CONFIMRED - Veljko Paunović

[NewCorkSeth]

So. Is he a Serb?

According to the press release yes he is.

Also good to see the club give US soccer the respect it deserves by repeatedly calling it 'the mls'

U.S. soccer deserves respect?

[WoodleyRoyal]

Confirmed by the club now. However no mention In the statement about Bowen’s exit. Poor form and disrespectful.

[andrew1957]

The only way I can see this is that Howe and Bowen told Mr Dai that what the club needed was long term stability and that if we trimmed the squad brought in some fresh new blood we might finish top half in 20/21 and gradually push up towards a promotion push in three seasons or so.

Mr Dai thought “oxford that - these twats have no ambition at all and so let’s get someone in who will get me promotion this season” so he got rid of Howe as CEO and pushed Bowen upstairs and has brought in people who have promised him the earth and will probably fail to deliver.

I feel sorry for the new manager as he starts with a massive handicap that most of the fans will have been on board with Bowen’s building up approach and feel that Bowen has been harshly treated and so he will need a very fast start to the season if he is to gain any credibility.

Win the first few games and that would justify the owners decision but if there is a poor start to the season then I genuinely fear for the club.We could easily end up in L1 with a disgruntled owner who might no longer be prepared to bank roll the club and just cuts his losses.

I suppose as fans we have to hope the owner is right and promotion, or at least getting very close to it, awaits this season but on the balance of probabilities I very much doubt that will be the final outcome.

This season could be a case of shit or literally bust.

[WoodleyRoyal]

So where is the statement thanking mark Bowen for all his hard work blah blah blah.

[Notts Royal]

My life...the Twitter replies to the official announcement! Absolute vitriol...as you’d expect.

Dai really is alienating the fans...he can oxf*rd off as far as I’m concerned

[Lower West]

Sounds as if Ovie Ejaria was a Dai must have wish. Who ever is manager is going to get little say where the money is spent........

[elrey]

My life...the Twitter replies to the official announcement! Absolute vitriol...as you’d expect.

Dai really is alienating the fans...he can oxf*rd off as far as I’m concerned

"Go dai" might work better. Dai sounds like English "die"....

[loyalroyal4life]

Bowen has confirmed to Tim Dellor he has been removed.

I know Bowen's hurting but sacking Tim Dellor is a bit harsh

Best news of the summer if true

[loyalroyal4life]

This just seems another’ Gomes. Just mental makes no sense at all. You have proven managers like Pearson, Houghton, Pullis and yes Pardew out there and we bring in foreign clueless clowns who nothing about the players we have or the Championship. The saving grace is at least by the time season tickets are available we will have one foot in division one. So we a all save some money.

Missed a trick not trying to attempt to at least get Hughton in

Reading til i DAI

[andrew1957]

So where is the statement thanking mark Bowen for all his hard work blah blah blah.

Mark Bowen would have every right to walk now but I do hope that he stays for the good of the club and the fans. We will probably need him back as manager soon in any case to save the day again.

[Gunny Fishcake]

https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/2020/a ... am-manager

It's official

[leon]

What a shit show. I’m sick of this club.

I’ve had a ST for the last 25 years and this is the first time I’ve seriously considered not renewing (although irrelevant given the circumstances currently)

[WoodleyRoyal]

So where is the statement thanking mark Bowen for all his hard work blah blah blah.

Mark Bowen would have every right to walk now but I do hope that he stays for the good of the club and the fans. We will probably need him back as manager soon in any case to save the day again.

I just think it’s bang out of order to announce a new manager before announcing the departure of the previous one. I would not be surprised if he stuck two fingers up to the club. He would be well within his rights to too.

[South Coast Royal]

Having had a bit of time to take this in I am not convinced this is a bad move.

We will have Bowen as DOF who has great experience of English football including the Championship who will surely have input when it comes to signing new players, offloading others and giving input on the opposition.

The new guy may well just be a coach but a well travelled coach and former international with presumably connections in the wider world of football and particularly in Europe where he spent a lot of his playing and some coaching time.

Let's face it the football under Bowen was turgid for a lot of the time with a defence-first approach and maybe this new man as a former forward will bring a more attacking brand of football and some fresh ideas.

We will soon see what level of players he has to deal with but the signing of Ejaria is surely a major plus for the season ahead.

As far as RFC is concerned I am normally a glass half empty fan but I have had enough of that after the dross of recent times so will be a half-full fan until I see that there is nothing different on the pitch and then (hopefully not) revert to my former self.

[From Despair To Where?]

Yeah, taking a bit of time to digest it. It could be a good move IF Bowen takes the DoF job but at the moment, its not a given.

[From Despair To Where?]

Yeah, taking a bit of time to digest it. It could be a good move IF Bowen takes the DoF job but at the moment, its not a given.

[SCIAG]

New manager has a very good track record so not as WTF as Stam and Gomes were.

I’d rather we weren’t doing shit like this but it could turn out OK.

[Royalwaster]

My life...the Twitter replies to the official announcement! Absolute vitriol...as you’d expect.

Dai really is alienating the fans...he can oxf*rd off as far as I’m concerned

Yeah let's get rid of our owner and go bankrupt instead ... great idea.

[The Royal Forester]

Having had a bit of time to take this in I am not convinced this is a bad move.

We will have Bowen as DOF who has great experience of English football including the Championship who will surely have input when it comes to signing new players, offloading others and giving input on the opposition.

The new guy may well just be a coach but a well travelled coach and former international with presumably connections in the wider world of football and particularly in Europe where he spent a lot of his playing and some coaching time.

Let's face it the football under Bowen was turgid for a lot of the time with a defence-first approach and maybe this new man as a former forward will bring a more attacking brand of football and some fresh ideas.

We will soon see what level of players he has to deal with but the signing of Ejaria is surely a major plus for the season ahead.

As far as RFC is concerned I am normally a glass half empty fan but I have had enough of that after the dross of recent times so will be a half-full fan until I see that there is nothing different on the pitch and then (hopefully not) revert to my former self.

I wouldn't be too sure of that, if I were you. It looks like he is unhappy about the situation and has not made his mind up, whether or not, to accept the DOF job. If he turns it down, I should think he would have a good case for claiming construtive dismissal. This saga could drag on for a few more months yet.

[South Coast Royal]

Having had a bit of time to take this in I am not convinced this is a bad move.

We will have Bowen as DOF who has great experience of English football including the Championship who will surely have input when it comes to signing new players, offloading others and giving input on the opposition.

The new guy may well just be a coach but a well travelled coach and former international with presumably connections in the wider world of football and particularly in Europe where he spent a lot of his playing and some coaching time.

Let's face it the football under Bowen was turgid for a lot of the time with a defence-first approach and maybe this new man as a former forward will bring a more attacking brand of football and some fresh ideas.

We will soon see what level of players he has to deal with but the signing of Ejaria is surely a major plus for the season ahead.

As far as RFC is concerned I am normally a glass half empty fan but I have had enough of that after the dross of recent times so will be a half-full fan until I see that there is nothing different on the pitch and then (hopefully not) revert to my former self.

I wouldn't be too sure of that, if I were you. It looks like he is unhappy about the situation and has not made his mind up, whether or not, to accept the DOF job. If he turns it down, I should think he would have a good case for claiming construtive dismissal. This saga could drag on for a few more months yet.

When I was first with the news on here about the change in manager my source said at the time that Bowen was to be paid more money to become DOF and that a new needing-to-quarantine manager was to take his place.

Well, the second part has happened so we will see if Bowen does indeed become the DOF.
If he doesn't, I can see an old hand being brought in to add a bit of English football savvy.