Back From The Game - Bolton

[Millsy]

Damned if he changes it, damned if he doesn't!!

FTR - Guthrie is without question one of our better players but I don't think there is the right blend in there for Guthrie to flourish at present. He & Karacan were great together at the start of the season.

If a 1-0 away win followed by an historic 7 goal gangrape of Bolton is the wrong blend for Guthrie, then please God I hope we continue to have the wrong blend forever.

[winchester_royal]

Just got back after some celebratory bevvies.

All you Adkins haters...........suck my hairy balls

Although Bolton were fcuking awful

All those that doubted that Adkins could get Reading playing entertaining possession based, passing football look silly now don't they?
Oh wait...

Possession: 48%
Pass Success: 65%
No. of short passes: Less than the team we beat 7-1.

The last 2 games have been great victories for Reading, and great victories for Adkins.
But victories for all those that championed Reading's transition to a possession based, slow temp, tippy-tappy team? I don't think so.

Yeah, absolute LOL at all those that said Reading's tactics for the first 24 games of the season were boring and ineffective.
Fair play to Adkins for realising that his preferred style of play did not suit the players at his disposal. But I'm not sure how you can gloat at the people who have been saying exactly this all season.

Tbh, I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that Adkins wanted us to play 'slow temp, tippy-tappy football'. It's not what Southampton played under him, it's not what Scunny played under him, and it's not what we've played in our best performances under NA. Just because he wants the defenders to be comfortable with the ball, and for us to have a balance to our play, that doesn't make him a Guardiola wannabe. He's often criticised the players this season for not playing the forward ball quickly enough and letting the opportunities pass. There isn't always the option of playing the forward ball quickly and accurately, so some times it is necessary to work it around the back to wait for another opening. It's that transition phase we haven't got right this season, but that doesn't mean the intention isn't there. It just requires time and patience.

Performances like today don't come out of nowhere. It's what we've been working towards for a while, it's not like Adkins thought to himself a couple of weeks ago 'y'know what, fcuk this passing shit'.. He doesn't advocate possession for possession's sake, he just believes it's better to retain the ball than aimlessly lump it long if a forward ball isn't on. Obviously we had plenty of options that were available in the final third today, so we played the forward ball more often. And the fact that we've produced some insipid displays this season doesn't change the fact that this is how NA wants us to play.

It's what the pro-Adkins brigade have been saying for a while. Give it time and we will find that balance more often.

[soggy biscuit]

48% possession according to the BBC website. Slightly surprised by that.

Which method do they use? There are are various that give hugely different results

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Just got back after some celebratory bevvies.

All you Adkins haters...........suck my hairy balls

Although Bolton were fcuking awful

Funny what happens when he stops trying to get us to play like Barcelona eh?

We've got good players who want to attack, and know how. Managerial masterstroke to actually let them..... mind you he was doing his best to discourage it, waving his arms and moaning to the players when they were going long down the wings.

Same team again please Nigel, that midfield looks very nice indeed. No slow, plodding passing it around deep in our half. Instead it was quickly out to the wings, or played into the channels like the good old days, with a midfield duo who were quickly backing up the front men

Gotta be a happy fan tonight.

[Millsy]

48% possession according to the BBC website. Slightly surprised by that.

Most of their 'possession' was carrying the ball from the back of the net to the centre spot, to be fair.

[Royal Ginger]

I didn't see the penalty properly, I was sat in the North stand and someone walked past me on the stairs, so i only half saw it. Was it arm to ball, and was it even in the area? The glimpse i got seemed dubious and there wasn't much of a shout.

[JS28ZoD]

What a performance today, full of power, pace and energy. It was an absolute joy to watch and I'm proud of the lads work rate and commitment.

Jobi, McCleary, Akpan and Williams were the driving force for this, their work rate coupled with power and pace bullied Bolton into submission and I don't know what championship Midfield will be able to match them when the work as hard as that.

It was reminiscent of the Coppell era with Obita and Gunter flying up the wings and getting involved in our attacking play.

We played football in the right areas, i.e. the Bolton half, with the central midfielders moving the ball wide to feet quickly and the Pog and Alfie working tirelessly upfront.

Bolton's centre backs were poor today but we punished them time and time again.

If we continue to press like that for the rest of the season and play with the same power, pace and energy, it's going to take a something special to beat us!

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Entertained at last.

A clinical, professional performance with pace and movement against a very poor Bolton side.

Williams and Akpan ran the midfield breaking up play and picking up the second ball which we have failed to do this season.

Obita looked very good going forward.

Le Fondre and the Pog ran the front line well.

[2.8 lita injection]

Some great posts.

Reading have always been a 442 high tempo direct sort of team, its in their dna (imo)

Adkins just needs to find the balance.

Loving the fact that 5 academy players finished the game, so proud.

[3points]

enjoyed today - first time for a while. Think we played better in the first 60 minutes against Watford (H), but can't argue with 7 goals and a total smashing of any opposition.

Liked the tempo, and the fact we played as a team. Won lots of second balls today. Yes, Bolton were poor but we made them play badly. This high tempo, pressing game was much more like what I was expecting from NA this season, given the way he had his Southampton team play in the past couple of seasons. If we continue to play that way, there are going to be games we lose as we're not the best defensive team / unit but hopefully we can outscore teams more often than not.

Big shout out for Akpan - added some much need pace and energy into the midfield. Did the basics well (and also made me laugh hearing his interview on BBCRB as I didn't know he had a Scouse accent).

[paultheroyal]

Some great posts.

Reading have always been a 442 high tempo direct sort of team, its in their dna (imo)

Adkins just needs to find the balance.

Loving the fact that 5 academy players finished the game, so proud.

Great win and we should not forget your last sentence

[old woman]

I didn't see the penalty properly, I was sat in the North stand and someone walked past me on the stairs, so i only half saw it. Was it arm to ball, and was it even in the area? The glimpse i got seemed dubious and there wasn't much of a shout.

Only listened to Tim but he was surprised by the penalty award.

[P!ssed Off]

Reading's last 14 league games by Passing Success:

72%
72%
76%
70%
81%
Average: 74.2%

73%
70%
68%
62%
Average: 68.25%

65%
68%
66%
65%
67%
Average: 66.2%

1st List = Loss
2nd List = Draw
3rd List = Win

Coincidence?

[Royal Ginger]

Reading's last 14 league games by Passing Success:

72%
72%
76%
70%
81%
Average: 74.2%

73%
70%
68%
62%
Average: 68.25%

65%
68%
66%
65%
67%
Average: 66.2%

1st List = Loss
2nd List = Draw
3rd List = Win

Coincidence?

Yes

[winchester_royal]

Ermm, if you're trying to imply that the more passes we misplace the more likely we are to win...

I think everyone (and yes that includes the management) realised that we needed to be playing football in more advanced areas of the pitch. That's what we were working towards, but when confidence is low defenders are less willing to look up and play that forward ball and that's when you get ploddy football. Nobody wanted that, but there's no point telling the defenders just to lump it long because that will take us str8 back to square one.

Confidence is high = players looking up = getting the ball into better areas = creating chances = scoring goals.

That's what we want, that's what we saw in glimpses early in the NA reign, that's what's been missing the last couple of months.

[Platypuss]

Just got back after some celebratory bevvies.

All you Adkins haters...........suck my hairy balls

Although Bolton were fcuking awful

Funny what happens when he stops trying to get us to play like Barcelona eh?.

Soton were never tiki taka under him.

Maybe at last the players played like he's always wanted them to?

[kwik-silva]

Well I think it may imply that we try to be too safe with the ball, playing simple passes between the back four but never going forward whereas when you try to play more expansively your passing success goes down.

Possibly.

[2.8 lita injection]

no, maybe the passes just for the point of it have been removed.

its swings and roundabouts imo.

If you are much better then pointless passing makes sense.

[P!ssed Off]

Ermm, if you're trying to imply that the more passes we misplace the more likely we are to win...

I think everyone (and yes that includes the management) realised that we needed to be playing football in more advanced areas of the pitch. That's what we were working towards, but when confidence is low defenders are less willing to look up and play that forward ball and that's when you get ploddy football. Nobody wanted that, but there's no point telling the defenders just to lump it long because that will take us str8 back to square one.

Confidence is high = players looking up = getting the ball into better areas = creating chances = scoring goals.

That's what we want, that's what we saw in glimpses early in the NA reign, that's what's been missing the last couple of months.

I'm inferring the more risky passes you attempt the more likely you are to win.
Merely tapping it around at the back or switching it from side to side in the middle will achieve very little.

The style we're finally getting now is nothing revolutionary, it's something we've been capable of all along.

[The Quiet Man]

At last. We've stopped playing fanny football and got some pace and tempo in our football. We're playing 15-20 yards further forward and really pressing the ball. Difficult to see Guthrie getting back into that side unless NA wants to dick about with the formation. Seems like the players and the manager are now on the same page concerning tactics and the players look happier expressing themselves rather than looking over their shoulder for the coaches approval that they have passed in the appropriate way. Hopefully (no pun) Adkins has stumbled on the right tactics and formation like McDermott before him and we can look forward to a solid second half of a championship season with a play off place to follow.