Brian: The right decision?

[Cobi]

The legend that is Brian McDermott returns on Wednesday!

The tag legend gets used far too easily these days. He did very well for us, and over-achieved to get us promoted against the odds, but contrary to some belief, he achieved it with the 3rd or 4th highest wage budget in the league, so more than had enough backing from SJM and then Anton.

He returns desperately wanting to take three points off of us and get one over us. He got plenty of support from us when he was here, no need to show any tomorrow, certainly not from me. After the game, fine. Before, no.

[sandman]

He had nothing to do with the wages Hammond negotiates them and the Manager has to identify players that fit in with the transfer budget, a budget which was limited.
Wages are not up to the manager and if Hammond is paying players over the odds then that is his question to answer.

[finchroyal]

They like him http://youtu.be/O9k-XWs7Cik

[Vision]

The legend that is Brian McDermott returns on Wednesday!

The tag legend gets used far too easily these days. He did very well for us, and over-achieved to get us promoted against the odds, but contrary to some belief, he achieved it with the 3rd or 4th highest wage budget in the league, so more than had enough backing from SJM and then Anton.

And in order to maintain that competitive wage structure he was forced to accept the selling of his best players to finance it, thus making the job of "building a side" that much more difficult. It's been like that at Reading for some time and unfortunately it's the type of compromise that clubs have to make unless they have a mega rich benefactor or don't give a shit about the issues and consequences of over spending.

Adkins is finding the same issues now. Our wage bill is highly competitive but our transfer fee spend isn't. Equally he's further hampered by being saddled with the likes of Pog clogging up a huge chunk of the wage budget whom he neither needs nor wants.

Reading is a great job for a manager despite what the whiners and whingers might say but it takes a certain type of manager to make a go of the job. Someone like Redknapp wouldn't last 5 minutes whereas McD certainly knew how to have success with our ethos at this level at any rate. It's far too early to tell whether Adkins can or not but it's going to be interesting (to me at least) to see if he can change our playing style, handle the board to get a squad who can play his way and also maintain a promotion campaign.

[Bandini]

It's pretty clear that Brian would have been able to get more out of this side than Adkins has managed.

[melonhead]

cant help but agree with that

mainly because he would have taken a pragmatic decision that it would be very difficult or impossible to immediately implement wholesale changes in such a short time period. rather than stick to the changes dogmatically ala rodgers/adkins

[Extended-Phenotype]

cant help but agree with that

mainly because he would have taken a pragmatic decision that it would be very difficult or impossible to immediately implement wholesale changes in such a short time period. rather than stick to the changes dogmatically ala rodgers/adkins

I guess Adkins thought he'd be given the signings he needed to implement his vision. Much like we did.

[kwik-silva]

The legend that is Brian McDermott returns on Wednesday!

The tag legend gets used far too easily these days. He did very well for us, and over-achieved to get us promoted against the odds, but contrary to some belief, he achieved it with the 3rd or 4th highest wage budget in the league, so more than had enough backing from SJM and then Anton.

He returns desperately wanting to take three points off of us and get one over us. He got plenty of support from us when he was here, no need to show any tomorrow, certainly not from me. After the game, fine. Before, no.

One of only two men to get Reading to the PL - legend, surely?

[Vision]

cant help but agree with that

mainly because he would have taken a pragmatic decision that it would be very difficult or impossible to immediately implement wholesale changes in such a short time period. rather than stick to the changes dogmatically ala rodgers/adkins

Except he never took more than 9 points from his opening 6 games in the 3 seasons he started as our manager and the year we went up at this stage we'd just lost 4 league games on the bounce. I'd suggest it generally took him a little time to work out exactly what was the best approach was towards promotion. I'd suggest giving a bit more time to implement his more long term changes before people start panicking.

9 points from 6 games isn't setting the world alight but it's as good a start as we've had in a good few years.

Also anyone suggesting McD is anything other than a Reading FC legend is way off beam.

[joeroyal]

Best decision ever to get rid of our Bri nice chap and all that but when your time is up and all that you have to go Simples.

[melonhead]

cant help but agree with that

mainly because he would have taken a pragmatic decision that it would be very difficult or impossible to immediately implement wholesale changes in such a short time period. rather than stick to the changes dogmatically ala rodgers/adkins

I guess Adkins thought he'd be given the signings he needed to implement his vision. Much like we did.

and much like NH and Anton did

[melonhead]

cant help but agree with that

mainly because he would have taken a pragmatic decision that it would be very difficult or impossible to immediately implement wholesale changes in such a short time period. rather than stick to the changes dogmatically ala rodgers/adkins

Except he never took more than 9 points from his opening 6 games in the 3 seasons he started as our manager and the year we went up at this stage we'd just lost 4 league games on the bounce. I'd suggest it generally took him a little time to work out exactly what was the best approach was towards promotion. I'd suggest giving a bit more time to implement his more long term changes before people start panicking.

9 points from 6 games isn't setting the world alight but it's as good a start as we've had in a good few years.

Also anyone suggesting McD is anything other than a Reading FC legend is way off beam.

yeah, cant help but agree with that 'n all

[Z175]

Took over a club deep in relegation trouble. Guiding us to 9th from 23rd, two FA cup quarter finals for first time in 90 odd years, one Wembley playoff final.....

Oh and he won us the football league.

All in under three years.

So with no recriminations as to his sacking for losing to Arsenal and failing to exploit the European transfer market versus our current strategy that has seen us triumph over Yeovi....

I'm sure he will be welcomed back as the legend he is. Perhaps the Brian created God banner can be dusted off...

[Magic Hat]

It's pretty clear that Brian would have been able to get more out of this side than Adkins has managed.

Good few bites.

[creative_username_1]

It's pretty clear that Brian would have been able to get more out of this side than Adkins has managed.

Good few bites.

farkin' hell i thought school was back in session

[andrew1957]

cant help but agree with that

mainly because he would have taken a pragmatic decision that it would be very difficult or impossible to immediately implement wholesale changes in such a short time period. rather than stick to the changes dogmatically ala rodgers/adkins

This is the nub of the issue. It is all about whether you have the stomach for change. I supported the Rodgers revolution but I think we would have had to have a season in league 1 to implement it. Neither the club or the fans had the stomach for that and so he was sacked after 21 games. Brian was pragmatic and worked with what he had, made us hard to beat and was hugely successful BUT that way of working was clearly not ever going to work at PL level and so Brian was sacked for not being Rodgers.

And so now we are back to trying to change again except that personally I just don't have the same confidence in NA that I had in Brendan Rodgers (who has now proved what a great manager he is).

I really fear that history will repeat itself and that Dolan will be manager before the end of the season and we will be back to the Reading way again!

[melonhead]

cant help but agree with that

mainly because he would have taken a pragmatic decision that it would be very difficult or impossible to immediately implement wholesale changes in such a short time period. rather than stick to the changes dogmatically ala rodgers/adkins

This is the nub of the issue. It is all about whether you have the stomach for change. I supported the Rodgers revolution but I think we would have had to have a season in league 1 to implement it. Neither the club or the fans had the stomach for that and so he was sacked after 21 games. Brian was pragmatic and worked with what he had, made us hard to beat and was hugely successful BUT that way of working was clearly not ever going to work at PL level and so Brian was sacked for not being Rodgers.

And so now we are back to trying to change again except that personally I just don't have the same confidence in NA that I had in Brendan Rodgers (who has now proved what a great manager he is).

I really fear that history will repeat itself and that Dolan will be manager before the end of the season and we will be back to the Reading way again!

im sorry. rodgers has done nothing of the sort.yet. though i hope he does. like him. reading man.etc
and here he went a long way to "proving" the opposite.
and i believe his experiences here where dogmatic sticking to his guns caused huge problems have probably contributed to him becoming a better manager at swansea and liverpool. plus swansea and liverpool were already set up in many ways to fit with his philosophy.


i like change. i hope we change. i hope we do not change too quickly to the extent that we are in danger of relegation due to a lack of pragmatism, like wot happened with rodgers.


and i also dont really like people dissing a way that took us higher than weve ever been before. about 8 times.
will it work at a higher level. possibly not. is it better to try and change things so we can prosper at that level. yes. but not so much that it means getting back there is less likely.

i also think its disingenuous to suggest brian and his "style" were "incapable" of keeping us up.
put gylfi and long in last years team, and id say we'd still be up there
which says to me, it wasnt so much brian, or his style that sent us down

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Took over a club deep in relegation trouble. Guiding us to 9th from 23rd, two FA cup quarter finals for first time in 90 odd years, one Wembley playoff final.....

Oh and he won us the football league.

All in under three years.

So with no recriminations as to his sacking for losing to Arsenal and failing to exploit the European transfer market versus our current strategy that has seen us triumph over Yeovi....

I'm sure he will be welcomed back as the legend he is. Perhaps the Brian created God banner can be dusted off...

Another miss fit in Readings history who stumbled on a bit of luck

Are you a oxf*rd idiot?

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Best decision ever to get rid of our Bri nice chap and all that but when your time is up and all that you have to go Simples.

It's a shame that the man who has replaced him has no idea what he is doing.

[joeroyal]

Took over a club deep in relegation trouble. Guiding us to 9th from 23rd, two FA cup quarter finals for first time in 90 odd years, one Wembley playoff final.....

Oh and he won us the football league.

All in under three years.

So with no recriminations as to his sacking for losing to Arsenal and failing to exploit the European transfer market versus our current strategy that has seen us triumph over Yeovi....

I'm sure he will be welcomed back as the legend he is. Perhaps the Brian created God banner can be dusted off...

Another miss fit in Readings history who stumbled on a bit of luck

Are you a oxf*rd idiot?

No Boss just saying it the way it is