MATCHWATCH : Middlesbrough (a) sponsored by a Paul Holsgrove winner

[AthleticoSpizz]

The frustration on here tonight is not losing to 'Boro, IMHO it is about what we have been watching for this and the past 3 seasons.
BTW teams making a promotion charge win with goals scored late on -it's not luck and Brighton did the same last night.
We won those 2 games away at Brighton and Southampton when we were last challenging because we were on a roll.

No shame about tonight's result-the shame is that it has generally been another poxy season.

yes another "poxy season".......another change of management......another manager inheriting another managers team......another load of financial deals driving what happens pitchside each week.

"IF" we finish above 13th....it'll be a good season by Reading standards

We really have too many spoilt brats on here just lately

[Lower West]

We never should've sacked Nigel Adkins!

Did you go the League Cup at Peterborough. I did. Then you would really know what not turning up is actually like.

[howser]

The "fracas" between Williams and McShane together with the consistent lack lustre and effortless performance do point to a lot being wrong in the dressing room and not only in recent weeks, by the look of it there has been a cloud hanging over this side since before Clarke departed.

To say the squad is very lame is an understatement, too many loans and too many players that clearly McDermott didn't want, so irrespective who he wants to bring in and get rid of in the summer months just how much say he gets in that is open to question, as this far the alleged Thai acquisitions have hardly set the pitch alight.

[Crowbar6753]

Tonight was stupidly frustrating, and i understand everyone's feelings, but the manager must be given the Summer to build a team that is his. This team at the moment is still Steve Clarke's team and there is clearly something very wrong somewhere.
Im guessing that the team put out tonight will be nothing like the one that starts on the opening day of next season. McDermott has had a tough start, and im sure he will be under pressure from the Thais, but he must be given a chance. If 15 games into next season and we are still seeing the same lame displays and tactics then YES, he can then be held accountable and rightly sacked....

There needs to be a big over haul in midfield, this is our problem area. Get rid of Norwood, Williams, McCleary and HRK and build a fresh new midfield with passion, flair, bite and bravery. Go with pace on the wings, players who will run at and scare defenders, Fosu and Stacey etc...and play Quinn, Tishibola, Barret and Evans in the middle.

The defense is fairly solid and has the makings of a good unit, so not to much tinkering here. Then theirs the front line, looks like we are stuck with Kermorgant and Rakkels, but we do have Samuel coming back. Kermorgant and Samuels could work !! But a new striker is a must for next season.

Yes, i am pissed at tonights result, but there is plenty to look forward to next season if the manager is allowed to build the squad his way, and if he utilizes the players at his disposal correctly.

[Lower West]

too many players that clearly McDermott didn't want,

Difficult to move forward when there's no depth to the squad. Take out the loan players and there's considerable gaps. For example. Could play Hector. But only a stop gap. Norwood will be gone in the summer. No pace, no vision, inconsistent delivery at set pieces.

[Sutekh]

Dont care about it being a flat season that was over weeks ago

What i am fed up with is 3 years plus of poor players who do not gel as a team being persisted with by clueless managers who have lost what little identity the club had.

Dump the loanees NOW, none of them are worth signing, and give the youngsters we have a break in the team. Anything but more of the same ineptitude from Vydra, sideways crab football and moronic defending that we've generally been getting for the last 2 years.

And as for Danny Williams, well the sooner he goes the better....

[jojo1]

too many players that clearly McDermott didn't want,

Difficult to move forward when there's no depth to the squad. Take out the loan players and there's considerable gaps. For example. Could play Hector. But only a stop gap. Norwood will be gone in the summer. No pace, no vision, inconsistent delivery at set pieces.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Loss expected, and loss achieved.

We move on

[AthleticoSpizz]

Yes, and what the f11ck difference does it make for us to anything much this season?

2-1 away defeat at the champions elect....shocking

[Top Flight]

I think we need a good but smaller squad that sticks together. We have too many players.

We need two outstanding strikers with one good, young up and coming back up player.

We need two top drawer Centre Mids with 1 back up. We need 4 excellent wingers. 4 excellent full back. 3 top drawer centre backs and we'll be fine.

Let's just sell everyone and start again.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Clutching at 2006 straws there TF

Would be nice tho'

That magic has gone

[Avon Royal]

McDermott is right the manager but they are all the wrong players.

Management would be so easy if this were true.............

If McDermott had been recruiting over the last 3 years we wouldn't have this bunch of weak characters at the club. He would bring in the right people.

People don't want to give him the time to sort out a huge mess.

But that's my point. Any manager in any profession can be a success if they are able to sack all their inherited reports and hire their own people. Management and leadership are about working with what you have and getting the best out of the resources available, creating performers out of those that for whatever reason have been underperforming to date.

This is the same group of players that looked like real promotion contenders earlier in the season. The only real change has been at the manager position. First with SC losing focus and then with BM not being able to set things straight again.

[Stranded]

But sometime AR, things are just too far gone to effectively put things back on track.

To use your analogy, it is like a new manager coming into a failing project that is over filled with fix term contractors (loan players) who are happy to do just enough but no more. The manager can try and get them motivated but if the contractors know that in 6 months then are off to a new project as long as this one hits it's absolute minimum targets then you won't be able to get more out of them.

That culture will spread to other staff in the team very easily and is hard to recover from. At this point, the best thing to do is break down the team, keep any high performers and bring in new blood. Until that can be kicked off in the summer, we will float along.

[Royal Rother]

2 good posts from opposite positions - good Nobbing.

[Winston Smith]

They described it as similar to the Lee Bowyer/Kieran Dyer incident

I heard it was more like the Andres Escobar night club car park incident tbf

[Vision]

Guess what? That's normally what happens in the real world when people/teams fail to perform! Managers in all walks of life are paid good money to ensure their people/teams perform well. Shyte managers can turn good people into poor teams.

And so can you. You fcuking Whitney dullard. You must be delighted.

No, I'm absolutely livid but it's the thickos who keep excusing the manager who will ensure that this shyte form continues. When teams in our business fail to perform it's the managers that we hold accountable. Why should that be different in the business that is football?

So please explain what the hell McDermott has achieved since he arrived this time around and what the f*ck he is accomplishing over the last part of this season? I like Vydra but why the f*ck is he playing people that aren't even under contract with us for next season?

Most reasonable people would say he's done about what you'd expect really given what state we were in when he arrived and subsequently losing his two top scorers.

Face it, we took a short term punt at promotion at the start of the season, like Watford did last season which is completely against everything the club has stood for during successful periods. It all collapsed, as that type of approach usually does, at the first sign of trouble and we've been guaranteed mediocre midtable fodder ever since.

Again most reasonable people would know that he can't really be judged on this season unless we were somehow relegated.

Let's see where we are next season before we get the knives out eh?

[paddy20]

And so can you. You fcuking Whitney dullard. You must be delighted.

No, I'm absolutely livid but it's the thickos who keep excusing the manager who will ensure that this shyte form continues. When teams in our business fail to perform it's the managers that we hold accountable. Why should that be different in the business that is football?

So please explain what the hell McDermott has achieved since he arrived this time around and what the f*ck he is accomplishing over the last part of this season? I like Vydra but why the f*ck is he playing people that aren't even under contract with us for next season?

Most reasonable people would say he's done about what you'd expect really given what state we were in when he arrived and subsequently losing his two top scorers.

Face it, we took a short term punt at promotion at the start of the season, like Watford did last season which is completely against everything the club has stood for during successful periods. It all collapsed, as that type of approach usually does, at the first sign of trouble and we've been guaranteed mediocre midtable fodder ever since.

Again most reasonable people would know that he can't really be judged on this season unless we were somehow relegated.

Let's see where we are next season before we get the knives out eh?

State we were in?? A few points off play offs. If thats a state how do you describe our present predicament?

[Stranded]

Paddy - thats a very simplistic way of looking at the state we were in.

Prior to the Fulham game we had started P12 Pts 24 - excellent start.

From the Fulham game up to the point of McDermott's first game back (which was Blackburn, I believe) we went P8 Pts 5, and had the manager suggest he wanted out either to Fulham or the first "better" job that came it's way.

We were only out just out of the play-offs because of the start we had. We were playing like relegation fodder and were a sinking ship. McD's 22 points from 21 games is hardly mouthwatering but it steadied that ship.

Apologies for going all Snowball there but I think people forget how bad we got and just how quickly we got that bad,

[Winston Smith]

I'm absolutely livid

actual lol

[Vision]

No, I'm absolutely livid but it's the thickos who keep excusing the manager who will ensure that this shyte form continues. When teams in our business fail to perform it's the managers that we hold accountable. Why should that be different in the business that is football?

So please explain what the hell McDermott has achieved since he arrived this time around and what the f*ck he is accomplishing over the last part of this season? I like Vydra but why the f*ck is he playing people that aren't even under contract with us for next season?

Most reasonable people would say he's done about what you'd expect really given what state we were in when he arrived and subsequently losing his two top scorers.

Face it, we took a short term punt at promotion at the start of the season, like Watford did last season which is completely against everything the club has stood for during successful periods. It all collapsed, as that type of approach usually does, at the first sign of trouble and we've been guaranteed mediocre midtable fodder ever since.

Again most reasonable people would know that he can't really be judged on this season unless we were somehow relegated.

Let's see where we are next season before we get the knives out eh?

State we were in?? A few points off play offs. If thats a state how do you describe our present predicament?

Read the paragraph below the one you've "selectively" quoted from and you'll find the answer.

Better still read Stranded's response below. Unless you've a particular bent for hounding McDermott it was pretty obvious it had all fallen apart completely by the time McD arrived.