BFTG Norwich

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

But sometimes you need to pass backwards or sideways to open up the space for a forward pass... Which is why the best teams in the world often find themselves passing it across the defence trying to find an opening. The more comfortable we get playing that way the quicker we'll move the ball and the sooner we'll find that space...but only if we stick to it and the fans show patience.

I agree with that, although we're not quite getting it right yet. I thought it was telling that once again I saw Guthrie looking to make a forward pass only to have to play it backwards, where it eventually got punted forward as Norwich kept pressing and we lost it.

Guthrie's reaction was to berate those in front of him in exasperation, because no one showed any movement to make themselves available for the ball he wanted to play. IMO he would have been better immediately looking for the return pass or making himself available for another down the line so we didn't have to go long. He certainly had a point in his complaint though.

Just another sign we're a work in progress, in need of a fresh start to really have it all come together.

Absolutely, the players are constantly learning, but they seem to be doing it pretty quickly when you compare the performance yesterday to how we played in Adkins' first game.

As he says we're still on the first letter of an A-Z here, but if he can get us playing like we did yesterday after 4 games then I'm intrigued and excited to see where we are after 40.

DISCLAIMER: In no way is this post meant as a sign of disrespect or lack of gratitude to BMc

agreed our football is so much better now than it ever has been!

[blythspartan]

I couldn't go to the game yesterday as I was working but my cousin went and said that he was encouraged by what he saw.

My sadness about yesterday was listening to radio Berkshire and hearing fans slating Adkins already. Some were saying how it was their darkest hour as a Reading fan. Where were they around the time of the Thames Valley Royals saga?

I didn't think Tim Dellor etc. helped as on one hand they were saying you can't blame and Adkins and then on the other hand they were having a go as he didn't make any substitutions.

Some individuals even seemed to be encouraging fans to boycott the QPR game.

Its annoying because the pundits were right about us this season but if we can get back within the next 3-4 years I will be more than happy.

Lets all get behind Adkins and hope that he is the man to get us back up.

[sandman]

I couldn't go to the game yesterday as I was working but my cousin went and said that he was encouraged by what he saw.

My sadness about yesterday was listening to radio Berkshire and hearing fans slating Adkins already. Some were saying how it was their darkest hour as a Reading fan. Where were they around the time of the Thames Valley Royals saga?

I didn't think Tim Dellor etc. helped as on one hand they were saying you can't blame and Adkins and then on the other hand they were having a go as he didn't make any substitutions.

Some individuals even seemed to be encouraging fans to boycott the QPR game.

Its annoying because the pundits were right about us this season but if we can get back within the next 3-4 years I will be more than happy.

Lets all get behind Adkins and hope that he is the man to get us back up.

You can say he's not at fault for our plight this season but that doesn't mean you can't criticise him for mistakes he makes during individual matches.

I'm shocked that those criticising Tim and Co can't see that they are presenting both sides of an argument. They have a three man commentary booth so one, usually Mick, always will remain neutral and the other two, Tim and Ady, will argue for and against much like we do on here. It's actually very good presenting.

[Pandoras Box]

Most of the tw@ts on Radio Berkshire, seeing that they were able to phone ten minutes after the game, rather than having to drive a few hours down the A11, had either looked at the result on Final Score and decided to mouth off, listened to Dellor or watched some crap stream. You need to be there to see the whole view of what NA is trying to do - and although we lost again - it is quite exciting to see what we are trying to do but not quite pulling it off (yet).
And ffs, everyone getting a boner and waiting for the sh1t that the guru 'Tina from Tilehurst' has to say - shows how pathetically crap this season has been.

[windermere_royal]

Most of the tw@ts on Radio Berkshire, seeing that they were able to phone ten minutes after the game, rather than having to drive a few hours down the A11, had either looked at the result on Final Score and decided to mouth off, listened to Dellor or watched some crap stream. You need to be there to see the whole view of what NA is trying to do - and although we lost again - it is quite exciting to see what we are trying to do but not quite pulling it off (yet).
And ffs, everyone getting a boner and waiting for the sh1t that the guru 'Tina from Tilehurst' has to say - shows how pathetically crap this season has been.

Tina from Tilehurst called NA "Atkinson" on four seperate occasions, how can you value someones opinion when they don`t even know the name of our manager?

[Pandoras Box]

ExacerrLOLy.........and it ain't the x factor - why does everything have to come down to fake celebrity?

[Haag Royal]

haha - I do like it when BBCRB get a caller in and it (always) goes like this:

BBC - hi "tina" what did you think of the game today?

"tina" - well I wasn't there Tim, but I thought that Atkinson (GET THE NAME RIGHT!!!) made some terrible decisions and on the basis of this dreadful performance he should go and leave us loyal and honest supporters who have been with the club since *year*

well, you get what I mean. FFS if you don't go to the game how the hell can you have an opinion on what you saw?

[Royal Lady]

It's all very well saying NA is trying out players and seeing who he wants to keep next year - but we're not down yet and, personally, I think it's disrespectful to fans who pay good money to go to these games that he's using them as a "pre season workout" or something. We did look good at times and I can see that he is trying to get us to pass the ball around and that's very commendable, but we should have tried to win that game, as we should for every game until we know we're down - and not playing any subs at all was wrong imo. Carrico may or may not have made a difference, but I thought he was a key player when he played v Liverpool. ALF may or may not have got the equaliser - but we'll never bloody know will we.

That is my gripe.

[Ian Royal]

My sadness about yesterday was listening to radio Berkshire and hearing fans slating Adkins already. Some were saying how it was their darkest hour as a Reading fan. Where were they around the time of the Thames Valley Royals saga?

Where were they when we lost 3-0 to Sunderland or Wigan? When we let go a 2 goal lead against Swansea?

Most of the tw@ts on Radio Berkshire, seeing that they were able to phone ten minutes after the game, rather than having to drive a few hours down the A11, had either looked at the result on Final Score and decided to mouth off, listened to Dellor or watched some crap stream. You need to be there to see the whole view of what NA is trying to do - and although we lost again - it is quite exciting to see what we are trying to do but not quite pulling it off (yet).
And ffs, everyone getting a boner and waiting for the sh1t that the guru 'Tina from Tilehurst' has to say - shows how pathetically crap this season has been.

No, you can see it on a stream quite clearly.

[grey_squirrel]

RL raises a good point.

Trying out players now - like Blackman - is pretty futile. It is patently obvious he, along with most of the team, are just not able to cut it in the Prem, so why throw newbies in 'to see what they are capable of' now? He isn't going to learn anything about such players right here and now

They aren't capable (at least in the Prem), so he should play what he thinks is our best 11, capable of winning games during this, his transitional passing game/hoofball set-up.

Instead. Win some games. Give the fans something to get excited and happy about. Even if we are down, winning games and scoring goals will give us a lift in what has been an absolute depressing, pigs ear of a season.

And plan for giving players like Blackman some game time against Championship material - NOT Didcot Town, Wimbledon, or non league Swedish sides - pre season. And then see what they are all about.

[winchester_royal]

It's all very well saying NA is trying out players and seeing who he wants to keep next year - but we're not down yet and, personally, I think it's disrespectful to fans who pay good money to go to these games that he's using them as a "pre season workout" or something. We did look good at times and I can see that he is trying to get us to pass the ball around and that's very commendable, but we should have tried to win that game, as we should for every game until we know we're down - and not playing any subs at all was wrong imo. Carrico may or may not have made a difference, but I thought he was a key player when he played v Liverpool. ALF may or may not have got the equaliser - but we'll never bloody know will we.

That is my gripe.

What makes you think he's using it as a 'pre-season' work out? Perhaps he thought we had a better chance with the players we had on the pitch?

I thought we went pretty gung-ho at the end, and given the physicality of Norwich I'm not sure it was a game where Alfie would have made a difference. You're right we'll never know, but if McCleary's effort had gone in at the end then the nay sayers would all be pretty quiet about the lack of substitutions.

[Ian Royal]

It's all very well saying NA is trying out players and seeing who he wants to keep next year - but we're not down yet and, personally, I think it's disrespectful to fans who pay good money to go to these games that he's using them as a "pre season workout" or something. We did look good at times and I can see that he is trying to get us to pass the ball around and that's very commendable, but we should have tried to win that game, as we should for every game until we know we're down - and not playing any subs at all was wrong imo. Carrico may or may not have made a difference, but I thought he was a key player when he played v Liverpool. ALF may or may not have got the equaliser - but we'll never bloody know will we.

That is my gripe.

Firstly, you're buying into him having a look at all the players as his primary team selection criteria, without any reason to believe that's necessarily the case. Secondly, we've effectively been down for ages and anyone thinking we were going to put together a run to stay up was deluding themselves. Thirdly, we've hardly been any more abject in the games where he's actually had some prep time than we might have been anyway. In fact, I'd say we've showed signs of progress. Fourthly, those may be the teams he genuinely thinks have the best chance of winning the game. And given we dominated much of the first halves against Saints and Norwich, you can hardly say we weren't trying to win. Just because we didn't, doesn't mean we weren't trying.

Also, if he was just trying everyone out, why hasn't he played Cummings, or Harte and has instead stuck with Kelly and Gunter three games running? Why hasn't he tried Morrison and Pearce together?

[winchester_royal]

RL raises a good point.

Trying out players now - like Blackman - is pretty futile. It is patently obvious he, along with most of the team, are just not able to cut it in the Prem, so why throw newbies in 'to see what they are capable of' now? He isn't going to learn anything about such players right here and now

They aren't capable (at least in the Prem), so he should play what he thinks is our best 11, capable of winning games during this, his transitional passing game/hoofball set-up.

Instead. Win some games. Give the fans something to get excited and happy about. Even if we are down, winning games and scoring goals will give us a lift in what has been an absolute depressing, pigs ear of a season.

And plan for giving players like Blackman some game time against Championship material - NOT Didcot Town, Wimbledon, or non league Swedish sides - pre season. And then see what they are all about.

Blackman isn't that much of a newbie, he started at Stoke under McDermott and has had some decent impact cameos off the bench. We had 2 wingers out injured, and given McAnuff is our best bet in the AM role we needed someone to deputise on the right. Blackman wasn't great but he was no worse than any of our other make shift wingers would have been.

We did try and win the game yesterday IMHO, and had we not made some defensive errors from high balls into the box we'd have come pretty damn close. In the first half we played some of the most effective and attractive football away from home as we have all season. Just because ultimately we lost that doesn't mean the effort wasn't there to win the game. Carrow Road is a hard place to go and win football games this season, just ask Arsenal.

[Royal Lady]

Well I don't consider that he played our best team, so he must be trying players out. Blackman rather than Hunt or ALF? Really? Karacan better than Carrico? You reckon?

Like I say, it's just my opinion, I am allowed an opinion on here am I? And I find it disrespectful - we are NOT down, yes it's nigh on impossible that we'll stay up - but until we're down, we should be playing our best team. However, as I also said, I can see that he is making progress with the passing game, I just don't believe he is using all the right players at the moment. And if he's not trying players out, why not play Pearce? I know he's not signed his new contract and will probably be off, but you cannot deny he is steady and one of our best defenders - so if it's not to try out other players, why not play Pearce?

[winchester_royal]

Of course, but your opinion is also allowed to be challenged.

Carrico is a long way from being fit enough to last 90 minutes so that one can be ruled out straight away. And you reckon Hunt or Alf would have done a better job playing RM yesterday? I'm not so sure.

Before calling him disrespectful for playing a weaker team you might first want to consider whether Adkins thought the team he put out was a weaker team than what he considers to be his strongest one. Only then would it be disrespectful.

[Royal Lady]

No comment on Pearce then? You think he's worse than the other defenders? People are always saying he won't play him because he's off, so he's playing others that will be here - so either he's playing the BEST players he has at his disposal or he's playing the ones who will be here ergo trying players out.

[Royal Lady]

Oh and Carrico may not be fully fit or whatever you say, but playing him for first 60 minutes to give us a fighting chance of getting something first half is preferable to chasing the game and not playing him at all, is it not?

[Sanguine]

There would be some logic in using Carrico against tired legs, rather than fresh ones, if you know he isn't going to play the whole game.

[winchester_royal]

No comment on Pearce then? You think he's worse than the other defenders? People are always saying he won't play him because he's off, so he's playing others that will be here - so either he's playing the BEST players he has at his disposal or he's playing the ones who will be here ergo trying players out.

I think he's not significantly better than the other defenders, and I assume you weren't calling McDermott disrespectful earlier in the season for not playing him?

As for Carrico, if he isn't close to being fit enough to last 90 minutes you don't start him, any manager would tell you that, and we've only seen about 60 minutes of him so it's impossibly to say whether he's better than Karacan with any degree of certainty.

[Ian Royal]

Well I don't consider that he played our best team, so he must be trying players out. Blackman rather than Hunt or ALF? Really? Karacan better than Carrico? You reckon?

Blackman played on the wing, so yes, he was a better choice to play there than ALF or Hunt. McAnuff has showed himself to be better than anyone we have at playing in the free role behind the striker, so given we didn't have another fit winger available, Blackman was a reasonable choice, even if you don't think he's very good, or would have done something different.
Karacan is certainly fitter than Carrico, and hardly had a particularly bad game.

So those are pretty poor complaints about the team selection.

Like I say, it's just my opinion, I am allowed an opinion on here am I?

And it's my opinion that your opinion is ill-considered and inaccurate. And I've explained why, rather than just saying something I think without much to back it up. I am allowed an opinion on here am I?

And I find it disrespectful - we are NOT down, yes it's nigh on impossible that we'll stay up - but until we're down, we should be playing our best team.

I find your stated view that he's just trying out players to see what they're like and isn't trying to win games disrespectful.

However, as I also said, I can see that he is making progress with the passing game, I just don't believe he is using all the right players at the moment.

Good, I'm not sure he is either, but he's the professional.

And if he's not trying players out, why not play Pearce? I know he's not signed his new contract and will probably be off, but you cannot deny he is steady and one of our best defenders - so if it's not to try out other players, why not play Pearce?

Because Pearce isn't that much better than Morrison? Because he doesn't rate him? Because there's no point playing someone who definitely won't be around next season when the result of this season was effectively over weeks, if not months ago, when you can be using a player who will and could be a central part of your plans?

It's hardly like he's playing a team of youth players and no hopers who would never otherwise have got into the team. All of those players were picked by McDermott at some point this season.