Coppells a waste of space

[Platypuss]

Not sure it can't be learned...but his record certainly suggests it's not his preferred way of doing it. In any event, as I think you'd agree, we're much better off seeing how he can a second time do than trying someone else.

Absolutely.

[Alan Partridge]

Not sure it can't be learned...but his record certainly suggests it's not his preferred way of doing it. In any event, as I think you'd agree, we're much better off seeing how he can a second time do than trying someone else.

Who knows?

I went along yesterday, quite impressive to see the numbers who turned up, my personal view totally echo's what floyd says. If Coppell stays partly due to what happened yesterday and not for his own reasons then I'm not sure it's best for RFC. If Coppell is motivated, WANTS to be here and wants to attempt to get Reading back up, and does make the quite clear changes required then of course I'd prefer him to stay, if he's not totally sure he wants to be here then it's best he goes.

[Ups and Downs]

I hope he stays but i don't think anyone could argue that he seemed to have well and truly lost a good proportion of the dressing room last season. Will all these ructions be put aside next year? Lita is exactly the sort of player we need in the CCC and i'm just hoping we hold onto him and he gets a chance.

I also think that if he does say alot of people are going to be disappointed when he doesn't come out with some barnstorming "We gonna give it our best shot to bounce straight back" speech.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Having been relegated a number of times already, and having a history of not being able (or maybe willing) to evolve the very good sides he's put together in the past and a poor record of buying 'big money/big name" players you have to wonder if he can take us any further than he already has.

His record of building effective teams on a low budget is fantastic. Is that really what we need?

I love the way he acts with such dignity most of the time. I think he still talks a lot of spin and gargbage at times but he's lot more trustworthy and honest than 99% of managers out there and I'm glad he's spent the last 5 years giving us a team to be proud of. I'm just not convinced that his time is up or that he can do any more for us than he already has.

[Platypuss]

But that is not Coppells style, he wants young hungry players who play for each other.

Quite. But while that approach is great when the players have the time to develop and the squad to knit together, it doesn't work so well when that time isn't necessarily available. In the Prem you have to marry that approach with a few quality "off the shelf" purchases who can hit the ground running - and in that regard we failed wholesale.

The Palace thread is well worth reading in that regard.

[papereyes]

There's more sense on this thread than the other, although the rally was heart-warming.

I fear that:

Coppell hasn't got it in him to want promotion next season as he had the first time round - he didn't enjoy the Premiership, the associated mess of that league clearly got to him.

That the fans, having gone down with a cheery smile (Its OK, we'll be straight back up again, back to our normal level etc), will turn nastier and nastier the further we are from the playoffs the later the season progresses. If we do well, fine. But I think expectations for next season may be unreasonably high.

I really do fear that the club could bimble along for a bit as we, the fans, seem to accept not-quite-good enough on so many levels.

The really disappointing thing about last season was that it was avoidable and the key issues did seem really obvious. If I've genuinely misread the situation, in terms of finances, fine, correct me. But he had chances to take control of the situation and didn't and if this is repeated next season, then I really do worry that its going to be a long, tough season and a lot less fun than some people are perceiving now.

The second point is what happens if we go straight back up. It wasn't the finances that scuppered us, by his own admission, he didn't make the decisions he should have made. If after the summer, it looks like he's making the same decisions and the squad is going the same way, is it in the fans interests to make this known? Or will a vocal minority be clueless, again?

I'm just worried that the club hasn't got the balls to learn and learn hard from this season. The relegation doesn't feel so bad as it is a lesson learned but, as the days passed and the fans seem to accept it as not being a failure (and that really surprises me - it is, we intended to stay up and we didn't), I do wonder how much the fans are going to learn from it as well.

At the heart of all this is that we need continuity now, rather than a quick change. If we are to go up, I think we need to hit the ground running and then build up from that. Changing manager will be a costly distraction.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Well said papereyes, agree with all of that.

[brendywendy]

i was not smiling on sunday, or monday
tuesday perked me up a fair bit

if he stays he knows there are big changes needed
if he doesnt feel up to that, he wont be staying
and fair play to the bloke

[rhroyal]

Coppell's made big changes when necessary before in the summer of 2005 if you remember, I like to think he can do it again. He signed players such as Lita, Oster, Gunnarrsson and Makin who were able to "Hit the ground running" as you put it, it wasn't a case of allowing young unknowns to build themselves. I just think that last season he was too loyal and made an error not doing that with Premiership players.

Also, the players who I just named would be happy to join Reading. The truth is, experienced Premiership players who can just go into the team and do a job were never going to put Reading high up in the pecking order. Players good enough to have helped us always had better options. (Scott Brown anyone?) Whoever we have as manager, that will be a problem if we ever go back up. I must say it's a error Coppell not meeting potential signings though (if Fae is to be believed). I imagine that can put players off.

[Kes]

Time to get the Special one in. Although I expect if he did take over the attendances will be even lower.

[Baines]

. He signed players such as Lita...able to "Hit the ground running"

[Platypuss]

Coppell's made big changes when necessary before in the summer of 2005 if you remember, I like to think he can do it again. He signed players such as Lita, Oster, Gunnarrsson and Makin who were able to "Hit the ground running" as you put it, it wasn't a case of allowing young unknowns to build themselves. .

I think you're strengthening my point, as it happens.

My whole point is that the "ready to wear" players needed for the Prem become more critical and cost serious money. Money that we either frittered or weren't prepared to pay.

[papereyes]

Coppell's made big changes when necessary before in the summer of 2005 if you remember, I like to think he can do it again. He signed players such as Lita, Oster, Gunnarrsson and Makin who were able to "Hit the ground running" as you put it, it wasn't a case of allowing young unknowns to build themselves. .

I think you're strengthening my point, as it happens.

My whole point is that the "ready to wear" players needed for the Prem become more critical and cost serious money. Money that we either frittered or weren't prepared to pay.

Three, even four record signings in Lita, Seol, Halford and Fae. Lita is the successful one and even he looked like being prepared to leave the club well before we'd got the most out of him.

Since January 2006, I don't think we have been anywhere nearly successful enough in our transfer dealings.

[Platypuss]

I'd have placed Lita in the "young and hungry with something to prove" camp rather than with the Osters, Makins and Gunnarssons of the world.

He certainly wasn't bought as the "finished article", regardless.

[Fezza]

Coppell's made big changes when necessary before in the summer of 2005 if you remember, I like to think he can do it again. He signed players such as Lita, Oster, Gunnarrsson and Makin who were able to "Hit the ground running" as you put it, it wasn't a case of allowing young unknowns to build themselves. I just think that last season he was too loyal and made an error not doing that with Premiership players.

Also, the players who I just named would be happy to join Reading. The truth is, experienced Premiership players who can just go into the team and do a job were never going to put Reading high up in the pecking order. Players good enough to have helped us always had better options. (Scott Brown anyone?) Whoever we have as manager, that will be a problem if we ever go back up. I must say it's a error Coppell not meeting potential signings though (if Fae is to be believed). I imagine that can put players off.

With the exception of Marek and Doobs SC's signings in the top flight just weren't good enough. Whilst there is cause to blame our transfer policy though the bigger problem has been the tactics and team selection this term, both of these are areas SC had previously excelled in, but for the past 9 months appears to have been slightly clueless about.

[rhroyal]

The thing is, we heard Coppell had over £10mill to spend in January and he chose not to spend it. However, we don't know who we could have attracted with our size and wage structure. I have every belief that Coppell was looking into signings in January, as he'd said he would all season before hand. However, it may well be that the only players he was able to attract would not have added much to our squad and would have not got into our first team. With the exception of Matejovsky and Seol for a while, that's been the case with all our Premiership signings. It's all very well saying we could have avoided relegation with a decent central midfielder, right winger and striker, but persuading them to join Reading is a different matter all together.

This is what Scott Brown said when he chose Celtic over us:

"If I had chosen Reading I would probably be fighting a relegation battle next season and then maybe disappearing into the Championship. In two years' time people would have been saying, 'Remember that lad Scott Brown - whatever happened to him?'"

I think he's a twat for saying that in public and putting us down, but I'm guessing lots of players who are linked with us are thinking exactly the same on the inside, and that has nothing to do with Coppell. Sir Steve is not to blame. Did you know Dean Whitehead also turned us down in 2006, when Sunderland were in the Championship. He said last summer that he thought he'd do better taking Sunderland back up. I also wouldn't be surprised if we'd got as far as speaking with John Mensah, but he probably thought the same.

[brendywendy]

With the exception of Marek and Doobs SC's signings in the top flight just weren't good enough. Whilst there is cause to blame our transfer policy though the bigger problem has been the tactics and team selection this term, both of these are areas SC had previously excelled in, but for the past 9 months appears to have been slightly clueless about.

i quite liked bikey and rosenior too

[Uke]

The only thing Coppell understimated was just how much players who had in the past benn loyal to him, and to whom he had also been loyal, would have their heads turned by Premiership cash and bling.

Four 'regular' players immediately spring to mind. Two of whom played in almost every game.

That is really all he got wrong.

[CMRoyal]

I think we have to remember that SC only has a year to run on his contract. I'd be amazed if he stayed beyond that, so given the optimistic scenario of an immediate return to the top flight (call me a plasic-spastic little-Readinger if you like, but I'd just settle for winning more than we lose next season) I think any conjecture about Premier League lessons learnt is completely moot in regard to SC. The biggest task for Madeski and Hammond this season will be to line up SC's replacement, and whoever it is will require Premier League experience.

[Fezza]

With the exception of Marek and Doobs SC's signings in the top flight just weren't good enough. Whilst there is cause to blame our transfer policy though the bigger problem has been the tactics and team selection this term, both of these are areas SC had previously excelled in, but for the past 9 months appears to have been slightly clueless about.

i quite liked bikey and rosenior too

May have helped if he'd played them!!!