Rival Watch

[NathStPaul]

Ainsworth PR and media profile are excellent; his skills as a Manager are - at best - unproven.

Nearly not getting relegated from the Championship in his one season at that level doesn't sound like someone who is going to take us to the next level.....

Do you mean unproven at Championship level or in general?

[Mr Angry]

This has been lost in the Ainsworth chat - official Birmingham statement here:

https://www.bcfc.com/news/all/club-statement-10

Not sure what the punishment may be or when it will be applied

Points deduction would be another nice handy little cushion for us I suppose.

With this happening relatively late in the season, and knowing how long the EFL take about these things, I suspect any punishments will be for next season rather than this.

The mention of "and other individuals" in the EFL statement is an interesting one; that implies that they think a specific person or persons were acting in a manner that breached the rules. In those cases, the individuals get punished and the club gets either a relatively light punishment, such as a suspended points deduction, or no punsihment at all (Brentford aren't getting done for Ivan Toney's breaches of betting rules for example).

[Mr Angry]

Ainsworth PR and media profile are excellent; his skills as a Manager are - at best - unproven.

Nearly not getting relegated from the Championship in his one season at that level doesn't sound like someone who is going to take us to the next level.....

Do you mean unproven at Championship level or in general?

Certainly at Championship level.

IIRC, did he not take Wycombe up through some Covid-related mechanism rather than them winning promotion after having played 46 games that season? If so, then it could be argued that there was a degree of "luck" involved in that promotion.

However, to be honest I haven't studied his managerial record in any great detail, so I could be wrong.

Put another way, what do you think Reading's ambitions should be in the next 3/5 seasons, and what have you seen about Gareth Ainsworth that suggests he would be the right person to take us to that level?

I am not having a go; I am genuinely interested.

[NathStPaul]

Ainsworth PR and media profile are excellent; his skills as a Manager are - at best - unproven.

Nearly not getting relegated from the Championship in his one season at that level doesn't sound like someone who is going to take us to the next level.....

Do you mean unproven at Championship level or in general?

Certainly at Championship level.

IIRC, did he not take Wycombe up through some Covid-related mechanism rather than them winning promotion after having played 46 games that season? If so, then it could be argued that there was a degree of "luck" involved in that promotion.

However, to be honest I haven't studied his managerial record in any great detail, so I could be wrong.

Put another way, what do you think Reading's ambitions should be in the next 3/5 seasons, and what have you seen about Gareth Ainsworth that suggests he would be the right person to take us to that level?

Certainly would say he has proven he can manage at League 1 level and to a high standard. He did pretty well with Wycombe in the Championship all things considered, certainly didn't disgrace themselves. I would accept he has to prove himself at that level though with a bigger club.

He is also an old school manager who pretty much runs everything at Wycombe which is something he wouldn't be afforded at a bigger club. I think that would be the real test for him, giving up control and having far less say in things. You'd think that is what he'd be wrestling with in his mind when it comes to leaving Wycombe, he will never have that level of overall control again.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

This has been lost in the Ainsworth chat - official Birmingham statement here:

https://www.bcfc.com/news/all/club-statement-10

Not sure what the punishment may be or when it will be applied

Points deduction would be another nice handy little cushion for us I suppose.

With this happening relatively late in the season, and knowing how long the EFL take about these things, I suspect any punishments will be for next season rather than this.

The mention of "and other individuals" in the EFL statement is an interesting one; that implies that they think a specific person or persons were acting in a manner that breached the rules. In those cases, the individuals get punished and the club gets either a relatively light punishment, such as a suspended points deduction, or no punsihment at all (Brentford aren't getting done for Ivan Toney's breaches of betting rules for example).

Surely it means the club is breaking rules as well? Especially if one of the charges is that a number of people were acting as "Relevant People" and had "acquired control of the club" without prior approval by the EFL?

[Mr Angry]

Do you mean unproven at Championship level or in general?

Certainly at Championship level.

IIRC, did he not take Wycombe up through some Covid-related mechanism rather than them winning promotion after having played 46 games that season? If so, then it could be argued that there was a degree of "luck" involved in that promotion.

However, to be honest I haven't studied his managerial record in any great detail, so I could be wrong.

Put another way, what do you think Reading's ambitions should be in the next 3/5 seasons, and what have you seen about Gareth Ainsworth that suggests he would be the right person to take us to that level?

Certainly would say he has proven he can manage at League 1 level and to a high standard. He did pretty well with Wycombe in the Championship all things considered, certainly didn't disgrace themselves. I would accept he has to prove himself at that level though with a bigger club.

He is also an old school manager who pretty much runs everything at Wycombe which is something he wouldn't be afforded at a bigger club. I think that would be the real test for him, giving up control and having far less say in things. You'd think that is what he'd be wrestling with in his mind when it comes to leaving Wycombe, he will never have that level of overall control again.

Those are fair points, and I can see why he would be on a lot of clubs' radars....better someone like him than (plucking an example from thin air) a guy who did badly at Chicago, and had never managed any clubs in England........

I agree about the control thing; the line about "my kids are settled in Wycombe so I don't want to take the QPR job", when the distance between Wycombe and West London is barely 30 miles is - as we say - a false objection; he is a big fish in a small pond (much like Dario Gradi was at Crewe) and he may like that. And there is nothing wrong with that.

But on that basis, if he turns down QPR and - previously - Sunderland, why would he want to come to us?

[Mr Angry]

Points deduction would be another nice handy little cushion for us I suppose.

With this happening relatively late in the season, and knowing how long the EFL take about these things, I suspect any punishments will be for next season rather than this.

The mention of "and other individuals" in the EFL statement is an interesting one; that implies that they think a specific person or persons were acting in a manner that breached the rules. In those cases, the individuals get punished and the club gets either a relatively light punishment, such as a suspended points deduction, or no punsihment at all (Brentford aren't getting done for Ivan Toney's breaches of betting rules for example).

Surely it means the club is breaking rules as well? Especially if one of the charges is that a number of people were acting as "Relevant People" and had "acquired control of the club" without prior approval by the EFL?

I think we would need to wait for the specifics of the charges to be made public (much like with Manchester City); what is true is that Birmingham City have had major ownership "issues" (and we all know what that is a euphemism for!) going back Years, so it would be no surprise if it finally caught up with them......

[Wycombe Royal]

I agree about the control thing; the line about "my kids are settled in Wycombe so I don't want to take the QPR job", when the distance between Wycombe and West London is barely 30 miles is - as we say - a false objection; he is a big fish in a small pond (much like Dario Gradi was at Crewe) and he may like that. And there is nothing wrong with that.

But on that basis, if he turns down QPR and - previously - Sunderland, why would he want to come to us?

I don't believe he lives in Wycombe....he is local to the Wokingham area I think......I remember sitting behind him at a Bohunt School open evening (and saying to my son "that's Gareth Ainsworth" a little too loudly) and one of his kids played for Binfield.

Unless of course he's moved since then, but it wasn't that long ago.

[Sutekh]

With this happening relatively late in the season, and knowing how long the EFL take about these things, I suspect any punishments will be for next season rather than this.

The mention of "and other individuals" in the EFL statement is an interesting one; that implies that they think a specific person or persons were acting in a manner that breached the rules. In those cases, the individuals get punished and the club gets either a relatively light punishment, such as a suspended points deduction, or no punsihment at all (Brentford aren't getting done for Ivan Toney's breaches of betting rules for example).

Surely it means the club is breaking rules as well? Especially if one of the charges is that a number of people were acting as "Relevant People" and had "acquired control of the club" without prior approval by the EFL?

I think we would need to wait for the specifics of the charges to be made public (much like with Manchester City); what is true is that Birmingham City have had major ownership "issues" (and we all know what that is a euphemism for!) going back Years, so it would be no surprise if it finally caught up with them......

And Birmingham have “previous” with the FL so I would imagine that may well have an effect on any punishment.

[Dirk Gently]

I agree about the control thing; the line about "my kids are settled in Wycombe so I don't want to take the QPR job", when the distance between Wycombe and West London is barely 30 miles is - as we say - a false objection; he is a big fish in a small pond (much like Dario Gradi was at Crewe) and he may like that. And there is nothing wrong with that.

But on that basis, if he turns down QPR and - previously - Sunderland, why would he want to come to us?

I don't believe he lives in Wycombe....he is local to the Wokingham area I think......I remember sitting behind him at a Bohunt School open evening (and saying to my son "that's Gareth Ainsworth" a little too loudly) and one of his kids played for Binfield.

Unless of course he's moved since then, but it wasn't that long ago.

I wonder how he'd get on at another club, as he's so much a one-club manager - he's been at Wycombe for so long he's practically part of the furniture. Kind of reminds me of Eddie Howe who'd been at Bournemouth for a long, long time and failed miserably the first time he went to a different environment, at Burnley. (Current "success" at Newcastle notwithstanding...)

On a different note, I went to an event in France on which Ainsworth was also there - and he is a thoroughly decent bloke, definitely one of the nicest, most genuine and most grounded people in football. Also, according to Wiki, he played 5 games for Woodley United in 2019/20, which supports the fact that he lives in this neck of the woods.

[NathStPaul]

You are correct about him living in Wokingham.

[Sutekh]

You are correct about him living in Wokingham.

Yeah, have run into him in Wokingham also and he comes across as thoroughly decent and approachable. Would be happy if Reading took a chance on him as manager at some point. Doubt he would do any worse than some of the useless muppets the club have appointed over the last decade.

[Vision]

Do you mean unproven at Championship level or in general?

Certainly at Championship level.

IIRC, did he not take Wycombe up through some Covid-related mechanism rather than them winning promotion after having played 46 games that season? If so, then it could be argued that there was a degree of "luck" involved in that promotion.

However, to be honest I haven't studied his managerial record in any great detail, so I could be wrong.

Put another way, what do you think Reading's ambitions should be in the next 3/5 seasons, and what have you seen about Gareth Ainsworth that suggests he would be the right person to take us to that level?

Certainly would say he has proven he can manage at League 1 level and to a high standard. He did pretty well with Wycombe in the Championship all things considered, certainly didn't disgrace themselves. I would accept he has to prove himself at that level though with a bigger club.

He is also an old school manager who pretty much runs everything at Wycombe which is something he wouldn't be afforded at a bigger club. I think that would be the real test for him, giving up control and having far less say in things. You'd think that is what he'd be wrestling with in his mind when it comes to leaving Wycombe, he will never have that level of overall control again.

I honestly think they'd still be in the Championship now but they started the season with such a "isn't it amazing we're at this level" inferiority complex that by the time they realised they were perfectly capable of competing at this level, it was too late.

What level were they at when he took over? I genuinely don't know.

[Mr Angry]

Certainly at Championship level.

IIRC, did he not take Wycombe up through some Covid-related mechanism rather than them winning promotion after having played 46 games that season? If so, then it could be argued that there was a degree of "luck" involved in that promotion.

However, to be honest I haven't studied his managerial record in any great detail, so I could be wrong.

Put another way, what do you think Reading's ambitions should be in the next 3/5 seasons, and what have you seen about Gareth Ainsworth that suggests he would be the right person to take us to that level?

Certainly would say he has proven he can manage at League 1 level and to a high standard. He did pretty well with Wycombe in the Championship all things considered, certainly didn't disgrace themselves. I would accept he has to prove himself at that level though with a bigger club.

He is also an old school manager who pretty much runs everything at Wycombe which is something he wouldn't be afforded at a bigger club. I think that would be the real test for him, giving up control and having far less say in things. You'd think that is what he'd be wrestling with in his mind when it comes to leaving Wycombe, he will never have that level of overall control again.

I honestly think they'd still be in the Championship now but they started the season with such a "isn't it amazing we're at this level" inferiority complex that by the time they realised they were perfectly capable of competing at this level, it was too late.

What level were they at when he took over? I genuinely don't know.

League 2 and in deep doo doo......he kept them up (I checked him out on Wiki as well!!)

[NathStPaul]

He might well end up being a bit like Danny Cowley. Did wonders at Lincoln but can't get that same success anywhere else he goes. Definitely deserves that crack at a bigger job though and he does have that safety net of the fact Wycombe would take him back in a heartbeat should the situation present itself.

[Vision]

He might well end up being a bit like Danny Cowley. Did wonders at Lincoln but can't get that same success anywhere else he goes. Definitely deserves that crack at a bigger job though and he does have that safety net of the fact Wycombe would take him back in a heartbeat should the situation present itself.

That's why I'm so perplexed by his attitude in the Championship. I get why the likes of Ince make out their job is so difficult so as to make the job they've done seem all the better.

However if any manager/Team had a free hit in any season it was Wycombe and Ainsworth. They could've lost every game and he'd still have kept his job. That whole 'happy to be here" vibe was just baffling really.

All that being said, I actually do love the fact that there is still a Dario Gradi type (yes I know he's tainted now) that ran things from top to bottom for a large period of time at one club. As far as I can think, John Coleman at Accrington is probably the nearest to him in terms of this.

[Sutekh]

He might well end up being a bit like Danny Cowley. Did wonders at Lincoln but can't get that same success anywhere else he goes. Definitely deserves that crack at a bigger job though and he does have that safety net of the fact Wycombe would take him back in a heartbeat should the situation present itself.

That's why I'm so perplexed by his attitude in the Championship. I get why the likes of Ince make out their job is so difficult so as to make the job they've done seem all the better.

However if any manager/Team had a free hit in any season it was Wycombe and Ainsworth. They could've lost every game and he'd still have kept his job. That whole 'happy to be here" vibe was just baffling really.

All that being said, I actually do love the fact that there is still a Dario Gradi type (yes I know he's tainted now) that ran things from top to bottom for a large period of time at one club. As far as I can think, John Coleman at Accrington is probably the nearest to him in terms of this.

And Simon Weaver at Harrogate though it helps that his dad is chairman!

[Pepe the Horseman]

New: Birmingham City are facing ANOTHER EFL charge over who actually owns the club and whether they have broken rules by withholding information. Investigation ongoing for 2 years and raises further scrutiny on BSHL, who deny any wrongdoing

Sounds like they're a bit fcuked.

[Snowflake Royal]

New: Birmingham City are facing ANOTHER EFL charge over who actually owns the club and whether they have broken rules by withholding information. Investigation ongoing for 2 years and raises further scrutiny on BSHL, who deny any wrongdoing

Sounds like they're a bit fcuked.

Bet they don't get the same outcome as Citeh

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Ainsworth left Wycombe for QPR according to BBC