Welcome back Brian!

[melonhead]

Had a decent game Imo. Worked very hard, and played some good football.

If by good game you mean he slowly jogged around a bit, did some wrestling and fell over a bit...... then yeah, he had a good game

Shit tinted glasses Imo.

[harry]

All football managers will have good and bad spells. All them will have tactical pluses and minuses.

Not many of them these days act with a love for the club and its associates like Brian McDermott.

I remember Brian's disconsolate and slow walk around the Wembley turf after we lost to Swansea in the play-off final not so long ago.

He looked as if he 'felt' that defeat just as much as any long-standing Reading fan. You could see it actually hurt him.

Equally, his love and passion for the club was reflected in the extraordinary campaign where he got us promoted as champions when everyone was milking their own prostates over West Ham and Southampton as the 'elect'.

Not only that, he then celebrated the same in the pubs around the 'Ding with the same passion and utter delight as Johnny Mad and the fans.

Humble, modest, well-mannered, applied, passionate and talented.

I don't really care for the harsh talk about his so-called 'exposure' in the Hairband League the season after. He may have struggled, yes, but with a band of players far greater than the sum of their parts and with no sense of reflected loyalty by our then majority shareholder or 'owner' his dismissal then reflected not his loyalty or worth to the club of over a decade or more's service, but a tawdry kind of thank you to a man who really did give his all.

If you want to take it further, as our results in the Premiership got worse and we slid away in the league, even his expression in press conferences reflected his own character and dismay - he looked stressed, and as if he actually cared. He wanted to be losing about as much as we did.

Not at all like the dead-eyed Clarke, or the ineffectual Adkins, or any of the other wider band of 'gaffers' who ply their trade elsewhere in a sport gone tits-up for money, where they don't seem to give so much as a flying fck about the same.

In the main football under the Mac was fun. Not always, but most of the time.

A great bloke. An outstanding and upright man. A decent individual.

Delighted to have you back Brian. And welcome back.

You have this club's interests directly to heart, as I do.

As a fan?

That is all I ask for.

'He used to manage Leeds,

When they had special needs,

McDermott....'(repeat).

Beautifully put. Post of the year

[Ian Royal]

Had a decent game Imo. Worked very hard, and played some good football.

If by good game you mean he slowly jogged around a bit, did some wrestling and fell over a bit...... then yeah, he had a good game

Shit tinted glasses Imo.

+1.
Decide player is shit, only see player be shit shocker.

[RG7Fan]

Great reaction from the fans when he was announced - certainly a popular choice, even if people want to debate right or wrong. CHeers at half time and full time. Second half was much better than we've seen for ages. If Ola John's shot had gone in the crowd would have gone beserk I'm sure of it. Nice to go away with a smile for once (and a few quid courtesy of Sky Bet).

Roll on Brentford on the 28th.

[CountryRoyal]

Well my excitement with Brian's return lasted right up until I realised he's still head over heels in love with HRK

The fact he lasted the whole 90 up front makes it more depressing


Fair fooks on going 451 with Piazon in the middle though

HRK has consistently been one of the better performers this season.

I have always been one of the biggest HRK critics but I'm not blind to the obvious, he's been good this season and to say anything else is ignorant.

[CountryRoyal]

Great reaction from the fans when he was announced - certainly a popular choice, even if people want to debate right or wrong. CHeers at half time and full time. Second half was much better than we've seen for ages. If Ola John's shot had gone in the crowd would have gone beserk I'm sure of it. Nice to go away with a smile for once (and a few quid courtesy of Sky Bet).

Roll on Brentford on the 28th.

Wolves first on Boxing Day!

Hope we manage to take at least 500 but I won't hold my breath, what with it being on sky and public transport doesn't exist over Christmas.

[RG7Fan]

Well my excitement with Brian's return lasted right up until I realised he's still head over heels in love with HRK

The fact he lasted the whole 90 up front makes it more depressing


Fair fooks on going 451 with Piazon in the middle though

HRK has consistently been one of the better performers this season.

I have always been one of the biggest HRK critics but I'm not blind to the obvious, he's been good this season and to say anything else is ignorant.

I agree. I think in the past people got on his back after the "I'm a top 4 Prem League player" comment and then playing shit. This season though I think he has been great, either on the left or up front.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

HRK has consistently been one of the better performers this season.

I have always been one of the biggest HRK critics but I'm not blind to the obvious, he's been good this season and to say anything else is ignorant.

Mate, he's hardly played so that's an odd point.

But i'll agree that he wasn't too bad earlier in the season when we were having a our good spell.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Had a decent game Imo. Worked very hard, and played some good football.

If by good game you mean he slowly jogged around a bit, did some wrestling and fell over a bit...... then yeah, he had a good game

Shit tinted glasses Imo.

Yo brenders, what do you think constitutes a good game?

Because I recall neither a single header won, nor a single shot at goal. Is that not low standards to be expected from someone playing as a striker?

Personally I would have still played HRK, but on the left

[RG7Fan]

Great reaction from the fans when he was announced - certainly a popular choice, even if people want to debate right or wrong. CHeers at half time and full time. Second half was much better than we've seen for ages. If Ola John's shot had gone in the crowd would have gone beserk I'm sure of it. Nice to go away with a smile for once (and a few quid courtesy of Sky Bet).

Roll on Brentford on the 28th.

Wolves first on Boxing Day!

Hope we manage to take at least 500 but I won't hold my breath, what with it being on sky and public transport doesn't exist over Christmas.

Home games only for me over the Xmas period (and most other times in fairness ...). I have my £5 on the Wolves game already.

[CountryRoyal]

HRK has consistently been one of the better performers this season.

I have always been one of the biggest HRK critics but I'm not blind to the obvious, he's been good this season and to say anything else is ignorant.

Mate, he's hardly played so that's an odd point.

But i'll agree that he wasn't too bad earlier in the season when we were having a our good spell.

It's not an odd point at all. When he has played he has been one of the better players on the park.

In my opinion it's no surprise that his injury coincided with a dip in performances (Charlton onwards) and as such results, which then of course spiralled under Fullhamg8..etc. He offers an energy and a lot off work off the ball.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

It's not an odd point at all. When he has played he has been one of the better players on the park.

In my opinion it's no surprise that his injury coincided with a dip in performances (Charlton onwards) and as such results, which then of course spiralled under Fullhamg8..etc. He offers an energy and a lot off work off the ball.

Those are some serious RTGs but hey. I agree he's been ok so far this season, but no better than others, just not worse like last couple of seasons. I thought Clarke was finally getting him up to champ standard before he got injured

Today I saw nothing but some aimless jogging around and wrestling.

As for work off the ball..... that really is . He is renowned for not closing down and not helping his left back

[CountryRoyal]

I'm far from an RTG and perhaps you're onto something suggesting he looks good compared to his previous atrociousness.

Either way he's certainly an improvement and playing much better this season, and that isn't really arguable.

[Oilroyal]

Do You See?

Brian is back... DID YOU SEE?

[Ian Royal]

It's not an odd point at all. When he has played he has been one of the better players on the park.

In my opinion it's no surprise that his injury coincided with a dip in performances (Charlton onwards) and as such results, which then of course spiralled under Fullhamg8..etc. He offers an energy and a lot off work off the ball.

Those are some serious RTGs but hey. I agree he's been ok so far this season, but no better than others, just not worse like last couple of seasons. I thought Clarke was finally getting him up to champ standard before he got injured

Today I saw nothing but some aimless jogging around and wrestling.

As for work off the ball..... that really is . He is renowned for not closing down and not helping his left back

Maybe watch the game more objectively rather than going on reputation at left wing... where he wasn't playing. He clearly put a shift in and hassled Blackburn's back line. Went in for challenges better too.

[melonhead]

If by good game you mean he slowly jogged around a bit, did some wrestling and fell over a bit...... then yeah, he had a good game

Shit tinted glasses Imo.

Yo brenders, what do you think constitutes a good game?

Because I recall neither a single header won, nor a single shot at goal. Is that not low standards to be expected from someone playing as a striker?

Personally I would have still played HRK, but on the left

He just did alot more than jog around and fall over.

[sandman]

Ian Royal telling people to watch the game.

[Ian Royal]

sandman missing the point as usual. The form of sensory input isn't really important in that sentence, it's the objectivity that's key.

[melonhead]

It's not an odd point at all. When he has played he has been one of the better players on the park.

In my opinion it's no surprise that his injury coincided with a dip in performances (Charlton onwards) and as such results, which then of course spiralled under Fullhamg8..etc. He offers an energy and a lot off work off the ball.

Those are some serious RTGs but hey. I agree he's been ok so far this season, but no better than others, just not worse like last couple of seasons. I thought Clarke was finally getting him up to champ standard before he got injured

Today I saw nothing but some aimless jogging around and wrestling.

As for work off the ball..... that really is . He is renowned for not closing down and not helping his left back

Defo worked hard off the ball today. Tracked back, closed down worked very hard, won the ball, won headers.protected the ball.

Not 100% of the time. But he defo did.

I don't even rate him that much.
he's defo not a striker, and he has some awful performances in his back catalogue, so any improvement seems bigger.

But he did OK. Decent even.

[Ian Royal]

He's probably the closest we have in the senior squad to back up for Sa's physical presence leading the line. That is admittedly highlighting a big old flaw in the squad.

I understand him being used upfront. Wasn't great, was ok, no worse. Did a job. And I've spent plenty of time frustrated at his apparent amble around the pitch in the past and in particular his lack of commitment to challenges or chasing down semi-lost causes. Definitely worked harder today.

Mind you, going 4-4-2 with that line up I'd have stuck him on the left, McCleary on the right and Blackman up top, personally. Not that if I was in charge we'd have been playing 4-4-2. I expect we'd also have three fewer points though, so all's well.