Wakey wakey

[roberto_11]

Owusu was a good league 1 player who was out of his depth in the championship. is scoring record for us wasnt exactly good. So you're saying if Rodgers brought him in now you would be happy?

I did make the point that Dave Whelan is a sugar daddy and he is bankrolling Wigan. John Madejski believes the club should run itself. With that mentality we will only ever be a top Championship team, unless we have a good crop of players one year (2006) where we will manage to get up, then they inevitably leave for more money. This is because there are so many teams like us in the country who bring in between 20-30,000 fans.

The previous post wasnt a bitch at Coppell either, he built the best team we have seen at this club. Its a shame he cant change a losing side, which meant by the time he left us we are actually back where we started when he took over, just with a bit more money in the bank.

[SteveRoyal]

After 5 weeks of waiting...FINALLY my account got verified on here!

After spending what seems to be ages only being able to look over all the threads on HNA, and getting annoyed with half of you, clapping at what half of what you've said, and laughing at some of the things the weird beards come up with in the rumours bit, i have come to this conclusion....


We lost a game today, big 'wooop', quite a few of you fickle lot seemed to have jumped down either BR or SJM's throats, mainly the latters to be honest just because we lost! YES we need to bring in someone to replace jimmy'donkey'kebe, and YES we need a hitman upfront, but for now we just gotta' stick with what we've got, and get behind the team, loose OR win! If we had won today, only about a handful would have been moaning as much as you are now! Im pretty sure if we steal a late 90'th minute 4-3 win against swansea next weekend we'll all cheer up a bit and all look forward to tommy smith joining us upfront! :L

I'm hoping there arent many spelling mistakes/typing mistakes/ grammer mistakes in here because i know how much you all love to divulge in those kinda things haha!

+1.
Welcome IIWII.

[Royalee]

At the moment expectation >>>> performance

We are coming out of the best era in Readings history. We obviously want to get back to that. I look at Wigan and see Reading as a similar story (relatively quick promotion up from Div 2 to Prem in the last few years) and I see us as a bigger club (fanbase, potential catchment area, stadium etc). Most of us subconsciously believe we should have been in their position after we finished 8th in 2007.

Why arent we in that position?

A few bad decisions by Coppell, mainly in the transfer market. Not replacing Seol properly when Little was injured for the season as he was so vital in creating chances for us. Wasting over 2 million on Emerse Fae then not giving him a chance, when we should have been spending it on a reliable centre back or someone like Dean Whitehead to properly replace Sidwell once it was clear that Cisse wasnt up to it. Being so loyal to Sonko when it was obvious he wasnt the same player before his injury and was costing us goals by the bucket load (Spurs away).

If you look at Wigan, the same season we finished 8th they had their very own 2nd season syndrome and only escaped with a last day win at Sheff Utd. If you survive the 2nd season you are able to spend more money and establish yourself much better. Every season in the Premier League is obviously worth so much more revenue than the Championship. Just look at Bolton aswell, and watch Sunderland fly this season. If we had not lost at home to Fulham that day we would have stayed up and may be in a similar position to them now.

Coppells bad decisions extended into our next season when his biggest frailtly as a manager was exposed for the 3rd time in 5 seasons, lack of trust in changing his system and dropping his favourites when it all goes pear shaped. We now need to cut our costs or end up like Southampton, where they pumped too much money into desperately trying to get back, and when the parachute payments ran out, UH OH. Out came the kids.

John Madejski is a very good businessman. As much as he can be frustratingly tight compared to other chairman at times, Im so glad we have him. He just wouldnt run the club into a position like Southamptons of this world. Hes overly cautious. That means that we will always live within our means. Hes not a Dave Whelan type sugar daddy figure that is keeping Wigan afloat. He knows the parachute payments are up next year, and so selling the crown jewells is the only option in his eyes to make sure we dont run out of of money.

Unfortunately bad decisions and management by Coppell cost us our chance to establish ourselves in the Premiership. The only reason he stayed in the job for 2 years of being rubbish was the fact that he the 106 season blinkered everyone for a while after. Maybe it was complacency with that crop of players aswell.

As a club we are in a new era where we are starting again. We just cant afford to take the risk to go straight back up. I heard that if Birmingham hadnt gone up last year they would have been in serious trouble, as they had spent so much moeny.

Rodgers is the person to rebuild a good young team, and in a few years take us back up. Players like Mills show the sort he is looking for. Good young talent who will be able to play in the Prem. Thats got to be better than the shite like Brooker and Owusu that people forget Coppell signed when just started. Give him a chance, it will be a tough season but we wont get relegated. JM just wont let it happen, and we know he has the money in the bank for signings in case an of an emergency, unlike the Charltons and Southamptons of this world.

Good post mate, spot on.

[CMRoyal]

We talk a lot about our youngsters and how they have a lot to learn, but we need to remember that our manager is extremely green as well. I don't know about Mills's fitness levels but there was a sharp intake of breath when I saw the team we put out. We needed Mills's height at the back and Cisse's bite in mid-field. Karacan is far too lightweight for a game like that. So, assuming Matt is fit (he was on the bench) I'd say that was a selection mistake by BR. 0-0 would still have been the best we could have hoped for, though. It's going to be a long, hard but interesting season. Expectations adjusted, I'd now settle for us finishing 21st.

[boy1985]

What did you all expect?

We have sold our 'stars' and not replaced them with a view to giving the youth a chance. Which fair enough as we have put all that money into the acadamy so we may as well use it. I will be happy to just not get relegated this season, as long as the team looks like its progressing.

I think its fairly obvious we are going to sign a stiker, probably Smith, so I don't undertsand why everyone is going spastic about Rodgers not knowing what he is doing.

[brendywendy]

Players like Mills show the sort he is looking for. Good young talent who will be able to play in the Prem. Thats got to be better than the shite like Brooker and Owusu that people forget Coppell signed when just started.

mills is from a lower league standard too at the minute, and until he plays a few league matches im not going to start creaming myself.
owusu did a job at least, and no one here forgets that coppell signed players of this ilk. its just that his achievements afterwards mean it was no longer very relevant.

Coppells bad decisions extended into our next season when his biggest frailtly as a manager was exposed for the 3rd time in 5 seasons, lack of trust in changing his system and dropping his favourites when it all goes pear shaped.

coppell dropped everyone of the 106 team at some point, and changed formation plenty of times-he did trust thos eplayers who had delivered what hed asked of them in teh past, but thats probably a sensible tactic in all honesty- better than trusting players who havent produced before

Unfortunately bad decisions and management by Coppell cost us our chance to establish ourselves in the Premiership. The only reason he stayed in the job for 2 years of being rubbish was the fact that he the 106 season blinkered everyone for a while after. Maybe it was complacency with that crop of players aswell

we were relegated on goal difference, and still could have gone up automatically on the last day of the season.

[CMRoyal]

Players like Mills show the sort he is looking for. Good young talent who will be able to play in the Prem. Thats got to be better than the shite like Brooker and Owusu that people forget Coppell signed when just started.

mills is from a lower league standard too at the minute, and until he plays a few league matches im not going to start creaming myself.
owusu did a job at least, and no one here forgets that coppell signed players of this ilk. its just that his achievements afterwards mean it was no longer very relevant.

Coppells bad decisions extended into our next season when his biggest frailtly as a manager was exposed for the 3rd time in 5 seasons, lack of trust in changing his system and dropping his favourites when it all goes pear shaped.

coppell dropped everyone of the 106 team at some point, and changed formation plenty of times-he did trust thos eplayers who had delivered what hed asked of them in teh past, but thats probably a sensible tactic in all honesty- better than trusting players who havent produced before

Unfortunately bad decisions and management by Coppell cost us our chance to establish ourselves in the Premiership. The only reason he stayed in the job for 2 years of being rubbish was the fact that he the 106 season blinkered everyone for a while after. Maybe it was complacency with that crop of players aswell

we were relegated on goal difference, and still could have gone up automatically on the last day of the season.

If anything, for me Saturday has strengthened the argument that Coppell was right not to "trust" the youngsters last season. This is no reflection on their ability, which they have in abundance, but last season we were pushing for promotion and they are not up to that sort of standard. It's different now, of course, we are rebuilding and don't expect to pitch for promotion for a few more seasons yet. So let's hope they grow. And fast.

[brendywendy]

experiences like saturday will help them "grow"
there were good signs, we just need some experience and steel blended into the mix, im disapointed in rodgers naivety there-i think it bordered on criminal putting that lightweight inexperienced team up against newcastle when there were other options.

but he, and the kids will learn from this.

[Archies Volley II]

We talk a lot about our youngsters and how they have a lot to learn, but we need to remember that our manager is extremely green as well. I don't know about Mills's fitness levels but there was a sharp intake of breath when I saw the team we put out. We needed Mills's height at the back and Cisse's bite in mid-field. Karacan is far too lightweight for a game like that. So, assuming Matt is fit (he was on the bench) I'd say that was a selection mistake by BR. 0-0 would still have been the best we could have hoped for, though. It's going to be a long, hard but interesting season. Expectations adjusted, I'd now settle for us finishing 21st.

How many times? - it was not a selection mistake. It may be a policy mistake but Mills did not start due to missing a lot of pre-season.

If you think he was fit enough for the cup and fit enough to be on the bench then he was fit enough to start - then fair enough - have a pop at BR for his policy - but he said when he first signed Mills that he had only played in half a game of Doncasters pre-season up to that point and therefore whilst he had not bought him to sit on the bench they would need to have a look at him for a few weeks before he was likely to be considered for a starting place.

[CMRoyal]

We talk a lot about our youngsters and how they have a lot to learn, but we need to remember that our manager is extremely green as well. I don't know about Mills's fitness levels but there was a sharp intake of breath when I saw the team we put out. We needed Mills's height at the back and Cisse's bite in mid-field. Karacan is far too lightweight for a game like that. So, assuming Matt is fit (he was on the bench) I'd say that was a selection mistake by BR. 0-0 would still have been the best we could have hoped for, though. It's going to be a long, hard but interesting season. Expectations adjusted, I'd now settle for us finishing 21st.

How many times? - it was not a selection mistake. It may be a policy mistake but Mills did not start due to missing a lot of pre-season.

If you think he was fit enough for the cup and fit enough to be on the bench then he was fit enough to start - then fair enough - have a pop at BR for his policy - but he said when he first signed Mills that he had only played in half a game of Doncasters pre-season up to that point and therefore whilst he had not bought him to sit on the bench they would need to have a look at him for a few weeks before he was likely to be considered for a starting place.

That's why I put the conditionals in.

[SteveRoyal]

At the moment expectation >>>> performance

We are coming out of the best era in Readings history. We obviously want to get back to that. I look at Wigan and see Reading as a similar story (relatively quick promotion up from Div 2 to Prem in the last few years) and I see us as a bigger club (fanbase, potential catchment area, stadium etc). Most of us subconsciously believe we should have been in their position after we finished 8th in 2007.

Why arent we in that position?

A few bad decisions by Coppell, mainly in the transfer market. Not replacing Seol properly when Little was injured for the season as he was so vital in creating chances for us. Wasting over 2 million on Emerse Fae then not giving him a chance, when we should have been spending it on a reliable centre back or someone like Dean Whitehead to properly replace Sidwell once it was clear that Cisse wasnt up to it. Being so loyal to Sonko when it was obvious he wasnt the same player before his injury and was costing us goals by the bucket load (Spurs away).

If you look at Wigan, the same season we finished 8th they had their very own 2nd season syndrome and only escaped with a last day win at Sheff Utd. If you survive the 2nd season you are able to spend more money and establish yourself much better. Every season in the Premier League is obviously worth so much more revenue than the Championship. Just look at Bolton aswell, and watch Sunderland fly this season. If we had not lost at home to Fulham that day we would have stayed up and may be in a similar position to them now.

Coppells bad decisions extended into our next season when his biggest frailtly as a manager was exposed for the 3rd time in 5 seasons, lack of trust in changing his system and dropping his favourites when it all goes pear shaped. We now need to cut our costs or end up like Southampton, where they pumped too much money into desperately trying to get back, and when the parachute payments ran out, UH OH. Out came the kids.

John Madejski is a very good businessman. As much as he can be frustratingly tight compared to other chairman at times, Im so glad we have him. He just wouldnt run the club into a position like Southamptons of this world. Hes overly cautious. That means that we will always live within our means. Hes not a Dave Whelan type sugar daddy figure that is keeping Wigan afloat. He knows the parachute payments are up next year, and so selling the crown jewells is the only option in his eyes to make sure we dont run out of of money.

Unfortunately bad decisions and management by Coppell cost us our chance to establish ourselves in the Premiership. The only reason he stayed in the job for 2 years of being rubbish was the fact that he the 106 season blinkered everyone for a while after. Maybe it was complacency with that crop of players aswell.

As a club we are in a new era where we are starting again. We just cant afford to take the risk to go straight back up. I heard that if Birmingham hadnt gone up last year they would have been in serious trouble, as they had spent so much moeny.

Rodgers is the person to rebuild a good young team, and in a few years take us back up. Players like Mills show the sort he is looking for. Good young talent who will be able to play in the Prem. Thats got to be better than the shite like Brooker and Owusu that people forget Coppell signed when just started. Give him a chance, it will be a tough season but we wont get relegated. JM just wont let it happen, and we know he has the money in the bank for signings in case an of an emergency, unlike the Charltons and Southamptons of this world.

Good post mate, spot on.

+1

[roberto_11]

Players like Mills show the sort he is looking for. Good young talent who will be able to play in the Prem. Thats got to be better than the shite like Brooker and Owusu that people forget Coppell signed when just started.

mills is from a lower league standard too at the minute, and until he plays a few league matches im not going to start creaming myself.
owusu did a job at least, and no one here forgets that coppell signed players of this ilk. its just that his achievements afterwards mean it was no longer very relevant.

Coppells bad decisions extended into our next season when his biggest frailtly as a manager was exposed for the 3rd time in 5 seasons, lack of trust in changing his system and dropping his favourites when it all goes pear shaped.

coppell dropped everyone of the 106 team at some point, and changed formation plenty of times-he did trust thos eplayers who had delivered what hed asked of them in teh past, but thats probably a sensible tactic in all honesty- better than trusting players who havent produced before

Unfortunately bad decisions and management by Coppell cost us our chance to establish ourselves in the Premiership. The only reason he stayed in the job for 2 years of being rubbish was the fact that he the 106 season blinkered everyone for a while after. Maybe it was complacency with that crop of players aswell

we were relegated on goal difference, and still could have gone up automatically on the last day of the season.

I like Coppell, will always have a soft spot for him. He will always be the manager which produced the best 2 consecutive seasons we are likely to see at this club, moslty on a relatively shoestring budget.

Unfortunately Coppells record speaks for itself, with regards to not being able to kickstart a team which is woefully out of form. This happened in every other season apart from the 2 I just mentioned. We had relegation form at the end of last season, and i remember the end of 2004/5 being equally depressing. When you look at the 2007/8 season, theres no way Fulham should have caught us up. We were 13th most of the Winter, then lost 8 in a row and they beat us at the Mad Stad in one of the most depressing Reading games since the playoff final of 1995. They performed the most miraculous escape in Premiership history, and it was our woeful form which let them do it.

I cant think of an explanation why Coppell could be brilliant one season then lose it the next, but thats the way it is. Maybe something to do with his mentality. He took us to the top unexpectantly, and before we knew it, it was all over again.

[MR. CYNICAL]

So we shouldn't expect a pitch for promotion for a few years yet!
Can't remember the club saying that during the summer when season tickets were being renewed.

[roberto_11]

Why should it matter unless you're a plastic?

Most true fans go to watch the team, and a few others only go when the team is doing well, and then theres the few more who go just to watch the big teams like Man Utd when we were in the Prem.

I personally go when I have time, whether thats if we were in the Prem or league 2 it wouldnt matter

[MR. CYNICAL]

I've watched us though thick and thin but once you've sampled top flight football you want it all the time.
It's the club that states its ambitious with mr mad and all his spin. All i'm saying is that the club should not build up the hopes of the fans like they do.

[Royal Lady]

I've watched us though thick and thin but once you've sampled top flight football you want it all the time.
It's the club that states its ambitious with mr mad and all his spin. All i'm saying is that the club should not build up the hopes of the fans like they do.

^ agreed. I've been saying this for ages.

I'm sure all "true" fans would understand if the club said "now is the time for transition - our ultimate aim is to return to the Premiership, but fans have to realise that this may take a few more years - but once we get back, we aim to stay there" or something. Mr Mad just bleats on about "this shows our intention to get back to the Premiership" and all that "we will not be next" bollox came back to bite him right royally on the @rse.

[brendywendy]

as soon as i saw that video it just didnt ring true


focussing on relegation before we even started

in fact i blame that video for our demise


BOOOOOOOOOO video BOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[SteveRoyal]

http://www.readingfc.co.uk/page/NewsDet ... 20,00.html

Our average age is very young but these players will grow and develop, and when we add one or two, because there is no doubt I need to get one or two in to improve the group, it will be really exciting.

We'll have to go through a little bit of pain sometimes, I am more than happy to do that as a manager and we just need everyone to support in what we're doing. The players in and out of the squad are taking responsibility because training is first class, I have to say. I have read comments from players who say they enjoy training, and that is great but the consequence of the work is good results. That will come.

Patience is the key. I'm not too down about the result at Newcastle. I'll start being doom and gloom if we're near the bottom come October.

[West Stand Man]

So we shouldn't expect a pitch for promotion for a few years yet!
Can't remember the club saying that during the summer when season tickets were being renewed.

As ever, you more than slightly misquote. We should expect a 'pitch for promotion' this year and every year. We, realistically, ought to see success being a couple of years downstream, but that won't stop us from pushing on this year. I think that is pretty clearly implied at all times in all statements from the club. That makes us a normal club, so what's the issue?

[Royalwaster]

I've watched us though thick and thin but once you've sampled top flight football you want it all the time.
It's the club that states its ambitious with mr mad and all his spin. All i'm saying is that the club should not build up the hopes of the fans like they do.

^ agreed. I've been saying this for ages.

I'm sure all "true" fans would understand if the club said "now is the time for transition - our ultimate aim is to return to the Premiership, but fans have to realise that this may take a few more years - but once we get back, we aim to stay there" or something. Mr Mad just bleats on about "this shows our intention to get back to the Premiership" and all that "we will not be next" bollox came back to bite him right royally on the @rse.

I think given the current financial situation, I'd say we'll never be an established Prem team without some rich guy coming in and funding our stay there. I think that the current situation shows that you can't really get there and stay there just by running a football on sound financial lines. I don't particularly mind that but there is no point deluding ourselves that even if our current crop of youngsters turn out to be England internationals it won't turn us into Manchester United. Someone will buy them to finance the club's yo-yo/attempts at getting to the Prem.