The where the F*ck did it all go wrong thread

[windermere_royal]

Well there must be a hundred reasons why we have turned from potential league winners to relegation candidates in the small matter of 8 games since the first international break. the writing was on the wall when a very poor Rotherham side made us look second best for long periods, since then one fortunate win against relegation threatened Bolton
We had the leagues most prolific goal scorer. and one of the meanest defences . so WTF as happened?. Blackman as gone back to the player he was last season. our defence awful. take a bow Hector. 4m ? get a grip.
Sa looking like another Pog. and don`t get me started on lightweight Piazon, there must be a clause in his contact saying we must play him surely?

[Pandoras Box]

^This +100. But also, how does Gunter always seem to get away without a mention of his no bollox, no tackling and complete crab pass technique every game?

[AthleticoSpizz]

Blackman scores a goal a game, the team are thriving, so what do we do?
We dispocess him of his position to accommodate some of SC's whimsical loanees.
Blackman stops scoring.....we stop winning.

[paddy20]

1. No consistency in the goalkeeping, was a problem even when we were doing well - need new keeper
2. Full backs not overlapping, need Obita back and Macleery to link up with Gunter
3. Lost the muscle in midfield (Tishbola) and a player who can retain the ball (Quinn)
4. Need Blackman in middle and Vydra as impact sub when opposition getting tired
5. Sa needs crosses into box - not been happening
6. Clarke needs to stick to a system and not keep changing tactics as it confuses everybody!
7. Needs to try and stop changing the team all the time
8.Put back Ferdinand and drop Hector. Why he didn't do that when he returned from injury is a mystery
9. Start playing more defensively away from home as our away record speaks for itself

[tidus_mi2]

We were doing really well in a 4-3-3, Clarke either through necessity or over-confidence switched to the formation we currently see being used, it started at Burnley due to Quinn getting injured in the previous league game and we got the next 2 wins while still looking good, I could easily put that down to confidence running high.

Then the international break happened which killed all our momentum and basically made this overly attacking formation completely unbalanced, especially when protecting the defence, when performances started to slip Clarke should have reverted to his 4-3-3. Look at the stats before that International break 10 games, 7 goals conceded, after the break, 8 games, 14 conceded.

[Lower West]

Who is the third midfield player in your formation?

I'd happily let John, Fernandez and Huarado leave. Then get Chalobah back on loan.

[tidus_mi2]

Who is the third midfield player in your formation?

I'd happily let John, Fernandez and Huarado leave. Then get Chalobah back on loan.

Based on who we have in, really only Fernandez fits that role.

[SCIAG]

The problems started with Quinn's injury. Clarke only really seems to be confident with his 4-3-3 when one of the midfielders can pull wide and turn it into a 4-4-2 for periods, and Quinn is the one who is best suited to that.

We should have stuck with 4-3-3 regardless. One thing that has got in the way is the excessive amount of loan players. With Obita in poor form, Taylor and Hector both must play, and John, Vydra and Piazon are all "too big", it seems, to be dropped from the squad for too long. That means Alex misses out, and he's one of three fit midfielders at the club with any experience.

As far as I'm concerned, playing 4-3-3 should be our top priority. If that means we have to put Hector in for Norwood, Obita in for Quinn, and Kelly in for Tshibola, so be it. We've got Williams, Norwood, and Alex fit, we should be playing them as often as possible and fitting everything else around them.

[Caversham Royal]

Where did it all go wrong? When Steve Clarke became manager. He sucks......

[sandman]

Where did it all go wrong? When Steve Clarke became manager. He sucks......

And you swallow.

[poohs pure]

We won a few games, Clarke got all billy big time, the players did too, Clarke tried to jump ship, arrogance had set in by then, club too weak to oxf*rd him off and bring in a proper manager, yet again RFC wristwatch on Mickeys wrist.

[Royality creeps In]

We have been pretty Cack since HRK, Quinn and Tishbola have been injured.

[percy_freeman]

When Archie missed that penalty....

[Gunny Fishcake]

50th minute at Fulham in October

[Steve_Upper_West]

We have been pretty Cack since HRK, Quinn and Tishbola have been injured.

This....... and SC being unable to find a suitable way to play without them

[Elm Park Kid]

It went wrong when Clarke decided to abandon his defensive approach after winning a few games. The start of the season had been pretty dour but we were at least looking like a solid unit. We should have never abandoned the 3 solid central midfielders tactics - even with injuries we could still be playing Norwood, WIlliams and Hector.

The 3 up front should have been 2 wingers and Blackman. I appreciate that it was bad timing that we paid ££££ on a loan striker at the same time as Blackman was doing well however Clarke should have had the courage to keep him on the bench as long as the team was winning.

[Sutekh]

It all went wrong after the Middlesbrough game but you could say the problems are arising before then as SC is constantly changing and mucking about with the lineup even after the solid good performances we had prior to Middlesbrough.

You could argue that Sa only works well when Quinn is in the side and that without Quinn's energy we're better suited to dropping Sa completely and playing Blackman centrally with Vydra or Piazon alongside and a bit of width through MCLeary and HRK

Currently SC is obsessed with Sa who, to be honest has done nothing of much note whatsoever since his suspension was completed aside from a solo beauty at Fulham which to my mind is not enough to justify his place (and competition for his role i desperately required in January).

Also missing since Charlton is any real temp and directness from the team it's all slowly moving forward and waiting for the opposition to get 8/9 people behind the ball before passing the ball sideways i.e. Adkins tactics.

We have big problems in that we have wingers who rarely attack down the wings starting games (only John and McLeary seem to be offering this solution but they rarely start) so everything is cut inside or hammer the ball over in front of the opposition defence and so we get naff all chances created for the likes of Sa and Vydra.

People laugh when you mention missing HRK but while he is not perfect there did seem to be more balance about the team overall and certainly more defensive nous as one thing Piazon is not is a defensive player of any kind whatsoever (yet SC keeps on playing him in a role that requires that sort of understanding rather than as more of a striker).

Therefore, in my mind, the issues are being caused totally by a manager who has no clue tactically when certain players are missing and not laying into the team for it's total lack of tempo and inability to be direct but then that probably stems from SC just not knowing what the best team is or just being more obsessed about what the opposition will do rather than how Reading should play.

If results and performances do not pick up once HRK and Quinn are back in the team then I'm sure there will be another change happening in January (perhaps even sooner if QPR/Preston and Hull are all less than disappointing)

[Schards#2]

To answer the original question - when Steve Clarke had his head turned and pursued options elsewhere.

Once that's happened, it's open knowledge that Clarke has no loyalty to Reading and will take the first offer that meets his demands. The club knows it, the fans know and, clearly, the players know it and performances have plummeted.

If you go and date some other women to see if there's something better out there, don't expect your wife to welcome you back with open arms when you find there isn't.

I can't see any happy ending here so the sooner Clarke goes the better. If he had any decency, he'd resign rather than waiting for the sack and the pay off. Don't hold your breath

[harry]

To my mind it keeps coming back to the injuries: Quinn, Tish and HRK.
Yet a couple of months ago we were raving about the strength in depth of this squad. If the depth was that strong we would cope with the injuries.
Quinn is the most missed in my view. Especially as it seems to have resulted in Piazon "filling" the gap. Maybe Piazon would be good in a different role (that doesn't involve tracking back, tackling, marking, hassling, running, ..... , putting on a hooped football shirt and boots) but he isn't in this one. I'd play Quinn on crutches before Piazon.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

I can't see any happy ending here so the sooner Clarke goes the better. If he had any decency, he'd resign rather than waiting for the sack and the pay off. Don't hold your breath

^ Exactly what I said on here the other week. Takes the p*ss that we'll end up out of pocket for this guy because we'll have to pay up his fcuking contract. Absolutely fcuking outrageous.

Regardless though, we need to get shot of him. Such a shame all this - he had the backing of the vast majority of the fans & he's ruined it within 2 days.