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

[Madstad to Nadderud]

Harry would want too much money for transfers and RFC simply can't compete with that.

[SPARTA]

Redknapp, assuming he wanted to come here and assuming Anton would give him the money he wants, would still find it hard to attract quality players due to where we were in the league - So no thanks.

Er, like he did at Portsmouth? He was supported in the transfer market (and we now know he shouldn't have been to the extent he was), and he kept them up. He then built on that further and won them an FA Cup. "So no thanks"? Yes please! If we could get him, and if he could work under tighter financial constraints.

[bracksroyal10]

Harry would want too much money for transfers and RFC simply can't compete with that.

Maybe so but look at Portsmouth and Spurs.

Harry only ever splashed out if he knew it would improve the squad. e.g. Van der Vaart was an excellent buy never mind Modric who yes they did pay a big fee for and I'm not too sure if it was him or Ramos who got him but again he has been sold on for almost double of what they got him for and Harry was a big part of that.

He has a proven track record and apart from Southampton which didn't go as he would of liked, he has always improved clubs he has managed and I think we would be no different.

I appreciate BM's efforts he has put in as a manager but I think we could be looking at a similar situation to the one Newcastle choose to put themselves in when they hired Pardew.

If AZ wants these ambitious plans of his to come to fruition the time may come where BM has taken us as far as he can go (as a manager). Harry whether you like him or hate him would take us to the next level. The current situation we find ourselves in is that we are still looking for our first win and its nearly November. Yes we are playing encouraging stuff at times but what use is that if we have nothing to show for it. I have no doubt that we will win a game very soon but one win isn't going to guarantee us survival.

We need to start learning to win ugly and nasty in this league if we want to stay in it. All the other teams do it don't see why we should be any different in terms of appealing loudly for decisions etc.

Look at the decision QPR took with Warnock last year, I think if results carry on like this for another month, then I think a decision may need to be taken if we want to be in the PL next year. I really hope results do turn around because its not as if we have been playing really badly I think things have improved since the Spurs game. But this is a results based business unfortunately and I'm quite sure AZ wants that extra revenue money up for grabs.

Harry would be the right man to take us forward if it came to this.

[Madstad to Nadderud]

Harry would want too much money for transfers and RFC simply can't compete with that.

Maybe so but look at Portsmouth and Spurs.

Harry only ever splashed out if he knew it would improve the squad. e.g. Van der Vaart was an excellent buy never mind Modric who yes they did pay a big fee for and I'm not too sure if it was him or Ramos who got him but again he has been sold on for almost double of what they got him for and Harry was a big part of that.

He has a proven track record and apart from Southampton which didn't go as he would of liked, he has always improved clubs he has managed and I think we would be no different.

I appreciate BM's efforts he has put in as a manager but I think we could be looking at a similar situation to the one Newcastle choose to put themselves in when they hired Pardew.

If AZ wants these ambitious plans of his to come to fruition the time may come where BM has taken us as far as he can go (as a manager). Harry whether you like him or hate him would take us to the next level. The current situation we find ourselves in is that we are still looking for our first win and its nearly November. Yes we are playing encouraging stuff at times but what use is that if we have nothing to show for it. I have no doubt that we will win a game very soon but one win isn't going to guarantee us survival.

We need to start learning to win ugly and nasty in this league if we want to stay in it. All the other teams do it don't see why we should be any different in terms of appealing loudly for decisions etc.

Look at the decision QPR took with Warnock last year, I think if results carry on like this for another month, then I think a decision may need to be taken if we want to be in the PL next year. I really hope results do turn around because its not as if we have been playing really badly I think things have improved since the Spurs game. But this is a results based business unfortunately and I'm quite sure AZ wants that extra revenue money up for grabs.

Harry would be the right man to take us forward if it came to this.

Good points. I like Harry - no dispute there, but just don't think RFC could afford him or the money to splash out on transfers as said before.

[larry1971]

Redknapp, assuming he wanted to come here and assuming Anton would give him the money he wants, would still find it hard to attract quality players due to where we were in the league - those that did come and for whom we were paying hugely inflated prices for, would only be coming for the money and we'd end up with a bunch of prima donnas signed by him and a lot of unhappy players already here. So no thanks.

don't agree with that at both West Ham and Portsmouth, he turned around seasons that were heading for almost certain relegation because of the signings he made in the January transfer window unlike Mcdermott, he has a good eye for bargain signings that can transform a teams performances - however I do agree with you on your second points- Harry, spent huge amounts of money at both West Ham and Portsmouth and left both clubs with big financial problems so I can understand why you wouldn't want him here.

[Hoop Blah]

....Having said that, Mcdermott's insistence on always playing attacking football...

Have you seen us play this season? We're not playing 'attacking football', we're just whacking it forward to play the percentaged just like we did last year.

In my book that's not attacking, it's playing into the hands of better opposition so they can have another go at scoring against us.

As for Redknapp, he's an excellent man for building fluid attacking teams and getting players to play with freedom. He's also a crook that has to spend silly amount of money to build those teams and leaves clubs in horrible financial messes.

As much as I'd love to see Reading play in a way Redknapp could possibly get us playing (not with this squad in this league though) I'd be very scared of where we'd be in 5 years time. For that I'd put myself in the No camp for that one.

[winchester_royal]

....Having said that, Mcdermott's insistence on always playing attacking football...

Have you seen us play this season? We're not playing 'attacking football', we're just whacking it forward to play the percentaged just like we did last year.

In my book that's not attacking, it's playing into the hands of better opposition so they can have another go at scoring against us.

As for Redknapp, he's an excellent man for building fluid attacking teams and getting players to play with freedom. He's also a crook that has to spend silly amount of money to build those teams and leaves clubs in horrible financial messes.

As much as I'd love to see Reading play in a way Redknapp could possibly get us playing (not with this squad in this league though) I'd be very scared of where we'd be in 5 years time. For that I'd put myself in the No camp for that one.

You don't think that with Hammond working above him that would remove the risk of that outcome?

[Hoop Blah]

It might do, but I wonder how effectively Redknapp would function with Hammond there.

He obviously didn't see eye-to-eye with Levy at Spurs and ended up losing his job because of it. They could still afford to have a massive squad of very very good players, bought on Harry's whims and then hardly used. That's how he works.

If, in some crazy world, Redknapp ended up at Reading then one of him and Hammond would soon be out the door or Redknapp would fail because he wouldn't be able to manage in the way he does (not that I'd dare suggest he's a wealer-dealer of course!).

So, could Hammond keep him in check and it be a successful relationship for the club? I doubt it.

[larry1971]

It might do, but I wonder how effectively Redknapp would function with Hammond there.

He obviously didn't see eye-to-eye with Levy at Spurs and ended up losing his job because of it. They could still afford to have a massive squad of very very good players, bought on Harry's whims and then hardly used. That's how he works.

If, in some crazy world, Redknapp ended up at Reading then one of him and Hammond would soon be out the door or Redknapp would fail because he wouldn't be able to manage in the way he does (not that I'd dare suggest he's a wealer-dealer of course!).

So, could Hammond keep him in check and it be a successful relationship for the club? I doubt it.

well Harry, is very much from that old school of English manager who want complete controll of team affairs including transfers and certainly won't take kindly to be being told who he can and can't sign - also in the past when Pardew, Coppell, and Rodgers left the club has always pretty much kept in place the existing back room staff and that's some thing that Harry, would want to change as he'd almost certainly want to bring in his own people. Then again if Mcdermott were to get sacked it might not be a bad idea to have a complete clearout of the back room staff to and bring in new people to threashen things up.

[winchester_royal]

It might do, but I wonder how effectively Redknapp would function with Hammond there.

He obviously didn't see eye-to-eye with Levy at Spurs and ended up losing his job because of it. They could still afford to have a massive squad of very very good players, bought on Harry's whims and then hardly used. That's how he works.

If, in some crazy world, Redknapp ended up at Reading then one of him and Hammond would soon be out the door or Redknapp would fail because he wouldn't be able to manage in the way he does (not that I'd dare suggest he's a wealer-dealer of course!).

So, could Hammond keep him in check and it be a successful relationship for the club? I doubt it.

Which is why it almost definitely won't happen, but if we were to bring 'Arry in then it would be under the proviso that he accepts the constraints put onto him.

One man runs RFC, and he has a squeaky voice.

[Maguire]

Harry only ever splashed out if he knew it would improve the squad

Bongani Khumalo
Wilson Palacios (12 million!)
Niko Kranjcar
Steven Pienaar
Sebastien Bassong
Peter Crouch

etc

I think he only buys if he can skim a bit off the top tbh.

Anyway, HATE Redknapp and don't want him anywhere near the football club, thanks.

[mr_number]

Anyway, HATE Redknapp and don't want him anywhere near the football club, thanks.

+ a lot

[Reading4eva]

It might do, but I wonder how effectively Redknapp would function with Hammond there.

Maybe the one reason he wouldnt join, and with Hammond doing so well for this club it wouldnt be right for Redknapp to come in at Hammond's expense

[russyb]

The main thing for me is Brian needs to just adjust his tatics slightly and mix it up a bit better, the times when we have retained the ball, (fairly little at the moment) we have looked so much better. The work ethic is there you can't fault that, closing down isn't bad, the biggest thing is the ball over the top isn't for the most part being effective, we need to be better on the ball. I watched QPR yesterday i know they are not a good example in terms of table position but i did note how differently they played, they did create a fair few chances from balls to feet and most importantly created shots on goal. Tim Howard had to make some good saves also. A bit of thoguht about possession football is needed, i think we are capable of doing it.

[russyb]

A bit of thoguht about possession football is needed, i think we are capable of doing it.

There's a great idea! Let's hire Brendan Rodgers.

excellent

but my point stands, i am not talking mega swansea style here although that was pretty effective against us, i am talking about a bit more passing working it up the field, a bit more retention on the ball.

[themadstad]

I don't see McDermott getting sacked and even if he did I'm not sure it'd make a difference.

McDermott said he was happy with the squad and that he got everyone he wanted. Anton said around promotion we have a list [of targets] and we'll be working on that.

So did Anton not provide enough money or did McDermott make the wrong choices? Or perhaps both? What did we learn from our last time in the prem?

We aren't talking millions and millions of pounds on loads of new players but just that extra quality to add.

[windermere_royal]

What did we learn from our last time in the prem?
.

Nothing.

[Mike Mann]

I hope BM lasts all season and proves all the doubters wrong. Long term success can only be achieved with stability.

[robinsfriday]

I hope BM lasts all season and proves all the doubters wrong. Long term success can only be achieved with stability.

oxf*rd off newbie and ahhhhhhhh, how sweet.

[melonhead]

It's times like this when BMcD and Anton need to talk to each other, agree they were not agressive enough in the Summer window, work out a strategy for the January window and vow not to make the same mistakes again! I think that both will learn from their mistakes. A new manager, with a team who are currently relegation material, could well lead us back to the Championship and then, even if quickly promoted, make the same mistakes all over again! I think we will eventually see the need to invest but it will cost more. Should we manage to stay in the division, a far more agressive strategy will be needed next summer!

im pretty sure that would have happened regardless.