[skyclad99]

By all means , if he is not fit for purpose , get someone who is better. Lai obviously took advice from someone in letting him in in the first instance, so seek advice again, from maybe Ashworth, Hodgson, even Jenkins, and charge the advisor to "do better" next time.
By the way, in the "Real World" , in my 67 years of supporting this great club we have regularly regretted making dodgy appointments, and I fear we have just made another.
I have thought it through.

Fancy not thinking it through you silly sausage😂

[iwastherein68]

Fancy not thinking it through you silly sausage😂

I know, they mek ya loff dow um mate

[tambag]

Gourlay has no immediate technical director plans

RG: Steve comes as manager, on a technical director that is not in our immediate plans.
We have more priorities at this time. I'll explain to you guys again soon about plans for a restructure, and we will have one or two changes to announce in the board in four to six weeks"

Gourlay on board room changes

RG: "Don't get wrong have great people here, but we need to have a look at how football is run today, need to boost our board and the senior management team.
"We can address it very quickly, our owner is now chairman and will be addressing and bringing some quality into hierarchy at board level to help decision making process.
"Over the next few weeks and explaining to people why.
"Few underlying issues have been coming to the surface, got to be very open no reason not to be, this club as I explained to Steve, it is a sustainable football club.
"It is the way it has to remain can go to the Premier League in that mode."

CEO on Lai
RG: "The lengthy discussions when he was here for almost two months gave me the opportunity face to face to discuss the challenges we have at the club.
"He listened, gave guarantees I need to take the club forward and the ability to make quick decisions as we did with Steve."

[baggiejohn]

Gourlay has no immediate technical director plans

RG: Steve comes as manager, on a technical director that is not in our immediate plans.
We have more priorities at this time. I'll explain to you guys again soon about plans for a restructure, and we will have one or two changes to announce in the board in four to six weeks"

Gourlay on board room changes

RG: "Don't get wrong have great people here, but we need to have a look at how football is run today, need to boost our board and the senior management team.
"We can address it very quickly, our owner is now chairman and will be addressing and bringing some quality into hierarchy at board level to help decision making process.
"Over the next few weeks and explaining to people why.
"Few underlying issues have been coming to the surface, got to be very open no reason not to be, this club as I explained to Steve, it is a sustainable football club.
"It is the way it has to remain can go to the Premier League in that mode."

CEO on Lai
RG: "The lengthy discussions when he was here for almost two months gave me the opportunity face to face to discuss the challenges we have at the club.
"He listened, gave guarantees I need to take the club forward and the ability to make quick decisions as we did with Steve."

This is really encouraging, reading between the lines, the footballing side of the business can only improve if revenue improves.

I could see that one of the additions to the board could be someone to focus on revenue streams & increase our global image.

[Baggies]

Gourlay has no immediate technical director plans

RG: Steve comes as manager, on a technical director that is not in our immediate plans.
We have more priorities at this time. I'll explain to you guys again soon about plans for a restructure, and we will have one or two changes to announce in the board in four to six weeks"

Gourlay on board room changes

RG: "Don't get wrong have great people here, but we need to have a look at how football is run today, need to boost our board and the senior management team.
"We can address it very quickly, our owner is now chairman and will be addressing and bringing some quality into hierarchy at board level to help decision making process.
"Over the next few weeks and explaining to people why.
"Few underlying issues have been coming to the surface, got to be very open no reason not to be, this club as I explained to Steve, it is a sustainable football club.
"It is the way it has to remain can go to the Premier League in that mode."

CEO on Lai
RG: "The lengthy discussions when he was here for almost two months gave me the opportunity face to face to discuss the challenges we have at the club.
"He listened, gave guarantees I need to take the club forward and the ability to make quick decisions as we did with Steve."

I find this a fairly confusing set of answers really.

I'm not surprised to hear him say he isn't planning on hiring a technical director, especially after Bruce was given the title of manager rather than head coach. Gourlay is after all from the old school English administration era (something I dont see as a positive personally).

He does seem to contradict himself a bit when talking about the board room changes he is about to make though "you need to look at how football is run today" - that would be more and more clubs going down the continental route of a director of football and head coach?

I'm also intrigued to know what the guarantees were that he needed from Lai before taking on the job. My guess is it will be around his level of power at the club, but in the new found spirit of openess that we are professing to have, it would be nice to know.

I am uncomfortable with his hire, I really am.

[baggiejohn]

I find this a fairly confusing set of answers really.

I'm not surprised to hear him say he isn't planning on hiring a technical director, especially after Bruce was given the title of manager rather than head coach. Gourlay is after all from the old school English administration era (something I dont see as a positive personally).

He does seem to contradict himself a bit when talking about the board room changes he is about to make though "you need to look at how football is run today" - that would be more and more clubs going down the continental route of a director of football and head coach?

I'm also intrigued to know what the guarantees were that he needed from Lai before taking on the job. My guess is it will be around his level of power at the club, but in the new found spirit of openess that we are professing to have, it would be nice to know.

I am uncomfortable with his hire, I really am.

If I've interpreted what he's saying correctly, I'm quite excited, & particularly by the "you need to look how football is run today comments".

Nobody is going to buy this football club for anything like £170 million even if we become an established EPL side, in it's present guise.

The way I interpreted RG's comments, he's looking to find ways of improving our global brand & subsequent revenue streams. Mark Jenkins said as much when he left.

I believe the new board member(s) won't be football technicians, but have an understanding on how to promote the brand commercially.

The case for a secure technical director overseeing a head coach is no longer valid, technical directors move around just as much as coaches now, so the security advantage is lost.

I would suggest that the assurances RG asked for include independence in decision making.

Think this might be last chance saloon for Lai.

[baggiebof]

I am uncomfortable with his hire, I really am.

Same here, especially after he admitted there was no recruitment process and that Bruce admitted to knowing Gourlay personally through the football circuit...feels like jobs for the boys

[Standaman]

I took a little break from the board because frankly I found the discussions largely circular. For anything to significant to change we probably need new owners we can't get new owners without short term success we can't get that without investment unless we get smart we won't get  smart while we have the current owners. I have opinions but most of the time it is just shouting into the void and I had pretty much run out of things to shout. 

However they keep dragging me back. True to form after months of radio silence we have dramatic change and if nothing else potentially new directions and maybe a pathway out of the club's current malaise. I also vowed to temper my natural scepticism a little and deal with what is in front of me in it's best light.

In that spirit I have decided that I was going to take Ron Gourlay's initial interview at face value and to some extent take Reading fans criticism of him with a grain of salt. On that basis with the hint of a DoF in the pipeline I was at least encouraged. 

I really welcome his commitment to be more communicative that alone represents a step forward. I don't expect the forensic detail that many fans seem to want as to the whys and wherefores of every decision. Some of that is rightly confidential and needs to be to maintain trust between all the parties concerned.

However that has lasted less than a week. Confirmation that he isn't planning on hiring a DoF has triggered all sorts of alarm bells we are in serious old school territory here and yes the inner sceptic really does not like that. We wait and see what the restructure brings but at this point I am starting to feel a little uncomfortable here.   
 

[lewisant]

I took a little break from the board because frankly I found the discussions largely circular. For anything to significant to change we probably need new owners we can't get new owners without short term success we can't get that without investment unless we get smart we won't get  smart while we have the current owners. I have opinions but most of the time it is just shouting into the void and I had pretty much run out of things to shout. 

However they keep dragging me back. True to form after months of radio silence we have dramatic change and if nothing else potentially new directions and maybe a pathway out of the club's current malaise. I also vowed to temper my natural scepticism a little and deal with what is in front of me in it's best light.

In that spirit I have decided that I was going to take Ron Gourlay's initial interview at face value and to some extent take Reading fans criticism of him with a grain of salt. On that basis with the hint of a DoF in the pipeline I was at least encouraged. 

I really welcome his commitment to be more communicative that alone represents a step forward. I don't expect the forensic detail that many fans seem to want as to the whys and wherefores of every decision. Some of that is rightly confidential and needs to be to maintain trust between all the parties concerned.

However that has lasted less than a week. Confirmation that he isn't planning on hiring a DoF has triggered all sorts of alarm bells we are in serious old school territory here and yes the inner sceptic really does not like that. We wait and see what the restructure brings but at this point I am starting to feel a little uncomfortable here.

I think I can speak for others by saying we welcome back your well thought out post and observations on the club. Always an interesting read. I didn’t know that we’d confirmed no DOF - that is disappointing to read, can you provide any links to stories or was this confirmed in the presser? Haven’t had a chance to read anything yet.

[skyclad99]

Same here, especially after he admitted there was no recruitment process and that Bruce admitted to knowing Gourlay personally through the football circuit...feels like jobs for the boys

A week ago many of us would have crawled over hot coals to get rid of the manager. Thankfully Lai has had an 'Alan Sugar moment' and done a double sacking [triple if you count Kens sideways move].

We now have a respected manager and a CEO with a message who seems to want to engage with the fanbase. I am sure that RG will answer questions regarding the DoF position and recruitment in due course. Personally with all of the claims of nepotism etc I am just pleased with the change. 

[Baggies]

Gourlay has no immediate technical director plans

RG: Steve comes as manager, on a technical director that is not in our immediate plans.
We have more priorities at this time. I'll explain to you guys again soon about plans for a restructure, and we will have one or two changes to announce in the board in four to six weeks"

Gourlay on board room changes

RG: "Don't get wrong have great people here, but we need to have a look at how football is run today, need to boost our board and the senior management team.
"We can address it very quickly, our owner is now chairman and will be addressing and bringing some quality into hierarchy at board level to help decision making process.
"Over the next few weeks and explaining to people why.
"Few underlying issues have been coming to the surface, got to be very open no reason not to be, this club as I explained to Steve, it is a sustainable football club.
"It is the way it has to remain can go to the Premier League in that mode."

CEO on Lai
RG: "The lengthy discussions when he was here for almost two months gave me the opportunity face to face to discuss the challenges we have at the club.
"He listened, gave guarantees I need to take the club forward and the ability to make quick decisions as we did with Steve."

It’s in Tambag’s post lewis

[kc56wba]

It's important that the Albion Assembly ask Gourkay about his time at Reading. It needs to be asked in a sensitive way, but he needs to put our kinds at rest that he has learnt from his mistakes there and that we aren't going to follow a similar path.

Knowing some of the Assembly members as I do I would be very surprised if there was not any questions about his time at previous clubs. I am looking forward to this meeting.

[lewisant]

It’s in Tambag’s post lewis

Thank you, i missed that. It would be a shame if that doesn't happen but interesting to see what the restructure will be.

[SmethDan]

I've made a couple of comments on this thread expressing unease. Mr. Gourlay likes to talk. A lot. Which in one sense is good. On the other hand from my perspective there doesn't appear to be a lot of substance to his words.

Soundbites for the masses and short term solutions to long standing issues. He's been here months but has only just taken the reins so it seems harsh to draw conclusions before he's had a chance to restructure the board. And yet.....

Mentioned on another thread that as a club we reached our crossroads once JRP realised the financial writing was on the wall and we've been on a roundabout of crisis management ever since. Thus far our CEO's recommendations appear to be that he should get the gig.

I have absolutely no idea whatsoever how to run a football club. That's a task for minds far greater than mine. What I do know is that Steve Bruce really needs to come up trumps in the short term.

Because if he doesn't then I don't think much of our chances of moving forward while Mr. Gourlay has the keys to the castle. Looking in from the outside all I see is an experienced old school administrator telling a proven to be naive owner what he wants to hear.

I've never met Mr. Gourlay or Steve Bruce but I know which one I'd rather have a couple of beers with. Steve Bruce is an off the shelf manager. It was a fairly straightforward choice for a short term solution. I just hope he's still within his use by date. You can tell it's a none match day and I'm bored  .

COYB and all that  .

[Albionic]

I think I can speak for others by saying we welcome back your well thought out post and observations on the club. Always an interesting read. I didn’t know that we’d confirmed no DOF - that is disappointing to read, can you provide any links to stories or was this confirmed in the presser? Haven’t had a chance to read anything yet.

its this bit from the presser   "on a technical director that is not in our immediate plans".

[iwastherein68]

If the incoming "new directors" are cash investors , taking some of Lai's shareholding, then they are most welcome. If however they are just "football names" trying to rid us of our lack of football knowledge at the top table, and make up the numbers under Gourlay's leadership, then I think we will at best tread water and not move forward, or worse still sink lower.
To be fair , when Gourlay said that Lai had been here for two months, then that made me think that some serious talks had taken place with someone. I hope that a deal is in the offing. If it is just a case of Lai showing that he is in charge but leaving the running of the club to Gourlay then I despair.

[AlbionFan]

I think in this early phase of Steve's stewardship, we will be relying on his experience and knowledge to recruit and turnover players

I'm not totally averse to being without a DOF as conflicts can arise between Manager and DOF as we saw recently with Bilic and Dowling and, in the current moment, we need to steady and stabilised the ship in the short term

[baggiejohn]

I think in this early phase of Steve's stewardship, we will be relying on his experience and knowledge to recruit and turnover players

I'm not totally averse to being without a DOF as conflicts can arise between Manager and DOF as we saw recently with Bilic and Dowling and, in the current moment, we need to steady and stabilised the ship in the short term

Unless it's out of contract players SB won't be able to add anything to the playing squad until the summer.
You would hope than RG stays close to SB for the rest of the season, the break clause works both ways, & a surprise termination of contract would be disastrous.

Hopefully, RG has considered all the "what ifs" as part of his short term strategy.

[AlbionFan]

Unless it's out of contract players SB won't be able to add anything to the playing squad until the summer.
You would hope than RG stays close to SB for the rest of the season, the break clause works both ways, & a surprise termination of contract would be disastrous.

Hopefully, RG has considered all the "what ifs" as part of his short term strategy.

My assumption is that SB will see the 18 months contract out at the very least

[SmethDan]

If the incoming "new directors" are cash investors , taking some of Lai's shareholding, then they are most welcome. If however they are just "football names" trying to rid us of our lack of football knowledge at the top table, and make up the numbers under Gourlay's leadership, then I think we will at best tread water and not move forward, or worse still sink lower.
To be fair , when Gourlay said that Lai had been here for two months, then that made me think that some serious talks had taken place with someone. I hope that a deal is in the offing. If it is just a case of Lai showing that he is in charge but leaving the running of the club to Gourlay then I despair.

I wonder whether Mr. Gourlay could be part of a takeover consortium. I also wonder how long it will be before this 'rumour' begins to gather pace on Facebook and the Twitiverse  .

[johnny Cash]

I’ve not posted about Gourlay, but he fills me with dread. A poor managerial appoint can go wrong, but a poor CEO/owner combo can propel you towards a Derby or Reading position with embargo’s and points deductions.

Let’s hope everyone connected with Reading is wrong about him.

[SmethDan]

It's rare for an entire support base to be as one with their opinions but this seems to be the case with Reading from what I've read. Just hoping we don't end up the same way. I wish there wasn't a saying about what hope does  .

[baggiejohn]

I’ve not posted about Gourlay, but he fills me with dread. A poor managerial appoint can go wrong, but a poor CEO/owner combo can propel you towards a Derby or Reading position with embargo’s and points deductions.

Let’s hope everyone connected with Reading is wrong about him.

Since my last comments, I've done some online digging about his time at Reading.

Seems he ruffled a few feathers there in much the same way that Luke Dowling did here.

Based on the fact that he had an office at the training ground, there were assumptions he'd been heavily involved with the football side of the business including team selection, but our CEO has had an office at the training ground since JP's days. It would make sense for the CEO to be accessible to the team boss.

There was one thing that did concern me, allegedly he had set up a lucrative sponsorship deal, except it never materialised. It's this part of the remit, where I hoped he would deliver, now I'm not so sure.

[AlbionFan]

Perusing the article below, I think Reading's and Albion's fanbase have much in common

https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/how-reading-fc-bounced-back-17243212

[BalisPen]

I find this a fairly confusing set of answers really.

I'm not surprised to hear him say he isn't planning on hiring a technical director, especially after Bruce was given the title of manager rather than head coach. Gourlay is after all from the old school English administration era (something I dont see as a positive personally).

He does seem to contradict himself a bit when talking about the board room changes he is about to make though "you need to look at how football is run today" - that would be more and more clubs going down the continental route of a director of football and head coach?

I'm also intrigued to know what the guarantees were that he needed from Lai before taking on the job. My guess is it will be around his level of power at the club, but in the new found spirit of openess that we are professing to have, it would be nice to know.

I am uncomfortable with his hire, I really am.

My sauce told the assurance sought by Gourlay was thar lai stop ringing him up every 5 minutes crying and saying I want my £200m back.... It's all gone wrong Ron.

Joking aside I would love to know the identity of the villa scu mbag advising our glorious leader to appoint Terreano, say no to Wilder and instead waste 2m on a 6 month god of football  and finding a jobless journeyman like RG who is hated by fans of the last club that sacked him.