In Hindsight, Should we have kept Oster?

[papereyes]

My favourite thing with Oster was towards the end, when he was still playing poorly, the whole side were playing poorly and people would come on here saying "he wasn't the worst player, LOOK AT ME I'M NOT SLAGGING HIM OFF"

He was still playing poorly and, had we had the options, he would have been replaced.

But its OK. Some fans felt better for standing up for mediocrity. Well done them.

[Ian Royal]

My favourite thing with Oster was towards the end, when he was still playing poorly, the whole side were playing poorly and people would come on here saying "he wasn't the worst player, LOOK AT ME I'M NOT SLAGGING HIM OFF"

He was still playing poorly and, had we had the options, he would have been replaced.

But its OK. Some fans felt better for standing up for mediocrity. Well done them.

Or perhaps standing up against unreasonable and unnecessary abuse. Just because he wasn't great doesn't mean he wasn't our best option at the time. Seeing as we couldn't replace him it doesn't matter how rubbish he was seeing as he was the best option we had there.

[Southbank Old Boy]

There is no law stating you can't release a player just because you signed them 5 months previously. Just accept he had potential, but couldn't cut it.

I think we'd have lost more players with Coppell leaving and would languish mid-table to bottom half without him. He is the man most likely to take us back up IMO and 1 game is not enough to change my mind.

There is no law against it but you do have to pay up the rest of the contract. I cant see us, or many other clubs for that matter, spending 400k on a player, keeping him for 4 or 5 months and then paying him the remainder of his 2 or 3 year contract to bugger off!

As for the Coppell point, you said if the season was failure we'd still be stronger with Coppell here. If it's a failure then all I can see is that we've wasted a year of so called rebuilding and the funds that go with it. We'll be left with players Coppell wanted instead of the new managers players and we'll have lost the ex-Premiership standing and reputation that could've seen us attract better players this summer (we're one of the favourites for the league purely because last year we were on Sky a lot more!). We'll be a year futher down the line with a squad that is in need of even more rebuilding and rejuvenating than it currently does and we'll have blown the advantage of the parachute payments and greater standing from the last three years success.

If you'd have said Coppell staying bought about a successful season then I could understand it, but you said a season of relative failure. I just can't see any logic in wasting a season.

[Ian Royal]

Even if we have a season of relative failure.

Coppell gave us the best chance of retaining important players in the squad.
Coppell gives us the best chance of going straight back up.
If we do finish outside the play offs or fail in them I still feel that leaves us in a better place for a new manager to come in and start a revolution and rebuild, than a couple of months ago. The club were in potentially quite a dangerous place and could just fall away into obscurity and drift into League 1.

At worst Coppell will steady the ship so we're no longer sliding downwards quickly and a new manager can come in and build momentum from a stationary position, rather than trying to reverse the backwards trend and then go forward.

Gary Johnson seems one of the better names to take over, but he'd have been unlikely to leave City this season. After a second season of less success we'd have more chance of prising him away. Otherwise I can't think of any very interesting names to come in.

IMO.
I hope that makes at least a little sense.

[loyalroyal4life]

NO

we should either

1.stick with kebe and hope he comes good
2. Give Henry a go and hope he comes good
3. Put Hunty on the right with convey on the left

[Ian Royal]

NO

we should either

1.stick with kebe and hope he comes good
2. Give Henry a go and hope he comes good
3. Put Hunty on the right with convey on the left

So new signings are not an option?

[Southbank Old Boy]

Even if we have a season of relative failure.

Coppell gave us the best chance of retaining important players in the squad.
Coppell gives us the best chance of going straight back up.
If we do finish outside the play offs or fail in them I still feel that leaves us in a better place for a new manager to come in and start a revolution and rebuild, than a couple of months ago. The club were in potentially quite a dangerous place and could just fall away into obscurity and drift into League 1.

At worst Coppell will steady the ship so we're no longer sliding downwards quickly and a new manager can come in and build momentum from a stationary position, rather than trying to reverse the backwards trend and then go forward.

Gary Johnson seems one of the better names to take over, but he'd have been unlikely to leave City this season. After a second season of less success we'd have more chance of prising him away. Otherwise I can't think of any very interesting names to come in.

IMO.
I hope that makes at least a little sense.

I'm still a bit unlcear on how Coppell gives us the best chance of going up if we've had a season of relative failure, but maybe I'm just being a bit picky over what you said, how I read it and what you actually meant by it.

even if this season is a relative failure I think it will still leave us stronger at the end than we would have been without Coppell.

I can understand your view about stability and not losing players etc, I happen to disagree with it really, but that's mre because I think we need a shake up and some fresh blood coming in regardless of what the current squads position is.

Personally I think a season of failure at this level will not leave us stronger unless it means the squad has been revamped and is starting a fresh journey. Under Coppell I don't think this is happening, I think it's just the end of a journey we got lost on about 18 months ago.

[dellwoodboy]

No, we should not have kept Oster it would have been a step backwards he just never seemed to do anything special for RFC score a vital goal or set up vey much. His biggest problem last season seemed to be to know what to do with the ball when he had it, I particuarly remember the home game against Derby. Need I say more.
Even in the championship where he never started a game reguarly he never seemed to do a great deal. I reckon he was just a very ordinary player for RFC and probably his best years are well past him.
As for the Forest game though defensively we were very strong what was disapointing for me was the lack of excitement in our mid field and forward play you never felt much was going to happen and the biggest shock of the day was when we hit the bar.

[Woodcote Royal]

So new signings are not an option?

Not if your manager is called Steve Coppell.

[earleyroyal]

Considering how shit Kebe is and the fact that there are no signs of another Right MIdfielder arriving anytime soon, do you think we should have kept Oster at the club.

He might not have been fantastic for us in the Prem, but in the Champsionsip, he was not too bad and could have done a job this season, and from what we have seen so far, he is miles better than Kebe.

Never mind hindsight, it was oxf*rd obvious in foresight that if we weren't going to bring in a winger we should've kept Oster.

Oster >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kebe

[rg6royal]

No

[winchester_royal]

Kebe >>>>>> Oster.

Henry >>>>> Oster.

P.Brooker >>>>>> Oster.

[SpaceCruiser]

Kebe >>>>>> Oster.

Henry >>>>> Oster.

P.Brooker >>>>>> Oster.

Little>>>>>>>any of the above.

[winchester_royal]

Kebe >>>>>> Oster.

Henry >>>>> Oster.

P.Brooker >>>>>> Oster.

Little>>>>>>>any of the above.

Obviously.

[Ozymandias]

Kebe >>>>>> Oster.

Henry >>>>> Oster.

P.Brooker >>>>>> Oster.

My cat >>>>>>>>> Oster

[Southbank Old Boy]

Considering how shit Kebe is and the fact that there are no signs of another Right MIdfielder arriving anytime soon, do you think we should have kept Oster at the club.

He might not have been fantastic for us in the Prem, but in the Champsionsip, he was not too bad and could have done a job this season, and from what we have seen so far, he is miles better than Kebe.

Never mind hindsight, it was oxf*rd obvious in foresight that if we weren't going to bring in a winger we should've kept Oster.

Oster >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kebe

To be fair, the club thought they'd have Little as well this season. They didn't see his move coming.

Little, Kebe and Henry wouldn't have been too bad IF Little's injury's were behind him. Thats a pretty big if though, and so a right winger would've been one of the positions I'd have been looking to strengthen.

Coppell etc wouldn't though because presumably they still rate Kebe.

[earleyroyal]

Kebe >>>>>> Oster.

Henry >>>>> Oster.

P.Brooker >>>>>> Oster.

Please.

Oster > Brooker and Kebe put together.

Oster has more skill in his small toes than Kebe does in his body. Brooker had the same work ethic as Oster without any of the skill. I haven't seen Henry.

[earleyroyal]

Considering how shit Kebe is and the fact that there are no signs of another Right MIdfielder arriving anytime soon, do you think we should have kept Oster at the club.

He might not have been fantastic for us in the Prem, but in the Champsionsip, he was not too bad and could have done a job this season, and from what we have seen so far, he is miles better than Kebe.

Never mind hindsight, it was oxf*rd obvious in foresight that if we weren't going to bring in a winger we should've kept Oster.

Oster >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kebe

To be fair, the club thought they'd have Little as well this season. They didn't see his move coming.

Little, Kebe and Henry wouldn't have been too bad IF Little's injury's were behind him. Thats a pretty big if though, and so a right winger would've been one of the positions I'd have been looking to strengthen.

Coppell etc wouldn't though because presumably they still rate Kebe.

Fair point but it would be a big gamble to have Little, who played 45 minutes last season (?), as one of the main options. Kebe would probably be OK as a sub for the last 10 minutes.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Fair point but it would be a big gamble to have Little, who played 45 minutes last season (?), as one of the main options. Kebe would probably be OK as a sub for the last 10 minutes.

Totally agree, but I just don't think the powers that be would've seen it the same way

[Berry]

I used to think Harry Redknapp was a reasonable manager, but hearing the excuses after the shield loss took me back a bit, "We need more width, when Glen Little gets back from injury we will get balls in the box" Gets back from injury!! I bet the guy can hardly walk anymore, considering the amount of operations he has had on his ankle.
Is Redknapp really relying on Glen Little?? He was a good player but certainly not in a team looking to get into Europe, As for John Oster he was always a nearly player, likes the drink too much, he would never of fitted in at Reading.