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

[Maneki Neko]

This season needs to end quickly and McD needs to go. We have not moved forwards at all since his arrival and I can't see that situation changing if he remains in charge.

Hark at chicken licken over here

[Ian Royal]

I was concerned when Brian came back that we'd revert to 4-4-2 with two spoilers in midfield and focus entirely on wing play and percentage channel balls for Vydra to chase.

He hasn't done this. He's embraced the midfield's more able technical ability and recognised we don't really have flying traditional wingers or a tough nut to boss upfront.

He's done a lot to make us better defensively - always the first step for a new manager to a team that's struggling. That usually hurts goalscoring in the short term

Now it's about finding the right balance to improve the attack without becoming open at the back again.

We're not losing many. That's good. Let's not forget that we lost 4 in 4 before he arrived and we've lost 4 in 10 in the league since. Half in his first 4 matches.

The draws are keepingvus ticking over and ahead of the relegation battle. If we can convert a few to wins we're fine. And it's fine margins.

Hopefully he persists with the style we're currently seeing next year, just with the recipie finished and some confidence in the side.

Because if he can, and he gets us promoted, this is a system that could be competitive in the PL.

[Longhorn1970]

Shame Clarke didn't. 1 win in 8 with a previously well performing squad that's all yours speaks for itself.

And we've improved how ?

You've been told a dozen times already.

Not heard anything to convince me & I don't consider languishing in the bottom half improvement. Mcshane's comments sum it up perfectly and he won't be the only one wondering what the hell is going on ..

[Nameless]

McShane's comments only sum your opinion up perfectly if you utterly misrepresent them . which seeing as you deleted your original interpretation of them I would guess you are aware of.

[No Fixed Abode]

Shame Clarke didn't. 1 win in 8 with a previously well performing squad that's all yours speaks for itself.

You're speaking as though Clarke wouldn't have turned that poor run of form around. Of course it's all conjecture but the slide down the table has certainly continued under Brian. 7th place and 1 point outside the play-offs when Clarke was in charge to 15th place and 14 (fourteen) points outside the the play-offs.

And when McShane says its like playing Russian roulette at the moment suggests the team don't really know what they're doing.

[MR. CYNICAL]

Even League only form for the last 6 W1 D3 L2 isn't as desperate as some are making out. League form in total is W2 D3 L4, which given the complete collapse in form from some period that encompasses the Fulham swing and Clarke looking at their job, isn't dire. It's not great, but its *enough*.

Whatever happened with Clarke happened. It had deep and long term effects on the morale of the club and that's what we're suffering from and sorting through at the moment.

I don't really get the "league only" thing - it seems an easy way out for people to have a dig at the side. You can't just disregard the cup games... two of them were against a Championship side no less.

Rubbish! We have only negotiated 2 rounds, a replay against a team down to 10 men after they had gone 2-0 up and a home win against a league 1 side.

[Snowball136]

The side was in total free-fall when Steve Clarke left

1-1 Rotherham Away (a team who at the time were dire)
2-4 Fulham Away (A game where we were 2-0 up, then seemed to implode, a very bad morale-hurting defeat)
1-1 Brighton Home "An OK result"
2-2 Huddersfield Home
0-2 Cardiff Away
==================
??????
==================
1-3 Forest Away
0-1 QPR Home (Terrible error by Al-Habsi which must have hurt morale even more)
0-1 Preston Away
1-2 Hull Away (True we scored a great goal, but we lost again)

6 Defeats and 3 Draws

Yes, I'm aware I left out the home win against a terrible Bolton side.
Of course it matters in the stats W1 D3 L6 10-18 but 6 points from 10 games
is a 27-28 point season. (or 3 from 9 = a 15 point season)

I was as shocked as the next man. How could a side get to second place and then disintegrate so completely?

Other than beating a bad Bolton side, the only half-decent result is the 1-1 with Brighton.

When we got to second I wonder if we were in a false position because Blackman had an out-of-character purple patch and we hadn't been "sussed" by opposition managers?

==============================

I have always argued we should ignore a new manager's first few games, as it takes time to work out what is wrong, where the strengths and weaknesses are. That, for some dumb reason is frowned upon.

So be it.

We were lucky to win our first under Brian. Williams "wonder goal: was, IMO (the stupid shot, not the surprise goal) symptomatic of some of the wrongness.

Williams should never have taken on the shot, not when he could easily put an in-form striker through on goal.

Because he scores "all is forgiven" but he would have been slated had he shot over the bar. It was a stupid, pointless, selfish, anti-team shot.

But nevertheless Brian started with a win (one I would ignore.) Any single game can be counter to the trend, but had that shot gone over and we'd drawn 0-0 (or lost 1-0) it would have been a continuation of the trend established by Clarke. For me it's a false result.

We were better at Wolves, had enough chances to win, but lost again. Then lost again v Brentford, shipping two. It's only about now (after these) that you can genuinely start saying "this is down to the new manager" and even that is a bit thin. So we won 1-0 against a lowly Bristol (Blackman in the 94th minute)... Can you not see how easily Brian's first 4 could easily have been 0-0, 0-1, 1-2, 0-0?

Now he has a chance to get to grip with the team.

2-2 Huddersfield Away
1-1 Derby Away
==============
0-1 MK Dons Away (Dumb. We weren't great but we should have at least taken a draw)
==============
5-2 Huddersfield Home
1-1 Wednesday Home
4-0 Walsall Home
1-2 Ipswich Away (Where we should have shut up shop taken 1-1)
0-0 Wolves Home
0-0 Burnley Home (This is an excellent result against a top side, in form)

Take our last 6 games W2 D3 L1 11-5
Take our last 9 games W2 D5 L2 14-9

If you can't see losing two in 9 as improvement you're mental.

Meanwhile we ship out Blackman (GREAT business) offload the disruptive Sa (solid) bring in a top youngster (Norwood's replacement, maybe?) and excellent-looking Latvian striker, and an old head with Championship-winning experience (who will take six games to reach maximum sharpness).

IMO the future is quite bright. McD has got Vydra playing better, HRK playing better, Al Habsi playing better. (Williams?)

We just need to tune the improving defence and weak attack.
Keep the goals-against column nice and low and just pick up a few more goals,
not LOADS, just a few so the draws become wins, the 1-goal defeats,draws.

Plus we are giving experience to Cooper who will be a stalwart next season (or earn us 4-5 Million)

[Coppelled_Streets]

This season needs to end quickly and McD needs to go. We have not moved forwards at all since his arrival and I can't see that situation changing if he remains in charge.

Waits for sandman to take on a moderator about his beloved Brian McDermott.

[CountryRoyal]

I think McD could have or perhaps should have gotten more out of the squad thus far, such is the quality in it.

The players are weak mentally and most of them need to go. Sacking McDermott at the end of the season would be extremely short sighted, not least because I doubt we could attract anyone better as the club currently stands.

[Top Flight]

We're actually very lucky to have a manager of McDermott's track record and quality.

He is a good manager and we're fortunate to have him.

[RoyalJames101]

I think McD could have or perhaps should have gotten more out of the squad thus far, such is the quality in it.

The players are weak mentally and most of them need to go. Sacking McDermott at the end of the season would be extremely short sighted, not least because I doubt we could attract anyone better as the club currently stands.

Not a personal dig as I've seen many people say this but I don't get this argument at all. What quality?

Gunter, Norwood, Williams, McCleary, HRK & Obita are all set to finish in the bottom half of the table for a second year running. John and Piazon are massively over hyped because the play for Benfica/Chelsea. Fernandez is apparently the best player in the squad purely because he tweets about the club a lot.

No one in the squad, bar Vydra and Kermorgant have actually achieved anything in their career to be define them as 'quality'.

[Top Flight]

I think McD could have or perhaps should have gotten more out of the squad thus far, such is the quality in it.

The players are weak mentally and most of them need to go. Sacking McDermott at the end of the season would be extremely short sighted, not least because I doubt we could attract anyone better as the club currently stands.

Not a personal dig as I've seen many people say this but I don't get this argument at all. What quality?

Gunter, Norwood, Williams, McCleary, HRK & Obita are all set to finish in the bottom half of the table for a second year running. John and Piazon are massively over hyped because the play for Benfica/Chelsea. Fernandez is apparently the best player in the squad purely because he tweets about the club a lot.

No one in the squad, bar Vydra and Kermorgant have actually achieved anything in their career to be define them as 'quality'.

I have to agree with you Royal James. Our squad just does not possess the quality that people seem to think.

Maybe we do have good players. But so do so many teams in the Championship. We have a good striker in Vydra but Sheffield Wednesday have Hooper. Boro have Rhodes. Derby have Martin. Huddersfield have Wells. There are good players all over the Championship. Go through our team one by one and you can probably find 10 Championship players in each position who is better than our boys.

[Hoop Blah]

We're actually very lucky to have a manager of McDermott's track record and quality.

He is a good manager and we're fortunate to have him.

McDermott has had limited success and achieved all of his success with, largely, a bunch of players who he knew inside out from his time at the club and many of whom had a great relationship with him because of that history.

Unfortunately there isn't a lot of evidence to suggest he can recreate that with another group of players that he doesn't share that history with.

I hope he does, obviously, but he hasn't got this great managerial record some seem to suggest.

[Hoop Blah]

Not a personal dig as I've seen many people say this but I don't get this argument at all. What quality?

Gunter, Norwood, Williams, McCleary, HRK & Obita are all set to finish in the bottom half of the table for a second year running. John and Piazon are massively over hyped because the play for Benfica/Chelsea. Fernandez is apparently the best player in the squad purely because he tweets about the club a lot.

No one in the squad, bar Vydra and Kermorgant have actually achieved anything in their career to be define them as 'quality'.

I have to agree with you Royal James. Our squad just does not possess the quality that people seem to think.

Maybe we do have good players. But so do so many teams in the Championship. We have a good striker in Vydra but Sheffield Wednesday have Hooper. Boro have Rhodes. Derby have Martin. Huddersfield have Wells. There are good players all over the Championship. Go through our team one by one and you can probably find 10 Championship players in each position who is better than our boys.

Our individual players are more than good enough for this level. They are the outstanding squad that some portray them to be no, but they are a squad with a decent amount of relative quality.

Do those players make a well balanced squad? That I'm not sure about to be honest.

Have our squad been well managed to get the most from them over the last couple of seasons? No, it seems pretty clear that isn't the case.

Why is that is the big question. Is it just poor management or is it a wider issue at the club that's holding us back?

[RoyalJames101]

Not a personal dig as I've seen many people say this but I don't get this argument at all. What quality?

Gunter, Norwood, Williams, McCleary, HRK & Obita are all set to finish in the bottom half of the table for a second year running. John and Piazon are massively over hyped because the play for Benfica/Chelsea. Fernandez is apparently the best player in the squad purely because he tweets about the club a lot.

No one in the squad, bar Vydra and Kermorgant have actually achieved anything in their career to be define them as 'quality'.

I have to agree with you Royal James. Our squad just does not possess the quality that people seem to think.

Maybe we do have good players. But so do so many teams in the Championship. We have a good striker in Vydra but Sheffield Wednesday have Hooper. Boro have Rhodes. Derby have Martin. Huddersfield have Wells. There are good players all over the Championship. Go through our team one by one and you can probably find 10 Championship players in each position who is better than our boys.

Our individual players are more than good enough for this level. They are the outstanding squad that some portray them to be no, but they are a squad with a decent amount of relative quality.

Do those players make a well balanced squad? That I'm not sure about to be honest.

Have our squad been well managed to get the most from them over the last couple of seasons? No, it seems pretty clear that isn't the case.

Why is that is the big question. Is it just poor management or is it a wider issue at the club that's holding us back?

I honestly think that its just down to the players not being good enough. 2 managers have tried and failed to do anything of any significance with them.

For example, people bang on about how good McCleary, Williams and Norwood are but other than McCleary's hand full of games with us, these players have never played in sides towards the top of the Championship, let alone the Premier League.

[Dr_Hfuhruhurr]

This season needs to end quickly and McD needs to go. We have not moved forwards at all since his arrival and I can't see that situation changing if he remains in charge.

Hark at chicken licken over here

There are 15, yes FIFTEEN games to go.

McDermott has to stay for them.
I can see it going two ways
a) We pick 5 games to win, and see the rest of the season out, go on holiday and hope the closed season sorts us out
b) We play out the rest of the season, looking for as many wins as possible.

if its (a) then McDermott should leave closed season. This season isnt just about learning a new formation - its also about getting out of the losing habit. We've been in this rut for three years now - these next 15 games are a good opportunity to try and win some games, and get back some semblance of a winning mentality.

[Hoop Blah]

To pick you up on just that example James, McCleary played a lot of games for Forest during his spell there and they finished in the play offs twice in 4 years during that time. He also won their player of the year the season before we signed him (admittedly they didn't have their best season that year).

Take Andrew Taylor as another example. He's played in both an FA Cup Semi-Final and a League Cup Final and played pretty much every game when Cardiff won the Championship in 12/13.

[Maneki Neko]

Not a personal dig as I've seen many people say this but I don't get this argument at all. What quality?

Gunter, Norwood, Williams, McCleary, HRK & Obita are all set to finish in the bottom half of the table for a second year running. John and Piazon are massively over hyped because the play for Benfica/Chelsea. Fernandez is apparently the best player in the squad purely because he tweets about the club a lot.

No one in the squad, bar Vydra and Kermorgant have actually achieved anything in their career to be define them as 'quality'.

I have to agree with you Royal James. Our squad just does not possess the quality that people seem to think.

Maybe we do have good players. But so do so many teams in the Championship. We have a good striker in Vydra but Sheffield Wednesday have Hooper. Boro have Rhodes. Derby have Martin. Huddersfield have Wells. There are good players all over the Championship. Go through our team one by one and you can probably find 10 Championship players in each position who is better than our boys.

Our individual players are more than good enough for this level. They are the outstanding squad that some portray them to be no, but they are a squad with a decent amount of relative quality.

Do those players make a well balanced squad? That I'm not sure about to be honest.

Have our squad been well managed to get the most from them over the last couple of seasons? No, it seems pretty clear that isn't the case.

Why is that is the big question. Is it just poor management or is it a wider issue at the club that's holding us back?

No strikers. No defensive midfielders. No full back cover. Too many loans, too many running contract down, selling our 2 leading goal scorers, and a team full of mentally weak, physically weak, and totally inconsistent no.10s and wingers.

About covers it

[Hoop Blah]

No strikers. No defensive midfielders. No full back cover. Too many loans, too many running contract down, selling our 2 leading goal scorers, and a team full of mentally weak, physically weak, and totally inconsistent no.10s and wingers.

About covers it

Vydra, Rakels, Kermorgant, Cox - not too bad as we're effectively playing 1 up front.
Norwood, Quinn, Tshibola, Fernadez & Williams can all play in the deeper roles in the system we're playing. They were good enough when we looked so good back in September. We've also just bought another defensive midfielder in Evans too.

Inconsistent and mentally weak may well be true. The contract situation with too many players and the uncertainty around the club are, IMO, probably pretty big factors and are more a symptom of the bigger issue that seems to be hovering over the club. They're something the manager needs to handle with players (a difficult task) and it isn't evidence that the squad doesn't have enough quality within it, more the opposite if you ask me.

[Top Flight]

We're actually very lucky to have a manager of McDermott's track record and quality.

He is a good manager and we're fortunate to have him.

McDermott has had limited success and achieved all of his success with, largely, a bunch of players who he knew inside out from his time at the club and many of whom had a great relationship with him because of that history.

Unfortunately there isn't a lot of evidence to suggest he can recreate that with another group of players that he doesn't share that history with.

I hope he does, obviously, but he hasn't got this great managerial record some seem to suggest.

There are limits to everything Hoop Blah. Perhaps the limits to the great success that McDermott achieved, were the limits imposed on him by the budget that he had available, the players that he could attract to the club and the limits of the people around him such as Hammond, his coaching staff and the board of directors. The manager is one part of the success equation. But he has achieved a higher percentage of wins than any one other than Pardew and a higher league position than anyone other than Coppell. Considering Reading Football Club have been playing football since 1871 those are phenomenal achievements from McDermott.

In terms of asking for evidence that he can recreate his success with another group of players that he doesn't share history with. Stop being ridiculous. Your criteria for choosing a manager is just silly.