Strangely optimistic about next season.

[Ian Royal]

Don't want to get into a silly argument about stuff that's all opinion, I'd rather be optimistic and positive than constantly looking on the dark side personally.

Our youth is promising, but we can't rely on them alone, .

I didn't say we should or would.

I wouldn't call our approach technical at the moment, I've never seen a Reading team look less like scoring every week. You'd rather we played long ball and put the ball in the net wouldn't you?

No not really. I don't expect us to play like Brazil, but I do want to be entertained and enjoy the football, as well as the result. Especially seeing as long term success is more likely to occur playing better football, providing we play it well. If McDermott can succeed where Adkins and Clarke failed and get a more measured and technical approach to work that'd be ideal. He seems to be trying for that so far.

People forget too often that playing a system badly, doesn't make the system bad.

Of course we can do worse than the last 2-3 seasons, reckon a few Villa or Charlton fans might've said that about their last few seasons. Can't be complacent about relegation when we've had 2 seasons as poor as we've had. We're not going to get a Blackpool or a Bolton every year.

I said we couldn't do much worse. I stand by that. Relegation really wouldn't be a whole lot worse. At least we'd have the opportunity to look forward to being a bigger fish in a smaller pond and having a better shout at a good season and promotion campaign. And a greater chance for the youth to shine and develop.

[photographer]

Rubbish. Clarke assembled the best team in the division (on paper) during the summer thanks to Thai investment, and got them playing football good enough for automatic promotion, let alone the play-offs. Then something happened, and the morale of the team went south. Clarke lost his job, which was taken over by St. Brian, recommended by his boyfriend John Madejski.

Our team since January was still the most talented team in the championship. Compared to other teams above us we haven't struggled with excessive injuries either. The main problem is the team just has no belief any more. No motivation. No desire to win games or give the extra 10%. And who's fault is that? It's the manager's fault. Not the Thai's fault.

Brian is a tactically shit manager and most of the reading fans will continue to support him all the way until our inevitable relegation to league 1 (which won't be Brian's fault of course. It will be the Thai's fault for not investing enough, investing too much, recommending the wrong/right player to Brian, etc. Brian can do no wrong).

Can't anyone remember our season in the premiership under Brian? Continuously inept decisions, poor man management of his own team, wrong tactics and if it weren't for the heroics of Le Fondre, we would have done a Derby. I can't believe people still want to give this charlatan more time, just because 'he's such a nice guy'.

[sandman]

Nothing to do with merely "being a nice guy" and everything to do a more than decent track record at this level and ability to rebuild the team despite significant weakening of playing staff.

Can't believe there are still people in 2016 blaming McDermott for Zingarevich's failings with funds and managerial hiring and firing.

Anyway I'll leave you to fire off an expletive ridden response insulting everyone and everything.

[Elm Park Old Boy]

Our team since January was still the most talented team in the championship.

Are you serious? Even if we hadn't sold our two top goalscorers in January, I think that assertion would be a long way from being true.

[3points]

Hopefully we will be back to high tempo direct football, rather than bollocks tippy tappy square passing everything via Norwood

[royalp-we]

Our team since January was still the most talented team in the championship.

Are you serious? Even if we hadn't sold our two top goalscorers in January, I think that assertion would be a long way from being true.

It's difficult to accept it, but on paper it really was one of the strongest squads in the division. Full of international standard players, who didn't show any interest in playing for Reading FC.

I'd bet all our players playing internationally have great summers away experiencing some success with their respective nations.

Of the international players we have, most of them are near certainties for first XI's as on paper they have performed well over the past 2-4yrs. Just couldn't do it here last season! They should be ashamed, but they won't. We need to move on and get the next bunch to buy in to the project; sooner rather than later this summer.

The loans all came in very late iirc last summer, the earlier we do our business and get them around the club, the better.

I'm reserving my possible positivity until early July

I'm as excited this year as any Reading pre-season. But optimism will only rub off on the fans should change be seen through this 'squad' of players. We have almost got a spine with aah, McShane & Quinn. But boy do our recruitment team need to be putting in the overtime during this off season.

[PremAddict]

No idea why. That's all.

McDermott is good at identifying the gaps and weak links in squads and fixing them.

Mcdermott is good at building a team ethos and producing something greater than the sum of its parts.

The Thais have previously shown solid, but not crazy backing for signings.

We're losing the disappointing loanees.

None of those that are out of contract are crucial or consistently good performers.

We've got a host of young players who've been gaining valuable experience elsewhere to come into contention.

McDermott has clearly been trying to foster a more technical and controlling style of play than he had with us at the end of his last spell.

We can't do much worse than the last 2-3 seasons.

Surely we have to win more than 8 home league games next seson.

Expectations must surely only be to improve into the top 2/3rds of the table, which we should be easily capable of, rather than gaining promotion which is much much hardervto achieve.

Ian, I couldn't agree with you more.

[Mr Angry]

I rarely post on the Team board nowadays because, as someone who had a conscious uncoupling to the club a while ago, I felt that I couldn't add to the debate about what was wrong, what needed to be done etc etc.

Until today.

I don't claim to be in the know and what I'm about to write will, no doubt, be shot down in flames; I put it out there for what it is..........

I bumped into someone this afternoon who is in the know at Reading, and we had a brief chat about life, and of course, Reading FC.

The main points of the RFC conversation were as follows:

*The loanees were simply mercenaries who had no heart for RFC and frankly, couldn't give a toss, and as such were impossible to effectively manage.

*As soon as the team lost to Palace in the FA Cup QF, mentally they ended their season.

*The Thai's have run the football side their way for the last 2 Years; 3 good, experienced Managers (Adkins, Clarke and McDermott) have all struggled to produce success as a direct result of the Thai's methods, and this Summer will see if they will change and accept a different way of doing it. (I assumed by that - although I didn't ask to clarify this point - that the Thai's were the ones who not only that sanctioned the policy of having an influx of big money loanees, but were the ones that actively demanded it).

*McDermott plans to stay and do the job as best as he can in the circumstances afforded to him, has the best interests of RFC at heart and if anyone can turn things around at the club, then it will be him.

*The team need 7 or 8 new players.

*4 or 5 are going to be free transfers.

*All new players will be judged not just on ability, but on knowing the division, fitting into the ethos of Reading FC that needs to be re-established, and to be hungry and with something to prove.

*Do not expect major names being signed for big money.

I told the guy that I had become so disillusioned I had stopped going to games, and he said he can understand why someone would do that.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That is all.

[Ian Royal]

I rarely post on the Team board nowadays because, as someone who had a conscious uncoupling to the club a while ago, I felt that I couldn't add to the debate about what was wrong, what needed to be done etc etc.

Until today.

I don't claim to be in the know and what I'm about to write will, no doubt, be shot down in flames; I put it out there for what it is..........

I bumped into someone this afternoon who is in the know at Reading, and we had a brief chat about life, and of course, Reading FC.

The main points of the RFC conversation were as follows:

*The loanees were simply mercenaries who had no heart for RFC and frankly, couldn't give a toss, and as such were impossible to effectively manage.

*As soon as the team lost to Palace in the FA Cup QF, mentally they ended their season.

*The Thai's have run the football side their way for the last 2 Years; 3 good, experienced Managers (Adkins, Clarke and McDermott) have all struggled to produce success as a direct result of the Thai's methods, and this Summer will see if they will change and accept a different way of doing it. (I assumed by that - although I didn't ask to clarify this point - that the Thai's were the ones who not only that sanctioned the policy of having an influx of big money loanees, but were the ones that actively demanded it).

*McDermott plans to stay and do the job as best as he can in the circumstances afforded to him, has the best interests of RFC at heart and if anyone can turn things around at the club, then it will be him.

*The team need 7 or 8 new players.

*4 or 5 are going to be free transfers.

*All new players will be judged not just on ability, but on knowing the division, fitting into the ethos of Reading FC that needs to be re-established, and to be hungry and with something to prove.

*Do not expect major names being signed for big money.

I told the guy that I had become so disillusioned I had stopped going to games, and he said he can understand why someone would do that.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That is all.

Again, fair play for putting some things out there that are actually measurable to judge whether any of this is true. No big money signings, no big name signings, no more than four signings to cost a transfer fee.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Great post

But in all fairness.....nothing much there that we hadn't worked out for ourselves

As for yourself....a bit like myself....just turn up and do the supporting thing when you want to.....the club will evolve and devolve meantime

[download]

I listened to some of McDermott on round at Sir John's on Jack FM today.

Sounded like they both felt that loanees were the issue and they both wanted to return to the Reading way, which they compared favourably with Leicester (low cost signings with a team mentality).

[AthleticoSpizz]

I heard it too

Whilst Sir John waxed lyrical a bit...Brian spoke well....really delighted to be back, and knows what he needs to emulate his previous tenure.

Nice little anecdotes about the likes of Kebe too

[Ian Royal]

I do wonder whether we need a clean break from SJM. He did great things for us, but now his money is no longer directly involved and we have new owners, I can't help but feel he's perhaps getting rather lost in nostalgia for the good old days of how he did things and brought success, rather than looking forward and dealing with the now. Becoming a bit of a backseat driver and meaning we don't have a unified direction from top down.

[sandman]

Well of course we must now the 'great' Ian 'he who must reply to everything' Royal hath spoken.

[Maneki Neko]

Rubbish. Clarke assembled the best team in the division (on paper) during the summer thanks to Thai investment, and got them playing football good enough for automatic promotion, let alone the play-offs. Then something happened, and the morale of the team went south. Clarke lost his job, which was taken over by St. Brian, recommended by his boyfriend John Madejski.

Our team since January was still the most talented team in the championship. Compared to other teams above us we haven't struggled with excessive injuries either. The main problem is the team just has no belief any more. No motivation. No desire to win games or give the extra 10%. And who's fault is that? It's the manager's fault. Not the Thai's fault.

Brian is a tactically shit manager and most of the reading fans will continue to support him all the way until our inevitable relegation to league 1 (which won't be Brian's fault of course. It will be the Thai's fault for not investing enough, investing too much, recommending the wrong/right player to Brian, etc. Brian can do no wrong).

Can't anyone remember our season in the premiership under Brian? Continuously inept decisions, poor man management of his own team, wrong tactics and if it weren't for the heroics of Le Fondre, we would have done a Derby. I can't believe people still want to give this charlatan more time, just because 'he's such a nice guy'.

best team in the championship, not even on paper.
investment? Sold hector, spent that money.

The Brian/boyfriend/shit manager/ranting about anyone who disagrees with you sounds deranged. But thats up to you.

[Maneki Neko]

A few exiting foreign names and everyone creams themselves.
The squad is weak. Mentally weak. Imbalanced;a load of shit false nines. And wingers who think they are strikers, and literally not a single goal scorer.1 decent defender, no full back cover, no decent wingers, no midfielder that is just a midfielder without a daftly specific role he must play, no pace(with mcleary losing his)

Next year we will plug gaps with good free transfers and lower league punts, cover will be provided bythe kids.
Theres no better manager for us in that situation.
Imo

[RoyallyFcuked]

My optimism for the coming season is nothing compared to what it was last summer and I doubt it will have changed too much come August.

[George_]

At the end of every season I'm always optimistic about the next season.

Everyone knows this summer is HUGE and the club needs to get it right & i believe Brian is the man to get us out of this mess. I wouldn't want a foreign manager the Thai's could pluck up from Eastern Europe with no experience in England (especially the championship). I could happily see us sign players from league 1/2 who will show fight/passion/desire for the club and not leave anything on the pitch. A lot of fans have become disillusioned with the club over the last couple of seasons but if Brian can build a core of players that care about the club then i think the atmosphere around the whole club from fans to players will improve.

Roll on August.

[Maneki Neko]

I cannot oxf*rd wait already.
one thing you can guarantee, its bound to be the kind of emotional rollercoaster that people would pay good money for.

[Kuhl_Runnings]

Funnily enough, I can't wait either.

Seeing Burton get promoted made me jealous - I want great moments like that pitch invasion, that promotion and that atmosphere. I also want great passionate players who give a sh1t about the club and that love playing for it. But most of all, I just want something to look forward too, because the reason I love football so much is that it is a simple and fun getaway from the stresses of everyday life.

I'll never forget how well we played at the start of the season, and the depressing demise, but it's time for the new season. Goodbye 15/16, hello 16/17 - (hopefully) the revolution!