Brian: The right decision?

[Extended-Phenotype]

Ironic that SCOSE stands for Standing Committee on Spoken English.

[West Stand Man]

McDermott was never allowed to have a squad good enough to play attractive football but HE was good enough to make lesser players, playing a more functional style, out perform teams that cost far more money to assemble.

Sacking McDermott, and the timing of it in particular, was a highly unprofessional decision taken by an owner who clearly knows less about the game than he likes to believe.

Well, I was a fan of BMcD too but that is blatant nonsense. He had the opportunity and missed it. If you are right in your assertion that he never had that opportunity then please explain how Adkins managed to get that same group of players to start playing that style of football?

Look at the innings made by BMcD. Surely Guthrie was bought in so that he could be the fulcrum of a passing team? Yet he spent little time on the pitch and when he was there we effectively bypassed him.

As to the timing of his removal. It has been said. It makes eminent sense to bring in a new manager early enough for him to assess the assets he will work with the next season. It a a shrewd decision by someone who was well advised.

[Extended-Phenotype]

[winchester_royal]

[grey_squirrel]

+, as it goes Adkins is a perma-tanned, smug, Scouse, ex-Saints tosser who looks like a massive pleb in a blue tie.

I actually agree with that word-for-word, but I'm glad he's our Manager. Best man for the job.

[Davezk]

Le Fondre's the latest player to slate his tactics and coaching then...isn't that about half the squad now?

What was said / source?

[Extended-Phenotype]

Reading Chronicle:

"You can see the massive progression we have
made under the new manager and the contrast
in styles," argued Le Fondre. "No disrespect to
Brian and how we played before, but it's a totally
different kind of football in the Premier League
than the Championship.
"If you keep giving the ball away, trying to turn
teams and don't have any sustained possession,
teams tend to hurt you.
"Premier League clubs have got players good
enough to keep the ball for five or six minutes
and suddenly you are chasing shadows. One false
move and they cut through you straight away.
When strikers are at the top of their game they
only need one chance and you are one nil down
and chasing the game."
Reading were starved of possession in the Premier
League under McDermott which, in turn, invited
pressure from opponents.
Latest statistics reveal that opposition teams
carved out an average of 18.6 shots at Reading's
goal during matches this season - the highest for
any team in the top five leagues in Europe.
However, Le Fondre, 24, says things have
improved under Adkins over the eight matches
he has been in charge.
"He's only been here a handful of games, but
we've come on leaps and bounds," he suggested.
"We're keeping the ball better and starting to
control games with a little more possession.
"We're getting a foothold in games which we
weren't really doing earlier in the season. We were
sort of riding our luck and hoping for the best.
That's tough to say but that's what we were
doing.
"We were hoping someone came up with a bit of
magic or that Adam Federici or Alex McCarthy
had a 'worldy' in goal, and we would take it from
there.
"Now there's more structure about our play. With
a bit of fine tuning we can keep progressing."
Reading, boosted by £60 million in parachute
payments over the next four years, are expected
to challenge for promotion back to the Premier
League next season.
And Le Fondre declared: "I think we will come
back stronger next season, we will have that
hunger to play in the Premier League again, it's
what everyone wants.
"We've all got to have that hunger and desire to
play there because it's the best league in the
world. We know what the Championship is all
about. We ground it out the season before last
and won the title and we need to do it again.
"I believe we've got enough experience and
quality to do that."
Le Fondre, however, is one of several players
attracting the attention of rival clubs including
Premier League newcomers Cardiff City.
The striker top scored for Royals with 12 Premier
League goals over the season - the same as
Chelsea's Juan Mata and Manchester United's
Wayne Rooney.
He also set a new record for most goals scored by
a substitute in a Premier League season and was
named Player of the Month for January.
However, he accepted players are certain to leave
Madejski Stadium over the coming weeks.
"That's just the nature of football," he said. "You
rarely see clubs do nothing in the summer. If you
do you stand still and people pass you by. You
always need to improve."

[Big Foot]

+, as it goes Adkins is a perma-tanned, smug, Scouse, ex-Saints tosser who looks like a massive pleb in a blue tie.

I actually agree with that word-for-word, but I'm glad he's our Manager. Best man for the job.

[winchester_royal]

[Big Foot]

HE IS A KUNT.

[winchester_royal]

Actually a pretty nice guy tbh, Winchester resident as well.

[windermere_royal]

HE IS A KUNT.

Thank you for your valuable contribution dickhead.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Not warmed to him yet but I must have been out of the country when he committed all these rapes or whatever it is.

[Elm Park Pasty]

This is quite nice. Spending 30 odd pages watching a consistent group of posters bouncing their continously entrenched opinions around. This saga could go on and on. It could become HNA's own soap opera.

Just for reference for audience members like me, Big Foot you are Tim Dellor right?

[sandman]

HE IS A KUNT.

Voted him the most annoying manager of last season in the Post's end of season survey.

[windermere_royal]

HE IS A KUNT.

Voted him the most annoying manager of last season in the Post's end of season survey.

Good for you, give the man a medal

[Handsome Man]

Reading Chronicle:

"You can see the massive progression we have
made under the new manager and the contrast
in styles," argued Le Fondre. "No disrespect to
Brian and how we played before, but it's a totally
different kind of football in the Premier League
than the Championship.
"If you keep giving the ball away, trying to turn
teams and don't have any sustained possession,
teams tend to hurt you.
"Premier League clubs have got players good
enough to keep the ball for five or six minutes
and suddenly you are chasing shadows. One false
move and they cut through you straight away.
When strikers are at the top of their game they
only need one chance and you are one nil down
and chasing the game."
Reading were starved of possession in the Premier
League under McDermott which, in turn, invited
pressure from opponents.
Latest statistics reveal that opposition teams
carved out an average of 18.6 shots at Reading's
goal during matches this season - the highest for
any team in the top five leagues in Europe.
However, Le Fondre, 24, says things have
improved under Adkins over the eight matches
he has been in charge.
"He's only been here a handful of games, but
we've come on leaps and bounds," he suggested.
"We're keeping the ball better and starting to
control games with a little more possession.
"We're getting a foothold in games which we
weren't really doing earlier in the season. We were
sort of riding our luck and hoping for the best.
That's tough to say but that's what we were
doing.
"We were hoping someone came up with a bit of
magic or that Adam Federici or Alex McCarthy
had a 'worldy' in goal, and we would take it from
there.
"Now there's more structure about our play. With
a bit of fine tuning we can keep progressing."
Reading, boosted by £60 million in parachute
payments over the next four years, are expected
to challenge for promotion back to the Premier
League next season.
And Le Fondre declared: "I think we will come
back stronger next season, we will have that
hunger to play in the Premier League again, it's
what everyone wants.
"We've all got to have that hunger and desire to
play there because it's the best league in the
world. We know what the Championship is all
about. We ground it out the season before last
and won the title and we need to do it again.
"I believe we've got enough experience and
quality to do that."
Le Fondre, however, is one of several players
attracting the attention of rival clubs including
Premier League newcomers Cardiff City.
The striker top scored for Royals with 12 Premier
League goals over the season - the same as
Chelsea's Juan Mata and Manchester United's
Wayne Rooney.
He also set a new record for most goals scored by
a substitute in a Premier League season and was
named Player of the Month for January.
However, he accepted players are certain to leave
Madejski Stadium over the coming weeks.
"That's just the nature of football," he said. "You
rarely see clubs do nothing in the summer. If you
do you stand still and people pass you by. You
always need to improve."

Hopefully he'll be gone soon.

[sandman]

HE IS A KUNT.

Voted him the most annoying manager of last season in the Post's end of season survey.

Good for you, give the man a medal

That's nice of you Windymoor. Thanks for your support but I don't want a medal your gratitude is more than enough of a reward.

[Woodcote Royal]

McDermott was never allowed to have a squad good enough to play attractive football but HE was good enough to make lesser players, playing a more functional style, out perform teams that cost far more money to assemble.

Sacking McDermott, and the timing of it in particular, was a highly unprofessional decision taken by an owner who clearly knows less about the game than he likes to believe.

Well, I was a fan of BMcD too but that is blatant nonsense. He had the opportunity and missed it. If you are right in your assertion that he never had that opportunity then please explain how Adkins managed to get that same group of players to start playing that style of football?

I won't bless some of the blinkered observations here with a response but you seem to be missing the point. Any fool can get a group of players to play pretty football but it's worth jack if it doesn't produce results.

McDermott was all about getting the very best from limited players and that was because he had to.

He bought the likes of Ledge because he was only given a tiny fraction of the £10m+ raised from selling Long and Siggy and it is utterly pathetic of others to suggest this was not the case.

What McDermott achieved with the resources at his disposal is never likely to be surpassed and nor are we likely to see ever again the likes of Doyle, Long and Siggy arrive for next nothing and go onto make the huge profits that they did for this club.

Whatever ADKINS (I highlight our manager's name for the anal prick who felt this was the most pressing observation to make regarding my previous post and invite him to refer to previous contributions where the correct spelling has normally been applied) achieves here it will take many years to match Brian McDermott's huge contribution to all things RFC, which was sadly cut short by an arrogant, walking wallet which has yet to be open in the manner previously suggested it would.

[sandman]

I thought you lot told us Adkins was having a clear out because these players can't play his style.