SC hasn't a clue.

[Royal Lady]

I'm surprised that any chairman who wants to see his club do well and who states publicly that we'll go all out to getting straight back in the Prem after relegation, would keep a manager on who transfer window in, transfer window out didn't spend a higher percentage of "all the money available" to his manager to get the best players possible to fulfill this statement. Just saying like.

[brendywendy]

only if his public statements actually reflect his real ambitions

[Royal Lady]

only if his public statements actually reflect his real ambitions

Well, exactly, Bendy. OR and bear with me for being a bit radical thinking here - what if he has been desperate to keep the manager because there are actually major constraints on the amount of money available and he knows plenty of other managers would bleat about it but he doesn't want the club to spend any more money than it currently has been and so puts his faith in poor old SC that he work another miracle with limited resources? It's not SC who hasn't a clue - it's the Chairman and board who talk the talk, but don't walk the walk imho. But now they've been found out, at least they will be after the play-offs wherever we end up. And I still say there are two or three players here who think they're destined for bigger things, they don't have any passion for this club, they just have one eye on who will snap them up and make them a premiership star next. I do hope they don't end up like Kitson, Little, Shorey, Sonko and Sidwell.

Meanwhile, a player we let go because we had no plans to let him break into the first team, gets sold for £200k and is rumoured to be going to a Championship level club for between £1.5 and £2 million. Yes, we'll get a sell on fee, but I hope he doesn't come back to bite us on the bottom when he becomes a high flyer and we continue faltering.

[Royalee]

I'm surprised that any chairman who wants to see his club do well and who states publicly that we'll go all out to getting straight back in the Prem after relegation, would keep a manager on who transfer window in, transfer window out didn't spend a higher percentage of "all the money available" to his manager to get the best players possible to fulfill this statement. Just saying like.

Why? He trusts Coppell to deliver success and is open about the fact that what he knows about football is limited, so would it make sense for him to tell the manager how to start spending all of his money?

[Royal Lady]

But it's been the same old story EVERY transfer window recently - I'm just surprised JM hasn't got fed up by now and got in someone who WANTS to spend all the money on offer to him.

[Royalee]

Madejski's doing what he always does and giving a manager time. Coppell's had his time now and will hopefully do the right thing and go at the end of the season.

[Woodcote Royal]

only if his public statements actually reflect his real ambitions

Well, exactly, Bendy. OR and bear with me for being a bit radical thinking here - what if he has been desperate to keep the manager because there are actually major constraints on the amount of money available and he knows plenty of other managers would bleat about it but he doesn't want the club to spend any more money than it currently has been and so puts his faith in poor old SC that he work another miracle with limited resources? It's not SC who hasn't a clue - it's the Chairman and board who talk the talk, but don't walk the walk imho. But now they've been found out, at least they will be after the play-offs wherever we end up. And I still say there are two or three players here who think they're destined for bigger things, they don't have any passion for this club, they just have one eye on who will snap them up and make them a premiership star next. I do hope they don't end up like Kitson, Little, Shorey, Sonko and Sidwell.

Meanwhile, a player we let go because we had no plans to let him break into the first team, gets sold for £200k and is rumoured to be going to a Championship level club for between £1.5 and £2 million. Yes, we'll get a sell on fee, but I hope he doesn't come back to bite us on the bottom when he becomes a high flyer and we continue faltering.

So, let's get this right.

Despite continual and consistent statements from both Chairman and manager that funds have always been available to the manager over at least the last 3 seasons, in Coppelland, where he walks on water and remains utterly blameless for one relegation and 3 new year collapses, both parties have been involved in an elaborate lie and, in fact, Steve Coppell has been continually starved of cash.

Nevermind that he spent £5m acquiring Halford and Fae or that both failed to deliver

Even more ludicrous is laying the blame for Simon Cox slipping through our net on the Chairman

Cox left because he knew Coppell wasn't giving him the chances he deserved and he has been proven right without a shadow of doubt.

And, guess what? He wasn't the first and won't be the last unless someone gets Steve Coppell out of the door ASAP. Instrumental in the goal we conceded to Sheff U was a guy called Henderson..............remember him?

Players such as Pearce, Kelly, Karacan and Henry have all been developed or acquired through an very expensive academy system and, given the near absence of any of it's former players featuring in our first team since the days of Lovell, Williams and Taylor, any tight fisted Chairman would have binned it years ago.

Any tight fisted Chairman would be entitled ask why he's forking out for the now largely immobile Glen Little whilst Henry has been at Millwall for months.

Any tight fisted Chairman would be entitled to ask why it took injuries to all of Harper, Gunnarsson and Cisse for Karacan to get another game, having performed as well as anyone in our central midfield when given the chance.

I couldn't agree more that there have been regular first team players over the last 2 seasons who, at the very least, have not been made to fight for their places as much as they should but, once again, it simply beggars belief that this, apparently, is the fault of the Chairman.

The reason that managers like Ferguson can stay in their jobs for decades is that they are able to break up old teams and create new ones..................Fergie is now, roughly speaking, on his fifth team at Old Trafford.

It is Steve Coppell's inability to do this that has led to far too many relegations on his CV and this is now costing us very dearly indeed.

The fact that we have not signed the players we should have done; that young players are starting to slip away and under performing first teamers keep their places for far too long, has everything to do with our managers inability to move on and little to with the frugality of our long suffering Chairman.

[Mr Angry]

So, let's get this right.

Despite continual and consistent statements from both Chairman and manager that funds have always been available to the manager over at least the last 3 seasons, in Coppelland, where he walks on water and remains utterly blameless for one relegation and 3 new year collapses, both parties have been involved in an elaborate lie and, in fact, Steve Coppell has been continually starved of cash.

Nevermind that he spent £5m acquiring Halford and Fae or that both failed to deliver

Even more ludicrous is laying the blame for Simon Cox slipping through our net on the Chairman

Cox left because he knew Coppell wasn't giving him the chances he deserved and he has been proven right without a shadow of doubt.

And, guess what? He wasn't the first and won't be the last unless someone gets Steve Coppell out of the door ASAP. Instrumental in the goal we conceded to Sheff U was a guy called Henderson..............remember him?

Players such as Pearce, Kelly, Karacan and Henry have all been developed or acquired through an very expensive academy system and, given the near absence of any of it's former players featuring in our first team since the days of Lovell, Williams and Taylor, any tight fisted Chairman would have binned it years ago.

Any tight fisted Chairman would be entitled ask why he's forking out for the now largely immobile Glen Little whilst Henry has been at Millwall for months.

Any tight fisted Chairman would be entitled to ask why it took injuries to all of Harper, Gunnarsson and Cisse for Karacan to get another game, having performed as well as anyone in our central midfield when given the chance.

I couldn't agree more that there have been regular first team players over the last 2 seasons who, at the very least, have not been made to fight for their places as much as they should but, once again, it simply beggars belief that this, apparently, is the fault of the Chairman.

The reason that managers like Ferguson can stay in their jobs for decades is that they are able to break up old teams and create new ones..................Fergie is now, roughly speaking, on his fifth team at Old Trafford.

It is Steve Coppell's inability to do this that has led to far too many relegations on his CV and this is now costing us very dearly indeed.

The fact that we have not signed the players we should have done; that young players are starting to slip away and under performing first teamers keep their places for far too long, has everything to do with our managers inability to move on and little to with the frugality of our long suffering Chairman.

A genuinely insightful post Woodcote; found myself agreeing with almost all of it.

I think that Sir Mad's "meanness" is an RFC urban myth; the worrying thing about 2009 from a fan's perspective is that this has happened before under Coppell.

I have huge respect for everything Coppell has done for RFC but I, like most people, strongly suspect that regardless of which division we are going to be playing in next season, he won't be our Manager.

I just hope that after the final game of the season, whether its against Brum, in the play off semi or at Wembley, the RFC fans give the most succesful manager in our history the fantastic farewell that he deserves.

[brendywendy]

i agree with woodcote

[Royal Lady]

Just to point out - I didn't say that Cox going was the Chairman's fault - I just added his scenario into the mix.

[higher]

Too many chairmen IMHO: