BFTG - MK Dons

[Ian Royal]

To put some perspective on this, Middlesboro lost to Brizzle City today.

To put things into perspective, they can afford to lose, can't say the same about us

Can they? They're only six points clear of third, whilst we're 10 points clear of 22nd. They're in a tighter situation that we are. It's been obvious for ages it'd take something herculean to get into the play offs and we're too short of confidence and form to achieve it.

[CountryRoyal]

Same old story, shit result against shit opposition. We started brightly but then after 5 minutes just seemed to switch off, and we stayed asleep for the entirety of the first half - which was truly abysmal. One good chance which Vydra missed but for me McCleary should have done better, he did the hard bit but instead of shooting on his left in a better position, overhit his touch and the ball to Vydra wasn't great. MK Dons were terrible but had a few really decent chances without having to work hard for them. Second half was better but it was the same story, huff and puff but poor decision making and too many players not on the same wavelength and individual errors. We were second to everyball and quite were deservedly beaten by a terrible terrible side who just wanted it more - they pressed well and defended fairly robustly but we made it easy for them, too slow when we need to play it quick, too quick when we need composure and some vision. They should have been down to 10 but it was a total bottle job from the ref.

Al-Habsi 8 - MOTM, commanding performance and kept us in it with some top saves. Distribution was alright and he was confident coming out to collect balls.

Gunter 4 - An awful player, terrible at defending and woeful in attack. Same old Gunter performance.

Ferdinand 6 - Mostly solid but it has to be said was relatively untested against a toothless MK Dons side

Cooper 6 - Likewise

Taylor 5 - Poor going forward

Williams 5 - Decent first half but tailed off as the game went on. Lots of energy but little end product.

Norwood 5 - Poorest game this season that I've seen from him. Grew into the game as it went on but still poor. Awful set pieces.

McCleary 6 - Might be a tad harsh as he was our best attacking threat, but he could have done better with both opportunities presented to him.

HRK 4 - waste of space

Vydra 5 - Lots of running but wasteful, again,

Piazon 4 - A few bright moments but bullied off the ball time and time again and was pretty ineffective. Should have come off sooner.

Subs:

Cox N/A - Did he even touch the ball?

John 3 - Instant impact winning two corners (yay ) but did precious little after that.

Terrible atmosphere and whilst pockets of us tried to sing and get things going it was disjointed, what with the allocated seating and influx of fairweathers. Was always going to be likely.

McD is pissing me off with Sa. It's obvious that he doesn't like him and won't play him, so why the oxf*rd is he wasting a spot on the bench? Clueless from the manager today.

I said after the Derby game that this season isn't a write off based purely on what we've done in the past and the runs we've been on however realistically it's a bit of a pipedream. Based on this performance though I think it's a safe bet to say the playoffs are a step, and a big one at that, too far. We have the ability to be promotion contenders and at times we make the game look easy, at others we look woefully inept and, as a team, I don't think we have enough.

[WAZZOCK]

I thought the team looked very tired, this could possibly be laid at the feet of BMc who didn't make any subs on Tuesday and just two (?) today.

Despite a lacklustre first half we looked good at the beginning of the second, and but for a few fine stops from their keeper we'd have been in front. The turning point in the game was the potential sending off, which in my opinion was an inexcusable mistake from the referee. Playing against 10 we don't lose that game.

All in all a bit of a damp squib of a day.

[CountryRoyal]

Playing against 10 we don't lose that game.

We are clueless when an opposition player gets sent off, and have been for years.

[bcubed]

Playing against 10 we don't lose that game.

We are clueless when an opposition player gets sent off, and have been for years.

True but as he said we wouldn't have lost

[WAZZOCK]

Playing against 10 we don't lose that game.

We are clueless when an opposition player gets sent off, and have been for years.

MK wouldn't have found a way into that game to find a winner though. I'm not saying we would have won, but I don't think we would have lost.

[Longhorn1970]

Same old story, shit result against shit opposition. We started brightly but then after 5 minutes just seemed to switch off, and we stayed asleep for the entirety of the first half - which was truly abysmal. One good chance which Vydra missed but for me McCleary should have done better, he did the hard bit but instead of shooting on his left in a better position, overhit his touch and the ball to Vydra wasn't great. MK Dons were terrible but had a few really decent chances without having to work hard for them. Second half was better but it was the same story, huff and puff but poor decision making and too many players not on the same wavelength and individual errors. We were second to everyball and quite were deservedly beaten by a terrible terrible side who just wanted it more - they pressed well and defended fairly robustly but we made it easy for them, too slow when we need to play it quick, too quick when we need composure and some vision. They should have been down to 10 but it was a total bottle job from the ref.

Al-Habsi 8 - MOTM, commanding performance and kept us in it with some top saves. Distribution was alright and he was confident coming out to collect balls.

Gunter 4 - An awful player, terrible at defending and woeful in attack. Same old Gunter performance.

Ferdinand 6 - Mostly solid but it has to be said was relatively untested against a toothless MK Dons side

Cooper 6 - Likewise

Taylor 5 - Poor going forward

Williams 5 - Decent first half but tailed off as the game went on. Lots of energy but little end product.

Norwood 5 - Poorest game this season that I've seen from him. Grew into the game as it went on but still poor. Awful set pieces.

McCleary 6 - Might be a tad harsh as he was our best attacking threat, but he could have done better with both opportunities presented to him.

HRK 4 - waste of space

Vydra 5 - Lots of running but wasteful, again,

Piazon 4 - A few bright moments but bullied off the ball time and time again and was pretty ineffective. Should have come off sooner.

Subs:

Cox N/A - Did he even touch the ball?

John 3 - Instant impact winning two corners (yay ) but did precious little after that.

Terrible atmosphere and whilst pockets of us tried to sing and get things going it was disjointed, what with the allocated seating and influx of fairweathers. Was always going to be likely.

McD is pissing me off with Sa. It's obvious that he doesn't like him and won't play him, so why the oxf*rd is he wasting a spot on the bench? Clueless from the manager today.

I said after the Derby game that this season isn't a write off based purely on what we've done in the past and the runs we've been on however realistically it's a bit of a pipedream. Based on this performance though I think it's a safe bet to say the playoffs are a step, and a big one at that, too far. We have the ability to be promotion contenders and at times we make the game look easy, at others we look woefully inept and, as a team, I don't think we have enough.

Why the dickens can't BM see it ! More worrying if he does and he can't reverse the trend ..

[CountryRoyal]

Playing against 10 we don't lose that game.

We are clueless when an opposition player gets sent off, and have been for years.

MK wouldn't have found a way into that game to find a winner though. I'm not saying we would have won, but I don't think we would have lost.

I agree I was just playing devil's advocate a tad.

It doesn't matter though as even a draw against that lot would be a shite result and we barely looked like winning.

[Jagermesiter1871]

Do we just not practice corners at all? We're completely inept at defending them and utterly woeful at even getting the ball into the oppositions box with our own. Considering a) they're probably the easiest thing to practice and b) Norwood is superb at other set ball players, it seems completely baffling how atrocious they are. When it comes to defending them the defence seem to go into panic mode.
I'm utterly clueless.

Team performance - struggled to find our own players with a majority of passes. Looked toothless in attack. Cooper looked dire and seems to think he's Steven Gerrard reborn as a 6ft 10 centre back. McCleary the only notable performance.

Stadium/Day out - nice stadium. Awful home support made for a sterile atmosphere. I think having a 30,000 seater stadium when you're fanbase is 7 years old and in the middle of an industrial state, is extremely odd and will be detrimental to the club. Seems to be a modern day manifestation of build it and they will come; albeit not yet.

All in all. Shit away day. Will not be doing MK for a long while.


EDIT: O and Cox over Sa? Are you oxf*rd mental. That game was calling out for Sa! MK looked there for the taking and we weren't playing a single out and out striker

[Longhorn1970]

Do we just not practice corners at all? We're completely inept at defending them and utterly woeful at even getting the ball into the oppositions box with our own. Considering a) they're probably the easiest thing to practice and b) Norwood is superb at other set ball players, it seems completely baffling how atrocious they are. When it comes to defending them the defence seem to go into panic mode.
I'm utterly clueless.

Team performance - struggled to find our own players with a majority of passes. Looked toothless in attack. Cooper looked dire and seems to think he's Steven Gerrard reborn as a 6ft 10 centre back. McCleary the only notable performance.

Stadium/Day out - nice stadium. Awful home support made for a sterile atmosphere. I think having a 30,000 seater stadium when you're fanbase is 7 years old and in the middle of an industrial state, is extremely odd and will be detrimental to the club. Seems to be a modern day manifestation of build it and they will come; albeit not yet.

All in all. Shit away day. Will not be doing MK for a long while.


EDIT: O and Cox over Sa? Are you oxf*rd mental. That game was calling out for Sa! MK looked there for the taking and we weren't playing a single out and out striker

love to know his thinking with Cox over Sa ? Perhaps they want someone to buy him and if he's playing more likely than not ?

[WAZZOCK]

We are clueless when an opposition player gets sent off, and have been for years.

MK wouldn't have found a way into that game to find a winner though. I'm not saying we would have won, but I don't think we would have lost.

I agree I was just playing devil's advocate a tad.

It doesn't matter though as even a draw against that lot would be a shite result and we barely looked like winning.

Agree with your last line there. I'd never experienced MK before today but it makes the Mad Stad seem like Anfield on a Champions League night in comparison.

[blueroyals]

The players are shit (were not interested), but the tactics were dreadful too.

60 minutes with Piazon and Vydra up front, probably the most lightweight players in the league, and we're just lumping the ball to them. WTF are they supposed to do

If you're going to go more direct, fine, but at least pick a team that is capable of doing that. And when it's not working, and it's clear you need a physical presence up front, why the fcuk bring on Cox and not Sa?

[Jagermesiter1871]

The players are shit (were not interested), but the tactics were dreadful too.

60 minutes with Piazon and Vydra up front, probably the most lightweight players in the league, and we're just lumping the ball to them. WTF are they supposed to do

If you're going to go more direct, fine, but at least pick a team that is capable of doing that. And when it's not working, and it's clear you need a physical presence up front, why the fcuk bring on Cox and not Sa?

I don't think we were being direct. Cooper was attempting 30 yard cross field passes with every touch. McCleary was carrying a lot of play down his side which was relatively effective but our main tactic seemed to be playing the ball around between Williams, Vydra and Pizaon. Unfortunately on the day none of them seemed capable of finding each other, which is an issue if that's your core tactic. For me this is where Brian should have brought Sa on and gone more direct.

[bobby1413]

Just piss off McDermott you are crap and always will be.

Why don't you pish off you clueless kunt.

He's been here 7 games. Managers need time, patience and a chance to actually change things.

[PieEater]

One of the most woeful, inept, tactically naive and spineless performances in a long time. Al Habsi and the God-like Anton Ferdinand emerge with credit. No one else.

I thought MK were rubbish, but hard working, close-everything-down, and took their chance. Superb stadium.

Quite how the ref didn't send their lad off - I can only assume he thought it wasn't really a clear goal scoring opportunity because it was Vydra.

Set pieces - we're a joke. Crosses - either don't beat the first man or sail over everyone. Passes - too many just went astray.

I tried to overcome my disappointment with Brian's return because I want it to work out. But today was a shattering experience, and my fears are all resurfacing.

Pretty much how I saw it. We were shit but could have still easily won that 3-0, MK Dons or should I say MK Dulls were hardworking and organised but really not very good. We wasted loads of chances with Vydra in particular missing one I could have at least got on target.

The ref was a homer, the red card rule for professional fouls was brought in for exactly that sort of situation, ball over the top, Vydra through on goal - would have been one on one with the keeper but he gets hauled down from behind. As it was we got a nothing free kick that was too far out to shoot and then we wasted it. Yet again our set pieces were utterly woeful - what on earth do we practice?

The stadium looked the part but they had made a determined effort to stop any atmosphere by putting us in the upper tier and around the side. Just petty and pathetic. Their fans must be the most plastic going, MK Dons barmy army lol.

Decent prematch in the Red Lion.

[genome]

Do we just not practice corners at all? We're completely inept at defending them and utterly woeful at even getting the ball into the oppositions box with our own. Considering a) they're probably the easiest thing to practice and b) Norwood is superb at other set ball players, it seems completely baffling how atrocious they are. When it comes to defending them the defence seem to go into panic mode.
I'm utterly clueless.

Team performance - struggled to find our own players with a majority of passes. Looked toothless in attack. Cooper looked dire and seems to think he's Steven Gerrard reborn as a 6ft 10 centre back. McCleary the only notable performance.

Stadium/Day out - nice stadium. Awful home support made for a sterile atmosphere. I think having a 30,000 seater stadium when you're fanbase is 7 years old and in the middle of an industrial state, is extremely odd and will be detrimental to the club. Seems to be a modern day manifestation of build it and they will come; albeit not yet.

All in all. Shit away day. Will not be doing MK for a long while.


EDIT: O and Cox over Sa? Are you oxf*rd mental. That game was calling out for Sa! MK looked there for the taking and we weren't playing a single out and out striker

I am not sure Reading are the best set of fans to be moaning about a stadium in an industrial estate...

[bobby1413]

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we're not going up.

Woeful.

Agree we are not going up... and we are woeful.

It makes me laugh though. Reading and "promotion", and "Play offs" should not be even mentioned in the same sentence.

We are so far off the mark it's frightening. We aren't having shots on target, we're barely threatening. Our players look inept, they look depressed and we have no fighting spirit.

Does anyone remember the days when ... (including when we lost) - we had shots on target, we ripped midfields apart, we had instensity?

On a positive... I do think Brian has the players playing a better style of football. Hard to believe as we lost badly, but I think the little seed of hope is there.

[Jagermesiter1871]

Do we just not practice corners at all? We're completely inept at defending them and utterly woeful at even getting the ball into the oppositions box with our own. Considering a) they're probably the easiest thing to practice and b) Norwood is superb at other set ball players, it seems completely baffling how atrocious they are. When it comes to defending them the defence seem to go into panic mode.
I'm utterly clueless.

Team performance - struggled to find our own players with a majority of passes. Looked toothless in attack. Cooper looked dire and seems to think he's Steven Gerrard reborn as a 6ft 10 centre back. McCleary the only notable performance.

Stadium/Day out - nice stadium. Awful home support made for a sterile atmosphere. I think having a 30,000 seater stadium when you're fanbase is 7 years old and in the middle of an industrial state, is extremely odd and will be detrimental to the club. Seems to be a modern day manifestation of build it and they will come; albeit not yet.

All in all. Shit away day. Will not be doing MK for a long while.


EDIT: O and Cox over Sa? Are you oxf*rd mental. That game was calling out for Sa! MK looked there for the taking and we weren't playing a single out and out striker

I am not sure Reading are the best set of fans to be moaning about a stadium in an industrial estate...

The industrial estate wasn't the issue. The lack of humans in said industrial estate was.

[bobby1413]

Do we just not practice corners at all?

Great point. I remember beating West Ham 6-0 at home - New Years day I think??? My Dad came who doesn't support Reading but was just visiting me. He commented how Reading were so good at set pieces. How times change.

A set piece = a time to really control the play. Yet all we do is farking waste it. Even throw ins, free kicks, corners, we just don't capitalise.

Stadium/Day out - nice stadium. Awful home support made for a sterile atmosphere. I think having a 30,000 seater stadium when you're fanbase is 7 years old and in the middle of an industrial state, is extremely odd and will be detrimental to the club. Seems to be a modern day manifestation of build it and they will come; albeit not yet.

Agree with that. I'd been to MK Dons vs Millwall before - got free tickets and was very very drunk - toth epoint that I can't remember a single ball being kicked.

Today I was (unfortunately) sober. It's ok with all these restaurants and things around.

But my god, their home support and atmosphere make us look like Barcelona/Borussia Dortmund/someone with amazing home support. It's almost as if they've not experienced a match before.

The music is deafening, the PA man is annoying, there arse sponsors EVERYWHERE....

Probably one of the poorer away days definitely... just didn't feel at all genuine or real

[CountryRoyal]

In fairness it's not specifically the number (which was really low anyway) more the crowd in relation to the size of the stadium. We average a bit more than 70% occupancy at the madejski, today at stadium mk was a tad over 40%.

I couldn't think of anything worse than a big empty stadium, it's bad enough as it is.