BRIAN MCDERMOTT SIGN HIM UP

[Avon Royal]

All discussion is pointless.

WE NEED A MANAGER NOW.

Who do you suggest we get? Other than Tisdale there really isn't much on the market.

Tisdale would be better than McDonut.

[Royal Lady]

Steve Claridge probably angling for the job himself!

[Terminal Boardom]

Steve Claridge probably angling for the job himself!

I think that I would rather have the retard back that this.

[Alan Partridge]

2 articles Claridge has written on Reading and personally I think he's got it bang on both times. The best 2 candidates for the job have already got new jobs. Reading weren't even interested then in getting either. They have shown their colours by doing absolutely nothing since Rodgers was rightly dismissed. It's McDermott's job till the end of the season, by default now as there is no-one else out there worth taking.

Re-assess the situation at the end of the season.

[Maguire]

"The results have improved since". Err, no they haven't Steve, they've got worse and we've gone down the league.

However, we've made our bed and now we have to lie in it. Rodgers' dismissal was shortsighted to say the least - we'll just have to hope that our default manager can get us out of trouble now, as I also think he's in the hot seat until May, come what may.

[Wycombe Royal]

Rodgers' dismissal was shortsighted to say the least.

Why was it shortsighted? They knew exactly whay they were doing and knew exactly who was going to take the reins hence why Hammond hasn't been asked to compile a shortlist.

Rodgers wasn't working out, results were showing no signs of improvement, he said he needed to bring in more of his type of players (despite bringing in over half a team since he took over) and the view was that things were not going to improve. His team selections were strange, his tactics baffling and his half time team talks seemed to demotivate.

[glenroyal]

2 articles Claridge has written on Reading and personally I think he's got it bang on both times. The best 2 candidates for the job have already got new jobs. Reading weren't even interested then in getting either. They have shown their colours by doing absolutely nothing since Rodgers was rightly dismissed. It's McDermott's job till the end of the season, by default now as there is no-one else out there worth taking.

Re-assess the situation at the end of the season.

And give the guy every support to ensure we're still in this division come next season.

(Only that will give SJM a chance to sort out the financial constraints that are so clearly the root of the problem described.)

[Millsy]

Rodgers' dismissal was shortsighted to say the least.

Why was it shortsighted? They knew exactly whay they were doing and knew exactly who was going to take the reins hence why Hammond hasn't been asked to compile a shortlist.

Rodgers wasn't working out, results were showing no signs of improvement, he said he needed to bring in more of his type of players (despite bringing in over half a team since he took over) and the view was that things were not going to improve. His team selections were strange, his tactics baffling and his half time team talks seemed to demotivate.

His sacking was baffling to say the least. All the reasons above are spot on and good reasons to get rid of him and I'm glad we did. BUT ONLY IF WE HAD A PROPER MANAGER IN MIND TO TAKE OVER.

To sack him and then just sit back and let a total newbie have a practise run at our expense, whilst we're in a relegation dogfight is absolutely unforgivable.

We should have had Ferguson/Curbs/Tisdale/A.N.Other poised to take over asap.

Day by day I ee more evidence that Madejski, much as I love him, really is beyond caring about this club as he wants out anyway.

[paultheroyal]

Interesting article about the effect of a change of manager - what could of been our manager!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/michaelgray/2010/01/irvine_enjoying_honeymoon_peri.html

[Thaumagurist*]

HAVE.

[BR2]

Rodgers' dismissal was shortsighted to say the least.

Why was it shortsighted? They knew exactly whay they were doing and knew exactly who was going to take the reins hence why Hammond hasn't been asked to compile a shortlist.

Rodgers wasn't working out, results were showing no signs of improvement, he said he needed to bring in more of his type of players (despite bringing in over half a team since he took over) and the view was that things were not going to improve. His team selections were strange, his tactics baffling and his half time team talks seemed to demotivate.

Agreed.
What strikes me as odd is the non-confirmation of McDermott as manager.
10 more days of the transfer window and nothing seems to be happening.
Have The Board looked at the league table?
These are the players that have got us to 3rd bottom.
These are the players that will quite likely get us relegated.
Loan players in Feb or March might be the cheap way to go but might also be too little,too late.

I do think sometimes that our chairman and board come from the King Canute school.
Whatever happened to being pro-active rather than reactive?
Well run club?

[Snowball]

Well-run would mean finishing 20th or better this year without getting into debt.

Stay up and this squad is easily mid-table. With Noel Hunt firing on all cylinders
next year we could challenge for the play-offs.

Of course there's a danger of going down, but I DO believe we are better than 3rd bottom
and we have shown great heart under the caretaker (excluding Plymouth!)

[CMRoyal]

HAVE.

As a fellow pedant, I give you:-

[BR2]

Well-run would mean finishing 20th or better this year without getting into debt.

Stay up and this squad is easily mid-table. With Noel Hunt firing on all cylinders
next year we could challenge for the play-offs.

Of course there's a danger of going down, but I DO believe we are better than 3rd bottom
and we have shown great heart under the caretaker (excluding Plymouth!)

Snowball,
I thought you were a stats and facts man.
One significant fact is that we are currently in the relegation zone.
What on earth leads you to believe that this squad is "easily mid-table" and " next year we could challenge for the play-offs".
On the same premise "this time next year Rodney we'll be millionaires"

I've got nothing against blind faith and optimism because that is what we fans are like but I fail to see how a squad that has got us down to 3rd bottom will,with an injury-prone Hunt,EASILY get us to mid-table.
Add in Ingi and Bryn being 1 year nearer retirement and Bertrand going back to Chelsea I find it hard to go along with your blind faith.

If however we got a new manager (McD or a.n.other) and signed a few players rather than doing nothing (apparently,but also taking on board Hammond's quotes about not making signings)we,or indeed any club,might get to mid-table.

I just feel that something needs to be done other than just sacking a manager because we have continued to slide and you cannot simply forget Plymouth as if (like QPR away)it didn't actually happen even if the Liverpool games have given us a bit of hope.

[Pseud O'Nym]

If however we got a new manager (McD or a.n.other) and signed a few players rather than doing nothing (apparently,but also taking on board Hammond's quotes about not making signings)we,or indeed any club,might get to mid-table.

We made two signings, for the positions where we are weakest, as soon as the window opened. The jury may still be out on whether they're any good, but that can't be classed as "doing nothing".

[West Stand Flash]

Well-run would mean finishing 20th or better this year without getting into debt.

Stay up and this squad is easily mid-table. With Noel Hunt firing on all cylinders
next year we could challenge for the play-offs.

Of course there's a danger of going down, but I DO believe we are better than 3rd bottom
and we have shown great heart under the caretaker (excluding Plymouth!)

If you think this squad is good enough to challenge for the Play-Offs then I'm sorry you are clearly deluded. We need a lot more than Noel Hunt. How about a solid defence? How about some creativity in the centre of midfield?? How about a striker who does more than 'makes good runs'.

Apart from McAnuff & Siggurdsson, this squad is very poor.

[Terminal Boardom]

Well-run would mean finishing 20th or better this year without getting into debt.

Stay up and this squad is easily mid-table. With Noel Hunt firing on all cylinders
next year we could challenge for the play-offs.

Of course there's a danger of going down, but I DO believe we are better than 3rd bottom
and we have shown great heart under the caretaker (excluding Plymouth!)

If you think this squad is good enough to challenge for the Play-Offs then I'm sorry you are clearly deluded. We need a lot more than Noel Hunt. How about a solid defence? How about some creativity in the centre of midfield?? How about a striker who does more than 'makes good runs'.

Apart from McAnuff & Siggurdsson, this squad is very poor.

I challenge ANYONE to provide REAL evidence to the contrary.

[Snowball]

Evidence?

W4 D7 L4 in our last 13, very good results against Liverpool, Blackpool, Swansea.

We are getting better results than we were before these thirteen games.

Though we had a bad first half at Forest (when pundits said Forest were awesome,
and that was their 18th League game undefeated) we played them off the park
second half to the extent that Forest fans said we deserved something.

We came back (at Forest) from 2-0 down (and being slaughtered) to play with pride.

We came back in the previous game away to Liverpool who are currently in the Premiership top six

We came back from being 0-1 versus Swansea

We played Bristol off the park and managed to come back from being one down.

The team is now showing real fight (I can't explain the Plymouth game) and signs of really gelling.

The youngsters will improve almost every game.

Fitness seems to have been attacked and we last 90 minutes.

We have a seasoned pro in to bolster the right back position.

We have a new striker, who looks very promising. Long looks like he might have refound the form (and fitness) from January-May last year.

Mills has come in, a bit ring-rusty but will noticeably improve the back four.

Armstrong approaches fitness and will provide competition/cover

I really think, as a few managers have said, we're in a false position.

And if the wags say "The table doesn't lie," fine. A week ago that table "clearly" showed Wednesday to be a worse club than us.

[Pseud O'Nym]

I challenge ANYONE to provide REAL evidence to the contrary.

Liverpool 1-2 Reading?

More seriously; it's not a statement than can be evidetially proved or disproved. Both poor and good performances this season can be as well ascribed to tactics as to the quality of the players. Also squad quality has to be relative. Compared to Real Madrid it's a shite squad, but if it's better than at least half the squads in the CCC then that really doesn't matter.

[Terminal Boardom]

The thing is, you finish at the end of the season where you deserve to finish. No ifs, buts or maybes. Sure there will be the odd wierd result along the way. Freaks even. Take last season where we only managed to take one point from Southampton, one point from Charlton and no points from Ipswich. Yet, many would have said that we were far superior to any of those three. This season, we have already seen the incredible performance and result at Anfield. I thought that we had missed our chance in the first game. BUT THAT IS THE CUP! Cup upsets happen and for once, we benefitted.

Sure, we have been unfortunate along the way this season. But we have also been incredibly lucky. Preston away anyone? Even Forest were a brilliant Fed save away from stealling 3 points at the start of the season.

As I have said elsewhere, just how many of our squad could honestly believe that they could grace the premiership? How many would walk into other Championship sides? As I said above, apart from McAnuff and The Sig, we have a very poor squad.