Brian: The right decision?

[KC Royal]

McDermott above us in the table...

Who would have thought?!

I predicted Leeds would finish above us at the start of the season. They're not going to finish as high as I first thought (3rd) but I still think they'll be Top 6. They'll either pip us to a playoff place or beat us in the playoff final...

I think the former is more likely as I don't see them winning promotion this season, and at the end of August I wasn't convinced we'd make the playoffs.

[Hampshire Royal]

Leeds 6th
Reading 8th

Arsenal 1st
Chelsea 4th

[KC Royal]

Sacking a manager to finish outside the Top 6 just seems pointless. The jury is out on Adkins, although I think he should be given until the end of the season before a judgement is made. What this season has showed is that I don't care about our style of play at this level, it's all about results.

When McD was sacked I did fear it may come back to haunt us, so to those people who wanted him to go I hope you're happy with how things have gone since. I'm not including winchester royal in that as whether I agree with his POV or not he's a decent poster imo who expresses himself well.

McD is going to get a nasty taste of deja vu. If Leeds go up there is plenty of money waiting to be invested (with real money, unlike the invisible man's) and they will want prem style football and real results for that investment. He'll be out before Xmas next year.

...or perhaps, as an intelligent person, relatively new to management, he'll learn from his mistakes first time around...

+1 to this.

I remember him saying on Goals on Sunday shortly after he was sacked that he would be stronger for last season's experience. I also remember around this time 2 years ago in his interview with Richard Keys and Andy Gray on Talksport that the playoff final hurt had made him stronger. I didn't have any great expectations that season but came away from that interview feeling positive about the future - and we all know what happened some 5 months later.

That's what I didn't get about last season, I admit he did struggle but it was his first season at that level, if he'd taken us back up and struggled again then that would have been a case for him to go, but he had less than a year. Apart from anything else his record with us I felt allowed him a bad season. An overall record that imo is still better than anyone we've had - including Coppell.

[Man Friday]

Comments absolutely spot on.

Disgraceful decision by the impatient Russian who's now lost interest in us.

[winchester_royal]

Lol at 'disgraceful'. Whether or not you believe it to be the correct one, there was still plenty of justification behind the decision based on performances last season, as demonstrated by the majority of those polled on this thread supporting Brian's sacking.

Even if Brian goes on to have a fantastic few years at Leeds (as I hope he does) it still won't make it a disgraceful decision, just like Rodgers' successes elsewhere haven't made the decision to fire him disgraceful. Getting rid of Brian may have been reactionary, it may have been harsh, it may even have been the wrong thing to do for the club, but disgraceful? No. Things aren't that black and white, especially in football.

[No Fixed Abode]

Leeds 6th
Reading 8th

Arsenal 1st
Chelsea 4th

Err, we're 3rd.

And I didn't realised we had sacked Arsene Wenger.

[sandman]

You sure? I mean you've sacked everyone else including your current manager.

[P!ssed Off]

Lol at 'disgraceful'. Whether or not you believe it to be the correct one, there was still plenty of justification behind the decision based on performances last season, as demonstrated by the majority of those polled on this thread supporting Brian's sacking.

Even if Brian goes on to have a fantastic few years at Leeds (as I hope he does) it still won't make it a disgraceful decision, just like Rodgers' successes elsewhere haven't made the decision to fire him disgraceful. Getting rid of Brian may have been reactionary, it may have been harsh, it may even have been the wrong thing to do for the club, but disgraceful? No. Things aren't that black and white, especially in football.

I agree.
I think the majority of other clubs, in the same position, would have sacked the manager much sooner.
If we'd sacked him at Christmas (where we had only one win), then even that would have been justified.
IMO we were outplayed and humiliated virtually every week.

He had a good month or so after Christmas which granted him a stay of execution.
But a return to rubbish followed; 4 losses in a row, including 2 comprehensive defeats at home to relegation rivals.
The sacking was more than justified.

[No Fixed Abode]

You sure? I mean you've sacked everyone else including your current manager.

Gr8 comeback m8.

[AirRaidSiren]

Lol at 'disgraceful'. Whether or not you believe it to be the correct one, there was still plenty of justification behind the decision based on performances last season, as demonstrated by the majority of those polled on this thread supporting Brian's sacking.

Even if Brian goes on to have a fantastic few years at Leeds (as I hope he does) it still won't make it a disgraceful decision, just like Rodgers' successes elsewhere haven't made the decision to fire him disgraceful. Getting rid of Brian may have been reactionary, it may have been harsh, it may even have been the wrong thing to do for the club, but disgraceful? No. Things aren't that black and white, especially in football.

I agree.
I think the majority of other clubs, in the same position, would have sacked the manager much sooner.
If we'd sacked him at Christmas (where we had only one win), then even that would have been justified.
IMO we were outplayed and humiliated virtually every week.

He had a good month or so after Christmas which granted him a stay of execution.
But a return to rubbish followed; 4 losses in a row, including 2 comprehensive defeats at home to relegation rivals.
The sacking was more than justified.

Well said. Great post.

[Man Friday]

Lol at 'disgraceful'. Whether or not you believe it to be the correct one, there was still plenty of justification behind the decision based on performances last season, as demonstrated by the majority of those polled on this thread supporting Brian's sacking.

Even if Brian goes on to have a fantastic few years at Leeds (as I hope he does) it still won't make it a disgraceful decision, just like Rodgers' successes elsewhere haven't made the decision to fire him disgraceful. Getting rid of Brian may have been reactionary, it may have been harsh, it may even have been the wrong thing to do for the club, but disgraceful? No. Things aren't that black and white, especially in football.

10 years at Reading. 5 months before he'd won us the Championship (only the second 1/2 meaningful trophy in our 140 years), gave us 2 great cup runs, along comes a 29 year old Russian with his Dad's money (or not as it happens), gives him a few pence and then sacks him. In my books, that's disgraceful. It makes me ashamed to be a Reading fan. We've become Little Chelsea (without the investment).

[Man Friday]

I think the majority of other clubs, in the same position, would have sacked the manager much sooner.

I agree with that. But then most football clubs are run by people who have more money than sense. And certainly no sense of loyalty or decency. Look at Chelsea, Hull, Crystal Palace, etc.

[Man Friday]

IMO we were outplayed and humiliated virtually every week.

Hardly surprising with the amount of investment.

Mourinho or Ferguson would have struggled.

McD had a bum deal and quite frankly he's well shot of us.

[winchester_royal]

Lol at 'disgraceful'. Whether or not you believe it to be the correct one, there was still plenty of justification behind the decision based on performances last season, as demonstrated by the majority of those polled on this thread supporting Brian's sacking.

Even if Brian goes on to have a fantastic few years at Leeds (as I hope he does) it still won't make it a disgraceful decision, just like Rodgers' successes elsewhere haven't made the decision to fire him disgraceful. Getting rid of Brian may have been reactionary, it may have been harsh, it may even have been the wrong thing to do for the club, but disgraceful? No. Things aren't that black and white, especially in football.

10 years at Reading. 5 months before he'd won us the Championship (only the second 1/2 meaningful trophy in our 140 years), gave us 2 great cup runs, along comes a 29 year old Russian with his Dad's money (or not as it happens), gives him a few pence and then sacks him. In my books, that's disgraceful. It makes me ashamed to be a Reading fan. We've become Little Chelsea (without the investment).

Alas, it's really not that simple though is it? Brian wasn't doing a particularly good job at the time, and there wasn't a huge amount on display to suggest that things would improve the following season.

Should you keep a manager just because of how long he's been at the club? Or should you look to have a manager who you believe is the best man to take you forward? Should we have given Murty another contract before he left the club because of his fantastic former service? Or was it right to accept that he was no longer the best man for the right back position and move on to find another, better player?

You don't think it was the right decision to sack McDermott, and I can understand why you feel that way, but the decision Anton made was one that he hoped would improve the club in the long run. He didn't do it to disrespect McDermott, or slur his former achievements, he just didn't think Brian was up to the task (along with most of the fanbase). Who knows if that was the right or wrong decision? Only time (and by that I mean more than 8 months) will tell us that, but disgraceful is a strong word which I don't really think is merited.

[floyd__streete]

Leeds 6th
Reading 8th

If Leeds finish in the play offs and Reading don't manage to get into the top 6, then:

(a) LOL
(b) Adkins should be sacked

[Woodcote Royal]

McDermott was sacked in February having won Prem MOM in January.

Having won 1 of his last 6, Bodkins quest for a superior style of play is producing worse performances in the 2nd tier............................Nige needs a good December or it could be curtains in the new year.

And, frankly, I could live with that. Forget dead slow and stop, we've been in reverse since the day he arrived. I don't buy the view that he should be given lots of time because, IMHO, it's time we don't have.

McDermott's legacy was 4 seasons of parachute payments, brilliantly secured on a shoestring, and right now it's all being wasted on some of the most turgid sh+t I've seen at this club. Worst of all, it's coming from what must surely be the most expensively assembled squad we've ever had at this level.

I know there are a number of tiny brains who infest this forum so, just to be clear, I've never had the slightest inclination to support Leeds and continue to stump up £400+ for my seat at the Mad Stad. It will take a lot more than a know nothing Russian and his 2nd rate manager for this to change but I think I'm entitled to expect something on offer to tempt me into sitting in the damn thing once in a while

[winchester_royal]

^That post would be a lot more pertinent were it not from a man who was consistently abusive of Coppell.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

TBF Winchy WR haas stoppe that waffle now.

[Woodcote Royal]

^That post would be a lot more pertinent were it not from a man who was consistently abusive of Coppell.

No one was more full of praise for Coppell's 2 best seasons than me.......................................but I never thought the sun shone from his backside and made that perfectly clear after his worst two left us back where he found us.

Less time spent posting your own cr@p might help you gain a better understanding of others views

[winchester_royal]

TBF Winchy WR haas stoppe that waffle now.

So? If he chooses to pompously accuse those of believing it was right to sack BM of having tiny brain cells because of BM's prior successes, then I think it's fair enough to point out the irony of said accusations given 'that waffle' as you so put it.