strap Lord save us from this bullsh!t.
Amen. But not in the way you think.
Hugely improved
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Platypuss
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Amen. But not in the way you think.
It's about getting the rub of the green, we have been unlucky so far this season. If we score the penalty, tshibolas goal gets given and bond doesn't make an error then we have 7 points instead of 2 and all the people hating on Clarke would shut up
Ian RoyalAthleticoSpizz Yes of course
The FA Cup semi final obviously counted for nothing.
This is the 2015/2016 squad,
I'm with Woodcote on this one.....two games in.....we are virtually starting from ground zero....watch and wait, jumping in with the scorn at this stage, is quite frankly, embarressing
We're just discussing the manager's overall performance record whilst waiting for enough new data to judge this season.
And I think the FA cup was the only thing preventing widespread calls for Clarke's head.
It was also one of the contributory factors in our below average league performance too. You can't ignore it as a positive and then just look at the league form independently and say it wasn't good enough because the two didn't happen in isolation.
As for this season, I think Clarke is doing a pretty good job so far. We look a much better side with more balance and more potential for winning games than we did under Adkins and the squad is starting to look a lot more rounded.
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Lacoste
Waxy It's about getting the rub of the green, we have been unlucky so far this season. If we score the penalty, tshibolas goal gets given and bond doesn't make an error then we have 7 points instead of 2 and all the people hating on Clarke would shut up
If if's and but's were candy and nuts then every day would be Christmas.
LacosteWaxy It's about getting the rub of the green, we have been unlucky so far this season. If we score the penalty, tshibolas goal gets given and bond doesn't make an error then we have 7 points instead of 2 and all the people hating on Clarke would shut up
If if's and but's were candy and nuts then every day would be Christmas.
Over the season, generally what goes around comes around and from what I've seen so far this season I am positive and think this team with a bit more addition is easily a top 10 side. You can hold me to my word and if I'm wrong ill hold my hands up. But I'm calling it right now, this season will be a good one for reading fc
The problem I have with Clarke is the same one I had with Adkins - we're just so boring to watch. There's no width, no pace and just endless sideways passes in our own half. Possession based football is all very well if you also focus on off-the-ball movement -and neither Clarke's team nor Adkins's teams look to be capable of this.
So, let's have some width and be a bit more direct.
So, let's have some width and be a bit more direct.
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Stranded
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How do you have width without any fit or available wingers?
If we continue to lack width once McCleary, Hurtado, Fosu are fully fit and available then I will cede your point - at the moment in midfield it's a case of square pegs as we only have players who tend to play centrally, fit.
If we continue to lack width once McCleary, Hurtado, Fosu are fully fit and available then I will cede your point - at the moment in midfield it's a case of square pegs as we only have players who tend to play centrally, fit.
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Extended-Phenotype
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This winger excuse isn't rubbing with me. HRK is a winger. Blackman can and has played wide. It's SC's choice to play narrow and put our two most centrally orientated players in wide positions.
Our current lack of width is the fault of management rather than availability.
Our current lack of width is the fault of management rather than availability.
It doesn't rub with me either. The lack of width isn't a new problem - we've been playing too narrow for bloddy ages now - and have done so even when Macleary has been fit.
Wrote this on another thread but it's probably better suited to this one.
I don't think there's anyone watching us with an open mind that can't see how better organised we are and that there have been improvements from last season. It's still far too early to judge his signings of course but the two lads from Hull and Sa look promising so far whilst the keepers leave a bit to be desired.
I also think his post match interviews are generally very honest and he's not usually susceptible to making the generic managerial excuses one or two posters on here seem to be accusing him of.
My two concerns with Clarke though lie with his rather negative mindset.
If you're controlling a game and are 1-0 up with 15 minutes to go then you can either make changes to push for the goal that will kill the game off or make changes to defend what you have. Clarke seems to always favour the latter and in the case of last night it means one individual error can undo all of your work for the previous 90 minutes. Of course it may be down to the lack of real attacking options at present with McCleary and Pog injured and the new signings not yet up to match fitness. However he did have young Academy talent on the bench in Fosu and Stacey which he could have used to show positive intent.
Which brings me to my second concern which is that I have a feeling that the pathway for the youngsters is going to be shut off somewhat due to Clarke's naturally cautious instincts. Tish is playing at the moment but that's mainly because Williams and Quinn are being used wider. When the likes of McCleary and Hurtado are available (and maybe even Fernandez as he can play wider) then I can see Tish,Fosu and Stacey struggling to get a look in. That's fine if those players lead to a successful season but if we're going to be plodding away lower mid table then I personally would much rather our own youngsters were given the opportunities to stake a claim.
As I said far too early to draw concrete conclusions and despite the results there are some encouraging signs, there's just a nagging doubt in my mind about whether Clarke's mentality is suited to building a successful Championship side.
I don't think there's anyone watching us with an open mind that can't see how better organised we are and that there have been improvements from last season. It's still far too early to judge his signings of course but the two lads from Hull and Sa look promising so far whilst the keepers leave a bit to be desired.
I also think his post match interviews are generally very honest and he's not usually susceptible to making the generic managerial excuses one or two posters on here seem to be accusing him of.
My two concerns with Clarke though lie with his rather negative mindset.
If you're controlling a game and are 1-0 up with 15 minutes to go then you can either make changes to push for the goal that will kill the game off or make changes to defend what you have. Clarke seems to always favour the latter and in the case of last night it means one individual error can undo all of your work for the previous 90 minutes. Of course it may be down to the lack of real attacking options at present with McCleary and Pog injured and the new signings not yet up to match fitness. However he did have young Academy talent on the bench in Fosu and Stacey which he could have used to show positive intent.
Which brings me to my second concern which is that I have a feeling that the pathway for the youngsters is going to be shut off somewhat due to Clarke's naturally cautious instincts. Tish is playing at the moment but that's mainly because Williams and Quinn are being used wider. When the likes of McCleary and Hurtado are available (and maybe even Fernandez as he can play wider) then I can see Tish,Fosu and Stacey struggling to get a look in. That's fine if those players lead to a successful season but if we're going to be plodding away lower mid table then I personally would much rather our own youngsters were given the opportunities to stake a claim.
As I said far too early to draw concrete conclusions and despite the results there are some encouraging signs, there's just a nagging doubt in my mind about whether Clarke's mentality is suited to building a successful Championship side.
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Extended-Phenotype
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Stick Fernandez in the middle as an AM, Williams and Quin holding, with Hurtado and McCleary wide, and we might stand a chance.
Knowing Clarke though, he'll probably play Norwood and Hector on the wings and stick Hurtado in goal.
Knowing Clarke though, he'll probably play Norwood and Hector on the wings and stick Hurtado in goal.
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Eaststandman
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Jose rated SC and he seems to be quite successful at this football manager malarkey, presumably SC learned a thing or two whilst assisting Jose and to the point where Jose said he would walk if CFC let SC go! Our team and club was, I believe, in a much worse state than many realised and building from a solid platform of defence seems like a pretty good plan and will need time to come to fruition. Other managers have had plenty more time than SC has been permitted thus far so we should stick IMHO
Extended-Phenotype This winger excuse isn't rubbing with me. HRK is a winger. Blackman can and has played wide. It's SC's choice to play narrow and put our two most centrally orientated players in wide positions.
Our current lack of width is the fault of management rather than availability.
HRK and Blackman both want to be strikers, so they move in. The whole thing becomes congested in the middle as a result.
Against Leeds, Williams and Quinn ended up going out widelooking for space, because there was no room for them in the middle. HRK and Blackman at fault for me.
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Gordons Cumming
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As usual I found a Floyd's post most uplifting.
Long may he prosper.
Long may he prosper.
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Pandoras Box
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Vision said:
To be fair - so there should be or what would be the point of any changes.
I think it is a little unfair to judge SC against Adkins(note:not a fan). It would be interesting to see how we would be faring under SC if he had the same constraints, playing staff and background noise as NA had in 2014 or conversely how we would now be playing under NA if he had been given the money and support that SC has been given. It's apples and pears.
I don't think there's anyone watching us with an open mind that can't see how better organised we are and that there have been improvements from last season.
To be fair - so there should be or what would be the point of any changes.
I think it is a little unfair to judge SC against Adkins(note:not a fan). It would be interesting to see how we would be faring under SC if he had the same constraints, playing staff and background noise as NA had in 2014 or conversely how we would now be playing under NA if he had been given the money and support that SC has been given. It's apples and pears.
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Extended-Phenotype
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EstebanExtended-Phenotype This winger excuse isn't rubbing with me. HRK is a winger. Blackman can and has played wide. It's SC's choice to play narrow and put our two most centrally orientated players in wide positions.
Our current lack of width is the fault of management rather than availability.
HRK and Blackman both want to be strikers, so they move in. The whole thing becomes congested in the middle as a result.
Against Leeds, Williams and Quinn ended up going out widelooking for space, because there was no room for them in the middle. HRK and Blackman at fault for me.
Failing to manage your players - Clarke at failt for me.
clearly an instruction from the manager to do so.
Clarke at fault tactically
Clarke at fault tactically
Eaststandman Jose rated SC and he seems to be quite successful at this football manager malarkey, presumably SC learned a thing or two whilst assisting Jose and to the point where Jose said he would walk if CFC let SC go! Our team and club was, I believe, in a much worse state than many realised and building from a solid platform of defence seems like a pretty good plan and will need time to come to fruition. Other managers have had plenty more time than SC has been permitted thus far so we should stick IMHO
Spot on
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Duke the Dog2
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I can't be a*sed to look, but changing the topic slightly, have we ever had a massive turnaround in fortune when we've changed managers? I can't think of any off the top of my head and it always seems to be other teams that it happens too or am I just a typical pessimistic Reading fan?
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Dick Habbin's hairdo
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Call me cynical but all this breathless gushing over whether a cornucopia of foreign migrants - errr, mercenaries - and possibly a winger or two, maybe even a striker, plus two dodgy keepers might constitute "hugely improved" seems a tad self indulgent.
In fact it reminds me of this glorious spleen venting - apologies, I can't find the original - and its soliloquy which put things in perspective. It was written five years ago. The author may choose to make himself known.... or not.
" It is a truly warped mind which can't rest after a defeat in the Carling Cup, but after an abortive attempt at sleep I find myself turning Ben Hamer's goalkeeping over in my head as well as apparently more pressing concerns about needing a new boiler and pending appraisals with my team at work ("you've put here 'strengths - accounting'. That's your job though, isn't it?").
Quite why I thought that watching Reading play would improve another dire day spent at work after battling across Berkshire on First Great Western's tardy and expensive service, dodging lycra-clad oxf*rd with fold up bicycles in the vestibules is beyond me. At least at Reading I can tell everyone in no uncertain terms what I think of their wretched performance as opposed to work where I spend the best part of 8 hours a day keeping my tongue. And now the more I think about it, the more things trouble me, for instance:
- Why did I spend £350-odd on a season ticket to commit to watching Alex Pearce slice desperate clearances at 45 degree angles to his kicking foot and Jem Karacan donate the football to the opposition as if they were collecting sports equipment for flood-ravaged Pakistan? It's not as if I didn't already know back in the summer that these two - and a good many others on our books - are pretty absymal at football. It should be about £4 to get in to watch a football match really, tops. I blame Liverpool fans and Northern Rock.
- Why do we have a failed ex-Slough and Woking manager in charge? Don't get me wrong, I like Brian. He's quite clearly a thoroughly bloody nice bloke which is at least an improvement on his predecessor.
- Why is our best player Icelandic? Iceland is to football what, erm, Bejam is to Cricket.
- Why is my own personal favourite player - also Icelandic - a 34-year old who is slower than a mini-bus full of Chelsea fans with a flat tyre? Are we otherwise so devoid of quality and excitement that watching a man apparently made from granite smash foolhardily into the opposition is the most entertaining thing on offer?
- Why do I hate Adam Federici? Is it because he is seemingly the only Australian who is crap at sport? Or because every post-match mistake-denying interview is delivered in that chirpy accent after he has spaffed a couple of low, near-post dollies under his fat belly?
- When will Brian Howard ever make a tackle? He likes a physical challenge about as much as Walter the Softy does.
- Why is it a £3.50 return fare from Reading station to go and watch this sh*t? What am I getting for my money, a film showing en route? You f*cking crooks.
- Why (when we have the spackiest, most simperingly middle-class fan base in the land) do we have probably the jobsworthiest stewards in the entire country, who themselves are dictated to by an ex-fireman with a speech impediment? And why don't the stewards make themselves a little more jobsworthy outside the ground rather than erecting a safety fence to keep 250 gibbering Scunthorpe fans at bay and sending the home supporters off to walk all the way round the ground to get to their cars parked at a bargain £7 in Worton Grange.
- Why is it only at football that £7 for 2 hours parking is deemed an acceptable price? At least Dick Turpin wore a mask.
- Why do I have to mind my p's and q's at football anyway? F*ck me, there are 8,000 empty seats most weeks; can't we sit all the kids in families in some sort of enclave with a sound-proof safety fence? At football, people shouldn't be thrown out for swearing, they should be ejected for doing the EA-SAY clap or for wearing face-paint or a jester's hat; these things are far more offensive.
- Why does modern football disenfranchise me so? Preening Premier League fancy-dans getting paid far too much and taking themselves too seriously. Sadly, in the Championship we seem to see the second-tier of this kind of c*nt which in a way is worse. SKY Sports News in HD bringing you the news that Barnsley have banned Vuvuzelas for next season. I hope all 92 league clubs go bankrupt, yes including Reading. It's all your fault, Jimmy Hill.
- Why, after 30 years trying, haven't I been able to find a more fulfilling hobby than watching a crap football team on a far too regular basis? Yes, there is another choice of hobby of course, but much more of that kind of thing and it'll fall off in my hand.
Oh well, at least this has stopped me thinking about the boiler for 5 minutes. And I suppose the biggest WHY here is WHY did I bother writing all this when I hold at least 90% in massive contempt anyhow.
In fact it reminds me of this glorious spleen venting - apologies, I can't find the original - and its soliloquy which put things in perspective. It was written five years ago. The author may choose to make himself known.... or not.
" It is a truly warped mind which can't rest after a defeat in the Carling Cup, but after an abortive attempt at sleep I find myself turning Ben Hamer's goalkeeping over in my head as well as apparently more pressing concerns about needing a new boiler and pending appraisals with my team at work ("you've put here 'strengths - accounting'. That's your job though, isn't it?").
Quite why I thought that watching Reading play would improve another dire day spent at work after battling across Berkshire on First Great Western's tardy and expensive service, dodging lycra-clad oxf*rd with fold up bicycles in the vestibules is beyond me. At least at Reading I can tell everyone in no uncertain terms what I think of their wretched performance as opposed to work where I spend the best part of 8 hours a day keeping my tongue. And now the more I think about it, the more things trouble me, for instance:
- Why did I spend £350-odd on a season ticket to commit to watching Alex Pearce slice desperate clearances at 45 degree angles to his kicking foot and Jem Karacan donate the football to the opposition as if they were collecting sports equipment for flood-ravaged Pakistan? It's not as if I didn't already know back in the summer that these two - and a good many others on our books - are pretty absymal at football. It should be about £4 to get in to watch a football match really, tops. I blame Liverpool fans and Northern Rock.
- Why do we have a failed ex-Slough and Woking manager in charge? Don't get me wrong, I like Brian. He's quite clearly a thoroughly bloody nice bloke which is at least an improvement on his predecessor.
- Why is our best player Icelandic? Iceland is to football what, erm, Bejam is to Cricket.
- Why is my own personal favourite player - also Icelandic - a 34-year old who is slower than a mini-bus full of Chelsea fans with a flat tyre? Are we otherwise so devoid of quality and excitement that watching a man apparently made from granite smash foolhardily into the opposition is the most entertaining thing on offer?
- Why do I hate Adam Federici? Is it because he is seemingly the only Australian who is crap at sport? Or because every post-match mistake-denying interview is delivered in that chirpy accent after he has spaffed a couple of low, near-post dollies under his fat belly?
- When will Brian Howard ever make a tackle? He likes a physical challenge about as much as Walter the Softy does.
- Why is it a £3.50 return fare from Reading station to go and watch this sh*t? What am I getting for my money, a film showing en route? You f*cking crooks.
- Why (when we have the spackiest, most simperingly middle-class fan base in the land) do we have probably the jobsworthiest stewards in the entire country, who themselves are dictated to by an ex-fireman with a speech impediment? And why don't the stewards make themselves a little more jobsworthy outside the ground rather than erecting a safety fence to keep 250 gibbering Scunthorpe fans at bay and sending the home supporters off to walk all the way round the ground to get to their cars parked at a bargain £7 in Worton Grange.
- Why is it only at football that £7 for 2 hours parking is deemed an acceptable price? At least Dick Turpin wore a mask.
- Why do I have to mind my p's and q's at football anyway? F*ck me, there are 8,000 empty seats most weeks; can't we sit all the kids in families in some sort of enclave with a sound-proof safety fence? At football, people shouldn't be thrown out for swearing, they should be ejected for doing the EA-SAY clap or for wearing face-paint or a jester's hat; these things are far more offensive.
- Why does modern football disenfranchise me so? Preening Premier League fancy-dans getting paid far too much and taking themselves too seriously. Sadly, in the Championship we seem to see the second-tier of this kind of c*nt which in a way is worse. SKY Sports News in HD bringing you the news that Barnsley have banned Vuvuzelas for next season. I hope all 92 league clubs go bankrupt, yes including Reading. It's all your fault, Jimmy Hill.
- Why, after 30 years trying, haven't I been able to find a more fulfilling hobby than watching a crap football team on a far too regular basis? Yes, there is another choice of hobby of course, but much more of that kind of thing and it'll fall off in my hand.
Oh well, at least this has stopped me thinking about the boiler for 5 minutes. And I suppose the biggest WHY here is WHY did I bother writing all this when I hold at least 90% in massive contempt anyhow.
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