Reading’s next captain…who will take the armband?

This Reading FC blog isn’t too proud to steal ideas for posts or jump into an issue weeks after everyone started talking about. Nor are we too shameless to write ‘Reading FC blog’ in the opening sentence for Search Engine Optimisation purposes. But enough of the technical stuff, it’s time to get down to some good old question and answer time.

The Question: Who will be the next captain of Reading FC?

The Answer: Well…let’s take a look at the candidates:

Ivar Ingimarsson

The Lady Diana of this list, the Icelandic stopper is the people’s choice of captain, as evident by the 52% of votes he has won on the HobNob poll at the time of writing. Ivar has all the attributes required of a potential captain; he is practically guaranteed starter, a natural leader, has been at the club a long time, well-respected in the dressing room and a good player. He was vice-captain under Graeme Murty, only to give the armband to Harper on several occasions as he thought it would help to raise his game. A true professional and an obvious choice for the club

Brynjar Gunnarsson

His concentration every day is outstanding, he’s a big influence in the group. In terms of his footballing ability we’re asking him to play and to create and he can do that. He’s a big influence in the group, I speak openly with him and he’s a good man.

Was not even in the running until the new manager came out and said this. He wasn’t widely expected to feature all that much this season, but if Rodgers’ has him in his first-team plans then why not? He is clearly a “big influence in the group” (so much so that Brendan said so twice in as many sentences) and someone that the younger players look upto, but do we really need another captain that doesn’t feature every week?

Alex Pearce

Too inexperienced for my liking, but a popular choice amongst other Reading fans (17% of which voted for him in the aforementioned poll.) Pearce is clearly a captain of the future, but if the squad were to remain the way it is now, you would have to ask if he would even get into the team ahead of Bikey and Ingimarsson. Probably not. If Bikey leaves, then his chances would shoot up, but a captain needs to have the respect of the dressing room and will Pearce, at just 20, really have that yet? The next, next captain perhaps.

James Harper

Assuming that he will still be here come September, and given that his main suitors, Middlesbrough, are in the same division it looks as though he may well be, Harper should have a strong case for taking the armband. He has led the side on many occasions, would be a first-team regular and is, I think, our longest-serving player now that Murty has left. He may have turned it down last year, but much has changed since then. A player that splits public opinion, his choice could be met with woe, but there are worse choices. Even if he will wear it around his leg.

Chris Armstong

For me, poor old Chris is a non-runner in this competition. Despite being our player of the season last time around, he may not even keep his place in the team with Ryan Bertrand joining on loan for the year. Jonny Fordham doesn’t think he’ll play much part and, unfortunately, neither do I. It’s a shame, because if it wasn’t for our new loanee, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Stretch pulling up the armband this year.

Jay Tabb

Brendan seems to like him, describing him as a ‘human pin-ball machine’ and he looks like he could secure a starting spot in a three-man centre midfield next season, so his case is stronger than some of the other candidates. However, he hasn’t been here all that long and, while with a new manager the slate is clean, how much influence he has over his teammates is questionnable at this stage. Rodgers is in a better position than any of us to assess his leadership skills, but I didn’t see too much evidence of them last season, although he could be a do-as-I-do type of captain.

The verdict: For me, I can’t look past Ivar Ingimarsson. He is just the obvious choice for the role and has all the attributes required. He is massively respected within the camp and would be able to exert his influence over the side in a positive way. I wouldn’t mind seeing Jay Tabb as vice-captain this term, but I can’t see it happening and would expect to see Harper retain that honour, assuming he is still here.

Your thoughts?

Kevin Doyle: Where’s he off to?

So Kevin Doyle is leaving. Stop crying you at the back, it’s happening so get over it. It has been widely reported that he is in talks with Wolves, who met his £6.5m release clause. Also interested are Fulham, whose interest was exclusively revealed (™ The Sun) on our Twitter feed, later confirmed. Although we hope they didn’t get it from us, the source wasn’t exactly HP. Aston Villa, Everton and Bolton are also thought to be interested. So where will he go?

Wolves

Well, frankly, he’d have to be mad to go there if the other three actually make concrete bids for him. Doyle’s ambition is to play in Premier League and presumably he’d like a nice pay-packet to go with it. Wolves have the least chance of staying in the division and are likely to only be able to offer one of lowest salaries too. Doyle will have watched what happened to Dave Kitson last season and will be wary of joining a newly promoted side. He’d be able to join his old mate Marcus Hahnemann there, but, if anything, that could actually be a minus point. Who wants to spend their top flight life watching USA’s wayward hoofs flying over your head and into the stands?

Fulham

Despite having Andy Johnson and being the team that survived at our expense, this would seem an attractive proposition for Kevin. He wouldn’t have to move very far, if at all, and would almost certainly become a first-team regular. After all, with Johnson and Zamora only scoring only nine times between them in the league last season, Fulham need goals. Doyle scores goals. A bit of speculation here, but he seems the type of guy that likes to be quite low-key and a move this close would allow him to stay in touch with the rest of the Irish contingent at Reading (or what is left of it come September.)

Aston Villa

A great club and certainly not an opportunity to turn your nose up, but I think this would be a wrong move for our Doyler. They have Agbonlahor, Carew and Heskey as options up front and all three are arguably better options than he. O’Neill often plays five in midfield, which could also limit his chances, although with Barry leaving this may change. Nicky Shorey’s switch to the Villa will also have warned Doyle that his place in the starting line-up would not be guaranteed.

Everton

This would have to be a very strong option in Doyle’s mind, should they meet his release price, by no means a certainty with their financial troubles. They have a manager renowned for bringing out the best in players, European football on offer and a vacant striking position with the Irishman’s name on it. Last season, Fellaini and Cahill spent much of their time moonlighting up-front with Moyes’ seeming to prefer to more injury-prone of forwards. With that in mind, would he be lining up a (ridiculous) move for Michael Owen instead?

Bolton

No, no and merry lump of lard no. If Doyle decides that his best option is to play alongside Kevin Davies in a team of lump it merchants and cloggers then he would go some way to proving a well-known stereotype to be true. Unless of course he needs to confimed that he ‘feels good’ every time he sticks one in the back of the net.

My vote is going to Everton. I think he would absolutely thrive there, playing alongside some top-quality players, and would score plenty of goals. That’s assuming they have any money at their disposal. If not, then Fulham. Where are you casting yours?

Of course this could all become completely irrelevent by tomorrow morning, if it turns out Wolves were actually the ones to bid and, therefore, win his signature by default. But I hope not. That would be boring.

Who will be the next Reading manager?

Believe it or not, it has now been over two weeks since Steve Coppell departed the Madejski Stadium in search of, well whatever it is he is in search of, and the Reading board continue to play their cards very close to their collective chests. The bookies favourite, for some time now, has been the current Watford manager, Brendan Rodgers, who has close ties to the Royals through his former position as youth team coach. However, with time passing rapidly and Director of Football Nick Hammond still foreseeing another two weeks before an appointment is made, we run through the contenders.

Brendan Rodgers

The Watford manager comes highly recommended by no less than Jose Mourinho and has been cagey when it comes to dicussing his chances for the Reading job. Poached by Mourinho for Chelsea’s youth team, he rose through the ranks to take charge of the reserves before being snapped up by Watford, where he has taken the relegation candidates to mid-table security.

Pros: Has the desired hunger and enthusiasm for the job, as well as wanting to prove himself as a manager. Good links in football and could potentially attract useful loan signings from Chelsea’s second string.

Cons: Yet to prove himself as a stand-alone manager and doesn’t possess the experience that a boss like Coppell had when he took over.

Alan Curbishley

Out of work since resigning from West Ham last September, Curbishley has a wealth of experience of management at the top level and was even linked with the England job before the eventual appointment of everybody’s favourite fake flying Dutchman, Schteve McLaren. Well documented to have watched Reading’s final few home games of the season from the stands, it is reasonable to expect that he would have been unveiled by now, were he to be the chairman’s choice.

Pros: Has a proven track record of taking teams to the promised land and transforming them into solid top level teams. Look at what happened to Charlton after he left. Also did a decent job at the Hammers before resigning last year.

Cons: Would surely be looking to take over at a Premier League club after his recent managerial experience so would he drop down a division? His demands with regards to wages and transfer budgets may give Mr. Madejski vertigo as a man who doesn’t enjoy reaching into those deep pockets.

Darren Ferguson

Son of Sir Alex and current manager of Peterborough United, Darren has tasted success in each of his two seasons in charge, with a promotion each time. At a club that is surely not well-enough equipped to challenge again, he may see the opportunity to manage the Royals to the Premier League as the perfect opportunity to make it three out of three.

Pros: Young, determined and with a fantastic set of genes, Ferguson seems to share the same magic touch as his father when it comes to football management. Two promotions in two full seasons suggests that he could be the man to take Reading back up a division.

Cons: As a man who last year admitted to attacking his wife, Ferguson may not fit in with the family image of the club. A lack of top-level experience may also count against the Scot.

Paul Tisdale

Another up-and-coming young manager, Tisdale has also won back-to-back promotions, taking Exeter City back into the Football League from the wilderness of the Conference and then up another level to League One the following season. He has already cemented his place as one of Exeter’s greatest managers ever, but would the Reading job be too soon for the 36-year-old?

Pros: Sky Sports reported that his teams tend to play short, tidy football that would suit the ‘Reading way’ that Coppell had implemented at the club. His back-to-back promotions also show a hunger and desire for success, of a kind that Reading need.

Cons: His lack of experience means that the Reading role probably comes too soon for Tisdale. If Coppell struggled to control big egos, then could Tisdale be reasonably expected to do much better?

Alan Pardew

Out of work since leaving Charlton last year, Pardew has experience at both Premier League and Championship level. A former Reading manager, he also knows the club inside-out, having managed them for four years and getting the team promoted to the Championship. The circumstances in which he left though, may prevent a return for the man who left the Royals for West Ham United back in 2003.

Pros: Not being connected to a club, he would be cheap to appoint, which would please Sir John’s pockets. He went close to promotion to the top league with Reading before and would relish the challenge of a return.

Cons: The board could well have a mutiny on it’s hands should they pick Pardew. The fans despise him after he left in dubious circumstances and this bad blood could well sully the chances of a return.

Other Candidates

Also linked are Glenn Hoddle, Paul Ince, Steve Cotterill and more. The club have confirmed that they have recieved an unprecedented level of applications.

Personally, I think that Brendan Rodgers will be the eventual choice and would be quite pleased with that appointment, although I would be more excited by the appointment of Darren Ferguson due to his impressive achievements with Peterborough.

Who do you want? Vote below: