Dubai - Training

[loyalroyal4life]

Was there some GM with the all the PL clubs management.!!

Probably, apart from Wigan though who ended up in Tenerife

[maffff]

There seem to be quite a few articles in the Dubai media about us today...

Brian McDermott: The head of a family club growing up fast

The UAE is currently offering a temporary home to six Premier League clubs, and the squad of Reading FC could hardly have been more relaxed as they were put through their paces at Al Wasl’s training ground earlier this week.

As training went by, I watched from the dugout when a voice I vaguely recognised asked me how I was. Looking up, Reading manager Brian McDermott wandered over for a chat as his players raced away behind him.

In short, that exchange summed up everything about the experience of being around the club. Managers usually bolt at the sight of a journalist but, McDermott wanted to talk about life and other things before inviting me over to chat with a group of players as he continued to look over his side’s training process.

Far from exhibiting the aloofness generally associated with Premier League footballers, Reading, particularly left-back Ian Harte, were interested to hear about the UAE Pro League and former Premier League protagonists Asamoah Gyan, Lucas Neill and Al Ahli’s director of football Roy Aitken and former coach David O’Leary.

Some were even interested to hear about the UAE’s own star Omar Abdulrahman, or as one player referred to him “that player that played at the Olympics that time”.

One thing shone out above all, this is a club with the air of one that has taken 14 points from their last seven games, not one a relegation dogfight. And that atmosphere comes from the top.

“You can see the environment they’re around, you can smell it, you can always smell when there’s a good environment,” said McDermott. “You can look around this group and think there’s a chance for these guys to do something.

“We were written off in April [last year, when they confirmed promotion by winning the Championship] but we’re right in the mix. What I see with the players here is that there is so much more to come.”

McDermott came into management via the unorthodox route of starting as chief scout and he carries and transmits the demeanour of someone who understands how fortunate a position he is in.

Reading have had a season of two halves. They had to wait until mid-November for their first win as they looked doomed to return to the Championship. A 1-0 home win over West Ham at the end of December kick-started a run that included a come-from-behind 2-2 draw with Chelsea – McDermott’s personal highlight of the season –and a dramatic 3-2 win over West Brom after being 2-0 behind.

Still not clear of the relegation zone, Reading are on the up after a change of formation from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1. The cavalier goal-fests that defined the earlier part of the season – including the incredible 7-5 League Cup defeat to Arsenal – have now been swapped for gutsy wins with last-minute goals.

“We changed the system. My feel for the last two or three years was to attack every team as much as we can in every game, but I learned quickly in this league that sometimes you attack, you leave yourself open," continues McDermott.

“We had a tennis score against Arsenal, 7-5, we were 4-3 at half time against Man United and we thought it might end 7-7, and we had 3-3 against Fulham; so we had to make ourselves more difficult to play against and we’ve got results.

“You have to find a way to win and we did. We’ve been scoring last-minute goals for three years. If you have a look at our stats over the years, the amount of games we’ve won or drawn from behind, it says a lot about our players, their fitness, their resilience, everything you need and they never give up.”

So does McDermott regret not starting the season with the tactics he employs now? “You never know until you’ve had the experience and you only learn from the experience. What I did, I learnt and I learnt quickly, and If you don’t then you’re in trouble. It’s an obvious answer, yes I would change but I’m better for having the experience.”

A traditional English club in the old sense, the Royals have now become a traditional English club in the modern sense in that they have a new foreign owner. Russian Anton Zingarevich took over the club halfway through last season when Reading were sitting in mid-table in the Championship before they embarked on a promotion push.

After years of optimism and intrigue surrounding foreign ownership, they have become something to be suspicious of as fans learn all that glitters isn’t necessarily gold – or goals.

“I worried initially because you don’t know what you’re getting into. I don’t anymore. I know him now, I know his father who’s a great man." said McDermott.

"We had a club here that had an ethos and he has bought into that and it’s not really changed. Whatever happens to us, we’re building the club and we’re better than we were a year ago.”

So he has adapted to the club rather than the other way around? “I think so, he’s got major clout. We tried to sign Gylfi Sigurdsson in January [from Tottenham], and we were close to getting him, and I’ve never been close to signing a player like that, at that level of finance.

“He was brand new to me. At first it was different, it was a different way of working. I had always worked with [former owner] Sir John Madjeski, and I get on really well with him; but you have to learn and evolve.”

In a game often stuck in its ways, evolution and a thirst for knowledge are beginning to define Reading under McDermott.

http://www.sport360.com/football/brian- ... owing-fast?

The other two I read on the way in but don't seem to want to open in the office;

http://www.thenational.ae/sport/footbal ... ier-league

http://www.thenational.ae/sport/footbal ... ng-manager?

[maffff]

Was there some GM with the all the PL clubs management.!!

Probably, apart from Wigan though who ended up in Tenerife

Maybe they didn't check Groupon quick enough..

[HoneyRoastHoax]

Sunderland are in Dubai this week as well

I'd hate to see the tripadvisor review from them.

[akranes]

Really good article ^^

Also Swansea are in Dubai also I believe.

[VictorDMor]

West Ham also.

Their new brazilian striker, Wellngton Paulista refused to travel with the team because he likes to play with the reserves. Weird.

[MM]

Great article posted up.

I'm sure the pleasant climate over here in the Gulf was appreciated by the squad. Whether our goal of survival is achieved or not, this sounds like a good idea to me.

FWIW, the lad mentioned in the article (Omar Abdulrahman) was a star performer as UAE won the recent Gulf Cup tournament in Bahrain. I didn't see him in the Olympics at all so formed an opinion on him just from what I saw over here. Great skills and if his strength can be set to the appropriate level he could be a gem of a player. I'm sure the scouts are keeping an eye on him - he already had a trial at Man City so that suggests they will be.

Another sidenote...interesting if Sunzu is having a trial at Sunderland during their Dubai break when we were there too.

[72 bus]

Great skills and if his strength can be set to the appropriate level he could be a gem of a player.

How do you set his strength to the appropriate level, has he got a dial on his back or something ?

[BR2]

Pretty good weather down on the south coast yesterday and today and anticipated tomorrow-our financially cautious club could have saved a lot of money,travelling time and no jet lag.

[The Beardy Man]

Indeed, was a balmy 12.5 degrees in Southsea this afternoon according to my car. No doubt the the players would have felt that a kickabout on Castle Field would have been 'wooorldy' or some such.Also the big old Harry owned building by the pier burnt down a while back so there would have been #flames

[The Beardy Man]

What is with all this 'flames' and 'woooldy' crap anyway? Am I just getting old?

[Royal91]

What is with all this 'flames' and 'woooldy' crap anyway? Am I just getting old?

Its just Karacan and Morrison being pathetic!

Flames- no idea it represents.

Wooorldy- just a replacement for world-class!

[The Beardy Man]

What is with all this 'flames' and 'woooldy' crap anyway? Am I just getting old?

Its just Karacan and Morrison being pathetic!

Flames- no idea it represents.

Wooorldy- just a replacement for world-class!

Cheers, I really didn't know if this was just a Reading players thing, or something the cool kids say these days when communicating with each other.

[GreaterTorontoRoyal]

What is with all this 'flames' and 'woooldy' crap anyway? Am I just getting old?

If I recall correctly, Karacan's dog is named Flames. It sort of is like awesome, I suppose? Like "scored a goal today #flames" or "went to Nandos #flames"
Karacna just started saying #flames all the time in his tweets. I think his pair of club sandals have #flames written on them

[Maguire]

Karacan is a total cock #flames

Hmm, not sure i've quite got the hang of this

[Royal With Cheese]

Karacan is a total cock #flames

Hmm, not sure i've quite got the hang of this

No, that seems wooldy to me.

[SLAMMED]

It's not that hot there either this time of year. Low 30s

[Millsy]

Training camp?

Arab country?

Alarm bells.

It's not the training camp we think it is.

[Royal Ginger]

It's not that hot there either this time of year. Low 30s

At the peak of the day and by comparison to the 40s in the summer, but yes, i get your point

[RoyalBlue]

After today's gutless and appalling performance, if the players and management had any decency at all, they will make a donation to charity equivalent to the total cost of their 'Dubai Jolly'.

Some of the supporters sat in the freezing cold today forgo holidays in the sun, in order that they can afford to support their team. For the players to get an all expenses trip to Dubai (and anyone who thinks it wasn't a jolly as much as training, should read some of the players' tweets) and then roll over like they did today is an insult to all paying supporters.