Back in the car, soaked (Nottm Forest A)

[sandman]

Blackman 7? He was abysmal

Like it, taking the attention away from Gunts awful performance.

Gotta stand behind my man

[Ian Royal]

Just one point on the merits of playing people out of position, our player of the season was a young lad played out of position for pretty much the whole season.

Whilst I agree that he's doing too much of it and seemingly not learning from players failing when doing so, it does sometimes bring success too.

Adkins is a slow learner. Last time I saw Obita in centre mid he was weak as p*ss and we got rolled over.

Amazingly, we sign a midfielder who is fit yet leave him on the bench, play Obita centre mid and use Shaun Cummings - consistently awful for us and barely able to get in our team for two years - out of position at left back. Remember tho, this is the manager who said "a full back is a full back and should be able to play either side".....this is presumably why Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines regularly appeared in the England side together

Not really surprising you don't start a player you signed two days previous.

Hopefully Obita isn't out injured and we'll see a much more balanced side against Middlesborough now we've seen Kuhl can cope, Mackie is available again and Norwood has some time to train.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Upson's in his late 50s now.

[Hoop Blah]

Just one point on the merits of playing people out of position, our player of the season was a young lad played out of position for pretty much the whole season.

Whilst I agree that he's doing too much of it and seemingly not learning from players failing when doing so, it does sometimes bring success too.

Or our player of the season was a young lad who became a revelation once we discovered his best position? (From what I've seen Obita certainly looks more comfortable at left-back than anywhere else, and definitely more so than he does in central midfield.)

I think Adkins picked the wrong team today. We need to have some width down the left in at least one of the two left-sided positions (which would most obviously be provided by Obita) and Obita and Kuhl always seemed too lightweight as a central midfield pairing, though I'm at least glad that he started with Kuhl who has probably mean the main positive factor of the week.

Fact remains, Obita was played out of position in order for that revelation to come about. I happen to agree it may well be his best position, at least while he appears to lack the confidence or ability to take on his fullback when playing on the wing like he did last season, but perhaps Taylor might've shown that playing out wide suited him or that Cummings is actually comfortable at left back.

I don't agree with either, or that Obita has what it takes to play in the middle of the park in this side, and so I do agree sight the general consensus that Adkins got it wrong today. I'm no fan of his but we should've been stronger and better balanced today if Akpan had started alongside Kuhl with Obita on the left (either fullback or wing) to give us more natural width.

[Handsome Man]

Fair play to Forest. They have spent a fortune on a team good enough to make the play-offs and deserved the victory today. They don't have a single player you would expect to see thrive in the premiership, or a single player who you would swap for Kuhl or Hector, but good luck to them.

It was a bit of a shitty day really. At least Gunter won't play that badly again, and Obita's injury has to be some kind of low point from which we can only bounce back.

There was one gob-smacking incident outside the ground: a youth being carried at high speed for 50 yards on the bonnet of a blue car. Did anybody else see that? I saw the beginning but not the end.

[Pandoras Box]

At least Gunter won't play that badly again

He will - just as he has many times before.

[Mr.Swainey]

Woeful performance, woeful defending, and the young players were anonymous. Shaun Cummings and Simon Cox were just abysmal.

[Kebe is our Messi]

Whilst its important to recognise that we had so many young lads out there, it doesn't take away from the fact the defending today was absolutely atrocious. All of the goals today were awful to concede, gunter especially was at fault for getting beat at the far post for 2-0 and allowing a simple cross from antonio for 3-0. We looked very, very lightweight all over the pitch today, taylor and edwards muscled off the ball with ease, the same said for cox and gunter. Blackman and khul were the only ones who could say they had a decent game, otherwise this is a massive wake up call.

[Royal Ginger]

At least Gunter won't play that badly again

He will - just as he has many times before.

The entire first half of our last premier league campaign for example.
Didn't see the game today, but previously he's worked best overlapping the RM with the CM dropping in behind him. Was he not a victim of Blackman/Kuhl's lack of defending? Or was it simple as a bad day in the office? Also, Forest have made an impressive start perhaps we were just outmatched by a team that's going to run away with it?

[Melton Royal]

I went to the game
Thought £4 for a beer a bit steep, but paid it
Not impressed by either team but thought 4 goals flattered Forest - they weren't that much better than us we just made the stupid mistakes
Thought those that have come up from the Youth team look promising - just hope they don't get disheartened
We lack leadership from senior players - hopefully those coming back from injury or a new signing will provide it
Our fans in good humour (as always) - it is the Reading way
I got wet
I came home & had lasagne (very nice too!)

Hope you lot had a safe journey back

[floyd__streete]

Not really surprising you don't start a player you signed two days previous.

Akpan - who I don't rate but we're literally desperate - then, rather than a nicey-nice midfield we had today. Woeful team selection from Adkins.

[blueroyals]

Can't really give player ratings as a lot of players were anonymous and I can't remember them doing anything...

Gunter: 2
Blackman: 3

Rest of team: 4

Khul: 6

A strange game. We were the better team in the first half. In the end Forest could easily have won 6-0...

For me the problem was we were trying to play as if Pog was playing. Again, more long balls up to the pitch to where Pog would have been. People say Cox had a poor game well what did you fcuking expect when all we did was lob it to him? If this was Adkins tactics then he needs to leave sooner rather than later. If it's the players doing it because they lack the ability to penetrate then Adkins needs to start integrating the youth team quicker because thus far every single youth player that's come through over the last 12 months has been better suited to our new style of play.

Fair play to S.Pearce because he did his homework. Saw that Huddersfield played us off the park with a physical game and that's what Forest did today.

I can take the loss but not the performance. Why are we still playing hoof ball 18 months after he's taken over? It's not even that, one minute we're passing it around the back 5 the next somebody panics and just hoofs it. FFS what are the tactics Nige?

[floyd__streete]

At least Gunter won't play that badly again

He will - just as he has many times before.

The entire first half of our last premier league campaign for example.

Good to see others awake and alive to the fact that Gunter has been consistently pretty poor for us. Worst captain since the bloke who drove the Titanic into an Iceberg.

[Mr.Swainey]

Think Federici was a bit culpable as well, soft goalkeeping.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Gunter >>> Murty

[floyd__streete]

Think Federici was a bit culpable as well, soft goalkeeping.

How the actual f*ck did the first one go in? Looping header drifted over his head. All the footwork of Douglas Bader shown for that one.

[floyd__streete]

Gunter >>> Murty

Good trolling, m8

[Mr.Swainey]

Think Federici was a bit culpable as well, soft goalkeeping.

How the actual f*ck did the first one go in? Looping header drifted over his head. All the footwork of Douglas Bader shown for that one.

That one, but the second or third, or whatever goal it was, he was beaten quite easily. If McCarthy isn't being sold, and has actually been dropped, then you do wonder what Adkins is actually on.

[Pepe the Horseman]

I like how everyone's tried to convince themselves that Federici is the better keeper, but he's doing his very best to prove them wrong.

[winchester_royal]

Not really surprising you don't start a player you signed two days previous.

Akpan - who I don't rate but we're literally desperate - then, rather than a nicey-nice midfield we had today. Woeful team selection from Adkins.

Agreed. Kuhl is clearly an excellent footballer, but needs a bit of power and experience alongside him, rather than Jabi Obita who swans around in the middle without doing much. Get him back on the left where he's useful, stop playing Taylor on the left, stop picking the exceptionally average Edwards ahead of Tanner (who was very bright again in his cameo today), and go and buy someone with some f*cking pace.

Thanks in advance Nige.