So are Reading really a better project ?

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Never has so much conjecture been incorrectly put across as gospel fact.

Careful, you'll upset people saying things like that

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

The only project Gus is interested in is Project Poyet.

 

[B.W.]

Reading are us, just ten years ahead. Large and rapidly growing catchment area in the south-east of England, fanbase with disposable income, brand new stadium and money for players = inexorable rise up to the "promised land".

There is zero evidence that their fan base can match ours. Coppell was right on this: we are the bigger club.

 

[pornomagboy]

I was told it was Newcastle he got the offer from

 

[Matt Richards]

The whole situation has played out in an unusual way because Tony Bloom has refused to go along with the way that the footballing world works in repsect of Gus' attempts to try and extracate himself from the club.

Traditionally the scenario reads (i) manager says he is off (normally knowing where he is likely to go) (ii) chairman accepts this and does all he can to get any sort of compensation figuring that something is worse than nothing (iii) club suffers as they have the disruption of losing a manager (particularly relevant for us given the time of the season).

Tony appears not to have followed the convention by slapping a big compensation request on his head. Reading appear to have been happy to pay this but were almost certainly not the exit that Gus was looking for. Gus is conventently using this now to show his loyalty which is a red herring as he was waiting for a bigger fish that never came (largely because of Tony's actions).

One of the reasons it never came is that Tony again went against the footballing convention and took the upper hand getting rid of Gus before he walked in to a better offer. My personal reading of this is that Tony's reaction was one of hurt that Gus was jumping ship and was done to tarnish Gus' reputation in order to make any other interested clubs wary. It has clearly worked as Gus missed out on a few oppoortunities (e.g. Stoke) when suspended and despite what he says on TV is now put at a disadvanatge in the job market. However, the fact that this still rumbles on has clearly affected us a club as well. Would you want to come to a club invovled in these issues? It's probably not going to entirely dissuade someone from coming but in a world where you are competing against other clubs for players all the time probably is not going to help either.

In hindsight I wonder if Tony would do the same thing again or whether he would let Gus go and get on with it and almost all other clubs would do. Clearly he would never admit it but I suspect this is the biggest call of his chairmanship so far (in respect of the team) and maybe playing it as a poker player and not an experienced football chairman hasn't worked. It is pretty clear the way it has played out (and continues to do so) that Gus has lost and we have lost too.

 

[MattBackHome]

Reading are a better Short/Medium term project (or prospect) than us. Bonkers to suggest otherwise.

You could argue the toss regarding the long term, but what manager would be interested in that?

 

[B.W.]

I was told it was Newcastle he got the offer from

Bigger club. Dodgy project.

 

[ROKERITE]

I have never been to Brighton or Reading and my view is that of a disinterested party. I think B&HA are a much better prospect, with only the short-term parachute payments in The Biscuitmens' favour.
I fear that within a few years you could be a bigger club than my own, a suggestion that would have been ridiculed until recently. I was a massive Poyet admirer but he's turned out to have feet of clay. It's Tony Bloom who is clearly the man without whom your future would not be so bright.

 

[symyjym]

priceless. The players let Poyet down Poyet had a ridiculously strong team, credit to him for building it (and TB for funding it) but the problem was he didn't use it well enough. You can't be going away to near relegated Bristol City and playing 1 winger and 1 striker, not take a single shot all match and expect to be good enough to get promoted. Drab turgid football. Sometimes it was beautiful, but sometimes it was dross.

Have to agree, being solid, safe and predictable worked well for Gus to a point, but when you refuse to study the opposition and adapt, you get found out. We did the basics really well but were not progressive and most games were frustrating. Every now and then I thought yes, we have got it right, only to be followed by the same old same old.

Back to the thread, Adkins bit the hand off Reading, knowing that he could probably get them back up this year. It would have been a good job for Gus with parachute payments and financial arrangements.

 

[mona]

I have never been to Brighton or Reading and my view is that of a disinterested party. I think B&HA are a much better prospect, with only the short-term parachute payments in The Biscuitmens' favour.
I fear that within a few years you could be a bigger club than my own, a suggestion that would have been ridiculed until recently. I was a massive Poyet admirer but he's turned out to have feet of clay. It's Tony Bloom who is clearly the man without whom your future would not be so bright.

Agree with all of this except for the comment about us challenging clubs like Sunderland in terms of size/support.

 

[Icy Gull]

Didn't Tanno comment "no disrespect but it was only Reading" or words to that effect when Poyet had turned them down? Now they are a better project than us even though he has said he wanted to stay here after speaking to them. He's making it up as he goes along imo. I would love to know the real reason he turned Reading down, can it be he wanted to see if a Premier League job came along before the end of the season? Whatever your views on Gus I'm not sure that you can deny that he has/had a very high opinion of himself, so he may well have expected to be offered a Premier League job before next season. Went a bit pear shaped with the semi final and the sacking though.

 

[mona]

Have to agree, being solid, safe and predictable worked well for Gus to a point, but when you refuse to study the opposition and adapt, you get found out. We did the basics really well but were not progressive and most games were frustrating. Every now and then I thought yes, we have got it right, only to be followed by the same old same old.

Back to the thread, Adkins bit the hand off Reading, knowing that he could probably get them back up this year. It would have been a good job for Gus with parachute payments and financial arrangements.

Agree. Also, felt Gus stopped doing much scouting for new players. Often we would sign players who had done well against us: CMS, Hoskins, Harley, Buckley etc.

 

[The Large One]

Agree. Also, felt Gus stopped doing much scouting for new players. Often we would sign players who had done well against us: CMS, Hoskins, Harley, Buckley etc.

... Vicente, Bruno, Lopez, Orlandi, Ulloa etc.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Reading are a better project than us for as long as they have the benefit of Premier League parachute cash. It really is that simple as it completely changes the game.

Exactly, that is the only reason Reading can be considered better, there is absolutely no other reason. I think its relatively clear that Gus turned them down, as he didn't want a 'relegation' on his CV.

 

[symyjym]

My personal reading of this is that Tony's reaction was one of hurt that Gus was jumping ship and was done to tarnish Gus' reputation in order to make any other interested clubs wary. It has clearly worked as Gus missed out on a few oppoortunities (e.g. Stoke) when suspended and despite what he says on TV is now put at a disadvanatge in the job market. However, the fact that this still rumbles on has clearly affected us a club as well. Would you want to come to a club invovled in these issues? It's probably not going to entirely dissuade someone from coming but in a world where you are competing against other clubs for players all the time probably is not going to help either.

In hindsight I wonder if Tony would do the same thing again or whether he would let Gus go and get on with it and almost all other clubs would do. Clearly he would never admit it but I suspect this is the biggest call of his chairmanship so far (in respect of the team) and maybe playing it as a poker player and not an experienced football chairman hasn't worked. It is pretty clear the way it has played out (and continues to do so) that Gus has lost and we have lost too.

Most normal managers, if suspended, would have offered their resignation and walked straight into another job. Gus put himself at a disadvantage and now he has got fired for gross misconduct on his CV. Absolutely nothing wrong with what Bloom did it's just Gus being Gus that has got him where he is today.

 

[London Irish]

The whole situation has played out in an unusual way because Tony Bloom has refused to go along with the way that the footballing world works in repsect of Gus' attempts to try and extracate himself from the club.

Traditionally the scenario reads (i) manager says he is off (normally knowing where he is likely to go) (ii) chairman accepts this and does all he can to get any sort of compensation figuring that something is worse than nothing (iii) club suffers as they have the disruption of losing a manager (particularly relevant for us given the time of the season).

Tony appears not to have followed the convention by slapping a big compensation request on his head. Reading appear to have been happy to pay this but were almost certainly not the exit that Gus was looking for. Gus is conventently using this now to show his loyalty which is a red herring as he was waiting for a bigger fish that never came (largely because of Tony's actions).

One of the reasons it never came is that Tony again went against the footballing convention and took the upper hand getting rid of Gus before he walked in to a better offer. My personal reading of this is that Tony's reaction was one of hurt that Gus was jumping ship and was done to tarnish Gus' reputation in order to make any other interested clubs wary. It has clearly worked as Gus missed out on a few oppoortunities (e.g. Stoke) when suspended and despite what he says on TV is now put at a disadvanatge in the job market. However, the fact that this still rumbles on has clearly affected us a club as well. Would you want to come to a club invovled in these issues? It's probably not going to entirely dissuade someone from coming but in a world where you are competing against other clubs for players all the time probably is not going to help either.

In hindsight I wonder if Tony would do the same thing again or whether he would let Gus go and get on with it and almost all other clubs would do. Clearly he would never admit it but I suspect this is the biggest call of his chairmanship so far (in respect of the team) and maybe playing it as a poker player and not an experienced football chairman hasn't worked. It is pretty clear the way it has played out (and continues to do so) that Gus has lost and we have lost too.

Interesting theories, and which fit what few known facts we are aware of

 

[brightoon]

I thought it was interesting when he was asked about being sacked live on tv. He mentioned that prior to the tv appearance his lawyers or representatives was trying to work out a parting of the ways for himself and his staff (im assuming he means Tanno and Charlie), this would certainly suggest to me that there was another offer from someone, somewhere, otherwise what right would he have to be representing the other 2 at these discussions ?

 

[London Irish]

Most normal managers, if suspended, would have offered their resignation and walked straight into another job. Gus put himself at a disadvantage and now he has got fired for gross misconduct on his CV

Indeed, which is why he is going to court to get it removed from his CV. You seem curiously relaxed about the club's dirty linen being washed in front of the nation's press, but fair enough

 

[symyjym]

Interesting theories, and which fit what few known facts we are aware of

Rubbish, see my previous post.

 

[London Irish]

Didn't Tanno comment "no disrespect but it was only Reading" or words to that effect when Poyet had turned them down? Now they are a better project than us even though he has said he wanted to stay here after speaking to them. He's making it up as he goes along imo. I would love to know the real reason he turned Reading down, can it be he wanted to see if a Premier League job came along before the end of the season? Whatever your views on Gus I'm not sure that you can deny that he has/had a very high opinion of himself, so he may well have expected to be offered a Premier League job before next season. Went a bit pear shaped with the semi final and the sacking though.

If you had to make a call right now about who will make the Premier League first, us or Poyet, what would you guess?