Apologies here please:-

[papereyes]

Questioning decisions taken is one thing, and we all know that you expressed reasoned concern about the team all through the season (well done you) but, setting this aside for a moment because you are talking about faith, do you really feel that having faith in a manager and coaching staff who had delivered unparalleled success in the recent past was all that unjustified?

Faith; yes. Blind faith; no.

Exactly.

I think my faith/hope that the manager could do something died when he backtracked over strengthening in the transfer window.

He had made at least one statement that he knew what he had to do and what he wanted to do and then mumbled some excuse about giving the players one more chance. Players who had let him down already and would go on to let him down again.

[Rawlie19]

Questioning decisions taken is one thing, and we all know that you expressed reasoned concern about the team all through the season (well done you) but, setting this aside for a moment because you are talking about faith, do you really feel that having faith in a manager and coaching staff who had delivered unparalleled success in the recent past was all that unjustified?

Faith; yes. Blind faith; no.

Isn't all faith, by definition, blind? Faith is a belief in an idea that is unsupported, or contradicted, by evidence.

[LUX]

aha, take THAT, Platypuss.

[Platypuss]

Questioning decisions taken is one thing, and we all know that you expressed reasoned concern about the team all through the season (well done you) but, setting this aside for a moment because you are talking about faith, do you really feel that having faith in a manager and coaching staff who had delivered unparalleled success in the recent past was all that unjustified?

Faith; yes. Blind faith; no.

Isn't all faith, by definition, blind? Faith is a belief in an idea that is unsupported, or contradicted, by evidence.

By one definition maybe; from previous posts RR prefers a different one.

[Royal Rother]

All of these threads are just depressing in the way they show how people let unjustified blind faith cripple their ability to reason.

Are you likely to move on from this line any time soon?

We all know that you expressed reasoned concern about the team all through the season (well done you) but, setting this aside for a moment because you are talking about faith, do you really feel that having faith in a manager and coaching staff who had delivered unparalleled success in the recent past was all that unjustified?

[When it was clear some serious errors in judgement were being made yes I think it was unjustified.

Errors in judgement that the manager now openly admits.

So you really believe that because it appeared that he might be wrong to you (and others) at the time, that there was absolutely no justification for anyone to have faith in those decisions, despite the fact that he had brought unparalleled success to the club in the previous 2 seasons?

I'm thinking maybe you don't like the idea of faith because it's unscientific, but really that would be nonsense wouldn't it?

PS The definition of faith I have in mind is "Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing."

[papereyes]

So you really believe that because it appeared that he might be wrong to you (and others) at the time, that there was absolutely no justification for anyone to have faith in those decisions, despite the fact that he had brought unparalleled success to the club in the previous 2 seasons?

It was the complete inability to comprehend that we could be going on a donkey ride to damnation that got me. A complete inability to comprehend that we might not stay up, that Gunnarson might not cover that well for Sidwell, that some of our players might not do as well this season as they had in previous seasons. Maybe if there had been some acceptance that maybe, just maybe, we weren't doing all that well, I'd have a different attitude.

Maybe they were just fishing? I don't know.

The eejits who spoke of Balding Guys etc were just as bad but I simply found it easier to ignore them.

[Royal Rother]

That's all fair enough, but I'll take the answer to my question as a "no"!

[papereyes]

That's all fair enough, but I'll take the answer to my question as a "no"!

I think they had justification, yes, but I don't think they had much to back that up with once the club had acted in the way it did.

We just seemed to sit back and accept relegation and people kept banging on about how we were going to turn it around when the club was passing the points where they could have done something about it. We weren't going to turn it around because the club did not act appropriately. In fact, they barely acted at all.

[Platypuss]

“There were a number of games that I look back on, and the West Ham game at home was a significant one because it was a day after the transfer window had closed.

“Losing 3-0 flattered us and I thought then ‘I wish that had happened last week because then I would have attempted to do some last-minute business’.

“The performance indicated that we were nowhere near the team we were the season before, while West Ham had changed significantly.

“All summer I was aware that maybe we were standing still, while other people were improving and after that game it really hit home to me.”

Not quite hard enough, apparently.

[Alan Partridge]

“There were a number of games that I look back on, and the West Ham game at home was a significant one because it was a day after the transfer window had closed.

“Losing 3-0 flattered us and I thought then ‘I wish that had happened last week because then I would have attempted to do some last-minute business’.

“The performance indicated that we were nowhere near the team we were the season before, while West Ham had changed significantly.

“All summer I was aware that maybe we were standing still, while other people were improving and after that game it really hit home to me.”

Not quite hard enough, apparently.

and 3 months before the January one, which again came at an awful time for us because we picked up a couple of results masking our woefully understrength squad.

You see it seems to me now that coppell saw exactly what we saw, we weren't good enough, he failed to act TWICE. That's piss poor management in all honesty and I've got a lot of time for the bloke, but that's really really dump.

[Tilehurst Mike]

“There were a number of games that I look back on, and the West Ham game at home was a significant one because it was a day after the transfer window had closed.

“Losing 3-0 flattered us and I thought then ‘I wish that had happened last week because then I would have attempted to do some last-minute business’.

“The performance indicated that we were nowhere near the team we were the season before, while West Ham had changed significantly.

“All summer I was aware that maybe we were standing still, while other people were improving and after that game it really hit home to me.”

Not quite hard enough, apparently.

and 3 months before the January one, which again came at an awful time for us because we picked up a couple of results masking our woefully understrength squad.

You see it seems to me now that coppell saw exactly what we saw, we weren't good enough, he failed to act TWICE. That's poor management in all honesty and I've got a lot of time for the bloke, but that's really really dump.

Couldn't agree more and backs up what I have been saying all along that Coppell's great when things are all rosy and sweet, but can't hack it and dithers when the going gets tough just like he did at Palace. I'm not too bothered if he goes to be honest having read this latest 'admission' of his

[Royal Rother]

Ditherer or not, who do you think is better qualified to take us back up?

[Southbank Old Boy]

So you really believe that because it appeared that he might be wrong to you (and others) at the time, that there was absolutely no justification for anyone to have faith in those decisions, despite the fact that he had brought unparalleled success to the club in the previous 2 seasons?

Pretty much yeah.

I knew I was right all along thanks. If others wanted to think otherwise that's their perogative. I can't see any reason why they should've had that faith because there was no valid reason for it, apart from stupidity/naivity that is.

[papereyes]

“There were a number of games that I look back on, and the West Ham game at home was a significant one because it was a day after the transfer window had closed.

“Losing 3-0 flattered us and I thought then ‘I wish that had happened last week because then I would have attempted to do some last-minute business’.

“The performance indicated that we were nowhere near the team we were the season before, while West Ham had changed significantly.

“All summer I was aware that maybe we were standing still, while other people were improving and after that game it really hit home to me.”

Not quite hard enough, apparently.

Hob Nob Anyone's critical mass of opinion would have disagreed and called him cLOLueless.

Is that a new quote? That's pretty damning.

[Royal Rother]

So you really believe that because it appeared that he might be wrong to you (and others) at the time, that there was absolutely no justification for anyone to have faith in those decisions, despite the fact that he had brought unparalleled success to the club in the previous 2 seasons?

Pretty much yeah.

I knew I was right all along thanks. If others wanted to think otherwise that's their perogative. I can't see any reason why they should've had that faith because there was no valid reason for it, apart from stupidity/naivity that is.

So, unlike papereyes, you're too thick to acknowledge that having brought incredible success to the club in the previous 2 season there was actually some justification for people having faith in Mr Coppell's decisions?

Fair enough.

[Alan Partridge]

Ditherer or not, who do you think is better qualified to take us back up?

$1million question that we would only find out if Coppell left and someone else took over, dunno. Who would have said Phil Brown after what he did at Derby would be 1 game away from taking Hull up?

I think Coppell is certainly staying now, a week ago I thought he was definitely off but today with a released list out, surely Coppell must have had the final say?! Would be bizarre to release players then someone else take over, not beyond the realms of possibility but unusual.

What concerns me with Coppell that I'm not sure he has ever kept a club up when they are struggling? When a calm approach and steady nerve are needed at the top, he rarely fails. He's the perfect person to keep people in check, calm and focused on the job. When the chips are down and people are argueing and people are unhappy he seems totally incapable of managing that squad of players. The end of the season was a disaster, the team was nervous, disjointed and totally divided. That worries me immensely. We NEED a clear out, will Coppell do it? It's still to be seen. The only change that he made today that could have gone either way was Oster, but again any manager coming in would have released Oster so for me that's a positive step.

I think Coppell will stay, I'm not totally convinced it's the best decision.

[Platypuss]

“There were a number of games that I look back on, and the West Ham game at home was a significant one because it was a day after the transfer window had closed.

“Losing 3-0 flattered us and I thought then ‘I wish that had happened last week because then I would have attempted to do some last-minute business’.

“The performance indicated that we were nowhere near the team we were the season before, while West Ham had changed significantly.

“All summer I was aware that maybe we were standing still, while other people were improving and after that game it really hit home to me.”

Not quite hard enough, apparently.

Hob Nob Anyone's critical mass of opinion would have disagreed and called him cLOLueless.

Is that a new quote? That's pretty damning.

EP today:

http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/readingfc/s/2028316_i_feared_the_worst_in_september

More:

“We had a good run just before New Year. I thought we would be all right and we would get out of it.”

“We had eight games from which we never picked up a point. The timing was all against us.

“But we did sign Marek. I thought he’d give us more invention and he did, but I never expected the January and February we had and that was alarming.”

[Platypuss]

I think Coppell is certainly staying now, a week ago I thought he was definitely off but today with a released list out, surely Coppell must have had the final say?! Would be bizarre to release players then someone else take over, not beyond the realms of possibility but unusual.

Brighton may have to do just that - Micky Adams is looking again at those who Wilkins only just released!

[brendywendy]

these are only the start of the comings and goings

and as that it seems like a good one

[Royal Rother]

“All summer I was aware that maybe we were standing still, while other people were improving and after that game it really hit home to me.”

Is that a new quote? That's pretty damning.

Come on, hardly damning is it?

It is interesting that he was thinking about it, and concerned that we MIGHT be standing still I suppose but I cannot believe that there is another manager out there who doesn't stop and wonder whether what he's doing is enough to improve his squad suuficently to meet the challenges ahead.

However I doubt there is another manager out there who would be honest enough to admit it after his decisions ultimately brought failure.

It is this honesty, humbleness and complete lack of ego that has always been the hallmark of his stewardship.