Jaap's Radio Comments

[WoodleyRoyal]

Personally I think this pantomime has all been orchestrated by Stam to take the pressure off the players for an abject performance/start to the season. Something Fergie used to do all the time. All the discussion has been diverted onto Stam now no one is talking about how shit the performance was. Clever.

[leon]

Well, here’s my two penn’orth.
Jaap has played at some of the very biggest franchises in world football, where the volume generated in the stadia has more to do with the fans demonstrating their loyalty to the brand rather that what’s actually happening on the grass. Reading isn’t one of those sort of clubs, and perhaps he hasn’t twigged that.
However
In 2005/6, ahead of the match at home to Sheff U I can recall Neil Warnock’s pre match comments saying what an intimidating place the Madstad had become. The nowadays much maligned “Blarmy” rattling around the stadium. I do sometimes wonder about the near snobbery concerning scarcely singing the old classics like “Caaam on you Royals”, to name but one.
Many on here dismiss our support, but, truth is, few clubs’ fans sing non-stop all game. The volume levels at Elm park varied, depending on the opposition, but always went up a fair few notches when Gilkesy got on the ball. That, in my view, is where part of the atmosphere problem lies. Barrow and Bacuna have the “Gilkes effect”, but without players like them in the team, it is difficult for any sort of football fan to get enthused by watching players exchanging passes across the back.
For me, the other part of the problem is the disconnect that has opened up in the last few years between the people in the stands and those on the grass and in the dug out.
I think that the club generally is found wanting in terms of personality and identity. We don’t have talismans like Parky on the pitch, who more than made up for his lack of technical ability with sheer commitment to his job, and his club: our club. People like Brynjar. The team as a whole going out together for a curry in Caversham. Coppell and MaccyD always gave the impression that they’d be happy to have a beer and a chat in the pub with us. Jaap gives the impression that he’s just building a CV here.
There always was, and always will be a minority of people who rant at players. Nothing new here. Football clubs and fans have a symbiotic relationship. As fans we have all learnt that we can’t win every week. Defeat is sometimes inevitable, however commitment is mandatory, and some construe a lack of urgency as a lack of commitment.

Interesting post. I think we give ourselves a hard time. As a fan base I think we're alright and usually keep things in perspective.

Stams been in football long enough to know a few boos is hardly the end of the world. He's played in Italy ffs!

It is a bit of storm in a teacup. I hope someone takes him to one side and suggests slagging off your fans isn't generally a good idea. Especially as our lot are hardly animals.

[Mr Optimist]

Five + years of disconnect with faceless and anonymous foreign owners doesn't help the soul of a club either but that's 21 century football for you, unless you are lucky to still have someone with deep pockets and a genuine passion for your club involved, but they are nearly an extinct breed.

[Tilehurstsouthbank]

Lot's of good stuff on here today, interwoven with some utter lunacy. I'm in the 'Never boo' camp, but people are entitled to, even if I and others deem it counterproductive.
I was baffled at the time by the Kelly/Illori substitution, but looking at it now, it did change the shape and give us a bit more going forward. We started getting more balls into the box and credit to Stam, when he saw no one was making the runs to get on the end of said crosses, he brought JDB on and we all know what happened next.

It wasn't a great performance and we've yet to really click as far as I'm concerned but it's still so early in the season.

As for Stam's comments to professional wind up merchant and all round posh twat Dim Tellor, these were ill advised, but we do have to back the team more. I have a feeling he will be more positive towards the fan base this week as I'm sure he'll look at what he said and know in hindsight it wasn't he best thing to say.

[Maneki Neko]

atmosphere has declined massively, and not just due to the style of football not lending itself to waves of loud noise
but if you spend years trying to make us a family club and discouraging swearing standing etc, that's what will happen.

[Maneki Neko]

booing is ridiculous, but people can do what they like
same goes for stam slagging off the crowd

[handbags_harris]

I didn't boo. I sat there relatively ambivalent at a desperately insipid showing but refused to boo because I wanted to see exactly what Stam was doing with the Ilori/Kelly substitution. 4-2-3-1 became 3-4-3, immediately more attacking with Gunter at RWB, with JDB coming on for Gunter with McCleary working his stuff in his more natural position. It worked in making us more of a threat, particularly with JDB on, we started to look more penetrative, and I'd imagine JS's frustration was borne out by the fact most supporters seemed to take his sub as a face value straight swap. Sometimes, despite sh*t showings, you need to look beyond the obvious to assess what is going on. New personnel not necessarily more attacking, but the formation was, and that is, I think, where Stam's frustration boils from.

Having said that, poor choice of words and phrases all round. All he needed to do was explain the change, educate people, and those people may have laid off him a bit. Instead he's fuelled a bit of a fire. He's a clever manager on the pitch with his formations and in-game tactical tinkering and has a variety of ideas that sometimes work, sometimes don't (that doesn't include how his players perform in a specific formation btw) but his responses to criticism are rather blunt edged so far. He needs to tone it down big time.

[Blakey's Chin]

I didn't boo, i cringed when i heard them, but i can understand them at the same time. I am struggling to understand what's going on, but at the same time i see this was very predictable. We excelled last season when expectations were low, and now that we've gone and signed Aluko + others, as well as reaching the Play Off Final last year, expectations have shot up. I would give Stam more time, as i think saturday was a massive kick up the arse for him. However if things don't improve, i still can't see him being sacked unless we're in the relegation zone. He's too friendly with Tevreden and Gourlay, it's almost like he has a lot more control than other managers at other clubs. I think it was a silly move criticising the crowd, although i partially agree with some of it. Our crowd are notoriously quiet, and impatient, but these performances aren't helping. However there are other ways of saying this; “the team need your support” etc. He’s approached this badly.

I’m very intrigued as to where this is going. It appears he’s on a tightrope with supporters, but not so much with the hierarchy. He still has time to turn things around, and put a bit of a run together, but it’s looking more and more unlikely.

The frustrating thing is that the league looks more open than it ever has done. Leeds look strong unfortunately, but I can’t see them running away with the league. We really could have been up there with form from last season taken into account, but it just hasn’t happened. I’m praying we can still have play off’s in sight, but that may disappear completely after the next couple of games.

[Esteban]

I didn't boo, i cringed when i heard them, but i can understand them at the same time. I am struggling to understand what's going on, but at the same time i see this was very predictable. We excelled last season when expectations were low, and now that we've gone and signed Aluko + others, as well as reaching the Play Off Final last year, expectations have shot up. I would give Stam more time, as i think saturday was a massive kick up the arse for him. However if things don't improve, i still can't see him being sacked unless we're in the relegation zone. He's too friendly with Tevreden and Gourlay, it's almost like he has a lot more control than other managers at other clubs. I think it was a silly move criticising the crowd, although i partially agree with some of it. Our crowd are notoriously quiet, and impatient, but these performances aren't helping. However there are other ways of saying this; “the team need your support” etc. He’s approached this badly.

I’m very intrigued as to where this is going. It appears he’s on a tightrope with supporters, but not so much with the hierarchy. He still has time to turn things around, and put a bit of a run together, but it’s looking more and more unlikely.

The frustrating thing is that the league looks more open than it ever has done. Leeds look strong unfortunately, but I can’t see them running away with the league. We really could have been up there with form from last season taken into account, but it just hasn’t happened. I’m praying we can still have play off’s in sight, but that may disappear completely after the next couple of games.

There's still time to turn it around on the pitch, this whole post match interview business will blow over with a couple of wins. You're absolutely right about the expectations though. This might turn out to be a decent point come the end of the season, but we're expecting to beat teams at home now.

Big game tomorrow, hopefully being away from home will suit us and we can pick up a win.

[Oilroyal]

Personally I think this pantomime has all been orchestrated by Stam to take the pressure off the players for an abject performance/start to the season. Something Fergie used to do all the time. All the discussion has been diverted onto Stam now no one is talking about how shit the performance was. Clever.

Paddy Power giving odds on Jaap’s next outburst
Get 20/1 on Jaap not being happy with the new pitch

[genome]

now no one is talking about how shit the performance was.

Apart from the thread with 106 replies discussing the match, agreed

[genome]

atmosphere has declined massively, and not just due to the style of football not lending itself to waves of loud noise
but if you spend years trying to make us a family club and discouraging swearing standing etc, that's what will happen.

Having gone to quite a few away games last year, we are not the only club with crap home atmospheres. In fact, it seems to be a prevalent thing. I guess the match-day experience is a bit shit up and down the country.

At Fulham and Brentford last year, the home atmosphere was awful and they were beating us 5-0 and 4-1. If we were winning by 4 or 5, I would imagine the atmosphere would be decent tbf.

[Ascotexgunner]

Noone mentioned his comments where he said that if you take issue with his decisions, he will come over, or invite you for a chat. Wonder what that would entail. He sounded quite aggressive at that point........takers anyone?

[Snowflake Royal]

Noone mentioned his comments where he said that if you take issue with his decisions, he will come over, or invite you for a chat. Wonder what that would entail. He sounded quite aggressive at that point........takers anyone?

Oo. I'd quite like to talk to a professional manager about how they make their decisions and why. How do I go about getting in touch? That's a very generous offer of his time given how much work he has to do on the training ground.

[Platypuss]

There's still time to turn it around on the pitch, this whole post match interview business will blow over with a couple of wins. You're absolutely right about the expectations though. This might turn out to be a decent point come the end of the season, but we're expecting to beat teams at home now.

And why not? We did it sixteen times last season after all.

[CountryRoyal]

now no one is talking about how shit the performance was.

Apart from the thread with 106 replies discussing the match, agreed

Leeds would have had a 106,000 replies.

[3points]

but his responses to criticism are rather blunt edged so far. He needs to tone it down big time.

well he is Dutch. Renowned of course for their tact and diplomacy

[genome]

Didn't booing happen last season, around this time?

At home to Ipswich. The difference being that we won that game (just)

Stam's comments then were a bit less blunt:

(On fan's booing) “Sometimes it's frustrating" he declared.

“But I understand because it is a totally new way of playing. I would rather do that instead of playing a long ball, losing it and using up a lot of energy to chase it and win it back again. I can understand the fans who think the game is more interesting if the ball is played forward, there is a lot of running around and a lot of battles in midfield and up front.

But this is the way I like to play. This is our style and we are not going to change that.”

[Maneki Neko]

Our crowd are notoriously quiet, and impatient,

quiet, yes

impatient? no
we have a long history of the opposite imo

[Snowflake Royal]

Our crowd are notoriously quiet, and impatient,

quiet, yes

impatient? no
we have a long history of the opposite imo

There's a growing element who are impatient, they tend to be the main ones you hear when things aren't great.

For ages we've had a bit of a polarised fanbase, some just waiting for the manager to fail. There's those who just detest tippy-tappy, and equally those who detest kick and rush. And each are just waiting for a string of poor reaults to bang their drum.

But you are generally right in terms of calling for someone's head. I mean you've only got to look at teams booting managers after 4 / 5 games. When have we ever given anyone less than 20?