The Grass Isn't Always Greener - The There's no "I" In TEAM

[SteveRoyal]

I've had an epiphany. My younger brother got an official RFC merchandise mug for Christmas this year. It's quite simple, the logo, our nickname, etc. On the side of the mug there're the words "BY FAR THE BEST TEAM THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN". At first, when Reading (geddit?) that I thought "No, we're not.", but on re-reading it I thought - "Actually, as a team, we are pretty good."

On every "Back from..." thread, we rate players individually by their own performances - which is fine. It helps us break down the team and see who needs to improve, etc. Yet we don't rate the teamwork in the game. We don't rate the team communication, we don't examing where the team cocked up.

Look at the individuals who have left us in the past year or so: Seol, Stack, Fae, Halls, Little, Sidwell, Sonko, Shorey, De La Cruz, Oster, there are others. Out of that list, which player has gone on to continue the form they had with us? Sidwell is the closest to returning to his old form, and that's likely to be because he had a year training with Chelsea.

My point is, maybe it's not the individual performances which will do it for us this season, but the overall team performance? As a squad, we have very few "match-winners" in our team, we have a sample of players with genuine quality in our team, and some are not even playing. This season, we will most likely go up on team work, and not necessarily individual efforts - though it certainly helps.

Remember the first season Reading were in the Premiership? We got to 8th place based mostly on our continuity with the team and tactics that took us there. That is what is fantastic about Reading Football Club - the team, and not the squad.

[Franchise FC]

But there is A ME !!

[SLAMMED]

For the lazy sods on here he saying we only rate the players as individuals, not as a tem.

[Chuckle Brother]

Good post with some good points.

And a relief that despite the title the thread wasn't about Duberry.

[SLAMMED]

But there is A ME !!

Theres also:

MEAT
TAME
MATE
EAT
ATE
TEA
AT
A
T
E
M

[Sarah Star]

Agreed.

I find it very difficult to rate players when their performances also rest on the support they get from everyone else. Football is a team game. All the players rely on each other. Even those not playing have a part in the performance on the day.

Also, as someone on here pointed out to me, we are 'the greatest team the world has ever seen' because of other things e.g. the way we go about things, the club ethos, the community etc etc

Mind you, I had a Reading mug with 'We are Premier League' on it and that peeled off in the dishwasher.

[SpaceCruiser]

Mind you, I had a Reading mug with 'We are Premier League' on it and that peeled off in the dishwasher.

Can we blame you for getting us relegated?

[Upper West Ginger]

But there is A ME !!

Theres also:

MEAT
TAME
MATE
EAT
ATE
TEA
AT
A
T
E
M

and ATEM - the title of a Tangerine Dream album, one of John Peel's old favourites.

[cmonurz]

There's a U in umbrella, as well.

[Geekins]

There is a U in Poo too

[Franchise FC]

There's an eye in needle.

[SLAMMED]

Theres a "we" in urinal

[Dirk Gently]

there's a P in the swimming pool

[Pseud O'Nym]

A number of people have seen me in Scunthorpe.

[Forbury Lion]

There is also a U in Entrepreneurial

Teapot has Tea in it (this works better as a verbal response)

[Dirk Gently]

My breakfast this morning has m and x in it.

[SCIAG]

There's no "U" in team either.

[Millsy]

"Actually, as a team, we are pretty good."

A good post.

Happens all the time.

What is Kitson doing now out of this team? What did Nogan and Archie do? I guess Doyle wouldn't be half the player he was in any other team. Coppell's magic, as I've said many times before is that he turns water into wine. He takes average players and improves them as players... but mainly he gets them to play together in such a way that they shine far beyond their individual merit.

[Upper West Ginger]

there's a P in the swimming pool

That must be a silent P, as in Bath.

[SLAMMED]

Mind you, I had a Reading mug with 'We are Premier League' on it and that peeled off in the dishwasher.

Has it come upith anything about who will win the Championship this year?