If McDermott hadn't been sacked (the 2nd time)

[Elm Park Kid]

Do you think Reading would now be in a better position if McDermott had stayed?

Personally I think he would have encouraged a lot of good will towards the club and his summer transfers would have turned out better than Stam's. We probably wouldn't have finished as well as we did in Stam's first season but I also think we wouldn't have seen the 'drop of a cliff' aftermath either.

[Reading4eva]

Yes and yes. He would have spent the money more wisely. The club would have been in a far better position and we probably would have got promoted.

Instead we have Sone Aluko and look headed for League One. At least McD would not have let that happen

[bobby1413]

Yes and yes for me as well

Unfortunately all the whiny twitter type fans taint the entire support and club by calling for sackings so quickly.

As we've seen even this year with Clement. People not supporting him before a ball has even been kicked.

I do think RFC have lost their way. The feel of the club has changed in my view. Ever since Steve Clarke it's been a place which has felt alien.

[Denver Royal]

Another question: Why hasn’t McD been a success elsewhere, and why is he always available?

[Reading4eva]

Yes and yes for me as well

Unfortunately all the whiny twitter type fans taint the entire support and club by calling for sackings so quickly.

As we've seen even this year with Clement. People not supporting him before a ball has even been kicked.

I do think RFC have lost their way. The feel of the club has changed in my view. Ever since Steve Clarke it's been a place which has felt alien.

If we can get to your prediction of 18th, I think that would be a good start. Clement needs time to turn this round. It's going to be a bigger juggernaut to turn around than the one McD managed to turn.

Whatever happens, we must stand by Clement, be it means relegation at the end. Maybe he could get us back up.

This job really could be the making of Paul Clement should he get it right. At this moment though confidence is the lowest it's ever been. We got beat by a League One Wimbledon, a Confrence Eastleigh and absolutely thrashed by Palace. You can't go into the season even though they are friendlies with any faith following those results

[Denver Royal]

Clement needs time to turn this round. Whatever happens, we must stand by Clement, be it means relegation at the end.

Is this how people felt, coming off 17th and 19th, when Stam took over mid-summer?

[Muskrat]

Another question: Why hasn’t McD been a success elsewhere, and why is he always available?

He's only ever managed one other football league club, the utter basket case that was and still is Leeds, who seem to change their manager twice a season. And he isn't always available, he's employed as a scout for Arsenal. HTH

[Elm Park Kid]

Another question: Why hasn’t McD been a success elsewhere, and why is he always available?

He loves Reading so much that he can't bring himself to manage elsewhere.

[Denver Royal]

Another question: Why hasn’t McD been a success elsewhere, and why is he always available?

He's only ever managed one other football league club, the utter basket case that was and still is Leeds, who seem to change their manager twice a season. And he isn't always available, he's employed as a scout for Arsenal. HTH

It doesn’t help much really. I’m well aware he’s been a scout. Maybe you didn’t pick up on it, but I meant he’s been available, as a manager, for hire. HTH:)

The entire football league has got him all wrong? It’s Sat nite, just asking, something to ponder, and the reasons therein. No worries.

[Elm Park Kid]

Another question: Why hasn’t McD been a success elsewhere, and why is he always available?

He's only ever managed one other football league club, the utter basket case that was and still is Leeds, who seem to change their manager twice a season. And he isn't always available, he's employed as a scout for Arsenal. HTH

It doesn’t help much really. I’m well aware he’s been a scout. Maybe you didn’t pick up on it, but I meant he’s been available, as a manager, for hire. HTH:)

The entire football league has got him all wrong? It’s Sat nite, just asking, something to ponder, and the reasons therein. No worries.

Maybe he genuinely doesn't want to manage elsewhere . . . .

[Denver Royal]

He's only ever managed one other football league club, the utter basket case that was and still is Leeds, who seem to change their manager twice a season. And he isn't always available, he's employed as a scout for Arsenal. HTH

It doesn’t help much really. I’m well aware he’s been a scout. Maybe you didn’t pick up on it, but I meant he’s been available, as a manager, for hire. HTH:)

The entire football league has got him all wrong? It’s Sat nite, just asking, something to ponder, and the reasons therein. No worries.

Maybe he genuinely doesn't want to manage elsewhere . . . .

Well, he’s worked at Arsenal and Leeds, but maybe you’re right. As a manager, he only ever wanted to manage at one club. Do you think he’s turned down a bunch of offers?

[Snowflake Royal]

Depends on whether the rumours I heard about him having some personal problems were true or not.

If they were it wouldn't have been good. If they weren't, we'd have had a worse season and a better one mooching about in midtable IMO.

[Stevie G]

We cannot score is not a single strikers issue.
The state of the club is not a single manager's issue.
Our problem is the board.

[From Despair To Where?]

With respect, people seem to forget how mind shreddingly awful we were in McDermott's second spell. Slightly bemused by the suggestion that in one transfer window, he could have arrested the decline that had failed to arrest in 6 months managing the team.

The club is struggling to climb out of a spiral if uncertainty and instability started by that Russian fraud.

[TiagoIlori]

Relegated in 16/17. We would be in serious financial problems. We wouldn’t have wealthy owners, attendances would have declined even more sharply. Relegation would be a disaster now but it would’ve been 100 times worse back then.

[Elm Park Kid]

With respect, people seem to forget how mind shreddingly awful we were in McDermott's second spell. Slightly bemused by the suggestion that in one transfer window, he could have arrested the decline that had failed to arrest in 6 months managing the team.

The club is struggling to climb out of a spiral if uncertainty and instability started by that Russian fraud.

Personally I don't think it fair to judge him on a period in which the club was recovering from the Steve Clarke debacle and had a large number of loan players in the squad. It quickly became obvious that we weren't going to be in either a promotion or relegation battle so everything just kind of petered out. I think that Brian himself would accept that he gave up on the season too easily, but from the start his focus was getting to summer and creating his own team.

[From Despair To Where?]

So I should cut him some slack because he "gave up on the season too easily"?

What utter revisionist nonsense.

Yes Clarke fcuked it up with the whole Fulham nonsense destabilising the squad but this was a squad that entered October 3rd in the table so there was no lack of ability on the playing side. Regardless of the number of loan players, there was bags of ability but confidence was low but one of McDermott's, strengths was supposedly his ability to foster team spirit and motivate the players.

He then appeared in the press on a number of occasions with thinly veiled whinges about the owners and the squad, almost getting pre-emptive excuses in. You can't "give up on the season" when you're looking to build for the next. It's unprofessional and sets completely the wrong example to the players. Steve Coppell always used to say that how you finish a season sets a marker for how you start the next. You take that momentum and confidence (or lack of) into pre season and that sets the tone.

[Denver Royal]

Personally I don't think it fair to judge him on a period in which the club was recovering from the Steve Clarke debacle

Many things in footy (and life) aren't fair, but most manager's still get judged, regardless.

Stam, a rookie manager with no experience, took over after us having finished 17th and 19th, but that didn't stop us judging him. Clement took over a mess, but we'll still judge him this season, and even last season. A lot of manager's take over a mess, which is why a change is being made and why they are being appointed.

[Hound]

The job Stam did in his first season really was incredible

Still can’t get my head round how it all went so wrong from there

[Snowflake Royal]

So I should cut him some slack because he "gave up on the season too easily"?

What utter revisionist nonsense.

Yes Clarke fcuked it up with the whole Fulham nonsense destabilising the squad but this was a squad that entered October 3rd in the table so there was no lack of ability on the playing side. Regardless of the number of loan players, there was bags of ability but confidence was low but one of McDermott's, strengths was supposedly his ability to foster team spirit and motivate the players.

He then appeared in the press on a number of occasions with thinly veiled whinges about the owners and the squad, almost getting pre-emptive excuses in. You can't "give up on the season" when you're looking to build for the next. It's unprofessional and sets completely the wrong example to the players. Steve Coppell always used to say that how you finish a season sets a marker for how you start the next. You take that momentum and confidence (or lack of) into pre season and that sets the tone.

You should cut him some slack because he inherited a shambles of players with no interest in performing or who had been destroyed by Clarke.