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

[Royal Ginger]

Federici
Cummings
Mariappa
Gorkss
Shorey
Ledge
Karacan
HRK
McCleary
Hunt
Roberts

Bench: Taylor, Mills, Tabb, Obita, Sammuel

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd be pretty happy with that as a regular starting team in the champ, and that'd be losing some key players, and not buying any more. We're not down and out yet, but if we did go, we'd be fine.

[HoneyRoastHoax]

We still have a game in hand

[Vision]

Right so let me get this straight. Our players are utter shit or "championship standard at best" and we're already certain to be relegated yet apparently Premiership clubs will be falling over themselves like the 1st day of the Harrods Sale to take them all off our hands?

This place does make me smile at times.

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

I'd prefer Marriapa to replace Liegertwood and have a line up of

McCarthy

Cummings Pearce Morrison Shorey

Kebe Guthrie Marriapa McLeary

Pog Roberts

[Royal91]

I'd prefer Marriapa to replace Liegertwood and have a line up of

McCarthy

Cummings Pearce Morrison Shorey

Kebe Guthrie Marriapa McLeary

Pog Roberts

Can't argue with that team to be fair. Brian needs to figure a way of getting Guthrie and Pog working in a system.

[Hoop Blah]

Right so let me get this straight. Our players are utter shit or "championship standard at best" and we're already certain to be relegated yet apparently Premiership clubs will be falling over themselves like the 1st day of the Harrods Sale to take them all off our hands?

This place does make me smile at times.

Premier League clubs looking for young and improving squad players (like Pearce is supposedly being viewed by Liverpool for example) is quite different than our team being built around some of them as our better players.

You don't think that, if we go down, McCarthy won't attract a bit of Premier League interest? If Morrison continues to look very promising in a poor side he won't have teams sniffing around him?

[Vision]

Right so let me get this straight. Our players are utter shit or "championship standard at best" and we're already certain to be relegated yet apparently Premiership clubs will be falling over themselves like the 1st day of the Harrods Sale to take them all off our hands?

This place does make me smile at times.

Premier League clubs looking for young and improving squad players (like Pearce is supposedly being viewed by Liverpool for example) is quite different than our team being built around some of them as our better players.

You don't think that, if we go down, McCarthy won't attract a bit of Premier League interest? If Morrison continues to look very promising in a poor side he won't have teams sniffing around him?

I'm talking more about the lengths people go to, to depress themselves on here. It's not enough that they've already relegated us but now they're worrying about selling players before the start of next season. It just amuses me.

But if you want me to be specific I'd say we're just as likely to lose the players you mention if we stay up than if we go down. As presumably those players will have been influential in keeping us up.

In comparison to the last relegation, the reason we had in demand players was more to do with what they did in the season we finished 8th as there was an indication they could cut it at this level. Easier to ignore the 2nd half of the relegation season's form if there was generally positive performnces before it.

Morrison, McCarthy and Pearce have barely played a handful of games at this level so much as predicting the certainty of relegation is premature, so is any speculating about how much those players will be coveted in 9 months time. Yet there are plenty on here who seem to take a perverse delight in assuming the worst will happen.

[Hoop Blah]

Oh I agree on the scenario's you put forward, and the reason our better players left last time around, but the reason the discussion turned to players leaving was the train of thought that relegation won't be too much of a problem because we'll suddenly be left with a very good squad in the Championship and we'll just come straight back up.

The lengths you say people are going to in order to depress themselves is more just adding a bit of balance (some might say reality) to the boundless positivity of some!

It's Hobnobs Yin and Yan!

[redscot]

Some of the players whom left were not even "our better ones". They flopped once they left a team built up around team effort rather than individuals.
Of course players whom know they can go elsewhere, will not be that bothered if the team stays up or goes down. You need players fighting for survival because they do not wish to play in the championship. So come January the task needs to be to find players on the up (but might fail).

[Royal Rother]

The lengths you say people are going to in order to depress themselves is more just adding a bit of balance (some might say reality) to the boundless positivity of some!

You might be doing that, many others just revel in hammering the club, its owners and management and its players no matter what the situation.

A bit of balance you say!?

Funny that - to my eyes the positivity is balancing a strong surge of negativity on this board. Even when things are going well there's always someone / something that will get hammered. It's been like that for as long as I've been on here and there's been far more reason for optimism and positivity over the last 10 years than the opposite.

[Hoop Blah]

Chicken & egg RR....

I agree there's always someone having a pop at something, but to an extent that's a good thing isn't it? We should always be looking at improving and addressing any weakness, potential, perceived or actual shouldn't we? That goes as a point of discussion as well as something that those that need to do it for real at the club.

I do agree that there is some unending negativity though, but I tend to filter out the rubbish and try and concentrate on the posters with something valid to say (although I do let brendy through my filters at times!).

[melonhead]

[winchester_royal]

Chicken & egg RR....

I agree there's always someone having a pop at something, but to an extent that's a good thing isn't it? We should always be looking at improving and addressing any weakness, potential, perceived or actual shouldn't we? That goes as a point of discussion as well as something that those that need to do it for real at the club.

I do agree that there is some unending negativity though, but I tend to filter out the rubbish and try and concentrate on the posters with something valid to say (although I do let brendy through my filters at times!).

Agreed, but for every tediously negative poster that won't listen to anyone else's argument, there's a relentlessly positive one who behaves in the same way. For every RoyalBlue there's a Sandman, for every Lacoste there's a Man Friday..

Fortunately there are quite a few on here that are happy to debate with a certain level of rationality and open-mindness. Like you say, it's just about learning how to filter out those who can't be debated with.

[royal_ross]

This place does make me smile at times.

I smile most of the time on here

[Archie's penalty]

Chicken & egg RR....

I agree there's always someone having a pop at something, but to an extent that's a good thing isn't it? We should always be looking at improving and addressing any weakness, potential, perceived or actual shouldn't we? That goes as a point of discussion as well as something that those that need to do it for real at the club.

I do agree that there is some unending negativity though, but I tend to filter out the rubbish and try and concentrate on the posters with something valid to say (although I do let brendy through my filters at times!).

Agreed, but for every tediously negative poster that won't listen to anyone else's argument, there's a relentlessly positive one who behaves in the same way. For every RoyalBlue there's a Sandman, for every Lacoste there's a Man Friday..

Fortunately there are quite a few on here that are happy to debate with a certain level of rationality and open-mindness. Like you say, it's just about learning how to filter out those who can't be debated with.

I have to say I've enjoyed the debates over the last couple of days. We seem to sort of understand our fate and are doing some intelligent soul-searching. Much more
enjoyable to read HNA when it's like this.

[SPARTA]

I can't believe what I hear today. Brian claiming the Reading fans are happy with what we're watching. That is unbelievable. If he really does believe that, then we clearly are far too bloody nice for our own good. It doesn't hurt to show your disapproval. I don't necessarily agree with booing, but I think the fans that are unhappy with things do need to be noticed. On the other hand, I think he knows better than anyone that we're not happy. Just like there's been no fall-outs with his players, and instead they were injured, we too are 'happy'... I'm just waiting to be told I too am injured and unavailable for the game Saturday.. and BM has dismissed that the players aren't good enough. Well, he'd hardly say otherwise, but the man is all over the place at the moment and his comments of late are chipping away at the remaining little scraps of confidence I have left in him.

[melonhead]

how will booing help the team ffs?
i think he means that most of us were realistic in expecting a relegation battle, and being sensible and loyal enough to get behind the team regardless
which is what is required to stay in this league

if i hear booing during the game tommorrow ill be sorely tempted into violence

[SPARTA]

how will booing help the team ffs?
i think he means that most of us were realistic in expecting a relegation battle, and being sensible and loyal enough to get behind the team regardless
which is what is required to stay in this league

if i hear booing during the game tommorrow ill be sorely tempted into violence

Well of course it wont, but if he seriously believes the fans are happy, then they are more than entitled to somehow get their feelings across.

[akranes]

Damn you melonhead *shakes fist*

[melonhead]

how will booing help the team ffs?
i think he means that most of us were realistic in expecting a relegation battle, and being sensible and loyal enough to get behind the team regardless
which is what is required to stay in this league

if i hear booing during the game tommorrow ill be sorely tempted into violence

Well of course it wont, but if he seriously believes the fans are happy, then they are more than entitled to somehow get their feelings across.

write him a sternly worded letter



booing is only going to get to the players
its directionless, theyll all be wondering what theyve done wrong, or if youre booing the ref, or the manager, or the owner

he knows you arent happy. he isnt happy.
he is happy that we are keeping up with our support of the team during this tough time, we need to support the players while the try and get a result