The Reading Mismatch

[Platypuss]

The best thing I can say in Brendy's favour is that idiots (and floyd) always disagree with him.

To be fair, with the amount of posts Brendy makes everyone's bound to find something to agree with eventually. Even if it's by accident.

[Hertfordshire Royal]

I think Fridays Ghost has Anger issues .

I think he may be Dan the Angry Fan from Soccer AM

[NewCorkSeth]

Hey Sciag your post was eerily similar to my first response. Probably because what we said is glaringly obvious. Or should be.

[nevo1970]

We played 4-5-1 under Sir Steve in the Prem which is a fact that the Mike Basset Brigade are forgetting.

[SCIAG]

We played 4-5-1 under Sir Steve in the Prem which is a fact that the Mike Basset Brigade are forgetting.

Only against the very biggest clubs though, as I remember. And not always, even then.

I think people's beef isn't with playing 4-5-1, because many of the same people said 4-4-2 was outmoded and McDermott was a dinosaur and blah blah. It's some weird expectation that the best teams in a division should play with two strikers.

Either that or they just want to moan. Oh.

[Tilehurstsouthbank]

So many people spouting rubbish about us needing this 'Big target man'. This isn't the 1980's where we 'Hoof it up to the big fella'. The best player in my time watching Reading, to play the lone striker role was Nicky Forster. He wasn't some big lump. Just an extremely quick CF with a decent touch.

[paddy20]

So many people spouting rubbish about us needing this 'Big target man'. This isn't the 1980's where we 'Hoof it up to the big fella'. The best player in my time watching Reading, to play the lone striker role was Nicky Forster. He wasn't some big lump. Just an extremely quick CF with a decent touch.

Good point but we will need to do away with conventional wingers who cross balls into the box which you still see when Alf is up front. The ball will need to be played through the middle a lot more.

[Cureton's Volley]

I get the OP's drift (it's too dishevelled to call a point)

Whilst in principle I believe playing 4-5-1 is an 'investment for the future' in sanguine hope we should grace MOTD once more, it makes no difference if we do not attain that accomplishment. Consider also that many teams will be dropping anchor at the Madejski to spoil the game and scavenge a point. I am concious that we may struggle to score enough goals to win the sheer volume of matches we need to succeed in this ferociously competitive league.

On that basis I would suggest until we find the right solution to the lone striker conundrum, we start with two up top for the majority of our matches (especially at home).

However, I appreciate it is a fine margin; with a strong squad we are lucky enough to be debating the difference between a Benromach 30y/o and Glenlivet XXV. My personal taste is to see us prioritise goals where possible, and revert to 4-5-1 in second halves and away from home against decent opposition. That is but my scrupulous opinion.

[Cureton's Volley]

So many people spouting rubbish about us needing this 'Big target man'. This isn't the 1980's where we 'Hoof it up to the big fella'. The best player in my time watching Reading, to play the lone striker role was Nicky Forster. He wasn't some big lump. Just an extremely quick CF with a decent touch.

Good point but we will need to do away with conventional wingers who cross balls into the box which you still see when Alf is up front. The ball will need to be played through the middle a lot more.

Indeed t'was a great point as Forster was electric.

Currently we have neither a 'target man' or a new Fozzy.

As our wings can currently be considered a strong point it is a shame to force them to play a narrower game to accommodate a system which doesn't play to our current strengths.

[FridaysGhost]

I agree with some of the posts above. I don't have anything against 4-5-1 other than, currently, it doesn't play to our players strengths. I would be more happy if Adkins was flexible enough to change his formation depending on players available to him, the best counter to the opposition and whether home or away.

It may just be the way I see things but I can't get my head round not using wingers and two forwards for home matches. Surely a 4-4-2 formation can accomodate a passing game as much as any other formation. Moreover, we have been promoted twice using wingers and two forwards, why change it if it ain't broke!

A couple of new players (certainly a Striker) may push the squad further into 4-5-1 territory but we don't have those players yet.

[Cureton's Volley]

I agree with some of the posts above. I don't have anything against 4-5-1 other than, currently, it doesn't play to our players strengths. I would be more happy if Adkins was flexible enough to change his formation depending on players available to him, the best counter to the opposition and whether home or away.

It may just be the way I see things but I can't get my head round not using wingers and two forwards for home matches. Surely a 4-4-2 formation can accomodate a passing game as much as any other formation. Moreover, we have been promoted twice using wingers and two forwards, why change it if it ain't broke!

A couple of new players (certainly a Striker) may push the squad further into 4-5-1 territory but we don't have those players yet.

If you put it like that in the OP I think you would have got a much better response. Well said.

[NewCorkSeth]

why change it if it ain't broke!

Our Owner expects an immediate return to the Premiership whilst definately retaining the Reading Way of transfers - a situation which has been proved wrong every time the team has tried to progress.

[FridaysGhost]

why change it if it ain't broke!

Our Owner expects an immediate return to the Premiership whilst definately retaining the Reading Way of transfers - a situation which has been proved wrong every time the team has tried to progress.

A comment about the 4-4-2 formation and another comment about us not spending the required money when it was neccessary are not in any way in oposition to each other.
Whatever point you are trying to make, I think you may have blown it!

[NewCorkSeth]

why change it if it ain't broke!

Our Owner expects an immediate return to the Premiership whilst definately retaining the Reading Way of transfers - a situation which has been proved wrong every time the team has tried to progress.

A comment about the 4-4-2 formation and another comment about us not spending the required money when it was neccessary are not in any way in oposition to each other.
Whatever point you are trying to make, I think you may have blown it!

HAHA seriously?
A) You said don't change something that isn't broken!
B) We have been promoted twice since 2006 under "The Reading way"
So..
The "Reading Way" (B) has been successful, therefore, we should not change something as it isn't broken (A)

[stickywhisky]

why change it if it ain't broke!

Our Owner expects an immediate return to the Premiership whilst definately retaining the Reading Way of transfers - a situation which has been proved wrong every time the team has tried to progress.

A comment about the 4-4-2 formation and another comment about us not spending the required money when it was neccessary are not in any way in oposition to each other.
Whatever point you are trying to make, I think you may have blown it!

Unlucky mate, he's got you there

[Royal Rother]

But find that striker - and we can still always buy one, plus we have a couple of kids on the verge of breaking through - and then we're the finished product. And what's more we'll be setup to do well in the Premier League, because we'll have the team and the formation that's right for it.

The alternative to this joined-up, long-term strategic thinking is to go up playing 4-4-2, then come straight back down again because the team has to start from scratch and be rebuilt in a different formation.

If it's all the same to you, I'd rather we planned for the longer-term, rather than just for a year at a time.

That deserved a "Good Post" from someone.

The whole long-term future of the club is going to be built far more on the success of the Academy in producing a succession of decent players who, if given the opportunity, might prove good enough to play in the top 2 tiers of English football, than on financial muscle in the transfer market.

Buy a Jordan Rhodes type and what happens to Ugwu and Samuels? Set them back a year and then what happens? They go out on loan, get frustrated and ultimately offloaded. They need a chance to flourish here.

Adkins has a history of getting young players to flourish and I can't wait to see who pushes through first. I think we'll be good enough to get promotion this season anyway, but it's not all about THIS season - it's about 2, 5 and 10 years down the road. The culture needs to change for Anton's vision to work. Yes, he wants promotion but I suspect he has the patience to wait for that if he can see obvious progress in other areas of the club - the Academy being the most important by far.

['lista]

But find that striker - and we can still always buy one, plus we have a couple of kids on the verge of breaking through - and then we're the finished product. And what's more we'll be setup to do well in the Premier League, because we'll have the team and the formation that's right for it.

The alternative to this joined-up, long-term strategic thinking is to go up playing 4-4-2, then come straight back down again because the team has to start from scratch and be rebuilt in a different formation.

If it's all the same to you, I'd rather we planned for the longer-term, rather than just for a year at a time.

That deserved a "Good Post" from someone.

The whole long-term future of the club is going to be built far more on the success of the Academy in producing a succession of decent players who, if given the opportunity, might prove good enough to play in the top 2 tiers of English football, than on financial muscle in the transfer market.

Buy a Jordan Rhodes type and what happens to Ugwu and Samuels? Set them back a year and then what happens? They go out on loan, get frustrated and ultimately offloaded. They need a chance to flourish here.

Adkins has a history of getting young players to flourish and I can't wait to see who pushes through first. I think we'll be good enough to get promotion this season anyway, but it's not all about THIS season - it's about 2, 5 and 10 years down the road. The culture needs to change for Anton's vision to work. Yes, he wants promotion but I suspect he has the patience to wait for that if he can see obvious progress in other areas of the club - the Academy being the most important by far.

Bollocks to that!

Let's end 20 years of boring brick-by-brick development with a blaze-of-glory, FA Cup winning, club destroying spunk-fest!

[NewCorkSeth]

That deserved a "Good Post" from someone.

The whole long-term future of the club is going to be built far more on the success of the Academy in producing a succession of decent players who, if given the opportunity, might prove good enough to play in the top 2 tiers of English football, than on financial muscle in the transfer market.

Buy a Jordan Rhodes type and what happens to Ugwu and Samuels? Set them back a year and then what happens? They go out on loan, get frustrated and ultimately offloaded. They need a chance to flourish here.

Adkins has a history of getting young players to flourish and I can't wait to see who pushes through first. I think we'll be good enough to get promotion this season anyway, but it's not all about THIS season - it's about 2, 5 and 10 years down the road. The culture needs to change for Anton's vision to work. Yes, he wants promotion but I suspect he has the patience to wait for that if he can see obvious progress in other areas of the club - the Academy being the most important by far.

+1

[exileinleeds]

Friday's Ghost is right.

We cannot possibly win this league unless we spend £10m. To do otherwise shows we have no class or ambition.

Loic Remy would be a good bet. If we bought him, we would be bound to be promoted- and he would storm the prem for us.

[Cureton's Volley]

But find that striker - and we can still always buy one, plus we have a couple of kids on the verge of breaking through - and then we're the finished product. And what's more we'll be setup to do well in the Premier League, because we'll have the team and the formation that's right for it.

The alternative to this joined-up, long-term strategic thinking is to go up playing 4-4-2, then come straight back down again because the team has to start from scratch and be rebuilt in a different formation.

If it's all the same to you, I'd rather we planned for the longer-term, rather than just for a year at a time.

That deserved a "Good Post" from someone.

The whole long-term future of the club is going to be built far more on the success of the Academy in producing a succession of decent players who, if given the opportunity, might prove good enough to play in the top 2 tiers of English football, than on financial muscle in the transfer market.

Buy a Jordan Rhodes type and what happens to Ugwu and Samuels? Set them back a year and then what happens? They go out on loan, get frustrated and ultimately offloaded. They need a chance to flourish here.

Adkins has a history of getting young players to flourish and I can't wait to see who pushes through first. I think we'll be good enough to get promotion this season anyway, but it's not all about THIS season - it's about 2, 5 and 10 years down the road. The culture needs to change for Anton's vision to work. Yes, he wants promotion but I suspect he has the patience to wait for that if he can see obvious progress in other areas of the club - the Academy being the most important by far.

Perhaps if he gives a couple of these academy players a shot off the bench we can see what they've got. With our tough start to the season there hasn't really been scope for experiment yet.... but at Yeovil perhaps?