Brian: The right decision?

[Ian Royal]

I stand by McDermott's sacking being a reasonable decision given his performance with the (limited) resources at his disposal that season. I think there's very little to suggest he could have turned around a demoralised, disorganised and limited squad with massive financial problems to perform better than it has. Nor do I think he would have been able to provide a long-term building plan with a chance to see us step up another level.
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I'd say he achieved above expectations in every season he was in charge of Reading in the Championship so I'm not completely convinced by the not turning it around part. In any case, even if it didn't do better, would it have done worse? Has Adkins provided a long-term building plan?

Personally I just think after all he did here McDermott deserved another chance to turn it round. He might well have done so - and even if he didn't, I don't see that we'd be in any worse position now.

Yeah, I think Adkins is working to a plan. It's had a lot of set backs and isn't going brilliantly. But he started with a shit hand. High wage bill, unbalanced squad not great at playing football and plenty of deadwood to clear. McDermott worked to a fairly short-term strategy (very effectively) but painted himself into a corner doing it.

If you look at Adkins signings you can say that Norwood and Cox are excellent and actually improve our quality of play as well as add effectiveness. He's brought through Obita and Hector excellently and Hector is certainly far more capable in possession than Gorkss or Morrison were. Murray is a very good stop gap that could be more. Mackie's solid as signings go. Ferdinand a bit dodgy.

Williams good, Drenthe terrible, Bridge good but injuries made it worse... Though there's question marks over how much influence he had with them. I'm inclined to think Williams and Bridge may have actually been his choice, but then I'll give him the benefit.

[Woodcote Royal]

I stand by McDermott's sacking being a reasonable decision given his performance with the (limited) resources at his disposal that season. I think there's very little to suggest he could have turned around a demoralised, disorganised and limited squad with massive financial problems to perform better than it has. Nor do I think he would have been able to provide a long-term building plan with a chance to see us step up another level.
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I'd say he achieved above expectations in every season he was in charge of Reading in the Championship

As would anyone except those clinging desperately to the illusion that they haven't been spouting utter bollox for the best part of two years

[RoyalinBracknell]

So, while Brian McBirdmott weighs up moves for Noel and Stephen Hunt, we sign Bridge and Drenthe. Anyone still unsure he should have gone?

I stumbled across this post really. There's various excessive pro-Adkins/anti-McDermott posts from the summer of 2013 but this one certainly stands out now!

[RoyalinBracknell]

I stand by McDermott's sacking being a reasonable decision given his performance with the (limited) resources at his disposal that season. I think there's very little to suggest he could have turned around a demoralised, disorganised and limited squad with massive financial problems to perform better than it has. Nor do I think he would have been able to provide a long-term building plan with a chance to see us step up another level.
.

I'd say he achieved above expectations in every season he was in charge of Reading in the Championship so I'm not completely convinced by the not turning it around part. In any case, even if it didn't do better, would it have done worse? Has Adkins provided a long-term building plan?

Personally I just think after all he did here McDermott deserved another chance to turn it round. He might well have done so - and even if he didn't, I don't see that we'd be in any worse position now.

Yeah, I think Adkins is working to a plan. It's had a lot of set backs and isn't going brilliantly. But he started with a shit hand. High wage bill, unbalanced squad not great at playing football and plenty of deadwood to clear. McDermott worked to a fairly short-term strategy (very effectively) but painted himself into a corner doing it.

If you look at Adkins signings you can say that Norwood and Cox are excellent and actually improve our quality of play as well as add effectiveness. He's brought through Obita and Hector excellently and Hector is certainly far more capable in possession than Gorkss or Morrison were. Murray is a very good stop gap that could be more. Mackie's solid as signings go. Ferdinand a bit dodgy.

Williams good, Drenthe terrible, Bridge good but injuries made it worse... Though there's question marks over how much influence he had with them. I'm inclined to think Williams and Bridge may have actually been his choice, but then I'll give him the benefit.

I'd argue though that McDermott had to work to pretty short-term plans because of our financial situation through most of his tenure. How much long-term building did Adkins manage last year? And if you maintain success for 2 and a half years as McDermott did can that be described as short-term? Is that not reasonably long-term in football?

I do agree that Adkins has made some decent signings and brought some young players through, though arguably he should have done that more last year and has perhaps been forced into it somewhat this year? But to some extent I'd say ?McDermott made decent signings and brought young players through too.

[Cureton's Volley]

Reading Super myth No.1: "Brian McDermott was a long-ball merchant who couldn't have developed a PL style of play that would have built for the future". It's all just clichéd bollox. The man was given £2.5m for promoting us. What an absolute joke. He and we didn't stand a chance. It's a miracle that he amassed as many points as he had done when he was sacked. With that level of investment he had no choice on playing style etc. No that I minded the style. In fact I enjoyed it most of the team. Fast attacking wing play beats this tepid cr@p hands down.

I fucking love this.

Coppell played direct football down the wings too and I don't see anyone calling him a hoofball merchant. Oh yea, we got relegated under him too........

[SCIAG]

I didn't rate Atkins at Soton he took over a team that Pards had built.

This is becoming quite a popular myth, but it's just that, a myth. Adkins signed just as many of the important players in that double-promotion side as Pards did. He also strengthened the team well in the PL - Ramirez, Rodriguez, Clyne, Davis, all strong signings (though tbh one could question how much control over recruitment any recent Southampton manager has had).

The man was given £2.5m for promoting us.

That's not true, he spent closer to double that in the summer and then that again in January.

Regardless, wages are a better predictor of success than transfer fees. We signed several good-quality players on free transfers.

I reckon the principle failing of that summer was signing Gunter ahead of Clyne or Whittaker. We didn't have a capable right back until January.

I stand by what I said at the time - McDermott was responsible for our relegation, but should have been retained out of loyalty because he was responsible for our promotion.

[Bandini]

To clarify: we've conceded 3 goals in 6 of the last 8 matches and you haven't seen enough to make you seriously concerned about relegation?

Ok, cool.

1: 1-3
2: 3-0
3: 0-3
4: 0-3
5: 1-3
6: 0-0
7: 3-3
8: 0-2 / 0-1

Your ability to count is as good as your analysis of the team Floyd.

You see, Floyd. We've only conceded 3 goals in 5 of the last 8 games. I bet you feel stupid now.

[windermere_royal]

9 games prick features

[RoyallyFcuked]

Oh god, here we go again...

[Bandini]

Floyd's argument is unravelling before us, now that it's agreed that the number of 3-0 defeats is acceptable.

[windermere_royal]

Oh god, here we go again...

so true , some twat`s just don`t know when to let go !!!

[Man Friday]

Why the apostrophe, or are you trying to tell us that you're a prat rather than a twat?

[sandman]

I didn't rate Atkins at Soton he took over a team that Pards had built.

This is becoming quite a popular myth, but it's just that, a myth. Adkins signed just as many of the important players in that double-promotion side as Pards did. He also strengthened the team well in the PL - Ramirez, Rodriguez, Clyne, Davis, all strong signings (though tbh one could question how much control over recruitment any recent Southampton manager has had).

The man was given £2.5m for promoting us.

That's not true, he spent closer to double that in the summer and then that again in January.

Regardless, wages are a better predictor of success than transfer fees. We signed several good-quality players on free transfers.

I reckon the principle failing of that summer was signing Gunter ahead of Clyne or Whittaker. We didn't have a capable right back until January.

I stand by what I said at the time - McDermott was responsible for our relegation, but should have been retained out of loyalty because he was responsible for our promotion.

Oh well, an extra 2.5millilion makes all the difference. Sorry SCIAG, Initially he was told his budget was £2.5 million that obviously increased slightly but it's still nowhere near the amount an owner should give a manager to give him a chance at keeping his
side in the Premier League.

We did the best would could with the free transfers but Guthrie had, and indeed has, played little Premier League football in his career as a first choice player and Pog besides a hat trick against a very poor Wolves side the previous season was nowhere near proven in the PL or prolific in front of goal throughout his career.

Finally, wages are not a better indicator of success, transfer fees are. The more you spend on them the better the players you can buy whereas, as we've seen with the previous owners signings, you can easily spend too much on wages for mercenaries who have no interest in either the club or any other than their bank balance.

[Born Again Royalist]

Could strap tell me how many Manager of the Month awards McD got and how many Nige has?

[Portsmouth Royal]

"Finally, wages are not a better indicator of success, transfer fees are. The more you spend on them the better the players you can buy whereas, as we've seen with the previous owners signings, you can easily spend too much on wages for mercenaries who have no interest in either the club or any other than their bank balance."

Sorry, but this simply isn't the case. Multiple studies across different leagues have shown a link to wage spending and final league position over a number of seasons. There simply isn't the same level of correlation when that is applied to Transfer spending. If your are genuinely interested in the data you could try books like The Numbers Game or Soccernomics which make this clear (and link to the relevant studies).

[Mid Sussex Royal]

We've only got Mcdermott's spin on the amount of money available during the 2012/13 season from the other week....

from memory we made a few early signings in the summer and at some point after that Anton said he wanted to sign more quality players - Brian continually said he was happy with what he had.

Also need to remember the Jan window when money was clearly available - who did we sign? Oh yeah 2 barely average league one players which were panic signings he had probably watched only once (in opposition against us in the cup) and a crocked overseas player...

[Man Friday]

Anton said he wanted to sign more quality players

[Man Friday]

Brian continually said he was happy with what he had.

[semtex1871]

We've only got Mcdermott's spin on the amount of money available during the 2012/13 season from the other week.....

exactly.....McDermott was telling the dinlows what they wanted to hear and they fell for it

[Royal_jimmy]

Still think it was the right call. I personally could not stand the football we played under him. We are never going to be an established premier league side playing the way we played under him. Brian made so many mistakes in the premier league as well especially on signings when we had £10m available to re-sign Gylfi.

I just have a feeling if we'd stuck with Brian we wouldn't be any better off than we are now. Teams worked out how we played and easily stopped us in the prem.