MIM Royal We went down as a result of the owners failure to manage the club properly, and the 6 point penalty applied in April was the killer. We all saw the shoulders drop, on and off the pitch.
Players that we got were here because no one else wanted them and the defence was woeful. We flattered to deceive until the World Cup break, with the Blackburn game the 3 year stand out performance. The results at Birmingham, Preston and Cardiff, and the home draw with QPR showed how our players could just implode by themselves.
Ince didn't and hasn't helped himself with the comments he made, but he called it right and in all honesty most times. He didn't unduly favour his son, who was our best, most consistent player, and he was as passionate about wanting RFC to stay up as anyone.
If he had stayed, we may have scrapped by, with more chance than poor Noel, who was the sacrificial lamb.
Fans expecting miracles from the team we had, was never going to happen. There is a reason Reading were described as a basket case, and it wasn't Ince.
I agree with a lot of this. The form actually tailed off earlier than the points deduction, in fact when it was first rumoured, as I said earlier.
And yes, TInce wasn't given any favours, we all would have had him as first name on the team sheet.
Where he majorly went wrong was his post match comments and arrogance, which has again come through in this interview. I don't believe we would have stayed up though, sacking or not.