Stam's comments - only a matter of time now

[G, little the legend]

I actually liked his honesty yesterday and warmed more to him as a result.

However he needs some blunt advice back.

I agree. I think I'm one of his biggest critics on here. I like him a lot and wish things were working out, but I wonder if he has a "big club" mentality having played where he has. I don't think Reading is right for him
and his style of football......which is sad really.

Have you been away for 6 months? Did you not watch Reading last season? Do you know where we finished in the league?

[Snowflake Royal]

Transcript of his full comments on BBCRB

"You know there's pressure, so eventually if you're not winning games people will start to talk about your job - that's how it is," Stam said.

"If people think they can get a better manager that's better for the team, then they need to make that decision, that's fine.

"I don't think there is. That's a joke of course, but that's how it is.

The former Manchester United and AC Milan centre-back continued: "It's about getting results. If you don't get results people start talking about the manager: is he good enough? Can he change the team?

"I've been there as a player myself as well - it's one of the risks of being a manager - and if you're afraid of it happening then you don't need to go into the job, go out and do something else. You might do some fishing - that's nice as well."

That's a long way from how the OP portrayed the interview.

That last sentence is a treat.

[Elm Park Kid]

Isn't the obvious comment that Reading's strategy is dependent on having a decent forward on the pitch - i.e. Yann Kermogant.

Any club that wants to be successfull needs to have a decent striker on the pitch. It has to be the strategy of every club in football.

You can complain about why someone else wasn't brought in to replace him but in today's market I honestly think you're looking at £10m+ in addition to some very hefty wages. It's not really Stam's fault that the club can't/won't afford that.

It doesn't necessarily have to cost £10million +.

If we are looking at a striker who is banging in 10 to 20 goals a season right now in a Championship first team then the price is going to be ludicrous. £10million or more.

But if, like McDermott, you look for a striker that has proven himself in the past but is now perhaps plying his trade in a Bournemouth reserve team, like Kermorgant, or Murray when he was at Palace or Grabban or someone else who has done it before but is now out of favour somewhere then they can be captured for a lot less. We don't have to go for a Jordan Hugill or a Nelson Oliveira. We can look at who is out of favour at Premier League clubs, or at Championship clubs. Or take a gamble on a young gun in League 2 like Hylton at Luton Town. We will have to get creative because we can't be shelling out millions on a Jordan Hugill.

Coppell took a chance on young lads from Cambridge Utd and Cork City. McDermott took a chance on a young hot shot who had banged in goals for Rotherham Utd. Stam should consider those avenues as well. Take a few chances. Give someone a go. If it doesn't work move them on quickly and give someone else a chance. That's how Coppell managed. He brought in Owusu, he was sh!t, so he moved him on and brought in Doyle. He took a chance on Brooker, it didn't work out, so he took a chance on another lower league left winger in Hunt and that worked out much better. Nothing wrong with bringing in low cost, low risk, lower league players, give them a chance and if it doesn't work out move them on quickly and try again with another player. Keep shuffling the deck, keep changing your hand. Get rid of the sh*t and keep the good ones. Stam is doing that a little bit already, he has quickly moved Gravenberch, Meite, Rakels and others on. Let's keep searching for new blood. It takes time to build a football team. It can't be done in just one season. What Stam has achieved up to now has been remarkable and he has achieved a high ranking much quicker than Coppell, McDermott, Pardew or McGhee who all needed around 3 seasons.

Stam still needs time to get the right players in. He is doing a grand job. There is nothing wrong or unusual about a team going through a difficult period on route to something greater. A bad run of results cannot be avoided when you are trying to build a good football team. It is part of the development and build process. It has happened to every successfull manager we have ever had.

I think we're basically agreeing.

To anyone that complains about Reading's current results the answer is simple - Kermogant isn't on the pitch.

To anyone that asks why a back-up for him hasn't been brought in the answer is also simple - because to get any kind of guaranteed goal scorer you have to spend over £10m. Of course you can spend less and get lucky, but that's all it would be - luck. If there is anyone out there that is guaranteed to score 20 goals in this league then they would be worth £10m, it's as simple as that.

I mean, Kermogant is the only striker that McDermott signed that ever scored more than 12 goals in a season. But it didn't matter because he designed a system that wasn't reliant on one main striker, like Stam has done.

[72 bus]

I mean, Kermogant is the only striker that McDermott signed that ever scored more than 12 goals in a season. But it didn't matter because he designed a system that wasn't reliant on one main striker, like Stam has done.

Apart from signing Adam LeFondre, who managed to do it over three consecutive seasons

[Elm Park Kid]

I mean, Kermogant is the only striker that McDermott signed that ever scored more than 12 goals in a season. But it didn't matter because he designed a system that wasn't reliant on one main striker, like Stam has done.

Apart from signing Adam LeFondre, who managed to do it over three consecutive seasons

I checked wikipeidia and he scored 12 league goals in both 2011/12 and 2012/13 but missed that it was 15 in 2013/14. But my general point stands.

[72 bus]

I mean, Kermogant is the only striker that McDermott signed that ever scored more than 12 goals in a season. But it didn't matter because he designed a system that wasn't reliant on one main striker, like Stam has done.

Apart from signing Adam LeFondre, who managed to do it over three consecutive seasons

I checked wikipeidia and he scored 12 league goals in both 2011/12 and 2012/13 but missed that it was 15 in 2013/14. But my general point stands.

Or even Pavel Pogrebnyak who managed 13 in the 2013-14 season