I'd absolutely love a late play off push .... After last year to have the excitement of being close to the big time again and me being able to watch every game home and away on the box would leave me in heaven... Three more wins out the next three and I'll start believing ...
Chris Powell stated at the NWKA meet that he felt the club are not yet ready for the Prem. Yes, it would be good to get there this season, but behind the scenes he did say have a lot of re building to be finalised before the CLUB, not just the squad, was ready to make the step up. He felt we would be seriously underdone if we went up, and feared we wouldn't be able to compete in the top flight, and as such it would not be beneficial to the club or fans to be relegated straight away and possibly lose the ethos and spirit that the club is trying( and succeeding) to rebuild after the disastrous last period when we went down from the Prem.
The other argument for this is that the money we received from promotion would then give us the clout to speed up the rebuilding process. Then after possible relegation, we would be in a better position to have a real go of establishing ourselves in the Prem for years to come.
An injection of 90 million quid could not be a bad thing in my view BUT only if we had chris Powell with control spearheading it ... If a Nigel Adkins scenario happened then I wouldn't want it at all ...
Look at the last time we won the playoffs. We clearly were not ready for the prem but by not overspending and buying well when we went down it laid the foundation for the championship season and our long run as a premiership team
Very true mate ... And we weren't that far away we lost several games by the one goal ... But curbishley was completely supported by the board made up of manly Charlton fans ...
My concern is that we go up and then powelly gets the chop when we don't do what the man city, wolves, or whoever else supporting board don't get the instant success they are after ...
Let alone if we get some Italian, Norwegian, Turkish owners who could have different ideas ...
I feel the success of this club is firmly tied into keeping Powell...
Agree M88. My concern would be Powell getting sacked. We also have alot of fans who are fickle and would call for his head if we were bottom at Xmas with 1 or 2 wins.
Yeah ... Thats right we would gain an extra 5k fans day one of premier league who would be booing within a month or so after 4-1drubbing at the hands of everyone for example ... Not looking at the long game ... And the problem would be if we had some Turkish owner who could bring in someone else who blows 15 mil ruins the heart of the team and before you know it we are in trouble again... Chris Powell is absolutely vital to this club just as Curbs was before ... And Lennie before him ...
I think, unless some rich so and so buys us, we would be most likely destined for a quick return if we were to go up this season -but the financial rewards go through the roof in the premier League from next season and we would get the parachute money. It would also alert potential buyers to seriously consider us, which is important for our long/medium term future. It would be a massive shot in the arm for the club if we were to do it.
And if we did, you never know -some players/youngsters might step up and we might have a decent stab at it.
I would love to make the play offs. I don't think we will. I can't get my head around anybody not wanting us to make them, especially with the new money scheme. Baffling!!!
It would be a phenomenal achievement if we reached the play-offs this season, more than any of us really expected but I'm with those who would rather stay where we are for a season or two more. Keep SCP and he'll get us there one day.
Yeah ... Thats right we would gain an extra 5k fans day one of premier league who would be booing within a month or so after 4-1drubbing at the hands of everyone for example ... Not looking at the long game ... And the problem would be if we had some Turkish owner who could bring in someone else who blows 15 mil ruins the heart of the team and before you know it we are in trouble again... Chris Powell is absolutely vital to this club just as Curbs was before ... And Lennie before him ...
Are these the same fickle fans who "turned" on curbs when we didn't manage to get into Europe? Chris Powell is going to be a fantastic manager for many years into the future. I am hoping that the board back him fully and he doesn't get tempted away. I am also wanting to point out how much different some "supporters" veiw on the manager has change over the last 2 months. "He doesn't know anything about tactics" and "doesn't know how to make substitutions"... what are these peoples veiws now, or do they only support the team when they are winning?
Thinking back to the 97-98 season, we were in a similar position and lost to Stockport. If you had said to me then that we would get in the play offs, I would have been looking for the men in white coats. The same thing could happen and if it does, great. Just one season in the prem, even if we went down with a record low points tally would leave us stronger. We might even have new owners.
One big thing I have noticed is that teams were coming to us and out battling us, depriving us of time and space. Now we are doing that, and very effectively to. The problem is at home we have to be patient.
Against Blackpool, we were preventing them creating anything but not creating loads ourselves - the crowd was excellent in that it was patient and not expecting us to outplay them. We got our rewards for that patience. If we are going to get in or near the play offs this season, it is going to be through hard graft and the players need to know we are with them, however the game is going.
The other factor in our season has been in the first part, injuries forcing us to play unbalanced sides and some poor decisions against us, that cost us points that would have put us in a lofty position and instead we found ourselves in a lowly one. We have grafted our way out of it and are nicely poised for a push.
Of course, we need a bit of luck with injuries. Taylor has proved that we are sorted for centre halves. We have the best right back in the league and with Wilson, we have the best right side. We have Evina showing us that he can be a player and Wiggins back. Defensively very sound and we have a very good keeper too.
In midfield, we have the hardest worker in the division, Stephens is starting to fulfill his potential and JJ has been found a role where his lack of pace is not an issue - and he is a true goalscoring midfielder.
Having a 100% Kermogant and the potential for Haynes and Fuller on the bench - well we are a very strong, hard working, honest unit who can find that bit of quality when it is needed. Can we make the play offs? Of course we can!
Masicat repeated the point New York Addick made a couple of weeks ago. The maths are against us. 7 points doesn't seem like a lot, but the form we'd have to show to overtake Watford, assuming Watford stay on the course they have up to now, would mean we have to show Champion form. This team is not as strong as the 97-98 team, nor is the club as settled, in my opinion. So I just think we shouldn't beat ourselves up about it this season.
Right now, we are above both the teams that came up with us, ANDall th teams who came down from the Prem who have all that parachute money. If we finish like that I'd be delighted, because only a complete nutter could fail to say Chris Powell could hardly have done better with the resources at his disposal.
I think we can finish above Millwall, but I'm afraid Palace can't be caught, and no one hates that more than me.
Would love a late run to the play offs. Even if we did make them unlikely we'd win a semi and the final but it would bring the buzz back to SE7. Flabbergasted that so many people on here disagree
I'd quite like to get to Wembley, be involved in an absolute cracker but lose. I don't think we quite ready for the premier league yet but a good day out is just what is needed.
Very true mate ... And we weren't that far away we lost several games by the one goal ... But curbishley was completely supported by the board made up of manly Charlton fans ...
My concern is that we go up and then powelly gets the chop when we don't do what the man city, wolves, or whoever else supporting board don't get the instant success they are after ...
Let alone if we get some Italian, Norwegian, Turkish owners who could have different ideas ...
I feel the success of this club is firmly tied into keeping Powell...
I'd quite like to get to Wembley, be involved in an absolute cracker but lose. I don't think we quite ready for the premier league yet but a good day out is just what is needed.
The money you would get and players you attract being a top flight london club would make you more ready for the premiership than now. Increased revenues too on fuller grounds and more attractive to potential investors.
Whilst no doubt we would struggle as we are today if miraculously we got promoted CP the squad would probably be improved substantially?
Im not sure many Reading fans are sitting there saying we aren't ready and wish we had stayed in the championship this year. They will be set up to improve with the parachute payments should they go down and have a better chance of promotion and staying up in future seasons with the money and experience than if they hadnt gone up this year.
Why would anyone not want a chance to get promoted back to the Prem? I don't think our squad is quite deep enough to keep this up and push on to the playoffs but it would be amazing if we could.
I'm really not hugely fussed about Premier League football. Right now I go to games hoping we win and knowing we've got at least a chance of doing so. I don't really want to be praying for a point every week, bankrupting ourselves just to keep our heads above water, having a stadium half full of fans who couldn't care less about our club and paying £50 a go to witness all of this at away games.
I care more about us never going back down to L1 than ever going up to the Prem.
While I understand the sentiment to a certain extent, what a sad indication as to the state of football today. It should be about aiming as high as you can, playing against the best opposition and striving to win trophies. I am not old enough to remember when anyone had a chance to win the league I grant you, but since the Premier League started the field has narrowed even more. Such a shame.
Assuming Cardiff and Leicester get the automatic places, we'd have to get above 3 of the likes of Hull, Palace, Boro, Watford, Brighton, Forest etc Not impossible, but unlikely.
I can't see any problem in going for a play off place. We have got to strive for it otherwise its pointless turning up each week - it would be a bit like turning up for a cup match....! I would love us to play at Wembley again but must admit I'm not so keen on winning the prize this time but the players will hopefully not share my views and should not be denied their chance.....Onwards and upwards COYR!
I cannot understand why any Charlton fan would not want us to get promoted this season (as much as i dont think we will) unless you have a genuine hatred of the premier league and all it involves.
If you spend sensibly and dont do a portsmouth it can set a club up for years like Fulham for instance.
Even if you are whipping boys for a year and go down the money you get and media attention and increased attendances surely puts you in a better stead than struggling in the lower leagues and living hand to mouth each year in the hope you will get a team that will comfortably win the Championship and be mid table in the top flight the year after.
We got promoted in 98 and relegated the next season but the experience and money probably helped us walk the return and provided the basis for our 7 year stay there.
Avoiding relegation = good season. Mid table = great season. Anything more = SCP manager of the year.
The league does not lie and if we end up in the play off's we take the money and hope it helps attract better players to push on. However, this is so unlikly and my fear is that some will believe; and if we then got close and fell away then some would then turn on the players and SCP. It is noticable that no one is complaining about the timing of the subs now!
Its nice to dream , incredible how we get carried away on here , from one direction to another, before November a few people were questioning whether CP was even the right man to be in charge , now we've gone to the other extreme of talking about whether we are ready and able for a promotion charge , just enjoy the ride and lets see what happens , this is a tough tough division to get out of , lets stay real.
Comments
Three more wins out the next three and I'll start believing ...
He felt we would be seriously underdone if we went up, and feared we wouldn't be able to compete in the top flight, and as such it would not be beneficial to the club or fans to be relegated straight away and possibly lose the ethos and spirit that the club is trying( and succeeding) to rebuild after the disastrous last period when we went down from the Prem.
The other argument for this is that the money we received from promotion would then give us the clout to speed up the rebuilding process. Then after possible relegation, we would be in a better position to have a real go of establishing ourselves in the Prem for years to come.
It's a tough one ....
My concern is that we go up and then powelly gets the chop when we don't do what the man city, wolves, or whoever else supporting board don't get the instant success they are after ...
Let alone if we get some Italian, Norwegian, Turkish owners who could have different ideas ...
I feel the success of this club is firmly tied into keeping Powell...
And if we did, you never know -some players/youngsters might step up and we might have a decent stab at it.
Against Blackpool, we were preventing them creating anything but not creating loads ourselves - the crowd was excellent in that it was patient and not expecting us to outplay them. We got our rewards for that patience. If we are going to get in or near the play offs this season, it is going to be through hard graft and the players need to know we are with them, however the game is going.
The other factor in our season has been in the first part, injuries forcing us to play unbalanced sides and some poor decisions against us, that cost us points that would have put us in a lofty position and instead we found ourselves in a lowly one. We have grafted our way out of it and are nicely poised for a push.
Of course, we need a bit of luck with injuries. Taylor has proved that we are sorted for centre halves. We have the best right back in the league and with Wilson, we have the best right side. We have Evina showing us that he can be a player and Wiggins back. Defensively very sound and we have a very good keeper too.
In midfield, we have the hardest worker in the division, Stephens is starting to fulfill his potential and JJ has been found a role where his lack of pace is not an issue - and he is a true goalscoring midfielder.
Having a 100% Kermogant and the potential for Haynes and Fuller on the bench - well we are a very strong, hard working, honest unit who can find that bit of quality when it is needed. Can we make the play offs? Of course we can!
Right now, we are above both the teams that came up with us, ANDall th teams who came down from the Prem who have all that parachute money. If we finish like that I'd be delighted, because only a complete nutter could fail to say Chris Powell could hardly have done better with the resources at his disposal.
I think we can finish above Millwall, but I'm afraid Palace can't be caught, and no one hates that more than me.
As long as we don't get relegated this season and keep our best players and powell ill see the season as a success to build on next term
Whilst no doubt we would struggle as we are today if miraculously we got promoted CP the squad would probably be improved substantially?
Im not sure many Reading fans are sitting there saying we aren't ready and wish we had stayed in the championship this year. They will be set up to improve with the parachute payments should they go down and have a better chance of promotion and staying up in future seasons with the money and experience than if they hadnt gone up this year.
If you spend sensibly and dont do a portsmouth it can set a club up for years like Fulham for instance.
Even if you are whipping boys for a year and go down the money you get and media attention and increased attendances surely puts you in a better stead than struggling in the lower leagues and living hand to mouth each year in the hope you will get a team that will comfortably win the Championship and be mid table in the top flight the year after.
We got promoted in 98 and relegated the next season but the experience and money probably helped us walk the return and provided the basis for our 7 year stay there.
The league does not lie and if we end up in the play off's we take the money and hope it helps attract better players to push on. However, this is so unlikly and my fear is that some will believe; and if we then got close and fell away then some would then turn on the players and SCP. It is noticable that no one is complaining about the timing of the subs now!