SC hasn't a clue.

[brendywendy]

im still blaming the tories

[Hoop Blah]

so in woodcote and royalee world(not a world i ever wish to visit)
has coppell somehow changed his management style and team set up and tactics after xmas in those three seasons?
no, he still does the same things, his attitude is the same, his motivational techniques dont suddenly change after the turkey either do they?!

That's probably part of the problem though!

Teams have to evolve and keep making little changes here and there to keep improving and to stop the opposition knowing what to expect. The year we went up we didn't need to do that too much because we had some enforced changes that freshened things up a bit and we had real quality better than the rest of the division. That, coupled with momentum and a couple of unknown players (always a benefit if they're making a positive impact) kept us ahead of the game.

Standing still is moving backwards in such a competitive sport. We've been standing still for 2 seasons.

[Woodcote Royal]

so in woodcote and royalee world(not a world i ever wish to visit)
has coppell somehow changed his management style and team set up and tactics after xmas in those three seasons?
no, he still does the same things, his attitude is the same, his motivational techniques dont suddenly change after the turkey either do they?!

Possibly they do, who knows.

However, back on planet earth, it's simply pathetic to blame the players in all three squads in order to defend the man who was in charge on all three occasions..................especially when the same man was responsible for signing most of the players and selecting all the teams

[brendywendy]

if thats planet earth i prefer it in laa laa land
im not defending coppell to you, its utterly pointless, as you are too far gone
but you talk like im some endless coppell apologist
ive slagged many of the decisions off this season, and last, ive said when i disagree with things hes said and done, and said where and what i would have done differently
the difference between me and you is that im well aware that my possible solutions to the problems arent guaranteed to just turn everything round, whereas you arent.


& the point is you blame coppell, because its all the same players after xmas as it was before
but you and i both know 100% for certain that copps hasnt changed a single thing about managing this team in that period, so i do question how you can be so sure the change in fortune is down to his methods

[Henleyensian]

so in woodcote and royalee world(not a world i ever wish to visit)
has coppell somehow changed his management style and team set up and tactics after xmas in those three seasons?
no, he still does the same things, his attitude is the same, his motivational techniques dont suddenly change after the turkey either do they?!

Possibly they do, who knows.

However, back on planet earth, it's simply pathetic to blame the players in all three squads in order to defend the man who was in charge on all three occasions..................especially when the same man was responsible for signing most of the players and selecting all the teams

Have none of you looked at the injury situation? To my mind, the trouble at present harks back to Ivar's injury. We miss him on the pitch, both for his calm play and his captaincy. On top of that, others are injured and it is expecting rather a lot for newcomers in the team to pick up the understanding that the established team, playing week after week, has.

It is simply pathertic to pick on any one or group of people because they are not doing what you would like, when to be honest, you have no idea what you would do - or do you play in the easy fantasy world of Football manager?

Let's support and not boo and give the team the confidence they deserve and need at the moment!

[Henleyensian]

so in woodcote and royalee world(not a world i ever wish to visit)
has coppell somehow changed his management style and team set up and tactics after xmas in those three seasons?
no, he still does the same things, his attitude is the same, his motivational techniques dont suddenly change after the turkey either do they?!

Possibly they do, who knows.

However, back on planet earth, it's simply pathetic to blame the players in all three squads in order to defend the man who was in charge on all three occasions..................especially when the same man was responsible for signing most of the players and selecting all the teams

Have none of you looked at the injury situation? To my mind, the trouble at present harks back to Ivar's injury. We miss him on the pitch, both for his calm play and his captaincy. On top of that, others are injured and it is expecting rather a lot for newcomers in the team to pick up the understanding that the established team, playing week after week, has.

It is simply pathertic to pick on any one or group of people because they are not doing what you would like, when to be honest, you have no idea what you would do - or do you play in the easy fantasy world of Football manager?

Let's support and not boo and give the team the confidence they deserve and need at the moment!

[brendywendy]

if somethings worth saying, its worth saying twice!

[Hoop Blah]

if thats planet earth i prefer it in laa laa land
im not defending coppell to you, its utterly pointless, as you are too far gone
but you talk like im some endless coppell apologist
ive slagged many of the decisions off this season, and last, ive said when i disagree with things hes said and done, and said where and what i would have done differently
the difference between me and you is that im well aware that my possible solutions to the problems arent guaranteed to just turn everything round, whereas you arent.


& the point is you blame coppell, because its all the same players after xmas as it was before
but you and i both know 100% for certain that copps hasnt changed a single thing about managing this team in that period, so i do question how you can be so sure the change in fortune is down to his methods

But he probably should've changed things.

He had two players in Hunt and, to a lesser extent Doyle, who it would appear saw their futures elsewhere in January. He had holes in the squad that needed to be addressed but he didn't do that sufficiently well.

These are the situations he needed to address and didn't. The same thing happened last season.

That's probably the source of a lot of fans frustrations.

[Hoop Blah]

Have none of you looked at the injury situation? To my mind, the trouble at present harks back to Ivar's injury.

The lack of imagination and ability to pass the ball and create chances through good play and the lack of goals go back a long way before Ivar was injured.

I agree we miss him, as we do Murty in similar ways, but the squad has to be strong enough to cover for any individual being unavailable or out of form.

[strap]

He is obviously an intelligent bloke. Most pundits rate him as a very canny / astute / clever manager.
So why then, for the third season during his reign at the Club have we seen a spectacular collapse in form during the second half of the season.
And why does nothing appear to be done. The answer: Steve Coppell does not know how or why the team were playing so well - therefore he has no clue what to do about them doing so badly. He does not know how to manageSoon after he leaves we'll find out what went wrong.

Seriously, what?

He has just notched up 1,000 games as a manager, and yet in your opinion he does not know how to manage? Sorry, who are you?

[Woodcote Royal]

if thats planet earth i prefer it in laa laa land
im not defending coppell to you, its utterly pointless, as you are too far gone
but you talk like im some endless coppell apologist
ive slagged many of the decisions off this season, and last, ive said when i disagree with things hes said and done, and said where and what i would have done differently
the difference between me and you is that im well aware that my possible solutions to the problems arent guaranteed to just turn everything round, whereas you arent.


& the point is you blame coppell, because its all the same players after xmas as it was before
but you and i both know 100% for certain that copps hasnt changed a single thing about managing this team in that period, so i do question how you can be so sure the change in fortune is down to his methods

I'm just responding to the points you've made here.

For whatever reason, Steve Coppell has presided over 3 new year meltdowns which is way beyond coincidence and, as manager he has to take responsibility.

Only in La la land would the manager fail to fall on his sword at the second instant let alone the third and, to be fair to the man, I believe he would have done so were it not for the car park crew.

[brendywendy]

it could as easily be kingsleys fault


and im really not sure that bringing in a new boss, losing half the squad and seeing us rebuild last summer would have seen us in the playoffs, let alone with a chance of automatic promotion up till april.

hence the carpark visit

[The 17 Bus]

Most clubs would have sacked the manager after the first new year meltdown, and where would that have left us??

[Schards#2]

The brainless oafs screaming for Coppell's head really should take a step back and think what this man has achieved and what he's been up against during his tenure as manager. He is managing a club that will not commit the sums of money that the majority of other Championship sides invest, let alone Premiership sides. Despite this,he put together a side on a shoe string that set a record number of points in winning the Championship and then went on to finish eighth in the Premiership.

From that point, he has watched the squad he built deplete as players leave for wages we won't pay and for transfer fees we won't turn down. These players have been gradually replaced on the cheap meaning that, not only has the Premiership revenue not been invested but we have not even spent the transfer fees received. In this climate, while all around us clubs are spending tens of millions, I do not see relegation as a disgraceful failure. Going forward to this season, the squad has depleted further and some who have stayed, clearly, do not have 100% of their heart in it and are looking for the exit. As for new players, our transfer policy and low wage structure mean we can only aim low and try and buy potential while other around us buy proven talent.

In this scenario, I doubt there is a single manager in the world who could have delivered uninterrupted success and to expect it, nay, demand is both arrogant and ignorant in the extreme.

Going forward, nothing's going to change on the money front, presumably some of the bigger players will go and we'll be back to trying to build a team on youth, and lower league/unknown foreigners. Can anyone name a manager with a track record of building a side that can get to and compete in the Premiership in these circumstances - I can only think of one in recent times.

I'd happily have Coppell again next season, but sadly, I doubt he will be staying. Whoever takes his place has some huge boots to fill and a near impossible task. He can also rest assured that some brain donors will be calling for his head if success is not immediate and sustained.

(reposted from an early thread that's dropped off, to save retyping broadly the same argument)

[brendywendy]

aaahhhhhhh sanity


shocking how much it stands out on here innit

[Woodcote Royal]

so in woodcote and royalee world(not a world i ever wish to visit)
has coppell somehow changed his management style and team set up and tactics after xmas in those three seasons?
no, he still does the same things, his attitude is the same, his motivational techniques dont suddenly change after the turkey either do they?!

Possibly they do, who knows.

However, back on planet earth, it's simply pathetic to blame the players in all three squads in order to defend the man who was in charge on all three occasions..................especially when the same man was responsible for signing most of the players and selecting all the teams

It is simply pathetic to pick on any one or group of people because they are not doing what you would like, when to be honest, you have no idea what you would do - or do you play in the easy fantasy world of Football manager?

I'm saying that the same manager has presided over almost identical collapses on three separate occasions and that it is simply pathetic to blame everyone but him when he is the common denominator.

I know exactly what I would do.......................replace Steve Coppell.

This doesn't mean that I under value Steve Coppell's great achievements but simply that it's time to move on.

If Alf Ramsay, having won the World Cup, ended up getting sacked, it really isn't heresy to suggest that, after 5 years, Steve Coppell has reached the end of the road at RFC.......................especially if we've reached the point where fans are offering things like Inigimarsson's injury, not to mention the wind at Blackpool, as solid evidence that this latest collapse was not his fault.

[Agent Balti]

The trouble is that the easiest thing to change within football since the dawn of time is to replace the manager....and it will happen. I can see no reason why SC would even want to stay on next season. He was talked out of going last year and saved only at the last minute by the car park collective. He knows, deep down, that this year whatever reason, its not been good enough. It wasn't good enough last year, not good enough this year. The guy will be exhausted and will need the rest he's craved for seasons. For that reason alone, I think he'll go.

Otherwise, I refuse to get all doe-eyed about achievements and that fcuking "oh but look how far we've come" sentimental shoite. With all that mentality no manager would ever get sacked ever and Graeme Murty will still be playing in a bloody wheelchair. We've truly blown what is a very average division. 4 wins out of 18 isn't it? And still we're in the play-offs? Whatever happened in December with the Hunt debacle or the careless introduction of Little and Kitson; the dressing room seems nothing like what it was. Is Coppell to blame for that? Who knows, but he NOW can't get the team to perform. The buck stops with him, nobody else. You can't sack the players (as much as we'd like to sack one or two of them.) But keeping Coppell on previous history is wearing very thin. A toothless relegation and a spineless attack on the division ache much more than the glory of what now seems a long, long time ago.

We have to move on...just like half the division seems to able to.

[Top Flight]

Steve Coppell is the most successful manager in the history of Reading Football Club.

[runrunrunrungilksey]

He is obviously an intelligent bloke. Most pundits rate him as a very canny / astute / clever manager.
So why then, for the third season during his reign at the Club have we seen a spectacular collapse in form during the second half of the season.
And why does nothing appear to be done. The answer: Steve Coppell does not know how or why the team were playing so well - therefore he has no clue what to do about them doing so badly. He does not know how to manage
Soon after he leaves we'll find out what went wrong.

Why don't you go and support Oxford you clown!

[Southbank Old Boy]

The brainless oafs screaming for Coppell's head really should take a step back and think what this man has achieved and what he's been up against during his tenure as manager. He is managing a club that will not commit the sums of money that the majority of other Championship sides invest, let alone Premiership sides.

I think we need to get used to mid table championship football at the very best until there is a sea change at this club.

Madejski - clearly, his heart is not in it to the extent it was previously. He would love to sell out but can't find a buyer. He will keep the club sound and stable but has no intention of investing further funds or trying to push the club forwards.

Coppell - if the spirit of the championship had survived, he would definately have been the right man for the job, but it hasn't. The chairman is not fully behind it anymore, many players have left to pursue their own self interest and many still here would like to leave. The golden team has long gone and we have to move on and build a new team. Coppell doesn't, IMHO, have the hunger to do this.

Whilst not being a member of the carpark squad, I applauded their actions as, at the time it was the right thing to do. Had we known that the spirit of the championship side was already totally dead, in hindsight, we should have let Coppell go and started afresh.

As for Madejski, there are some on here who would happily see us drift downwards whilst improving/maintaining our balance sheet in the belief that the rest of football will meltdown around us and we will emerge as one of the last men standing. They are rather like people who build nuclear bunkers in their back garden. Much as I admire and appreciete what Madejski has done, I don't see how the club can go forward with him at the helm and would now like to see someone new who wants to move things forward.

Can't see either leaving anytime soon so supporting Reading's going to be a whole lot duller and uninspiring than in recent years