The Final Countdown

[Arnie_Pie]

Thanks for two great years Steve during your reign, it's a shame you didn't have the foresight or energy to fully fulfil the potential that was there in the end but enjoy your upcoming break and you'll be welcome as a guest when a better manager with more drive and energy and willingness to question oneself's ideas comes in this summer and succeeds where you have ultimately failed.

8 games left and counting...

Coppell is one of the shrewdest and best managers out there. He did not win the PMA League Manager of the year award twice since he has been with us for nothing ffs!

If you actually think about it, we have been punching well above our weight for some time now. With our club being run, at least financially, very well, who on earth could have done more with the budget he has been given?

The simple and one that is the truth is nobody.

Get over your delusions of grandeur, we have been spoilt over the last few years and that is purely down to one man, that being the Legend that is Steve Coppell.

Please explain to me what's shrewd about failing to strengthen your squad when it's underperforming and failing to learn from mistakes year on year? People like you need to get over the fact that the club's no longer 'Little Old Reading', we have the base and resources at our disposal to establish ourselves in the Premiership. And for the last time, Coppell's ALWAYS said he has money required to strengthen but underlined his desire to CHOOSE not to strengthen.

All of that aside, he picks the wrong team week in, week out and neglects the stronger players in our squad, particularly if youth is on their side and is fundamentally scared of change.

1. Money? As far as I know Coppell does not own the cheque book.

2. He picks the best team available to him. It is easy to sit here outside of the training sessions etc and moan about the choices but all you see are what happens on match day. My only slight concern is his loyalty to certain players, but this is a minor gripe.

3. As far as being able to 'establish ourselves in the Premiership', this will not happen unless we get major financial backing which we do not.

Now do not think for one second that this annoys me as it does, but get realistic. I have seen us in the shit and have been to Elm Park so know what it was like before, but we are a long way from being 'Premiership'.

Our backing and fanbase are Championship. This is the stark reality.

Like you posted in reply to someone else that if they wanted to support a team with no ambition to go support Aldershot, I would say to you, if you want it, go and support someone else.

[AthleticoSpizz]

I have watched Aldershot, and even Reading Town when I come all over "horse hair shirt and the lash"

The more you post, the more I get the feeling that you are very young Lee

I think that you are missing the point of this "football thing" and the loyalty and pride that it sometimes brings....a manager such as the clueless Steve doesn't come around our way too often


If you really want the billy bollox big time, try queuing up for OT/The M's/ or Stamford



Enjoy the game Friday

[Royalee]

I have watched Aldershot, and even Reading Town when I come all over "horse hair shirt and the lash"

The more you post, the more I get the feeling that you are very young Lee

I think that you are missing the point of this "football thing" and the loyalty and pride that it sometimes brings....a manager such as the clueless Steve doesn't come around our way too often


If you really want the billy bollox big time, try queuing up for OT/The M's/ or Stamford



Enjoy the game Friday

Oh believe me, I say the loyalty and pride thing and have always supported my local team, I just feel cheated in that the club is at a crossroads right now in its development and we have a ditherer at the helm who talked us and our prospects down and killed the excitement and ambitions of the club as soon as we reached the promised land of the Premier League. I'd much rather have someone new come in, even if it means a season or two in the Championship - I can take that, who is ambitious and will strive to build a team the area can be proud of, not a team of hangers on seemingly doing its utmost to throw away promotion week in, week out when its rivals are offering it on a plate.

[Schards#2]

I have watched Aldershot, and even Reading Town when I come all over "horse hair shirt and the lash"

The more you post, the more I get the feeling that you are very young Lee

I think that you are missing the point of this "football thing" and the loyalty and pride that it sometimes brings....a manager such as the clueless Steve doesn't come around our way too often


If you really want the billy bollox big time, try queuing up for OT/The M's/ or Stamford



Enjoy the game Friday

Oh believe me, I say the loyalty and pride thing and have always supported my local team, I just feel cheated in that the club is at a crossroads right now in its development and we have a ditherer at the helm who talked us and our prospects down and killed the excitement and ambitions of the club as soon as we reached the promised land of the Premier League. I'd much rather have someone new come in, even if it means a season or two in the Championship - I can take that, who is ambitious and will strive to build a team the area can be proud of, not a team of hangers on seemingly doing its utmost to throw away promotion week in, week out when its rivals are offering it on a plate.

Charlton have had a couple of seasons in the Championship post relegation. They are about to leave it.

[Rex]

This season or two in the championship could last longer than that. We have prem aspirations that is all.

[SHORT AND CURLY]

Ignore him.
Its the likes of Royal Lee that is the epitome of a Glory Hunter.
He throws his toys out of the pram, cause he cant see Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal week in week out.

[AthleticoSpizz]

your most rational post EVER Royalee SHOCK!

I respect that

Yes, its frustrating, but believe it or not, its not over yet.

What I would suggest is, that Sir Steve will probably quit regardless of our conclusion to the season....he is talking like a tired man right now.

And the team that he has been saddled with will be unable to compete in the Prem

[Upper West Ginger]

... and here I was expecting a thread bemoaning the loss of Carol Vorderman ...

[Royalee]

Ignore him.
Its the likes of Royal Lee that is the epitome of a Glory Hunter.
He throws his toys out of the pram, cause he cant see Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal week in week out.

Someone who's watched us down at Dorchester, Bury and Chesterfield to name a few doesn't really fit the model of glory hunter you mong.

[Royalee]

your most rational post EVER Royalee SHOCK!

I respect that

Yes, its frustrating, but believe it or not, its not over yet.

What I would suggest is, that Sir Steve will probably quit regardless of our conclusion to the season....he is talking like a tired man right now.

And the team that he has been saddled with will be unable to compete in the Prem

But he's saddled himself with it, which is the problem. I could quite happily take a new man coming in and changing a few things, giving youth a chance and taking time to sort things out - I don't see us in the sorts of problems Southampton and Charlton find themselves in as Madejski runs the club superbly even if he is hounded for it at times by our fans and made the scapegoat for Coppell's lack of bottle and ambition in the transfer market. Let's get one thing straight, the club itself has been run superbly off the pitch and we will still be in a superb position to go back up next season - it's just a shame the footballing side is not there to match and for that the blame lies firmly at the feet of the manager.

[Royalee]

I have watched Aldershot, and even Reading Town when I come all over "horse hair shirt and the lash"

The more you post, the more I get the feeling that you are very young Lee

I think that you are missing the point of this "football thing" and the loyalty and pride that it sometimes brings....a manager such as the clueless Steve doesn't come around our way too often


If you really want the billy bollox big time, try queuing up for OT/The M's/ or Stamford



Enjoy the game Friday

Oh believe me, I say the loyalty and pride thing and have always supported my local team, I just feel cheated in that the club is at a crossroads right now in its development and we have a ditherer at the helm who talked us and our prospects down and killed the excitement and ambitions of the club as soon as we reached the promised land of the Premier League. I'd much rather have someone new come in, even if it means a season or two in the Championship - I can take that, who is ambitious and will strive to build a team the area can be proud of, not a team of hangers on seemingly doing its utmost to throw away promotion week in, week out when its rivals are offering it on a plate.

Charlton have had a couple of seasons in the Championship post relegation. They are about to leave it.

Charlton don't have the facilities and infrastructure to stay in the Premiership long term, we do.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Ignore him.
Its the likes of Royal Lee that is the epitome of a Glory Hunter.
He throws his toys out of the pram, cause he cant see Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal week in week out.

Someone who's watched us down at Dorchester, Bury and Chesterfield to name a few doesn't really fit the model of glory hunter you mong.

snuck in "under the wire" with that retort Lee an hour and a half later

Funny thing is, if everybody who went to Bury on that cold wet Tuesday night were actually there, they would've had a gate of about 10k

Instead of the 2888 that they actually had.............a bit like the millions that "were there" at Robin Fridays wonder goal

I diversify

[Royalee]

1. Money? As far as I know Coppell does not own the cheque book.

2. He picks the best team available to him. It is easy to sit here outside of the training sessions etc and moan about the choices but all you see are what happens on match day. My only slight concern is his loyalty to certain players, but this is a minor gripe.

3. As far as being able to 'establish ourselves in the Premiership', this will not happen unless we get major financial backing which we do not.

Now do not think for one second that this annoys me as it does, but get realistic. I have seen us in the shit and have been to Elm Park so know what it was like before, but we are a long way from being 'Premiership'.

Our backing and fanbase are Championship. This is the stark reality.

Like you posted in reply to someone else that if they wanted to support a team with no ambition to go support Aldershot, I would say to you, if you want it, go and support someone else.

1. No, but he has gone on record as saying Madejski has never turned him down money to sign the players he wants. TBF the worst players Coppell has signed have been the most expensive in any case.

2. No he hasn't. The theory that a player should be picked purely on training and also that a player will somehow be amazing in a game and the worst player in training is a myth. The majority of fans could see today coming as soon as the team was announced if you read the posts and have been able to do so for most of the season, the most worrying thing is that Coppell seemingly cannot see what is right in front of him.

3. We've got the resources to establish ourselves in the Premiership, you're not having me believe that Bolton and Wigan and Blackburn dwarf our financial resources when they can't even fill their (similarly-sized to ours) grounds most weeks. Don't give me this 'remember we come from Elm Park' rubbish, we left there over a decade ago and the club now is a million miles apart from what it was then in terms of facilities and financial clout. I'm not saying we've got millions to burn, but sensible transfers consistently improving the squad will see us establish ourselves. As Madejski has said in the past, he'll do everything in his power to secure a buyer once that has happened for us to push on, which you have to respect the guy for.

[Royalee]

Ignore him.
Its the likes of Royal Lee that is the epitome of a Glory Hunter.
He throws his toys out of the pram, cause he cant see Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal week in week out.

Someone who's watched us down at Dorchester, Bury and Chesterfield to name a few doesn't really fit the model of glory hunter you mong.

snuck in "under the wire" with that retort Lee an hour and a half later

Funny thing is, if everybody who went to Bury on that cold wet Tuesday night were actually there, they would've had a gate of about 10k

Instead of the 2888 that they actually had.............a bit like the millions that "were there" at Robin Fridays wonder goal

I diversify

I apologise for having a life and not refreshing these forums 24/7, but anyway...

I couldn't really care less if you believe I was there or not, I don't pretend I was there in the days before McGhee or back in the terrible 70's or the Maxwell turmoil - I just stated I'd seen us when we were comparatively far worse off than we are now. Just because I've seen the club doing badly though, doesn't mean I want to pat everyone on the back every day because 'at least it could be worse' as that is the attitude of a loser.

[AthleticoSpizz]

I apologise for having a life [b](poor poor very poor)[/b] and not refreshing these forums 24/7, but anyway...

I couldn't really care less if you believe I was there or not, I don't pretend I was there in the days before McGhee or back in the terrible 70's or the Maxwell turmoil - I just stated I'd seen us when we were comparatively far worse off than we are now. Just because I've seen the club doing badly though, doesn't mean I want to pat everyone on the back every day because 'at least it could be worse' as that is the attitude of a loser.

Welcome back Lee

You had me worried for a nano-second

up the royals

[winchester_royal]

Royalee, despite often taking his ideas too far, does have some good points. Half-way through this season I was genuinely excited at the overall dynamic at the club, and the future prospects of the club. However I am gradually coming over to the viewpoint that any chance of progress is very much limited under the current management. As heroic as the triumvirate of Coppell, Dillon and Downes has been, they (IMHO) lack the subtlety, tactical knowledge, and flexibility to take us as far as we can possibly go.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Royalee, despite often taking his ideas too far, does have some good points. Half-way through this season I was genuinely excited at the overall dynamic at the club, and the future prospects of the club. However I am gradually coming over to the viewpoint that any chance of progress is very much limited under the current management. As heroic as the triumvirate of Coppell, Dillon and Downes has been, they (IMHO) lack the subtlety, tactical knowledge, and flexibility to take us as far as we can possibly go.

I disagree

however, who would have the "subtlety and tactical knowledge" in your perfect world?

[winchester_royal]

Royalee, despite often taking his ideas too far, does have some good points. Half-way through this season I was genuinely excited at the overall dynamic at the club, and the future prospects of the club. However I am gradually coming over to the viewpoint that any chance of progress is very much limited under the current management. As heroic as the triumvirate of Coppell, Dillon and Downes has been, they (IMHO) lack the subtlety, tactical knowledge, and flexibility to take us as far as we can possibly go.

I disagree

however, who would have the "subtlety and tactical knowledge" in your perfect world?

Let's be honest, Coppell is very, very reluctant to part from his rigid 4-4-2. As shown by his team selection today, he once again chose to go back to his favoured formation, relying on wing play and oxf*rd all creativity anywhere else in the team. To select Cisse and Harper over Marek was a worrying dispay of defensive tactics.

In response to your question, manager in the mould of Brendan Rodgers would be ideal.

[winchester_royal]

To select Cisse and Harper over Marek was a worrying dispay of defensive tactics.

Bullshit, it is completely rational to leave out the player most likely to gift the opposition the ball time and again, the player who can't tackle to save his life, and has a lower level of fitness than what is required in order to play regularly in this division.
I hope you enjoy your Matejovsky-waknfest, but he is a player who flatters to deceive, all hype and no end product.

I take it you weren't there today. The only time we looked even remotely like threatning the Cov goal was when Marek replaced Harper. I fully understand why some people have their doubts over Marek, but at least he flatters, rather than doing eff all like young James.

[winchester_royal]

Harper was never Batman, he was Robin. Batman left us and Robin couldn't do the job alone.
In short, what we need is a new Batman. And Cissé isn't him.

I agree, but whilst we are without a batman, playing Harper is rendered useless.