BFTG - Blackpool

[paultheroyal]

Full credit to Bowen for giving the first 11 a fullly deserved break. 4 days rest I believe.

Considering Blackpool fielded their strongest team. In that context the make shift team today including the substitutions weren't awlfull.

Biggest concern is the lack of depth in the squad. Fair number playing will be gone in the summer. Other than Baldock senior players showed little to suggest that deserve a starting place next Saturday.

A replay another bite at the cherry. Let's hope for for a decent draw.

Define decent because Bowen has said if they pick a prem team away he fields the same team in the replay. Pick a winnable home draw against lower league opposition he sends out a strong team for the replay.

[Nameless]

17 changes works if you use clever accounting !
None of the starters from the previous game started, and none of the reserves from the previous game were on the bench.
But we didn’t rest the entire squad from Fulham and use a different set of players !
I think the selection was reasonable, we didn’t field a bunch of kids ( if you stretch the point 3 of the starters might be classed as non first team squad although 2 of them have been on the bench several times this season). The rest of the starting line up have all been regularly part of the match day squad, a number are making their way back from injury and the game time will have done them a world of good.
Bottom line is we didn’t play well enough for enough of the game. We had the chances to,win, the ref gave them a soft pen and didn’t give us one (not saying he was wrong, just the way right decisions fall).
Blackpool May have missed their big chance to win, I think we’ll,win the replay fairly comfortably while playing more or less the same side (different centre back and a different central midfielder)

[Delboy]

Real issue was the experienced players did not perform or help the youngsters. I agree I think we will win the replay Yiadom and Puscas likely to be back.
Was Baldock substituted because Joao is injured !

[Royal_jimmy]

Most of the kids did ok but doubt any of them will make it here except for Loader who's probably off anyway. My scores

Walker - 4. Not great. Couple of decent saves but that's it. Poor on the goals

Richards - 5. Did ok mostly I thought

Burley - 2. Did his best but way out of his depth. Probably at fault for both goals.

Miazga - 4. As an experienced head and captain he didn't seem to lead that well.

Howe - 5. Great stuff going forward especially in first half but dropped off at the end. Needs to improve his fitness if he wants to make it. Good cross on him though. He has potential.

Obita - 5. Poor crossing but did ok mostly

Rinomhota - 3. I was largely disappointed in him today. Looks out of form and can see why our best run of form is without him in the side.

Olise - 4. Poor but was a source of creativity. Got an assist

McCleary - 7. Thought he played quite well

Boye - 6. tried hard but didn't really come off for him. Won us a few corners though

Baldock - 7. Good goal. Was miffed he was subbed straight after scoring. Was Bowen trying to lose us the game?

Subs
Loader - 6. Cute finish but anonymous
Aluko - 3. Get rid
Medford-Smith - 3

[Hound]

Think the right team was picked. Realistically there are very few of that first 11 who we could afford to lose to injury - and an injury is far more likely after an intense period of games

It keeps a the fringe players/regular subs ticking over and some good experience for the youngsters

Thought there should have been plenty enough still in that side to win but given the same line up another go in the second leg gives them all another game. Probably be a little clearer by then if a few of them are off (Loader, Aluko, Southwood, Barrett for example) and hopefully have Puscas back in

[Royals and Racers]

Real issue was the experienced players did not perform or help the youngsters. I agree I think we will win the replay Yiadom and Puscas likely to be back.
Was Baldock substituted because Joao is injured !

Bowen said after the game that Baldock was only going to play around 60 mins because he has only just returned from injury.

[3points]

Well I thought that was alright. Quite entertaining. 4 goals, missed penalty. Felt we were very comfortable until they scored against the run of play. If we’d scored early, then I think we might have scored 3 or 4. But we didn’t.

Howe was decent enough but tired. Burley was OK on his senior debut for the first 50 minutes. Then made a couple of mistakes and got bullied for their 2nd goal. You could see the confidence drain out of him after that, but made a great block in the post penalty scramble. Richards was poor. In hindsight probably would have been better having the more experienced Obita at left back. Felt a bit sorry for Miazga having to Marshall three kids. Actually thought Rino had a decent first half. Looked more back to his last season form where he had to shoulder more responsibility. Nice pass from Olise to set up Baldock and a cheeky / clever finish from Loader.

Harsh penalty decision for me.

Very disappointed with McCleary and Boye though. Constantly made poor choices in the final third. Boye does a lot of good stuff but has zero final product which makes him frustrating to watch.

Side was very close to what I expected. Didn’t expect Burley or Olise to start but overall there’s enough decent players in there to beat Blackpool but clearly difficult for them to gel properly. Individually most of that team will do a decent job as a stand in or in a regular first team role. But just not all of them together.

My main issue with Burley and our other young centre backs (and I include Holmes, McIntyre and Osho in this) is that I don’t think they are big enough to be Championship centre backs. I know their 21 was a big lad but Burley just didn’t look tall enough. And we do seem to be short in centre midfielders coming through the academy too

[windermereROYAL]

Most of the kids did ok but doubt any of them will make it here except for Loader who's probably off anyway. My scores

Walker - 4. Not great. Couple of decent saves but that's it. Poor on the goals

Richards - 5. Did ok mostly I thought

Burley - 2. Did his best but way out of his depth. Probably at fault for both goals.

Miazga - 4. As an experienced head and captain he didn't seem to lead that well.

Howe - 5. Great stuff going forward especially in first half but dropped off at the end. Needs to improve his fitness if he wants to make it. Good cross on him though. He has potential.

Obita - 5. Poor crossing but did ok mostly

Rinomhota - 3. I was largely disappointed in him today. Looks out of form and can see why our best run of form is without him in the side.

Olise - 4. Poor but was a source of creativity. Got an assist

McCleary - 7. Thought he played quite well

Boye - 6. tried hard but didn't really come off for him. Won us a few corners though

Baldock - 7. Good goal. Was miffed he was subbed straight after scoring. Was Bowen trying to lose us the game?

Subs
Loader - 6. Cute finish but anonymous
Aluko - 3. Get rid
Medford-Smith - 3

Kindly explain how Walker could have saved the second goal that was blasted into the top corner from 12 yards? I`m no fan of him but making up this rubbish gets my back up.

[Franchise FC]

Most of the kids did ok but doubt any of them will make it here except for Loader who's probably off anyway. My scores

Walker - 4. Not great. Couple of decent saves but that's it. Poor on the goals

Richards - 5. Did ok mostly I thought

Burley - 2. Did his best but way out of his depth. Probably at fault for both goals.

Miazga - 4. As an experienced head and captain he didn't seem to lead that well.

Howe - 5. Great stuff going forward especially in first half but dropped off at the end. Needs to improve his fitness if he wants to make it. Good cross on him though. He has potential.

Obita - 5. Poor crossing but did ok mostly

Rinomhota - 3. I was largely disappointed in him today. Looks out of form and can see why our best run of form is without him in the side.

Olise - 4. Poor but was a source of creativity. Got an assist

McCleary - 7. Thought he played quite well

Boye - 6. tried hard but didn't really come off for him. Won us a few corners though

Baldock - 7. Good goal. Was miffed he was subbed straight after scoring. Was Bowen trying to lose us the game?

Subs
Loader - 6. Cute finish but anonymous
Aluko - 3. Get rid
Medford-Smith - 3

Kindly explain how Walker could have saved the second goal that was blasted into the top corner from 12 yards? I`m no fan of him but making up this rubbish gets my back up.

Definitely not critical of Walker for that one. It would have been an absolute worldy to have kept it out.
I’m not sure quite why the Walker hate. Didn’t think he did too badly at all, given that he MAY have been able to do better with the first.
Strikes me that some of the scores are based on previous performances rather than this one in isolation

[Hound]

Fair play to the Blackpool lad, that was a hell of a finish for the second. Poor defending but a very good goal

[Victor Meldrew]

Bowen went down in my opinion today after such a good run was it really necessary to make 17 changes? Even the subs needed a break. We have a free week next week could a few first teamers at least not been on the bench?
We our 14th not 4th. So this talk of play offs is way premature lose the two games against Forest and we are back to square one. Where as a decent cup run is a distinct possibility. Now not only should we have suffered an embarrassing defeat today we now have a 10 hour round midweek trip to freezing Blackpool. 11 changes rarely works anyone who remembers that humiliating evening in Peterborough when Atkins did the same and we lost 6-0.
Remember the season when Brian fielded a strong side in the cup we reached the quarterfinals and made playoff final the two bounced off each other. Boosting confidence and the club coffers.

Yes.

The first choice players have just played several matches in the space of a few days in one of the most demanding leagues in the world. They deserve a break.

But Blackpool had the same schedule and yet put out their full first team.
I do get both sides of the argument about the balance between rest and playing but now we have added to the schedule by drawing the game when (possibly/probably) we might have won the game and not had a replay to worry about.

Incidentally IMHO the more that you tell people they should be tired they will be.

[Victor Meldrew]

Bowen went down in my opinion today after such a good run was it really necessary to make 17 changes? Even the subs needed a break. We have a free week next week could a few first teamers at least not been on the bench?
We our 14th not 4th. So this talk of play offs is way premature lose the two games against Forest and we are back to square one. Where as a decent cup run is a distinct possibility. Now not only should we have suffered an embarrassing defeat today we now have a 10 hour round midweek trip to freezing Blackpool. 11 changes rarely works anyone who remembers that humiliating evening in Peterborough when Atkins did the same and we lost 6-0.
Remember the season when Brian fielded a strong side in the cup we reached the quarterfinals and made playoff final the two bounced off each other. Boosting confidence and the club coffers.

Yes.

The first choice players have just played several matches in the space of a few days in one of the most demanding leagues in the world. They deserve a break.

But Blackpool had the same schedule and yet put out their full first team.
I do get both sides of the argument about the balance between rest and playing but now we have added to the schedule by drawing the game when (possibly/probably) we might have won the game and not had a replay to worry about.

Incidentally IMHO the more that you tell people they should be tired they will be and of course just as many injuries happen in training as they do in competitive matches.

[Ranty McRantface]

If the phone caller was, say a plumber, you would have most likely said “there’s some guy (or bloke) on the radio says we should have picked the first team”.
So was the problem really in what he said, or the fact he was a company director?

Just asking.

I think he was trying to compare running his company with running Reading FC,and not short changing his customers ;which is what he believed Bowen did today.
Managing a Championship football club I believe is totally different to running a small business.Although TBF perhaps there is some similarity with running a div 1 or 2 club.

To be perfectly honest though, and I fully understand you would be stupid to play your first team and get injuries etc, but had I been given that teamsheet a couple of weeks back I probably would not have bought a ticket, mainly due to the amount of fixtures lately and some of the aways coming up, including midweek, it’s becoming expensive. I could have given this one a miss.

If this guy really is a company director at the club I am quite frankly baffled as to why a club that is so insistent on promoting from within and "The Reading Way" would criticise the manager playing the younger players.

The past year or so has really made me wonder whether the board and the managers give a toss about our academy. There always seems to be 1 extra player in a position either on loan or perm blocking the pathway for these young players. They're not going to get any better by warming the bench or simulating in their heads what they saw from the stands. These young players need minutes!

[Lower West]

Forest make 10 changes for the Chelsea game. Shows the importance of next weekends fixture.

[Westwood52]

Well I thought that was alright. Quite entertaining. 4 goals, missed penalty. Felt we were very comfortable until they scored against the run of play. If we’d scored early, then I think we might have scored 3 or 4. But we didn’t.

Howe was decent enough but tired. Burley was OK on his senior debut for the first 50 minutes. Then made a couple of mistakes and got bullied for their 2nd goal. You could see the confidence drain out of him after that, but made a great block in the post penalty scramble. Richards was poor. In hindsight probably would have been better having the more experienced Obita at left back. Felt a bit sorry for Miazga having to Marshall three kids. Actually thought Rino had a decent first half. Looked more back to his last season form where he had to shoulder more responsibility. Nice pass from Olise to set up Baldock and a cheeky / clever finish from Loader.

Harsh penalty decision for me.

Very disappointed with McCleary and Boye though. Constantly made poor choices in the final third. Boye does a lot of good stuff but has zero final product which makes him frustrating to watch.

Side was very close to what I expected. Didn’t expect Burley or Olise to start but overall there’s enough decent players in there to beat Blackpool but clearly difficult for them to gel properly. Individually most of that team will do a decent job as a stand in or in a regular first team role. But just not all of them together.

My main issue with Burley and our other young centre backs (and I include Holmes, McIntyre and Osho in this) is that I don’t think they are big enough to be Championship centre backs. I know their 21 was a big lad but Burley just didn’t look tall enough. And we do seem to be short in centre midfielders coming through the academy too

McIntyre is tall,just needs to beef up a bit.

[paultheroyal]

After watching the highlights....

A great keeper saves the first goal.
A great keeper saves their second goal (near post and went through his hands)

Their keeper was equally poor with soft hands for the first and terrible footwork for the second.

Not seen our penalty shout but theirs was a total dive and no trip or push from Howe.

[AthleticoSpizz]

“A great keeper” doesn’t waste his time warming the bench at Reading

Walker is exactly what you would expect him to be....second best and average

[paultheroyal]

“A great keeper” doesn’t waste his time warming the bench at Reading

Walker is exactly what you would expect him to be....second best and average

In which case might as well have an academy product on the bench rather than an unwanted journey man.

[Hound]

“A great keeper” doesn’t waste his time warming the bench at Reading

Walker is exactly what you would expect him to be....second best and average

In which case might as well have an academy product on the bench rather than an unwanted journey man.

Which I’m guessing is currently the consideration with Southwood

[AthleticoSpizz]

“A great keeper” doesn’t waste his time warming the bench at Reading

Walker is exactly what you would expect him to be....second best and average

In which case might as well have an academy product on the bench rather than an unwanted journey man.

Apart from the age and inexperience taboos, yeah why not. Our days of affording Marcus H on pitch with Feds (or even Hamer) awaiting an injury/sending off to occur are gone.

Walker’s just fine for now