Man Utd - back from the game

[Far Canal]

Coach the team defensively. Coach their thinking, match-day minds. Make them quicker of mind. Coach Federici, train the faults out of his game if you are going to keep him. It's possible. It's done in other sports. These are technical matters that if addressed, would bring a lot of our good players on to the next level.

As the great Maurice Evans once said "there are some things you can coach into a player and some things you can't."
I think speed of thought tends towards the scond category, but I agree wholeheartedly with the need for better defensive coaching.
Is Wally Downes available? His was the best drilled Reading defense I have ever seen.

[Once were Biscuitmen]

But if by 'operate', you mean spending more money than we can reasonably risk in order to have a good chance of staying up then no it will not change. The premiership is a financially perverse league and I'm proud we have decided to participate in the collective madness.

Promotion still gives you at least a year of premiership revenue and years of parachute payments. Using these funds to grow the infrastructure of the club and gradually strengthen the squad over the years is the least worst strategy for a club of our size.

[paultheroyal]

Coach the team defensively. Coach their thinking, match-day minds. Make them quicker of mind. Coach Federici, train the faults out of his game if you are going to keep him. It's possible. It's done in other sports. These are technical matters that if addressed, would bring a lot of our good players on to the next level.

As the great Maurice Evans once said "there are some things you can coach into a player and some things you can't."
I think speed of thought tends towards the scond category, but I agree wholeheartedly with the need for better defensive coaching.
Is Wally Downes available? His was the best drilled Reading defense I have ever seen.

Downes is a key man at West Ham and won't be budging from that position.

[Medusa?]

A very considered post, Ian Herring - defo +1 here.

At least we now know what we have to do to not be last on MOTD.

[St Pauli]

Well said Ian.

I missed our last spell in the premiership because I couldn't afford it and was living in Cornwall, so watching premiership football is still a novelty for me, and if we go down* I'll be happy with Mcdermott and the squad for 2 reasons:

1) Standing in the away end at Stamford Bridge being 2:1 up, giving it large to the home fans in their own place.
2) Pretty much silencing the (always excellent) Man Utd away support in the brief moments after we went 3:2 up.


*By no means certain, but if we don't win the next two I think it will be.

[Winnershroyal]

Just got in, after giving up my season ticket, and lording it in the executive boxes by the south stand, Other than Roberts performance, I quite enjoyed that.

I would have taken 0-1 before the game. We were NEVER going to keep the lead, they barely broke sweat when we went ahead, had we got to 4-4 it would have been 4-5 within minutes, we just haven't got the capability to defend.

Getting 12 points will be an achievement.

I think you had too many complimentary whiskeys mate. you give United too much respect, we had them worried, no doubt about that.

Yep, point taken, I feel rough now.

Never drinking again etc.

[Victor Meldrew]

Coach the team defensively. Coach their thinking, match-day minds. Make them quicker of mind. Coach Federici, train the faults out of his game if you are going to keep him. It's possible. It's done in other sports. These are technical matters that if addressed, would bring a lot of our good players on to the next level.

As the great Maurice Evans once said "there are some things you can coach into a player and some things you can't."
I think speed of thought tends towards the scond category, but I agree wholeheartedly with the need for better defensive coaching.
Is Wally Downes available? His was the best drilled Reading defense I have ever seen.

Well said by you and Herring-it's something I have been on about for weeks.
Our physical side of the game and energy are good and Brian is always praising them for giving everything.
What they appear to lack is the buzz expression "mental strength" and concentration defensively.
All season in our box we have had "after you,you clear it,oh f*** you haven't,well it wasn't my fault...." and another goal.
Whether we have the coaching personnel or playing staff capable of dealing with this I don't know.

Incidentally most of these posts are very similar to those by Southampton fans when they lost to Man Utd having looked nailed on for a draw in their game before an injury time winner from Van Persie.
Both us and Saints are dire at the back and that is reflected in the league positions-the table doesn't lie and both clubs are within the worst 4 or 5 although currently within the worst 3.
Their manager has gained more cred than ours because of two successive promotions but his job is still very much under threat.

Next Saturday it's back to not just playing for fun like last night and it will doubtless be the side with the better defensive concentration that will come out on top-last season it was us and a repeat performance would be most welcome.

[southbank1871]

I find it an odd experience when Reading score these days as I of course celebr8, but with the knowledge that there's pretty much no chance of us holding the lead.

Anything today would have been a bonus, we've absolutely got to pick up points away at So'ton and Sunderland. Away at Saints could be 8-8 as it will be two of the worst defences I've ever seen in the top flight against each other.

[windermere_royal]

I find it an odd experience when Reading score these days as I of course celebr8, but with the knowledge that there's pretty much no chance of us holding the lead.

Anything today would have been a bonus, we've absolutely got to pick up points away at So'ton and Sunderland. Away at Saints could be 8-8 as it will be two of the worst defences I've ever seen in the top flight against each other.

Greed, looked at my watch when we scored, 5.38. thought no chance.

[Maguire]

we go down* I'll be happy with Mcdermott and the squad for 2 reasons:

1) Standing in the away end at Stamford Bridge being 2:1 up, giving it large to the home fans in their own place.
2) Pretty much silencing the (always excellent) Man Utd away support in the brief moments after we went 3:2 up

I have completely the opposite attitude to you (not picking a fight; we're all different). I take absolutely no pleasure from losing, from throwing away promising positions, from shipping tonnes of goals. Chelsea and Man Utd both walked off with 3 goals and 4 points and that is that.

Last night we let in four goals at home in half an hour. I don't buy all this "proud of the boys" nonsense, that just screams relegation to me. Last time we went down we lost games 7-4 and 6-4. This season we're having 3-3 draws, 3-4 defeats, and indeed a 5-7 defeat. That suggests there's something seriously wrong with the set-up of the team as staying tight at the back should be the first priority of any football side.

Of course Utd were a shambles at the back in the first half but Ferguson played his hand, told them to lock the game down, and that's exactly what they did. We played pretty well in the second half as they sat back, but who honestly thought we'd equalise?

I very much take a long term view of football and have no wish to see Brian leave (as he says, winning the title didn't make him an amazing manager and only winning one game this season doesn't suddenly make him a bad one). It's the nature of football fans to demand instant success and if that's not happening then changing the manager seems to be the only thing they can think of to rectify it. I say keep him, but buckle up for a season full of beatings.

[Royal Lady]

Well said Mr Herring.

I've always maintained that McD needs further help in the coaching set up - and the one man I think would be brilliant is Terry Burton. Currently at Arsenal, coaching their Under 21s, but he's played with McD, is in touch with him and I think he'd jump at the chance to get involved with RFC. I'm presuming someone from the club will read this and make the necessary phone call now!

[windermere_royal]

Just a thought, who is our defensive coach?..whoever it is needs to be shown the door pronto.
Pardew was ruthless when he booted Martin Allen, McD needs to grow a pare of balls.

[SydenhamRoyal]

A for Effort but F for Ability.



Central Midfield - Great effort and both did OK for their repesctive abilities, but unfortunately they are not good enough for the Prem and offer no creativity going forward and very little protection for the defence. We canot compete in this division if we have League1/Chump players in the middle of the park.

It was a brilliant run by Tabb into the box that created an attack, he passes it out to McAnuff, who crosses it and HRK scores. He was not too far off with a shot from just outside the box in the 2nd half. He also did all the things we know he can do, harrying etc. Calm on the ball too. He had a decent prem standard game today other than the stupid oxf*rd push for the penalty.

[pea]

Just a thought, who is our defensive coach?..whoever it is needs to be shown the door pronto.
Pardew was ruthless when he booted Martin Allen, McD needs to grow a pare of balls.

Gibbs usually takes the defensive players

[SydenhamRoyal]

Oh by the way, to all you 'fans' who cheered when Jobi's name was read out for the sub.

Right sentiment, wrong f*cking game you spazzes

Actually I was cheering and applauding him for his performance, but maybe you misunderstood

[Maguire]

Oh yeah, anyone who did the whole dodgy keeper/sarcastic applause thing in the seocnd half when Federici went to kick it is a fukking moron.

[Crotts]

For someone who doesn't attend many games I think Ian Herring's analysis is spot on and someone should show it to Brian.
I wholeheartedly agree that the defence would benefit from better coaching. If you analyse the majority of goals Reading concede it is not a case of not having enough defenders back to cover the opponents attacks. If you watch back recordings of the goals conceded and analyse them you will see that to a man the defence concentrates on the ball and rarely takes a glance at the attackers. Yesterdays Rooney goal was a prime example. The two central defenders should clearly have realised that the Man Utd winger was going to get the ball across as he was slightly ahead of the 2 Reading defenders who should have been able to stop him taking the ball across himself into the box as they were inside him. So once you realise that a cross is coming into the box this you need to be marking the attackers but it was all too easy for Rooney just to drop off safe in the knowledge that no one was even looking at him. Things like this can be coached to defences.
Also Ian's analysis of Federici is spot on. Too many fans think a keeper is great when he makes diving fingertip saves to push the ball wide but ignore the basics. Federici's handling of balls close to his body has always been suspect. If he's stopping a ball on the ground he often fails to draw the ball into his body and keep it. If he's stood up and it's hit hard at him he struggles to parry it in the right direction. Unfortunately these things cannot be coached. A keeper either has them or he hasn't. Overall Federici is a good keeper but not a great keeper. McCarthy has always had the makings of a great keeper.
Wally Downes has been great in coaching a West Ham defence of similar individual standard to Readings. They have been extremely well organised this year. We need someone similar.

[sputnik]

Quality post there Ian, your two-penneth worth of analysis was an interesting and welcome read on this board.

[Pandoras Box]

So once you realise that a cross is coming into the box this you need to be marking the attackers but it was all too easy for Rooney just to drop off safe in the knowledge that no one was even looking at him. Things like this can be coached to defences

Totally agree - if you're coaching schoolboys - but if you have to be teaching this to premier players, something is more than seriously wrong.

[Ian Herring]

Quality post there Ian, your two-penneth worth of analysis was an interesting and welcome read on this board.

Thank you, squire. Very kind of you to say so. I like to stand back a bit sometimes and see past the red mist