. Bellamy makes a huge difference to Cardiff.

of course some sides are more average than others

Yeah, entirely agree. Apart from the bit about QPR not being a top 6 side without Taarabt, they have plenty of additional quality.

It's just the 'luck' thing that winds me up. You can be lucky or unlucky over the course of a game, but not over a 46 game season. Were we lucky in 05/06? Were we unlucky in 07/08? You'll end up where you deserve to be. Karacan's sending off at Norwich wasn't bad luck, it was bad play. Harte being beaten to the ball at the far post wasn't bad luck, it was bad play. Playing one striker against a team without a win in eons, that wasn't bad luck. This just in the last week. Counterbalance that against a soft looking Sheff U penalty, sure - but the bad play, the bad players, the daft tactics will always tip things against you more readily than luck will.

Couldn't agree more, as for your reference to previous games...

Surely going through a tough run of results would've/could've resulted in the players not playing as confidently as say, before the Cardiff game? I don't think we have 'bad players' at all. This is what is so annoying, as soon as we go through a few games where we don't get desired results, everyone falls back on, 'oh we're sh1t, we wont make the play offs now. life is over.' Get a grip! Every team goes through a period of bad results, look at LiverLOLpooLOL.

[Snowball]

Exactly. We could have won at Cardiff.

Would we then have lost to QPR? I doubt it.

Would we then have got at least a draw at Norwich? I suspect so