Bibbo and Armstrong gone?

[Ian Royal]

No, it's more to do with him doing piss all good and then shifting the coach who's overseen a period of goalkeeping excellence for us.

[blueroyals]

Why, it is a single position, and we just let a load of keepers go

Oh ok, you're right. we don't need a goalkeeping coach.


Clarke can seriously just oxf*rd off.

Why? Because he wants to bring in his own staff?

Truly ludicrous for a new manager to want to do that...

Yes, he'll bring in his own kit man. You know, a better kit man maybe one that uses better fabric softener

[Nameless]

Perhaps he's got a budget to work to and wants to spend more on players than staff....

Or perhaps's it's nothing to do with Clarke.

But let's all get uppity without knowing anything about it.

Would be sad to see Bibbo go, likewise Selby. I suspect Selby has been at the club longer than Bibbo

[Froomes]

No, it's more to do with him doing piss all good and then shifting the coach who's overseen a period of goalkeeping excellence for us.

Well with McCarthy gone, Feds on his way out and a number of the younger goalies let go, now is as good a time as any to move Sal on, maybe he's lost his touch? Feds is still pretty poor at his near post and McCarthy's distribution never really improved and Bibbo hasn't exactly worked much magic with Anderson has he?

Not saying it's a good decision but I also don't see the need for people piss and moan about it either...

[AthleticoSpizz]

My thoughts go out to Kingsley's dad at this difficult time etc

[JakeTheRoyal]

If Feds goes it's not a massive issue, a new keeper comes in possibly Forde with a new coach probably Dean Kiely, and everyone forgets about Bibbo by September. Unless Feds stays and his form drops off a cliff no one will honestly care about Bibbo.

[Man Friday]

Pogrebnyak doing fuck all, earning £30k/week
HRK voted worst player of the season, is second highest earner
SC signing 40 year old rejects and never playing them
New contracts for Gunter, Kelly

I know what the problem is, the fucking kit man, let's sack him

but +1.

[Man Friday]

Surely the role of a Director of Football is to ensure continuity throughout different managers.

If you have a highly successful, well regarded goalkeeping coach who has been at the club for 10+ years, shouldn't NH be saying "you can't sack him". The core staff at the club should be protected from managers who, usually, only last 2/3 seasons at best. Unbelievable.

Agreed. Clarke better get us promoted next season.

[genome]

Maybe we'll look back on this day as the day the club truly fell apart. Sacking the kit man and then dropping to the Conference in 3 seasons.

[Royal Ginger]

I'm going to reserve judgement until we hear something from them. It may have been mutual, something might have happened, I dunno. Sad to see Bibbo go in particular though.

[paultheroyal]

Why? None of us have a clue about what these guys are like behind the scenes. We don't know how good a job they do.

Even someone like Bibbo. Just because we've had a good batch of goalies come through it doesn't necessarily mean he's the best thing since sliced bread. He may just have got lucky.

Feds still has near post issues.
McCarthy never learnt to kick.
Hamer has improved since he left.
Andersen hasn't progressed.

Just saying.

Absolutely this.

I can also say that from experience Bibbo is a bit of a tw@t.

[paultheroyal]

Ps.... As if anyone deep down gives a real flying oxf*rd about 3rd string coaches, physio and a kit man

[Muskrat]

I've heard that Toby Jones is going to be our new kit man.

[The Quiet Man]

This is surely Clarke establishing his control at the club. Very noticeable in all his public statements he hasn't mentioned Hammond once or the DoF role, instead he has stated that he has spoken to the Thais directly about what he wants to do.

He has refocused on overseas scouting and is now clearing out what he rightly or wrongly perceives the dead wood staff that have been there too long. We can probably further mini revolutions around how things are done behind the scenes where the first team are concerned including his own keeper coach, Good or bad only time will tell, but if your hands are slightly tied financially in respect of bringing new players in then you have the option of changing the whole culture behind the scenes to take the remaining players out of their comfort zone.

[6 Million Dollar Man]

Those of us of a certain age who remember Bibbo's pretty poor efforts in goal for us in the late 90's were frankly stunned when he became a goalkeeping coach! No great loss in my opinion, and will surely be replaced by better

[Lower West]

Given the financial constraints. Perhaps a bottom up review of absolutely everything was a necessity. If you are going to make wholesale changes do them early and at the same time. Then there's time for the new appointees to settle in and when the player return. There'll be a freshness about the club. Perhaps Clarke learnt from Mourinho to do as much of your business as early in the summer as possible.

[Sutekh]

Pogrebnyak doing fuck all, earning £30k/week
HRK voted worst player of the season, is second highest earner
SC signing 40 year old rejects and never playing them
New contracts for Gunter, Kelly

I know what the problem is, the fucking kit man, let's sack him

Those players are on contracts with Reading and will cost a shed load to pay up. I believe Bibbo, like several of the coaching staff, was on a 1 year rolling contract which the club has chosen not to renew, so the term "sacked" is a little bit misleading.

[Whore Jackie]

Why? None of us have a clue about what these guys are like behind the scenes. We don't know how good a job they do.

Even someone like Bibbo. Just because we've had a good batch of goalies come through it doesn't necessarily mean he's the best thing since sliced bread. He may just have got lucky.

Feds still has near post issues.
McCarthy never learnt to kick.
Hamer has improved since he left.
Andersen hasn't progressed.

Just saying.

And Lincoln and Gogic haven't made the grade

Maybe it's time for a new direction

Surprised with all our recent managerial activity that he's survived this long. Good move.

[From Despair To Where?]

Those of us of a certain age who remember Bibbo's pretty poor efforts in goal for us in the late 90's were frankly stunned when he became a goalkeeping coach! No great loss in my opinion, and will surely be replaced by better

He wasn't great, was he. In his rare first team outings, I remember him being short and clueless positionally.

[Basingstoke Royal]

Doesn't make any sense to me.

Hahnemann, Feds and Mccarthy all top class goalkeepers working under sal. Don't think it's a coincidence.

The only thing I can think is that Feds has told the club he is leaving which has led them to deciding to start afresh. Sal will probably go with Feds.