BFTG - Leeds

[MmmMonsterMunch]

PS Pogrebnyak and Williams get a pass from the slating, both worked hard

This is the Williams that bottled the tackle that led to their first goal

Err no - the 1st goal was Norwood's error

[Maguire]

PS Pogrebnyak and Williams get a pass from the slating, both worked hard

This is the Williams that bottled the tackle that led to their first goal

This is the Williams who tried to drive the team forward when the likes of Chalobah, McCleary, Blackman and Norwood did jack

[Royal Ginger]

Missed it tonight, was otherwise indisposed. Everyone seems very cheery, did we win?

[Schmeichel the dog]

Two words: Extremely disappointing. Leeds really were there for the taking but we looked disjointed and devoid of ideas. It did have the feel of an Adkins game at times.
Unnecessary changes (to my mind at least). We should have gone with two strikers, especially against a team below us and especially at home. Lets hope its just a blip. We move on.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Apart from the first 15 mins, we were poor Ginger. All this "worst performance in years" stuff is a bit melodramatic though.

Can think of plenty worse than that. Step forward Nigel..

[purleY19]

A poor performance but I don't agree it was as bad as all that. Tactics were a bit negative but there were still glimmers of some improvement from the performances of 2-3 months ago. Hopefully this result will only be a blip between now and the end of the season for what is an improving side.

Personally I thought Leeds were one of the poorer teams to play at Madejski this season, but as soon as that unfortunate goal went in for 1-0 we didn't really look like getting back in it, and when you're chasing a game in the final minutes you're always going to leave yourself vulnerable to a counter attack. 2-0 is a flattering scoreline.

Man of the match - Pogrebnyak (just about)

[Royal Ginger]

Two words: Extremely disappointing. Leeds really were there for the taking but we looked disjointed and devoid of ideas. It did have the feel of an Adkins game at times.
Unnecessary changes (to my mind at least). We should have gone with two strikers, especially against a team below us and especially at home. Lets hope its just a blip. We move on.

That's 61 words. Rookie error.

[Royal Ginger]

Apart from the first 15 mins, we were poor Ginger. All this "worst performance in years" stuff is a bit melodramatic though.

Can think of plenty worse than that. Step forward Nigel..

Oh well, win some lose some, not sure we should be sacking old trampy Clarke yet though. Beer me.

[P!ssed Off]

Apart from the first 15 mins, we were poor Ginger. All this "worst performance in years" stuff is a bit melodramatic though.

Can think of plenty worse than that. Step forward Nigel..

Not threatening the target once at home vs 20th in the league is pathetic.

[Schmeichel the dog]

I'm going to stick up for Fed here...from where I sat I thought it was a good strike & he did well to get a hand to it. Shouted goal as soon as it left matey's foot.

As did I. It swerved away from Feds.

[joeroyal]

Pogrebnyak was magnificent. Williams was pretty good and battled hard - but everyone else was dreadful. Especially Blackman, who is back to his usual, shocking, arrogant, selfish, lazy self.

Pogrebnyak was magnificent. Williams was pretty good you stupid little man, Just wait till Derby get hold of them

[floyd__streete]

If the previous manager had dropped a tactical b*llock as badly as that tonight he'd have been roundly slated. The team and tactical changes were bullsh*t, one up against Leeds at home.....Sol Bamba had the cigars out for most of the match. Clarke rather arrogantly said to the local media after we struggled to a draw with ten man Millwall that he doesn't have to justify his selections.....yes you do Steve, you absolutely do have to justify unforced changes made by you when your team goes from the heights of Saturday to the pits of tonight. At least I didn't have to pay for my ticket tonight......but I can think of 2 or 3 spectators in the Reading team who also snuck in for free tonight On the basis of what little I have seen this season I have to say that the Wolves performance seems the exception and the rubbish we saw tonight the norm. There is still every chance we could go down.

[WoodleyRoyal]

Wigan at home next Tuesday is now a real 6 pointer. Far more so than it needed to be

[MmmMonsterMunch]

TBF to Clarke - I suspect a few of them are carrying niggles / knocks & he has had to rotate. Derby is the only game that really means anything now so would much rather we were better on Sat at tonight's expense.

[leon]

PS Pogrebnyak and Williams get a pass from the slating, both worked hard

This is the Williams that bottled the tackle that led to their first goal

This is the Williams who tried to drive the team forward when the likes of Chalobah, McCleary, Blackman and Norwood did jack

Williams was guilty of not releasing the ball and running into opposing players on several occasions but at least he was willing to try something. Blackman reminds me of the bloke at 5 a side who never passes and always tries to score - failing miserably. Chalobah dawdles on the ball and is still giving it away far too cheaply. Norwood looked lost.

Got to laugh at some of the deluded souls making out that this was worse than the fare served up by Adkins - after all we only conceded 2......

[windermere_royal]

Wigan at home next Tuesday is now a real 6 pointer. Far more so than it needed to be

as it stands we are 15 points ahead of them, love your logic

[Avon Royal]

Wigan at home next Tuesday is now a real 6 pointer. Far more so than it needed to be

[Gunny Fishcake]

Complete utter shite only Reading after Saturday's great result , reality check time

[RoyallyFcuked]

Worse than anything under Adkins

First half OK, I thought we were the better side and they should have been down to 10 men.

Second half absolutely abysmal. Feds at fault for their first and then we fell apart. Win ball. Hoof 40 yards to a Leeds player. Win ball. Misplace 10 yard pass. At least under Adkins we were capable of retaining possession.

And the most worrying similarity between Adkins and Clarke is the one-dimensional way in which we create chances. Even against a team like Leeds we play the same way. Get ball out to wings as quickly as possible. Attempt to cross ball into the box. When it doesn't work you get results like this. No plan B just hoof it to the wings and hope for the best. It doesn't work when you have strikers like Blackman and Mackie playing as wingers. It doesn't work when you have 1 striker on the pitch. It doesn't work when they double up on your wingers. Just play through the middle for a change FFS.

And when it's clear after 20 mins that we're not winning anything in the air against them. STOP. FCUKING. HOOFING. IT.

Players not at fault, shit tactics are.

I've been saying this for a while. Under Adkins we could keep possession but rarely did anything useful with it. As you say, there is no plan B and we never play through the middle. But, this and the one dimensional way in which we create chances, getting it out to wings and crossing it, (and the clueless hoofball) has been present since the McDermott reign.

However, this makes me think the players are as much to blame as the managers, more so perhaps. Adkins never managed to drill these bad habits out of them, so it's probably going to take Clarke a while as well. He was partly at fault tonight for changing a winning team with Saturday in mind yes, but surely his tactics are not (and surely Adkins weren't either) "If its not working playing down the wings just kick it upfield and try and win it" because that would just be ridiculous and quite frankly pathetic.

So is just the fact the players don't have the confidence to try something else? Or does it come back to another point I made quite some time ago about too many of our players just not having the ability?

Maybe me going to the Derby away game on Saturday wasn't such a good idea after all. Really hope its the Reading that beat Wolves that turn up.

[EverHopeful]

Pretty poor performance not helped by a strange line up - surprised at the changes after two really good wins so there must be a managerial logic to it - hopefully we will be told why?

Not sure it was quite as bad as dear mr Adkins as some say but we probably don't need many repeats IMO....one to forget and move on to Tuesday - sat is irrelevant apart from the money

Here's to mid table mediocrity as expected