Brian: The right decision?

[Royal Bahamas]

Until someone comes in who achieves more than McD did when he was manager here, it will, to me, always be the wrong decision.

Not an unfair summary - particularly considering he wasn't given the chance again to succeed/fail at this level with us.

Has the club gone forwards since sacking Brian McDermott? I think the answer is quite clearly no.

Has the club gone backwards? I think the answer is quite clearly yes.

I suppose this leaves the question - would we have gone backwards more/quicker if McDermott had stayed? Obviously this is hypothetical but I very, very much doubt it.

100% agree!!!! Brian should never have been fired. He was the Heart of Reading!

[schubert06]

Until someone comes in who achieves more than McD did when he was manager here, it will, to me, always be the wrong decision.

I don't say much on this forum, but I agree with this

[bcubed]

Until someone comes in who achieves more than McD did when he was manager here, it will, to me, always be the wrong decision.

I don't say much on this forum, but I agree with this

Well I'm not sure it was worth the wait!


I do like your songs though! Time for another?

[WoodleyRoyal]

Until someone comes in who achieves more than McD did when he was manager here, it will, to me, always be the wrong decision.

Clarke is a better manager than Brian

[melonhead]

hes probably a better coach, ill give you that



the whole thing still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth

forced out on the whim of some Russian tw@ who buggered off himself a few months later

what an absolute cnut

[WoodleyRoyal]

so hypothetically then had anton left 6 months earlier would Brian still be in charge of Reading today? i think not

[melonhead]

I think so
would probably have taken us back up, or close, by now

[WoodleyRoyal]

I think so
would probably have taken us back up, or close, by now

problem was he never had a plan b, he would have been found out by now

[melonhead]

that's just nonsense

he had, and used plans A-Z
it just so happened that they all pragmatically had to suit the majority players he had at his disposal in the 1st team

[WoodleyRoyal]

He had one management style and that was as a morale office, he just tried to get 11 happy and up for it players on the pitch, which of course is no bad thing, but it will only get you so far. He is the most tactically unaware manger we have had since bullivant. I Know it sounds harsh and he has achieved more than any other manager other than Coppell, 2 fa cup qf's and a promotion as champions, shouldn't be sniffed at. But still he was/is tactically unaware, and we will progress further as a club without him at the helm

[floyd__streete]

Yeah, we're really tearing the place up without him

[tidus_mi2]

Yeah, we're really tearing the place up without him

We've been at our worst in the aftermath of the AZ era, not a huge surprise there, we'll be able to offload some of the overpaid players from his reign this summer which will allow Clarke some flexibility to rebuild, the biggest factor here I figure, will be how much money the Thai's make available, obviously we're trying to stick to FFP but there is some flexibility allowed in there for owner investment.

[Ian Royal]

We were close to a shambles under McDermott at the end and it's more likely we'd have done no better, or worse because of a continued decline than under Adkins last season. There was a definite new manager freshness and bounce the next season after he left, if not as good a one as we'd wanted.

McDermott certainly would have had bugger all chance of doing a lot better this season with the state of the club's finances. The chances of him staying on to this season after a failed promotion push (or worse) would be pretty slim too.

Adkins is a similar case to Rodgers. Good manager, wrong time. In Rodgers case he needed more experience and to know how to adapt his methodology to his circumstances. There was just too much change at the time. It certainly didn't help him that his marquee signing was a total div who didn't get on board with his style or methods. In Adkins case, the finances and ownership saga killed any serious chance he had of being a success, especially after replacing McDermott with much of the fanbase not willing to cut him much slack for the perceived injustice against their hero.

[sandman]

You keep telling yourself that Ian.

[SCIAG]

He is the most tactically unaware manger we have had since bullivant. I Know it sounds harsh and he has achieved more than any other manager other than Coppell, 2 fa cup qf's and a promotion as champions, shouldn't be sniffed at. But still he was/is tactically unaware, and we will progress further as a club without him at the helm

He made some tactical mistakes in the Premier League - I'd strongly argue that we'd still be there if he'd started every match with 4-5-1 and Pearce and Mariappa at centre back - but he also successfully completely reinvented us three times. And he outmanoeuvred Adkins and Allardyce to win us the Championship.

Compare that with Rodgers and Burns during their time at the club, neither of whom managed to build a single successful side despite spending huge amounts of money.

[SCIAG]

In Rodgers case he needed more experience and to know how to adapt his methodology to his circumstances. There was just too much change at the time. It certainly didn't help him that his marquee signing was a total div who didn't get on board with his style or methods.

Harsh on McAnuff

[Ian Royal]

In Rodgers case he needed more experience and to know how to adapt his methodology to his circumstances. There was just too much change at the time. It certainly didn't help him that his marquee signing was a total div who didn't get on board with his style or methods.

Harsh on McAnuff

I love Jobi, I'd never call him a div.

[Man Friday]

He had one management style and that was as a morale office, he just tried to get 11 happy and up for it players on the pitch, which of course is no bad thing, but it will only get you so far. He is the most tactically unaware manger we have had since bullivant. I Know it sounds harsh and he has achieved more than any other manager other than Coppell, 2 fa cup qf's and a promotion as champions, shouldn't be sniffed at. But still he was/is tactically unaware, and we will progress further as a club without him at the helm

Talk about defeating your own argument! Reminds me of that Monty Python sketch..." public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?"

[AthleticoSpizz]

Like his predecessor, now it's his turn to sit back and enjoy our Wembley annihilation

[Cureton's Volley]

No matter how shit it gets...

Remember how it felt to do thIs?