How can a team playing so poorly have such good current form

[rob the royal]

As were winning I simply don't care. If we get promoted then bring on the glamour, but for now lets just grind ourselves at of this bloody league!

I don't know, of course it's fantastic that we're winning so many games but playing this way does two things.

Firstly it can be pretty boring to sit and watch, secondly it makes our rather dull fans even duller - which in turn makes it even more... you guessed it: Boring.

Would I swap "excitement and atmosphere" in and "winning every game" out - hell no. But I'm not gonna come on here and make out I find it thrilling to watch.

[Vision]

2nd half was a bit of a grind but we played some good stuff 1st half I thought. We were patient,passed it well enough and got behind them on several occasions.

2nd half Pompey tightened up, they doubled up on McAnuff and we didn't make the most of it by getting the bal out to HRK who in the 1st half had the beating of Mokeona.

Two things we need to remember I think.

1) Without Kebe's explosive pace, teams defend higher up the pitch and squeeze the play. We simply aren't good enough passers to pass it through them so if in doubt we'll hit it into an area and then pressurise them from there.

2) Roberts is a huge player for us but lets just say he "manages his game" very well. He's a passenger for large parts of the game but overall it's worth it because the quality he brings when he's on it is obvious. It does make it difficult when at times we're effectively playing with 10 men. I suspect this also might be why McD is reluctant to start with the Roberts/ALF partenrship many favour.

I have to say I've been of the opinion that it simply won't be good enough when we come to play the better teams in this league. Thing is, when we have (Boro,Burnley), we've still won.

File under: The manager knows what he's doing to get the very best out of the resources he has available.

[Snowball]

Southampton play nice football, but they couldn't keep a clean sheet last night.

2 points closer...

[Snowball]

I love how on my screen it says:


How can a team that is playing so poo..

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Well im sticking up for the OP on this one.

In terms of match goals, I think this is the least entertaining Reading team in history.

In games involving Reading, the average number of goals per match this season is 2.1. Im pretty sure that it has never dropped that low in the clubs 140 year history. It ceratinaly hasn't in the last 30 odd years.

Its not a problem when you are winning every game, but as soon as results drop it will quite rapidly become unbearable viewing again.

[Schards#2]

Agree with the OP but the fact is we simply do not have the quality of player to play beautiful football. Bluntly, they are not talented enough.

As such, you have to give enormous credit to the management and players for playing to their other strengths (commitment, workrate, etc) to such an extent that they are producing the results they are.

In the current circumstances, we can't ask any more than that but I would agree it's not easy on the eye this season and they number of chances we are creating appear less than can ever recall.

[loyalroyal4life]

Maybe it has to do with the fact this league is not as strong as previous years giving us great chance to succeed without stepping it up

[Royalwaster]

I actually thought that the team looked rather nervous last night (and I think the fans were too) - it just felt like the kind of game they were so expected to win. Also in the 2nd half they became increasingly risk averse - everyone seemed to prefer to pass it backwards rather than take on their opponent and risk a counter-attack. It worked but it wasn't pretty.

[Silver Fox]

We're not playing poorly, this is why we have such good form

HTH

[Stuka]

Me too.

I have often wandered why we can't just sort things out and start playing like Brazil in 1970. Seven wins in a row just isn't enough.

Hah, this. Somehow Reading are winning games boo hoo

[rob the royal]

File under: The manager knows what he's doing to get the very best out of the resources he has available.

Oh definitely.

Like I said, wouldn't change it, but I don't see how anyone can deny it's still makes pretty dull viewing.

Although last night was better than some of the recent games.

[Cripple Creek]

I agree with the posters who say, simply, we don't really have the players to be able to play massively entertaining football. We don't have the likes of Darius as a centre back (under McGhee for the younger folk) who could float pinpoint passes across the length of the pitch to land at the feet of another player or central midlfielders like Simon Osborn (also under McGhee) who was a wonderfully gifted creative player with the likes of the terrier-like Mick Gooding to put pressure on other players along side him.
It's rather like comparing the likes of the Arsenal of a few years ago under Wenger to the Arsenal of a couple of decades ago under George Graham who always faced the chants "boring, boring Arsenal" but were hugely effective.
None of this is a criticism of management. As other posters on here say they can only work with what they have got and they do that magnificently in terms of tactics and motivating the team.

[RepressedRoyal]

I have said this before and I will say it again. The Championship and a large swathe of the PL is over rated, "MOTD" and "The Football League Show" are highlights programmes that many of us watch every Saturday evening. The key word is "highlights" they don't show the rest of the pinball dross that occurs in games featuring all but the very top PL clubs. Those who subscribe to Sky will watch games featuring Man Utd, Man City, Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool, all of whom play good football (except Liverpool who are sh1t) with top players on £100k+ a week. If the game on Sky is Bolton v Blackburn no one watches it (except a corner of Lancashire). Have any of you attempted to watch Aston Villa live? Oh my God it is pitiful stuff. Swansea are huge exception to the norm, watching Gylfi lighting up the Liberty stadium makes me want to weep.

What I am saying is that stamped in to our sub conscious are highlights of goals, slick passing and clever skill from the likes of Van Persie or Modric, so when we sit on our cold blue seats at the Madjeski stadium our brains are almost trained to demand that kind of football. It is like the the power of SKY has hypnotised us in to a deluded state that tells us that football is ninety minutes of rich entertainment, I suffer from this as badly as anyone else. However, in truth, good football is as rare as a priest who doesn't like kids, I can't remember many teams better than us at the Madjeski or indeed any team who played flowing football, though Burnley had their moments. The top two certainly didn't impress me, West Ham supposedly have PL players, but they just hoofed the ball and our players all over the place.

The reality is this. We are better at turgid football than 21 other teams in this league and we have found a way to beat all the teams we come up against. Our defence is so secure it saps the excitement out of the game because it is rare that we ever have to recover from a backs to the wall position, which let's face it, is when football gets really exciting (see Arsenal last night). The way we defend sends the opposition in to a bored stupor until they get to the point when they realise they are never going to score. We then pop a goal in on the counter attack and as cowboy mechanic would say "Jobs a goodun."

Is it entertaining? Not really, but we better just live with it and back the team if the lower echelons of the equally turgid PL is what we really want. If you want entertainment get to Saints and West Ham away, because for some reason, I am confident that one way another we will get four points out of those two games. Brighton away could also be fun, not least because there is a vicious rumour circulating that they serve bitter they doesn't taste like chemical waste.

If I can avoid yet another costly heroic defeat at Wembley, Reading can be as boring and turgid as they want.

[No Hoops]

I agree with the OP but when asked before the game what the result would be I said a boring 1-0 will do me.

Pompey were very defensive in the set up too.

Can't complain really.

Now lets hope Watford can do us a favour tonight!

[weybridgewanderer]

abramovich got bored watching chelsea win 1-0 every week under mourinho

anyone remember 1-0 to the arsenal ubder GG

tonight pompie tried to strngle the game

we typically play better against better teams as they try and attack us more which opens up more space.

[Vision]

I have said this before and I will say it again. The Championship and a large swathe of the PL is over rated, "MOTD" and "The Football League Show" are highlights programmes that many of us watch every Saturday evening. The key word is "highlights" they don't show the rest of the pinball dross that occurs in games featuring all but the very top PL clubs. Those who subscribe to Sky will watch games featuring Man Utd, Man City, Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool, all of whom play good football (except Liverpool who are sh1t) with top players on £100k+ a week. If the game on Sky is Bolton v Blackburn no one watches it (except a corner of Lancashire). Have any of you attempted to watch Aston Villa live? Oh my God it is pitiful stuff. Swansea are huge exception to the norm, watching Gylfi lighting up the Liberty stadium makes me want to weep.

What I am saying is that stamped in to our sub conscious are highlights of goals, slick passing and clever skill from the likes of Van Persie or Modric, so when we sit on our cold blue seats at the Madjeski stadium our brains are almost trained to demand that kind of football. It is like the the power of SKY has hypnotised us in to a deluded state that tells us that football is ninety minutes of rich entertainment, I suffer from this as badly as anyone else. However, in truth, good football is as rare as a priest who doesn't like kids, I can't remember many teams better than us at the Madjeski or indeed any team who played flowing football, though Burnley had their moments. The top two certainly didn't impress me, West Ham supposedly have PL players, but they just hoofed the ball and our players all over the place.

The reality is this. We are better at turgid football than 21 other teams in this league and we have found a way to beat all the teams we come up against. Our defence is so secure it saps the excitement out of the game because it is rare that we ever have to recover from a backs to the wall position, which let's face it, is when football gets really exciting (see Arsenal last night). The way we defend sends the opposition in to a bored stupor until they get to the point when they realise they are never going to score. We then pop a goal in on the counter attack and as cowboy mechanic would say "Jobs a goodun."

Is it entertaining? Not really, but we better just live with it and back the team if the lower echelons of the equally turgid PL is what we really want. If you want entertainment get to Saints and West Ham away, because for some reason, I am confident that one way another we will get four points out of those two games. Brighton away could also be fun, not least because there is a vicious rumour circulating that they serve bitter they doesn't taste like chemical waste.

If I can avoid yet another costly heroic defeat at Wembley, Reading can be as boring and turgid as they want.

Great post.

Been saying for an age that for the most part, week-in week-out, league football is generally run of the mill mediocrity punctuated by the occasional flashes of inspiration.

I guess the argument at present is that this team is more an example of 1% inspiration alongside 99% perspiration.

Also the concept of playing poorly is a difficult one. We may not play as well as we'd like in possession but to restrict the opposition to the few chances we do suggest that we're playing exceptionally well in others. It's just the uglier stuff that we're excelling in at the moment which doesn't catch the eye or provide thrilling entertainment.

[Cripple Creek]

I think Repressed Royal's post is probably the best and certainly one of the wisest I've read on this forum. I agree entirely with all of it and will now go and wash the dishes.

[RepressedRoyal]

I think Repressed Royal's post is probably the best and certainly one of the wisest I've read on this forum. I agree entirely with all of it and will now go and wash the dishes.

And I shall settle down with a coffee and do some proper work

[Gordons Cumming]

Only Reading fans would complain about 7 wins in a row.

Most probably fans since 2005/06

[rob the royal]

I think Repressed Royal's post is probably the best and certainly one of the wisest I've read on this forum. I agree entirely with all of it and will now go and wash the dishes.

I agree, although it's a bit of an exaggeration to say that only games involving big Premier League clubs are entertaining - but I'd have to agree with the general gist of it - we have been spoilt in recent years so the expectations are a bit too high maybe.

But at the moment all we seem to do is grind out results, we haven't really had a day when we've really given someone a thumping, or even really looked like doing so. Surprisingly enough, contrary to RR's post that actually happens in games up and down the country at all levels fairly often, it's entertaining and sometimes even the bad teams do it.

So despite agreeing with the sentiment - still would have to agree with the OP.