Where do we go now?

[Norfolk Royal]

Or 4) Someone made it up. Not for the first time someone has made things up recently is it?

Indeed. The most obvious made up thing is that Pauno wants to resign but the club won't let him. I've just done a quick check and discovered that forced labour is illegal in the UK.

Actually the most obvious made up thing is that Pauno lives in Kettering!

Or that Kettering is in East Anglia.

[Royal_jimmy]

One things for sure, it'll be a long road back falling into the lower leagues.

No disrespect to those teams but not many people will turn up for fixtures against minnow clubs like Cheltenham, Tranmere, Forest Green, Cambridge, Accrington, Shrewsbury, Morecambe and Fleetwood. Might be fun being in that league for one season, but there's little chance of us bouncing back up quickly in my opinion and it'll get boring very quickly playing clubs like that. More likely we'll do a Sheffield United and languish down there for years. I've seen league one games and the quality is atrocious. It's not an interesting league to be in.

The club will get into further financial mess with more debt, we get to see a bunch of poor quality league one journeymen and the odd academy product and probably lose our category 1 academy and our women's team.

Dai needs to find a buyer who knows how to run a football club.

[Zip]

This whole mess is largely down to Communication or lack of it. I'm a business manager, i communicate daily to my supervisors who then pass on the information to the employee's, its pretty simple and we work as a team and we've won awards as a team.
I understand running a football club is a bit different to the business i run, however, if the Owner (Dai) had been transparent and had his supervisors or CEO's to pass on all relevant information to the fans such as:
All money issues regarding the FFFP rules and where we stand as a club
What is actually going on with regards to the Manager and his coaching team
Giving the fans assurance on short and long term goals, including plans for relegation
Plans for future D.O.F and contract issues with players
Leading from the front and turning up for matches and giving a "Delia Smith drunken speech" for shits and giggles.

If the fans where armed with all this knowledge above I'm sure there wouldn't be the toxicity that's currently spreading quicker than a bad case of COVID at one of Boris's garden parties!!
It may even rally the whole club and fans to fight and push and give their all to stay in the league, a bit like Derby at the moment!! i hate the club, however, you cannot knock how they're pulling together under impossible circumstances and actually look like they may get out of trouble! Now compare that with our current shower of shit!!!

Yep we are in stark contrast to Derby. I also agree about the lack of communication. In any poorly run organisation it starts at the top. Our owners are hopeless and are accountable for all of this. The good work they have done with Bearwood, cheap tickets and consenting to fan led ideas like Club1871 have become secondary to the mess they are responsible for.

[Zip]

One things for sure, it'll be a long road back falling into the lower leagues.

No disrespect to those teams but not many people will turn up for fixtures against minnow clubs like Cheltenham, Tranmere, Forest Green, Cambridge, Accrington, Shrewsbury, Morecambe and Fleetwood. Might be fun being in that league for one season, but there's little chance of us bouncing back up quickly in my opinion and it'll get boring very quickly playing clubs like that. More likely we'll do a Sheffield United and languish down there for years. I've seen league one games and the quality is atrocious. It's not an interesting league to be in.

The club will get into further financial mess with more debt, we get to see a bunch of poor quality league one journeymen and the odd academy product and probably lose our category 1 academy and our women's team.

Dai needs to find a buyer who knows how to run a football club.

I have seen Cheltenham twice this season and the atmosphere in front of 4000 is far better than what we get at Reading and boy do their players work harder.

[Bigtimmeh]

One things for sure, it'll be a long road back falling into the lower leagues.

No disrespect to those teams but not many people will turn up for fixtures against minnow clubs like Cheltenham, Tranmere, Forest Green, Cambridge, Accrington, Shrewsbury, Morecambe and Fleetwood. Might be fun being in that league for one season, but there's little chance of us bouncing back up quickly in my opinion and it'll get boring very quickly playing clubs like that. More likely we'll do a Sheffield United and languish down there for years. I've seen league one games and the quality is atrocious. It's not an interesting league to be in.

The club will get into further financial mess with more debt, we get to see a bunch of poor quality league one journeymen and the odd academy product and probably lose our category 1 academy and our women's team.

Dai needs to find a buyer who knows how to run a football club.

I have seen Cheltenham twice this season and the atmosphere in front of 4000 is far better than what we get at Reading and boy do their players work harder.

I've been to a few l1 Ipswich matches too and they're just as fun as they were when Ipswich was in champ. If not more so, they were happy to get rid of mick and whilst they are still playing their football in l1 it is more fun to watch than when they were in the champ. Still decent attendance too.

[Smudge]

One things for sure, it'll be a long road back falling into the lower leagues.

No disrespect to those teams but not many people will turn up for fixtures against minnow clubs like Cheltenham, Tranmere, Forest Green, Cambridge, Accrington, Shrewsbury, Morecambe and Fleetwood. Might be fun being in that league for one season, but there's little chance of us bouncing back up quickly in my opinion and it'll get boring very quickly playing clubs like that. More likely we'll do a Sheffield United and languish down there for years. I've seen league one games and the quality is atrocious. It's not an interesting league to be in.

The club will get into further financial mess with more debt, we get to see a bunch of poor quality league one journeymen and the odd academy product and probably lose our category 1 academy and our women's team.

Dai needs to find a buyer who knows how to run a football club.

I have seen Cheltenham twice this season and the atmosphere in front of 4000 is far better than what we get at Reading and boy do their players work harder.

I've been to a few l1 Ipswich matches too and they're just as fun as they were when Ipswich was in champ. If not more so, they were happy to get rid of mick and whilst they are still playing their football in l1 it is more fun to watch than when they were in the champ. Still decent attendance too.

Sadly I'm not sure the Reading fan base is as loyal though

[Crowbar6753]

I'm not sure whether fans in general are getting bored with everything in the EFL and how badly run clubs are in general at present, but have you seen some of the attendances in non league football at the moment!! Maybe its COVID driven and when the football league were playing behind closed doors the nonleague teams benefitted from this.
However, Wrexham are pulling 9,000 fans, Notts County and Grimsby are just behind, Stockport got 10,000 the other day and i think even Chesterfield get big crowds.
I get they all ex league clubs, but even some of the National North and South teams are pulling crowds bigger than most league two teams.
Long may it continue, its great for football as a whole and still many of my best memories as a Reading fan were back in the early 80's at Elm Park......
You know what, maybe AFC Reading as a phoenix club starting life in the National South against Maidenhead wouldn't be so bad after all.

[SCIAG]

I'm not sure whether fans in general are getting bored with everything in the EFL and how badly run clubs are in general at present, but have you seen some of the attendances in non league football at the moment!! Maybe its COVID driven and when the football league were playing behind closed doors the nonleague teams benefitted from this.
However, Wrexham are pulling 9,000 fans, Notts County and Grimsby are just behind, Stockport got 10,000 the other day and i think even Chesterfield get big crowds.
I get they all ex league clubs, but even some of the National North and South teams are pulling crowds bigger than most league two teams.
Long may it continue, its great for football as a whole and still many of my best memories as a Reading fan were back in the early 80's at Elm Park......
You know what, maybe AFC Reading as a phoenix club starting life in the National South against Maidenhead wouldn't be so bad after all.

We would be unlikely to come in at step six. Aldershot Town and AFC Wimbledon came in at step nine.

[blythspartan]

I'm not sure whether fans in general are getting bored with everything in the EFL and how badly run clubs are in general at present, but have you seen some of the attendances in non league football at the moment!! Maybe its COVID driven and when the football league were playing behind closed doors the nonleague teams benefitted from this.
However, Wrexham are pulling 9,000 fans, Notts County and Grimsby are just behind, Stockport got 10,000 the other day and i think even Chesterfield get big crowds.
I get they all ex league clubs, but even some of the National North and South teams are pulling crowds bigger than most league two teams.
Long may it continue, its great for football as a whole and still many of my best memories as a Reading fan were back in the early 80's at Elm Park......
You know what, maybe AFC Reading as a phoenix club starting life in the National South against Maidenhead wouldn't be so bad after all.

I have stayed in Chesterfield several times now due to work commitments and I have watched a couple of games now and it’s been entertaining to watch and they get decent crowds. Plus they have a nice little stadium.

[Crowbar6753]

I'm not sure whether fans in general are getting bored with everything in the EFL and how badly run clubs are in general at present, but have you seen some of the attendances in non league football at the moment!! Maybe its COVID driven and when the football league were playing behind closed doors the nonleague teams benefitted from this.
However, Wrexham are pulling 9,000 fans, Notts County and Grimsby are just behind, Stockport got 10,000 the other day and i think even Chesterfield get big crowds.
I get they all ex league clubs, but even some of the National North and South teams are pulling crowds bigger than most league two teams.
Long may it continue, its great for football as a whole and still many of my best memories as a Reading fan were back in the early 80's at Elm Park......
You know what, maybe AFC Reading as a phoenix club starting life in the National South against Maidenhead wouldn't be so bad after all.

We would be unlikely to come in at step six. Aldershot Town and AFC Wimbledon came in at step nine.

Your right SCIAG, Thatcham Town it is then, now that would be a great derby match lol. oh, and Didcot and Marlow etc......Club 1871 will have their hands full fighting the Marlow Massive!!!!!!

[WestYorksRoyal]

One things for sure, it'll be a long road back falling into the lower leagues.

No disrespect to those teams but not many people will turn up for fixtures against minnow clubs like Cheltenham, Tranmere, Forest Green, Cambridge, Accrington, Shrewsbury, Morecambe and Fleetwood. Might be fun being in that league for one season, but there's little chance of us bouncing back up quickly in my opinion and it'll get boring very quickly playing clubs like that. More likely we'll do a Sheffield United and languish down there for years. I've seen league one games and the quality is atrocious. It's not an interesting league to be in.

The club will get into further financial mess with more debt, we get to see a bunch of poor quality league one journeymen and the odd academy product and probably lose our category 1 academy and our women's team.

Dai needs to find a buyer who knows how to run a football club.

I have seen Cheltenham twice this season and the atmosphere in front of 4000 is far better than what we get at Reading and boy do their players work harder.

I've been to a few l1 Ipswich matches too and they're just as fun as they were when Ipswich was in champ. If not more so, they were happy to get rid of mick and whilst they are still playing their football in l1 it is more fun to watch than when they were in the champ. Still decent attendance too.

If the club starts moving in the right direction again with a team who are committed, the fans will return whether Championship or L1. What's so awful though is that we don't see this happening. Expect more incoherent recruitment of journeymen and half arsed performances in L1. Mid table at best, and unless the owners can demonstrate learning from their mistakes the malaise will stay

[Crowbar6753]

I have seen Cheltenham twice this season and the atmosphere in front of 4000 is far better than what we get at Reading and boy do their players work harder.

I've been to a few l1 Ipswich matches too and they're just as fun as they were when Ipswich was in champ. If not more so, they were happy to get rid of mick and whilst they are still playing their football in l1 it is more fun to watch than when they were in the champ. Still decent attendance too.

If the club starts moving in the right direction again with a team who are committed, the fans will return whether Championship or L1. What's so awful though is that we don't see this happening. Expect more incoherent recruitment of journeymen and half arsed performances in L1. Mid table at best, and unless the owners can demonstrate learning from their mistakes the malaise will stay

We have some pretty impressive youngsters coming through the academy and some good young players already in and around the first team.
The likes of McIntyre, Azeez, Camara, Abreefa, Bristow, Southwood, Rinhomota, Tetek, Dorsett and Clarke are a pretty good start for league one, and with some experience thrown in to assist with their development then we have a pretty exciting team with i would expect a wage bill the easy fits with any FFFP requirements.
Throw in a young hungry manager and there's no reason to worry to much about the future. Spend our money on keeping our grade one status in the academy and let the academy produce our players for the future to keep transfer fees low, and get rid of all these mercenaries and Kia whatshisname out of the club.
Attendances would be lower, but so would our wage bills' and there's some pretty tasty local derbies floating around in league 1 which should boost the coffers.

[Lower West]

I'm not sure whether fans in general are getting bored with everything in the EFL and how badly run clubs are in general at present, but have you seen some of the attendances in non league football at the moment!! Maybe its COVID driven and when the football league were playing behind closed doors the nonleague teams benefitted from this.
However, Wrexham are pulling 9,000 fans, Notts County and Grimsby are just behind, Stockport got 10,000 the other day and i think even Chesterfield get big crowds.
I get they all ex league clubs, but even some of the National North and South teams are pulling crowds bigger than most league two teams.
Long may it continue, its great for football as a whole and still many of my best memories as a Reading fan were back in the early 80's at Elm Park......
You know what, maybe AFC Reading as a phoenix club starting life in the National South against Maidenhead wouldn't be so bad after all.

Swindon's average home attendance in league 2 this season todate is 8,519. Higher than has been achieved for some years.

[McDermolenko]

Hypothetical one here.

If we are to drop down to League One, do we have relative faith that Dai will either:

1. Finally acknowledge supporter discontent and avoid signing any players that are linked directly to Kia?

2. Be forced into a position whereby any signings Kia tries pushing through are wholly unrealistic, anyway?

I can’t really work out which players we could attract given we’re relegated. I’d have assumed out of favour Championship players nearing the end of their contracts might be a start but doubt it with wage limitations etc.

[Royal_jimmy]

I've been to a few l1 Ipswich matches too and they're just as fun as they were when Ipswich was in champ. If not more so, they were happy to get rid of mick and whilst they are still playing their football in l1 it is more fun to watch than when they were in the champ. Still decent attendance too.

If the club starts moving in the right direction again with a team who are committed, the fans will return whether Championship or L1. What's so awful though is that we don't see this happening. Expect more incoherent recruitment of journeymen and half arsed performances in L1. Mid table at best, and unless the owners can demonstrate learning from their mistakes the malaise will stay

We have some pretty impressive youngsters coming through the academy and some good young players already in and around the first team.
The likes of McIntyre, Azeez, Camara, Abreefa, Bristow, Southwood, Rinhomota, Tetek, Dorsett and Clarke are a pretty good start for league one, and with some experience thrown in to assist with their development then we have a pretty exciting team with i would expect a wage bill the easy fits with any FFFP requirements.
Throw in a young hungry manager and there's no reason to worry to much about the future. Spend our money on keeping our grade one status in the academy and let the academy produce our players for the future to keep transfer fees low, and get rid of all these mercenaries and Kia whatshisname out of the club.
Attendances would be lower, but so would our wage bills' and there's some pretty tasty local derbies floating around in league 1 which should boost the coffers.

I'm not convinced that all of those will be up to it at league one level to be honest.

Holmes, McIntyre, Southwood, Tetek, Rino, Camara and Clarke probably would be ok at league 1 level, which makes a solid spine, the rest probably won't make it. Unless we see another star in the academy which is unlikely I think we'll need 10-15 signings to have a decent squad.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/d ... nd-answers

I think this sums it up pretty well to be honest at the moment.

[tmesis]

I have seen Cheltenham twice this season and the atmosphere in front of 4000 is far better than what we get at Reading and boy do their players work harder.

I've been to a few l1 Ipswich matches too and they're just as fun as they were when Ipswich was in champ. If not more so, they were happy to get rid of mick and whilst they are still playing their football in l1 it is more fun to watch than when they were in the champ. Still decent attendance too.

Sadly I'm not sure the Reading fan base is as loyal though

I don't think Reading fans are particularly loyal or disloyal. What does tend to do it for us is when the club shows no ambition. Considering how poor we've been at home since relegation in 2013, our crowds have probably held up pretty well.

I think if we were in League One, but just drifting along, looking more likely to drop than go up, crowds would give up. Under new ownership though, I think we'd be fine.

Even if we folded, as long as we retained use of the Madejski (and not charged a crippling rent) I think crowds would be pretty good.

In fact I'd take that scenario for next season, even if it meant starting in the Isthmian South Central, over the uncertainly of now.

[Zip]

https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/dismal-defeats-and-scattergun-signings-crisis-at-reading-as-fans-demand-answers

I think this sums it up pretty well to be honest at the moment.

It’s a very good article.
Noted Benjy Nurick having a right go on his twitter feed about the specifically the mystery surrounding Ejaria’s injury.

[CountryRoyal]

https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/dismal-defeats-and-scattergun-signings-crisis-at-reading-as-fans-demand-answers

I think this sums it up pretty well to be honest at the moment.

Grammatically, it irritates me but he’s spot on with the content. If he’s not a Reading fan it’s very impressive.

[fred sharpes nose]

https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/dismal-defeats-and-scattergun-signings-crisis-at-reading-as-fans-demand-answers

I think this sums it up pretty well to be honest at the moment.

Seb Ewen was appointed Scouting & Recruitment Co-Ordinator last month, having previously been an agent at Sport Invest UK: Joorabchian’s agency.

Can an agent-led recruitment policy ever bring success?