Back from the game - Southampton (H)

[Mr.T10]

Cringeworthy when Reading fans started singing Champions song... I know I would swap our empty cup for another season in the prem.

[sandman]

Cringeworthy when Reading fans started singing Champions song... I know I would swap our empty cup for another season in the prem.

There it is all that is wrong with football post 92. And yes that is a moan you plastic b'stards.

[St. Brynjar]

Cringeworthy when Reading fans started singing Champions song... I know I would swap our empty cup for another season in the prem.

Don't tell me you've enjoyed this one?

[royal_ross]

That got boring at the away match after we sang it for 1000000 time, even our fans were looking embarrassed!

[Mr.T10]

Don't tell me you've enjoyed this one?

Overall no I haven't but you have to be a fool to not want Reading to benefit from all the TV money which will be pumped in.

[windermere_royal]

This horrible season can`t end quickly enough for me, never said that before.

[RoyallyFcuked]

Just watched the highlights and was surprised to see it showed something that I noticed whilst watching the game live.

Do Prado's chance at the end, came from McAnuff losing the ball when he didnt need to. He could have played a pass through the middle to ALF who was in space, but for some reason chose to turn around, dawdle and lose the ball. I touched on this in a post earlier, but didnt mention this exact incident.

[RockheadRumple]

Just watched the highlights and was surprised to see it showed something that I noticed whilst watching the game live.

Do Prado's chance at the end, came from McAnuff losing the ball when he didnt need to. He could have played a pass through the middle to ALF who was in space, but for some reason chose to turn around, dawdle and lose the ball. I touched on this in a post earlier, but didnt mention this exact incident.

I'll admit I went a bit nuts when that happened. The one time a long pass was what was actually required, it wasn't done. It's not like the team even try to play to one particular strength. Fuck a Plan B; we don't even have a fucking Plan A.

[jellytot]

We were completely outclassed again. We are a championship side in the PL. I hope that if we ever return to the PL we actually invest in players that make us BETTER!

NA has been brought in for the Championship next season. AZ wants his own man in. Think we will finish rock bottom. I cannot see us hitting 30 points now. The remaining 6 games will be painful. I thought we started the game with a lot of spirit but confidence is brittle and you can see that all over the pitch. At PL level they go for the throat.

Better now if NA rotates the team and also plays some kids to assess who we want to stay next season. Our crossing, passing, finishing and defending all championship standard. How many RFC players will find a PL club next season? Not many. We need a complete clear out.

From the touchline NA must cringe watching our lot hoofing it forward, crossing into the GK's hands.. Bet he has a big shopping list in mind for next season. Hammond will be busy in the summer! What a waste of a season. Hope we learn from this failure!

[Terminal Boardom]

I said last February that the quality off football was dire and I got roundly abused. You know what? It's not got better has it. Too many RTGs when games are won - these people refuse to see reality. Now? The STGs are in force. The difference? There is very little to be positive about unless you regard relegation as a positive.

[Hoop Blah]

Some interesting team selections from Adkins which didn't really pay off but might give a hint to long term futures at the club (he said he'd had good chats with most of the players during the week so perhaps they played a part in his choices?).

As for the game itself, well it yet again showed the mental fragility that exists in this squad these days but that's not too surprising with confidence levels so low and relegation all but confirmed a few weeks ago. When we concede a goal these days you can see the side fall apart in front you.

For the first 30 minutes we did alright though. We played some good football in patches and created a few decent chances with both good keeping for Marriappa's header and awful finishing from Le Fondre preventing us from taking the lead. Southampton always looked dangerous though and our inability to defend was shown up yet again, this is what's sending us down as our defending as a team has been woeful all season.

After the goal we looked more like a team playing for the beach and one that's given up. That's got to be a concern for Adkins as it looks like there isn't that determination from them to prove their worth at the moment. We also reverted to type a lot more with quick longer balls forward that just invited more pressure on us as Le Fondre can't make them stick up front on his own.

Positives for me were the performance of Guthrie and the first 30 minutes of improved football. Major negatives were seeing us fall apart, a lack of fight and more so no apparent improvement in the organisation of our defending (but its early days for that).

Southampton looked pretty decent though.

[Franchise FC]

This could turn into Rogers Mk II unless money is spent in the summer. The players are nowhere near good enough to play 'passing' football like Adkins wants.

Im consoling myself with the thought that bringing in NA with 7/8 games to go means he'll hit the summer with a very good idea as to what he needs to fix.
Hopefully, that means he won't need the August/September pre-season to get things going in the right direction.

I can always hope.

[sandman]

This could turn into Rogers Mk II unless money is spent in the summer. The players are nowhere near good enough to play 'passing' football like Adkins wants.

Except when they did it for the first 30 minutes, most notably in the South West corner. It's about CONFIDENCE and as soon as the goal went in the heads dropped and they reverted to hit and hope.

[Franchise FC]

Unfortunately the denizens of the TB would rather be like someone else than be Reading. Stoke "show RFC how to run a club" or "we should play like Swansea" and if you don't want to be like someone else and sit mid table in the PL year after year then you're"IdeaLOL's brother". Personally, I don't want to be someone else I want us to be true to ourselves and be Reading and if that means we stick to the quaint and "outdated" Reading way then boo fcuking hoo.

ANd it looks like Stoke can show us first hand next season as well

[Mr.T10]

That bit of play by the south west corner was exceptional and have not seen anything like that this season. Our passing is improving and when Adkins brings in his own men and has pre season to put in his philosophy of how to play football, its only going to get better and will be able to do it for the full 90. Southampton were great yesterday and thats still Adkins team; the only thing Pochettino seems to have brought is their pressure when they haven't got the ball.

We are taking baby steps in this new era and I am very much looking forward to it.

One step back, two steps forward.

[Cypry]

Pretty much what I was expecting yesterday.

Adkins is going to need more than 10 days and two games to turn this around, the whole team are bereft of confidence as shown by the way their heads dropped when we conceded.

Yes, we beat Southampton to the title last year, but they were, in my opinion, a much better footballing side and it was only our unbelievable run which put us above them. A run during which we rode our luck on a number of occasions and won several games which went completely against the run of play, not least at St Mary's where we had three shots and converted them all, whilst Southampton had a hatful of chances and were kept out by a great performance from Feds.

With huge investment in the Summer, it's therefore no surprise whatsoever that, after an initial wobble, they've now settled firmly in mid table - last 2 games they took 6 points from Liverpool and Chelsea....

I've not seen their first goal yet, but at the game thought Feds was unlucky, and that the goal was as much a lucky rebound as anything, perhaps we might have had a free kick.....their second was well taken, not sure he could have done much.

The first 40 minutes were promising, we played some really nice football and actually looked the better side, could have been two or three goals up. As soon as we conceded, heads dropped and the passing game went out of the window. The defensive line reverted to hoofing the ball every time they got it, a situation compounded when Guthrie came off.

If Adkins can take the first 40 minutes and get us playing like that for a full 90, then next season looks like it could be a belter. We've effectively got 6 friendlies for Adkins to work out what he needs in the Summer...

[boycey]

At least our fans showed more fight in town after the game.

[Mr Optimist]

At least our fans showed more fight in town after the game.

That's good to hear. If the kids from St Fairies that thought yesterday was revenge for the 3-1 there last season and us winning the Championship they are wrong. We were the champions and even though we are going down this season we will be back and that night will remain one of the best memories of supporting RFC.

[Schards#2]

I will be shocked if we extend our record 8 losses on the bounce in all competitions to 14.

I wouldn't be in the slightest.

We are the worst team in the division and have been all season, now we are imposing a new style of play on these players, in the short term, making us even more ineffective. We are absolutely there for the taking and other sides will see this so we won't get soft draws like Norwich & Swansea at home where the opposition were happy with a point.

However, it doesn't really matter. If we go down with 23 points or 30 points, what difference does it make? Like it or not, the club has taken a decision and gone with a manager who wants to play a style totally alien to our current squad, that means it's going to take time for the change to bear any fruit. The fans are just going to have to suck it up for the rest of this season and hope for brighter days ahead. If there is anything positive to be taken from yesterday, it was the quality of performance from the team that Adkins built. With patience from both the ownwrs and the fans, that can be us in 2-3 years, hopefully, the success spoilt, bandwagon jumpers who demand instant and interrupted success won't bother coming in the interim.

[frimmers3]

i know little of what happens "behind the scenes" at st marys or time was at the dell:one thing that cannot be denied despite the manager at the helm is that for years the youth sides at southampton have produced many a player of true quality,the envy of most clubs/acadamies i would venture.