How Long Will BM Last at this rate?????

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Promotion really did come too soon, but what was McDo to do? Spend and bring in a whole new team and harshly drop the players, who in my opinion are mainly average to good championship players, who formed the team that took the title even without our captain and top scorer from the previous season.

In recent years spending hasn't been immediately successful, the ones who have spunked money away and stayed up (QPR, Sunderland and Stoke come to mind) have often done so by the skin of their teeth- like QPR last season. Despite the huge fees and wages the fans have endured bad football and often get to watch overpaid mercenaries strolling around half-heartily. For this strategy to be a success you have to continue to spend; Sunderland finally have a decent manager and are building a solid competitive team, QPR still aren't there.

Keeping the core of the team together and supplement where value for money is available (much like Newcastle, Norwich last season and West Brom all following promotion) seems a logical decision to me, given that TSI have been stressing that they will continue to run the business in a prudent manner. I don't think a large pool of funds will be available every transfer window. It isn't the Reading way to splash the cash on young expensive players and imports weren't the answer last time round.

The only way I think we could be in a better position right now (other than a correct referring decisions at home to Newcastle and less keeper errors) would have been if we got one or two extra players in who know our system, the team and how the league works - unfortunately one found much higher wages at spurs and the other was kept in the midlands because a new manager was (correctly as it seems) unwilling to sell.



So to answer the question, I think he should be given at least this season and the next. The man has worked miracles with the squad and has proven himself in the transfer market (summer signings yet to be proven either way), sacking him will leave us with a squad of mainly average champ players and no manager out there can build it into a stronger unit, or a better team without outrageous January spending on players who magically drop in and tear up the league.

Agree with that. Should they decide to offload BM then I would imagine they would chuck serious dough at the playing squad otherwise no point in doing it. I really hope he stays.

[Libertine]

Our results so far are in no way an indictment of Brian per se...it is an indictment of trying to do it "The Reading Way™" in today's Premier League. We needed to spend more, we got an owner who allegedly has deep pockets, yet we are still trying to do things "The Reading Way™". The last time we were promoted we had a much stronger team, which dominated the Championship, with players who went on to have decent spells in the PL after we went back down. This time we have a team of classic "overachievers", whom I absolutely love for their heart, whom refused to be denied last season but when going up against some of the best players in the world, i.e. the Van Persie's, Rooney's, Ba's, Bale's, Mata's, etc, etc, etc, we will struggle mightly to get results. We have as of yet not had a clean sheet, we struggle to have even 40% possession against all opponents, we struggle to keep leads when we do by chance get them and we don't have the needed depth to make meaningful changes to try to alter this reality we find ourselves in right now. We took a calculated risk that essentially the same club as last year would be able to overachieve in the Premier League like they did in the Championship last season...and as of now that gamble looks like a bad one.

Maybe they didn't take a risk at all though? Perhaps they thought fcuk it lets see what happens - we never expected to be here anyway..........

Agreed. But know what? If they, stupidly, let Brian go he will be the next in a long line of ex-Reading managers who go on to greatness in the PL when the club which hires him gives him the resources needed in order to succeed. It would be stupid, in a biblical way, to fire Brian. There is no other manager out there, imo, that will be able to get results out of this group of players that Brian can.

[ManchesterRoyals]

To be honest if BM goes who would want the job?

[windermere_royal]

To be honest if BM goes who would want the job?

There will always be candidates for premier league managers jobs.

[ManchesterRoyals]

To be honest if BM goes who would want the job?

There will always be candidates for premier league managers jobs.

Yeah but anyone any good?

Cant see any top manager wanting the job if were not willing to give him any money

[larry1971]

Our results so far are in no way an indictment of Brian per se...it is an indictment of trying to do it "The Reading Way™" in today's Premier League. We needed to spend more, we got an owner who allegedly has deep pockets, yet we are still trying to do things "The Reading Way™". The last time we were promoted we had a much stronger team, which dominated the Championship, with players who went on to have decent spells in the PL after we went back down. This time we have a team of classic "overachievers", whom I absolutely love for their heart, whom refused to be denied last season but when going up against some of the best players in the world, i.e. the Van Persie's, Rooney's, Ba's, Bale's, Mata's, etc, etc, etc, we will struggle mightly to get results. We have as of yet not had a clean sheet, we struggle to have even 40% possession against all opponents, we struggle to keep leads when we do by chance get them and we don't have the needed depth to make meaningful changes to try to alter this reality we find ourselves in right now. We took a calculated risk that essentially the same club as last year would be able to overachieve in the Premier League like they did in the Championship last season...and as of now that gamble looks like a bad one.

well you look at the 3 promoted clubs and West Ham , were the only one of the 3 to really strenghen their squads during the summer both Reading and Southampton over achieved last season they both have pretty much gone with the squad that won promotion and are now struggling as a result of that and you really have to worry if injuries or suspensions start to mount up later in the season. If we fail to beat Fulham next week I don't think it's to exagerating to say The next 2 games after Fulham ,against QPR and Norwich are absolutely massive games that would really start being must win games.

[tomrfcurz]

Regardless of manager i am now confident we have an owner who will invest in January if we need to. Transfer fees, the lot. So i find it hard to be too disheartened at the moment.

Directly in answer to the thread i genuinely believe McDermott has 3 games... if he is winless after 10 Premier League games he would rightly be being questioned

[larry1971]

Regardless of manager i am now confident we have an owner who will invest in January if we need to. Transfer fees, the lot. So i find it hard to be too disheartened at the moment.

Directly in answer to the thread i genuinely believe McDermott has 3 games... if he is winless after 10 Premier League games he would rightly be being questioned

problem is it might be to late by then - realistically I think to stand any chance of avoiding relegation we need to be on at least 20pts by New years day and right now that's looking like a very big ask.

[ManchesterRoyals]

Regardless of manager i am now confident we have an owner who will invest in January if we need to. Transfer fees, the lot. So i find it hard to be too disheartened at the moment.

Directly in answer to the thread i genuinely believe McDermott has 3 games... if he is winless after 10 Premier League games he would rightly be being questioned

problem is it might be to late by then - realistically I think to stand any chance of avoiding relegation we need to be on at least 20pts by New years day and right now that's looking like a very big ask.

I agree and what quality signings will sign for us if were looking at being relegated at the end of the season

[Royalclapper]

To be honest if BM goes who would want the job?

There will always be candidates for premier league managers jobs.

Yeah but anyone any good?

Cant see any top manager wanting the job if were not willing to give him any money

So why are you asking how long McD will last if no 'top' manager would want the job without money? Even with some extra money who would you want as the new manager?

[ManchesterRoyals]

It was a honest question just to see what people thought about how long he would last if things didnt improve which they dont seem to be

Who would i like?

Harry, guardiola would do but cant see them coming

So who do u think would take the job

[Cypry]

It's refreshing to see many people coming round to what one or two of us have been saying consistently. RFC released 14 players at the end of last season (including loans), they then subsequently sold two more and loaned out many of the U21's. Two or three of the retained players, should not have been - because they simply will not get games! We brought in seven players, only two of which required up-front transfer fees. Had we bought three or four more players, as we should have done, the skilled and committed basis of the Champ side would have remained but the club would look more like a Prem club! Imagine Rhodes, Whittingham, Zaha and one of the foreign DM's that we were linked with being in our team from the start of the season - I really doubt we would only have 2pts now!

The new ownership and the current management have consistently looked forward to slow progression until we become a top-half Prem. team. As we stand, we will be a Championship team next season!

Jordan Rhodes - 3 Championship goals this season
Zaha - 4 Championship goals this season
Whittingham - 6 Championship goals this season

Not entirely sure how you think those 3 would've put us in that different a place, yet we'd have needed to spunk significantly more than £10M to get them....on current evidence Whittingham might have been worth taking a risk on, but given how Guthrie's struggled, I suspect Whittingham might have had similar issues here..

The way some are carrying on here you'd think we were cut adrift at the bottom of the table.....win our game in hand and we'd be bottom end of the mid-table teams in 15th....

[Libertine]

It's refreshing to see many people coming round to what one or two of us have been saying consistently. RFC released 14 players at the end of last season (including loans), they then subsequently sold two more and loaned out many of the U21's. Two or three of the retained players, should not have been - because they simply will not get games! We brought in seven players, only two of which required up-front transfer fees. Had we bought three or four more players, as we should have done, the skilled and committed basis of the Champ side would have remained but the club would look more like a Prem club! Imagine Rhodes, Whittingham, Zaha and one of the foreign DM's that we were linked with being in our team from the start of the season - I really doubt we would only have 2pts now!

The new ownership and the current management have consistently looked forward to slow progression until we become a top-half Prem. team. As we stand, we will be a Championship team next season!

Jordan Rhodes - 3 Championship goals this season
Zaha - 4 Championship goals this season
Whittingham - 6 Championship goals this season

Not entirely sure how you think those 3 would've put us in that different a place, yet we'd have needed to spunk significantly more than £10M to get them....on current evidence Whittingham might have been worth taking a risk on, but given how Guthrie's struggled, I suspect Whittingham might have had similar issues here..

The way some are carrying on here you'd think we were cut adrift at the bottom of the table.....win our game in hand and we'd be bottom end of the mid-table teams in 15th....

So based on what you've seen so far you think we'll go up to Sunderland and win that one?

At this point I am, on principle, not going to predict a win until we get a win.

[Royalclapper]

It was a honest question just to see what people thought about how long he would last if things didnt improve which they dont seem to be

Who would i like?

Harry, guardiola would do but cant see them coming

So who do u think would take the job

Wouldn't take twitchy 'arry, saints appointed him to keep them up and they still got relegated. Personally, I like Jol at Fulham but they are doing well and it would take outrageous money to tempt him here. Other than that you are back to square one on finding a lucky affordable pick who would do any better than McD which is why I would stick by him. I wasn't expecting much more than we've got so far, so it's perhaps down to everyone's own expectations.

[howser]

whilst this isnt a deaths door scenario at the moment, there are going to have to be some points on the board soon, loyalty is a word that is so wasted on football, BMcD will know that the knives will be out if it doesn't pick up, particularly if we don't get a win next week over Fulham, historically a team that doesn't travel well. Maybe we are suffering from the "Coppell syndrome" in remaining too "loyal" to those that got us up in the top league ?

As for who would replace him IF he left, there is a frightening list of out of work managers that would chase it, Brown, Dowie and Kean are just three that spring to mind, one name from the deep distant past, or so it seems, would be Curbishly, maybe Hoddle but I do disagree with most on here, 'arry is the obvious choice, but he would want to make huge changes and I am not sure that Anton would be in favour of wholesale changes, as that goes against the operating ethics of the club, as Mr Mad would undoubtedly remind him, but its his fashion accessory, so who knows.

Time will tell, I so hope that BMcD does turn it around, he deserves his Premiership chance, but now we are there, Anton wont want to take a backward step, you dont get to his business success and wealth taking backward steps.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Basically in my little simplistic world

MaccyD is part of our team........they are in it together

This time last year it was shit, a few weeks later it was jolification

We get promoted with him....we get relegated with him (should that be the case)

Fed up with the hire and Fire culture that prevails over football and you the "fans" that kowtow to and seemingly demand it

[RockheadRumple]

It was a honest question just to see what people thought about how long he would last if things didnt improve which they dont seem to be

Who would i like?

Harry, guardiola would do but cant see them coming

So who do u think would take the job

Oh my goodness you're a special case.

[ManchesterRoyals]

It was a honest question just to see what people thought about how long he would last if things didnt improve which they dont seem to be

Who would i like?

Harry, guardiola would do but cant see them coming

So who do u think would take the job

Oh my goodness you're a special case.

How do u work that out?

[MmmMonsterMunch]

whilst this isnt a deaths door scenario at the moment, there are going to have to be some points on the board soon, loyalty is a word that is so wasted on football, BMcD will know that the knives will be out if it doesn't pick up, particularly if we don't get a win next week over Fulham, historically a team that doesn't travel well. Maybe we are suffering from the "Coppell syndrome" in remaining too "loyal" to those that got us up in the top league ?

As for who would replace him IF he left, there is a frightening list of out of work managers that would chase it, Brown, Dowie and Kean are just three that spring to mind, one name from the deep distant past, or so it seems, would be Curbishly, maybe Hoddle but I do disagree with most on here, 'arry is the obvious choice, but he would want to make huge changes and I am not sure that Anton would be in favour of wholesale changes, as that goes against the operating ethics of the club, as Mr Mad would undoubtedly remind him, but its his fashion accessory, so who knows.

Time will tell, I so hope that BMcD does turn it around, he deserves his Premiership chance, but now we are there, Anton wont want to take a backward step, you dont get to his business success and wealth taking backward steps.

TBF isn't it his Dad's cash anyway?!

Let me make it absolutely clear - I want us to stick with BM even if we end up with 12 points & go down BUT......should Anton pull the plug then Curbs or 'Arry are the obvious choices. Dowie or Keen? Leave it out!

[Brain Traysers]

Did TSI have a timeline with regards to establishing us as a premier league club? If its a 5 year plus plan then relegation wouldn't change much, trying again with more solid foundations might put us in better position second time round to establish.