BFTG Charlton

[Simon's Church]

I think we're really starting to look like we have the basis of a top team. Adkins has improved the defence massively over the past few weeks and once he's allowed to bring in a few of his own guys up front for that bit of guile we're currently missing I'm sure we'll start to replicate the success of his Southampton team.

[Royal Lady]

I think we're really starting to look like we have the basis of a top team. Adkins has improved the defence massively over the past few weeks and once he's allowed to bring in a few of his own guys up front for that bit of guile we're currently missing I'm sure we'll start to replicate the success of his Southampton team.

The Southampton team that we finished ahead of with McD as manager? Err yay!

[One Beer is never enough.]

Okay, a positive. We lost but we didn't ship 3.

Hurrah, a step forward.

[LoyalRoyal22]

Happy for Murray to go back in January. Doesn't hold it up any better than Pog, no quicker. Would suggest Pog is a better finisher. Murray better in the air though.

We paying Pog 40k+ a week, we need to get him motivated and playing unless we can get a mobile forward with some pace.

Murray looks arrogant aswell, playing for himself.

[Simon's Church]

I think we're really starting to look like we have the basis of a top team. Adkins has improved the defence massively over the past few weeks and once he's allowed to bring in a few of his own guys up front for that bit of guile we're currently missing I'm sure we'll start to replicate the success of his Southampton team.

The Southampton team that we finished ahead of with McD as manager? Err yay!

He had a league 1 team and laid the foundations for a team that's now second in the prem. Would you not take that here?

[Froomes]

I think we're really starting to look like we have the basis of a top team. Adkins has improved the defence massively over the past few weeks and once he's allowed to bring in a few of his own guys up front for that bit of guile we're currently missing I'm sure we'll start to replicate the success of his Southampton team.

He already has 'his own guys' up front though, what he needs is a plan B and the ability to coach the players he already has...

[Moonfish]

Can Chris Gunter actually cut out a cross?

^this.

Both the goal and Charltons only other chance came from Gunter's inability to cut out a cross.

Strange how you lads seem to be calling out Gunter for not stopping the cross for the goal, as from memory wasn't it Obita who was with their right back before he cut back and played a superb cross? Gunter was shouting at him to close the man down as well, so perhaps for once he wasn't at fault?

I could be wrong though, there were several points during today's match where I was fighting to keep my eyes open!

[Y21]

Happy for Murray to go back in January. Doesn't hold it up any better than Pog, no quicker. Would suggest Pog is a better finisher. Murray better in the air though.

We paying Pog 40k+ a week, we need to get him motivated and playing unless we can get a mobile forward with some pace.

Murray looks arrogant aswell, playing for himself.

Wow, couldn't agree with any of this. Murray is imho streets ahead of Pog with regard effort, pace, work rate and being a team player. Not sure he's what we need, but I'd rather have Murray over Pog.

[2.8 lita injection]

We really miss real wingers like Kebe, Hunt & convey.

[RG7Fan]

I thought actually they played quite well for the most part. Obita had a shocker though, worst game in the last 18 months - crossing was awful and he seems to have forgotten how to really go forward.

Pleased to see Kelly getting another run out. Blackman came on too late in my view. Murray was frustrating - mainly because he was frustrated by the Charlton defence. Ref was crap - AGAIN ...

Full marks to Charlton though - 8 players in your own box will always frustrate your opposition, even though we should have realised it wasn't working and tried something different.

Sounds like G Mac will be back next match - really looking forward to that.

[Martin41]

I think we're really starting to look like we have the basis of a top team. Adkins has improved the defence massively over the past few weeks and once he's allowed to bring in a few of his own guys up front for that bit of guile we're currently missing I'm sure we'll start to replicate the success of his Southampton team.

Can I have some of what you are on?????
Complete nonsense.......

[RG7Fan]

Happy for Murray to go back in January. Doesn't hold it up any better than Pog, no quicker. Would suggest Pog is a better finisher. Murray better in the air though.

We paying Pog 40k+ a week, we need to get him motivated and playing unless we can get a mobile forward with some pace.

Murray looks arrogant aswell, playing for himself.

Have you been to any Reading matches this year or last?

[arthurfondrelli]

Feds - 8 - made a great double save in the second half

Kelly - 7 - looked pretty solid to me, would like to see him play more
Pearce - 7 - got us out a few sticky situations
Hector - 6 - solid enough
Gunter - 6 - better than previous weeks

Mackie - 6 - bright first half, faded in the second
Williams - 6 - still needs to get up to speed a little
Norwood - 6 - perhaps trying to hard
Obita - 5 - not his best game, couldn't beat his man or get a cross in

Cox - 6 - not much of a threat, but worked hard
Murray - 6 - see Cox


Thought a draw would have been a fair result in what was a dire game. Credit to Charlton for not time-wasting too much throughout the game. Thought the referee favoured us quite a bit so no excuses there. At least it wasn't 3-0...

[chilipepper91]

I posted this over on The Tilehurst End first but here's my analysis...

Let's debunk a few myths. 60% possession, 20 shots to 9, 12 corners to 0, and Adkins said in his post-match interview that we had "35 crosses". An outsider might wonder how we lost that game.

We may have dominated all those facets of the game, but Charlton had the lead. They had no need to possess the ball, to win corners, to shoot, to cross the ball, because they were intent on tucking in and protecting that lead. And in truth, the Royals never looked like breaking them down - indeed, the best chance of the second half fell to the Addicks, as Tucudean had two bites of the cherry one-on-one, but couldn't finish either. So yes, Reading had the lion's share of the ball, but Charlton didn't need it.

And they didn't need it because they knew they had the beating of Reading defensively. 35 crosses, yes, but the majority of those came from Jordan Obita, whose production was woeful. I've been the biggest supporter of his normally wicked deliveries, but today I don't think even five found their man in the middle. Twelve corners, but the success rate from that type of set-piece is extremely low. And 20 shots but just two on target - Charlton had three that forced Federici or a defender to make the stop, as well as the goal.

Quite simply, Reading cannot break a team down. Just twice in the "Adkins Era" have we come from behind to beat an opponent - Ipswich at home on the opening day of last season, and Doncaster away with playoff qualification on the line. Slow build-ups, no intelligent movement up front, and a severe lack of spark mean that the Royals have no option but to fire from afar - no wonder that our best chance to level the scores came from a long-range Norwood strike, with Williams and Blackman also firing wide from outside the box.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Why did the team, or the manager, not realise that Obita's crosses were not working? Why did the slow build-up continue late into the second half, before the inevitable boot forward anyway? And why is there no ability to break down a side once they grab the lead? The first two points lie within this game; the final one is a problem we have seen from this side for nearly two years (though Adkins' reign did begin in the Premier League).

Two 3-0 wins over Blackpool and Rotherham United simply papered over the cracks in this Reading side, as in my opinion, we weren't convincing in either match, despite being more clinical and looking impressive at times. Questions will be asked and worry will set in over the next two weeks, and the upcoming double away at Cardiff and Norwich don't look the easiest games for Nigel Adkins to allay those fears.

The excuses are running out. Danny Williams is back, with Garath McCleary likely returning after the international break and Jem Karacan a couple of weeks behind him. The team we put out today, McCleary aside, is probably near to full strength (depending on whether and where you'd slot Jem into this team). On the pitch, the first half hour of both the Rotherham and Charlton games have been write-offs. Good results mitigate bad performances, and progress on the pitch can offset poor form - at the moment, the Reading faithful are getting neither.

[sandman]

Can Chris Gunter actually cut out a cross?

^this.

Both the goal and Charltons only other chance came from Gunter's inability to cut out a cross.

Strange how you lads seem to be calling out Gunter for not stopping the cross for the goal, as from memory wasn't it Obita who was with their right back before he cut back and played a superb cross? Gunter was shouting at him to close the man down as well, so perhaps for once he wasn't at fault?

I could be wrong though, there were several points during today's match where I was fighting to keep my eyes open!

Mr Gunter is rivalling his manager in the excuses stakes

[tmesis]

Oddly, up until we got the ball to the edge of their box, I thought it was one of the best displays this season (admittedly with the bar set pretty low). We actually looked to be playing with a bit of belief.

It's just that when we got that far, we blatantly didn't have a clue what to do with it. Yes, we did try a lot of crosses, but we appear to just swing the ball in without any effort to pick individual players out. We also don't really have that many players who are much good at getting on the end of crosses anyway.

In short, our tactics are poor, and we don't have players who really seem capable of fitting together to make a decent team.

[sandman]

Pearce wouldn't have been able to get near the ball anyway. He left his man and should of stuck with him.

Gunter not stopping the the ball in puts everyone out of sync and draws Pearce towards the ball. He makes a decent attempt to cut the cross out and Pearce doesn't get drawn towards the ball.

It's Gunter's fault and I hope that the coaching staff let him know that so he can learn rather than do what you're doing and absolve him of any blame meaning he keeps repeating the mistake.

Just because Gunter was playing out of position and made a mistake doesn't absolve Pearce of his mistake although I appreciate that doesn't suit your agenda.

Gunter needs to learn, my "agenda" is that I want him to learn and not repeat the exact same mistake over an over again which are leading to Reading losing, same with Adkins and his mistakes. Although I appreciate that doesn't suit your agenda.

[winchester_royal]

I posted this over on The Tilehurst End first but here's my analysis...

Let's debunk a few myths. 60% possession, 20 shots to 9, 12 corners to 0, and Adkins said in his post-match interview that we had "35 crosses". An outsider might wonder how we lost that game.

We may have dominated all those facets of the game, but Charlton had the lead. They had no need to possess the ball, to win corners, to shoot, to cross the ball, because they were intent on tucking in and protecting that lead. And in truth, the Royals never looked like breaking them down - indeed, the best chance of the second half fell to the Addicks, as Tucudean had two bites of the cherry one-on-one, but couldn't finish either. So yes, Reading had the lion's share of the ball, but Charlton didn't need it.

And they didn't need it because they knew they had the beating of Reading defensively. 35 crosses, yes, but the majority of those came from Jordan Obita, whose production was woeful. I've been the biggest supporter of his normally wicked deliveries, but today I don't think even five found their man in the middle. Twelve corners, but the success rate from that type of set-piece is extremely low. And 20 shots but just two on target - Charlton had three that forced Federici or a defender to make the stop, as well as the goal.

Quite simply, Reading cannot break a team down. Just twice in the "Adkins Era" have we come from behind to beat an opponent - Ipswich at home on the opening day of last season, and Doncaster away with playoff qualification on the line. Slow build-ups, no intelligent movement up front, and a severe lack of spark mean that the Royals have no option but to fire from afar - no wonder that our best chance to level the scores came from a long-range Norwood strike, with Williams and Blackman also firing wide from outside the box.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Why did the team, or the manager, not realise that Obita's crosses were not working? Why did the slow build-up continue late into the second half, before the inevitable boot forward anyway? And why is there no ability to break down a side once they grab the lead? The first two points lie within this game; the final one is a problem we have seen from this side for nearly two years (though Adkins' reign did begin in the Premier League).

Two 3-0 wins over Blackpool and Rotherham United simply papered over the cracks in this Reading side, as in my opinion, we weren't convincing in either match, despite being more clinical and looking impressive at times. Questions will be asked and worry will set in over the next two weeks, and the upcoming double away at Cardiff and Norwich don't look the easiest games for Nigel Adkins to allay those fears.

The excuses are running out. Danny Williams is back, with Garath McCleary likely returning after the international break and Jem Karacan a couple of weeks behind him. The team we put out today, McCleary aside, is probably near to full strength (depending on whether and where you'd slot Jem into this team). On the pitch, the first half hour of both the Rotherham and Charlton games have been write-offs. Good results mitigate bad performances, and progress on the pitch can offset poor form - at the moment, the Reading faithful are getting neither.

Excellent post

[Avon Royal]

If you don't like reading my posts then put me on ignore instead of dishing out insults you aggro little tw@t.

Hypocrisy in its purest form is almost beautiful.

[Royal Ginger]

Some absolute quality toys-out-of-the-pram action on this thread

We didn't play badly, Charlton played well and did a job on us. A well organised away performance.

Hector was much better - he may well make it after all.

Defensively agreed, and he even popped up on the wing (i have no idea why) a couple of times in the last 15. The problem is that if he and Bikey were the only people on the pitch, we could have put a net across the half way line and had a game of tennis instead. HOOOOF