Who do you want to replace Clarke?

[John Smith]

Paolo Di Canio 1/100 with BetFair just now...

[maffff]

RoyalinBracknell - can you elaborate upon point 3?

[Extended-Phenotype]

Tbf I think those who label McD as ''hoofball'' are misremembering it.

Like any team low on confidence we had a period at the end where it did get hoofy and sure, McD tried to take us 'back to basics' to steady the ship, but on average over his reign I don't believe ''hoofball'' would be a fair assessment. Okay we didn't always play like world beaters but we weren't world beaters. We were Reading, with a significantly less technical squad than we have now.

An indication of how technically lacking we were was that during our downturn people were clamouring for Danny fcuking Guthrie to be played. Think about that for a moment.

[Hoop Blah]

There may be some over-egging it with cringworthy labels like hoofball but there is no doubt that, apart from when we had Sigurdsson available, McDermotts team was direct.

The midfield very rarely took an extra touch and played the ball short, it was very much a case of fullbacks getting the ball into the channels and midfielders helping the ball on, often hooking it over their shoulders playing blind passes into the areas where either the wingers or forwards were well drilled to be making their runs. I think Karacan even made a few comments about the change after McDermott had left.

There's not a lot wrong with that at times, but it's a bit limited, and you eventually need more to your game than that, as you do if all you do is over pass all the time.

[Ian Royal]

Spot on. Hoofball is just a not particularly accurate short hand for that slightly more complicated and much longer description.

It does the team and McDermott a disservice, but his team was easily the most direct I've seen us in 20 years and just about the most wasteful when it came to losing possession. Obviously nowhere near as wasteful as Rodgers, Adkins, Burns and Clarke with the possession we did retain though.

[One8Seven1*]

Brian is absolutely by miles the best candidate for the job. Unfortunately that has less to do with his ability and more to do with the utter dross being linked with us.

Yep.

[John Smith]

Thinking about it from a basic point of view, if they wanted to employ an unemployed man who knows the club inside out surely it wouldn't take this long? I smell a nobody taking the seat...

[Pepe the Horseman]

Brian's not unemployed though is he?

[Extended-Phenotype]

There may be some over-egging it with cringworthy labels like hoofball but there is no doubt that, apart from when we had Sigurdsson available, McDermotts team was direct.

The midfield very rarely took an extra touch and played the ball short, it was very much a case of fullbacks getting the ball into the channels and midfielders helping the ball on, often hooking it over their shoulders playing blind passes into the areas where either the wingers or forwards were well drilled to be making their runs. I think Karacan even made a few comments about the change after McDermott had left.

There's not a lot wrong with that at times, but it's a bit limited, and you eventually need more to your game than that, as you do if all you do is over pass all the time.

Point is, as Adkins found out - Karacan et al were not a midfield you could ask to be much more than short simple passers.

People talk like McD was demanding a midfield of Fabregas, Xavi and Alonso lay it off quickly to Kebe and HRK. Ffs, one of our best CMs was Jay fcukin Tabb . And everyone saw what Leigertwood did when given more freedom - the ball could literally end up going anywhere.

[John Smith]

Brian's not unemployed though is he?

Chill out mate, we've all had a few

[Ouroboros]

Brian's not unemployed though is he?

No, he's manager of Reading FC

[Green]

Brian's not unemployed though is he?

Chill out mate, we've all had a few

Liquid lunch was it, JS?

[Hoop Blah]

Point is, as Adkins found out - Karacan et al were not a midfield you could ask to be much more than short simple passers.

People talk like McD was demanding a midfield of Fabregas, Xavi and Alonso lay it off quickly to Kebe and HRK. Ffs, one of our best CMs was Jay fcukin Tabb . And everyone saw what Leigertwood did when given more freedom - the ball could literally end up going anywhere.

That's a bit harsh on Karacan to be fair. He wasn't the most cultured but he looked a lot more capable on the ball than people gave him credit for and he could've played a lot more if given the chance. The problem Adkins had with him was that he only played about a dozen games for him due to injuries.

Tabb and Leigertwood weren't that bad for the Championship either, nor Guthrie. McDermott was responsible for most of those signings and their development as players too remember.

I do agree though, people overstate the long ball nature of McDermotts time, but by the same token you can't deny it was direct or just blame it on the tools he had available.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Tbf I think those who label McD as ''hoofball'' are misremembering it.

Im not sure they are, we were pretty direct under McD.

What people seem to misremember is how direct we were under Coppell.

If you are winning most weeks, fans don't care what style you play.

[genome]

Winning hoofball >>>> losing fancy passing

[genome]

What people seem to misremember is how direct we were under Coppell.

We may have been direct... but this, under Coppell, is the best bit of football by Reading I've probably ever seen in the flesh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2JchWF-udo&t=3m08s

[Hoop Blah]

Tbf I think those who label McD as ''hoofball'' are misremembering it.

Im not sure they are, we were pretty direct under McD.

What people seem to misremember is how direct we were under Coppell.

If you are winning most weeks, fans don't care what style you play.

We played at a high tempo, and certainly didn't fanny about with it at the back, but we didn't play it long into the channels to a Hunt, Long or Roberts in the same way as we did under McDermott. The amount of abuse that Harper used to get for passing sideways under Coppell probably says a lot about the way mixed things up a fair amount back then.

[Maneki Neko]

Tbf I think those who label McD as ''hoofball'' are misremembering it.

Im not sure they are, we were pretty direct under McD.

What people seem to misremember is how direct we were under Coppell.

If you are winning most weeks, fans don't care what style you play.

We played at a high tempo, and certainly didn't fanny about with it at the back, but we didn't play it long into the channels to a Hunt, Long or Roberts in the same way as we did under McDermott. The amount of abuse that Harper used to get for passing sideways under Coppell probably says a lot about the way mixed things up a fair amount back then.

We had better players under Coppell. we had better wingers, midfielders, and strikers, so no wonder we could mix it up a bit more.
Under Brian, we played the right way to get the best out of the players we did have. In my opinion. Add Shorey, Little, Sidwell, and Kitson to Brian's team and we'd have been pinging it round all day long.

[Royal Ginger]

Tabb and Leigertwood weren't that bad for the Championship either, nor Guthrie. McDermott was responsible for most of those signings and their development as players too remember.

Strangely Tabb's best spell was in the Premier league. Robson-Kanu too for that matter.

There's a fine example of getting the best out of a player playing beyond his level.