MATCHWATCH : Northampton Town (a)

[Stranded]

Well that was shit but that is what you have to expect from Reading away days - the only reason I can see so many fans going away at the mo is that they want to be there when a win finally comes. How we haven't even managed to fluke a single win in 17 games is beyond me.

If you like these sort of things, and I'm up and down on them - our XG shows we are creating chances in decent areas but just not taking them, so if that continues, the goals should come esp with a potentially better striker in Smith coming in after the break. Of course, we need to keep on getting into those spaces and creating those chances and given yesterday saw us fall back into pass at the back and hoof football, that is not guaranteed.

Totally depressing and actually a little numbing esp when you consider our next 2 games are away from home, we could well start to get cut off in the bottom 4.

Met a couple of FGR players at Manchester Airport hotel on Monday night, seem like a nice bunch to play against.

[stealthpapes]

Northampton is not a gem of the UK countryside. There's a huge tower and light industrial estates going west from the station. It all opens out into a quite enormous retail park. The huge Wagamamas overlooking the ground looked a safer bet for a solid evening out (until I got told it hadn't opened yet ... ). That said, the ground is quite tidy, nestled away in a little dip in the ground.

Football? Same story as other weeks, we veer between tidy yet unthreatening and absent without football. There was a bit after the first goal where the side just looked broken. I enjoyed the ripple of applause on the second, when people thought Button had made the save yet...

Ballard added a bit of spike, and got a well-deserved goal. We had a spell where it may have swung back our way then the added time saw heads go, players go (then not) and a pretty desperate atmosphere at the end.

Oh, and Cayman Islands failed in their run chase and lost by 53 runs to Bermuda in the T20 qualifier.

[Royal Monkey]

If he don’t bring NGW back in on Saturday now then he is a total joke. Mola is not even a footballer.
God knows what he does at right back tho, Mbengue injured, Yids suspended and Binden clearly not a right back.

Kelvin Abrefa or Tivonge Rushesha or Tom Holmes.

Hopefully Abrefa, Putting Rushesha there is just playing another player out of position and no chance of Holmes playing he ain’t even made the bench since being dumped after Vale game.
Thinking about it nor has NGW has he ?
And regards being frozen out for nothing, there is obviously a reason for it and Carroll and Bouzanis been got rid of. I’m guessing they revolted after Vale game and prob told Selles what they thought of his formation/tactics ?

[Stranded]

Take away those 3 dreadful goals let in by Button. Was it a bad performance? First half yes, second half alot better but could not be any worse.

There is a player in Femi but just looks shot to pieces. Other thing that got me, and Knibbs was certainly one of them, is that chance with ball in the box, get yourself in there, throw your body on the line, it just looked half arsed. Midfield and down the wings we are just cut open with ease.

Someone made the valid point that we do have to understand its U21s versus grown men. The Premier League U21's are getting turned over in the PJT. I just cant see any of this changing whilst we have the current owner. That is the first thing that needs to happen and no point targeting Selles otherwise whole club is then toxic and we have a total split camp.

Dai gone (we hope) new owners in, and then we look to pick up the best out of contract players we can find. There are still quite a few out there. Enough to pick up the 14 wins we are going to need to survive in this division.

But yes, last night and this morning incredibly grim.

The goals were dreadful errors from a GK who has looked more than solid to date - however, it is the attacking side that is concerning me and as you point out the lack of will on some players to take a chance. I nearly threw my phone against the wall for the Knibbs "chance", Elliott had no right to get the ball there and you can tell the 2 Northampton defenders had switched off as a result, if Knibbs had just tried to get any touch on it, unless it goes directly at the keeper, we are back to 2-2 with a few mins to go againt a tiring side, and whilst we probably wouldn't have won, we wouldn't have lost. We could also take the momentum of coming back from 2 down into the Orient game on Saturday.

Instead, we are pointless from 5 games on the road and pressure just continues to crank up with 2 more away games to come before we play at home again.

[Royal Monkey]

Do royals tv show the full 90 minutes of the game afterwards ?
Really wanna see the full 90 to see how bad it was

[WestYorksRoyal]

Musing a bit so bear with, but struck me last night how what goes round often comes back round in football. By that I mean there is a good chance we're going back to the old fourth division, from whence we came.

First started supporting RFC in the early 70s in the old fourth division days at Elm Park, which in the year we won it or got promoted, I remember well.

It struck me last night after the latest debacle, whether the current team we have is even as good as the team from those days.

Try this, Say a defence comprising Steve Death in goal, Gary Peters right back, Mark White left back, Hetzke and Martin Hicks centre halfs.

Just a thought but my feeling is that the current team might play a whole match just against those five and still fail to score. Am I right?

The club has changed a lot since the 70s. Elm Park was a small, intimate ground suited to 4th tier football. By comparison, 8,000 fans or so in the SCL down in L2 will just be embarrassing. An empty bowl where it's difficult to create an atmosphere.

[Royal Monkey]

Also any explanation on the Mola second yellow and sending off then changing his mind ?
On the highlights he definitely books Mola (unless it was Abbey) before the challenge where Mola is sent off

[Royal Monkey]

Musing a bit so bear with, but struck me last night how what goes round often comes back round in football. By that I mean there is a good chance we're going back to the old fourth division, from whence we came.

First started supporting RFC in the early 70s in the old fourth division days at Elm Park, which in the year we won it or got promoted, I remember well.

It struck me last night after the latest debacle, whether the current team we have is even as good as the team from those days.

Try this, Say a defence comprising Steve Death in goal, Gary Peters right back, Mark White left back, Hetzke and Martin Hicks centre halfs.

Just a thought but my feeling is that the current team might play a whole match just against those five and still fail to score. Am I right?

Remember this back 5 from the late 70’s when I started watching Reading, happy days !
Hetzke was captain when I was mascot for the Portsmouth home game December 1981 lol !

[Hound]

Also any explanation on the Mola second yellow and sending off then changing his mind ?
On the highlights he definitely books Mola (unless it was Abbey) before the challenge where Mola is sent off

Yeah booked twice but they didn’t record tbe first one. So fair chance he’ll get the suspension

[Elm Park Kid]

I said this on Saturday - I don't think you can talk about this as though it's a 'normal' situation. Yes, we can all play armchair manager and think we know better than Selles, but I just think he's in a lose-lose situation. How do you build spirit to go out and get a result when you have no idea if those results will be meaningful? Yeah, the youngsters are no doubt keen to prove themselves regardless, but subconsciously it's still going to affect them. This is the team of players we could scramble together between transfer embargoes, not a team that Selles built.

I've defended managers in the past just as I think it takes time to really learn what they're about. But this is even different to that - there is literally no point in changing managers because I don't think anyone can do anything different given what is hanging over us.

They could:
1) Play a shape that doesn’t expose our weaknesses and nullify our strengths
2) Pick players to play in their best position
3) Get their staff and players under some form of discipline.

Tell me though Snowflake, which of these two scenarios is more likely?

1 - That you know more about football management than Selles.
2 - That Selles knows more about football management than you and is trying to do something that we don't understand.

That's not to say that what he's doing is working - we're allowed to make that criticism as fans.

[Hound]

Take away those 3 dreadful goals let in by Button. Was it a bad performance? First half yes, second half alot better but could not be any worse.

There is a player in Femi but just looks shot to pieces. Other thing that got me, and Knibbs was certainly one of them, is that chance with ball in the box, get yourself in there, throw your body on the line, it just looked half arsed. Midfield and down the wings we are just cut open with ease.

Someone made the valid point that we do have to understand its U21s versus grown men. The Premier League U21's are getting turned over in the PJT. I just cant see any of this changing whilst we have the current owner. That is the first thing that needs to happen and no point targeting Selles otherwise whole club is then toxic and we have a total split camp.

Dai gone (we hope) new owners in, and then we look to pick up the best out of contract players we can find. There are still quite a few out there. Enough to pick up the 14 wins we are going to need to survive in this division.

But yes, last night and this morning incredibly grim.

The goals were dreadful errors from a GK who has looked more than solid to date - however, it is the attacking side that is concerning me and as you point out the lack of will on some players to take a chance. I nearly threw my phone against the wall for the Knibbs "chance", Elliott had no right to get the ball there and you can tell the 2 Northampton defenders had switched off as a result, if Knibbs had just tried to get any touch on it, unless it goes directly at the keeper, we are back to 2-2 with a few mins to go againt a tiring side, and whilst we probably wouldn't have won, we wouldn't have lost. We could also take the momentum of coming back from 2 down into the Orient game on Saturday.

Instead, we are pointless from 5 games on the road and pressure just continues to crank up with 2 more away games to come before we play at home again.

On basic stats we’ve been in every away game bar Blackpool.

One thing I don’t really understand is how we can look so open in CM with this formation, it’s the whole point as far as I can see to limit all the space in the centre

I think maybe Hutch/Wing for a few games with Knibbs and maybe Savage or Eliott ahead of them.

This to me is the biggest failing of the team atm.

[Royal Monkey]

Also any explanation on the Mola second yellow and sending off then changing his mind ?
On the highlights he definitely books Mola (unless it was Abbey) before the challenge where Mola is sent off

Yeah booked twice but they didn’t record tbe first one. So fair chance he’ll get the suspension

That’s good lol !!
So the ref forgot to write it down in his book then

[Sutekh]

Kelvin Abrefa or Tivonge Rushesha or Tom Holmes.

Fingers crossed that Mola's sending off is found to have been the correct decision.

God knows what Selles does if he is.

Carson can't cope in front of noisy League One fans in men’s football and NGW is either injured or Selles has him out in the cold for no reason. McIntyre injured.

Shame Yiadom got himself sent off too

[Royal Monkey]

Take away those 3 dreadful goals let in by Button. Was it a bad performance? First half yes, second half alot better but could not be any worse.

There is a player in Femi but just looks shot to pieces. Other thing that got me, and Knibbs was certainly one of them, is that chance with ball in the box, get yourself in there, throw your body on the line, it just looked half arsed. Midfield and down the wings we are just cut open with ease.

Someone made the valid point that we do have to understand its U21s versus grown men. The Premier League U21's are getting turned over in the PJT. I just cant see any of this changing whilst we have the current owner. That is the first thing that needs to happen and no point targeting Selles otherwise whole club is then toxic and we have a total split camp.

Dai gone (we hope) new owners in, and then we look to pick up the best out of contract players we can find. There are still quite a few out there. Enough to pick up the 14 wins we are going to need to survive in this division.

But yes, last night and this morning incredibly grim.

The goals were dreadful errors from a GK who has looked more than solid to date - however, it is the attacking side that is concerning me and as you point out the lack of will on some players to take a chance. I nearly threw my phone against the wall for the Knibbs "chance", Elliott had no right to get the ball there and you can tell the 2 Northampton defenders had switched off as a result, if Knibbs had just tried to get any touch on it, unless it goes directly at the keeper, we are back to 2-2 with a few mins to go againt a tiring side, and whilst we probably wouldn't have won, we wouldn't have lost. We could also take the momentum of coming back from 2 down into the Orient game on Saturday.

Instead, we are pointless from 5 games on the road and pressure just continues to crank up with 2 more away games to come before we play at home again.

On basic stats we’ve been in every away game bar Blackpool.

One thing I don’t really understand is how we can look so open in CM with this formation, it’s the whole point as far as I can see to limit all the space in the centre

I think maybe Hutch/Wing for a few games with Knibbs and maybe Savage or Eliott ahead of them.

This to me is the biggest failing of the team atm.

Because you’ve only got two CM’s the other 2 are playing wide. I don’t get how our formation is being called 4222 ? It just looks like 442 to me.
We need to play Hutch in front of back 4 and Wing and Savage in front of him so we’ve got 3 in the middle of the park.

[Stranded]

THIS POST WAS TOTAL BOLLOCKS. APOLOGIES - CORRECTED IN A FUTURE POST.

[Royal Monkey]

I know we all know how bad our away form is but since 2015, we have won a total of 19 away games. 19!

That works out at just over 2 per season on average.

It’s bizarre how we’ve been so consistently bad away for so long under what, 7 different managers in that time ?

[WestYorksRoyal]

I know we all know how bad our away form is but since 2015, we have won a total of 19 away games. 19!

That works out at just over 2 per season on average.

Since the end of 16/17 we must have the worst EFL record in the country. Bottom 5 at best.

[windermereROYAL]

I know we all know how bad our away form is but since 2015, we have won a total of 19 away games. 19!

That works out at just over 2 per season on average.

It’s bizarre how we’ve been so consistently bad away for so long under what, 7 different managers in that time ?

We won 10 2016/17

[Stranded]

I know we all know how bad our away form is but since 2015, we have won a total of 19 away games. 19!

That works out at just over 2 per season on average.

Since the end of 16/17 we must have the worst EFL record in the country. Bottom 5 at best.

Apologies, this is total bollocks that I should have checked first. Its 43 wins since the start of the 2015/16 season.

24 of which came in just 3 of those seasons. The other 19 coming in the other 5 and a bit seasons.

[Royal Monkey]

I know we all know how bad our away form is but since 2015, we have won a total of 19 away games. 19!

That works out at just over 2 per season on average.

It’s bizarre how we’ve been so consistently bad away for so long under what, 7 different managers in that time ?

We won 10 2016/17

Which makes it worse in a way. So in all the other seasons since 2015 we’ve only won 9 in total away ?