Hob Nob Anyone?

Ian Royal wrote:

North Somerset Royal wrote:I am not suggesting anything. Merely speculating on likely impact on contenders of comments made by Hammond & Sir John since SC stepped down as reported by Her Majestys Gutter Press. However now you mention it do you really believe that Steve, an England International & Man U winger would seriously have signed a no hoper like Kebe given a free hand?

Yes, he's got excellent talent but is a bit rough and ready. Exactly the sort of player Coppell liked to pick up and mold. Didn't always work though. Certainly not for Long. (pun intended)

Yes he should be on the Simon Cowell TV show rather than MOTD or The Championship

Since when has anyone Cowell has shown had "Excellent" talent!? They're just all quite good and easily marketable to morons. Like PaultheRoyal or whatever his username is.

http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/footb ... an_rodgers

Not sure if anyone else has put this up...

Reading FC move in for Brendan Rodgers
By Nick Ive
May 29, 2009

Reading are set to test Watford’s resolve this weekend by making an approach for Brendan Rodgers.

Royals’ director of football Nick Hammond has spent the last couple of weeks sifting through around 100 applications for the vacant manager’s job following Steve Coppell’s decision to walk away after five-and-a-half years at the helm.

I understand Hammond has now drawn up a short-list of candidates and Rodgers is the favoured choice. Watford do not want to lose 36-year-old Rodgers, who started his coaching career at Reading, as he has worked wonders at Vicarage Road since taking over the reins last November.

The Hornets were 21st in the Championship table when Rodgers was appointed their boss, but he lifted them as high as 13th. That form would have seen Watford finish in the play-offs had Rodgers been in charge from the start of the season and been able to reproduce it.

Rodgers has a 12-month rolling contract with the Hertfordshire club so Reading would have to pay in the region of £500,000 compensation to land him.

Hornets chairman Jimmy Russo is likely to resist an initial approach from Royals but may find it impossible to keep hold of Rodgers, who still lives in Reading. Although Rodgers has not asked for a move and is more than happy at Watford, he has never hid his desire to return to Royals one day.

He was initially brought over to the club from Ballymena as a teenager. He never made a first-team appearance at Elm Park as his professional playing career was cut short by injury at the age of 20.

But he returned to play a major role in the foundation of Reading’s Academy.

He went on to be appointed Academy manager before being head-hunted by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.

After working with the youth team at Stamford Bridge, he was promoted to reserve-team boss where he worked with world-class players Andriy Shevchenko, Didier Drogba and Ricardo Carvalho.

If a move for Rodgers falls through then Hammond will begin the process of opening talks with the next contender.

Exeter’s Paul Tisdale is a highly-rated contender, while Preston’s Alan Irvine has been heavily linked with the job.

But Preston chairman Derek Shaw said: “Alan is under contract and I don’t want to get sucked into talking about speculation.”

Steve Cotterill, Alan Curbishley, Glenn Hoddle, Paul Ince and Aidy Boothroyd are all thought to be interested in the post.

for half a mill let's go and get him

would be a very positive move imho

plus i am so bored of waiting

Nick Ive wrote not wrote: .....
Although Rodgers has not asked for a move and is more than happy at Watford, he has never hid his desire to return to Royals one day.
.....

No wonder he's being moved on with writing like that!

Hoop Blah wrote:All it needed was a bit of continuity and tweaking to progress it. Coppell was ideal for that job as he didn't need to do too much to reinvent the side, just some intelligent tweaking and cajouling to success.

We're at a stage now when the squad seem to be tired and deflated. We're not on an upward curve that just needs a final push, we're in need of a total overhaul and a new dynamic being introduced. Personally I think a young and hungry manager is more suited to that, or at least one with a more inspiring approach than Curbishly.

I think Coppell did a lot more than just intelligent tweaking. I agree he inherited a decent enough squad but he made wholesale changes to the side he inherited before we managed our assualt on the Prem, e.g. 4 new strikers, 4 new wingers and a new centre back pairing (not forgetting the masterstroke of swapping Hughes for Gunnarsson and making a profit on the deals).

As for the Rodgers/Curbishley/a.n other debate, I like what I hear about Rodgers. He's well respected as a coach and most importantly likes to play a passing game. I can't put my finger on it but for some reason I don't want Curbishley. That said, I'd take him ahead of Boothroyd, Ince, Hoddle or God forbid Pardew or Sanchez!

Still Hate Futcher! wrote:

Hoop Blah wrote:All it needed was a bit of continuity and tweaking to progress it. Coppell was ideal for that job as he didn't need to do too much to reinvent the side, just some intelligent tweaking and cajouling to success.

We're at a stage now when the squad seem to be tired and deflated. We're not on an upward curve that just needs a final push, we're in need of a total overhaul and a new dynamic being introduced. Personally I think a young and hungry manager is more suited to that, or at least one with a more inspiring approach than Curbishly.

I think Coppell did a lot more than just intelligent tweaking. I agree he inherited a decent enough squad but he made wholesale changes to the side he inherited before we managed our assualt on the Prem, e.g. 4 new strikers, 4 new wingers and a new centre back pairing (not forgetting the masterstroke of swapping Hughes for Gunnarsson and making a profit on the deals).

As for the Rodgers/Curbishley/a.n other debate, I like what I hear about Rodgers. He's well respected as a coach and most importantly likes to play a passing game. I can't put my finger on it but for some reason I don't want Curbishley. That said, I'd take him ahead of Boothroyd, Ince, Hoddle or God forbid Pardew or Sanchez!

definately agree good post

Ian Royal wrote:Since when has anyone Cowell has shown had "Excellent" talent!? They're just all quite good and easily marketable to morons. Like PaultheRoyal or whatever his username is.

True but at least one of last years finalists got to appear at Wembley yesterday which is more than we managed.

Apparently we're down to a short list of four interviewees, which does not include Darren Ferguson.

Source? Or did it just come out of your arse?

'lista wrote:Source? Or did it just come out of your arse?

See the Team board, in the New Manager thread.

"Arse"? How polite. Take a look at the Posh web-site.

i'll take a punt at Curbishly and rodgers being two of them

not sure about the other two

righthip wrote:"Arse"? How polite. Take a look at the Posh web-site.

Alright, bottom then.

Rodger, Tisdale, Irvine, and +1. (that's not Affers, BTW!)

Rodgers, Irvine, Curbs and Poyet.

So how exactly do Peterborough know more than us, on who's on our shortlist and its down to 4

The Peterboro statement said that we had told them we had a shortlist of 4 and had assured them Ferguson was not on it.

They know, because the club told them.

Stranded wrote:The Peterboro statement said that we had told them we had a shortlist of 4 and had assured them Ferguson was not on it.

They know, because the club told them.

Fair enough, but why cant Reading tell us, the fans, the same thing?

TBM wrote:

Stranded wrote:The Peterboro statement said that we had told them we had a shortlist of 4 and had assured them Ferguson was not on it.

They know, because the club told them.

Fair enough, but why cant Reading tell us, the fans, the same thing?

.........because we aren't important.