Thetownend.com

It was told to me at todays game that the reason for the embargo is PDC and his threat of legal action due to the clause in his contract that said no players could be sold without his permission.

If this is the case what the hell is PDC thinking.  For 18 months we sang your name with pride. Our club backed you more than any manager we have ever had.  You may not realise this but it is the case.  You mr dicanio bought a lot of shit players.  Players you then had to pay off.  This was YOUR mistakes.  YOU cost the club as much money as you feel you made it.  For 18 months you were with us.  By us i mean the FANS.  The most important part of any football club.  We loved you.  Yeah you a little crazy but the results were there.  We loved your passion for the cause.  We loved that you said even when things went against the plan.  That you stayed for the fans.  You stood with us and we stood by you.

Yes the plan changed.  Is this the fault of the fans?  NO its not.
Can we understand your choice to leave when you felt the rug was pulled out from under you ? Yes !

Swindon Town was never Dicanio FC.  We THE FANS are Swindon Town Football Club.  So if its true that you wish to take legal action against Swindon Town Football Club then it is us THE FANS that you are doing this again.

You are a Hero to the fans who supported you.  Do not now look to take action that will make you a Zero to the fans and leave you where no other club will touch you.  Or do you wish to go sit next to Alen Curbishley in the sky studio.

Let Swindon town fc get on with the chance of promotion we had.  The chance you helped create.  Let us come out of the embargo and bring in the players on loan that you yourself know we need.

We loved what you did for us , do not now take actions that will ruin that memory.

I never liked him anyway.

Excuse my ignorance but why would the 'potential' of legal action keep us under embargo conditions?

Going by Morshead's tweets that is not the reason the embargo is in place.

You may then ask: 'So why was it mentioned as a reason in the first place?'. To which I could only answer: 'Dunno'

Fucking twat has already ruined the memories imo. Acting like a spoilt fucking brat.

His fucking agent mate can fuck off as well, cunt.

It's all kicking off

He hasn't started to sue us yet as far as I know ??? I dislike him for doing one at a critical time of the season, but can't blame him for something he hasn't actually done.

Won't happen.  :zzz:

Fuck sake, the value of my genuine Di Canio green beanie hat is diminishing with each post.

No disrespect to the OP, but this isn't 'news'.

It may well be in Chippenham, they only got broadband last week.

When a player leaves us for a higher division or more money everyone trots out the it's a career, if a rival company were offering you more money would you take it? And all that.

So, if your company breached your contract what would you do? Walk away and forget it? As if...

According to Black and the present Board Di Canio was informed that Ritchie was to be sold and he agreed on the proviso that he would be able to sign some replacement players. The fact that it subsequently went tits up and an embargo was placed on the club was out of the control of the club so Di Canio probably wouldn't have a leg to stand on if he did sue for that reason.

... provided the said meeting and agreement can be proven!

One person's word against several others.......besides Di Canio is supposedly a man of principle. He surely wouldn't lie. :hmmm:

I thought Black said Di Canio was told of the possibility. That could mean a week or two earlier when PDC was mentioning "sacrifices" in his post match interview. In fact he seemed quite accepting.

Legal action or not, no manager should have to find out their best sale HAS been sold from the player after the fact. Unprofessional in the extreme. If true of course.

Weirdly I heard exactly the same rumour myself on Friday about Paolo suing the club from somebody who works at the club.

I agree.

Black said that Di Canio was informed. Jed (I think) was the one that said he agreed to it if he could sign some more players.

SWP also tweeted a couple of weeks ago that PDC knew about the sale in advance. Think somebody posted it on one of the other threads. There's a lot of lies being told, potentially by both sides & I've got a gut feeling this is one that's gonna rumble on for a while. No embargo being lifted anytime soon imo!

Actually, it was SWP that said it - not Jed.......

William Patey ‏@WCPatey 3 Mar
@The_Swine_Don PDC agreed in principle to the sale of Ritchie a week before he was sold.  His condition was that we brought in loan players.

I think black said it also

Whether or not di canio knew about Ritchies sale at the exact time shouldn't matter.

Yes it might have technically broken a clause in his contract but could someone who seems as intelligent as Paolo not see the bigger picture?

We were running - from what Watkins and others have since revealed - very close to administration/going out of business and Ritchie's sale was a necessary evil to prevent that worst case scenario.

If PdC can't see that and is instead trying to inflict further damage on the club by moaning we didn't give him a heads up as the situation was rapidly unfolding on the 30th Jan or whenever, then quite frankly he can fuck off.

Putting a petty technicality involving himself over the greater wellbeing of the club - doesn't smack of the loyalty he claimed to be so important.

I loved the guy when he was here but he's tainted that big style since in my opinion.

Thats pretty much as I see it LR.

I was told this yesterday by a man a long black coat wearing a stfc tie.  He spoke very openly to many fans. Taking what he said as true pisses me off. I love stfc and see a huge chance of promotion. We need the loans. To feel that there is a possibility that we are being held back by someone we backed so fully annoys hell out of me.

Is "somebody who works at the club" in a position that might give the rumour more credibility than, for example, something from the tea lady? Also, Chippy Red (the OP) ... what was the status of your source? Apart from wearing a long black coat etc., do you have any idea of his position?

This was told to me by somebody that is at management level at the club still, who also tells me there is no truth in the rumours put about that they have no money, he says that a fair few people at the club know who the money backers are and that they do exist.

Could well be bullshit but I trust his judgement, for what its worth he too does wear a long black coat and STFC tie ;)

Sounds like The Undertaker from WWF or whatever it's called nowadays.

Maybe Hulk Hogan can have a word with PdC.

Come on  :sherlock: he walked round ground. He was shaking fans hands. And answering all questions and no it wasnt the winner of mastermind. If anyone should know its him.

If Di canio does take action he will only be hurting the club in its current state and its supporters. His issue is with the previous board.
The man was treated like a hero here depsite his flaws and it would ruin it. He should move on and secure another job quietly.

Trying to screw a premier club like Curbishly did was bad enough and he's not had much luck in management since. Can you imagine the ramifications if Di Canio tries to screw us over in court, both to us, his self image and other potential employers?

Pdc gone right down in my estimation if this is true , but i imagine it's Phil S. pulling all the strings

I am sure the Adver reported this earlier in the week, said it ws a possibility and that lawyers from both sides had been talking, so there is nothing new in this "revelation"!

Can tans confirm if Steve Murrall was wearing a long black coat, a Swindon tie and offering handshakes?

I saw him in the Legends lounge at about 14:15, at that time he didn't have a coat.
He was there with Callum Rice.

A friend who I talked to in the ground did say that Jed was outside talking to fans about M'Bargo, and that he was saying that it was down to PDC.

To be fair, I didn't ask him what Jed was wearing :)

For the record the person that told me has worked at the club for more than 3 years and was not Jed or Murrell, wouldn't recognise Murrell if I fell over him anyway :)

Bang on....its total bollocks to buy(or not to buy)in this case more time.

just a thought but if this was a bullshit excuse surely media loving di canio would be quick to come out and say that the reason behind the embargo is nothing to do with him.

But as said on the other thread :
http://thetownend.com/index.php?topic=50784.945

last post, if the money men are holding back because of the threat of legal action so the £1.2m isn't on deposit we are embargoed as a consequence.

Talking shit....this embargo has nothing to do with PDC......most people know that but just are keen to find a scapegoat for the new boards short comings.

Any legal action could take fucking years....so an embargo could be in place for years....that wouldnt happen

I suggest they dip there hands into the pockets and stump some money up....like most new owners do.

So why has he not come out and said so?

Exactly.When the adver came out with the suggestion that part of the reason COULD be dicanio they asked his agent for a statement which was declined. Why would di canio want to be associated with suing the club and forcing an embargo if it had nothing to do with him.

Quite

Don't think any legal proceedings would have started yet. Also what is the stuff about debts from 1957? Can someone fill me in please

Maybe no one has asked him.

In my opinion what he did for the club means he owes us nothing.

Here is my point....

Alex Ferguson goes into work....he finds out that Van Persie is sold for peanuts.....he holds on for a week....the Glaziers fuck off and the new owners give him no indication that he is wanted or that the funds he started the job with is ongoing.

Alex has had enough by now and regardless of the fans adulation he WOULD walk out....most managers would.

On top of this he finds out that his wages or his contract on leaving has not been honoured.....would he threaten Man Utd with legal action.....course he would.

If Swindon Town have breached his contract and he sues then that takes nothing away from what he did here in my eyes.....why should he come out with statements?

I am telling you that he hurts right now....he fucking loved the job he was doing here....but the way things tuned out with Ritchie etc meant that he had no option.....and with the new owners coming in probably no choice.

Probably something to do with Greenshield Stamps

Got to say the behind the scenes shenanigans are getting boring now. We, as fans, can't do anything anyway

The adver have asked.

'No comment' was given

Apart from the adver who asked his agent and were told they decline to make a comment.

Well giving the slant the adver gives on stories i would suggest that was a wise no comment.

So a no comment means....Paolo is suing...course it dosnt.

Probably means...when you pay me what i am owed then any threat of suing is history.

As i say he loved Swindon Town.....fans on a cold snowy Friday night clearing a snow covered pitch will vouch for that.

Fuck me mate, you really need to stop reading Mills and Boon

What a crock of shit, there is only one thing DiCanio loves and that is DiCanio

And didnt he let the whole world know about it.

Self publicist

Can I point out whichever camp you're in on PDC he now has nothing to do with the club.  The Board do.

PDC may or may not have been constructively dismissed and unfairly and if he was then why should he give up a claim, love Swindon or not? 

Cos' PDC said he loved STFC - oh come on! 

In business, you check what you're buying and take risks you are comfortable with.  Sure blame problems on others but if the Board is really trying to blame PDC they (and their adherents) need grow a pair and take responsibility - PDC's potential claim was there for all to see, even us lowlife speculating on the TEF.

Now required is less bullshit and more tranparency.

Di canio should realize his problem is with people no longer at the club. If he goes after STFC then he is a cunt as far as i'm concerned. If he wants to go after Black and co then fair play.

Edit. I forgot Black still has a stake in the club. Gulp....

My thoughts exactly

The adver: Are you intending to sue STFC
PDC: NO

There is not slant on that leefer. The adver have been guilty of things in the past but to my knowledge lying isn't one of them.

I'm not sure he does.

Depends on how the stake is structured, as any action by PDC I would have thought would have been against the old holding company

if the old holding company has now been dissolved or has no assets then his only viable claim would be against the club and the new holding company, as owners, would have to foot the bill. this is why it makes sense that the mystery backers aren't pouring their money in yet. need to reach a settlement with pdc quickly.

I know there was talk of black holding a stake, but I thought we since found out he sold out completely?

An Italian

I didn't know that. Do you know what the 1957 debt is? i asked earlier but nobody came back with anything.

Not at all if the old holding company had limited status. It takes an awful lot of work to "pierce the veil" and get to the old Directors

I don't know

Black sold up and Seebeck 87 own 99% of the shares now.

source: http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/article/completionofsale-670154.aspx

Nobody knows what the 1957 debt is and anyone old enough to recall is probably senile and/or demented.

No need to talk about Reg like that.

Due Diligence by the new Board and taking responsibility for what they have bought is what this should be about.

Although blaming PDC for the embargo might be good enough Public Relations for some fans, "it don't impress me much", nor several others.

Good question earlier re the 1950s debt Arriba, though a bit harsh on Reg

I am fascinated by how a 1950s debt can pass due diligence, the statute of limitations and two administrations...history in the making.

Have I missed something? Cos some people are posting some strange comments.

From what I've seen;
- the 1957 and other smaller debts aren't an issue and have been settled (or will be very shortly).
- there is the potential of legal proceedings by an ex-employee.
- it is these potential legal proceedings which are causing the embargo to stay in place.
- PDC's agent refused to rule out that ex-employee was PDC.
- the new owners could not have foreseen this legal action, PDC quit just before the takeover completed with them believing he would be staying on as manager.

I think it's a safe bet to say the ex-employee is PDC and/or his team. The legal action will be against the club as they were his employees, this has nothing to do with the holding companies or ex-owners - it is Swindon Town Football Club that is the target. The potential sum of money involved is likely to be in excess of £1m, the £1.2m figure being thrown around is coincidentally in the right ballpark.

I'd guess the new owners never budgeted for this and aren't too happy at the thought of taking a hit for £1m, even if it's just ring fencing the money short term. Even if they do come up with the money it is likely to have to come from funds that they'd have spent on other things - such as loan signings, ground redevelopment and so on.

We don't know whether PDC has a case or not. But we do know that the threat of legal proceedings has left the club under embargo, when it desperately needs to make loan signings to help with the push for promotion. The fact that he is happy for his actions to keep the embargo in place says a lot about the kind of person he is to me.

Reg isn't as old as you probably think he is ;)

I am guessing that Di Canio wasn't paid by Black, he was paid by the football club. His grievance is with his employer.

I have no doubt that Di Canio is at least considering litigation, but that this is the major reason for the embargo doesn't ring true to me. A couple of weeks ago Steve Murrell was "very confident" we'd be out of embargo, and then cited "unseen issues" as to why we remained under embargo. Yet they already knew about Di Canio's threats as Jed said shortly after takeover that he'd be very disappointed if Di Canio went ahead with legal action.

Also, according to the Adver, Jed said late last week that he was "100%" confident that we'll be out of embargo before the transfer window closes (Thursday night?). So on that basis the Di Canio situation would be sorted by then? Well, it took longer than a year for Alan Curbishley to go from quitting West Ham to winning his constructive dismissal court case... so it would seem to me to be highly unlikely that the court issue would be resolved (presumably we'd defend?!) within the next 4 days.

With all the apparent inconsistencies and contradictions I am finding it hard to believe what the board are telling me.

What are they? Cos I don't see any.

Morshead's tweets said the old debt was trivial and easily sorted. He also suggested the potential legal case from PDC was holding up proceedings but was not the reason for the FL to be maintaining the embargo. Morshead also said something about a 'funding embargo'.

So why are we under embargo if the debt has been paid and PDC legal jobby is not a reason for the FL to maintain it? All a bit vague really, until....


Makes a lot of sense.

Its the best explanation that makes sense so far. In fact the only one too!

If there is a chance of the potential investors money going into PDCs pocket, I can see their reluctance. But as pointed out, how quickly will this go away.

Not sure what the point of Jed not stating clearly what the situation is to be honest. Panic and season ticket slump?

Damn it, I wasn't going to comment again.

But Season Ticket slump is just what is happening. Everyone I know who want to renew their STs are waiting to see what all this kerfuffle is about.

They fear their money going into someone's pocket and not the club's coffers

I have serious reservations about the current board but I've renewed the ST. Covering both options.

I have to be honest, I haven't renewed yet.  I'm hoping some positive news will come out before the end of the week before the priority prices go up.  If not, I probably will renew anyway, but won't feel entirely comfortable.

I've renewed but I have a month to sign the DD form  :toocool:.

I think that is pretty much the case. I believe it was said at the meeting on Saturday that Di Canio's original salary was £200k a year but when he extended his contract it rose to £600k a year which Black signed off as he didn't think he'd be around to pay it as the sale to the 1st consortium was going through. Black pretty much confirmed this in his tweets. Di Canio had just over 2 years left on his contract so £1.2 million sounds ballpark worst case if he was to win and get his full contract value paid up, so surely it can't be a coincidence that the 2 figures are the same.
I think Moreshead's cryptic funding embargo tweet pretty much refers to the fact that the money men are withholding their money.
All sounds a bit of a mess, I'll renew my season ticket but will put it on monthly direct debit as its no extra cost and will give me better piece of mind.

I think he would have a case against the previous holding company, buy I agree his target will be the club because I would imagine the previous holding company has been dissolved or will have no remaining assets.

I'll more than likely do the direct debit aand hadn't thought of it as giving me better piece of min, but that's a very good point.

What would happen if things genuinely did go horribly wrong, would anyone who was paying by monthly direct debit just be able to cancel or is there some sort of fee attached?

How strong would PDC's case be as long as we are doing well? It's hard to say the sale of Ritchie hindered his ability to do his job when KMAC is doing it (and on a smaller squad)

Could PDC be waiting for the team to fail before trying to sue the club? Would us failing (if it happens) strengthen his case?

If Di Canio successfully sues the club for selling one player behind his back then if i was any of the managers we've had in the last 50 years i'd be having a word with my solicitor.

We're a lower league football club, it's how things work unfortunately. We've sold a lot better players than Richie before to "balance the books". (Sorry Matt - FWIW i'm still pissed off we sold you)

We should tell PdC no tattoo no court action. After all contracts appear to be important and I thought we had a very public verbal contract with him

If it was in his contracted that if any bid comes in for a player, that he is consulted before a decision is made then it won't matter if the team are doing well now or not.

Probably get bollocked for posting this but believe me this is all down to PDC AND Spencer. The board have the money and are being fucked around non stop by those two pair of cunts. They have four players ready to come in,they have ringfenced the money and were going to fund the green,pack and bwp deals.

New lot getting alot of unfair stick in my opinion,i know it is frustrating but imagine it is alot worse for them when every hurdle they face is being blamed on them.

Their biggest problem is communication that i agree with

Generally what you say tends to be correct on Town matters DRS so I believe what you are saying here and not surprised at all. PDC just HAS to have the last word and it sounds like he is single handedly using his stubborn bloody minded way to get back at Swindon however he can.

It must be difficult for the board to communicate what is going on, especially if it relates to legal advice from PDC and Frank Spencer.

Also, fans are clambering for the board to make a statement and when they do, which heppened to  include this 1957 debt malarkey, fans jump all over them shouting that they are just spouting a load of old bollocks, so they can't really win can they?

I would ask why the potential of legal action would halt the immediate funding that is required. Any legal issues would take months and months before completion. Also any legal claims could be thrown out of court. I cannot see how a football club can be put on hold just incase the former manager wants to claim against it.

Then that is a question for the football league mate

Its a difficult one, because if PDC and Spencer are the cause - something the board alluded to in the statement regardless of DRS - publicly stating such isn't going to get the situation resolved any quicker!

If we aren't out of embargo come deadline day, I'd like to see a clear and open reason to the fans exactly what the issues are.  Provided the Club lawyers don't block such a statement as it may be harmful to a court appearance of course.

And one that has been asked by the new board to the Football League several times already without an answer....hence why it is in the hands of the legal team I would imagine.

On the scale of things, legal action might be a nuisance to us, but it would be a catastrophe for Di Canio.

It might cost us some money and possibly promotion in the short term this season if we can't get out of embargo, but the effects won't be much more far reaching than that, and we'll come back and have other chances of promotion like we always do. For Di Canio though, added to all the other concerns that raised their head while he was with us, I'd imagine it would be easily enough to cost him his career in management, certainly in England.

My suspicion is that the legal action won't transpire, but that he's being advised to explore it by the only people who have anything to gain from it: his lawyers.

If he did go ahead with a law suit, the sense of betrayal would be painful to take in the short term, but in the long term it would be eased by the schadenfreude of knowing he'd totally fucked his career as a result, and fucked it while only landing a scratch on the back of a football club that will shrug it off like all the other wounds it's suffered down the years only to lurch on ultimately indifferent back to the cycle of successes and failures we always swing between regardless of the cast of characters that pass through the club.

Unless it states in black and white that the club would not sell any player without his permission then i don't think Di Canio would get a thing out of it except a hefty bill.
Even if it is in writing then Black would have had the right to withdraw his funding of the club and it could be argued that the club had to sell Richie to avoid administration. Don't fancy Di Canio's chances much to be honest.

I'm only a humble trucker though with very limited legal knowledge though

Totally agree. He wants to have a look at Alan Curbishley and see how far suing your former club gets you. AC not had a job in 4+ years since suing West Ham.

Fuck me sideways. What a complete jeb end PDC is.

He can fist himself violently.

Well he trousered 2.2 mill, so I don't suppose he's too bothered.  WHU crime..selling a couple of players without his permission.

If and when he demands an equivalent payout from us for the same offence I imagine he'll regret saying this publicly

I don't think he's bothered in the slightest about contradicting himself.

It seems Di Canio is doing his utmost to derail the rest of our season.  I think he'd be absolutely delighted if we failed to get promotion, which is very sad.  Everything good is rapidly becoming a distant memory and I have very little respect left for him.

Im just waiting till the end of the season if we dont get promoted.

Then it will be loads of bollocks interviews from PDC stating that if he was still here we would have gone up

But if we do go up, it will be all down to him of course.

Paolo has an opportunity for some good PR here.

Accepting a compromise 'for the good of STFC and the fans'. There's plenty that'll lap it up!

If the embargo is linked to PDCs possible claim as Jedboard claims, how would publically blaming PDC for the embargo help encourage a settlement?

If PDCs claim is weak, as some on here hypothesize without background facts, why would a weak claim that hasn't been made in court, lead to an embargo?

Makes me laugh some of the bitterness against Di Canio, turned the club around ffs. Best manager since Hoddle.

not like we have anything to be bitter about is it

Perhaps, and now he's fucking us over, which is deplorable. The bloke's not dropped in my mind, but plummeted to the point of hatred; assuming what's been said is true. (DRS knows more than most.)

I don't think anyone's forgotten what he's done, this is a separate matter. He deserves respect for what he did, and abuse for what he's doing. The prior doesn't give excuse for the latter.

I stood up for him a lot when he was getting grief before. I stood up for him a lot.

Yet I've recently found myself questioning who I dislike more: Di Canio or McMahon? McMahon is still winning in the most disliked league for me but PDC is catching up, quickly!

Haven't really payed too much attention to whats going on here, basically Paolo is trying to grab more money? I don't know somebody some it up please?  :-[

Would you still applaud a boy scout for helping a granny across the road if he then stole her handbag?

Great analogy

He sure did Chris, but if he sues my/this/our football club it totally contradicts all the good work he did do. I think many feel the same.

Yup. Legally he may be right, but he'd be morally bankrupt to do so no matter how screwed over he feels.

So could my 15 year old Daughter if she was given the same money as that unhinged cunt was

Get a fucking grip of yourself

Because money always equals success doesn't it.

As was pointed out to me on here recently, we spent close to £1 million on transfer fees in the 10/11 season, now remind me Fred where did we finish that season? By your logic top of the league.

We had also sold our best player for over £1 million so had the funds to do so.

Instead of just indulgent spending.

Austin was sold after the majority of the business had been done.

My point still stands - money doesn't buy success.

Make no bones about it.

PDC, PS and JW to a certain degree nearly bankrupt this club

Perhaps you would realise that if you took DiCanio's cock out of your mouth long enough to think straight

It certainly helps though.

Add this pillock to the self-fisting list

Love you Dave 8)

Brilliant.

I suppose those three had Black held hostage forcing him to hand over every last penny he owns.

I love this forum, I really do.

Nope the damage was already done, why the fuck do you think SWP was bought in you remedial

To sell the club?

Part of the remit yes but more so was to get PDC on a short leash. He did that, the cunt spat the dummy, the rest is history

To me, this whole thing smacks of PDC hovering over the club, threatening legal action to get a payout.

I'm deeply appalled at his behaviour. As someone who supported him through his arguably great career as manager, I feel betrayed by a man who seemed so in touch with the supporters.

Not that he'll read this, but on the off chance he might:

Please, please stop undermining everything you've done to create a reputation as a great manager and turn around what people were labelling you with. I want to be able to look back on your term of management without having to think 'it was great, but then he shafted us'.

Take a step back and give us, the fans, the chance to go on to better things with our club. You professed to love us and love the team so please, let go and give us it back.

Edit: This was my 500th post. I can't believe I've lasted this long...

In view of the alleged propensity for former employees to take legal action, should internet forums and posters be wary of what is published unless it can be shown to be factual?

My thoughts too.

For me though Muckmarn actually achieved more that Paolo in his time with us. But Paolo, had he not thrown his toys out, would have achieved more.....I put Paolo and Muckmarn on about the same level of achievment overall but still hate Mucky more......currently.

A great analogy indeed.

Fucking hell, that's nearly as bad as Aljokefree

:facepalm:

I actually find myself detesting Paul Hart as much as McMahon even though he was only at the Club for 5 minutes (thank God). I will reserve judgement on Di Canio for the time being.

Di Canio is like the bunny boiler ex girlfriend. For fucks sake move on.

Oh yes it does. Historically proven. Without doubt the biggest factor in us winning the league too.
If Di canio was still here our results would be the same as we are getting. He'd just be out waving to everyone and moaning that he needs more players(oh he left because of that)
If his actions delay us in getting players and halt our promotion charge then he can have that on his CV. Reading's players already said they don't want him and he is doing himself no favours.

The man speaks sense.  And from Reading's point of view, they should be very pleased with Adkins as manager, too.

You don't know that. KMac has reduced training, so work ethic would have changed.

No players are going to ask for a boss that they know will make them work harder, but sometimes it might be just what they need. It was here. It's hardly as if Di Canio went out and bought a team of superstars last season.

And of course, no one knows what our results would have been like if he was still here, except that the only way he would still be here is if we hadn't gone through the whole mess of the last two months, in which case we'd probably be top of the league.

But people want to hit out at him for leaving, I get that. For the record I also rate the job MacDonald has done thus far.

Nobody does. Not alot has changed though performance wise. If you think the new manager would not work the players or prepare them properly then think again. Different methods but the bloke knows what he is doing.

They worked their bollocks off for Mcdermott so that is not an issue for them.

I'm sure the players have said training is harder under KMAC, there's just less of it.

Yup yup

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/swindontown/news/10275518.Devera_insists_training_is_harder_under_MacDonald/

Did they? I'm fully prepared to admit I have zero knowledge of how hard Reading's players work in training or otherwise so fair enough. I bet they get Sundays off though, even after yet another defeat ;)

One of the first things Devera said when asked about it.

I'm not saying he doesn't. Every manager has different methods. Some players thrive under some managers some don't.

I think that needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.

We are actually in a better position in the league than where pdc left us

(Yet when his coaching staff left we were top of the league) Trying to twist things there.

Well he put so much emphasis on loan players, perhaps arriba has a point.

Alex Cooke wrote this great piece for the Washbag on the Tactical Difference between our current and former Boss http://thewashbag.com/2013/03/26/is-kevin-macdonalds-4141-formation-too-negative-at-the-county-ground/

Interesting read

Not trying to twist thigs at all. It is true

I think that's a complete guess on your part.

On Saturday Macca said the training was more intense and skills based.

The possibility of the players coming out and saying to the fans 'we're being worked much less hard under the new regime' being approximately 0, whatever they do actually say under the known obligation of their duties as representatives of the club and their vested interest in filtering their words for public consumption is made not especially worthwhile when received from a position of ignorance as scientific evidence upon which to hang theories about the relative difficulty or otherwise of a new fitness regime none of us still really know anything about.

(a situation for which the English language has provided the easily substitutable expression to save having to type out the above paragraph: 'worth taking with a pinch of salt.')

My hovercraft is full of eels

I approve this reply.

Luftputefartøyet mitt er fullt av ål.

Моё судно на воздушной подушке полно угрей

내 호버크라프트는 장어로 가득 차 있어요

้กฟแแ กหอแกหืิาีา้ืีดห แกห่รนดอ้พำ ดดหกี่

Thủy phi cơ của tôi là đầy đủ của loài lươn

Moje vznášedlo je plné úhořů

sucky fucky ห้าดอลล่า

Ah,  not  again,  just  like  work,  £$£"*(O()())))&%^THJJH,  thats  easy  for  you  to  say,   Englander  please!!!