We are down. So next season who stays and who goes?

[savage 4 england]

Who I expect to leave:
Shorey
Harte
Pearce
Guthrie
Pog
Tabb
Roberts (Retire)
Church
Gorkss
Andersen
Hunt
Taylor

Who could potentially leave:
Gunter - With Cummings and Kelly I could see Gunter move to a championship club. Maybe even back to Forest.
Kebe - One of our few good players.
Le Fondre - His goals make him an attraction.

That leaves us with

Federici
McCarthy
Henly

Kelly
Cummings
Morrison
Mariappa

Robson-Kanu
McAnuff
McCleary
Obita
Karacan
Leigertwood
Akpan
Carrico
D'ath

Blackman
Samuel

Doesn't look great.

[Lovely hot donuts!]

McDermott will stay. I'm indifferent to weather or not he goes but he's not gonna get sacked.
Easier to list the players I would expect to still be here:
Federici
McCarthy
Marriappa
Morrison
Harte
Cummings
Kelly
Karacan
Leigertwood
McAnuff
McCleary
HRK
Akpan
Carrico
D'ath
Obita
Hunt
Blackman
Samuel

That would provide with a good championship first XI but little else.

[Ian Royal]

Jelytot and woodcote should be first out the door. Followed by Karacan, McDermott, church, pog, Harte and federici. Although pog and fed just because we might get good money for them and they're on big wages.

[savage 4 england]

Jelytot and woodcote should be first out the door. Followed by Karacan, McDermott, church, pog, Harte and federici. Although pog and fed just because we might get good money for them and they're on big wages.

I rate Pog, but I think we may be happy for him to just leave on a free.

[paddy20]

Mcarthy
Kelly Morrison Mariappa Gunter


Mcleary Akpan Karacan Macanuff


Blackman LeFondre



Mid table mediocracy Feds, Kebe, Pearce Pog to stay in premiership. Hunt, Leigerwood to another championship side . Church to a 2nd division side. Harte and Shorey retire. Mr Mad persuades the Russians to stay doing it the Reading way and buy a few Schools and paintings as hwe have good players here and give Macd a pay drop to stay

[chilipepper91]

McDermott won't leave. He won't get a job anywhere else, he's under contract, and the top dogs like that they can give him the tenner they found round the back of the West Stand hotdog stall to spend on players.

Players to leave:
--------------Federici--------------
---Cummings---Pearce---Shorey
Kebe----Guthrie----Tabb----HRK
Le Fondre--Roberts--Pogrebnyak

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

The clear out thread a season too late, great!!!

[royal_cornwall]

Don't be rash about Leigertwood and McAnuff. They'll be in fine in the Champ; Jobi was actually alright when he got the ball in good areas today. Karacan has also proven his worth at that level.

Worry about losing Pearce; if other teams have been watching us carefully we may lose Mariappa too. If we can keep Mapps, he will make a great Championship pairing with Morrisson, with Gorkss as backup and possibly another new signing.

Akpan will be excellent, as I believe HRK will be. Kelly will be very solid, backed up by Gunter/Cummings.

In goal we have 4 viable Championship options; Feds, McCarthy, Taylor and Andersen. Fine.

So now to the problem areas.

We will lose Pog and Guthrie (I won't be shedding tears for either). Hunt's contract is up, a PL club may come in for ALF. Suddenly we look very light up front; Blackman is still raw and we'll need more experience even at Championship level. Left back is also an issue; we need to bring in some youth to challenge Harte and Shorey; they're not long term options which we can try and build upon.

As for Carrico, what is going on? I could see him leaving without making another appearance, or possibly being the next Matejovsky. Quite talented, but never quite adept to our 1990s style 'ave it! 4-4-2 philosophy.

Which brings me to my next point. If AZ is serious about making us a permanent fixture in the PL, he needs to go about bringing not just a new manager, but an entire management team who can get us to adapt a more modern, skilful style of football. This will be easier to work on in the Championship; we'd be ruthlessly picked apart if we tried such a development in the PL. We've already signed some coach from Ajax; promising sign although it clearly isn't have an effect yet.

At the time of Rodgers, I was cynical, but looking at the likes of Swansea, Wigan and just about every side we've played this season, I'm happy for us to take a step back and eventually arrive at the PL with a team capable of controlling a football and passing to each other. Even Stoke are capable of this. Saying that, can't afford to step all the way back to League 1, hence Rodgers' sacking.

Good Post

[regis-royal]

I really think you should keep your manager.

Any man that has the managerial talent to inspire the sort of form you showed last season to win the Championship must be pretty talented. He's almost a victim of his own success. He wouldn't have been sacked for not getting you promoted last year yet he manages to over achieve and then has to compete in a division where he is woefully under resourced and lacking financial backing. The fact you're still not down and competing in amongst it is, by quite a few measures, still over achieving based on the talent and resources available.

Why do clubs have to keep shifting managers? Reading can now be seriously considered as a yo-yo club (not an insult, so are West Ham) and that brings with it the ability to attract the best Championship talent and some decent Premier League fringe players. I'd give him another couple of years to be able to learn from the lessons of this season in the hope that you'd get delivered back to the Prem in a season or two with a very experienced manger who has built a solid squad who can compete at the top level.

And that's before you look at the alternatives you've got to come in. Some boring journeyman like Curbishley, Warnock etc. I'd hardly back them to do better.

Agreed 100%.Shame most of the so called fans on here can't see it themselves.

[Ark Royal]

Don't be rash about Leigertwood and McAnuff. They'll be in fine in the Champ; Jobi was actually alright when he got the ball in good areas today. Karacan has also proven his worth at that level.

Worry about losing Pearce; if other teams have been watching us carefully we may lose Mariappa too. If we can keep Mapps, he will make a great Championship pairing with Morrisson, with Gorkss as backup and possibly another new signing.

Akpan will be excellent, as I believe HRK will be. Kelly will be very solid, backed up by Gunter/Cummings.

In goal we have 4 viable Championship options; Feds, McCarthy, Taylor and Andersen. Fine.

So now to the problem areas.

We will lose Pog and Guthrie (I won't be shedding tears for either). Hunt's contract is up, a PL club may come in for ALF. Suddenly we look very light up front; Blackman is still raw and we'll need more experience even at Championship level. Left back is also an issue; we need to bring in some youth to challenge Harte and Shorey; they're not long term options which we can try and build upon.

As for Carrico, what is going on? I could see him leaving without making another appearance, or possibly being the next Matejovsky. Quite talented, but never quite adept to our 1990s style 'ave it! 4-4-2 philosophy.

Which brings me to my next point. If AZ is serious about making us a permanent fixture in the PL, he needs to go about bringing not just a new manager, but an entire management team who can get us to adapt a more modern, skilful style of football. This will be easier to work on in the Championship; we'd be ruthlessly picked apart if we tried such a development in the PL. We've already signed some coach from Ajax; promising sign although it clearly isn't have an effect yet.

At the time of Rodgers, I was cynical, but looking at the likes of Swansea, Wigan and just about every side we've played this season, I'm happy for us to take a step back and eventually arrive at the PL with a team capable of controlling a football and passing to each other. Even Stoke are capable of this. Saying that, can't afford to step all the way back to League 1, hence Rodgers' sacking.

Good post and +1; and as an example to follow, look at what Zola has done at Watford and (choke) Di Canio did at Sw*ndon.

[rhroyal]

Zola at Watford is an interesting example, as he has got them playing well and in the promotion mix. But over half his squad must be on loan; I worry about them if they go up and how much team building they will have to do. It's not a model to follow in my view.

[soggy biscuit]

Think there may be a few players who will be looking to leave due to the way the fans have treated them. And you can't blame them really.

[Royal Dee]

If we have real premier league ambition we have to change the philosophy of the team and that starts at the manager. We need to adapt a style of football that is effective in the premier league and sign players accordingly. The McDermott years have been great but he has taken as far as he can and needs to step aside with dignity. We need to get a manager like Brendan rogers was, but this time support him financially and start playing the football that will keep us up in the premier league but start in the championship.

I think we need to clear out any players that are not capable of playing this style of football or are on big wages. So next seasons squad could look like this:

Goalkeepers
McCarthy
Taylor
Defence
Marriappa
Morrison
Kelly
Shorey
Cummings
Gunter
Midfield
Karacan
McCleary
HRK
Akpan
Carrico
Kebe
Forwards
Blackman
Lefondre

So we would need to add:
1 passing/positive midfielder
1 Big striker to replace Roberts and the Pog
1 quick striker that we are currently missing
1 Center back

[jimstaaa]

Unless i am very much mistaken we haven't actually been relegated yet? ... please correct me if i'm wrong?

[Divvy]

Unless i am very much mistaken we haven't actually been relegated yet? ... please correct me if i'm wrong?

You're wrong, the points just haven't been allocated yet.

[Reading4eva]

I know I probably will be slated on here but I am actually pretty excited tonight. Now I do want my Reading in the top flight, but I am also very optimistic for the future. First things first, McD has to go. He is a very capable Championship manager but we need new direction. What happens if he stays, and we win the league? He gets another crack at a league he has learnt nothing from in the last 29 games. The man I would want is Nigel Adkins, a very capable manager at both Championship and Premier League levels OR a very strange choice many will think but Dario Gradi (a manager who if he has a team capable of keeping his talented youngsters will go far). I do worry that the board are too loyal, like McD is. Remember apart from Anton, this was the same board happy to sit and believe in Burns as he drove us towards League Two and trips to Chester City and Lincoln.

Second area is the shape of the club. We need to look to invest in a good 5-6 players to replace the likes of Legs of Wood and McAnuff who yes again are capable in the Championship but again when we get promoted will make it 100 times harder as they will need replacing. Good start would be snapping Doyle back from Wolves. Guthrie will also most likely stay if McD goes and Simpson may join. Guthrie possesses too much quality for the Championship so let's use him!

I am confident this negative which I can't see not happening now will turn into a positive only if we follow that plan. Champions party in May 2014? I'm looking forward to it already!

[Divvy]

With a complete fresh start; i.e. a new management team, the dross out, some quality experienced new additions, then yes, I too would be excited for next season. The level we play at rarely doesn't fuss me. I've seen far far worst, but the thought of another season of backs to the wall hit and hope hustle and bustle football really depresses me.

FWIW I'd snap up Adkins before someone else does!

[Reading4eva]

Exactly. I wouldnt say Gradi would be a bad choice the players he bought through at Crewe.if he can replicate that here we are onto a winner!

[Ian Royal]

Jelytot and woodcote should be first out the door. Followed by Karacan, McDermott, church, pog, Harte and federici. Although pog and fed just because we might get good money for them and they're on big wages.

I rate Pog, but I think we may be happy for him to just leave on a free.

You think Hammond will let a Russian international worth millions and who's on a 3 or 4 year contract leave on a free? Are you mad? The man who sold sonko for £3m!?

[frimmers3]

funny you should mention hammond...i was just thinking j.clarkson could do a job for you.