Gourlay

[Nameless]

"A lot of things need addressing from software in the ticket office to GDPR".....

Well that's a big relief, it was my #1 concern...

No mention of brexit though.....

If only they’d had some warnings about GDPR...

It’s been the law since 25 May, basically he’s publicly admitted that they are not compliant and could (should?) be fined :SMH:

Surely you can be GDPR compliant but it still give you issues ?
I know the company I work for is compliant but it essentially wiped out our marketing database which had been assembled over 20 years. Rebuilding that is a big job and I suspect the club are in a similar situation.

[sandman]

"A lot of things need addressing from software in the ticket office to GDPR".....

Well that's a big relief, it was my #1 concern...

No mention of brexit though.....

If only they’d had some warnings about GDPR...

It’s been the law since 25 May, basically he’s publicly admitted that they are not compliant and could (should?) be fined :SMH:

Surely you can be GDPR compliant but it still give you issues ?
I know the company I work for is compliant but it essentially wiped out our marketing database which had been assembled over 20 years. Rebuilding that is a big job and I suspect the club are in a similar situation.

No because Gourlay is literally Hitler.

[genome]

Literally?

[Uke]

Literally?

[Hound]

read through the interview on the Chronicle site

looks reasonable enough to me tbh. No real excuse making, other than on injuries, which is a little overdone -esp for this season

[genome]

read through the interview on the Chronicle site

looks reasonable enough to me tbh. No real excuse making, other than on injuries, which is a little overdone -esp for this season

People are desparate for a scapegoat though!

[Hound]

well yeah. he is far from blameless, and said it was reasonable rather than particularly inspiring or comforting

[Forbury Lion]

At the Star meeting Clement said he needs two or three more windows to get everything right, supporters want it did done yesterday,
Whether Gourley gives him that time is another matter.

Progress will do, we're not expecting perfection just the ability to win by any means necessary and climb out of the relegation zone

Reminds me of Brendan Rogers, spending big on players and building a team for the future but had to go because the half built team for the future wasn't suited to actually staying up in the present.

[Snowflake Royal]

At the Star meeting Clement said he needs two or three more windows to get everything right, supporters want it did done yesterday,
Whether Gourley gives him that time is another matter.

Progress will do, we're not expecting perfection just the ability to win by any means necessary and climb out of the relegation zone

Reminds me of Brendan Rogers, spending big on players and building a team for the future but had to go because the half built team for the future wasn't suited to actually staying up in the present.

Really? I'd say Clement has very little in common with Rodgers - Stam would be a different matter. Clement hasn't spent big, he's not had to replace star players, he's identified specific issues to solve short term, he's changed our approach to be more pragmatic, he openly admits there are problems and they need to be fixed soon. I mean none of it's really worked, but it's almost polar opposites apart from the shit results bit.

[WAZZOCK]

The bloke has to be on borrowed time.

I have no issues with the owners and don’t think any fans should, we could have owners that pick the team etc but we don’t, they’ve invested (record signing, summer 2017, Moore situ where they could have cashed in) and let the football side get on with it. I will however have an issue with the owners if they don’t do something with Gourlay et al if this mess continues.

Owners have invested money and trusted Gourlay to spend it, and it’s fair to say it’s been shambolic. To say the ‘bulk’ of his signings have been a success is a joke, summer 2017 window is killing us hence why Clement has tried to sign so many leaders this summer.

Owners were at last game, will see a half empty stadium, will see downbeat fans and their team siting bottom of the league after another defeat. Either Gourlay is selling them a dream or he is on borrowed time if they have a bit about them.

Rant over.

Some help needed.

Nigel Howe used to be the CEO, he didn't sign players. He would have had a say in determining budgets and signing off contracts but actually signing players was not his job.
Gourlay now does the same job. So there are none of 'his signings'. Who we sign is down to Teverenden and Clement ( as it used to be down to Hammond and Coppell / McDermott etc with the odd exception of a trophy Russian signing).

Gourlay's job is essentially to ensure the books balance, which is a hell of a job. Whether he is doing that well enough is going to be a significant concern for the owners but it's very hard to pin the on field issues at Gourlay's door.

Howe had a huge say in transfers, of course he did. By way of example, he was the person who vetoed the Asamoah Gyan signing.

Even taking the trend of thought that Gourlay may well be consciously on the rob from the club (there is plenty of evidence) out of the equation, he has absolutely no experience in the football side of the business, and the longer he is allowed to rule the roost the longer we will be in decline.

It’s a no brainer, we just need the owners to see.

[Green]

well yeah. he is far from blameless, and said it was reasonable rather than particularly inspiring or comforting

I think you'd find a lot of people who agree with that particular viewpoint.

[Nameless]

The bloke has to be on borrowed time.

I have no issues with the owners and don’t think any fans should, we could have owners that pick the team etc but we don’t, they’ve invested (record signing, summer 2017, Moore situ where they could have cashed in) and let the football side get on with it. I will however have an issue with the owners if they don’t do something with Gourlay et al if this mess continues.

Owners have invested money and trusted Gourlay to spend it, and it’s fair to say it’s been shambolic. To say the ‘bulk’ of his signings have been a success is a joke, summer 2017 window is killing us hence why Clement has tried to sign so many leaders this summer.

Owners were at last game, will see a half empty stadium, will see downbeat fans and their team siting bottom of the league after another defeat. Either Gourlay is selling them a dream or he is on borrowed time if they have a bit about them.

Rant over.

Some help needed.

Nigel Howe used to be the CEO, he didn't sign players. He would have had a say in determining budgets and signing off contracts but actually signing players was not his job.
Gourlay now does the same job. So there are none of 'his signings'. Who we sign is down to Teverenden and Clement ( as it used to be down to Hammond and Coppell / McDermott etc with the odd exception of a trophy Russian signing).

Gourlay's job is essentially to ensure the books balance, which is a hell of a job. Whether he is doing that well enough is going to be a significant concern for the owners but it's very hard to pin the on field issues at Gourlay's door.

Howe had a huge say in transfers, of course he did. By way of example, he was the person who vetoed the Asamoah Gyan signing.

Even taking the trend of thought that Gourlay may well be consciously on the rob from the club (there is plenty of evidence) out of the equation, he has absolutely no experience in the football side of the business, and the longer he is allowed to rule the roost the longer we will be in decline.

It’s a no brainer, we just need the owners to see.

Your extremely personal hatred for Gourlay is quite odd . Are you a former employee that he got rid off ?
The accusation that he is stealing from the club is a serious one that could lead you and Graham into trouble if the club became aware. Rather than posting accusations like that anonymously on here you really should take your evidence to either Bryan Stabler or the club’s auditors.
I know next to nothing about Gourlay, never met him, care nothing for him but unsubstantiated claims of criminal behaviour aren’t to be made lightly.

[Forbury Lion]

At the Star meeting Clement said he needs two or three more windows to get everything right, supporters want it did done yesterday,
Whether Gourley gives him that time is another matter.

Progress will do, we're not expecting perfection just the ability to win by any means necessary and climb out of the relegation zone

Reminds me of Brendan Rogers, spending big on players and building a team for the future but had to go because the half built team for the future wasn't suited to actually staying up in the present.

Really? I'd say Clement has very little in common with Rodgers - Stam would be a different matter. Clement hasn't spent big, he's not had to replace star players, he's identified specific issues to solve short term, he's changed our approach to be more pragmatic, he openly admits there are problems and they need to be fixed soon. I mean none of it's really worked, but it's almost polar opposites apart from the shit results bit.

Maybe the shit results are clouding my judgement, thinking about it he doesn't wear tank tops and an oversized watch so they're not the same.

[hughsies no.1]

The bloke has to be on borrowed time.

I have no issues with the owners and don’t think any fans should, we could have owners that pick the team etc but we don’t, they’ve invested (record signing, summer 2017, Moore situ where they could have cashed in) and let the football side get on with it. I will however have an issue with the owners if they don’t do something with Gourlay et al if this mess continues.

Owners have invested money and trusted Gourlay to spend it, and it’s fair to say it’s been shambolic. To say the ‘bulk’ of his signings have been a success is a joke, summer 2017 window is killing us hence why Clement has tried to sign so many leaders this summer.

Owners were at last game, will see a half empty stadium, will see downbeat fans and their team siting bottom of the league after another defeat. Either Gourlay is selling them a dream or he is on borrowed time if they have a bit about them.

Rant over.

The bloke is bad news, good people leaving the club in their numbers - he has to go.

"Lee Herron left as academy manager to move to Arsenal while Adam Benson left his role as commercial director to join Gloucester Rugby. Football.London understands that Dara Thomas, head of marketing, has also handed in her notice - a move that will see the club lose it entire marketing department, following the earlier exit of Tom Law.

Meanwhile, the recruitment department has been decimated, progress at Reading’s highly-rated academy has been frustratingly slow and a number of youth coaches have moved on amid unrest about how the Championship club is being run."

[Zip]

The bloke has to be on borrowed time.

I have no issues with the owners and don’t think any fans should, we could have owners that pick the team etc but we don’t, they’ve invested (record signing, summer 2017, Moore situ where they could have cashed in) and let the football side get on with it. I will however have an issue with the owners if they don’t do something with Gourlay et al if this mess continues.

Owners have invested money and trusted Gourlay to spend it, and it’s fair to say it’s been shambolic. To say the ‘bulk’ of his signings have been a success is a joke, summer 2017 window is killing us hence why Clement has tried to sign so many leaders this summer.

Owners were at last game, will see a half empty stadium, will see downbeat fans and their team siting bottom of the league after another defeat. Either Gourlay is selling them a dream or he is on borrowed time if they have a bit about them.

Rant over.

The bloke is bad news, good people leaving the club in their numbers - he has to go.

"Lee Herron left as academy manager to move to Arsenal while Adam Benson left his role as commercial director to join Gloucester Rugby. Football.London understands that Dara Thomas, head of marketing, has also handed in her notice - a move that will see the club lose it entire marketing department, following the earlier exit of Tom Law.

Meanwhile, the recruitment department has been decimated, progress at Reading’s highly-rated academy has been frustratingly slow and a number of youth coaches have moved on amid unrest about how the Championship club is being run."

Who has quoted this to Football.London?

[maffff]

The bloke has to be on borrowed time.

I have no issues with the owners and don’t think any fans should, we could have owners that pick the team etc but we don’t, they’ve invested (record signing, summer 2017, Moore situ where they could have cashed in) and let the football side get on with it. I will however have an issue with the owners if they don’t do something with Gourlay et al if this mess continues.

Owners have invested money and trusted Gourlay to spend it, and it’s fair to say it’s been shambolic. To say the ‘bulk’ of his signings have been a success is a joke, summer 2017 window is killing us hence why Clement has tried to sign so many leaders this summer.

Owners were at last game, will see a half empty stadium, will see downbeat fans and their team siting bottom of the league after another defeat. Either Gourlay is selling them a dream or he is on borrowed time if they have a bit about them.

Rant over.

Some help needed.

Nigel Howe used to be the CEO, he didn't sign players. He would have had a say in determining budgets and signing off contracts but actually signing players was not his job.
Gourlay now does the same job. So there are none of 'his signings'. Who we sign is down to Teverenden and Clement ( as it used to be down to Hammond and Coppell / McDermott etc with the odd exception of a trophy Russian signing).

Gourlay's job is essentially to ensure the books balance, which is a hell of a job. Whether he is doing that well enough is going to be a significant concern for the owners but it's very hard to pin the on field issues at Gourlay's door.

Howe had a huge say in transfers, of course he did. By way of example, he was the person who vetoed the Asamoah Gyan signing.

Even taking the trend of thought that Gourlay may well be consciously on the rob from the club (there is plenty of evidence) out of the equation, he has absolutely no experience in the football side of the business, and the longer he is allowed to rule the roost the longer we will be in decline.

It’s a no brainer, we just need the owners to see.

Doesn't help that the "Interim Chief Operating Officer", Steven Falk, is a contractor being paid a fortune to work at the club for three days a week (although realistically it’s 2 and a half as he travels from Manchester).

He’s put up in the hotel by all accounts does literally doing nothing; a complete case of ‘jobs for the boys’... same as much of Gourlay's recruitment.

[Zip]

Some help needed.

Nigel Howe used to be the CEO, he didn't sign players. He would have had a say in determining budgets and signing off contracts but actually signing players was not his job.
Gourlay now does the same job. So there are none of 'his signings'. Who we sign is down to Teverenden and Clement ( as it used to be down to Hammond and Coppell / McDermott etc with the odd exception of a trophy Russian signing).

Gourlay's job is essentially to ensure the books balance, which is a hell of a job. Whether he is doing that well enough is going to be a significant concern for the owners but it's very hard to pin the on field issues at Gourlay's door.

Howe had a huge say in transfers, of course he did. By way of example, he was the person who vetoed the Asamoah Gyan signing.

Even taking the trend of thought that Gourlay may well be consciously on the rob from the club (there is plenty of evidence) out of the equation, he has absolutely no experience in the football side of the business, and the longer he is allowed to rule the roost the longer we will be in decline.

It’s a no brainer, we just need the owners to see.

Doesn't help that the "Interim Chief Operating Officer", Steven Falk, is a contractor being paid a fortune to work at the club for three days a week (although realistically it’s 2 and a half as he travels from Manchester).

He’s put up in the hotel by all accounts does literally doing nothing; a complete case of ‘jobs for the boys’... same as much of Gourlay's recruitment.

It’s interesting that Charles Watts is very much on BT’s side saying the loss of our entire marketing dept, Commercial Director, longstanding Academy coach and youth coaches has all happened under Gourlay. He adds BT was against the transfer signings in the summer preferring a youthful approach so it looks like the O’Shea signing was down to Gourlay.

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Hhhmmmmm... the Dara Thomas bit is a shame. I believe she's been around for a while doing a lot with limited resources.

I hope he's not a toxic boss, but the signs aren't good...

However winning on the pitch changes everything

[Snowflake Royal]

I'm not really one to set a great deal of stock by nobbers claiming to be in the know, screaming incompetence and backstage unrest to scapegoat one person.

But. I can't help but look at the situation and think three things about Gourlay and the rumours he's a disaster.

1) WTF is Chelsea's former Chief Exec doing at Reading if he's genuinely competent
2) How the oxf*rd have we become so abject and defeated during his tenure in charge if he's not part of the problem. I know we'd struggled a bit for a while and had our problems, but it genuinely feels like the arse has fallen out of us.
3) The amount of stories of his incompetence and media picking up and running with it leave me asking myself if there's so much smoke can there really be no fire?

And finally, I remember that I tend to think about 6/10 Chief Execs are basically just oxygen thieves and I can only conclude he probably really is a shambles.

[WAZZOCK]

Some help needed.

Nigel Howe used to be the CEO, he didn't sign players. He would have had a say in determining budgets and signing off contracts but actually signing players was not his job.
Gourlay now does the same job. So there are none of 'his signings'. Who we sign is down to Teverenden and Clement ( as it used to be down to Hammond and Coppell / McDermott etc with the odd exception of a trophy Russian signing).

Gourlay's job is essentially to ensure the books balance, which is a hell of a job. Whether he is doing that well enough is going to be a significant concern for the owners but it's very hard to pin the on field issues at Gourlay's door.

Howe had a huge say in transfers, of course he did. By way of example, he was the person who vetoed the Asamoah Gyan signing.

Even taking the trend of thought that Gourlay may well be consciously on the rob from the club (there is plenty of evidence) out of the equation, he has absolutely no experience in the football side of the business, and the longer he is allowed to rule the roost the longer we will be in decline.

It’s a no brainer, we just need the owners to see.

Your extremely personal hatred for Gourlay is quite odd . Are you a former employee that he got rid off ?
The accusation that he is stealing from the club is a serious one that could lead you and Graham into trouble if the club became aware. Rather than posting accusations like that anonymously on here you really should take your evidence to either Bryan Stabler or the club’s auditors.
I know next to nothing about Gourlay, never met him, care nothing for him but unsubstantiated claims of criminal behaviour aren’t to be made lightly.

It’s not odd in slightest though is it really. We’re (almost) all signed up on this message board because we are Reading fans who care deeply for their club.

I have been given information from people who work at the club who inform me that the reason we are in such a mire (the worst position we have been in for two decades) because of one mans negative influence. Even if I hadn’t received this information, it’s clear for all to see that we are currently in a position staring at relegation to the third tier from a position of almost getting to the top flight - on his watch.

Forgive me for being a constant bore in vocalising what I’ve heard about Gourlay, but I felt it pertinent to communicate to the fans the reason why we are on such a downward trajectory - it seems as though today’s story has vindicated what I’d been told.

The issue of whether Gourlay is taking part in underhand tactics was picked up from a considerably amount of chat on Twitter, and as someone has mentioned above, there is no smoke without fire. However if this trend of thought is not fit for Hobnob then the Mods can feel free to delete what I said.

At the end of the day, I’ve just got the best interest of the club at heart.