What do we need when we're in the prem?

[BR0B0T]

I don't like the wording of the title, can we change "when" to "if"?

Start your own fcuking thread if that's what you want
otherwise, if you've got nothing nice to say.....etc

[CountryRoyal]

I don't like the wording of the title, can we change "when" to "if"?

Start your own fcuking thread if that's what you want
otherwise, if you've got nothing nice to say.....etc

[bobby1413]

Stadium expansion to at least 45'000

[CountryRoyal]

Stadium expansion to at least 45'000

Steady on, we're not Brighton.

[BR0B0T]

Stadium expansion to at least 45'000

Steady on, we're not Brighton.

neutral section

[Woodcote Royal]

I don't like the wording of the title, can we change "when" to "if"?

I'd say we'd need (just for the starting 11);

GK
RB
CB
CM
LW/RW
ST X2

At least.

On that basis, perhaps we should just order a large skip for 30th May and off load all of last seasons squad should it have the temerity to win the play off final

Reading fans never cease to amaze me :roll

So, 35 year old Al Habsi, last season's player of the season with very strong claims to retain his award would not be fit to start at a level where he played for many years?

Moore and McShane are as good a pairing as this club has ever had and listing the former as any sort of "possible" is simply laughable when it won't be a case of whether Moore makes it in the Prem but merely who with. Surely it's obvious that the same will apply also to both Swift and Kelly. I would recommend anyone unsympathetic to this view getting on their knees and praying that these hugely talented young players make their inevitable progression to the top flight with us rather than being forced to move on like Long and Sigurdsson because we failed to match their success.

Whereas 35 is no age for a keeper these days it's somewhat different for a striker and, given that Kermogant has already announced his retirement date, surely the place to start would be to buy the very best striker we could afford/attract to the club who could make the very best of the undoubted creativity with in the current squad.

I, too, have concerns about the defensive capabilities at full back but strongly suspect this would be resolved by playing 3 at the back.

However, I would disagree that Obita has not improved defensively but wing back is his strongest suite. Having said that, I would have no problem with the likes of Trippier but can't see him coming here however bored he gets playing 2nd fiddle to Walker.

[Nameless]

Is that all? He seems to have been around for ages.

All the same though - I think all of the defenders have improved under Stam this season - except Obita, who seems pretty much the same as he was 4 years ago.

All IMO obviously.

Harsh on Obita. Rarely lets us down and his been the best player in a couple of games I've seen.

He's played 150 or so games for Reading. Three times as many senior appearances as Tyler Blackett. And to me, he hasn't improved this season - so I think he has less capacity to improve - i.e., mid Championship is his level. Not letting us down in the Championship isn't the same thing as being capable of making the step up to the PL,

I could be wrong - about him, and about everybody else. But that's where I was coming from.

Hang on. Obita is currently playing pretty well for a team 3rd in the Championship.
And you think mid Championship is his level ?
No idea what form of logic is at play there....

[CountryRoyal]

I don't like the wording of the title, can we change "when" to "if"?

I'd say we'd need (just for the starting 11);

GK
RB
CB
CM
LW/RW
ST X2

At least.

On that basis, perhaps we should just order a large skip for 30th May and off load all of last seasons squad should it have the temerity to win the play off final

Reading fans never cease to amaze me :roll

So, 35 year old Al Habsi, last season's player of the season with very strong claims to retain his award would not be fit to start at a level where he played for many years?

Moore and McShane are as good a pairing as this club has ever had and listing the former as any sort of "possible" is simply laughable when it won't be a case of whether Moore makes in the Prem but merely who with. Surely it's obvious that the same will apply also to both Swift and Kelly. I would recommend anyone unsympathetic to this view getting on their knees and praying that these hugely talented young players make their inevitable progression to the top flight with us rather than being forced to move on like Long and Sigurdsson because we failed to match their success.

Whereas 35 is no age for a keeper these days it's somewhat different for a striker and, given that Kermogant has already announced his retirement date, surely the place to start would be to buy the very best striker we could afford/attract to the club who could make the very best of the undoubted creativity with in the current squad.

I, too, have concerns about the defensive capabilities at full back but strongly suspect this would be resolved by playing 3 at the back.

However, I would disagree that Obita has not improved defensively but wing back is his strongest suite. Having said that, I would have no problem with the likes of Trippier but can't see him coming here however bored he gets playing 2nd fiddle to Walker.

Get the blinkers off fella. We have done very well with this squad but it would get torn apart in the prem. Al-Habsi for all of his good saves is still a liability with the ball at his feet, and for a team that wants to play the way we do that kind of has to be important. Against better teams in the prem where the team gets put under more pressure he would be found out more so.

Liam Moore is our best and most important player yes and potentially one day could prove to be a useful premier league centre back, but there was a reason why he wasn't getting much time at Leicester and against Man U in the cup he was at fault for most of the goals. Whether or not he is ready to be a first choice CB in the prem remains to be seen. McShane back in the prem would be hilarious, if you think getting turned inside out and shipping multiple goals a game is funny I suppose.

I don't think Gunter is good enough either despite his improved performances of late.Think we'd need an experienced, technically sound defensive midfielder but I'd be happy with Kelly and Swift to offer creativity. McCleary would probably be decent enough for a low end premier league team, and while one day I think Meite would, it's still early days and we haven't seen enough of him to make a true evaluation.

Tbh this team would need a fair amount of additions to avoid relegation IF and it is a big IF we get there, anyone that says otherwise is a little bit deluded imo.

[bobby1413]

Stadium expansion to at least 45'000

Steady on, we're not Brighton.

neutral section

Isn't that the Upper West?

[CountryRoyal]

Steady on, we're not Brighton.

neutral section

Isn't that the Upper West?

[Woodcote Royal]

I don't like the wording of the title, can we change "when" to "if"?

I'd say we'd need (just for the starting 11);

GK
RB
CB
CM
LW/RWf
ST X2

At least.

On that basis, perhaps we should just order a large skip for 30th May and off load all of last seasons squad should it have the temerity to win the play off final

Reading fans never cease to amaze me :roll

So, 35 year old Al Habsi, last season's player of the season with very strong claims to retain his award would not be fit to start at a level where he played for many years?

Moore and McShane are as good a pairing as this club has ever had and listing the former as any sort of "possible" is simply laughable when it won't be a case of whether Moore makes in the Prem but merely who with. Surely it's obvious that the same will apply also to both Swift and Kelly. I would recommend anyone unsympathetic to this view getting on their knees and praying that these hugely talented young players make their inevitable progression to the top flight with us rather than being forced to move on like Long and Sigurdsson because we failed to match their success.

Whereas 35 is no age for a keeper these days it's somewhat different for a striker and, given that Kermogant has already announced his retirement date, surely the place to start would be to buy the very best striker we could afford/attract to the club who could make the very best of the undoubted creativity with in the current squad.

I, too, have concerns about the defensive capabilities at full back but strongly suspect this would be resolved by playing 3 at the back.

However, I would disagree that Obita has not improved defensively but wing back is his strongest suite. Having said that, I would have no problem with the likes of Trippier but can't see him coming here however bored he gets playing 2nd fiddle to Walker.

Get the blinkers off fella. We have done very well with this squad but it would get torn apart in the prem. Al-Habsi for all of his good saves is still a liability with the ball at his feet, and for a team that wants to play the way we do that kind of has to be important. Against better teams in the prem where the team gets put under more pressure he would be found out more so.

Liam Moore is our best and most important player yes and potentially one day could prove to be a useful premier league centre back, but there was a reason why he wasn't getting much time at Leicester and against Man U in the cup he was at fault for most of the goals. Whether or not he is ready to be a first choice CB in the prem remains to be seen. McShane back in the prem would be hilarious, if you think getting turned inside out and shipping multiple goals a game is funny I suppose.

I don't think Gunter is good enough either despite his improved performances of late.Think we'd need an experienced, technically sound defensive midfielder but I'd be happy with Kelly and Swift to offer creativity. McCleary would probably be decent enough for a low end premier league team, and while one day I think Meite would, it's still early days and we haven't seen enough of him to make a true evaluation.

Tbh this team would need a fair amount of additions to avoid relegation IF and it is a big IF we get there, anyone that says otherwise is a little bit deluded imo.

Has anyone been more deluded than you this season? Do you keep those blinkers on right through the summer or let some light in for July


Of course avoiding relegation would represent a good season following promotion but using the fact an even younger Moore couldn't get a game in a team that was on it's way to being Premiership Champions as some sort of proof that he couldn't play at that level now just beggars belief.

Apart from the top 6 or 7, our top flight consists almost entirely of teams like ours who have had a few quid spent on them after they got a their hands on some TV money. If half the team isn't good enough it wouldn't have been good enough to get there.

I don't know what team you've been watching this season but, trust me, if we miss out in the play offs, it will be a miracle if we hang on to the likes of Moore. Meanwhile, back on planet Earth, rumours persist about Al Habsi attracting Prem attention.

[CountryRoyal]

On that basis, perhaps we should just order a large skip for 30th May and off load all of last seasons squad should it have the temerity to win the play off final

Reading fans never cease to amaze me :roll

So, 35 year old Al Habsi, last season's player of the season with very strong claims to retain his award would not be fit to start at a level where he played for many years?

Moore and McShane are as good a pairing as this club has ever had and listing the former as any sort of "possible" is simply laughable when it won't be a case of whether Moore makes in the Prem but merely who with. Surely it's obvious that the same will apply also to both Swift and Kelly. I would recommend anyone unsympathetic to this view getting on their knees and praying that these hugely talented young players make their inevitable progression to the top flight with us rather than being forced to move on like Long and Sigurdsson because we failed to match their success.

Whereas 35 is no age for a keeper these days it's somewhat different for a striker and, given that Kermogant has already announced his retirement date, surely the place to start would be to buy the very best striker we could afford/attract to the club who could make the very best of the undoubted creativity with in the current squad.

I, too, have concerns about the defensive capabilities at full back but strongly suspect this would be resolved by playing 3 at the back.

However, I would disagree that Obita has not improved defensively but wing back is his strongest suite. Having said that, I would have no problem with the likes of Trippier but can't see him coming here however bored he gets playing 2nd fiddle to Walker.

Get the blinkers off fella. We have done very well with this squad but it would get torn apart in the prem. Al-Habsi for all of his good saves is still a liability with the ball at his feet, and for a team that wants to play the way we do that kind of has to be important. Against better teams in the prem where the team gets put under more pressure he would be found out more so.

Liam Moore is our best and most important player yes and potentially one day could prove to be a useful premier league centre back, but there was a reason why he wasn't getting much time at Leicester and against Man U in the cup he was at fault for most of the goals. Whether or not he is ready to be a first choice CB in the prem remains to be seen. McShane back in the prem would be hilarious, if you think getting turned inside out and shipping multiple goals a game is funny I suppose.

I don't think Gunter is good enough either despite his improved performances of late.Think we'd need an experienced, technically sound defensive midfielder but I'd be happy with Kelly and Swift to offer creativity. McCleary would probably be decent enough for a low end premier league team, and while one day I think Meite would, it's still early days and we haven't seen enough of him to make a true evaluation.

Tbh this team would need a fair amount of additions to avoid relegation IF and it is a big IF we get there, anyone that says otherwise is a little bit deluded imo.

Has anyone been more deluded than you this season? Do you keep those blinkers on right through the summer or let some light in for July


Of course avoiding relegation would represent a good season following promotion but using the fact an even younger Moore couldn't get a game in a team that was on it's way to being Premiership Champions as some sort of proof that he couldn't play at that level now just beggars belief.

Apart from the top 6 or 7, our top flight consists almost entirely of teams like ours who have had a few quid spent on them after they got a their hands on some TV money. If half the team isn't good enough it wouldn't have been good enough to get there.

I don't know what team you've been watching this season but, trust me, if we miss out in the play offs, it will be a miracle if we hang on to the likes of Moore. Meanwhile, back on planet Earth, rumours persist about Al Habsi attracting Prem attention.

So much wrong with this I'm not even going to bother.

[muirinho]

Harsh on Obita. Rarely lets us down and his been the best player in a couple of games I've seen.

He's played 150 or so games for Reading. Three times as many senior appearances as Tyler Blackett. And to me, he hasn't improved this season - so I think he has less capacity to improve - i.e., mid Championship is his level. Not letting us down in the Championship isn't the same thing as being capable of making the step up to the PL,

I could be wrong - about him, and about everybody else. But that's where I was coming from.

Hang on. Obita is currently playing pretty well for a team 3rd in the Championship.
And you think mid Championship is his level ?
No idea what form of logic is at play there....

You have noticed that he is actually second choice Left Back, in a team 3rd in the Championship, right? If all of the defenders are fit, he doesn't play.

[NewCorkSeth]

We have a fair spine to the team (AAH, Moore, Williams, McCleary, Kermorgant) with the only real areas to be improved on being MC and ST (Tough areas to buy well for)
And, imo, we have a superb supporting cast! (McShane, Ilori, Blackett, Obita, Evans, JVDB, Swift, Kelly, Beerens)
With our third tier players added in (Watson, Harriott) I think we need to focus only on improving the aforementioned places in the team.

A strong CM (one could argue Evans may well fill that role) and a Striker and we're good to go.

Unrealistically speaking we need a new RB and a new Winger.

[Sutekh]

Personally I think some definitive owners would be a start

[SCIAG]

I can't help comparing this side to the team that got promoted and relegated under McDermott. I think this side is a little weaker (which is why it's in the playoffs rather than challenging for the title), but Stam is better equipped to make us competitive in the Premier League. When McDermott set us up like Stam (4-5-1/4-3-3, control the game, defend well) then we had a really good run and would probably have stayed up if we'd had Stephen Kelly, Alex Pearce and Danny Guthrie available all season. The likes of Gunter and Gorkss weren't good enough and we needed tactical flexibility. We've got enough midfielders to play three in midfield, but we've only really got one striker and he has 3 goals in 31 games at that level...

Quite a few of our players are Premier League rejects or failed with us last time around. Gunter, McShane, Moore, McCleary, Kermogant. Williams and Beerens in the Bundesliga. Maybe they'll do better in the right system but there's no guarantee. I'm particularly nervous about Gunter and McShane. I like Gunter in the Championship but he plainly wasn't up to it in the Premier League. He may have improved but I'd be much more comfortable if we signed a better defensive full back in the mould of Stephen Kelly. McShane reminds me of Kaspars Gorkss: experienced centre back doing very well for us, but has never properly made it in the Premier League. He also struggles to play the passing game, which is only going to be more important if we go up.

The only player I'm 100% confident about is Al-Habsi. If there wasn't uncertainty about the others then they wouldn't be playing for Reading.

At a minimum, we need a full back on each side, two strikers, and a centre back, but we could upgrade everywhere.

If we want to stay comfortably clear of relegation, then I'd like to see this team:
Al-Habsi; new, new, Moore, new; Evans, Kelly, Swift; McCleary, new, new
Subs: Jaakola, Blackett, Gunter, Joey, Beerens, Kermorgant, new striker
Williams, McShane, Obita, and one of Popa/Harriot/Meite to play roles throughout the season.

[Nameless]

He's played 150 or so games for Reading. Three times as many senior appearances as Tyler Blackett. And to me, he hasn't improved this season - so I think he has less capacity to improve - i.e., mid Championship is his level. Not letting us down in the Championship isn't the same thing as being capable of making the step up to the PL,

I could be wrong - about him, and about everybody else. But that's where I was coming from.

Hang on. Obita is currently playing pretty well for a team 3rd in the Championship.
And you think mid Championship is his level ?
No idea what form of logic is at play there....

You have noticed that he is actually second choice Left Back, in a team 3rd in the Championship, right? If all of the defenders are fit, he doesn't play.

He's made 28 appearances this season.
For a playoff chasing side.
He's played pretty well when he's played.
Still hard to see how that makes him a midtable player.
Whether he would cut it in the Prem is a different question. Plenty of ok Championship players have turned out to be ok in the Prem too.

[Ian Royal]

I think we'd need alot. Whilst the side and style is obviously totally different to McDermott's, there is a similar reliance on taking a high proportion of chances from a low overall number.

That simply doesn't work in the PL if you are one of the worst teams, rather than one of the best.

Our possession dominance will be eroded and our not infrequent mistakes will be punished more often.

To succeed in the Prem you have to be able to take the game to the opposition and have a solid defensive base. I see both the current, and McDermott's, style as quite passive and reactive. McDermott spoiled and tried to win games from fast turnovers. Stam frustrates patiently waiting for an opening. Coppell's side by contrast were marauding, taking the game to the oppo from the off.

[bcubed]

Hang on. Obita is currently playing pretty well for a team 3rd in the Championship.
And you think mid Championship is his level ?
No idea what form of logic is at play there....

You have noticed that he is actually second choice Left Back, in a team 3rd in the Championship, right? If all of the defenders are fit, he doesn't play.

He's made 28 appearances this season.
For a playoff chasing side.
He's played pretty well when he's played.
Still hard to see how that makes him a midtable player.
Whether he would cut it in the Prem is a different question. Plenty of ok Championship players have turned out to be ok in the Prem too.

yep
Obita is looking good
Would keep hold of him for definite

[bcubed]

+1 Green, although I'd go for Courage, out of respect for the heritage of the site.

Hang on, does Courage still exist

https://pubology.wordpress.com/2008/12/19/the-pub-chain-courage/

Should be Simonds really. Whatever happened to them?

Can we also have a biscuit factory?!