How impressed are you with BMcD's return to the club?

[Pepe the Horseman]

You're going to have to spell this out to me. How did Barnsley's st8ment and actions differ to Reading's when those clubs were approached by rivals to speak to their respective managers and how did this affect the eventual outcomes?

If you don't remember then there's no point in raking over old coals ...

What the fcuk are you going on about?

[DaddyKuhl]

Like it

[DaddyKuhl]

wow you are taking a chance putting that on here!! (mind you I do agree with you)

I just think we were going in the right direction until the Fulham incident with Clarke, a good squad that were playing with confidence and ACTUALLY looking decent. We are back to shit again with shitty signings brought in. Brian has proved nothing and never will again.

It is that obvious.

Having seen how the owners got involved in the last transfer window I'm beginning to think that there was a very good reason why Clarke went to speak to Fulham and it wasn't just salary. Maybe he got there and found out that their owners also wanted to get too involved.

My guess was he turned down Fulham because of their (then) impending transfer embargo... Just a guess though

[wingnut]

If you don't remember then there's no point in raking over old coals ...

Ok so when you said this

If the club had made a sensible statement like Barsnley did last week (about Lee Johnson being approached by Bristol City) we may not be in this mess ..

What you meant was it would've made fcuk all difference. Thanks

Yeah you def are missing the point ..

Yeah you deffo don't have one

[Forbury Lion]

Are you actually a dribbling lunatic?

You must be new around here, This is the Team board where dribbling lunatics are encouraged to post.

[linkenholtroyal]

I think mcdermott is the right choice at the wrong time, spending millions is not the reading way, finding gems from lower leagues is. Mcdermott has inherited a team of big egos of which we don't own just borrow, I would rather lose the loans in the summer and build a team that belongs to reading, spend 5 million of 5 gems no-one has heard of rather than 11 million on a big ego that doesn't give a crap about the club. Mcdermott does care and can install a team spirit but we can't judge him till he can get rid of the loans and overpaid egos in the dressing room. I would rather finish 19th next season in the championship with a team playing with spirit than 1st with jumped up over paid idiots. Brian is the man to do this.

[Top Flight]

I haven't been following HNA for the past few days. I did listen to a bit of Adie Williams and Dellor in the car on the way back from the Wolves game and was a bit surprised by all the negativity. I don't know what the heck it is that Dellor expects or that Reading fans are hoping for. Remember the song. We're not Real Madrid, We're not Barcelona, We are Reading football club, Madejski is our owner.

Our fans and Dellor just need to calm down and get real. The performance against Wolves was very good. It was a hard fought, battling game, war of attrition. Typical blood and thunder Championship encounter. The weather conditions were awful. Wolves as they do regularly came and parked the bus. Just one man up front and a packed midfield. It was always going to be a tough match. It was similar to the game up at Molineux on boxing day. We couldn't find a way through then either. If anyone thinks you can just rock up at a championship game and turn teams over 4-0 every week, you really need to get your head tested. This is a tough division.

McDermott is slowly finding the winning formula. He is addressing our major vulnerability which has been with us all season but was first brutally exposed in devastating fashion by Fulham at the Cottage, which has been our soft underbelly and inability to defend when teams really turn the screw on us as Fulham did that afternoon.

Clarke tried to find the balance between defence and attack after our defensive weakness came to light at the Cottage but just wasn't able to. McDermott understands that success is a built on a solid defensive foundation. So has sacrificed a little bit on the attacking side to shore up our defensive game. On that front he is succeeding. Now he has to find the difference that will win us matches. I am certain McDermott will get it right. He is an excellent manager. You all just need to calm down and let him get on with the job. He needs two or three more transfer windows. He is a manager that makes progress over time. That is what happened before. There was no period when he was taking the club backwards. We weren't good enough for the Premier League unfortunately. But if he had enough time and wasn't shoved out the door then we would most likley be in the Premier League right now via perhaps one or two seasons in the championship.

If our problem is scoring goals. Is the solution to sack the manager? or to buy a new striker?

[RoyalJames101]

I haven't been following HNA for the past few days. I did listen to a bit of Adie Williams and Dellor in the car on the way back from the Wolves game and was a bit surprised by all the negativity. I don't know what the heck it is that Dellor expects or that Reading fans are hoping for. Remember the song. We're not Real Madrid, We're not Barcelona, We are Reading football club, Madejski is our owner.

Our fans and Dellor just need to calm down and get real. The performance against Wolves was very good. It was a hard fought, battling game, war of attrition. Typical blood and thunder Championship encounter. The weather conditions were awful. Wolves as they do regularly came and parked the bus. Just one man up front and a packed midfield. It was always going to be a tough match. It was similar to the game up at Molineux on boxing day. We couldn't find a way through then either. If anyone thinks you can just rock up at a championship game and turn teams over 4-0 every week, you really need to get your head tested. This is a tough division.

McDermott is slowly finding the winning formula. He is addressing our major vulnerability which has been with us all season but was first brutally exposed in devastating fashion by Fulham at the Cottage, which has been our soft underbelly and inability to defend when teams really turn the screw on us as Fulham did that afternoon.

Clarke tried to find the balance between defence and attack after our defensive weakness came to light at the Cottage but just wasn't able to. McDermott understands that success is a built on a solid defensive foundation. So has sacrificed a little bit on the attacking side to shore up our defensive game. On that front he is succeeding. Now he has to find the difference that will win us matches. I am certain McDermott will get it right. He is an excellent manager. You all just need to calm down and let him get on with the job. He needs two or three more transfer windows. He is a manager that makes progress over time. That is what happened before. There was no period when he was taking the club backwards. We weren't good enough for the Premier League unfortunately. But if he had enough time and wasn't shoved out the door then we would most likley be in the Premier League right now via perhaps one or two seasons in the championship.

If our problem is scoring goals. Is the solution to sack the manager? or to buy a new striker?

+1 to nearly all of this, however, I thought we played alright against Wolves but not 'very good'.

[Vision]

I would rather finish 19th next season in the championship with a team playing with spirit than 1st with jumped up over paid idiots. Brian is the man to do this.

[tidus_mi2]

If you offered me a boring season of crap football but we somehow get promoted, I will take that over any of this spirit rubbish. Success is great, so is playing good football but success will always take priority for me.

[John Smith]

If you offered me a boring season of crap football but we somehow get promoted, I will take that over any of this spirit rubbish. Success is great, so is playing good football but success will always take priority for me.

Amen sister. I think this spills over to the Customer/Fan debate in the other section but I go to football for the thrill of seeing us score a goal. I couldn't give a monkey's about 'style of play' as I'm usually too pissed to keep up with it anyway.

[Armadillo Roadkill]

I am getting slightly annoyed now with the dismissal of anyone who may open up a debate on McDermott’s record so far as an idiot, a moron, or “spaztmoid.” (As if trying to disguise a word with a long history of ridiculing people with mental and physical disabilities by tacking part of another word on the end lessens the insult).

The simple fact is, when you change a manager, you’re looking for some kind of evidence that they have identified what was wrong before and are starting to fix it. After a run of games – 12 in total - in which many people would suggest things are getting worse, then having a debate on a football forum is hardly disloyal, disrespectful or evidence of blatant short-termism.

Those of us that watched McDermott’s first period in charge could see clear failings towards the end of his tenure. Some of it was down to the club not going out and buying 16 world-class players for multi-millions. There were other factors as well. But the manager was most definitely was one of them.

I’m not desperate to win the Championship. I’d prefer long-term viability, more home grown players, and a team clearly doing everything in its power to win. It’s not that want it all and I want it now. I haven’t lost the plot. I was not convinced that McDermott was the right appointment. Nothing I have seen so far convinces me otherwise. Trying to drown out anyone who takes this view with insults as if we’re incapable of those world-class insight offered by those who are happy with McDermott is both arrogant and rude.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Trouble is Armadillo, many people aren't ''having a debate'' in the rational sense. They are using the same dismissive insults you are incredulous about against McDermott.

''McDermott is an idiot'', ''get him out'' type arguments and the over-the-top falsification of his ability don't inspire rational response.

People just sound like loonies.

[Snowball]

These are the win percentages for Reading managers over the last 25 years

I can't remember when 3-points-for-a-win came in but there was a time when win
at home draw away was championship-winning form. I seem to remember McD
saying it's worth going for the win when drawing 1-1 with ten minutes to go
(eg Ipswich?) so you should conducer the 2-point/3-point difference

I don't know McDermott's and Coppell's Championship stats
but would guess they are probably over 50%


48.34 Alan Pardew
44.97 Brian McDermott (previous reign) (includes Prem)
44.33 Steve Coppell (includes Prem)
44.19 Brian McDermott (both reigns) W 80 D47 L54 P181
43.17 Mark McGhee
39.32 Ian Barefoot
39.82 Maurice Evans
38.57 Ian Porterfield
36.25 Nigel Adkins
36.22 Jimmy Quinn
36.22 Mick Gooding
35.19 Steve Clarke <<<<<<
33.33 Brian McDermott (current 12-game reign)
33.33 Kevin Dillon
30.00 Terry Bullivant
29.41 Tommy Burns
26.09 Brendan Rodgers <<<<<<<<<<

[Snowball]

Have removed the Prem season to his sacking date

Interesting also to see how badly Rodgers-Clarke-Adkins did

49.34 Brian McDermott (Excluding Premiership) W75 D39 L38
48.34 Alan Pardew
48.17 Brian McDermott (both reigns, excluding Prem)
44.97 Brian McDermott (previous reign) (includes Prem)
44.33 Steve Coppell (includes Prem)
44.19 Brian McDermott (both reigns including Prem) W 80 D47 L54 P181
43.17 Mark McGhee
39.32 Ian Barefoot
39.82 Maurice Evans
38.57 Ian Porterfield
36.25 Nigel Adkins <<<<<<<<<<<
36.22 Jimmy Quinn
36.22 Mick Gooding
35.19 Steve Clarke <<<<<<<<<<<
33.33 Brian McDermott (current reign)
33.33 Kevin Dillon
30.00 Terry Bullivant
29.41 Tommy Burns
26.09 Brendan Rodgers <<<<<<<<<<<<<

[RoyalJames101]

These are the win percentages for Reading managers over the last 25 years

I can't remember when 3-points-for-a-win came in but there was a time when win
at home draw away was championship-winning form. I seem to remember McD
saying it's worth going for the win when drawing 1-1 with ten minutes to go
(eg Ipswich?) so you should conducer the 2-point/3-point difference

I don't know McDermott's and Coppell's Championship stats
but would guess they are probably over 50%


48.34 Alan Pardew
44.97 Brian McDermott (previous reign) (includes Prem)
44.33 Steve Coppell (includes Prem)
44.19 Brian McDermott (both reigns) W 80 D47 L54 P181
43.17 Mark McGhee
39.32 Ian Barefoot
39.82 Maurice Evans
38.57 Ian Porterfield
36.25 Nigel Adkins
36.22 Jimmy Quinn
36.22 Mick Gooding
35.19 Steve Clarke <<<<<<
33.33 Brian McDermott (current 12-game reign)
33.33 Kevin Dillon
30.00 Terry Bullivant
29.41 Tommy Burns
26.09 Brendan Rodgers <<<<<<<<<<

Interesting. Not sure why I can't remember Ian Barefoot though with such good stats?

[wingnut]

The simple fact is, when you change a manager, you’re looking for some kind of evidence that they have identified what was wrong before and are starting to fix it. After a run of games – 12 in total - in which many people would suggest things are getting worse, then having a debate on a football forum is hardly disloyal, disrespectful or evidence of blatant short-termism.

If judging a manager after 12 games isn't short-termist then I don't know what is.
And, taking leaf from Snowball's stats interpretation book, Clarke's record after his first 12 league games was exactly the same as Brian's now: W4 D3 L5. Were you baying for Clarke's head then?

[Snowball]

BRIAN IS 4-4-4 BETTER than SC's start

[tidus_mi2]

BRIAN IS 4-4-4 BETTER than SC's start

Careful Snowball, you're catching Dave-Royalitis

[Sutekh]

Not at all impressed until he buys Adam Le Fondre back...