New Manager

[windermereROYAL]

If Scott Marshall does a decent job give it to him till the end of the season.

[Sutekh]

Don't get this Castro link. What has he ever done that would catch the eye of anyone, let alone induce Reading to, allegedly, offer an 11million euro contract to

Have to say I hope this one is not true.

[Ranty McRantface]

I've been reading some of the comments about the potential managerial appointment of Luis Castro and it's a typical one from those that fear what they do not know.

I follow Reading and FC Porto. I have done for the past 26 years and I know my fair share about Portuguese football. Portuguese football is not as bad as people have made out in the past and I would say with the teams outside of the top 4 it's mid to lower level Championship standard.

Luis Castro is very much a manager that would fit the mould here if he brushes up on his English and gets involved in the culture of the club. He did his apprenticeship at Porto with the youth team and took over as interim boss for a brief stint before going back to manage the B Team. He's over performed at all the minnows of the Portuguese teams in the top league for Rio Ave, Vitoria and Chaves too. Particularly at Chaves where his team should have been cannon fodder but he somehow managed to take them to 5th or 6th in the league. He's a big advocate of home grown talent too. Personally, I'm surprised a bigger club hasn't taken a chance on him as I think he's got what it takes.

If he is appointed I would be delighted we've got an experienced manager who will give youth a chance and knows how to get the best out of players.

[tmesis]

I've been reading some of the comments about the potential managerial appointment of Luis Castro and it's a typical one from those that fear what they do not know.

I follow Reading and FC Porto. I have done for the past 26 years and I know my fair share about Portuguese football. Portuguese football is not as bad as people have made out in the past and I would say with the teams outside of the top 4 it's mid to lower level Championship standard.

Luis Castro is very much a manager that would fit the mould here if he brushes up on his English and gets involved in the culture of the club. He did his apprenticeship at Porto with the youth team and took over as interim boss for a brief stint before going back to manage the B Team. He's over performed at all the minnows of the Portuguese teams in the top league for Rio Ave, Vitoria and Chaves too. Particularly at Chaves where his team should have been cannon fodder but he somehow managed to take them to 5th or 6th in the league. He's a big advocate of home grown talent too. Personally, I'm surprised a bigger club hasn't taken a chance on him as I think he's got what it takes.

If he is appointed I would be delighted we've got an experienced manager who will give youth a chance and knows how to get the best out of players.

I think a lot of the fear is about his association with an agent, who used his previous influence to sign players on his books, regardless or their suitability. If the rumours about this agent also being behind the move are true, with him also having an influential role in signings, it's an utterly terrible idea.

[Ranty McRantface]

I've been reading some of the comments about the potential managerial appointment of Luis Castro and it's a typical one from those that fear what they do not know.

I follow Reading and FC Porto. I have done for the past 26 years and I know my fair share about Portuguese football. Portuguese football is not as bad as people have made out in the past and I would say with the teams outside of the top 4 it's mid to lower level Championship standard.

Luis Castro is very much a manager that would fit the mould here if he brushes up on his English and gets involved in the culture of the club. He did his apprenticeship at Porto with the youth team and took over as interim boss for a brief stint before going back to manage the B Team. He's over performed at all the minnows of the Portuguese teams in the top league for Rio Ave, Vitoria and Chaves too. Particularly at Chaves where his team should have been cannon fodder but he somehow managed to take them to 5th or 6th in the league. He's a big advocate of home grown talent too. Personally, I'm surprised a bigger club hasn't taken a chance on him as I think he's got what it takes.

If he is appointed I would be delighted we've got an experienced manager who will give youth a chance and knows how to get the best out of players.

I think a lot of the fear is about his association with an agent, who used his previous influence to sign players on his books, regardless or their suitability. If the rumours about this agent also being behind the move are true, with him also having an influential role in signings, it's an utterly terrible idea.

Agreed about his agent. Kia is a poisonous individual. But I think this may be the only time I would approve of one of his recommendations.

[Lower West]

Portuguese football is not as bad as people have made out in the past and I would say with the teams outside of the top 4 it's mid to lower level Championship standard.

Doesn't address the state of the current squad. Besides which there's little to no time to turn this around. Imposing a new style of play is a long term project. The incoming manager has to mold something out of what he's got. That's one heck of a challenge.

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

What is Jimmy Kebe up to these days?

Hes a professional poker player

[Sutekh]

NH says no new manager in mind. Earliest possible of any developments is middle of next week. Club have NOT spoken to anyone yet. There is a “long” short list however.

[genome]

There is a “long” short list however.

So... a long list?

[Reading4eva]

Dylan Kerr please

[Snowflake Royal]

Sky claiming Parky is favourite.

[Reading4eva]

Sky claiming Parky is favourite.

Bolton potless at the moment. Would make a lot of sense. However we employ a legend at this point and we stick by that legend

[Pepe the Horseman]

Sky claiming Parky is favourite.

20/1. Not quite...

[Pepe the Horseman]

Kia whatshisface sat with Nige Howe.

[From Despair To Where?]

Kia Joorabchan? For the love of God, no.

So we have a long short list? I do hope there's a plan to all of this and sacking Clement wasn't just kneejerk reaction to past associations because after a couple of gutsy performances, today was a fcuking shambles.

[Needle]

Bringing BaLOLdock on when you need a goal should rule Marshall out

[maffff]

Talking of Castro, I've been talking to Portuguese fans a bit today.

He is someone who's really dedicated to long term projects, and that's how he picks his clubs. He spent most of his career in Porto's academy building the foundations for some players that are starting to appear now: Rúben Neves, Dalot, André Silva, Paciência, Diogo Leite, etc. He then moved on to coach the He even coached the B team and had a brief caretaker spell of the A team of Porto. He then moved on to start his own career as a Head coach, in lower and mid table teams - Rio Ave, Chaves and now Vitória SC. Taking Chaves to 5th or 6th as a team that were expecting to be immediately relegated was huge. At each club he improved the coaching set-up and built something new, instilling a close knit mentality.

Seems it might be a bad time and position to join as he seems to take some time to get the defensive foundations in place and the style he plays takes time to implement - like Stam, a solid foundation based on strong defence and passing but much faster to transition to attack. He expects his players to be technical and especially creative in the attacking third. He's very good at getting mentalities sorted out at clubs that are struggling and very big on bringing players in from academies.

His philosophy in his own words is very interesting. Sum of the parts comes to mind.

https://www.lateralesquerdo.com/2018/04 ... is-castro/

"What we seek, that we train daily, is a collective game, of constant connection between lines, a reflection of our game ideology".

"I'm not a coach who's too rigid with the players, I like them to feel confident of themselves on the pitch. They know what's most important to me: the passing, the reception, the dribbling, not opening up the team too much, keeping the lines together, but that in the last third they feel free to improvise in a less rational way than the one we work on the other two thirds of the pitch. But, what I don't want is for you to get carried away by the emotion of being close to the opposing goal... That attraction to the opposing goal doesn't mischaracterize our way of playing... That attraction is sometimes disintegrating and the players focus too much on "me" and the goal, and I think the opposite, that we should always be collective and that we should all reach the goal together...".

https://www.lateralesquerdo.com/2018/04 ... seu-tempo/

The number one goal in the game, when it comes to high performance, is always to win. To increase the chances of achieving goal number one, there are paths and paths. Each context will dictate the path that you have the most chances of winning.

With the certainty that it will matter little to be competent in only one of the moments of the game, if there is no quality in the others.

The offensive organization will always be the most difficult moment to reach the goal. There is less space and there are more opponents. The teams that exacerbate their positional attack, do not guarantee by themselves greater possibilities to win the games, nor to lose them. As so many think it happens. In order to increase chances of winning, having more ball is also necessary to think the offensive organization with positions that help to connect the defensive transition, because otherwise, the game becomes even more difficult.

In Portugal, there are three teams off the radar of the top four teams, who have a really interesting football, taking into account what is the national reality, and the individual reality of their squads. Interesting because they choose the most difficult path, that of playing good football, that of trying to invade the opposing intersectoral spaces with the ball by the grass, they choose to follow the path of combining and dismantling opponents with an intelligent, connected and technical game.

Of the three, Desportivo de Chaves is the team that collectively ensures the greatest competence at all other times.

The quality of your positional attack game is one of the oases in a League where the point is expensive, and it is easier to guarantee it by giving up seeking to valorise assets.

If last season were countless players that gave or made return to the big, or big championships, this season may well be marked by the definitive explosion of Matheus Pereira. The Sporting player has been at a sensational level, and is another great beneficiary of the work and ideas of Luís Castro.

Sounds encouraging - a slightly more ambitious appointment to dovetail in with the Reading way.

Portuguese fans (of Vitória and a few journos) think it's pretty much a done deal. Expecting him on Monday to announce he's in talks with us - which would marry up with Howe saying we'd probably have someone in post mid-week.

[windermereROYAL]

Anybody that can keep this lot up would deserve a knighthood.

[Hound]

It does sound like people who know of him rate him highly

As said elsewhere, I really hope Howe and co have thought the sacking of PC through and have a plan in place, otherwise it really should not have happened at all

Not keen on the agent interference, but realistically there’s a few clubs that work this way nowadays

[maffff]

Based on this (having never heard of the guy previously), I'm excited by the potential of this. I'm liking what I'm learning about this guy, a lot.

Equally, Jokanovic would be a great appointment, but I'd also be ok with the likes of Steve Bruce, Danny Cowley, Gareth Ainsworth, Mark Warburton, Carlos Carvalhal, Michael Appleton or Nathan Jones. Each have their own strengths for this situation or longer term potential.

I feel a little uneasy about Pardew given his history here, but he's done well setting foundations before. I'm just hoping we don't appoint a former Reading player/club legend (Murty or Parky), go back to Brian, or go any of Hughes, Zola or Hasselbaink (amongst a tonne of others who should have their CV shredded on receipt).