Brian: The right decision?

[melonhead]

im declaring that the possession game makes for duller football.
which it does.
thats why i cant stand INTL or european games in the main

[winchester_royal]

Why are we all talking about Swansea here? Just because Adkins asked our defenders to try and ensure we don't give the ball straight back to the opposition when getting it?

There are more than just 2 ways of playing football guys

[Extended-Phenotype]

im declaring that the possession game makes for duller football.
which it does.
thats why i cant stand INTL or european games in the main

Bit simplistic. Don't think one or the other style is responsible for a good or bad game. If they don't produce the goods, then it sucks to watch.

[Ian Royal]

Why are we all talking about Swansea here? Just because Adkins asked our defenders to try and ensure we don't give the ball straight back to the opposition when getting it?

There are more than just 2 ways of playing football guys

Agreed. We played better passing football, and had more possession under Coppell, compared to McDermott. No one complained that was sub-Barcelona tedium. Adkins is a move towards Coppell, not a leap towards Rodgers. And a move that's necessary seeing as McDermott took us too far down the direct route.

[URZZZZ]

I'd say we made the right decision to sack Brian. Although the win ratio is not as good, we are playing better football, look more likely to keep the ball and score. I think though that we will have to sign a striker, cb cover and a full bacl, preferably lb

[Handsome Man]

Reading Chronicle:

"You can see the massive progression we have
made under the new manager and the contrast
in styles," argued Le Fondre. "No disrespect to
Brian and how we played before, but it's a totally
different kind of football in the Premier League
than the Championship.
"If you keep giving the ball away, trying to turn
teams and don't have any sustained possession,
teams tend to hurt you.
"Premier League clubs have got players good
enough to keep the ball for five or six minutes
and suddenly you are chasing shadows. One false
move and they cut through you straight away.
When strikers are at the top of their game they
only need one chance and you are one nil down
and chasing the game."
Reading were starved of possession in the Premier
League under McDermott which, in turn, invited
pressure from opponents.
Latest statistics reveal that opposition teams
carved out an average of 18.6 shots at Reading's
goal during matches this season - the highest for
any team in the top five leagues in Europe.
However, Le Fondre, 24, says things have
improved under Adkins over the eight matches
he has been in charge.
"He's only been here a handful of games, but
we've come on leaps and bounds," he suggested.
"We're keeping the ball better and starting to
control games with a little more possession.
"We're getting a foothold in games which we
weren't really doing earlier in the season. We were
sort of riding our luck and hoping for the best.
That's tough to say but that's what we were
doing.
"We were hoping someone came up with a bit of
magic or that Adam Federici or Alex McCarthy
had a 'worldy' in goal, and we would take it from
there.
"Now there's more structure about our play. With
a bit of fine tuning we can keep progressing."
Reading, boosted by £60 million in parachute
payments over the next four years, are expected
to challenge for promotion back to the Premier
League next season.
And Le Fondre declared: "I think we will come
back stronger next season, we will have that
hunger to play in the Premier League again, it's
what everyone wants.
"We've all got to have that hunger and desire to
play there because it's the best league in the
world. We know what the Championship is all
about. We ground it out the season before last
and won the title and we need to do it again.
"I believe we've got enough experience and
quality to do that."
Le Fondre, however, is one of several players
attracting the attention of rival clubs including
Premier League newcomers Cardiff City.
The striker top scored for Royals with 12 Premier
League goals over the season - the same as
Chelsea's Juan Mata and Manchester United's
Wayne Rooney.
He also set a new record for most goals scored by
a substitute in a Premier League season and was
named Player of the Month for January.
However, he accepted players are certain to leave
Madejski Stadium over the coming weeks.
"That's just the nature of football," he said. "You
rarely see clubs do nothing in the summer. If you
do you stand still and people pass you by. You
always need to improve."

Hopefully he'll be gone soon.

Every fan has been saying the same thing about what McDermott's tactics were like, mostly pretty vicious and harsh comments too. Just because a player says it, he's suddenly some kind of idiot prick? What a holier-than-thou attitude, particular for someone who is a mere spectator of this mans work.

Are you really suggesting that you disagree with him?

I just don't like him that's all. It's probably his hair or name or something. There are some players though, who I just don't like and LeFondre is one of them. Now he has said all these things, I don't believe them.

[P!ssed Off]

Why are we all talking about Swansea here? Just because Adkins asked our defenders to try and ensure we don't give the ball straight back to the opposition when getting it?

There are more than just 2 ways of playing football guys

Stringing together more than 2 passes = 'trying to play like Barcelona'/'dull football'...

Apparently some people much preferred watching us continually losing the ball and chasing shadows for what seemed like 75% of each match.

[West Stand Man]

Why are we all talking about Swansea here? Just because Adkins asked our defenders to try and ensure we don't give the ball straight back to the opposition when getting it?

There are more than just 2 ways of playing football guys

Stringing together more than 2 passes = 'trying to play like Barcelona'/'dull football'...

Apparently some people much preferred watching us continually losing the ball and chasing shadows for what seemed like 75% of each match.

Can you read? I can and I don't see any hint of that in this thread. Certainly my own posts have been clear that I want to see us win. If that is best achieved by traditional Reading style counter attacking that is great. If it is by passing and playing keep ball I am just as happy. What some of us don't believe is that 'attractive' football is the be all and end all. We have won the Championship twice in the last 7 years, both occasions were by playing the style of football that failed us this year.

[P!ssed Off]

Why are we all talking about Swansea here? Just because Adkins asked our defenders to try and ensure we don't give the ball straight back to the opposition when getting it?

There are more than just 2 ways of playing football guys

Stringing together more than 2 passes = 'trying to play like Barcelona'/'dull football'...

Apparently some people much preferred watching us continually losing the ball and chasing shadows for what seemed like 75% of each match.

Can you read? I can and I don't see any hint of that in this thread. Certainly my own posts have been clear that I want to see us win. If that is best achieved by traditional Reading style counter attacking that is great. If it is by passing and playing keep ball I am just as happy. What some of us don't believe is that 'attractive' football is the be all and end all. We have won the Championship twice in the last 7 years, both occasions were by playing the style of football that failed us this year.

I don't have the time or inclination to read every single comment of this 40 page, pretty pointless thread.

Melonhead for one said on Page 39:
"im declaring that the possession game makes for duller football.
which it does.
thats why i cant stand INTL or european games in the main"

I have seen many mentions of Barcelona, Swansea and people calling Adkins "Rodgers Mk 11."
As you said yourself: "What some of us don't believe is that 'attractive' football is the be all and end all."
I do not consider a team capable of passing a oxf*rd football as playing 'attractive football', I just call it 'standard football'.

Many people on this thread and elsewhere have complained that they don't want us passing like Barcelona, Swansea and the rest. If you can't "see any hint of that in this thread", then I refer you to your own patronising rhetorical question:
"Can you read?"

[winchester_royal]

Nonsense. Bayern had something like 65% possession in the CL final, in fact the only time all season they've not dominated possession was against Barca.

'Winning' football is 'effective' football. Whether that be direct or slightly more cultured. What we've seen this season is that effective football in the PL tends to involve the ability to retain possession and to pass and move.

[smiles]

As noted above, only Barcelona have had a higher amount of possession than Bayern this season.

The fact is modern top level football relies on more than just giving the ball to two wingers. We need to develop a style of play that utilises the centre of the pitch more.

[winchester_royal]

Why are we all talking about Swansea here? Just because Adkins asked our defenders to try and ensure we don't give the ball straight back to the opposition when getting it?

There are more than just 2 ways of playing football guys

Stringing together more than 2 passes = 'trying to play like Barcelona'/'dull football'...

Apparently some people much preferred watching us continually losing the ball and chasing shadows for what seemed like 75% of each match.

Can you read? I can and I don't see any hint of that in this thread. Certainly my own posts have been clear that I want to see us win. If that is best achieved by traditional Reading style counter attacking that is great. If it is by passing and playing keep ball I am just as happy. What some of us don't believe is that 'attractive' football is the be all and end all. We have won the Championship twice in the last 7 years, both occasions were by playing the style of football that failed us this year.

I suggest you have another look throught the thread then m8 as there's plenty of references to Swansea and 'tika taka' football.

Personally I think Adkins strikes a nice balance. If there isn't a counter attack on then we try and retain possession but if there's space up the field then we get it forward quickly. As the players get used to transitioning between the two we'll become more effective, as we saw in the Fulham game which was as entertaining a Reading performance as we've seen all season.

Obviously the most important thing is playing a way that allows us to pick up points, but work has to be done before you can achieve that. That's why some of us talk about 'progress', because as long as we're improving then there's plenty to support the belief that we'll be able to combine attractiveness with effectiveness. Which would be nice, I'm sure we can all agree on that.

[West Stand Man]

It's like talking to a child. I am out.

[P!ssed Off]

I suggest you have another look throught the thread then m8 as there's plenty of references to Swansea and 'tika taka' football.

Personally I think Adkins strikes a nice balance. If there isn't a counter attack on then we try and retain possession but if there's space up the field then we get it forward quickly. As the players get used to transitioning between the two we'll become more effective, as we saw in the Fulham game which was as entertaining a Reading performance as we've seen all season.

Obviously the most important thing is playing a way that allows us to pick up points, but work has to be done before you can achieve that. That's why some of us talk about 'progress', because as long as we're improving then there's plenty to support the belief that we'll be able to combine attractiveness with effectiveness. Which would be nice, I'm sure we can all agree on that.

I think Danny Guthrie's play sums up our new style the best.
A lot of the time he just does simple, ball-retaining passes, either square or backwards, but when something is on he'll attempt a switch, or a through ball. In the last few matches he was routinely attempting up to 10 long balls per match IIRthestatsC.

This is positive stuff for me. The player assigned the task of doing the most audacious, difficult passes should be the team's best passer, not the cb or the goalkeeper as was the case previously.

[P!ssed Off]

It's like talking to a child. I am out.

I sincerely hope you don't talk to children like that.

[winchester_royal]

It's like talking to a child. I am out.

Okay, see ya

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

what i like to see is exciting players. people like Friday, Gilkes. Kebe . that an play with the ball . add in a decent striker like long Quinn. a mid fielder like siggy , and a parkinson . then we are getting somewhere

[Avon Royal]

what i like to see is exciting players. people like Friday, Gilkes. Kebe . that an play with the ball . add in a decent striker like long Quinn. a mid fielder like siggy , and a parkinson . then we are getting somewhere

[Ian Royal]

Why are we all talking about Swansea here? Just because Adkins asked our defenders to try and ensure we don't give the ball straight back to the opposition when getting it?

There are more than just 2 ways of playing football guys

Stringing together more than 2 passes = 'trying to play like Barcelona'/'dull football'...

Apparently some people much preferred watching us continually losing the ball and chasing shadows for what seemed like 75% of each match.

Can you read? I can and I don't see any hint of that in this thread. Certainly my own posts have been clear that I want to see us win. If that is best achieved by traditional Reading style counter attacking that is great. If it is by passing and playing keep ball I am just as happy. What some of us don't believe is that 'attractive' football is the be all and end all. We have won the Championship twice in the last 7 years, both occasions were by playing the style of football that failed us this year.

On the scale of route one to tippy tappy McDermott is several steps towards route one compared to Coppell.
Aladyce-Pulis---McDermott---Coppell-Adkins--------------------------Rodgers

[MmmMonsterMunch]

^ good post. Totally agree. Adkins seems to have more cutting edge than Rodgers for sure.