Birmingham (H) Match Thread Sponsored by Seahawk's Excellent Adventure

[bcubed]

To sum up

Reading poor, completely ineffective, wrong tactics and team selection NBC
Birmingham did a job on us, good away performance
Ref poor

This
Plus Birmingham seemed up for it and closed us down all game. We looked ponderous and lethargic in comparison
Strong physical team and we couldn't compete. As you say not helped by a ref who let everything go

[seahawk10]

Believe it or not I thoroughly enjoyed the game yesterday. As I was sitting there in the first half, down 0-2, Brum bossing the pitch and the rain streaming down like someone had turned on the shower it hit me just how lucky I was to be watching my club, in a modern stadium, with covered stands surrounded by 15,000 or so fellow Reading fans who love the club as much as I did. I am sure there are plenty of clubs that were in the same league as Reading in the 1970's and 80's that never made it up to division 2 let alone the top division (twice). They went the opposite direction as Reading and are now in the 5th or 6th division (or maybe still in the Conference/Conference South. Their ground is dilapidated, they draw a few hundred fans and have no possible way to climb back up. Unlucky.

Then the rain let up, the sun came out at halftime and it was such a beautiful English day.

We pressed them in the second-half but we never broke through. That is football and I am confident that we will sort it out and be competitive again next year.

I believe!

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Crikey, you are just relentlessly positive!!

[SpaceCruiser]

If there was a like button on here, I'd be hitting that for Seahawks post! Terrible game yesterday, referee was oxf*rd awful. But we're going nowhere this season so the result wasn't that important. We need better forwards, Kermit doesn't seem to know where the goal is. The sooner he's dropped the better.

[Ian Royal]

Believe it or not I thoroughly enjoyed the game yesterday. As I was sitting there in the first half, down 0-2, Brum bossing the pitch and the rain streaming down like someone had turned on the shower it hit me just how lucky I was to be watching my club, in a modern stadium, with covered stands surrounded by 15,000 or so fellow Reading fans who love the club as much as I did. I am sure there are plenty of clubs that were in the same league as Reading in the 1970's and 80's that never made it up to division 2 let alone the top division (twice). They went the opposite direction as Reading and are now in the 5th or 6th division (or maybe still in the Conference/Conference South. Their ground is dilapidated, they draw a few hundred fans and have no possible way to climb back up. Unlucky.

Then the rain let up, the sun came out at halftime and it was such a beautiful English day.

We pressed them in the second-half but we never broke through. That is football and I am confident that we will sort it out and be competitive again next year.

I believe!

I think I love you.

As I've learnt, it's easy to be positive when you're somewhat distanced from regular performances like that. When you see it frequently, it becomes hard to maintain the emotional detachment to get a level of objective positivity going.

[SCIAG]

To be fair to him McDermotts only been here since December, so very little time to come up with the best team, style of play and team selection......................................god help us when he has been here a full season !!

What is concerning is how predictable BM is, his team selection, the shape of the team, his tactical awareness (or lack of), even his subs are ALL predictable.

You predicted he would bring on Vydra and leave Cox on? You predicted he'd stick McCleary at right back?

I mean, fair enough if you thought those subs were shit, but predictable?

[leon]

Believe it or not I thoroughly enjoyed the game yesterday. As I was sitting there in the first half, down 0-2, Brum bossing the pitch and the rain streaming down like someone had turned on the shower it hit me just how lucky I was to be watching my club, in a modern stadium, with covered stands surrounded by 15,000 or so fellow Reading fans who love the club as much as I did. I am sure there are plenty of clubs that were in the same league as Reading in the 1970's and 80's that never made it up to division 2 let alone the top division (twice). They went the opposite direction as Reading and are now in the 5th or 6th division (or maybe still in the Conference/Conference South. Their ground is dilapidated, they draw a few hundred fans and have no possible way to climb back up. Unlucky.

Then the rain let up, the sun came out at halftime and it was such a beautiful English day.

We pressed them in the second-half but we never broke through. That is football and I am confident that we will sort it out and be competitive again next year.

I believe!

Amen Brother.

(Not that I believe in God obvs)

[hiro]

I was pretty much depressed by the performance.
After the game, the chairman come to the hospitality area and made a comment about the game.
I admire Sir. Madejski, and I was relieved with his reaction and vision which was something totally I would like to support.

Just more than two hours before the kick off, Seahawk and I saw Al-Habsi waling to the locker room and he kindly gave us shake hand and being in selfie with us. I was amazed he is such good looking tall person, but size of hand is also so large!
In a sense, I may have soak up his golden touch, so I apolozise to everyone that I caused bad result,,,,,,

[seahawk10]

I was pretty much depressed by the performance.
After the game, the chairman come to the hospitality area and made a comment about the game.
I admire Sir. Madejski, and I was relieved with his reaction and vision which was something totally I would like to support.

Just more than two hours before the kick off, Seahawk and I saw Al-Habsi waling to the locker room and he kindly gave us shake hand and being in selfie with us. I was amazed he is such good looking tall person, but size of hand is also so large!
In a sense, I may have soak up his golden touch, so I apolozise to everyone that I caused bad result,,,,,,

Lol, I thought the same thing. Did I shake his hand too hard?

But then I saw the replay and it wouldn't have mattered if he had been playing with a broken hand.

[Forbury Lion]

After the game, the chairman come to the hospitality area and made a comment about the game.
I admire Sir. Madejski, and I was relieved with his reaction and vision which was something totally I would like to support.

Is it a secret or can you tell us what he said?

[Kuhl_Runnings]

We haven't beaten a team above 15th since Brian came in. Give him time, sure, but for goodness sake if he brings nothing by October next year then he can piss off.

[Kuhl_Runnings]

Oh and he's a tactical genius too, let's play with no width besides two fullbacks who can't cross any better than my wheelchair-bound great aunt.

[Forbury Lion]

Can you honestly see it getting any better next season ............

With the money available £0 answer NO

Is this actually confirmed?

I can confirm that Nothing has been confirmed

[floyd__streete]

I am sure there are plenty of clubs that were in the same league as Reading in the 1970's and 80's that never made it up to division 2 let alone the top division (twice). They went the opposite direction as Reading and are now in the 5th or 6th division (or maybe still in the Conference/Conference South. Their ground is dilapidated, they draw a few hundred fans and have no possible way to climb back up. Unlucky.

Interesting perspective actually. Looking at RFC's most recent season in the bottom tier of the football league (1983/84); the following clubs have had a spell in non-league football:

York City (Division 4 Champs 83/84) - about to slip into the National League for a 2nd spell
Doncaster Rovers - returned in 2003
ALOLdershot
Colchester Utd - returned in 1992
Torquay Utd
Tranmere Rovers
Hereford Utd - now operating at the ninth tier of english football
Stockport County - now operating at sixth tier in english football
Darlington - now operating at seventh tier of english football
Mansfield - returned in 2014
Wrexham
Halifax - in danger of going back down to sixth tier
Chester City

13 out of 24 clubs have been/are currently outside of the football league. Only 1 other played Premier League football since (Swindon ). Each and every one of our divisional rivals from that season will finish below us this season.

Personally, I am more than satisfied to be a supporter of a midtabling Championship club. My cause for dissatisfaction however is the amount the players are paid and the cost of admission to watch second-tier football. That issue is not solely a RFC concern.

[seahawk10]

After the game, the chairman come to the hospitality area and made a comment about the game.
I admire Sir. Madejski, and I was relieved with his reaction and vision which was something totally I would like to support.

Is it a secret or can you tell us what he said?

Here is a clip:
https://twitter.com/DangeRussMyHero/sta ... 7694096385

[Top Flight]

Lol @ all the morons criticising McDermott.

This teams been shite for years irrespective of who the manager was. Give him the summer to make it his team ffs. If this time next year we're still putting in dire performances weekly, then sure change the manager. The modern football fan is oxf*rd clueless.

I don't think even one year is enough with this group of players to be honest. He will need about three years or more before he turns this ship around. He has his work well and truly cut out. I just hope that Dellor and some of the fans don't start getting on his back and making an already difficult job, impossible.