Strangely optimistic about next season.

[Hoop Blah]

But remember who was in our defence that season in the Premier League. It was

Federici, Gunter, Mariappa, Pearce and Harte. We also had Morrison, Kelly, Cummings....

Is that kind of defence really good enough in the Premier League? Gunter and Mariappa were quick but Pearce and Harte were slow and probably out of their depth at that level. Pearce can't even get into a Championship side at the moment.

Just to pick up on this bit, as it's relevant to why McDermott failed in the Premier League.

Federici started that season in goal when he was clearly not fit and we had a better keeper in McCarthy sat on the bench. They chopped and changed a bit between them over the season due to injuries, and neither were perfect, but that initial decision to start an injured Federici over McCarthy cost us points, momentum and probably a bit of trust in McDermott among his players.

Gunter and Marriappa where two McDermott signings, which he probably spent more than £5m bringing to the club as a result of his policy of cherry picking the Championships top performers. If they weren't good enough then who's fault is that?

Wasn't Pearce was also our player of the year as we won promotion? He might not be able to get a game now but he was good enough, albeit slow, back then when he was in form and with the right players around him. If he wasn't then should McDermott have really stuck with him going into the season or bring in another option as well as Marriappa who, as it happens, played well enough for another Premier League team to snap him up after our relegation.

As for Harte, well McDermott also brought in an old buddy in Shorey to compete at left back. IIRC they basically shared the season at left back. Good enough for the Premier League back then? I'd say they were a weakness but probably a pretty obvious one and you could again question McDermott's thinking in opting for Shorey as an alternative to Harte as they were both similarly on the slow side.

If that defensive was good enough then you have to look at decisions McDermott made in putting it together and then how he managed them.

For me it was part of the reason he got the sack. Does it mean he isn't the right man now? No, but it might be an indication of his weaknesses.

[genome]

It baffles me that we didn't finish bottom that season, considering Shorey was playing in League Two less than six months after our relegation.

[Maneki Neko]

But remember who was in our defence that season in the Premier League. It was

Federici, Gunter, Mariappa, Pearce and Harte. We also had Morrison, Kelly, Cummings....

Is that kind of defence really good enough in the Premier League? Gunter and Mariappa were quick but Pearce and Harte were slow and probably out of their depth at that level. Pearce can't even get into a Championship side at the moment.

Just to pick up on this bit, as it's relevant to why McDermott failed in the Premier League.

Federici started that season in goal when he was clearly not fit and we had a better keeper in McCarthy sat on the bench. They chopped and changed a bit between them over the season due to injuries, and neither were perfect, but that initial decision to start an injured Federici over McCarthy cost us points, momentum and probably a bit of trust in McDermott among his players.

Gunter and Marriappa where two McDermott signings, which he probably spent more than £5m bringing to the club as a result of his policy of cherry picking the Championships top performers. If they weren't good enough then who's fault is that?

Wasn't Pearce was also our player of the year as we won promotion? He might not be able to get a game now but he was good enough, albeit slow, back then when he was in form and with the right players around him. If he wasn't then should McDermott have really stuck with him going into the season or bring in another option as well as Marriappa who, as it happens, played well enough for another Premier League team to snap him up after our relegation.

As for Harte, well McDermott also brought in an old buddy in Shorey to compete at left back. IIRC they basically shared the season at left back. Good enough for the Premier League back then? I'd say they were a weakness but probably a pretty obvious one and you could again question McDermott's thinking in opting for Shorey as an alternative to Harte as they were both similarly on the slow side.

If that defensive was good enough then you have to look at decisions McDermott made in putting it together and then how he managed them.

For me it was part of the reason he got the sack. Does it mean he isn't the right man now? No, but it might be an indication of his weaknesses.

all of that ignores the budget he had to work within. and that marriappa was a decent defender, and gunter is steady as you like.
and ignores the perfectly reasonable signs from the previous seasons that buying the best championship players was a better policy than getting proven premiere league failures.

[Hoop Blah]

all of that ignores the budget he had to work within. and that marriappa was a decent defender, and gunter is steady as you like.
and ignores the perfectly reasonable signs from the previous seasons that buying the best championship players was a better policy than getting proven premiere league failures.

I don't know the budget he had no, but as you say, the policy of buying the best of the Championship is pretty sound. That is didn't work out for us then just comes down to using and organising them effectively doesn't it?

[Ian Royal]

Do Burnley, Boro or Brighton have successful Cat A Academies?

Pretty stooopid comparison.

Although we shouldn't expect more than 1 - 2 players to successfully step up each year and in some years there'll be none.

[floyd__streete]

Aaron Kuhl to skipper Reading to the title next season. You heard it here first.

[John Smith]

Aaron Kuhl to skipper Reading to the title next season. You heard it here first.

Sure. I'll get a few pigs to fly the celebration banners over the stadium when we clinch it.

[Platypuss]

No idea why. That's all.

8 academy players in the matchday squad today. Sign of the future.

Trouble is most of them are not good enough for this level of football how many acadamy players did Burney, Boro and Brighton have?
NONE

Lewis Dunk would have started if he hadn't been suspended.

[photographer]

Character which we are currently seriously lacking in.

Ok, so you do acknowledge that the serious lack of character in our playing staff is a big issue.
You also know that we have a seriously unbalanced squad.

So it can't only be because Brian is not a good tactician.

The truth is Brian is a brilliant tactician. But you can only deploy tactics that your players are able to fulfil. You can't ask Simon Cox to play on the break. And if Simon Cox, Denniss and Kermorgant are your only striking options, then surely you have a problem...

Evidence that Brian is a great tactician. Just remember how he masterfully knocked out a strong David Moyes, Everton out of the FA Cup a few years back. Look at the cup win at Anfield. Look at the disposal of WBA this year with our seriously inferior team. Remember how we won at West Ham and Southampton.

Don't tell me that Brian is tactically inept. You are judgementally inept.

Get off Brian's dick pal. Rakels and Kermorgant are players that he signed. Sa wanted no part of a McDermott team and with good reason, it was a big step backwards. Honestly, how much of those performances you mention were down to Brian's 'tactical genius'? Not much.

I'm not saying the problems at the club and with the players are Brian's fault and I'm not saying his lack of tactical nous is the only issue. However, there is plenty of evidence of his ineptitude as well and not just this season.

His team selections in the PL were often terrible, he had favourites and wouldn't drop them. Also persisted with the same tactics as well as players when it clearly wasn't working. He has no plan B. We could hardly keep a lead under him in the Prem season, the biggest example of that was inexplicably blowing a 4-0 lead at home to Arsenal's B team and losing 7-5.

Lets not forget we were absolutely shit for half of the season we went up until we went on a run in January, and a lot of the games we won we were under the kosh for most of it but soaked up pressure and took the few chances that came our way.

Did we ever play good football under Brian? No. Were we ever exciting to watch? Rarely. Was there a lot of luck involved? Yes.

You're the one thats judgementally inept, your blind loyal love of the bald one is blinding you severely.

This

[Vision]

Did we ever play good football under Brian? No. Were we ever exciting to watch? Rarely. Was there a lot of luck involved? Yes.

You're the one thats judgementally inept, your blind loyal love of the bald one is blinding you severely.

Whilst I'd agree that Top Flight's over the top defence of McDermott is ludicrous. It's only a match for what you've written there.

The final few months of the title season were the most thrilling, exciting few months of football we've ever had. I just can't imagine any Reading fan thinking otherwise.

[Hoop Blah]

Trouble is most of them are not good enough for this level of football how many acadamy players did Burney, Boro and Brighton have?
NONE

Lewis Dunk would have started if he hadn't been suspended.

Stewart Downing would be another one, if we're counting Simon Cox that is.

[genome]

So to sum up, apart from Lewis Dunk, Ben Gibson and Middlesbrough's highest appearance maker this season Stewart Downing, there have been absolutely no academy products in the promoted teams this season.

[Maneki Neko]

all of that ignores the budget he had to work within. and that marriappa was a decent defender, and gunter is steady as you like.
and ignores the perfectly reasonable signs from the previous seasons that buying the best championship players was a better policy than getting proven premiere league failures.

I don't know the budget he had no, but as you say, the policy of buying the best of the Championship is pretty sound. That is didn't work out for us then just comes down to using and organising them effectively doesn't it?

I think this is too much of a binary thing in your head.
there's billions of factors in whether a team wins or loses, whether a player settles and becomes a successful signing etc

you do know the budget. it is approximately the ammount of money we spent.

also- since I wouldn't have sacked him in the first place, I believe fully he would have performed better than adkins in the last few games and could have kept us up still.

[Hoop Blah]

Not binary thing at all, but there is an element of accountability that comes with being the bloke who recruits and manages the players.

I don't think the budget was too bad to be honest. We shelled out £46m in wages, pretty much the same as Southampton (finished 14th), Swansea (9th), Norwich (11th) and Wigan (18th but 12 points higher than us). Did he have enough to spend on transfer fees? Not sure on that no, but that all depends on who you target and where and history tells us he didn't spend it that effectively or at least didn't get enough from the squad he had as a result.

I'd love to think McDermott would've made us turn the corner but after those performances at home against Wigan and Villa there was no way he was clawing it back.

[Kuhl_Runnings]

Noel Hunt said on Twitter that if you have character in your football team, eventually it will succeed. I think I see where he's coming from

Character which we are currently seriously lacking in.

I meant that we needed to bring in character, as we are as you say lacking besides Quinn, McShane, AAH and a lot of the youths

[Top Flight]

The main point is though that McDermott had been taking the club forward. From relegation threatened in the Championship to the Premier League. He wasn't able to bring the side up to Premier League level so the inevitable relegation took place. But he wasn't taking us backwards. He knew what the failings were and he would have sorted it out. He wasn't given a chance. It's only after observing the side in the Premier League that you learn which players are up to the standard and which are not. Then it's about making the improvements. You get rid of him, someone else comes in and they start again from the beginning. So we just go back and back and back.

Brian has proven that he can take us forwards even when having to sell his top players. So give him the time and opportunity to do it again. People are arguing for his dismissal, not you Hoop Blah, but others when Brian hasn't even had a chance yet. To get sacked after 6 months with Brians excellent track record is ridiculous. He's going to make us a great club again. Let's not prevent the rise of Reading Football Club by sacking such a good manager.

A manager should only be sacked when they are taking the club backwards. Tommy Burns for example and Brendan Rogers.

[Maneki Neko]

Not binary thing at all, but there is an element of accountability that comes with being the bloke who recruits and manages the players.

I don't think the budget was too bad to be honest. We shelled out £46m in wages, pretty much the same as Southampton (finished 14th), Swansea (9th), Norwich (11th) and Wigan (18th but 12 points higher than us). Did he have enough to spend on transfer fees? Not sure on that no, but that all depends on who you target and where and history tells us he didn't spend it that effectively or at least didn't get enough from the squad he had as a result.

I'd love to think McDermott would've made us turn the corner but after those performances at home against Wigan and Villa there was no way he was clawing it back.

cos weve never come back from bad performances before.

if you give a bloke 8 million to spend on a squad clearly not good enough for the prem, and then spend half of tat on players he didn't even want, then it doesn't really matter what you do in management terms, its very likely that you will fail and get relegated.

agree he takes some responsibility, or at last would have taken if he'd stayed till the season finished

[Hoop Blah]

Do you seriously think we were going to turn the corner after those shambolic defeats against our relegation rivals? Honestly?

If you do then I think you must be Top Flights alter-ego and not Dave Royal !!

[Maneki Neko]

we will never ever know.

anyway, get off this thread. youre not strangely optimistic at all.
get back to your doom mongering elsewhere!

[Top Flight]

Bet you're really good company at games

It's the off season. Brian deserves a chance. Clean slate; and we go again.

You know exactly how this club can rise from looking toilet to becoming contenders in only a couple of months, it wasn't a dream, it actually happens. And it can easily happen again.

One final note - Stop saying ineptitude so much. You sound like a tosser.

Bet you're really good company at games

It's the off season. Brian deserves a chance. Clean slate; and we go again.

You know exactly how this club can rise from looking toilet to becoming contenders in only a couple of months, it wasn't a dream, it actually happens. And it can easily happen again.

One final note - Stop saying ineptitude so much. You sound like a tosser.

Ok big man. I like your optimism.

The guy said dont tell me Brian is tactically inept so naturally I responded by highlighting why he is inept. I used many others words to explain it not just that one in case you didn't notice.

The reason i said "Don't tell me Brian is tactically inept" is because you said that Brian was tactically inept. So it all started with you Royally Fffffd up.

Stop accusing the tactical genius of being inept. He is an outstanding manager. He has proved it to you before and now he will prove it to you again. As the Royals go marching up up up.