Ruben Selles

[gammon cheeks]

Will not last 10games for Reading ...awful manager.

[AlexLaw76]

1 hour ago, gammon cheeks said:

Will not last 10games for Reading ...awful manager.

I agree. If he is their manager on the Boxing Day game, I will be stunned

[Toussaint]

2 hours ago, goodymatt said:

 

I don't like Reading and I don't like Selles. Winner Winner

[northam soul]

Anyone read the Jacob Tanswell interview for the athletic out today?

Not subscribed but headlines of Team picked based on players attitude and everyone wanting to be the star of the show.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

50 minutes ago, northam soul said:

Anyone read the Jacob Tanswell interview for the athletic out today?

Not subscribed but headlines of Team picked based on players attitude and everyone wanting to be the star of the show.

Selles talks about the size of the squad, leading to the seperate dressing rooms. Also of the cliques that had formed. It led to him shunting several players off to the B-Team. If they did well there, he cites Adam Armstrong's professionalism and that he did well, then they could be brought back in.

But he talks about the team cohesion. That there were numerous relationships and people to be handled. From the "star of the show" this meant egos as well. He wanted a team that would play for each other, even if they might not seem on paper to be the most talented out of the group.

Which I don't disagree with at all. I'd make grudging exceptions for players so talented they could get us out of relegation. A Le Tiss. But none of that squad comes close to that. It would also give another reason why Ely, AA etc would be given game time over less dependable, less professional, less cliquey players.

The other option would have been to play all the moaners, and if they failed, tell them in no uncertain terms why they were all/ or mostly dropped for the next week. But that could be a precious game thrown away. Might have got some heads down and focused, but probably not.

[coalman]

58 minutes ago, northam soul said:

Anyone read the Jacob Tanswell interview for the athletic out today?

Not subscribed but headlines of Team picked based on players attitude and everyone wanting to be the star of the show.

And this is how you get Elyounoussi week in week out and trash the morale of anyone behind him in the attitude pecking stakes.

[Weston Super Saint]

1 hour ago, northam soul said:

Anyone read the Jacob Tanswell interview for the athletic out today?

Not subscribed but headlines of Team picked based on players attitude and everyone wanting to be the star of the show.

I'd have been happy with just one of them being the star of the show instead of the dross we got served up.

[Cascadia Saint]

1 hour ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Selles talks about the size of the squad, leading to the seperate dressing rooms. Also of the cliques that had formed. It led to him shunting several players off to the B-Team. If they did well there, he cites Adam Armstrong's professionalism and that he did well, then they could be brought back in.

But he talks about the team cohesion. That there were numerous relationships and people to be handled. From the "star of the show" this meant egos as well. He wanted a team that would play for each other, even if they might not seem on paper to be the most talented out of the group.

Which I don't disagree with at all. I'd make grudging exceptions for players so talented they could get us out of relegation. A Le Tiss. But none of that squad comes close to that. It would also give another reason why Ely, AA etc would be given game time over less dependable, less professional, less cliquey players.

The other option would have been to play all the moaners, and if they failed, tell them in no uncertain terms why they were all/ or mostly dropped for the next week. But that could be a precious game thrown away. Might have got some heads down and focused, but probably not.

As with most things Selles, what he wanted is not what he produced. 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

3 hours ago, Toussaint said:

I don't like Reading and I don't like Selles. Winner Winner

Mostly, I'd not really care less how Selles gets on, once he left us. As long as any of his teams get roundly thrashed, facing us.

But there's a little bit, after last season, that wouldn't mind Selles, Raph and even Nathan doing well in their next posts. At least while the bulk of the failures they tried to coach are still here. In case the penny drops that they were the ones out on the pitch who could have made the difference. Every little bit of help that would help change their mentality, which is what Martin will have to manage.  I do get that they were basically turned into drones under RalphBall, and that such long lasting losing streaks are hard to recover from. So even an angry reponse to show the Championship that it wasn't them, would be nice too.

 

[ChrisPY]

2 hours ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Selles talks about the size of the squad, leading to the seperate dressing rooms. Also of the cliques that had formed. It led to him shunting several players off to the B-Team. If they did well there, he cites Adam Armstrong's professionalism and that he did well, then they could be brought back in.

But he talks about the team cohesion. That there were numerous relationships and people to be handled. From the "star of the show" this meant egos as well. He wanted a team that would play for each other, even if they might not seem on paper to be the most talented out of the group.

Which I don't disagree with at all. I'd make grudging exceptions for players so talented they could get us out of relegation. A Le Tiss. But none of that squad comes close to that. It would also give another reason why Ely, AA etc would be given game time over less dependable, less professional, less cliquey players.

The other option would have been to play all the moaners, and if they failed, tell them in no uncertain terms why they were all/ or mostly dropped for the next week. But that could be a precious game thrown away. Might have got some heads down and focused, but probably not.

Or the third option, you isolate one of the clique and use them as a very public example of what will happen if the others don’t get back on board. Issue with this would have been whether Selles had enough authority for it to work.

[josebaiw]

2 hours ago, Weston Super Saint said:

I'd have been happy with just one of them being the star of the show instead of the dross we got served up.

https://archive.is/143kb 

[Maggie May]

3 hours ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Selles talks about the size of the squad, leading to the seperate dressing rooms. Also of the cliques that had formed. It led to him shunting several players off to the B-Team. If they did well there, he cites Adam Armstrong's professionalism and that he did well, then they could be brought back in.

But he talks about the team cohesion. That there were numerous relationships and people to be handled. From the "star of the show" this meant egos as well. He wanted a team that would play for each other, even if they might not seem on paper to be the most talented out of the group.

Which I don't disagree with at all. I'd make grudging exceptions for players so talented they could get us out of relegation. A Le Tiss. But none of that squad comes close to that. It would also give another reason why Ely, AA etc would be given game time over less dependable, less professional, less cliquey players.

The other option would have been to play all the moaners, and if they failed, tell them in no uncertain terms why they were all/ or mostly dropped for the next week. But that could be a precious game thrown away. Might have got some heads down and focused, but probably not.

One big mess that I doubt anyone could’ve sorted in a short space of time. NJ was a mistake but we needed a fresh start that summer.

[saint lard]

On par with Eric Black. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Scummer]

Selles was taking a long term approach, when we desperately needed a short term solution to stay up. Makes me very doubtful that he has what it takes to be a manager

[Holmes_and_Watson]

30 minutes ago, Maggie May said:

One big mess that I doubt anyone could’ve sorted in a short space of time. NJ was a mistake but we needed a fresh start that summer.

Just a big season of good intentions and equally disastrous outcomes.

Had SR parted ways with Ralph at any point after the Villa game the season before, and definitely after the Chelsea game, I'd have remembered the good times, the times where we were punching above our weight and wished him all the best.

I get that there were reasons to keep him. Trying to give him the players (I was going to say tools, but... 🙂 )  and backing to return to that success; loyalty; Ralph's plans matching their recruitment philosophy. But the writing was on the wall once that tactic got done over, and there wasn't the hint of a workable, winning response.

By the time Selles got given it, it looked grim. I don't begrudge him taking the job. I look at SR for appointing him. It might not have made any difference, and SR might have been as well keeping pennies they were happy to give Luton for compensation in their pockets. I'd have been giving it a go though.

[gordonToo]

The game ultimately is all about goals and we don't score enough of them as we lack the necessary talent in the final third. Pep himself would have struggled with last season's squad and so far not much seems to have changed. 

[bpsaint]

Funny old game, imagine telling the Reading fans that were giving it the big one after pipping us to the Championship title that we’d beat them twice the following season with them being managed by our ex manager for the second game, they’d get relegated and we wouldn’t meet again for 10 years, at which point they’d be in League One ready to start the season with another of our ex managers, only this one is one of the worst managers the Premier League had ever seen, and we’d still be above them in the football hierarchy.

[Turkish]

We sent presents to the players’ families,” says Selles. “We sent them letters and restaurant vouchers, so they could take their wives or husbands for dinner. We just wanted to show we cared for our people.”
 

which of our players have husbands is the big take away here surely 

[hypochondriac]

Just now, Turkish said:

We sent presents to the players’ families,” says Selles. “We sent them letters and restaurant vouchers, so they could take their wives or husbands for dinner. We just wanted to show we cared for our people.”
 

which of our players have husbands is the big take away here surely 

Presuming he means the women's team? 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

I'm more of a "sent letters and vouchers to the staff, whose jobs might be under threat from relegation, while giving the players more double sessions and a reminder of how utterly pampered they are" sort of person, I guess.

[Weston Super Saint]

8 hours ago, Turkish said:

We sent presents to the players’ families,” says Selles. “We sent them letters and restaurant vouchers, so they could take their wives or husbands for dinner. We just wanted to show we cared for our people.”
 

which of our players have husbands is the big take away here surely 

There's that and also why are they giving restaurant vouchers to the players who earn tens of thousands of pounds per week?  

[Holmes_and_Watson]

Ruben looking for 10 0layers before the start of the season.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/66238260

Perhaps a club we could use to develop some of our fringe players.

[VectisSaint]

1 hour ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Ruben looking for 10 0layers before the start of the season.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/66238260

Perhaps a club we could use to develop some of our fringe players.

I see they released Shane Long, could we do with a non-scoring striker with lots of experience?

[Holmes_and_Watson]

12 minutes ago, VectisSaint said:

I see they released Shane Long, could we do with a non-scoring striker with lots of experience?

He'd certainly have that non scoring thing in common with them. Sadly, I think we may be looking to reduce the number of them we have.

I wonder if Walcott is still trying with Reading. I know you responded with good points when I was surprised that he wouldn't find something more lucrative.

[washsaint]

On 14/07/2023 at 17:33, hypochondriac said:

Presuming he means the women's team? 

Nope, he said players and staff - I';m sure they have some female staff

[leeham_69]

In other news, Ruben has an early competitor for the 2023/24 "I was fashionable in the 2000s" award. Which look is worse?

 

[Suhari]

Sacked by Reading according to TwitterX.

Not been following. Was he doing shit?

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Suhari said:

Sacked by Reading according to TwitterX.

Not been following. Was he doing shit?

pretty much. but unsure any manager would have made a difference, they are a right mess

[Patrick Bateman]

1 hour ago, Suhari said:

Sacked by Reading according to TwitterX.

Not been following. Was he doing shit?

That was quick!!  

[Holmes_and_Watson]

A quick peek shows results have tanked. The last I heard was listening to a couple of fans on the radio not long after he joined. They loved him and his approach.

[Toussaint]

I'm happy to donate Russel to Reading as an act of neighbourly selflessness. 

Edited 26 October, 2023 by Toussaint

[a1ex2001]

17 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

pretty much. but unsure any manager would have made a difference, they are a right mess

There is no manager alive or dead that would have done well at reading this season Selles was a cheap option and a convenient fall guy for the failings of the club.

still a crap manager they would have been better off with Jones!

[Weston Super Saint]

28 minutes ago, a1ex2001 said:

There is no manager alive or dead that would have done well at reading this season Selles was a cheap option and a convenient fall guy for the failings of the club.

still a crap manager they would have been better off with Jones!

He's next - they're doing our managers in reverse.

[OldNick]

16 hours ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

A quick peek shows results have tanked. The last I heard was listening to a couple of fans on the radio not long after he joined. They loved him and his approach.

I wonder if they had made a song about him and sung his name 

[bangkoksaint]

2 up today with a Ballard goal and blew it. Bottom of the league and the fans want Selles gone. I appreciate they’re a basket case but I still think even after the Mad Nat experiment last season that if we hadn’t appointed RS we’d have had a shout at staying up. 

[Pamplemousse]

I do feel sorry for Ruben tbh. Think he'd be alright at a stable club.

[Jeremy Corbyn]

1 hour ago, Pamplemousse said:

I do feel sorry for Ruben tbh. Think he'd be alright at a stable club.

He was absolutely awful for us and by the looks of it has been terrible at Reading. From his time with us I really didn't see any 'potential', just felt like a good coach who had no idea how to manage.

[Dark Munster]

47 minutes ago, Jeremy Corbyn said:

He was absolutely awful for us and by the looks of it has been terrible at Reading. From his time with us I really didn't see any 'potential', just felt like a good coach who had no idea how to manage.

Not sure why you'd think that. We were crap under his coaching before he became manager.

[Jeremy Corbyn]

10 hours ago, Dark Munster said:

Not sure why you'd think that. We were crap under his coaching before he became manager.

I was giving him the benefit of the doubt for being able to get a premier league job. I'd say there were quite a few factors behind our shitness.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

Ex-Saints coaching staff Sparkes and Eddie Niedzwiecki having left, costs cut and offers for players considered, not long after fans told it wouldn't happen. 3 points from safety and they've had a points deduction already. A grim time for Reading.

[Weston Super Saint]

Should the EFL be allowed to interfere in how clubs are run?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67983325

Quote

Dai's latest fine - taking the total issued to him to £80,000 - comes after he failed to meet last Friday's deadline to deposit 125% of the total staff wage bill to a registered account, meaning he has now been in default for nearly four months.

If the guy has no money then fining him for not paying wages seems futile.

Quote

In the meantime, and for the sake of the future of Reading FC, its staff, supporters, and local community we urge Mr Dai either to fund the club adequately or to make immediate arrangements to sell his majority shareholding to appropriate new owners so everyone can move forward with renewed optimism.

Insisting that he sell the club, despite their claims about staff, local community etc, seems more likely to be about protecting the EFL brand than anything else - if the club were to fold mid season there would be uproar from other clubs that have been beaten / drawn with Reading and more uproar from those who are yet to play them and potentially miss out on their 3 points!

[Wade Garrett]

10 hours ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Ex-Saints coaching staff Sparkes and Eddie Niedzwiecki having left, costs cut and offers for players considered, not long after fans told it wouldn't happen. 3 points from safety and they've had a points deduction already. A grim time for Reading.

And they have an utter fraud of a manager

[The Cat]

44 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

And they have an utter fraud of a manager

It's a low bar, but they've gone unbeaten in their last 6 league games which is pretty good considering how poor they were.

[chiknsmack]

After reading this article about the restructure of the club's academy setup linked in another thread, I came across this recent interview (with an edited transcript) of Selles. It starts out talking about his current gig at Reading but goes into his time at Saints and his past before that.

[The Cat]

He's got Reading out the relegation zone now, only 1 loss in the last 11 league games. 

Considering the absolute state of the club that's a pretty good effort. Good luck to him. 

[The Cat]

Another win today taking Reading up to 16th.

Only 3 defeats in something like the last 17 league games is very good indeed considering the absolute state of the club.

[Winnersaint]

21 minutes ago, The Cat said:

Another win today taking Reading up to 16th.

Only 3 defeats in something like the last 17 league games is very good indeed considering the absolute state of the club.

They are actually my local team. Never really given a s*** about them in the 40 odd years I've lived in Berkshire tbh. That said decent stadium, largish catchment and Bearwood Park is a really state of the art training facility 5 mins from my house. Been looking out for their results because of the Selles connection. My observation would be that he is the right level now, wrong for us this time last year, but his experience with Reading may well make him into a really good manager. His team are a team of babies they seem to have a spirit about them which he is very much the front and centre of.

[SNSUN]

13 minutes ago, Winnersaint said:

They are actually my local team. Never really given a s*** about them in the 40 odd years I've lived in Berkshire tbh. That said decent stadium, largish catchment and Bearwood Park is a really state of the art training facility 5 mins from my house. Been looking out for their results because of the Selles connection. My observation would be that he is the right level now, wrong for us this time last year, but his experience with Reading may well make him into a really good manager. His team are a team of babies they seem to have a spirit about them which he is very much the front and centre of.

I went to school at Bearwood (many moons ago) so I'm very familiar with the area but I haven't been back since the new Reading training ground went in although I might see it if I move over that way (as I probably intend to at some point). Glad to hear they're doing well now even with the ownership situation hanging over their heads. While I'm a Berkshire boy born and bred I have no real strong feelings about Reading FC but they were the first opponents I saw when I went to my first Saints game (Elm Park, '96, FA Cup 3rd round), a few friends of mine support them and I went to school with their former owner so I am hoping they keep their heads above water.

Edited March 2 by SNSUN

[stevy777_x]

1 hour ago, Winnersaint said:

They are actually my local team. Never really given a s*** about them in the 40 odd years I've lived in Berkshire tbh. That said decent stadium, largish catchment and Bearwood Park is a really state of the art training facility 5 mins from my house. Been looking out for their results because of the Selles connection. My observation would be that he is the right level now, wrong for us this time last year, but his experience with Reading may well make him into a really good manager. His team are a team of babies they seem to have a spirit about them which he is very much the front and centre of.

Selles with experience will end up being a very good manager.

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

25 minutes ago, stevy777_x said:

Selles with experience will end up being a very good manager.

I think you're right. My work colleague went up to Carlisle today and said the fans were buzzing. They're really grateful with what he's done with all the other crap going on at the club.

Still can't quite work out what went wrong with us. At Stamford Bridge roughly this time last year, we were singing his praises. I genuinely think it was the squad that was so shit and not him.