MATCHWATCH : Rotherham United (h) sponsored by all or nothing

[Hound]

It’s definitely a strange tactic to completely change the wingers game after game. I don’t understand it at all tbh

Thought GMac was decent today - but unfair the criticism. Created the assist, set up 2 other very good chances, and did a ok job defensively. However he really didn’t enough of the ball out to him

[SCIAG]

Yeah McCleary was excellent and Meite was good although tired badly. I think maybe McCleary suffered because so many players were good today - Baker, Moore, and Ejaria all had better games than him.

[Crowbar6753]

I'm afraid McCleary is clearly past his best and as said Meite is a Joke!! Barrow or Harriott should be our regular Right Wingers as they have the raw pace and ability to make things happen. Rant over.

Absolute nonsense, Barrow has played pretty much every game this season and hasn't contributed anything, Harriott isn't the answer either, we should have signed two natural wingers in the window but we didn't and it's coming back to bite us because they're useless. McCleary was a lot better today though TBF

McCleary wasn't bad today, he's just not the player he was since his injury. I just don't get the Meite as a Winger thats all, the only thing in his favour and i guess why he was picked is his strength and a possible target for the keeper to aim at....i also get that Barrow and Harriott haven't been great and i would love two new Wingers but that ain't happening anytime soon lol, but Barrow came on for the last four minutes and his raw pace almost won the game when he took the ball around the keeper, there is no way Meite would have created that chance.

[Old Man Andrews]

Yeah McCleary was excellent

[Hound]

Yeah McCleary was excellent

Not sure what else he could have done tbf

On the rare times he got the ball he created and did well.

[sandman]

There seems to be a level of arrogance amongst some Reading fans. Shown by a few post match comments and the pockets of booing at full-time. We are 21st for a reason, we can't really expect to win any match really. A draw today isn't horrible but is highly disappointing considering how close we were to the win.

Arrogance from Players and Management creeping in to the fans.

https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paul-warne-hits-back-reading-15877326

[Old Man Andrews]

Yeah McCleary was excellent

Not sure what else he could have done tbf

On the rare times he got the ball he created and did well.

It shows how low McCleary's normal level is it that was considered to be excellent. He was average. That's not a dig at him either as "average" was a pretty high grade today. Nobody better than that level for me.

[CountryRoyal]

I watched on ifollow as I’m in France. oxf*rd me we are shit. Meite was gash and so was Oliveira god knows how he missed that. Thought the Liverpool lad offered the most quality and certainly stood out but probably easy to do with the other shite. It’s depressing watching Gmac now compared to what he once offered.

It’s weird it always looks like we are playing within ourselves and it looks like we never really “go for it”, in reality we are just not a good team, we’re devoid of quality, creativity and commitment.

Where are you in France? Why didn't you come visit me? We could have made a day of it.

Skiing in Les Arcs mate. Well I say skiing, with the weather we’ve been having it’s more like ice skating in the morning and surfing in the afternoon.

[Notts Royal]

Not sure what else he could have done tbf

On the rare times he got the ball he created and did well.

It shows how low McCleary's normal level is it that was considered to be excellent. He was average. That's not a dig at him either as "average" was a pretty high grade today. Nobody better than that level for me.

Maybe he’d have a chance at performing better if he was played in his correct positon, ie right wing?

He’s an old fashioned right winger...not an inside forward, no. 10 or left winger. Thus, the simple way to get the best out of him is to play him on the right wing. Simples

[John Madejski's Wallet]

There seems to be a level of arrogance amongst some Reading fans. Shown by a few post match comments and the pockets of booing at full-time. We are 21st for a reason, we can't really expect to win any match really. A draw today isn't horrible but is highly disappointing considering how close we were to the win.

Arrogance from Players and Management creeping in to the fans.

https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paul-warne-hits-back-reading-15877326

All fair points he made

[Hound]

Not sure what else he could have done tbf

On the rare times he got the ball he created and did well.

It shows how low McCleary's normal level is it that was considered to be excellent. He was average. That's not a dig at him either as "average" was a pretty high grade today. Nobody better than that level for me.

Maybe he’d have a chance at performing better if he was played in his correct positon, ie right wing?

He’s an old fashioned right winger...not an inside forward, no. 10 or left winger. Thus, the simple way to get the best out of him is to play him on the right wing. Simples

Yep, wouldn’t disagree

[Snowflake Royal]

Don't remember us getting into trouble from playing it out from the back today. I do remember us scoring a goal after playing it out from the back.

Honestly the negative here is completely baffling. Yes the sub was weird and the two dropped points are disappointing but we played really well. Every single player eho started can hold their head up high after that performance. Play like that every week and we'll be fine.

FFS

The phrase we've been saying since the 3rd of August.

The goal came about from getting the ball out wide and using some pace, not because of passing around the back, the passing just came along with it.

We then didn't bother getting it out wide with pace until just after Rotherham scored and then managed to get three chances that we should have done better with.

We've used that phrase about every third match because it's true - every three matches or so we play really well, and today was one such example. We need to add the consistency.

We can only get the ball wide with pace - which btw we did an awful lot today - if we have the ball on the ground. If Moore had booted it out rather than going back to Martinez, or if Martinez had kicked long rather than playing it out, and so forth, then we wouldn't have scored.

Play like that every week and we're down because almost all the rest of the division are far better than Rotherham. We're certainly not though.

[Snowflake Royal]

There seems to be a level of arrogance amongst some Reading fans. Shown by a few post match comments and the pockets of booing at full-time. We are 21st for a reason, we can't really expect to win any match really. A draw today isn't horrible but is highly disappointing considering how close we were to the win.

Arrogance from Players and Management creeping in to the fans.

https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paul-warne-hits-back-reading-15877326

I have to say, I didn't think Rotherham were long ball. They mixed it up a fair bit and played through the middle too. Yeah, they chucked some balls straight up there and took long throws. So what. It's not like their entire game was hoofing it. They kept it simple and played to their strengths.

The obsession with passing it out from the back is far worse than just hoofing it forward IMO.

[Hound]

We’re only down if there aren’t 3 worse teams

Ipswich are surely done for, Bolton are rancid and all sorts of off field problems, and Rotherham are a poor side who have won 2 in 27 and none away for is it 43 games in the champ?

Yep, we could end up worse than them, but I’m certainly not writing us off yet

[Hound]

There seems to be a level of arrogance amongst some Reading fans. Shown by a few post match comments and the pockets of booing at full-time. We are 21st for a reason, we can't really expect to win any match really. A draw today isn't horrible but is highly disappointing considering how close we were to the win.

Arrogance from Players and Management creeping in to the fans.

https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paul-warne-hits-back-reading-15877326

I have to say, I didn't think Rotherham were long ball. They mixed it up a fair bit and played through the middle too. Yeah, they chucked some balls straight up there and took long throws. So what. It's not like their entire game was hoofing it. They kept it simple and played to their strengths.

The obsession with passing it out from the back is far worse than just hoofing it forward IMO.

I find the obsession with us playing out from the back a little weird. It very rarely gets us into trouble and got us the goal today. Pretty much every time we kicked it long it comes straight back at us at pace

It suits our players to play out from the back. Nelson isn’t a big target man and will lose far more than he wins. We actually look far more likely to score and create chances when we are pressed imo and can break through it

[leon]

Arrogance from Players and Management creeping in to the fans.

https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paul-warne-hits-back-reading-15877326

I have to say, I didn't think Rotherham were long ball. They mixed it up a fair bit and played through the middle too. Yeah, they chucked some balls straight up there and took long throws. So what. It's not like their entire game was hoofing it. They kept it simple and played to their strengths.

The obsession with passing it out from the back is far worse than just hoofing it forward IMO.

I find the obsession with us playing out from the back a little weird. It very rarely gets us into trouble and got us the goal today. Pretty much every time we kicked it long it comes straight back at us at pace

It suits our players to play out from the back. Nelson isn’t a big target man and will lose far more than he wins. We actually look far more likely to score and create chances when we are pressed imo and can break through it

I watched us pointlessly play the ball around the back for 5 minutes and then give the ball away. Rotherham then played two passes forward and were attacking us. Just. Like. That.

I hate this football.

[Snowflake Royal]

I'm not saying hoof it, and that certainly isn't going to work if you don't set up for it, but passing out doesn't work either because we're so slow and shit at it.

Give me a hoof upfield coming back over a turnover in our own half any day of the week. I've seen us concede plenty of chances from stupid fartarsing at the back and plenty more close calls. I've seen us open up teams by doing it far far less. Most of the time, we spend so long moving over half way the opposition are all back in numbers and formation with no way through and all opportunity to exploit space gone.

What I'd actually like to see is no nonsense direct distribution getting it to the creative players fast and looking forward trying to play the game in the opposition half, not our own. Let midfield, fullbacks and forward play short. CBs just get rid of it and concentrate on defending in tandem.

[NewCorkSeth]

I watched on ifollow as I’m in France. oxf*rd me we are shit. Meite was gash and so was Oliveira god knows how he missed that. Thought the Liverpool lad offered the most quality and certainly stood out but probably easy to do with the other shite. It’s depressing watching Gmac now compared to what he once offered.

It’s weird it always looks like we are playing within ourselves and it looks like we never really “go for it”, in reality we are just not a good team, we’re devoid of quality, creativity and commitment.

Where are you in France? Why didn't you come visit me? We could have made a day of it.

Skiing in Les Arcs mate. Well I say skiing, with the weather we’ve been having it’s more like ice skating in the morning and surfing in the afternoon.

Ah well. Shame. Next time you're in Paris and we are playing Rovrum give me a shout.

[Hound]

I'm not saying hoof it, and that certainly isn't going to work if you don't set up for it, but passing out doesn't work either because we're so slow and shit at it.

Give me a hoof upfield coming back over a turnover in our own half any day of the week. I've seen us concede plenty of chances from stupid fartarsing at the back and plenty more close calls. I've seen us open up teams by doing it far far less. Most of the time, we spend so long moving over half way the opposition are all back in numbers and formation with no way through and all opportunity to exploit space gone.

What I'd actually like to see is no nonsense direct distribution getting it to the creative players fast and looking forward trying to play the game in the opposition half, not our own. Let midfield, fullbacks and forward play short. CBs just get rid of it and concentrate on defending in tandem.

I don’t completely disagree and thought we had a reasonable balance under Clement. But Meite and Nelson won bugger all up front in the air today

I’d also like to see us move the ball faster and more aggressively out to the wings but I’ve no issue with the style in principle. I genuinely don’t think we concede many chances by playing it out. Far less than we do having balls come back at us or gifting the oppo possession back in their half. Obvs difficult to quantify

[Snowflake Royal]

I also thought Clement moved the balance closer to the right place, despite not doing nearly enough in terms of results.

Which is one of my main gripes with Gomes. I don't see a significant improvement in results or performance on the pitch and I think tactically he's taken us back toward the same mistakes we constantly made under Stam second season. I think if you gave Clement Miazga, Oliveira and Martinez we'd be doing better than we are now. Saying that though, we'd still have no midfield, although I expect Clement wouldn't have got rid of Edwards, Meyler and Bacuna and replaced them with the soft as shite Ejaria and Baker.

That's obviously just my opinion and there's no evidence for it though.