Adkins - Pros and Cons

[Forest Gump]

As I said I don't dislike his style of football and I agree that he has been seriously under-backed by the management team around him.

But I do think that when confidence is obviously this low it will take a major change at the club to shake the players into a reaction. I suspect that Nigel has run out of pep-talk material and that players are thinking that he cannot make it work.

It is a shame that we cannot make it work with managers who like to play attractive football but we can't because we don't have enough quality in the team and at the moment we need someone who can get the best out of the team that we have. I would love a "non-yes" man like Holloway because I am fed up with all this: " we are good enough, "we are blessed with academy players" etc cr@p. We are not good enough for the Championship this season and that a fact.

I think the fans - maybe not the owners - would appreciate an honest appraisal for a change.

Also can we please stop the: "when so and so returns from injury it'll be alright rubbish - it's nonsense. Those players are not available and they cannot be counted as available anytime soon. In any event typically players who have been out for many months do not come back as good. realistically we may never see Karacan in a Reading short this season, McCleary will almost certainly be a yard slower when he first comes back and Guthrie is perpetually injured it seems. Not sure about Williams but the point is anybody who thinks it is adequate to rely on any of these players adding anything this season is deluded. surely there must be players available on the loan market?
I hope so as we need AT LEAST 2 x CB, 1 x RB, 2 x CM.
Or we can try to stop the current squad from under performing by bringing in a new manager to motivate them. It might just help to avoid the threat of relegation.

[AthleticoSpizz]

omg and ffs

out

[Royal Bahamas]

So.............Brian has just signed a three year contract with the Gunners......what chance of getting him back? Play-offs by the end of Season?

[sandman]

So.............Brian has just signed a three year contract with the Gunners......what chance of getting him back? Play-offs by the end of Season?

Actually he's signed for the Gunners for 6 months.

[harry]

omg and ffs

out

LOL

[3points]

I just don't understand what formation he's trying to play at the moment. I think it is 4-2-3-1 but feels a lot like 4-2-4 as the "wide players" are not doing their defensive duties. To a large extent Adkins got away with it last season as McAnuff in particular worked back really well. Blackman, Mackie (who used to be a centre forward) and HRK all want play up front and Cox doesn't track back unless he really has to. Murray is clearly better than Pog as a striker, but doesn't work as hard closing teams down either. Add all this together and the lack of a decent defensive midfielder means we are very exposed at the back as well.

[leon]

I just don't understand what formation he's trying to play at the moment. I think it is 4-2-3-1 but feels a lot like 4-2-4 as the "wide players" are not doing their defensive duties. To a large extent Adkins got away with it last season as McAnuff in particular worked back really well. Blackman, Mackie (who used to be a centre forward) and HRK all want play up front and Cox doesn't track back unless he really has to. Murray is clearly better than Pog as a striker, but doesn't work as hard closing teams down either. Add all this together and the lack of a decent defensive midfielder means we are very exposed at the back as well.

Good points. The way Adkins is setting us up is exposing the defence - as old fashioned as it might be, we need a holding midfielder who can tackle and our wide men to actually work with the full backs to defend.

We let Derby play through us without ever really pressuring them in any part of the field. We might be good with the ball (although not good enough) we will be rolled over by any decent side that can attack us. This is fairly basic stuff that Adkins has not addressed.

[AthleticoSpizz]

so we're talking about signing someone like Leigertwood right?

[leon]

so we're talking about signing someone like Leigertwood right?

I would say so, yes.

[AthleticoSpizz]

...and poses the question...why did we let him go etc

Why does Hope Akpan get dropped?

[urz13]

Why does Hope Akpan get dropped?

Because he's shit.

[quickwingerswife]

Pros. Likes flat footed defenders
Can recite fairy tales after 3 nil defeats
Back up Physio
Keeps Solent University in business
Loved and adored in Southampton

Cons. Wears blinkers.
Can't react with the crowd.
Doesn't realise we are heading for Div 1
Chews Tobacco,

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

In the region of £5million annual wages unselectable due to injuries, mccleary the best wide player, and karajan and williams, the two best at breaking up attacks, and Guthrie, who is rarely fit and we probably want shot of. But no one wants him.

[wingnut]

I just don't understand what formation he's trying to play at the moment. I think it is 4-2-3-1 but feels a lot like 4-2-4 as the "wide players" are not doing their defensive duties. To a large extent Adkins got away with it last season as McAnuff in particular worked back really well. Blackman, Mackie (who used to be a centre forward) and HRK all want play up front and Cox doesn't track back unless he really has to. Murray is clearly better than Pog as a striker, but doesn't work as hard closing teams down either. Add all this together and the lack of a decent defensive midfielder means we are very exposed at the back as well.

Good points. The way Adkins is setting us up is exposing the defence - as old fashioned as it might be, we need a holding midfielder who can tackle and our wide men to actually work with the full backs to defend.

We let Derby play through us without ever really pressuring them in any part of the field. We might be good with the ball (although not good enough) we will be rolled over by any decent side that can attack us. This is fairly basic stuff that Adkins has not addressed.

Yep agree with both posts. I have to think that our wide players must be instructed to play narrow - it's been such a feature of Adkins' reign here that the players can't be doing it unbidded.

[sandman]

Why does Hope Akpan get dropped?

Because he's shit.

Nothing like blindly following the crowd is there?

[Bossbluff]

Altough i have been out of the country for nearly evey game this season, i have not seen any improvement made to the club with him leading the team.
Is he really as good as they thought??

[Silver Fox]

At least the highly vocal 'Adkins out' minority are happy tonight.

Why would that be? HE's still in charge and we're still subjected to the same old excuses for his failures from Nigel's acolytes, plus our football team lost.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Wasn't there.

Sounds like individual defenders were at fault once again. Might it not be them that need replacing rather than the manager?

[Amato]

For those who want Adkins to go, think about this:

After a big cry from supporters, Reading sacked Brendan Rodgers in December 2009 after losing too many games.
2011 Swansea 4 Reading 2
2013-14 Liverpool nearly win Premiership and qualify for Champions League. First time since 2007
October 2014 Liverpool supporters ring 606 to say 'sack Rodgers'

2012 Adkins is the first Southampton manager to gain back-to-back promotion
January 2013 Adkins is sacked with Saints in the top half of the table

Adkins joined Reading in a state of transition after McDermott had got us relegated. With Sir John losing money hand over fist he needed to cut the budget. Last season Adkins was effectively hamstrung because of the absence of the Russian 'investor' and the subsequent lack of funding.

This season Adkins is working with kids and is doing a bloody good job. If ire should be pointed anywhere then it should be at the new consortium who are responsible for funding their new venture. I don't think it was Adkins who sold McCarthy, Morrison et al, it was the board.

Adkins deserves, and needs, another season at the MadStad.

As Billy Beane, the Baseball coach says 'no plan interrupted is ever successful'.

[Forbury Lion]

Another Nigel Adkins thread, just what we need.