Brian Tevreden

[Royal_jimmy]

This season has been a nightmare so far considering we were so close to promotion less than 5 months ago. I think Stam has to take a lot of blame and as an inexperienced manager he will make mistakes.

Stam may lose his job (I hope he doesn't) but I can't help but think that Tevreden has to take a lot of the blame too. He couldn't get us a decent forward and couldn't get us another full back. Yes injuries have been bad for us but we really should have got a bit more depth in the squad. With the striker situation, if Preston and Norwich were being dicks on selling their striker then why didn't we try and pursue other targets. There's plenty of good strikers in league one who could have made the step up. Billy Bodin at Bristol Rovers is a striker I think who'd be great at this level. He'd have only cost £2-3M too at a push. Too much arrogance from too many people at the club are costing us and I think Tevreden is as stubborn as Stam in going for targets who were unrealistic.

We signed way too many midfielders. Dave Edwards is a decent player and is probably a nice guy but we really didn't need him. Bacuna again is a talented player but he isn't suited to Danny Williams' role. All we needed was to replace who we lost with upgrades and sign a replacement for Yann and I think we'd be at least 5 points better off. Bacuna is not on the same level as Danny was, Mannone has done ok but he wasn't on Ali's level. This isn't to say that this is to blame as Kelly, Blackett and McCleary are out of form with the injuries but I hope Tevreden learns a lot from the last transfer window.

One more bad window and relegation to league one and I hope he gets sacked too.

[Oilroyal]

I don’t want anyone sacked, I’d prefer them to resign like gentlemen after failing to deliver on their contracted obligations. But no chance of that happening. Stam’s made a millionaire living from this game and will be picking up his pay-off and wont bat an eyelid in doing so. He doesn't give a rats arse about this club just a bit of self-pity that RFC isn't going to promote him to even bigger riches

[tmesis]

I have to agree. Our recruitment has been terrible. It's as if our transfer policy is to assume that if we sign enough midfielders, eventually we'll find some who'll do a good job when put together in the team.

And all the time we have been crying out for strikers, and some cover at the back.

[Lower West]

I have to agree. Our recruitment has been terrible. It's as if our transfer policy is to assume that if we sign enough midfielders, eventually we'll find some who'll do a good job when put together in the team.

Midfielders? Wide players more like. Beerans, Aluko, McCleary, Harrott, Popa, Barrow.

[Snowflake Royal]

I have to agree. Our recruitment has been terrible. It's as if our transfer policy is to assume that if we sign enough midfielders, eventually we'll find some who'll do a good job when put together in the team.

Midfielders? Wide players more like. Beerans, Aluko, McCleary, Harrott, Popa, Barrow.

McCleary hardly counts having been here for years, although you might argue you've missed Meite. Compare with Gravenberch, Wieser, Swift, Berg, Edwards and Bacuna. That's six midfielders and five or six wingers.

The really frustrating thing is in the same time we've bought one decent striker and one part-time fullback when we all know we've been short in those positions for ages. Plus we've let two promising wingers we home grew go. And two strikers.

[WAZZOCK]

Whilst I agree Tevreden has a lot to answer for, you have to include Gourlay in the blame for having such a poor window.

This bloke comes from a background of working with decent clubs, yet couldn't negotiate deals for a team in the second tier. Questions need to be answered there, particularly the failure to get Lewis Baler in on loan.

[Sutekh]

Doesnt the signing of players somewhat have to do with what the management want to do? If Stam doesnt think a player is good enough then the club wont sign them. I doubt very much that Tevreden just goes out and gets players without the agreement of the management team.

Even Hammond wouldnt have got a striker at the stupid prices being quoted and the players wanted were not for sale anyway according their clubs at the time.

And how can Gourlay be blamed for anything? He only arrived in July, doesnt hold the purse strings and if other clubs dont want to do business with Reading as a result that’s not his fault.

That said splaffing loads of money out for Aluko (and on an idiot length contract too) was inexcusable esp. as that money could have been used to make improved bids on more useful players.

[tmesis]

Even Hammond wouldnt have got a striker at the stupid prices being quoted and the players wanted were not for sale anyway according their clubs at the time.

Then look somewhere else.

If our scouting team can't do any better than identify players who did quite well in the championship last season, then why do we bother employing them?

[leon]

Doesnt the signing of players somewhat have to do with what the management want to do? If Stam doesnt think a player is good enough then the club wont sign them. I doubt very much that Tevreden just goes out and gets players without the agreement of the management team.

Even Hammond wouldnt have got a striker at the stupid prices being quoted and the players wanted were not for sale anyway according their clubs at the time.

And how can Gourlay be blamed for anything? He only arrived in July, doesnt hold the purse strings and if other clubs dont want to do business with Reading as a result that’s not his fault.

That said splaffing loads of money out for Aluko (and on an idiot length contract too) was inexcusable esp. as that money could have been used to make improved bids on more useful players.

There were posters who thought Hammond was a shit DoF. After all the great deals he did. Twats.

The man who even Neil Warnock grudgingly paid respect to saying he drove an utterly hard bargain and squeezed blood out of a stone (his words)

[strap]

There were posters who thought Hammond was a shit DoF. After all the great deals he did. Twats.

The man who even Neil Warnock grudgingly paid respect to saying he drove an utterly hard bargain and squeezed blood out of a stone (his words)

Yep, I own up to being one of them back in the day. What would we give for him back now?! Anyone have any insight into how he's doing at WBA? Still there?

Found this from the Chronic 15th Dec 2005 :

NICKY Hammond warmed up for his 10-year anniversary at Reading by revealing how close he came to joining Alan Pardew at West Ham United.
It is understood ex-Royals manager Pardew wanted to take Hammond with him to Upton Park a little over two years ago.
But Hammond, then in charge of Reading's Academy, decided to follow his own career path and was immediately rewarded with the top job as Royals' Director of Football.
Now aged 38, he is in charge of all transfers and is one of the youngest men in British football to hold down a Director of Football position.
But Hammond still remembers his Reading debut which came at Elm Park a decade ago tomorrow (Friday).
"It was a 1-1 draw with Sunderland at Elm Park and I thought I played okay," he recalled. "I just can't believe it's been 10 years.
"When Jimmy Quinn and Mick Gooding brought me to Reading in 1995 I thought it would be my last career move as a player and I always wanted to go into coaching.
"A back problem put me out for a considerable time. I came back and had a very good season under Terry Bullivant which was when my relationship with Alan Pardew started.
"Then Tommy Burns came and I went from first-choice keeper to third. He made no secret of the fact he thought I was too small even though I finished runner-up to Phil Parkinson as Player of the Year the season before.
"So I spent a lot of time in the reserves and I became close to Alan who was the manager at the time.
"Then when Alan was offered the job after Tommy had been sacked the first call he made was to me to see what state the squad was in."
That was the beginning of the strong bond that would form between the pair over the next three years before Pardew's acrimonious exit in October 2003.
"I worked closely with Alan on so many levels," explained Hammond. "I was put in charge of the Academy and we had three successful years on and off the pitch.
"Then Alan had his opportunity to go to West Ham. I think the board and chairman realised how close we were and they were loath to lose me at the same time.
"I needed to make a decision; do I get tied in with Alan or be part of developing the future of this club?
"But there was unfinished business at Reading and I didn't want to leave. I still thought there was a massive amount of potential to fulfil because we'd never been in the Premiership and I wanted to be involved in that."
A serious back injury limited Hammond to just 33 appearances for Reading in goal and 99 during his entire professional career at seven different clubs.
Yet if Reading make it to the Premiership it will be in no small part due to the role played by Hammond.
"Steve Coppell and I took a while to develop an under-standing and we have a very good working relationship now," he explained. "People think we tread on each other's toes but we don't.
"I don't get much press which is the nature of the job when things are going well. It's when there's problems people look for a power-struggle but it's simply not there."
And he stated: "There's half a season to go but I believe we can do it. I believe we can go up.
"However, everyone has to believe in it for us to see this through. The supporters have a major part to play."