Back after the game (in da jazz bar)

[Sarah Star]

Lacklustre. Only bright spot was little Jo Mills for me, at least he tried and had a bit of pace - though he had to use that most to race back and defend. I suppose Jobi did his best in the 1st half and Manset looked like he was making a bit of an effort but seemed useless with the ball at his feet. Not sure they were ready for the 1st goal, could see a gap straight through to the goal when it was hit and Feds didn't have it covered, but Watford seemed to be able to run rings round us unchallenged anyway. I know there have been a few late changes so I suppose they need time to gel but we seem to be unable to adapt to not having Long anymore. He would always hassle the opposition, chase lost causes and run onto long balls. We don't have anyone who can do that now.

Maybe it would be best if they just relegated us now and then we can rebuild like Norwich and Southampton.

[tomrfcurz]

Was definitely Faurlin by the way, right next to the bloke - spent the whole game on his phone!

Utter, utter pony performance from Reading today. Gorkss maybe the only player who looked half decent. Cant really say anymore - this simply NEEDS to improve.

[sandman]

Feds - Could have been five if it wasn't for him although as his name isn't McCarthy he won't get credit. Those blaming him for the first are on a different planet. 6

Griffin - Was willing to let him off for his slow start to the season due to his lack of time during pre season but he needs to improve big time. 4
Pearce - People who kept insisting last season that he was better than Matt Mills can sod off. Every header he makes is a guessing game as to where it's going (although it's quite easy because it usually goes in the opposite direction to the way it's supposed to). Winning the ball out by the west stand and then losing it straight away again sums him up. 3
Gorkks - Did ok. Feel sorry for him that he has to play next to the waste of space going in slow motion next to him. 7
Mills - Started well faded but showed promise.Important to remember that he might have been Saints third choice LB last year but he was the only one who played in the Championship. 5

Jimmy - I think people are being extremely harsh on him. Two men marking him meant he was shown inside a lot. Confidence player lacking it. 5
Ledge - Awful. Totally different player to last year. 4
Karacan - The only one to put some effort in. Got more crosses in from RB in 10 minutes than Griffin did the whole game. 7
Jobi - Two good crosses early on and then nothing. 5

Manset - Awful control, terrible back heeled pass that could have resulted in a Watford goal and not a starter. 5
Alf - Goal poacher whose team didn't create a decent opportunity for him all game. Must be wondering what he's got himself into. 5

[andrew1957]

I thought that the performance against Barnsley was embarrassing - but that was 20 times better than today!

I sat there feeling very depressed to be honest. I guess a lot of us have seen this coming. You cannot keep selling your best players and carry on competing, but what was shocking today was the complete lack of passion.

Thankfully I did not buy a season ticket this year and I am not going again until the side begin to at least show some effort and passion. I cannot justify £23 to go through that torment again and I have absolutely no confidence it will be any better next Saturday.

There were a few players better than the rest. Fed did keep us in it with some good saves. Gorkks did ok and I thought Mills was actually quite good. Cannot understand those that saw it differently - as he showed a lot of energy and at least gave 100%. Manset was the best of the rest. He does have some skill but is still learning. The real problem is that we resoundingly lost the midfield battle today - mainly because Leigertwood went missing and Karacan was left trying to hold it together without much help.

I really hope Leigertwood is not one of those players that plays well to get a contract and then could not care at all - but that is how he has played so far this season. Time to bring back Howard I think - if he is willing to play for us after being overlooked for so long.

Probably also have to revert to 4-2-3-1 or 4-5-1 as otherwise good sides are going to destroy us – but cannot see us winning many games that way.

All very worrying.

At least we have a League 2 strike force now – we might need them if we end up playing in that division in a few seasons time.

[FiNeRaIn]

Was definitely Faurlin by the way, right next to the bloke - spent the whole game on his phone!

He was watching his mates gorks and mikele. He will not be coming here as he has played way too much for them this season.

[Hoop Blah]

Feds - Could have been five if it wasn't for him although as his name isn't McCarthy he won't get credit. Those blaming him for the first are on a different planet. 6

Irrespective of the first goal, what other saves of any note did he make? Finerain mentioned the potential 1 on 1 he came out to close down (nothing I wouldn't expect a competent keeper to do) and then there was the elaborate camera save to his left late in the first half. Apart from that all I can remember him doing was spralling a few times as cross-come-shots sneeked wide of his posts.

Happy to be proved wrong but I don't see where else he kept the score down. We were awful but Watford didn't create many scoring chances.

[loyalroyal4life]

worst performance at mad stad seen in a while, so much for being a fortress, really are lacking any sort of cutting edge!

[Tilehurst End]

Gorkss 8
Jem 7
Everyone else 5 or below.

Once again outplayed by an average team that wanted it more and a visiting keeper who won't even need to wash his kit or have a shower afterwards.

Kebe doesn't want to be here anymore, totally disinterested and is not going to risk injury before January.

It's going to be a long season!

[sandman]

Feds - Could have been five if it wasn't for him although as his name isn't McCarthy he won't get credit. Those blaming him for the first are on a different planet. 6

Irrespective of the first goal, what other saves of any note did he make? Finerain mentioned the potential 1 on 1 he came out to close down (nothing I wouldn't expect a competent keeper to do) and then there was the elaborate camera save to his left late in the first half. Apart from that all I can remember him doing was spralling a few times as cross-come-shots sneeked wide of his posts.

Happy to be proved wrong but I don't see where else he kept the score down. We were awful but Watford didn't create many scoring chances.

Low to his left when good old Alex Pearce gave the ball away straight after he'd won it the "camera save" (I'm not sure why he'd bother making a camera save when we aren't on the FL Show for more than 15 seconds) was hit well and he made another good save to his right soon afterwards.

[Schards#2]

The most worrying aspect is that, in our last three games, we have lost to three of the worst teams in the division. If we don't get it together, we are going to be blown away by the better sides.

[grey_squirrel]

Feds - Could have been five if it wasn't for him although as his name isn't McCarthy he won't get credit. Those blaming him for the first are on a different planet. 6

Irrespective of the first goal, what other saves of any note did he make? Finerain mentioned the potential 1 on 1 he came out to close down (nothing I wouldn't expect a competent keeper to do) and then there was the elaborate camera save to his left late in the first half. Apart from that all I can remember him doing was spralling a few times as cross-come-shots sneeked wide of his posts.

Happy to be proved wrong but I don't see where else he kept the score down. We were awful but Watford didn't create many scoring chances.

Today's capitulation has nothing to do with Fed (he made 5 regulation saves and made a lot of them look better than they were for camera - not surprising considering his "come and get me pleas"). It is all to do with our total lack of creativity and creation of space.

Nil. None. Non existent.

How many shots on target did we have?
How many saves did Loach make?

HOW MANY TIMES DID WE GET THE BALL IN OR ANYWHERE NEAR THEIR BOX????

[Wycombe Royal]

As I have said before it is our central midfield that is the problem. It is too one dimensional and the opposition know that all they are going to do is play the ball wide to Kebe and McAnuff. If it doesn't work they just try the same again. And again. And again.

We need a creative midfielder who can play a variety of passes so that the opposition don't know exactly where the ball is going all the time. Also Le Fondre will thrive on balls played through the middle but we never do that.

Also we play with wingers and they are crucial to the way we play currently so why do our full backs not support them and provide over lapping runs thus creating more space for them to do their work. We saw a bit of it from Mills today (but not much) but Griffin just doesn't seem to want to get forward which leaves Kebe with two markers all the time.

We have no-one who can shoot accurately from distance.

We have no-one who can consistently put in a decent cross.

Our players don't move into space when they don't have the ball.

Our build up play is too pedestrian.

Our set pieces are predictable.

Our substitutions are strange (why take off Griffin and move Karacan to right back, only to substitute him 10 minutes later and bring on Cummings - why not just make the double change in the first place?).

McD appears to be suffering the same problem as Coppell and is unwilling to drop certain players (Karacan, Leigertwood, Griffin, McAnuff and Kebe promarily).

Something has to change and change soon.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Two weeks off and we get a performance like that.

McDermott you must have read the Brendan Rodgers book on how to play football in the last two weeks.

What I witnessed was dire it went backwards, sideways, no movement, no pace, no product... get it sorted now or we will be in Div One next year..

[FiNeRaIn]

Our players don't move into space when they don't have the ball.

You won't find much of that at this level to be honest, I hardly ever see other teams making barcelona type space finding when they come here. But if we do all the other aspects consistently we'll be a force, sadly we won't because we are crap.

[georgerob]

I feel that Howard should be introduced into the starting line up for the Doncaster Rovers game as we have struggled to create chances in the last couple of games and Howard is more likely to create something.
The new players need more time to gel and McDermott needs to find a settled starting line up instead of making changes most games. As a result performances and results should start to improve.

[chilipepper91]

I feel that Howard should be introduced into the starting line up for the Doncaster Rovers game as we have struggled to create chances in the last couple of games and Howard is more likely to create something.

As I've said before, I think the introduction of Mills and (if he comes in) Cummings will help - we won't have to play two holding midfielders to make up for the lack of pace of Harte and Griffin. Was also good to see Mills and Karacan/Cummings actually getting up to support their wingers. I'd drop Leigertwood and bring in Howard or move McAnuff to the middle, though Jobi hasn't impressed me in the middle any game he's played there.

[Man Friday]

Kebe doesn't want to be here anymore, totally disinterested and is not going to risk injury before January.

Spot on. Some people are saying he's lost his confidence. Bollox! He's lost his motivation.

[Wycombe Royal]

Our players don't move into space when they don't have the ball.

You won't find much of that at this level to be honest, I hardly ever see other teams making barcelona type space finding when they come here. But if we do all the other aspects consistently we'll be a force, sadly we won't because we are crap.

I'm not asking for Barcelona style play, just a bit of movement into space so that they are in a position to recieve a pass. Far to often the player with the ball has no available player to pass to so either just lumps an aimless ball forward or a percentage ball down the wing in the hope that either one of the wingers or one of the strikers will chase for it. If Watford players can find space then so can ours, but they just appear like they can't be arsed and would rather hide behind an opposition player.

[Simon's Church]

TBH though, we made it to the play-off final just by basically lumping it forward and percentage balls down the line.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Simon Church wrote: TBH though, we made it to the play-off final just by basically lumping it forward and percentage balls down the line.

Better that way than the way we are playing on the pitch at this moment in time.

The Brendan Rodgers book on football read by McDermott for this week game will not work.