Back from booing at my tv screen

[bobby1413]

I can't believe some of the comments on here!! Norwich was the best team I have seen at the Mad Stad so far this season and I thought we shaded the first half and they shaded the second half. It was a good performance from us and a change from what the side has served up recently.

In what way? Well, there was much less of the aimless, boring passing between goalkeeper and back four; there was more emphasis on fast, attacking, forward passing; Mannone was not afraid to kick it long to set up an attack and his kicking was more accurate than AAH; we showed some delightful one-touch football at times (as did Norwich); there was passion in our play - and, with 4 yellow cards earned, maybe too much passion!! We were also trying to direct our headers positively (not always successfully) rather than just winning the ball in the air.

Yes - there were simple misplaced passes, particularly in the first 10 minutes when Norwich bossed proceedings, but I saw plenty of the same on MOTD showing the highlights of the Premier League!! We were also unlucky in that most of the loose balls fell to the feet of the opposition (that happens!) and we desperately need Kermie back! But I was encouraged by what I saw - which was progression.

Of course it was far from perfect. Blackett had a good game, I thought, but lost Jerome for their winning goal. Gunter made two school-boy errors in a minute around our own penalty area although he nearly scored an equaliser towards the end. The right-footed Bereens was not comfortable on the left so predictably cut back inside on virtually every occasion.

But if we can get Swift back on form, Barrow back up to speed and Kermie back on the pitch then the future is bright.

Very solid post, sensible and level headed.

I was reluctant to nob today but there are some good posts which are reasonable. Particularly in recognition that Norwich are a good side and we did play better than in previous games.

I think realistically we aren't going up and we aren't going down. Anyone who argues this I think are being overly dramatic.

[Steve_Upper_West]

6 Blackett. Decent with some great touches

WTAF?? It looked like a fan had won a competition to be in the starting XI.

Blackett is very clever with the ball at his feet and in that respect reminds me of HRK ... who by the way would walk back into this side just now ...

[Jack Celliers]

3 assists in a week for Aluko

Crazy considering the teams performances. Really needs to play on the wing, he's hungry for the ball and very creative but honestly the last person in our team I want taking shots.
Anyone got an idea of team shape tonight?

Mannone
Gunter, McShane, Moore, Blackett
Bacuna, Berg, Kelly
Aluko, McCleary, Beerens

But Beerens and McCleary swapped a lot, could easily be the other way round. And Berg dropped into central defence plenty Gunter and Blackett pushed on

Mannone
Gunter, McShane, Berg, Moore, Blackett
Bacuna, Kelly
Aluko, Beerens, McCleary
Was how we lined up

Mannone
Gunter, McShane, Berg, Moore, Blackett
Bacuna, Kelly
Aluko, Beerens, McCleary
Was how we played

[Jack Celliers]

It was ok, We didn't have much luck: every time the ball went out it seemed to have a flukey deflection off a Reading player and the ref could have been kinder towards us, but the Norwich players were miles better than ours, and 2-1 flattered us massively. We are in a relegation scrap now and Stam should be up to the task, so I am not going to panic. The board have spunked so much money on players this summer, I hope they can keep their heads. It will be all right in the end.

Mannone 5 First soft goal of the season (overall however it has been a pleasant surprise that this is one area we have improved)
Gunter 5 Good
Blackett 4 Not good
Moore 6 Ok and he scored so probably has to be man of the match
McShane 2 Absolutely woeful - what has happened since the end of last season
Berg 5 Ok, but he's playing at his best and it isn't nearly good enough most of the time
Kelly 5 Ok, but to be honest he has been found out and his days seem numbered
Bacuna 3 just not very good at football
Aluko 0 I can cope with him not being a striker, but it would be nice if he had occupied a position somewhere and joined in a littlle
Beerens 2 a centre forward role was Stam's two fingers to the crowd and potentially a brave stroke of genius if only it had worked
McCleary 6 I like him - he is a Reading player

Dear god, and you reckoned we were ok? McCleary 6?

It was OK. Some players played very badly, and Norwich looked good, so we lost. That's football. Overall, though, we will be fine, as long as they keep faith with Stam. We have enough players with potential and I am sure he can find a team and a way to play effectively.

[Jackson Corner]

One shot on target in 95 minutes of football at home? Can someone please tell me how that rates as a good performance? The simple truth is we are not scoring goals and we look nothing like scoring goals. We are conceding soft goals from set pieces. When you look at a table after 10 games that usually gives you an idea of were you will end up at the end of the season. So we should be very worried.

[CountryRoyal]

6 Blackett. Decent with some great touches

WTAF?? It looked like a fan had won a competition to be in the starting XI.

Blackett is very clever with the ball at his feet and in that respect reminds me of HRK ... who by the way would walk back into this side just now ...

It's not the first time I've said this but I'd rather get relegated than have HRK back.

[Hound]

As much as the lack of chances created is a major issue, it's the fact we keep conceding goals from the oppositions only chance which then let's them put ten behind the ball which we are then unable to break down.

Norwich did very little to deserve their 2 goals - fantastic free kick granted, but otherwise they created f all and still scored

That was the same story as Brizzle, Hull and Millwall as well. Checked the stats, in those 4 games the oppo have had 24 shots on goal, 11 on target and scored 6 goals which is pretty mental really

[Westwood52]

Trying to be even handed here.
I cannot recall a Reading game when everyone had a below par performance-even Moore (eventually). Stam mentioned working harder, sometimes that is the answer, but more often it is about working smarter. So many good players are right off their game-why ? Is the training all wrong ?
As a commentary on the season, for a 2nd year too high a % of Brian's acquisitions have been dead wrong. What influence did Stam have on the purchases. Why on earth did we buy the two Wolves players or give Joey another contract ?
That said and under the current system we play; the Chumpionship is a tournament of fine margins, and we could easily have picked up another three points from our last three games. Apart from one player Madison (?), Norwich are no better than us-yet they are ten points clear. On Madison-who does our lower league scouting, Norwich picked him up from Coventry reserves-for all his faults as a manager- McD knew every single professional player in the English game. Stam should be asking his chief scout for his report on Madison.
I am convinced we will not go down-there are at least three worse teams than us, and we do have four or five really good players; who will hit form.
As to Stam, there were a couple of worrying signs yesterday; you expect him to be organised, but the setting up of the wall for their goal yesterday, was a shambles. Also why change a LB for another (inexperienced) LB-when it was Hail Mary time. Surely it was a case of throwing on Edwards and crossing your fingers, and why given we are struggling is Quinn a seasoned pro, ignored ?
IMHO:
Mannone 5: Not much he could have done about the first , haven't seen the 2nd yet-his distribution puts us under pressure at the back.
Gunter 4: This is the first season, I have seen his (moderate) standards slip.
Blackett 4: Started badly. So why didn't Richards start, given the substitution.
Moore 6: Single handedly kept us going in the first half-then fell apart in the 2nd.
McShane 4: Doesn't fit the system-too many wayward passes yesterday. Showing his age.
Joey 3: A Pub footballer and unprofessional-when Madison was running rings round him-he was bemoaning his fate rather than getting back to help.
Kelly 3: Looked tired yesterday-clearly struggling needs time out.
Bacuna 6: Looks a good buy, but drifted out of the game.
Alukho 4: A good player (at Fulham),looks right out of sorts.
Roy 3: Another bad buy- he has his qualities clearly; but a pro footballer in this league, has to be up for a battle-Roy never is.
Macca 3: Again a good player, but has been out of sorts for a good year now. That shot 2nd half was just awful.

Richards: Why ?
Bovard: Pub footballer
Barrow: No opportunity to make an impact.

Ref: He had some good moments-but such inconsistent decision making; suggests this is too high a level for him.

[ReadingYboring]

Has Japp started with the same 11?

Japp has known since he joined that RFC lacked options up front and he has never addressed that, preferring to bring in defenders and midfield players. Potential academy players have not been used and released, some like Aaron Kuhl have simply been released yet Beerens remains the only winger who has never run past an opposition defender.

Sadly as a season ticket holder, I shall not be rushing back to the Mad Stad until a more entertaining/positive style is in place and that probably means waiting until Japp has left.

[Snowflake Royal]

As much as the lack of chances created is a major issue, it's the fact we keep conceding goals from the oppositions only chance which then let's them put ten behind the ball which we are then unable to break down.

Norwich did very little to deserve their 2 goals - fantastic free kick granted, but otherwise they created f all and still scored

That was the same story as Brizzle, Hull and Millwall as well. Checked the stats, in those 4 games the oppo have had 24 shots on goal, 11 on target and scored 6 goals which is pretty mental really

Yep. Too many unforced errors and as I said on the match thread, Mannone isn't pulling off the staggering saves Al-Habsi did to save as many of our blushes.

I just rewatched a bunch of the highlights and earlier in the season we were creatung good chances and being stumped by good saves, blocks or poor finishing. Now we're not controlling games and creatung the chances.

Confidence and form is a big deal. There was more positive and attacking play yesterday, but a horrendous amount of unforced errors, with Blackett, Berg and Gunter partucularly at fault.

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

The last three games are representative of where the wheels are starting to fall off. No settled side(ok you can argue injuries play a part but stam has not stuck to team when possible), alternative tactics,slow build up,front three issue,lack of concentration at key moments and now only one clean sheet all season. Not only this but Stam himself is showing worrying frailties in his early days in management by refusing to budge from his enlightened principles and struggles to admit issues which are of his own doing. This last issue was a key problem under Rodgers.

No matter how much countering the argument, we are in a hole and one where with the system,players we have available (which stam has brought in) and ok the injuries we have will take a huge effort to fill. The next two away games couldn't have come at a worse time- even in good form three points from 6 would be going some. I still cant understand what our transfer policy is exactly and whether over the summer we have bought ascleverly as it appears. Too many players bought in similar positions and several players this season bought who you could argue have only experienced a downward trajectory in recent years(mannone with Sunderland getting relegated,same with bacuna,Edwards in an under performing wolves team) . When the going gets tough are these players really what are required?. This plus current players experiencing a down turn in form(gmac,Gunter, Berens)

The attendances speak volumes which surely must worry those at the top,but as always if they are trigger happy in the next month the question as always is who else is out there to get a better response with the squad we are dealt with. You can't help but thinking that if the worst happens stam really has left us in the lurch when,during the summer he should have looked at loosening his principles and getting players in on the upward curve in terms of form and relative success and not to just prop it up with fillers- we did this last year with weiser,mendes etc but got away with it.

[bobby1413]

Has anyone else noticed that DJ Mega Party has gone back to his old ways again? He did quieten down a while back but the last two games he's been back to normal.

Yesterday "whether you sit in the west stand... or the ED stand or the east stand, your support is needed.....".

[Hound]

I think reflecting a little, and trying to see the positives, maybe this run isn't the worst thing ever for the long term

I did feel a little end of last season that Stam wasn't getting a little bit big for his boots, and I think the Rodgers comparison isn't necessarily a bad one

Clearly, like Rodgers he is a talented coach. if we do stay loyal to him and he turns this one around then both he and the club will be better for the experience

[Crotts]

It's not rocket science, yes we do need a centre forward but even without one at the moment Stam could have us in the top 6 if he picked the right starting eleven but week after week he doesn't. The following players cannot be in the starting line up: Gunter, Blackett, Van den Berg, Beerens as they are all liabilities.

Gunter: Incredibly fit, covers the pitch BUT is physically weak, tackles like a baby lamb can't go passed an opponent with the ball and his crosses only come off 10% of the time.

Blackett: Has oodles of ability on the ball, not lacking for pace and skill BUT lacks the one thing needed to be a top performer in any sport - concentration. He loses concentration too many times and he is also tactically naive. Yesterday for instance for the winning goal by Jerome he started off in the right position but instead of what any clued up defender would do - put your body in the way of Jerome to block him off . Instead he tried to hang on to Jerome and once Jerome pulled free we were doomed.

Van den Berg - Physically committed, brave and confident on the ball BUT is dreadfully slow which results in him being late to the ball on so many occasions and he is always one tackle away from a red card or one moment away from a misplaced pass.

Beerens: Very tricky on the ball, good at creating space for himself and not a bad finisher BUT doesn't track back to help out those behind him, gets caught off-side too many times and doesn't work hard enough. Despite these players qualities their negatives are too much to carry in a team. Best left on the bench.

McCleary is a different case: On his day he is Reading's best player but he is clearly not fully fit and hasn't been for quite a while. If you think back a bit, he wasn't even fit enough to start in the play off final. Whether he will ever recover full fitness, I don't honestly know. but he is clearly worth persevering with and might be better suited dropping back to wing back playing instead of the ineffective Gunter if after Stam giving them a chance, Watson or Rhinimoto are not at the required level. I would give Watson a chance first as he has always looked good when playing right back and would use McCleary as an impact sub.

Reading's starting eleven should in my opinion currently be be:

Mannone,
Watson McShane Moore Obita.
Bacuna
Aluko Kelly Swift Barrow
Bodvarsson

Clearly Bodvarsson is not a long term centre forward but we do need a focal point up front for now if only to occupy the opposing centre halves so that other players can come into the game. To me Bacuna seems a natural defensive midfielder, ideally suited to protecting our centre backs. We need a player filling that Kante style role at Chelsea. Van den Berg is not mobile enough to play that role in the modern game.

[Millsy]

My mate down the pub told me we had no strikers playing, but he's a bit of a windup merchant. I almost believed him.. can you imagine that ?

[Lower West]

His positioning was horrendous for the first

Norwich's no 23 was practising freekicks in the warm up. He neither missed one nor did their their keeper even save one. Very impressive.

Do any of our players bother to practise in the warm up? Shows a different mentality of player.

[Lower West]

I would give Watson a chance first as he has always looked good when playing right back and would use McCleary as an impact sub.

No point in choosing players that aren't fit to play.

[Hound]

His positioning was horrendous for the first

Norwich's no 23 was practising freekicks in the warm up. He neither missed one nor did their their keeper even save one. Very impressive.

Do any of our players bother to practise in the warm up? Shows a different mentality of player.

They do practice their shooting. Not seen them practice free kicks

That free kick was unbelievably good from their lad. What a goal that was

[Fezza]

I'm one of the most optimistic Reading fans there are and tonight's game scares me.

I have never been at a match where I've thought the players were as CONFUSED as this.

Nobody has a clue how the formation should be working and he lack of confidence is a massive issue. At one point we made 4 consecutive passes to the oppos.

Stam has to go back to basics with a formation that the players can understand and work with. Only way to succeed with a low in confidence team.

Losing Barrow to injury a month ago took all of our attacking threat, fingers crossed he now gets back in instead of GMac.

I get tiring the oppo out but we have 0 plan B and little or no incisive passing. What worked well last year was having the target man to hold the ball up and bring others in to play - this season he seems determined to play with constant rotation up front, but this gives our defence and midfield no respite as the boys up top can't hold on to the ball.

#Bringbackthepog

[Hound]

I think Yann's all round play has been massively missed, not just the obvious goals he scored. He really was excellent for us last year