Back after the game (in da jazz bar)

[leon]

this squad is under performing massively. The midfield was shocking today anyone of them (or three) could be dropped. McAnuff and Leigertwood would be my first cull.

Leigertwood seems to be coasting - not f*cking good enough. McAnuff should never be captain, a captain leads by example on the pitch. McAnuff doesn't, he drifts in and out. Kebe has to get his head out his arse and start earning his money.

[Simon's Church]

Who do you replace Leigertwood with though? Tabb and Howard looked even worse in the Charlton game.

[Maguire]

LOL@ how awful that game was

LOL@ Jimmy Kebe putting as much effort into the game as I did

LOL@ Leigertwood not having touched the ball since the play-offs. What a lazy big-arsed pcunt.

[leon]

Who do you replace Leigertwood with though? Tabb and Howard looked even worse in the Charlton game.

bryn - he can do the job and never lets us down. He can't do a worse job at the moment.

[Simon's Church]

Not sure he's up to playing in midfield anymore, especially not in a 2. From what I saw in pre-season he was awful, maybe he'd step up for a league game though.

[leon]

we need to shake up the midfield, who are looking extremely complacent - it could be any of them to be honest

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

its the problem when you have such a small squad of players...team picks itself.....players think they are untouchable and complacency kicks in ....BMs honeymoon period is definitely over , so lets see his real management credentials in sorting this mess out ....

.....can he make the tough decisions I wonder - he fully supported McAnuff as captain in fridays paper and told fans to get off his back .....lets see how long that lasts .....


Worrying that BM made this commitment in Fridays paper .....

Brian McDermott will tell his Reading team to turn on the style against Watford as they search for their first home win of the season.

Royals have just one league victory to their name, but tomorrow’s opponents have a worse record in what has so far been a winless campaign for Sean Dyche’s Hornets.

McDermott will be forced to tinker with his side following their poor run that has seen them come away with nothing in their last four games in all competitions.

“What I want is for the team to go out and put on a performance and play good, exciting football and get the right result,” said McDermott.

“We want the fans to turn up and get value for money, that’s really important to me.

“I’ve got a lot of ideas in my head and I’ve thought about nothing else since we lost 1-0 at Hull.

“I know how we need to play and what we need to do better with the personnel we have got.

“Football is about results, but I want to play football that the fans want to see.



....as for the chairman ...reap what you sow ,and there are signs that the harvest this season is going to be pitiful

Its been said for a long time the manager/squad have over performed and at some point that would catch up with them ...looks like it already has

[Barry the bird boggler]

Yesterday was a bloody disgrace, the worst I've seen us play at home since the Wimbledon debacle about 7 years ago, only then you knew it was a blip. To be honest, based on the last few performances not only did this one plumb new depths of ineptitude but it looks like the 2 years of JM's total lack of investment is starting to catch up.

I feel sorry for Gorkss and Mills who were the only two players that looked like players yesterday, going forward we were totally clueless yet again, Kebe is showing exactly why nobody tried to buy him in the window, McAnuff puffed a bit but looked totally out of place until he moved into the centre. Le Fondre got sod all service and Manset looked liked a Division 4 striker at best.

To top it all we were out fought, outplayed and outpassioned by a dreadful team like Watford. Can't wait to see more of the same v Doncaster.

[Sarah Star]

Waiting for confirmation on FLS but looked to me like Federici had his weight on the wrong foot as the free kick was taken, resulting in him not being able to reach it.

I think you're right. From what I remember of that goal, Federici was still shouting at our attempt at a "wall" to move further towards the East stand, which they didn't, as the whistle was blown to take the free kick. He wasn't ready for it and there was a glaring gap all the way to the goal that he didn't have covered.

Tbf though, the 2nd goal was a far worse one to concede. Where was everyone?

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Leon wrote: we need to shake up the midfield, who are looking extremely complacent - it could be any of them to be honest

Complacent - no.

Lacking ideas, with no movement and creativity - yes.

[PieEater]

Shots on target 0.

[Man Friday]

Waiting for confirmation on FLS but looked to me like Federici had his weight on the wrong foot as the free kick was taken, resulting in him not being able to reach it.

I think you're right. From what I remember of that goal, Federici was still shouting at our attempt at a "wall" to move further towards the East stand, which they didn't, as the whistle was blown to take the free kick. He wasn't ready for it and there was a glaring gap all the way to the goal that he didn't have covered.

Tbf though, the 2nd goal was a far worse one to concede. Where was everyone?

You're both making the mistake of getting bogged down in specifics. Look at the bigger picture. No shots on target versus their seven. Who gives a fukk whether Fed was on the wrong foot. We were dreadful with zero effort. That's what is, and will be, important.

[Rob-Royal]

Team in "selling it's best players and being shit" shock

But consolation is we're a well run football club. It's all about the business not the football. I came out of the ground yesterday feeling smug that at least we won't be going into administration. Yeah...fcuk you Watford!

[West Stand Man]

It is very hard to put any sort of a positive spin on that performance. It was not
' the worst for decades' though. I can recall some worse days less than 10 years ago; but that was a dire performance all the same.

Everyone failed to turn up yesterday. That goes for the support as well as the players. I recall a few years ago we were winning comfortably at Hillsborough and Wednesday were as dire as we were yesterday. Their fans didn't go absent, they raised the roof with support and the team responded to recover and beat us. You almost felt as of the fans were sucking the ball into the net.

As for the players. It was a gutless, passionless display from almost all of them. I have to disagree with those who have said Manset looked poorer than ever. Yesterday was possibly on of his better games. He was my Reading MotM, but the competition wasn't exactly hard fought. Le Fondre wasn't given a chance, so I reserve judgement on him. Mills looks as if he will be a good buy. As to the Cummins 'looked scared of the ball' comment, I don't know which game you were at? The rest of them looked scared of the ball, he was in a minority who seemed to want to attack the ball and do something with it.

Five defeats on the trot is not where I expected (let alone hoped) to be at this stage. Another defeat next Saturday will really set the alarm bells ringing even at this early stage of the season. A few players need to have a good look in the mirror and ask if they are delivering at the moment. When they answer that with a 'no' they may wish to ponder how to change it.

Oh, and the 'we sold all our best players' line is wearing thin. We sold a striker and a central defender. Last season both were being slagged off by large chunks of the membership of this board as 'not being up to Championship standard'. It is not as simple as 'we sold players'. This team is very similar to the one that got to Wembley last season and is underperforming; it needs to be sorted - soon

[sandman]

It is very hard to put any sort of a positive spin on that performance. It was not
' the worst for decades' though. I can recall some worse days less than 10 years ago; but that was a dire performance all the same.

Everyone failed to turn up yesterday. That goes for the support as well as the players. I recall a few years ago we were winning comfortably at Hillsborough and Wednesday were as dire as we were yesterday. Their fans didn't go absent, they raised the roof with support and the team responded to recover and beat us. You almost felt as of the fans were sucking the ball into the net.

As for the players. It was a gutless, passionless display from almost all of them. I have to disagree with those who have said Manset looked poorer than ever. Yesterday was possibly on of his better games. He was my Reading MotM, but the competition wasn't exactly hard fought. Le Fondre wasn't given a chance, so I reserve judgement on him. Mills looks as if he will be a good buy. As to the Cummins 'looked scared of the ball' comment, I don't know which game you were at? The rest of them looked scared of the ball, he was in a minority who seemed to want to attack the ball and do something with it.

Five defeats on the trot is not where I expected (let alone hoped) to be at this stage. Another defeat next Saturday will really set the alarm bells ringing even at this early stage of the season. A few players need to have a good look in the mirror and ask if they are delivering at the moment. When they answer that with a 'no' they may wish to ponder how to change it.

Oh, and the 'we sold all our best players' line is wearing thin. We sold a striker and a central defender. Last season both were being slagged off by large chunks of the membership of this board as 'not being up to Championship standard'. It is not as simple as 'we sold players'. This team is very similar to the one that got to Wembley last season and is underperforming; it needs to be sorted - soon

Really? Because I remember them their fans booing them off at half time and calling for the managers head. Still, don't let the facts get in the way of having yet another pop at our own fans. A striker and a central defender (we sold Mills but we lost Khiz as well) is right down the spine of the team.

[West Stand Man]

It is very hard to put any sort of a positive spin on that performance. It was not
' the worst for decades' though. I can recall some worse days less than 10 years ago; but that was a dire performance all the same.

Everyone failed to turn up yesterday. That goes for the support as well as the players. I recall a few years ago we were winning comfortably at Hillsborough and Wednesday were as dire as we were yesterday. Their fans didn't go absent, they raised the roof with support and the team responded to recover and beat us. You almost felt as of the fans were sucking the ball into the net.

As for the players. It was a gutless, passionless display from almost all of them. I have to disagree with those who have said Manset looked poorer than ever. Yesterday was possibly on of his better games. He was my Reading MotM, but the competition wasn't exactly hard fought. Le Fondre wasn't given a chance, so I reserve judgement on him. Mills looks as if he will be a good buy. As to the Cummins 'looked scared of the ball' comment, I don't know which game you were at? The rest of them looked scared of the ball, he was in a minority who seemed to want to attack the ball and do something with it.

Five defeats on the trot is not where I expected (let alone hoped) to be at this stage. Another defeat next Saturday will really set the alarm bells ringing even at this early stage of the season. A few players need to have a good look in the mirror and ask if they are delivering at the moment. When they answer that with a 'no' they may wish to ponder how to change it.

Oh, and the 'we sold all our best players' line is wearing thin. We sold a striker and a central defender. Last season both were being slagged off by large chunks of the membership of this board as 'not being up to Championship standard'. It is not as simple as 'we sold players'. This team is very similar to the one that got to Wembley last season and is underperforming; it needs to be sorted - soon

Really? Because I remember them their fans booing them off at half time and calling for the managers head. Still, don't let the facts get in the way of having yet another pop at our own fans. A striker and a central defender (we sold Mills but we lost Khiz as well) is right down the spine of the team.

' having a pop at our own fans' includes having a pop at me. Funny that. Oh, and we were absent yesterday. I know all the excuses about how the team needs to give us something to cheer about and they have a validity. The fact is that we were not there yesterday.

As to the Wednesday fans - your recollection is very different to mine. After the game that I am referring to even this board was talking about how they had pulled the team back into the game. You are, of course right about the sale of the spine of the team. My point is that the very same people who claimed that it was weak spine are now saying that it was a vital one. You can't have it both ways, people. And it was only 2 players. Lets not delude ourselves, Shane Long would struggle to score in this team the way it is playing. No shots on goal is indicative of a malaise across the team not just in the striking department. We just aren't creating the chances - and strikers won't score if the chances don't come to them even when they are looking for them.

[Sarah Star]

Waiting for confirmation on FLS but looked to me like Federici had his weight on the wrong foot as the free kick was taken, resulting in him not being able to reach it.

I think you're right. From what I remember of that goal, Federici was still shouting at our attempt at a "wall" to move further towards the East stand, which they didn't, as the whistle was blown to take the free kick. He wasn't ready for it and there was a glaring gap all the way to the goal that he didn't have covered.

Tbf though, the 2nd goal was a far worse one to concede. Where was everyone?

You're both making the mistake of getting bogged down in specifics. Look at the bigger picture. No shots on target versus their seven. Who gives a fukk whether Fed was on the wrong foot. We were dreadful with zero effort. That's what is, and will be, important.

Thanks for the advice, but I have already looked at that bigger picture (please see my earlier post on this thread) and wanted to also comment on the specifics as they've been mentioned and I remembered thinking we weren't ready at the time when I was there. I know "we were dreadful with zero effort" but I like to know the instances that proved why we were.

[Wimb]

Tilehurst End match report now up.

http://thetilehurstend.co.uk/2011/09/11 ... -stand-up/

[Ian Royal]

Well that was rather disappointing.

Far too much aimless hoofing as usual, absolutely nothing through central midfield with Karacan & Legs too slow and uncreative. They didn't even win a lot. McAnuff & Kebe given no space and always had two, three or four players to get past before they had a chance of creating anything. Some good balls into the box but no one got on the end of them. Defence given no protection as usual we're just not working as a team at all.

The whole team just isn't on the same wavelength and there is little movement and few correct decisions being made. What the hell were those short corners!?

Federici - 6 subject to change when I watch the highlights depending on how he did with the goals. Distribution much better and varied. Don't care if he kicks a couple into touch.
Griffin - 6 don't remember him doing a whole lot wrong, but not a great deal to shout about either.
Mills - 5 offered some pace, some really poor passing and freekicks. Needs to improve.
Pearce - 6 not a lot wrong either that I can remember
Gorkss - 6 same again.
Karacan - 5 needs more creativity and was pretty non-existent when they had the ball, kept possession fairly well when he had it though.
Leigertwood - 4 barely in the game, gave the ball away cheaply in dangerous positions several times.
McAnuff - 5 wasn't in the game enough and gave the ball away too easily some times, but then nothing he can really do when he has to beat 4 players to get anywhere and there's no movement.
Kebe - 5 went on some runs but offered little to no real penetration or threat. Again, there's only so many players he can beat.
Manset - 5 needs to learn how to time a jump and get better control
Le Fondre - 5 has plenty of potential but was given nothing to feed off.

Church - 6 not much service but nearly got in at the end. Not a lot of faith in him scoring.
HRK - 5 was back to his earlier last season form, not making the right decisions or attacking quite right. Same prob as Kebe & McAnuff
Cummings - 5 didn't notice him, bizarre sub with no point to it IMO.

McDermott - 3 It must be his management to ask for aimless percentage hoofball, that leaves us easily predictable and utterly toothless if teh opposition double up on the wings.

Change of shape desperately needed, we're wide open in midfield and create nothing from it.

[LoyalRoyal22]

my ratings


feds- 7
griff- 5
Pearce- 4(im usually a fan)
Kasper G - 7
Mills- 6
Kebe- 6
Jobi- 6
Karacan- 6
Ledge- 5 wtf?
Le Fondre- 6
Manset- 5