BFTG Huddersfield (H)

[floyd__streete]

Interesting also to see Clarke getting a lot of stick. His so-so record at WBA and his mediocre record here suggests that he is not a top manager by any stretch of imagination.

[genome]

This thread deserves a

[genome]

Interesting comments on this thread. All very different from the start of October when many on here were talking with certainty about what a great side we had and how the top 2 was a distinct probability. I guess some people jump the gun too quickly.

My concern, as aired on the match thread, is that we have spent a pretty penny in the summer. Would a midtable finish be good enough

Don't accuse people of jumping the gun when you're straight on here when we go 2-1 down bleating about how we might finish mid-table and that our wheels are coming off. We've had four poor results, every team goes through a similar run of form at some stage in the season.

[floyd__streete]

Blimey

It is a discussion forum, sweet-cheeks. A lot of what I have heard of late doesn't sound too promising at all. And my concern registered some time ago that the short-termist approach to saturating our squad with loan players could prove to be our undoing still seem as valid now as it did then, if not more so.

[LWJ]

Still only 7 points off the top. 7 points with 31 games remaining is nothing.

[genome]

I never said it wasn't a discussion forum. You're allowed to have an opinion, just as much as I'm allowed to counter it when I think you're being overly dramatic after a few bad results with over 30 games to go. I've seen enough to suggest we'll be top 6. I'm confident it's a blip, every team has one.

I could be wrong, but I didn't see you around much during our run of good form... do you just come on here to moan

[melonhead]

Really poor game, ruined by the ref and our own lackadaisical approach in the first half.

The same slow approach play that blighted the Brighton game, with added obita howlers.

No sa, and piazon with vydra left us woefully lightweight and too narrow.

Great subs though, and despite gifting them 2 we still could have won, and we have to view it as unlucky.

I thought hector out for ferdinand was correct, and could understand the more attacking obita coming in vs a 'lesser' team, but dropping sa meant nothing would stick up front.

Tight one twos were close to coming off, but we need to mix it up and get the odd cross in.and why were we waiting till all their players were back before going forward...at least try to get them stretched

Ref was one of the worst I've ever seen

Taylor, John and Alex in next week please. the latter two were excellent last night.

[melonhead]

Interesting comments on this thread. All very different from the start of October when many on here were talking with certainty about what a great side we had and how the top 2 was a distinct probability. I guess some people jump the gun too quickly.

My concern, as aired on the match thread, is that we have spent a pretty penny in the summer. Would a midtable finish be good enough

Don't accuse people of jumping the gun when you're straight on here when we go 2-1 down bleating about how we might finish mid-table and that our wheels are coming off. We've had four poor results, every team goes through a similar run of form at some stage in the season.

Ooooo Ello

[genome]

I think that came off more aggressive than I intended it to be

[Huckleberry Hound]

Piazon clearly isn't interested in playing on the left side of midfield - kept running away from the ball & at one point had a go at Obita for daring to pass to him.

Last 5 minutes of the first half he switched with Vydra & looked to get involved. But too little too late.

[Brosef Stalin]

[q loads of nice play around the box, but not enough penetration.


know the feeling.

I'd have copied the earlier quote about taking his wife to the game and merged those two lines

[download]

I'm not defending Piazon here, but we were struck how little faith the rest of the Reading team had in him. Seemed very reluctant to pass to him. As someone said effectively like us playing 10 men.

We also seem to have got very static again, off the ball. The exception was the start of the second half. When Vydra first came into the side at the start of season I thought he was the catalyst for much movement into space. Its hard work, but particularly when a defence is packed out a few darting runs, even if fruitless can help pull a defence apart a bit.

[Glory Boy]

Powell has been sacked by Huddersfield

Wow ! Like everyone expects them to be challenging at the top for promotion .

[bishmanbosh92]

Al-Habsi 7 couldn't have done much about the goals , commanding in the air
Gunter 6 was alright
Obita 5 At fault for both goals ( Taylor back in please )
Ferdinand 6 Wrong footed by Obita for first goal , bit of the pace but first game back
McShane 7 Solid as normal
Norwood 7 Lucky goal , but still pulls the strings
Williams 5 Run around aimlessly doing very little
Piazon 4 Awful as normal
Vydra 6 okay but to much tippy tappy bollocks by the six yard box
Blackman 7 still looked most dangerous player
McCleary 6 Hasnt been at his best last two games

Fernandez 7 looked good when he game on
Sa 6 it's not quite happening for him
John 8 Best game yet , maybe start him Saturday

[Ian Royal]

The first half showed us once again that Norwood and Williams are ineffectual together in a midfield 2.

We miss Sa's physical presence upfront and certainly don't have the forwards to play two up without him.

Piazon is not a left winger by any stretch of the imagination (shocker, I know), he's also not a central midfielder.

Obita needs a steady eddy ahead of him to help keep him out of trouble and sit on his petulence.

Our forward line is at it's best with three players (one Sa for the physicality) interchanging fluidly.

We need to draw teams out of tight paxked defences or go round behind. That means moving it about in midfield quicker and one of the forwards dropping deep and turning or hanging wide.

We need the option of an accurate long pass from the centre backs.

Next up we have to play
Al-Habsi
Gunter
Taylor
Hector
Ferdinand (assuming McShane is out)
Norwood
Williams
Fernandez
Blackman
Vydra
Sa

John was terrible when he started but has been excellent off the bench. He's also much of a winger and we've been at our best without them. Piazon simply doesn't fit in the team. He's maybe a hole player for behind the striker or a left forward... but we can't accomodate him without dropping one of Blackman or Vydra.

[wingnut]

I never said it wasn't a discussion forum. You're allowed to have an opinion, just as much as I'm allowed to counter it when I think you're being overly dramatic after a few bad results with over 30 games to go. I've seen enough to suggest we'll be top 6. I'm confident it's a blip, every team has one.

I could be wrong, but I didn't see you around much during our run of good form... do you just come on here to moan

You new around here?

[Extended-Phenotype]

Seeing a lot of people put forward Fernandez as a potential midfield fix. I was under the impression he was more of an attacking player. What did I miss?

[Ian Royal]

Seeing a lot of people put forward Fernandez as a potential midfield fix. I was under the impression he was more of an attacking player. What did I miss?

Seeing any of his appearances and reading anything about him?

He's clearly Norwood's competition.

[floyd__streete]

I could be wrong, but I didn't see you around much during our run of good form

Because it stands to reason there isn't nearly as much to discuss when the results and performances are good

Consequently the forum is at its liveliest when we aren't winning.

"Doing well aren't we?"
"Yep"
_____________________________
"Not doing very well are we?"
"Nope"
"I blame the over-use of loans which has given the squad a very temporary look and I question the dedication and experience of those brought in"
"Are you mad? Injuries are to blame, which makes me question our due dlligence process"
"You are both incorrect, our shape is all wrong, we should drop Obita and bring in Taylor and we should go 4-5-1 and....."
etc. etc.

[Armadillo Roadkill]

I could be wrong, but I didn't see you around much during our run of good form

Because it stands to reason there isn't nearly as much to discuss when the results and performances are good

Consequently the forum is at its liveliest when we aren't winning.

"Doing well aren't we?"
"Yep"
_____________________________
"Not doing very well are we?"
"Nope"
"I blame the over-use of loans which has given the squad a very temporary look and I question the dedication and experience of those brought in"
"Are you mad? Injuries are to blame, which makes me question our due dlligence process"
"You are both incorrect, our shape is all wrong, we should drop Obita and bring in Taylor and we should go 4-5-1 and....."
etc. etc.

All you'd need to do, Floyd, is pop over when things are going well and post something nice and simple like "that was good, I'm happy with the way Reading played" and it might dispel the illusion that you enjoy losing more than winning.