RFC vs Derby - Result papers over some very serious cracks

[Arch]

12th in the table - get in!! Enjoy!!

In fact, 12th in the Premiership!

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

We looked like a team who got battered 7-4 last week. We never played with any freedom or confidence, but that's exactly what you'd expect. Can't believe he played the same team, Bryn looks like a player who knows he's out of his depth. Would have liked to have been more adventures with the subs, would have taken Murts off for Oster to get a look at Rosenior at right back, but then Murts put in a great ball for the goal. Thought Oster was poor, all there half chances in the last 10 mins came from Oster mistakes and the guy never seems to make a right decision.

Thought Kits and Doyle looked like a partnership, which is really what we need at the moment. Hopefully Doyle can kick on now.

What really worried me was the lack of crosses. Murty for the goal is about the only decent one I can remember. None of our wingers produced quality today, Convey has to play and he has to play on the left. We need quality, Rosenior can run all day, Convey needs to be producing great crosses for our forwards, that's what we do.

Today was not great, but it was never gonna be. We won and kept a clean sheet, given the circumstances it's the best we could hope for. But still we won't play a worse team than Derby and we need to be playing a lot and we need to start now.

The recovery started today, touch wood.

[RoyalBlue]

I think if we continue to play the same team we will get relegated no doubt. The annoying thing is just because we won Coppell will keep the same team and very few teams are going to find us a test. Coppell is superb burt I am really questioning his selection. How Duberry has held down his place is beyond me,Bikey is miles ahead of him. And how Murty has hed onto his place is also mesmorising, Rosenior needs to be right back and afraid to say Oster right wing. And get Gunnarsson out of the squad.

Derby were better than us today, if the strikers were given decent service, no doubt the rsult would have been different.

Are you referring to the Derby strikers? If so, I thought they got pretty good service and had they been able to shoot straight it would have been a very different result!

[Amongst the sheep]

but I'm sorry a 1-0 win against Derby is a poor result.

Sorry got to disagree. The 3 points were the key to todays game I would have taken 1-0 before the game started. When our tails are up and our confidence is back it may be another matter.

[Kitsondinho]

We are around about where I expected us to be at this point in the year. I admit, I didn't expect us to lose to Sunderland or draw with Man U. I thought that we would never beat Everton but its about right. I really wish people on here would realise we are doing ok...our only priority this year is to make sure we don't go down. If that is achieved by playing crap football, then so be it. Spurs are playing some super football at the moment, but I wouldn't swap our position for theirs. I would however swap most of their squad for ous, but keep SC at the helm!!

[AthleticoSpizz]

What another horror show today....Those with RTG's will of course say we are 12th (or similar) and x places behind a UEFA spot, but that frankly is bollo*ks. Quite why we look so bad with the same players this year is puzzling. Not 1 player IMO today deserved the Reading shirt (maybe a bit harsh on Hunt) and that more than anything is what's missing for me.......NO DESIRE. Bad performances I can just about put up with, but we were gutless today and showed nowhere near enough appetite if we are to survive this season. How many times in midfield did the worst team in The Premiership just pick up loose ball and run 10-25 yards with it unchallenged? Far too many is the answer. I am a great fan of Coppell who has been superb for us, but you have to question how he could play the same 11 this week. He will of course say he was justified, but I'm sorry a 1-0 win against Derby is a poor result. Gunnarsson was AWOL again and the right hand side players Rosenior & Oster were pathetic. Our anticipation of where 50/50 balls may land and the winning of the 'second ball' were non existent. Doyle still looks off the pace and Kitson was poor today...I can't remember him winning 1 header all game. Duberry is not Prem' standard and I could go on. It's a long wait until January to bring in some desparately needed quality. Coppell also needs to be consistent, he talked about rewarding winners after Wigan....and then Pompey happens, then by definition he rewards losers!!
A win before a 2 week break is the only silver lining and that looks more like a streak of 'grey', like the skies that lay ahead of this poor current team.
NB - And by the way, Shorey.......could he get in to any international team on current form??!!

dick



When the FA award an extra point for scoring more than 1 goal in a 1-0 win, then I will embrace your opinion.



Meantime............Reading 1 Derby 0

3 points

what more do you want?

[Mad Dog's Ghost]

Dreadful game, great win. Could turn out to be the mother of 6-pointers.

Kitson not bad, Doyle getting better.

But Rosenior, oh dear. No wonder Murty's having a hard season with him in front of him. Doesn't seem to be able to tackle, head, pass, or go past a man. Crossing fairly dreadful too, with the exception of one decent one in the first half. Sure, he tries, but to be honest I'd rather have Andy Huges on the wing.

Anyway, a great win.

[Trigger]

Yeah the 3 points was all that mattered today. People are moaning having won but imagine how bad it would have been if we'd lost. Get over the wobbles of last week and restore some confidence in the side. Fortunately for us the other results went our way too.

And for god's sake give Rosenior a chance, he's looked fairly promising so far in a misfiring side. Kitson, Doyle and Hunt all imperssed today but Oster was hopeless when he came on, what on earth was he playing at?

Sonko or Bikey alongside Ingi and someone to take the pressure off Gunnarsson and the ship should be steadied.

[Schards#2]

Coppell really put his reputation on the line by fielding the same team after conceding seven. You can see why he did it as it must ingender hugeloyalty from the players but did it work? Not really, an unconvincing win at home to the stand out worst team in the division is not a huge vindication.

Gunnarsson simply isn't good enough to start and it's patently obvious every game.

Rosenior just isn't very good really, not a patch on Seol who would, sometimes, turn a game.

Nothing today suggests that we don't have a monumental struggle ahead staying up.

[Dirk Gently]

He probably put the same team out becuase so many people were clamouring for changes. He just will not be dictated to by public opinion.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

The thing that really struck me was just how poor a side Derby are. At least that's one relegation place we don't have to worry about.

[Cemy Junction Expat]

I am a great fan of Coppell who has been superb for us, but you have to question how he could play the same 11 this week.

On reflection this may be another example of Sir Steve's higher powers of judgement.

He knows that his current first choice line up is shakey and lacking in confidence but he also knew that the Pompey result was a freak, and that we had every chance of getting a win vs Derby at home - either with the Pompey line up, or a much-tinkered one.

If he takes 4 or 5 players out of the Pompey line up, and the revised squad goes on to beat Derby, those same 4 or 5 players are going to feel that they have been proven to be the weakest links ... confidence driven down even further.

By playing the same line up vs Derby, we now have 3 points and a squad who can all now look to the next games with Pompey firmly behind them.

By making 4 or 5 changes we possibly would still have the 3 points but with 4 or 5 players possibly still in the doldrums.

Now SC can make difficult changes for forthcoming games without any player from the Pompey game feeling that they are out in the cold long term.

Of course, some might argue that that is exactly how to motivate underperforming players ......

[fallen angel]

This game was so poor I turned over and watched the cricket.Two lumbering teams whose place in the Prem looked a joke.(Bristol city looked better last night).Why do Coppell persist with the same players week after week.Were just lucky that so many teams are as bad as we are.I still think we will grind out the results to stay up,but Coppell seems to be running out of ideas.

[The whole year inn]

Fae>Bryn

Drop the donkey, bring in Fae, he is well within his rights to question joining Readingi if toilet performances like Bryn keeps producing is considered enough to keep him out of the side.

He must watch from the bench totally gobsmacked

[RG30]

When you come up against teams such as Derby where you have to take points off your fellow relegation rivals, it doesn't matter how good or bad you play, it's getting the points that count.

Today wasn't perfect and I don't expect the same brand of football as last season but it was an effective performance where we created 3 or 4 good opportunities and kept a valuable clean sheet.

The team rightly took a lot of flack over last week's shambles at Portsmouth and deservidly so, but they've come up trumps today with the 3 points which eases the pressure and gives a bit of breathing space.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Coppell really put his reputation on the line by fielding the same team after conceding seven. You can see why he did it as it must ingender hugeloyalty from the players but did it work? Not really, an unconvincing win at home to the stand out worst team in the division is not a huge vindication.

Gunnarsson simply isn't good enough to start and it's patently obvious every game.

Rosenior just isn't very good really, not a patch on Seol who would, sometimes, turn a game.

Nothing today suggests that we don't have a monumental struggle ahead staying up.

in all fairness Shards, monumentally struggling to stay up, is what we expected last season..................we excelled

.............monumentally struggling to stay up this season...is what we are getting.....I am loving every point that we get



For the good of the British game.......clubs (like ours) should make a stand against wholesale big £ signings




Enjoy this season, whilst we buck the system once again

[The whole year inn]

Coppell really put his reputation on the line by fielding the same team after conceding seven. You can see why he did it as it must ingender hugeloyalty from the players but did it work? Not really, an unconvincing win at home to the stand out worst team in the division is not a huge vindication.

Gunnarsson simply isn't good enough to start and it's patently obvious every game.

Rosenior just isn't very good really, not a patch on Seol who would, sometimes, turn a game.

Nothing today suggests that we don't have a monumental struggle ahead staying up.

Agreed.

The fact that we have Fae sitting on ther bench whilst sitting through another horror show from Bryn is utterly astounding.

Fae is potentially a decent centre midfielder. Get him in there FFS


Bryn is just not a premiership football player. Full stop.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Coppell really put his reputation on the line by fielding the same team after conceding seven. You can see why he did it as it must ingender hugeloyalty from the players but did it work? Not really, an unconvincing win at home to the stand out worst team in the division is not a huge vindication.

Gunnarsson simply isn't good enough to start and it's patently obvious every game.

Rosenior just isn't very good really, not a patch on Seol who would, sometimes, turn a game.

Nothing today suggests that we don't have a monumental struggle ahead staying up.

Agreed.

The fact that we have Fae sitting on ther bench whilst sitting through another horror show from Bryn is utterly astounding.

Fae is potentially a decent centre midfielder. Get him in there FFS


Bryn is just not a premiership football player. Full stop.

whilst partially agreeing with your last line


Please tell me about the "horror show" from Bryn.....i was at the game and saw more horrors from NS and even DK than him

[The whole year inn]

Coppell really put his reputation on the line by fielding the same team after conceding seven. You can see why he did it as it must ingender hugeloyalty from the players but did it work? Not really, an unconvincing win at home to the stand out worst team in the division is not a huge vindication.

Gunnarsson simply isn't good enough to start and it's patently obvious every game.

Rosenior just isn't very good really, not a patch on Seol who would, sometimes, turn a game.

Nothing today suggests that we don't have a monumental struggle ahead staying up.

Agreed.

The fact that we have Fae sitting on ther bench whilst sitting through another horror show from Bryn is utterly astounding.

Fae is potentially a decent centre midfielder. Get him in there FFS


Bryn is just not a premiership football player. Full stop.

whilst partially agreeing with your last line


Please tell me about the "horror show" from Bryn.....i was at the game and saw more horrors from NS and even DK than him

did you see the Pompey game?

If that performance was not enough to consider dropping Bryn and bringing in our record signing I would love to see what you have to do to get dropped from this current team

Fae must be sleeping with Coppells daughter.

[Rob-Royal]

I am a great fan of Coppell who has been superb for us, but you have to question how he could play the same 11 this week.

On reflection this may be another example of Sir Steve's higher powers of judgement.

He knows that his current first choice line up is shakey and lacking in confidence but he also knew that the Pompey result was a freak, and that we had every chance of getting a win vs Derby at home - either with the Pompey line up, or a much-tinkered one.

If he takes 4 or 5 players out of the Pompey line up, and the revised squad goes on to beat Derby, those same 4 or 5 players are going to feel that they have been proven to be the weakest links ... confidence driven down even further.

By playing the same line up vs Derby, we now have 3 points and a squad who can all now look to the next games with Pompey firmly behind them.

By making 4 or 5 changes we possibly would still have the 3 points but with 4 or 5 players possibly still in the doldrums.

Now SC can make difficult changes for forthcoming games without any player from the Pompey game feeling that they are out in the cold long term.

Of course, some might argue that that is exactly how to motivate underperforming players ......

So how do you motivate the likes of Bikey, Fae & co who still can't get a game even after a series of defeats with this same starting 11...?

I listen to Coppell and I understand his logic about wanting to reward those players who have been at the club and been patient waiting for their chance. But I can't see how those players currently on the fringe not being given a chance when time & again the performances (forget the results against Wigan & Derby) have been poor and the same names are being mentioned as the weak links.

He is also blatantly providing all opposition managers his team selection well in advance leaving no element of suprise in both personnel & formation.

Any oppo manager who has Reading up next would get a copy of the Pompey, Bolton, West Ham or Sunderland game and see exactly how to exploit us. The only reason it didn't happen for Derby today is they don't have the quality within their squad to do so.

The title of this thread is spot on.

This isn't a post to be negative or criticise Steve Coppell, I know what he's done for this club over the past 3 years, but for the first time in that period there are alot of questions being asked of him which until recently would not have been the case....