HNA approval/disapproval of NA

[Bandini]

Cancer > AIDSkins

[winchester_royal]

Stone the crows Spurs just beat Southampton playing 4-4-2 in the Premier League.

Cool. Man Utd won the treble playing 4-4-2.

[howser]

"Russian shyster out of the club" Floyd ?? couldn't agree more, all talk and no substance, the whole situation regarding Adkins, transfers, style of play etc............will become much clearer when he ships himself out

[fruits]

The rubbish that is written on this site is beyond belief. Adkin's approach is brick on brick
which makes him very much a "Reading Type"

Rome was not built in a day even God took six days to build the world. It takes time to build a side,Adkins record is second to none, he will get it right. Just look at his record at several clubs it is second to none.

Footballers are not the brightest folk in the world and it takes them time to understand new ideas.

The kick and rush merchants hounded Rogers out,look where the team he manages now are placed.

Who do all these" experts" want brought in, Mc Dermott? Ok he might get us promotion earlier, but he was so naive in the premiership we will be relegated a lot quicker. Adkins will turn things around but we are 6th with a good chance of making the playoffs. With this squad the thought of Reading in the premiership is the stuff of nightmares.

No one knows if there is money or not , the Russian is baby sitting. Can Sir Mad decide on the budget or does he have to refer to the baby sitter?

The club is rudderless to me it is a miracle that we are still 6th,the players must realise that the club is like a super tanker with the rudder broken.

I will continue to read HNA but not bother with those like"Adkins Out "

[sandman]

Well put post but sadly I feel you're wrong. Personality doesn't fit, tactics don't fit and quite frankly he seems to be in it half heartedly as well.

[rob the royal]

Well put post but sadly I feel you're wrong. Personality doesn't fit, tactics don't fit and quite frankly he seems to be in it half heartedly as well.

I don't mind the guy, I just question how people can say we're making progress brick by brick?

Performances are getting worse. Maybe it's just the injuries we've got but I really don't think that side we put out yesterday was anywhere near as awful as the performance suggested.

I fail to see any progress in our tactical approach to games, playing the ball around your back five for possession stats and eventually just hoofing it long doesn't seem to fit with what he's supposedly trying to do and yet that is what we see week after week. I'm starting to think the success he had at Saints was massively riding on the wave Pardew had already set in motion.

Hope he and the team prove me wrong.

[Cureton's Volley]

McDermott was so popular

So popular that (presumably) the same idiots were booing him and his team for the couple of weeks after he won PLMOM, and before he got sacked?

[Cureton's Volley]

OP has this spot on. It seems that Adkins isn't even trying to win these days - it's more important for Atkins to maintain his "brand" of passing football than to get results now.

Good for him (maybe) but bad for the club.

Yesterday he explained exactly what he is trying to do and that objective is absolutely spot on. Better to build the team now that is capable of playing in a manner that gives a reasonable chance of survival in the PL than playing the lower league way, securing promotion and then trying to fix things once in the PL. The latter approach is doomed to failure as last season showed. If his persistence in adopting this passing approach costs us a few results in the short term, so what! I can't see how that is in any way detrimental to the club, in that longer term it will make us a much better and stronger team.

So you actually constitute the previous reign as a failure then? Despite only one previous reign having achieved more?

You also seem to be assuming that things will get better playing a supposedly better style of football. Tommy Burns and Brendan Rogers promised the same.

I put it to you that this team will achieve nothing playing the way we are. Above all else, team ethic is what will get Reading promoted and staying up. Passing style or direct, without that you're going nowhere. And we don't have that i'm afraid. I see a set of players with plenty of individual ability who are just not up for it under Adkins.

I saw exactly the same, and it was also the gist of many a discussion at the packed bar in the Jazz Cafe on the stroke of half-time.

[rob the royal]

Yesterday he explained exactly what he is trying to do and that objective is absolutely spot on. Better to build the team now that is capable of playing in a manner that gives a reasonable chance of survival in the PL than playing the lower league way, securing promotion and then trying to fix things once in the PL. The latter approach is doomed to failure as last season showed. If his persistence in adopting this passing approach costs us a few results in the short term, so what! I can't see how that is in any way detrimental to the club, in that longer term it will make us a much better and stronger team.

If match days constitute a passing practice for five players followed by a hoof upfield to give others ago they can do it behind closed doors.

[facaldaqui]

I do not know what a Reading type is. Far as I am concerned, I want a successful type. If Adkins gets us promoted, I will be happy. It is not about McDermott v Adkins for me--no reason they both can't be good managers.

[sandman]

Someone who mirrors the club. Honest, hard working, understated, humble and plays a game with pace and wing play.

[Cureton's Volley]

Yesterday he explained exactly what he is trying to do and that objective is absolutely spot on. Better to build the team now that is capable of playing in a manner that gives a reasonable chance of survival in the PL than playing the lower league way, securing promotion and then trying to fix things once in the PL. The latter approach is doomed to failure as last season showed. If his persistence in adopting this passing approach costs us a few results in the short term, so what! I can't see how that is in any way detrimental to the club, in that longer term it will make us a much better and stronger team.

If match days constitute a passing practice for five players followed by a hoof upfield to give others ago they can do it behind closed doors.

I might have had a few jars yesterday, but there is no way I would have written that apologetic excuse for our shit performance. You've quoted the wrong chap!

I think we are both in agreement that they can practise 'passing' in training, and focus 100% on winning against the team put in front of them. Thinking about what we are going to do 'when we get back in the PL' is fanciful crap. IIRC we were recently slating the Brighton fans for having a similar discussion on their own message board.

[RoyalBlue]

Yesterday he explained exactly what he is trying to do and that objective is absolutely spot on. Better to build the team now that is capable of playing in a manner that gives a reasonable chance of survival in the PL than playing the lower league way, securing promotion and then trying to fix things once in the PL. The latter approach is doomed to failure as last season showed. If his persistence in adopting this passing approach costs us a few results in the short term, so what! I can't see how that is in any way detrimental to the club, in that longer term it will make us a much better and stronger team.

If match days constitute a passing practice for five players followed by a hoof upfield to give others ago they can do it behind closed doors.

I might have had a few jars yesterday, but there is no way I would have written that apologetic excuse for our shit performance. You've quoted the wrong chap!

I think we are both in agreement that they can practise 'passing' in training, and focus 100% on winning against the team put in front of them. Thinking about what we are going to do 'when we get back in the PL' is fanciful crap. IIRC we were recently slating the Brighton fans for having a similar discussion on their own message board.

Absolute rubbish. If you want to improve, you can't do that by training one way and then dropping it for a completely different style in games. You have to put your preferred style to a proper test and can only do that in real games. Also developing a team in the Championship that plays the way you need to do to increase your chances of survival when you get promoted to the PL is planning and building properly for the future. Far from being fanciful crap it is common sense. We saw only too clearly last season what happens when you go up to the PL as an 'effective Championship' team that has won promotion through great team spirit, commitment and hard work but then proceeds to continually gift possession to PL opponents who know how to keep it and punish you at the same time.

[rob the royal]

Absolute rubbish. If you want to improve, you can't do that by training one way and then dropping it for a completely different style in games. You have to put your preferred style to a proper test and can only do that in real games. Also developing a team in the Championship that plays the way you need to do to increase your chances of survival when you get promoted to the PL is planning and building properly for the future. Far from being fanciful crap it is common sense. We saw only too clearly last season what happens when you go up to the PL as an 'effective Championship' team that has won promotion through great team spirit, commitment and hard work but then proceeds to continually gift possession to PL opponents who know how to keep it and punish you at the same time.

I'm all for developing our fairly young team into a passing side that can hold it's own in the Prem, in fact I always said we got promoted too early for our own good under McDermott. That side was never ready to play at that level... BUT I'll say it again: How is what we are being dished up each week making any progress in that respect?

You get a string of passes around the defence for a while then they hoof it long.

Then sometimes for a change we get a pass to a "wide man" who trundles up the pitch, see's that all the strikers are now marked and that he himself is being closed down and then plays back to the defence who hoof it long.

Or sometimes we use one of our midfielders (just so they don't get bored). This is usually Guthrie who sprays a long and pretty pass out to a wide man who trundles up the pitch, see's that all the strikers are now marked and that he himself is being closed down and then plays back to the defence who hoof it long.

If that's progress then we're in for a hell of a season.

P.S. Apologies Curo's Volley for earlier misquote - technical balls up

EDIT: FWIW I voted other, I'm still hoping to be proved wrong by Adkins and even if things carry on as they are will be ok with him having another go next season having had another couple of windows to shape the squad...

[Cureton's Volley]

P.S. Apologies Curo's Volley for earlier misquote - technical balls up

No problem

If you want to improve, you can't do that by training one way and then dropping it for a completely different style in games.

I disagree. The back five + Guthrie should practise knocking it round to each other in training until they can get it right.

Forcing them to embarrass themselves trying to employ skills they do not have (yet) is undermining their confidence and causing them to make basic errors

proceeds to continually gift possession to PL opponents who know how to keep it and punish you at the same time

Well all we've proven now is what happens when we continually gift possession to Championship (and League 1) opponents

[CountryRoyal]

I don't know why everyone is stressing balls. Yes the football is generally crap and we are underachieving......... but we have a new manager, new players and a new style to try and adjust to, not even mentioning injuries. Oh and our season always starts after xmas. We'll be fine.

[Avon Royal]

I don't know why everyone is stressing balls. Yes the football is generally crap and we are underachieving......... but we have a new manager, new players and a new style to try and adjust to, not even mentioning injuries. Oh and our season always starts after xmas. We'll be fine.

You say we are underachieving, and then list a whole load of reasons that would tend to suggest that we are in fact overachieving.

[CountryRoyal]

I don't know why everyone is stressing balls. Yes the football is generally crap and we are underachieving......... but we have a new manager, new players and a new style to try and adjust to, not even mentioning injuries. Oh and our season always starts after xmas. We'll be fine.

You say we are underachieving, and then list a whole load of reasons that would tend to suggest that we are in fact overachieving.

I list factors that are hampering our ability, yet on face value with squad and manager we are underachieving. Imho.

[Avon Royal]

I don't know why everyone is stressing balls. Yes the football is generally crap and we are underachieving......... but we have a new manager, new players and a new style to try and adjust to, not even mentioning injuries. Oh and our season always starts after xmas. We'll be fine.

You say we are underachieving, and then list a whole load of reasons that would tend to suggest that we are in fact overachieving.

I list factors that are hampering our ability, yet on face value with squad and manager we are underachieving. Imho.

Sorry, wasn't having a pop. Was sort of agreeing with the principle.

Personally I thought a finish of 8th-6th was where we should be aiming, so I think we are on par.

[floyd__streete]

Personally I thought a finish of 8th-6th was where we should be aiming, so I think we are on par.

I still find it rather strange that people seem to believe that a finish of 7th or 8th this season with the benefit of parachute payments in this league devoid of any outstanding talent would somehow be satisfactory.