How impressed are you with BMcD's return to the club?

[OLLIE KEARNS]

But now a massive 14 point gap to the Play-offs.

15 games under McDermott, only 4 losses m8, 2 losses in 12 games. Lost 6 out of last 10 before he came in, winning just 1 - surely even you must admit that's in improvement in form.

Sliding down the league table from 7th to 14th isn't an improvement. Must have drawn a lot of games....

Just a slight factual correction. We were 9th when Clarke was sacked after OPR and 13th when McDermott took charge for the Blackburn game. Post Charlton we'd won just one game in 10 against Bolton before McDermott took over and played just two top six sides in that period. No wonder alarm bells went off.
You could argue many things based on league positions then and now and each argument would have merit. However, based on what I see with my own eyes we now have a solid base from which to work as opposed to a side that was on the slide down the table with no obvious defensive fix.

[Maneki Neko]

Better that than losing them and sliding out of the automatic promotion spots under a snakey manager that wanted to jump ship at the first opportunity eh m8

It doesn't matter. Over 3 games, say. If you win 1 and lose 2 you get 3 points. If you draw all 3 you still get the same points. All we can go by is you were 7th under Clarke and 1 point off the play-offs. Now you're 14th and 14 points from the play-offs. .

defo better since brian took over though.

[andrew1957]

Brian took over at a difficult time and has done an amazing job with the defence. If we win Saturday his Championship record will be win 4 draw 4 lost 4 in his first dozen games and this despite selling our two top scorers in January.

And we have made the FA Cup QF.

Anyone who thinks this is not an improvement is deluded!

[genome]

Better that than losing them and sliding out of the automatic promotion spots under a snakey manager that wanted to jump ship at the first opportunity eh m8

It doesn't matter. Over 3 games, say. If you win 1 and lose 2 you get 3 points. If you draw all 3 you still get the same points. All we can go by is you were 7th under Clarke and 1 point off the play-offs. Now you're 14th and 14 points from the play-offs. .

Over three games... maybe, even that's debatable. But over 7 games - would you prefer to win one and lose 6 or draw 3 and lose 4?

It's a very narrow-minded and simplistic view you have there. Anyone can see results are better under McDermott and that he is trying to build something. But I understand you're probably just bored and trying to stir the pot.

[No Fixed Abode]

All we can go off is.

Reading averaged 1.5 points a game under Clarke
At present under McDermott they've averaged 1.27 points.

Improvement?

[genome]

But you're ignoring extenuating circumstances, Clarke tried to leave once results started to slip and made his position untenable. Do you believe if Clarke had stayed we would have done any better over the 15 McDermott games than we have, considering how sour the atmosphere around the club was?

We needed someone to come in and steady the ship, and looking at Brian's results, he's done more than that. He's sorted us out defensively, and stopped the losing run.

Try harder, Kes.

[No Fixed Abode]

Stats don't lie. Plus you're assuming Clarke wouldn't have turned it around.

[Maneki Neko]

Stats don't lie. Plus you're assuming Clarke wouldn't have turned it around.

But he wanted to leave...
How was he supposed to turn it round from West London?

[Winston Smith]

All we can go off is.

Reading averaged 1.5 points a game under Clarke
At present under McDermott they've averaged 1.27 points.

Improvement?

The moment you decide to be a sofa football supporter and follow football from the outside in then you are reliant on stats, scorelines and guesswork. Those that have decided to follow football by going to see their club have a far greater range of information available with which to formal8 views.

[genome]

Stats don't lie.

2 losses from the last 12 games under McDermott, winning five.

Lost 6 out of 7 before that.

And we won only once in Clarke's last 8 games. You're right, stats don't lie.

Plus you're assuming Clarke wouldn't have turned it around.

And you're assuming he would have done better than McDermott has? There is no evidence he would have.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Stats don't lie.

But you have to admit, unless you are trolling, that they don't paint the complete picture either.

Comparing points/league position over two different tenures of different lengths and times, doesn't factor in opposition nor current form.

Clarke's more recent form was bad. McDs more recent form is better. We look better defensively and are letting in less goals. We are playing better as a team. We have stopped folding once we go behind.

With a smarter eye beyond just stats, we look like we have improved.

Your more simple way of looking at it, fine for football beginners, isn't comprehensive enough for the rest of us - no offence.

[Ian Royal]

Why are you all still feeding Kes' obvious, one dimensional and not very good trolling?

[No Fixed Abode]

And you're assuming he would have done better than McDermott has? There is no evidence he would have.

Yeah. So the only thing we can go off is Clarke (at the moment) averaged more points per game than Brian. Everything else is hypothetical.

[Winston Smith]

Stats don't lie

The average human has less than 2 arms and 2 legs. Statistical fact. But only someone who struggles to grasp things beyond the basic would use it to describe an average person.

[No Fixed Abode]

Why are you all still feeding Kes' obvious, one dimensional and not very good trolling?

I don't think you know what trolling is m8! Having a different opinion backed up with stats isn't trolling.

You have a different opinion backed up with nothing other than your preference for Brian.

[genome]

What do you do all day, Kes?

[Longhorn1970]

Stats don't lie. Plus you're assuming Clarke wouldn't have turned it around.

But he wanted to leave...
How was he supposed to turn it round from West London?

The club agreed to the Fulham approach, Sir Steve didn't approach them. BM walked out on his contract at the gooners, there is no loyalty in football ...

[No Fixed Abode]

Stats don't lie.

But you have to admit, unless you are trolling, that they don't paint the complete picture either.

Comparing points/league position over two different tenures of different lengths and times, doesn't factor in opposition nor current form.

Clarke's more recent form was bad. McDs more recent form is better. We look better defensively and are letting in less goals. We are playing better as a team. We have stopped folding once we go behind.

With a smarter eye beyond just stats, we look like we have improved.

Your more simple way of looking at it, fine for football beginners, isn't comprehensive enough for the rest of us - no offence.

Smarter eye? Most Reading fans say it's a chore going to watch Reading (In the league at the moment) and 1 win in the last 6 league games and that was against lowly Rotherham.........You've had a mare ere m8!

[No Fixed Abode]

What do you do all day, Kes?

You know you've lost an argument when this response gets wheeled out.

[floyd__streete]

All we can go by is you were 7th under Clarke and 1 point off the play-offs. Now you're 14th and 14 points from the play-offs.

Stats are interesting when applied properly/logically (otherwise you become Snowball) but even then - at best - they only tell part of a story and are frankly useless without narrative. The narrative in this case is that apart from a purple patch in the autumn which was absolutely atypical of Clarke's miserable year in charge during which time we otherwise displayed relegation form, there was little or nothing good about his tenure and the dip in performances in the weeks leading up to his thoroughly merited departure suggested that all at the club had lost confidence in him. Added to that his keeness to distance himself from playing personnel he seemed keen to move on in the spring of 2015 as our form dipped below the mediocre standards set by his predecessor to then be given the chance to reshape the team as he desired with good backing by the owners, he then more than half-fancied a crack at the next job made available to him despite this backing. So not only were results largely poor he also forfeited the right to be trusted and respected. We now have a manager back with a track record and trusted and liked at this club and he should be afforded the time he was so reprehensibly denied back in the spring of 2013.