BFTG Sheffield Utd

[RoyalBlue]

Absolutely dire. I have never left a game early like that before but it was pointless staying. Even with the best levels of support in the world, the players, management and coaching staff had already made it abundantly clear that they were incapable of turning the game around.

We have absolutely no-one amongst the management and coaching staff with the ability and experience to turn this around. Gilkes is one of my heroes but his appointment to the coaching team says it all.

Maybe one day we will learn the real reason why Steven Reid left.

After 50 years I think Reading Football Club (or at least the men's side of it) look as though they are going to completely cure me of my Reading Football Club addiction. I really don't think I would miss following them at present.

Hold on. You’ve been saying we’re playing great football and Stams been doing a great job?

Yes, I stayed believing in him longer than many (I don't think I have been saying that the football has been great, with the exception of one or two 'oasis' games). So people aren't allowed to change their opinions over time? Welcome to 21st Century Un-Great Britain.

[leon]

Absolutely dire. I have never left a game early like that before but it was pointless staying. Even with the best levels of support in the world, the players, management and coaching staff had already made it abundantly clear that they were incapable of turning the game around.

We have absolutely no-one amongst the management and coaching staff with the ability and experience to turn this around. Gilkes is one of my heroes but his appointment to the coaching team says it all.

Maybe one day we will learn the real reason why Steven Reid left.

After 50 years I think Reading Football Club (or at least the men's side of it) look as though they are going to completely cure me of my Reading Football Club addiction. I really don't think I would miss following them at present.

Hold on. You’ve been saying we’re playing great football and Stams been doing a great job?

Yes, I stayed believing in him longer than many (I don't think I have been saying that the football has been great, with the exception of one or two 'oasis' games). So people aren't allowed to change their opinions over time? Welcome to 21st Century Un-Great Britain.

Missed my point entirely. Everyone is allowed to change their minds.

I’m shocked you have. Just shows how bad it’s got.

[RoyalBlue]

I don’t think it was especially telling. It came off the back of probably the best game of the season entertainment wise on Saturday, and off a couple of ok draws. It really was very cold, and that is the main reason the attendance was so low

Going back a couple of posts in terms of team selection. I appreciate Barrow was injured

So as Dellor rightly asked Stam after the game - why the hell was he wasting a space sat on the bench? Why did the medical staff (Crippen has clearly returned) allow that to happen?

[Coppells Lost Coat]

As games go, last night was pretty poor. Missed passes, hesitation, slow and unimaginative. Seems a running trend which tbf at least its consistent. Plus note, was nice to see more academy players involved again.
Seems we always have 3-4 players who are having a mare. Felt sorry for Martin and Bod, everything was launched at them, at height. They didn't really have a chance tbh.
Wonder if Stams goes, all these knocks and injuries will suddenly disappear? Bit of a conspiracy theory but players are really hiding atm on and off the pitch.

[paddy20]

It is widely accepted and acknowledged that attendance figures published on the day of games are based on tickets sold - i.e. including season tickets.

Which is why tonight’s attendance is so odd!

It not law in the Championship, though. Its up to the club.
The first thing I noticed when I checked the score this morning was the attendance. If Reading DIDNT use tickets sold, then where did the figure come from? Perhaps it came from the Turnstiles, in which case there was really less than 7k there. What do people who went feel? Was the stadium more than a quarter yet less than a third full?
I appreciate it was cold, but it was a very telling turn out.

It only looked more because we are comparing it with fudged figures of previous attendances

[Hound]

I don’t think it was especially telling. It came off the back of probably the best game of the season entertainment wise on Saturday, and off a couple of ok draws. It really was very cold, and that is the main reason the attendance was so low

Going back a couple of posts in terms of team selection. I appreciate Barrow was injured

So as Dellor rightly asked Stam after the game - why the hell was he wasting a space sat on the bench? Why did the medical staff (Crippen has clearly returned) allow that to happen?

yeah definitely an odd one that. In those conditions, you are not going to be bringing anyone on who is borderline fit. Been better to have had a U23 on the bench

[Woodcote Royal]

If we stay up with Stam, how many season tickets will we sell next season. Regardless of where we finish he has to go !

I would say this. If he takes us down and STILL doesn’t get sacked, the fan base should refuse to renew season tickets until he’s gone.

Most clubs would have sacked this manager months ago but we are surely reaching the point now when we, the fans, have to stand up and fight for the club before all JM’s achievements are in tatters.

And in this respect last nights attendance was good news.

Yes is was freezing but this alone would not have reduced the crowd to 7k.

We are all powerless as this slow motion car crash unfolds and no amount of “get behind the boys and make some noise” is going to make a blind bit of difference.

If Stam keeps his job after last night I’m advocating a full boycott until he’s gone.

Sorry but drastic times call for drastic measures.

[Forbury Lion]

There are plenty of people who do care. Be good to hear other opinions on the game rather than just rubbish jpegs or doom mongers - plenty of threads of those already

I read that as nobody cares what FiNeRaIn has to say on the matter, rather than nobody cares about the club.

[RoyalSwine90]

Wasted 45 minutes of my life there. Left at ht. Chucked my st away somewhere in a bush. I do not see myself ever going back. I will get a Crawley st next year when I move.

Glad to hear I wasn't the only one to leave at half time

[Forbury Lion]

It was poor and Stam must go but fair play to him for being a man and facing Tim, Ady and Mick after the game. Can't have been easy and I felt for him. He really did want to succeed here.

His tone is so different then even a few weeks back. When we lost to Wednesday in the cup he was almost bullish however now he just seems lost, deflated and beaten.

He'll be gone tomorrow, and rightly so, he's made too many mistakes however I hope he does well at his next club, wherever that might be.

If he quits now and we survive I might be able to wish him well.
But if we get relegated it will be 100% down to his sheer bloody mindedness and incompetence.

Don't let the board off so easily, they could have got rid of him by now.

Sack the manager, appoint anyone else short term even if they have no managerial experience.

[Hound]

Quick flick through the highlights on SSN again whilst waiting for people to 'brave' the snow and get into work

1) What the utter fcuk was Joey doing on the first goal? Thought it was bad at the time but that was abysmal defending

2) Penalty was nailed on. The guy who committed could easily have been carded for an elbow as well. Terrible defending as well from him, utterly unnecessary . Was a pretty poor penalty - perfect height to save.

3) The third goal, despite the comments of 'they did nothing wrong' was very sneaky. Looks like every player on the pitch bar Sharp and the person who crossed it were expecting it to be kicked back - players from both sides just wandering around getting into position. No real problem with them 'not giving the ball back' but using the fact that we were under the impression it was going to be given back to their advantage is poor sportsmanship - simple as. If they'd just passed back and kept possession - no complaints

[Forbury Lion]

If we stay up with Stam, how many season tickets will we sell next season. Regardless of where we finish he has to go !

I would say this. If he takes us down and STILL doesn’t get sacked, the fan base should refuse to renew season tickets until he’s gone.

+1 I'm not renewing under Stam's "stewardship", I also didn't bother attending last night (mostly due to illness, but the thought of sitting in sub-zero temperatures watching the usual rubbish was a factor).

[Dr_Hfuhruhurr]

I don’t think it was especially telling. h

Sub 7K is a dismal turnout, whether its cold or not.
As evidenced by the fact that so many people have noticed it.

[Hound]

I don’t think it was especially telling. h

Sub 7K is a dismal turnout, whether its cold or not.
As evidenced by the fact that so many people have noticed it.

yeah, but as said, its come off the back of 2 reasonable results, and the best game of the season on Saturday.

We'll get a rough idea next week after we play Bolton how much the cold had to do with it

[Sutekh]

I don’t think it was especially telling. h

Sub 7K is a dismal turnout, whether its cold or not.
As evidenced by the fact that so many people have noticed it.

I expect Bolton to be a considerably bigger attendance but probably more due to the possibility of seeing Le Fondre, Karacan and spending the game singing 12 Parkinsons etc. rather than watching Reading.

[leon]

I don’t think it was especially telling. h

Sub 7K is a dismal turnout, whether its cold or not.
As evidenced by the fact that so many people have noticed it.

yeah, but as said, its come off the back of 2 reasonable results, and the best game of the season on Saturday.

We'll get a rough idea next week after we play Bolton how much the cold had to do with it

Are you serious? A few years ago it would have been double that and we'd have been commenting that the turnout wasn't great.

I'm a STH and I haven't been to the last 2 games and I doubt I will be going to any home games. I can't take my son as every game he watches he gets more despondent about being an RFC fan.

I'm London based but have been commuting to games for the last 20 years. This is as poor as I've seen us. It reminds me of 98. We were too good to go down then and there were at least 3 worse teams in the league.

Difference is no one seems to care. What do we have to do, riot? Or will there literally be no one left in the stadium?

[biff]

I don’t think it was especially telling. h

Sub 7K is a dismal turnout, whether its cold or not.
As evidenced by the fact that so many people have noticed it.

I expect Bolton to be a considerably bigger attendance but probably more due to the possibility of seeing Le Fondre, Karacan and spending the game singing 12 Parkinsons etc. rather than watching Reading.

It's going to feel like we're supporting Bolton. And I dont mind that one bit.

[Delboy]

There have been no Stam out banners or chants, must start at the Bolton game

[Stranded]

I don’t think it was especially telling. h

Sub 7K is a dismal turnout, whether its cold or not.
As evidenced by the fact that so many people have noticed it.

yeah, but as said, its come off the back of 2 reasonable results, and the best game of the season on Saturday.

We'll get a rough idea next week after we play Bolton how much the cold had to do with it

Do you honestly think if the team were playing well or were even in the top 10 that the crowd would have been put off by the cold. We've had much bigger crowds on cold nights in the past. This season has shown us that we can barely string 2 decent results together, so the expectation of a dull game and minus temps was rightly enough to put a lot off.

It feels to me that releasing that number last night was an interesting "leak" from inside the club. How often to they make the attendance known in such detail? Do they alway announce the number of away fans during the match? Consipiracy theory ahoy here, but feels like somebody in the club wanted to get a point across last night.

[Dr_Hfuhruhurr]

I don’t think it was especially telling. h

Sub 7K is a dismal turnout, whether its cold or not.
As evidenced by the fact that so many people have noticed it.

yeah, but as said, its come off the back of 2 reasonable results, and the best game of the season on Saturday.

We'll get a rough idea next week after we play Bolton how much the cold had to do with it

Its a Tuesday night in poor conditions, its definitely a contender for worst home attendance of the season. But less than 7k?!
And what reasonable results? our current form is atrocious.

http://www.soccerstats.com/formtable.as ... e=england2