Welcome back Brian!

[RG7Fan]

Every manager says that.

Not sure I ever heard McD say it, but could be wrong. Although "we move on" might have been said a couple of times ...

Pretty sure I did.

You might be right, but Adkins trooped it out as often as most people go for a piss ...

[genome]

"The attitude and application of the players has been first class"

[Jude the Obscure]

I like Brian. He's the only manager we've had who has a sense of humour and we all need that sometimes, rain or shine.

[RoyallyFcuked]

I don't believe that BM was first on their list, I'm guessing the 'sack culture' and the terms of what is prob a 'results based' contract will be off putting for others in the mix, hence the delayed appointment. I think this league is harder now than it was a few years ago and whilst this may be a savvy appointment in terms of uniting the club and getting bums on seats (revenue) it's still lack lustre for me.

Have to agree, if people were underwhelmed at Clarke's appointment then you can certainly feel the same about McDermott's return. I said that if it happened it could be a step back and now that it has I stick by that. Well they do say you should never go back.

Ok so we probably couldn't have got Pearson because of what happened between him and his board at Leicester (Thai owners like ours) plus would he have even wanted to come here? But still I can't help but think we could have got someone better, and there's plenty I would have taken a chance on over McD to be honest, Jovankovic for example? Even Bergkamp, which would have been a risk but sometimes you have to take a chance on those new managers.

It just looks like we've gone for the easiest and softest option without really thinking it through. Are we really going to progress under McD? Based on what we saw before it seems unlikely. His style of football, will it suit the squad of players we've got now? No, I wouldn't have thought so. Only a handful of players still here from when he was last at the club and just one (HRK) that was part of the first team during the last promotion campaign. Mind you it's lucky that McAnuff and Leigertwood aren't still here because if they were McD would start them every game.

I'm not knocking what he did before, he did an amazing job, he got us to the play off final which we lost and followed it up by taking us up as champions with what was a pretty average team. He did bring us some great times but if you remember rightly we weren't actually fun and exciting to watch most of the time, and got even less so towards the end.

I guess its good that he knows the club very well but things are quite different now. He has a better squad this time that is more than capable of promotion, so on paper it should be easier for him to get us promoted. But we know it doesn't work like that, I think he is a fairly limited manager as we saw in the Premier League season, which means even if he did take us back up its unlikely we would stay there under him. In fairness though, we didn't improve the squad anywhere near enough and he was only partly to blame for that.

If he can get the players to play for him, and if he can install some of that confidence, belief and never say die attitude then he has a chance. For now if he can just show us how to win games again I'll be happy. I just hope he has some new ideas and although I'm doubtful about the whole situation at the moment, I'm not writing him off yet.

[RoyallyFcuked]

Oh yeah, can't see how any of us would think that the 7-5 v Arsenal was anything other than embarassing.

It was a great game for a neutral, or an Arsenal fan, not a Reading fan.

[Hampshire Royal]

Yeah, that was Brian's fault. Imagine letting us go 4-0 up against one of the best footballing sides in Europe. The twit!!

Great game for an Arsenal fan?? Did you see how many of them got up to leave after our fourth went in?

I've seen us play Arsenal four times. 1-2 in the cup in 1972, I think. The 0-4 home defeat, when they just gave us a footballing lesson; The 7-5 game, which is one of the most exciting games I've ever seen; and the FAC SF. All of them were good games which i feel privileged to have seen.

[Ian Royal]

Not sure I ever heard McD say it, but could be wrong. Although "we move on" might have been said a couple of times ...

Pretty sure I did.

You might be right, but Adkins trooped it out as often as most people go for a piss ...

Almost all managers in repeatedly trotting out cliches shocker.

[RG7Fan]

Oh yeah, can't see how any of us would think that the 7-5 v Arsenal was anything other than embarassing.

It was a great game for a neutral, or an Arsenal fan, not a Reading fan.

And youre saying it wasnt a good game of football? Our squad was probably worth about 1/10 of theirs - we came within 30 seconds of winning 4-3, the ref played on ...

That was a great night of football - yeah we lost so not the best result. We put 4 past them in normal time and another in extra time. If you dont see that as exciting in a season where we we massively underfunded compared witb the competition , then I'm very surprised ...

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Yeah, that was Brian's fault. Imagine letting us go 4-0 up against one of the best footballing sides in Europe. The twit!!

.

Having 6 players up for a corner in first half injury time when winning 4-0 and leaving a pacey England forward free on the half way line wasn't very clever

[Longhorn1970]

And the football people at the club are ? ... SC apptm't was forward thinking, but this is clutching at straws ! BM may be more personable (not sure what advantage that is) but when we're scrapping for points I don't think that will count for anything ...

[Ian Royal]

And the football people at the club are ? ... SC apptm't was forward thinking, but this is clutching at straws ! BM may be more personable (not sure what advantage that is) but when we're scrapping for points I don't think that will count for anything ...

It worked when he took over from Rodgers. Mourinho's just demonstrated what happens when no one likes you.

I don't see how Clarke's appointment was forward thinking. He was just a big name who'd never proven he was any good. And has now proven he is crap.

[Longhorn1970]

As I said clutching at straws ... You really don't know football if you think SC is a big name, a respected coach yes ... With no £££ available he did a good job, would he still be here if Al Habsi had collected a simple header ? Look around at non-football owners they have no patience and want instant success for little investment ! If BM pulls it off fair play but the league is much harder now than it was then ..

[Silver Fox]

Oh yeah, can't see how any of us would think that the 7-5 v Arsenal was anything other than embarassing.

It was a great game for a neutral, or an Arsenal fan, not a Reading fan.

Embarrassing? It was a football match

[Ian Royal]

As I said clutching at straws ... You really don't know football if you think SC is a big name, a respected coach yes ... With no £££ available he did a good job, would he still be here if Al Habsi had collected a simple header ? Look around at non-football owners they have no patience and want instant success for little investment ! If BM pulls it off fair play but the league is much harder now than it was then ..

Someone with PL experience who'd coached at Chelsea? Yes, for a medium Championship club that's a big name. Certainly his name was the only thing he had.

Good job? No £££s?

He brought in at least 11 new players in the summer. Most of them good quality from good clubs, if loanees. Most of his spending was done before selling Hector too. As for good job? Sorry, I expect a manager to do better than a one 7 game good run in 11 months and a higher win rate than 36% Bar that run, we were very poor for almost his entire tenure. We have a talented squad and he got sod all out of them.

[Pseud O'Nym]

Win percentages

Brian McDermott 46.05%
Nigel Adkins 36.25%
Steve Clarke 35.85%

So by the only objective parameter available Brian has been a great deal more successful for us than Clarke. Even Adkins did better, keeping in mind that Clarke's results were all at a lower level.

[CountryRoyal]

Win percentages

Brian McDermott 46.05%
Nigel Adkins 36.25%
Steve Clarke 35.85%

So by the only objective parameter available Brian has been a great deal more successful for us than Clarke. Even Adkins did better, keeping in mind that Clarke's results were all at a lower level.

And with a better squad.

[Lower West]

I don't see how Clarke's appointment was forward thinking. He was just a big name who'd never proven he was any good. And has now proven he is crap.

Clarke obviously though that Fulham were a bigger club. Best to keep in perspective just how far Reading have come. Yet still are not known as a big club. Once we regularly fill an expanded Madstad with a 30k plus attendance every week. Then we can start thinking of ourselves as an established "bigger" club.

[RoyallyFcuked]

Yeah, that was Brian's fault. Imagine letting us go 4-0 up against one of the best footballing sides in Europe. The twit!!

Pffft. Funnily enough I was more concerned with the fact that we were 4-0 up and somehow managed to throw it away, and if that wasn't the fault of Brian's and the players, then who's fault was it? No matter what teams are involved or what level of football it is, you should never throw away a 4-0 lead. Just what on earth did he say the them at the break I wonder?

Although I actually called it was going to happen when they scored to make it 4-1 just before half time, could just sense it somehow.

Best sides in Europe? Arsenal didn't exactly have their best team out did they? Apart from Koscielny and Walcott they had a reserve team out. Fcuking Chamakh scored 2 against us for fcuk sake

It was the worst capitulation I've ever seen and it was awful. End of.

[Longhorn1970]

He said 'we want 10!' Tactically naive ...

Yeah, that was Brian's fault. Imagine letting us go 4-0 up against one of the best footballing sides in Europe. The twit!!

Pffft. Funnily enough I was more concerned with the fact that we were 4-0 up and somehow managed to throw it away, and if that wasn't the fault of Brian's and the players, then who's fault was it? No matter what teams are involved or what level of football it is, you should never throw away a 4-0 lead. Just what on earth did he say the them at the break I wonder?

Although I actually called it was going to happen when they scored to make it 4-1 just before half time, could just sense it somehow.

Best sides in Europe? Arsenal didn't exactly have their best team out did they? Apart from Koscielny and Walcott they had a reserve team out. Fcuking Chamakh scored 2 against us for fcuk sake

It was the worst capitulation I've ever seen and it was awful. End of.

[Longhorn1970]

Let's not forget BM's other faux pars at Leeds, the 6-0 thrashing by Sheff Wednesday and getting turned over 0-2 by Div 2 Rochdale in FA Cup ....