Message from the Thai's

[Lower West]

I hope the Thais have been smart and I'm not wrong with this, by January we had a faltering squad of big egos that had cost the owners a lot of money on loan, there was no point investing as the season was pretty much over by January and the team spirit was shattered, they offloaded what they could in January of big egos with no future (sa and Blackman) and are losing the rest this summer other than williams (hrk and the loanees) they bought Evans one for the future which they have kept as far away from the first team as possible and kermorgant and rakkels ( enough to keep us up) and installed the manager to rebuild and work with youth McDermott. To try again. Plan a Clarke with lots of big names and no ability on loan did not work. McDermott is plan b, develop youth, make shrewd buys and find players that want to play for reading not for there next contract/ paycheque. Brian will not be sacked because he hasn't actually started the job he was employed for yet. Or he has and that started 2 days ago. I think this is clever and they are getting all the people in the right places for what they and we want. I think within reason if Brian had lost every game as long as we stayed up he would still be here. The rot started long before Brian turned up and the divisions in the squad were already there. In Brian I trust for now this is the start of plan b. I'm going to embrace it because there is nothing else to do

Excellent post. I'm with you!

Agree totally. When Brian came back there was serious discussion about the way forward. The Thai's didn't want a repeat of the Clarke experience. As long as the club builds and moves forward. Then it'll be a happy ship once again.

[RoyalBlue]

Sounds to me like the Thais have bought into McDermott's chemistry set argument. Let's hope it doesn't blow up in their and our faces. Should McDermott now get off to his traditional slow start, I expect they will shoot him by Christmas and we will have wasted another season.

[Ian Royal]

They've said the right things there, although I'd have liked Brian to get a shout by name as the man to take us forward.

I now look forward to people reading between the lines and making up stuff they think they see

+1

[Ian Royal]

I'm all a bit apathetic to be honest. Its quite clearly been written by a PR company. There's no substance to it at all.

My thoughts, too.
An awful lot of words to say very little.

Out of interest, what would you want them to say, bearing in mind no one is ever going to make clear specific commitments in public about operational planning?

[wingnut]

I'm all a bit apathetic to be honest. Its quite clearly been written by a PR company. There's no substance to it at all.

My thoughts, too.
An awful lot of words to say very little.

Out of interest, what would you want them to say, bearing in mind no one is ever going to make clear specific commitments in public about operational planning?

Perhaps:
- a statement where it's possible to work out what's going on from what's said rather than what's not said
- something about being in it for the long haul rather than just a quick buck once REP is done and dusted
- some things about why they're getting involved in player scouting and recruitment would be good too

It really isn't difficult to say something of substance without being full of platitudes nor giving away specifics about budgets.

[tmesis]

Should McDermott now get off to his traditional slow start, I expect they will shoot him by Christmas and we will have wasted another season.

So, in a nutshell "If McDermott fails, then he'll have failed"


With the lack of love for the Thais is they don't splash some cash this summer, maybe we should go very Thai, and get some "No money, no honey" t-shirts.

[Stevie G]

I hope the Thais have been smart and I'm not wrong with this, by January we had a faltering squad of big egos that had cost the owners a lot of money on loan, there was no point investing as the season was pretty much over by January and the team spirit was shattered, they offloaded what they could in January of big egos with no future (sa and Blackman) and are losing the rest this summer other than williams (hrk and the loanees) they bought Evans one for the future which they have kept as far away from the first team as possible and kermorgant and rakkels ( enough to keep us up) and installed the manager to rebuild and work with youth McDermott. To try again. Plan a Clarke with lots of big names and no ability on loan did not work. McDermott is plan b, develop youth, make shrewd buys and find players that want to play for reading not for there next contract/ paycheque. Brian will not be sacked because he hasn't actually started the job he was employed for yet. Or he has and that started 2 days ago. I think this is clever and they are getting all the people in the right places for what they and we want. I think within reason if Brian had lost every game as long as we stayed up he would still be here. The rot started long before Brian turned up and the divisions in the squad were already there. In Brian I trust for now this is the start of plan b. I'm going to embrace it because there is nothing else to do

Excellent post. I'm with you!

Agree totally. When Brian came back there was serious discussion about the way forward. The Thai's didn't want a repeat of the Clarke experience. As long as the club builds and moves forward. Then it'll be a happy ship once again.

And this explains why they pondered over the decision, nee had to allegedly be convinced that he was the right man for the job, no doubt based on pretty much the current board previously dismissing him and the full current board having a hand in selecting Clarke. Maybe the clincher was that it would be more cost effective, time will tell.

[RoyalCrisp]

Excellent post. I'm with you!

Agree totally. When Brian came back there was serious discussion about the way forward. The Thai's didn't want a repeat of the Clarke experience. As long as the club builds and moves forward. Then it'll be a happy ship once again.

And this explains why they pondered over the decision, nee had to allegedly be convinced that he was the right man for the job, no doubt based on pretty much the current board previously dismissing him and the full current board having a hand in selecting Clarke. Maybe the clincher was that it would be more cost effective, time will tell.

Cheaper, yep.

Can't buy all the "it'll be a happy ship once again". You can't say the club is building and moving forwards. We've been going backwards for 4 years. The Thais haven't shown any evidence they know how to run a football club, nor that they're in it for the long haul. Like you say, time will tell. This'll be a pivotal summer and season in determining how good their time here has been for us, which sounds odd to say only 2 years into their ownership, but it's all been pointing one direction so far.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Meantime....just enjoy the game

(sadly) What will be....will be....us the fans... will have no say.....just get dragged along in the after tow......turn up...or don't turn up

The results will dictate the level of support

[royalp-we]

Agree totally. When Brian came back there was serious discussion about the way forward. The Thai's didn't want a repeat of the Clarke experience. As long as the club builds and moves forward. Then it'll be a happy ship once again.

And this explains why they pondered over the decision, nee had to allegedly be convinced that he was the right man for the job, no doubt based on pretty much the current board previously dismissing him and the full current board having a hand in selecting Clarke. Maybe the clincher was that it would be more cost effective, time will tell.

Cheaper, yep.

Can't buy all the "it'll be a happy ship once again". You can't say the club is building and moving forwards. We've been going backwards for 4 years. The Thais haven't shown any evidence they know how to run a football club, nor that they're in it for the long haul. Like you say, time will tell. This'll be a pivotal summer and season in determining how good their time here has been for us, which sounds odd to say only 2 years into their ownership, but it's all been pointing one direction so far.

Well, I don't think they're doing a bad job. I'm not sure what 'evidence' you're looking for. Let's face it, they could have insisted on bringing in all Thai back room staff or appointed their own coach from the continent that they liked. Upped the ticket prices or changed our nickname. They own the club and can do as they please, which is hard to swallow but it's the reality.

They have obviously been leaving it to the manager, JM, NH, Howe, on the day to day football club side. Away from the transfer & squad side of things with REP in the pipeline, a (albeit scaled down) training ground, far more commercial activity by way of sponsors, actively seeking more international commercial partnerships. I'm looking forward to the next year or two (minus the PA guy and the ghey Sasi shirts).

[CountryRoyal]

They've said the right things there, although I'd have liked Brian to get a shout by name as the man to take us forward.

I now look forward to people reading between the lines and making up stuff they think they see

+1

Why, what's the point?

It means nothing, just as it means nothing when a manager is publicly backed before being fired 2 days later.

[Top Flight]

Agree totally. When Brian came back there was serious discussion about the way forward. The Thai's didn't want a repeat of the Clarke experience. As long as the club builds and moves forward. Then it'll be a happy ship once again.

And this explains why they pondered over the decision, nee had to allegedly be convinced that he was the right man for the job, no doubt based on pretty much the current board previously dismissing him and the full current board having a hand in selecting Clarke. Maybe the clincher was that it would be more cost effective, time will tell.

Cheaper, yep.

Can't buy all the "it'll be a happy ship once again". You can't say the club is building and moving forwards. We've been going backwards for 4 years. The Thais haven't shown any evidence they know how to run a football club, nor that they're in it for the long haul. Like you say, time will tell. This'll be a pivotal summer and season in determining how good their time here has been for us, which sounds odd to say only 2 years into their ownership, but it's all been pointing one direction so far.

You're absolutely right Royal Crisp. It all comes from the top. The manager can only have so much impact, but he does need the support from those at the top in order to make things happen. Hopefully, the Thais will listen and take advice from Howe and Madejski and will be humble and listen to them. That way, things can become more stable and we can begin to build in a more logical and sensible way.

[RoyallyFcuked]

Why, what's the point?

It means nothing, just as it means nothing when a manager is publicly backed before being fired 2 days later.

+1

Cheaper, yep.

Can't buy all the "it'll be a happy ship once again". You can't say the club is building and moving forwards. We've been going backwards for 4 years. The Thais haven't shown any evidence they know how to run a football club, nor that they're in it for the long haul. Like you say, time will tell. This'll be a pivotal summer and season in determining how good their time here has been for us, which sounds odd to say only 2 years into their ownership, but it's all been pointing one direction so far.

+1

[royalp-we]

So Dave is definitely a moderator then...

[Maneki Neko]

Agree totally. When Brian came back there was serious discussion about the way forward. The Thai's didn't want a repeat of the Clarke experience. As long as the club builds and moves forward. Then it'll be a happy ship once again.

And this explains why they pondered over the decision, nee had to allegedly be convinced that he was the right man for the job, no doubt based on pretty much the current board previously dismissing him and the full current board having a hand in selecting Clarke. Maybe the clincher was that it would be more cost effective, time will tell.

Cheaper, yep.

Can't buy all the "it'll be a happy ship once again". You can't say the club is building and moving forwards. We've been going backwards for 4 years. The Thais haven't shown any evidence they know how to run a football club, nor that they're in it for the long haul. Like you say, time will tell. This'll be a pivotal summer and season in determining how good their time here has been for us, which sounds odd to say only 2 years into their ownership, but it's all been pointing one direction so far.

we got relegated yeah? this tends to happen if you dont come straight back.

its how you manage and arrest the decline and get things turned around.and that s what we are trying to do currently

[Maneki Neko]

What will be....will be....us the fans... will have no say.....just get dragged along in the after tow......turn up...or don't turn up

weirdest sentence ever

[Longhorn1970]

A nice token gesture from the RFC PR department. As if the owners wrote that

+1

[Longhorn1970]

1 point out of 18 is a massive faiLOL whichever way you look at it with those players at his disposal.

Those players were no good.

We had no pace going forward. No width. Clarke assembled a load of expensive sh*te and the owners forced some of them off the wage bill in January when they realised how costly and useless they were. Brian did not have good players at his disposal in the end, thanks to Clarke.

-1

[Longhorn1970]

They've said the right things there, although I'd have liked Brian to get a shout by name as the man to take us forward.

I now look forward to people reading between the lines and making up stuff they think they see

Brian underachieved. Massively.

So if he was to get a mention, it would be in that section - naming him specifically would have been pretty savage, especially as he's still boss.

I guess they could have mentioned him in the "next season" bit - maybe they are waiting to see what Brian thinks when they have their "conversation". I certainly wouldn't be gutted if he was to lose his job. We don't really know what the owners think of Brian...

+1

[Top Flight]

Longhorn. I think this is where we differ at the moment.

You think our players are good and it is McDermott's fault entirely that they have underperformed.

I think our players were average and had serious motivational problems that were not fixable in a short space of time by McDermott or any other manager.

Is that fair to say?