Back from the game - Southampton (H)

[LoyalRoyal22]

Watched it on tele. Cant wait for the season to end. I thought Gunter played well, want him to start next season as he has the fitness and enthusiasm to attack which Nigel will want. We need a young atheltic left back though.

I would let Harte and Shorey go in the summer.

[AthleticoSpizz]

probably been already said and alluded to, but, that was Adkins team getting beaten/outpassed/outclassed by Adkins team yesterday

[CholseyRoyal]

probably been already said and alluded to, but, that was Adkins team getting beaten/outpassed/outclassed by Adkins team yesterday

Don't you mean McDermott's team being beaten/outpassed/outclassed by Nigel Adkins' team. Hopefully give the right backing we will become as good as Southampton and with more experience from NA improve further.

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

since i had to work yesterday during the match i just watched the highlights after work today. i have to say we were pretty unlucky not to have nicked one or two ourselves. the penalty could have easily been given and who knows what could have happened from there possibly getting our confidence back and banging in another one. we were thoroughly outplayed by the look of it, i HATE that every other team in the league can play those neat little passes into space and score and we somehow cannot. it is ridiculous that we came into this league expecting to be able to stay up playing this bullshit hoofball. honestly it is remarkable that we werent completely out of the race in december. i still love BM and everything he did for this club but watching nigels attempted style it is giving me hope for the future direction of this club and more than ever i think we are finally on the right track to what AZ wants to accomplish.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Not a lot has changed so far under Atkins as he has the squad to select from.

Big difference Saturday was we pressed Southampton and played higher up the pitch which was our downfall in the end as they continued to play it over or through us with ease resulting in the 2-0 defeat.

[Sport Economist]

An assessment of Southampton based on the game below which does emphasize the difference in spending between the two clubs but also highlights our shortcomings in comparison:

http://thetwounfortunates.com/big-spending-southampton-need-to-remember-pompey/

[melonhead]

thought we started very positively and looked a different team until their goal.
high tempo pressing without the football, and quick intelligent passing with it.
really positive signs in terms of personell, shape and tactics.
but once saints scored, and then got another our heads went.

ALF missed his chance, & feds bottled it for the goal and our heads went down very quickly. our confidence is understandably paper thin right now, and it took bugger all for us to collapse.
it also goes to show, it doesnt matter who the manager is, or what the tactics. if the players make silly, but critical errors and crucial times youre gonna lose football games.


feds- 6 made some great saves, but a moments hesitation for the first goal undid all of that imo.
gunter- 7 best game in a reading shirt.
marriappa - 6 did ok
morrison - 6 did ok
kelly- 6 worst game in a reading shirt, but on his wrong side.
HRK - 7 did very well, worked hard, tracked back, showed skill and strength, caused them some problems
karacan- 6 best game for a while, still did bugger all with the ball
akpan - some good touches, and tackles, worked hard- did well considering he buggered his ankle after 5 mins
guthrie- 7 started very well, played a through ball which was spot on, and a couple of good deliveries from set plays. but faded badly when things went against us.
Jobi - 7 had a good game, worked hard, created well.
ALF 6- should have scored, faded out of the game

liegertwood 6. still doesnt deserve the groans etc. had a decent game in 2nd half, considering the whole team was flat.

[HoneyRoastHoax]

I agree with this guy, good write up

[Z175]

Its interesting to read a match report where people seem to agree on the facts, if not the interpretation of them!

I agree it could have gone either way to begin with and we had a bright pressing start. But it seems odd to credit this to Adkins and then blame the previous manager for the subsequent implosion. In the FA Cup tie away at OT we pressed excellently, and it was reminisicent of this in the first 20 mins.

To me Adkins has to surely take some blame for the result. It was his chance to put his own stamp on the side and his decisions that backfired. The defence imploded which was not a surprise with Kelly transformed into our worst defender by his inability to use his left foot, Morrisson showing his experience, and Gunter recalled, not a surprise Mariappa had his worst game in ages with that selection.

And as for Adkins style? Southampton's passing is the reason they appointed Pochetino (sp?!) Adkins to me seemed to be insistent on the get it to Guthrie and hoof style, which in fairness worked quite well as Guthrie looked the most interested hes ever been at the Madejski. But Southamptons defence was fairly able to cope with the through balls and we offered nothing else.

In fact, despite the team being built around Guthrie he was actually subbed off, unsurprisingly making for the saddest 20 minutes of watching Reading lose at home as we tried to let them have a 0-3! We got deeper and deeper and Adkins appeared impotent. There will be no more Chelsea style comebacks.

The whole team's confidence is totally shattered, making us look highly reminisicent of Terry Connor's Wolves last season.

But its not really Adkins fault is it, hes not to know that Pearce is better than Morrison, Gunter is useless, Kelly is right footed, Pogrebnyaks stronger than our other forwards and Alfie needs time and space to finish so is better off the bench... Any new manager would want to mix things up and change things, but can't away from the fact that if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. And we have gone from a spirited team of committed triers to a uncaring, heads down, dejected band of players who aren't good enough for this level!

Ok we'd probably have gone down anyway, but its a bit galling to shell out £20 or so on transport, food etc (on top of your ST) to watch a team that gave up 3 weeks ago, when you know you are years from getting back to where you were 3 months ago.

[joeroyal]

Its interesting to read a match report where people seem to agree on the facts, if not the interpretation of them!

I agree it could have gone either way to begin with and we had a bright pressing start. But it seems odd to credit this to Adkins and then blame the previous manager for the subsequent implosion. In the FA Cup tie away at OT we pressed excellently, and it was reminisicent of this in the first 20 mins.

To me Adkins has to surely take some blame for the result. It was his chance to put his own stamp on the side and his decisions that backfired. The defence imploded which was not a surprise with Kelly transformed into our worst defender by his inability to use his left foot, Morrisson showing his experience, and Gunter recalled, not a surprise Mariappa had his worst game in ages with that selection.

And as for Adkins style? Southampton's passing is the reason they appointed Pochetino (sp?!) Adkins to me seemed to be insistent on the get it to Guthrie and hoof style, which in fairness worked quite well as Guthrie looked the most interested hes ever been at the Madejski. But Southamptons defence was fairly able to cope with the through balls and we offered nothing else.

In fact, despite the team being built around Guthrie he was actually subbed off, unsurprisingly making for the saddest 20 minutes of watching Reading lose at home as we tried to let them have a 0-3! We got deeper and deeper and Adkins appeared impotent. There will be no more Chelsea style comebacks.

The whole team's confidence is totally shattered, making us look highly reminisicent of Terry Connor's Wolves last season.

But its not really Adkins fault is it, hes not to know that Pearce is better than Morrison, Gunter is useless, Kelly is right footed, Pogrebnyaks stronger than our other forwards and Alfie needs time and space to finish so is better off the bench... Any new manager would want to mix things up and change things, but can't away from the fact that if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. And we have gone from a spirited team of committed triers to a uncaring, heads down, dejected band of players who aren't good enough for this level!

Ok we'd probably have gone down anyway, but its a bit galling to shell out £20 or so on transport, food etc (on top of your ST) to watch a team that gave up 3 weeks ago, when you know you are years from getting back to where you were 3 months ago.

Haha do you realise that you probably spent an age writing that drivel, and it does not make the slightest bit of difference, what a BORING BORING soul you must be

[No Fixed Abode]

It was abundant again that Reading really do lack technical ability as individuals. You could clearly see Southampton's touch, vision, speed of thought were all superior to Reading. I don't think a major overhaul of the team is needed, especially in the Championship next year, but I do believe the next couple of years are important in bringing in the right personnel, both on and off the pitch. A massive overhaul of coaches and scouts at ALL levels is needed.

More emphasis HAS to be put on the technical side of the game. The game has progressed, the 'Reading way' hasn't.

[Royal Lady]

Sat in row B in Y24 which is the closest I have ever sat to the pitch by some margin.

The abuse dished out to players (Mainly Mcanuff on Sat) I have heard 1000's of times while sat up in row Z or whatever, and sometimes I even chuckle to myself when someone shouts some "witty abuse". But, when you're sat in row B and people are just shouting shit at the guy which he can 100% hear I felt a bit sorry for him. Relentless abuse at every opportunity.

I'd have turned to the lower reaches of Y24 and told all the mardy kants to oxf*rd off if I was him.

So in summary, I'll be sitting further away in future so I can shout stuff at players safe in the knowledge I am not hurting their feelings.

[melonhead]

Sat in row B in Y24 which is the closest I have ever sat to the pitch by some margin.

The abuse dished out to players (Mainly Mcanuff on Sat) I have heard 1000's of times while sat up in row Z or whatever, and sometimes I even chuckle to myself when someone shouts some "witty abuse". But, when you're sat in row B and people are just shouting shit at the guy which he can 100% hear I felt a bit sorry for him. Relentless abuse at every opportunity.

I'd have turned to the lower reaches of Y24 and told all the mardy kants to oxf*rd off if I was him.

utterly out of order imo

[Ian Royal]

The abuse towards him or him turning to tell everyone to fack off?

The abuse obviously, because whilst he didn't have a great game, he didn't have a poor one by any stretch. Like it mattered that he turned into trouble and lost the ball late on when we were already dead and buried. He's a winger, it'll happen.

[RockheadRumple]

Oh, better days... viewtopic.php?f=1&t=112803

[RoyallyFcuked]

He's a winger, it'll happen.

It happens far too often though, and that is just one of his problems.

[Hoop Blah]

I don't think it does happen all that much, but it probably seems it and that might be partly because he stops himself crossing too often to check back onto his right foot to play another pass or to create more space. It's product of playing on the wrong flank but also a bit of a habit of his.

As much as I'm a stat-sceptic, the stats from the Southampton game would suggest he doesn't do it any more than any of our other wingers, infact he loses to the ball less than Kebe or Robson-Kanu but gets on the ball quite a bit more. That doesn't tell the full picture of course, but it does give a bit of a like for like comparison.

[melonhead]

just as i pick up the bad that guthrie does more keenly than those who like him, so also do the ledge/mcanuff h8ers only notice the occasions he loses the ball because they are racist and h8 black people

[Elm Park Old Boy]

So, just so I'm clear, was the repeated hoofing of the ball long and high to ALF attributable to our current genius manager or our former inept one? I'm struggling to know where the scapegoat baton should currently lie.

[Snowball]

So, just so I'm clear, was the repeated hoofing of the ball long and high to ALF attributable to our current genius manager or our former inept one? I'm struggling to know where the scapegoat baton should currently lie.

3 seasons of ingrained "Hoof it!" versus ten days of "play football"... what do you think?