The Future Starts Today!

[Ian Royal]

This is what I was looking forward to if we didn't make it to Wembley and beyond...

but...but...but...

much I realise Murty, Hahnemann and the rest have to move on, I'm not sure I'm ready to say goodbye to some of the others such as Doyle, Rosenior and Ingimarsson... and I'm still wondering if it's worth splittin gup the squad if we only missed out on promotion by a few points.

Am looking forward to seeing more of Karacan, Pearce, Henry and the like though.

[Focher]

i cant help but think this is the start of us doing a Southampton, Leeds, Norwich, Leicester etc

[Rex]

^^^^^^^
I fecking hope not. A big fat sheik will come in. He'll fit all SJM's criteria as he will live local.

[Ian Royal]

i cant help but think this is the start of us doing a Southampton, Leeds, Norwich, Leicester etc

We are extremely well run. We may fall away a little. We may even get relegated in the next 5 years but I don't think it will really set us back a long way. Maybe send us into a brief hibernation.

For a start all four of those clubs would have been considered much bigger than us 5 years ago. You could argue most of them still are.

[Archie's penalty]

I'm with you Dirkers.

But I have no idea what's going to happen. I'm a little bit worried and a little bit excited. A new feeling I suppose.

[seahawk10]

The future starts as soon as we name our next manager and backroom staff. Those decisions will make it clear what direction we are headed.

[Stolp]

Ok well the future has almost started then ........... just as long as it is not orange, as I never did like the away kit.

[Alivey]

It took alot of the balls to release the quality of players we have done. I wouldn't be surprised to see most of them back in the Championship next season, however this shows an initative by the club they want to improve. They will be judged harshly on who they bring into replace them and the manager. The most important thing to have in these exciting yet worrying times, is to have faith in the management.

[Baines]

We've had a superb and extremely eventful last 5 or so years - unbelievable highs, terrible lows, but never, ever, boring.

But now the end of the era has come - perhaps later than it should, perhaps earlier, but there are enough threads discussing that. While we should never forget the debt we owe to SC, Kevin & Wally, Murts, Marcus and many others, the future must start today.

We have a crop of promising kids coming through, and we need a manager who can nurture them and help them flourish, ideally a manager who is young and hungry, like them, who can succeed here.

Remember the team of 05/06. We always used to describe it as "a team without stars" - Sidwell was the only one anyone outside Reading had heard of - no sweating during transfer windows or talk of £5M swoops in those days. But those players were young and hungry and wanted to prove how good they were, and they showed that hunger on the pitch. That's the model we've got to get back to.

So here's to an exciting future, with hungry, motivated kids, a new manager and no stars or their egos getting in the way. Things may not always go right from day one as everyone will be learning as they go, but we need to give them a chance before we get on their backs, and look forward with them, not just look back to what was but has now gone.

Who's with me?

Did you post that just before dinner?

[Dirk Gently]

Did you post that just before dinner?

LOL - no, but it's a valid point.

Hunger was behind our success in 2006, and loss of hunger behind our plummet from Xmas 2007. Players thought they'd arrived as PL players, and lost the hunger and desire they'd previously had (except when a transfer or new contract was in the offing!).

We've been there, done that and lost the hunger - players and supporters. As someone already said, you could see with Burnley that their players and supporters (and indeed the whole town!) had that hunger that we didn't.

Call it hunger, call it desire, call it motivation, call it drive - I don't care what you call it but it's what we've lacked, and it's what big money signings don't have - it's what kids with something to prove bring you, and it's what we used to have but have now lost.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Totally agree with you Dirk

I do worry that people are expecting a bit too much from the promising youngsters as HNA has a real habit of believing the hype (the likes of Castle, Young, Hayes etc etc who were lauded as future stars)

I am more excited about RFC right now than I have been since the last month or so of the 06/07 season and cant wait to see the next few months unfold

[The Quiet Man]

Surely the future starts when we have shipped out the premier league wasters like Shunt, Doyle, Rosenior and decided whether the second rank of inconsistent wannabes like Mateovsky, Kebe and Bikey are going to want to/or should stay. The worry for us is that a lot of those individuals will do what Shorey did last season and ship out late August leaving a very disrupted team for next season.

[Deathy]

Doyle's 18 goals isn't 'a waster' you ignorant twat. He has a far greater attitude to the likes of Stephen Hunt, and would be more than welcome here next season by pretty much all. If the big bids come in though, I think he'll be off.

[The Quiet Man]

Face up to it mentally he's been gone since his new contract - he has no hunger for football at championship level he is just more media savvy than Shunt (and that ain't hard). His motivation is playing for ROI and getting a contract with a premier league club - he'll be gone saying all the right words over the summer. Like Shunt or Kitson, a shadow of the player he used to be.

[tink]

the thing that gives me the most confidence/reassurance going into this 'new era' is that nicky hammond is still there pulling the strings.

For all the great that SSC did, i think a lot of the key 'behind the scenes' decision were made by hammo. The 'director of football' role doesnt always work for evry club but i think we've got a very sensible set up and im sure that hammond is going to be very influential in shaping what sort of future this club has.

I'm looking forward to seeing what he comes up. If we get a new manager in who's young and hungry (boothroyd, rogers, ferguson?) then i can see a bright future

Let's just hope that we don't appoint a middle of the road manager who doesn't do anything to take us forward

[Royalee]

Face up to it mentally he's been gone since his new contract - he has no hunger for football at championship level he is just more media savvy than Shunt (and that ain't hard). His motivation is playing for ROI and getting a contract with a premier league club - he'll be gone saying all the right words over the summer. Like Shunt or Kitson, a shadow of the player he used to be.

Are you for real?

[Archie's penalty]

Face up to it mentally he's been gone since his new contract - he has no hunger for football at championship level he is just more media savvy than Shunt (and that ain't hard). His motivation is playing for ROI and getting a contract with a premier league club - he'll be gone saying all the right words over the summer. Like Shunt or Kitson, a shadow of the player he used to be.

Are you for real?

For once I agree with Royalee. Doyle's attitude and commitment was great against Burnley away. I he had not got injured I reckon we could have been preparing for Wembley on the 25th.