MCDERMOTT SACKED

[HoneyRoastHoax]

right decision, wrong timing

fukoffnewbie

welcome

[ManchesterRoyals]

Interesting reading

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... -here.html

[barelylubedcock]

[royal_cornwall]

Interesting reading

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... -here.html

Good read. Agreed with pretty much all of that.

[Vision]

AZ is understandably getting some stick over this but we need to hold fire a little bit before totally condemning him completely as a knee jerking kid in a toyshop.

If that were the case then I think McD would have been sacked before the last transfer window. He wasn't despite things not being a whole lot bleaker then than they are now. In fact he was given the transfer window and some money in order to effect a positive change. Our subsequent burst of form in January made that decision look like the right one. I also think it's another reason why the decision to axe now was a difficult one and not a knee jerk one.

People say the timing is all wrong but there's never really a right time to sack a manager. As an owner you do it (hopefully) because you realise that the current one cannot give you what you think the club are capable of going forward. My hope is that in doing this now it signals that AZ has a long term managerial plan for Reading. If we were solely looking at giving ourselves a chance of bouncing back next season should we be relegated (and the timing now means that there is a small chance of an instant pick me up from a new face) then we'd have been as well in keeping McD who we know can challenge at the top end.

I'm an optimist at heart so it's natural for me to hope that far from being an "Abromovich Lite" this could actually be a sign that AZ has his own long term plan that just happens to be a step away from the one that's given us a club to be proud of on and off the field for the last decade or more.

All that being said, I hate that people can so easily disregard the achievements of someone as genuine as McDermott . I've rarely supported a sacking at this club not even TB2 who was given more than enough time. I didn't want Rodgers sacked either and neither of those two had earned the right for loyalty by previous good deeds for us as McD has.

I hate what modern football has become at the top level but sadly modern football is what we are faced with. I can only hope that if the club can move forwards in the modern era in a way that doesn't completely lose sight of certain values that I believe are still important.

[RoyalBlue]

Interesting reading

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... -here.html

Good read. Agreed with pretty much all of that.

I wonder how many of these journalists and supporters of other clubs would be slagging off Anton (or other owner) if it was their own club in this situation.

It's extremely easy to be righteous and charitable when you are looking in from a distance and aren't directly/emotionally involved.

I suspect that there is a lot of hypocrisy in what many of them are now saying.

[Caskeys Lovechild]

Why is everyone talking about Brian not having the nouse to succeed in the Premier League? As of the weekend, we are pretty much a Championship team..... Why the heck would we need a Premier League standard manager now? We need someone who knows the players, knows the league, and has a keen eye for a bargain.....at Championship level.....

................oooooh...who does that sound like??

[Dave the rave]

McDermott seemed incapable of keeping us up so this is a last chance effort to inject new ideas from a new manager to avoid the drop.
If it miraculously works then bonza.

Personally, I think it's too late and we also don't have the caliber of player for any new manager to turn things round anyway.

Whatever has happened in the past matters not at this stage. Could Brian have taken us up again if we went down? possibly.
Then we would have had to replace him as he seems not to be able to cut it at Premiership level. That wouldn't have gone done well would it?

It's not the best situation and I feel for BM but what are the alternatives (at this stage)?

[melonhead]

Admittedly I just posted this in another thread, but upon reflection it may be better suited here. I rarely post here these days but I wanted to put my thoughts into writing, so here goes:

Brian McDermott did an unbelievable job of getting the group of players he had to perform to such a level that we won the Championship last season. He will forever hold legendary status for coming from within the club to steady the ship after the Rodgers experiment failed, and everything he achieved will be remembered and appreciated by the genuine fans amongst us.

However, I do not believe that McDermott had the managerial-nouse to succeed in the Premier League. Not only were his tactics slightly naive and one dimensional, but his man-management skills seemed to be lacking somewhat when it came to handling the 'bigger personalities' amongst the squad. Installing passion and belief in a group of largely lower league players, adding the experience of Roberts, and installing a real sense of togetherness last season is one thing, but when it came to managing the likes of Guthrie, an unhappy Federici, and an increasingly frustrated Pavel Pogrebnyak, unltimately I think Brian failed. Knowing he has a far better track record of managing professionals from the lower leagues who have had to show determination and willingness to get to where they are and would undoubtedly be thankful for a shot at the 'big time', he turned to the likes of Akpan and Blackman in the January transfer window, and picks the likes of Leigertwood and McAnuff over Guthrie and co. Those personalities are far easier to manage for a character like Brian and I think that played a massive part in both team selection and transfer targets.

Whilst I feel for Brian and am incredibly thankful for what he achieved at the club, if the new regime are serious about making us an established top-flight side, I feel the change was necessary. It's still yet to be seen who will replace Brian, but I doubt it'll be another quiet, reserved ex-scout (no disrespect intended).

the voice of reading programmes everywhere has spoken

[Maguire]

Exactly. Tom L'Heureux is nothing but the Mouth of Sauron these days

[melonhead]

McDermott seemed incapable of keeping us up so this is a last chance effort to inject new ideas from a new manager to avoid the drop.
If it miraculously works then bonza.

Personally, I think it's too late and we also don't have the caliber of player for any new manager to turn things round anyway.

Whatever has happened in the past matters not at this stage. Could Brian have taken us up again if we went down? possibly.
Then we would have had to replace him as he seems not to be able to cut it at Premiership level. That wouldn't have gone done well would it?

It's not the best situation and I feel for BM but what are the alternatives (at this stage)?

im not sure anyone could with a squad that cost 10 million quid

[Thomas L'Heureux]

Exactly. Tom L'Heureux is nothing but the Mouth of Sauron these days

[Maguire]

Exactly. Tom L'Heureux is nothing but the Mouth of Sauron these days

[Ouroboros]

Thomas, man, could you do us a mock Program cover with McDermott, sobbing, being led away by JM while Anton, wearing a sadistic grin, perhaps with a bit of blood dribbing down his cheek from biting the head off a kitten, sits on his golden throne and bellows "GET IN HERE GIBBS"?

If you don't do it you are definitely the mouth of sauron.

[Jano]

Fordham just confirmed on twitter that the Greek coach brought in from Ajax has also left. Strange.

[P!ssed Off]

Interesting reading

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... -here.html

Good read. Agreed with pretty much all of that.

I wonder how many of these journalists and supporters of other clubs would be slagging off Anton (or other owner) if it was their own club in this situation.

It's extremely easy to be righteous and charitable when you are looking in from a distance and aren't directly/emotionally involved.

I suspect that there is a lot of hypocrisy in what many of them are now saying.

Those on the outside looking in see Reading in the relegation zone, where they expected them to be. They are generally unaware of the issues surrounding tactics, team selections, transfers as well as certain player unrest. For instance the fans reaction to Leigertwood's substitution was not shown on MOTD or mentioned in mainstream media, so unless you were there or know someone who was, most pundits are unlikely to know about it.

However, the majority that followed Reading this season recognise that McDermott did under perform. It's getting a bit silly with many of these so-called 'pundits', who have nothing to do with Reading and no more insight than the average man, commenting on the situation at Reading. They can express sadness for McDermott but those who claim to be providing in-depth analysis should really mind their own business.

[Agent Balti]

Fordham just confirmed on twitter that the Greek coach brought in from Ajax has also left. Strange.

Not really. He's clearly had zero effect on the playing style of the team along with Brian and Nigel, so may as well dispatch him also. (Also, if the new incumbent has his own ideas then he'd likely be off anyway.)

[floyd__streete]

Interesting reading

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... -here.html

^ what a dog-sh*t article that is. Having a cheap shot at McD going back to 442 from 451 in recent weeks completely ignores the fact that Pog's suspension has taken away the only credible 'lone striker' option we have

[Maguire]

Interesting reading

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... -here.html

^ what a dog-sh*t article that is. Having a cheap shot at McD going back to 442 from 451 in recent weeks completely ignores the fact that Pog's suspension has taken away the only credible 'lone striker' option we have

Anyone who uses the phrases "happy clappy" is a bender.

[Thomas L'Heureux]

Thomas, man, could you do us a mock Program cover with McDermott, sobbing, being led away by JM while Anton, wearing a sadistic grin, perhaps with a bit of blood dribbing down his cheek from biting the head off a kitten, sits on his golden throne and bellows "GET IN HERE GIBBS"?

If you don't do it you are definitely the mouth of sauron.

As soon as I've had permission from those at the club to do so I'll get to work...