Back from whatever that was.

[URZZZZ]

Too much inexperience in the team. A lack of leadership. We're missing Moore and we're missing the enthusiasm of Meite. Olise on the bench didn't help us either. Aluko.....no. Where is his end product?

Cabral has been shocking for two games now. He's a really good keeper, he needs to somehow refocus. Second goal absolutely killed us. Really not good enough from a senior player and a (presumably) leader in the team.

Olise needed a rest after two poor displays against Preston and Coventry. Aware it’s an international break so he’ll get an extended rest now but four games in eleven games would really have taken its toll on him IMO

The problem wasn’t necessarily the starting XI although I do question the persistent use of Semedo in home games, but more so giving away that first goal

Stoke are an extremely limited side offensively, the first goal was always going to win the game, and it was obvious as soon as they took the lead, they’d pack their box with nine players

People questioning what’s changed from our winning run? Quite simply, we’re not taking our chances that we were before and we’re giving away sloppy goals (whether that be the defence or Rafael). Arguably should have taken the lead in all three games this week. First goal seems crucial for us at the moment, in all 11 league games so far, the first goal has won the game

[paultheroyal]

First 20 minutes we looked so dangerous and the only thing we didn’t do is put the ball in the net.

Stupid stupid mistakes that are so frustrating to watch have cost us. Esteves one was a clear mistake (followed by an embarrassing tweet by C.Friday questioning his ability, the kid is 18 and developing!). Disappointing error by Rafael and Gibson short pass.

Players missing are hurting us, Moore and Meite especially.

Something funny must be going on with Ejaria, we haven’t been told what his ‘injury’ is, rumours circulating after the Blackburn game he wasn’t actually injured that annoyed the manager. He’s now missed four games...

Anyway, we are still top of the league (assuming Swansea don’t win) which is unbelievable and not one Reading fan would have predicted that. Second international break of the season and we are top - let that sink in.

Huge two weeks to get players fit, boost morale and cut out the stupid mistakes.

Up the Royals.

That Courtney tweet was utter cringe and embarrassing. Gunter his mate and another link to his leak stories, clearly an axe to grind.

[Old Man Andrews]

First 20 minutes we looked so dangerous and the only thing we didn’t do is put the ball in the net.

Stupid stupid mistakes that are so frustrating to watch have cost us. Esteves one was a clear mistake (followed by an embarrassing tweet by C.Friday questioning his ability, the kid is 18 and developing!). Disappointing error by Rafael and Gibson short pass.

Players missing are hurting us, Moore and Meite especially.

Something funny must be going on with Ejaria, we haven’t been told what his ‘injury’ is, rumours circulating after the Blackburn game he wasn’t actually injured that annoyed the manager. He’s now missed four games...

Anyway, we are still top of the league (assuming Swansea don’t win) which is unbelievable and not one Reading fan would have predicted that. Second international break of the season and we are top - let that sink in.

Huge two weeks to get players fit, boost morale and cut out the stupid mistakes.

Up the Royals.

That Courtney tweet was utter cringe and embarrassing. Gunter his mate and another link to his leak stories, clearly an axe to grind.

Is it a shock? He has embarrassed himself for a number of years. He rightly got called out on it by a lot of supporters though.

[Norfolk Royal]

McIntyre is a good player, but you can't expose him to pace. Next to Morrison and with Richards forward and Laurent/Rino not covering he'll be in trouble with a high line.

Play to his weaknesses it's an issue, play to his strengths it's not.

Gibson looked like he was in tears at the end. Good player, rather develop the one who is committed to us and we don't have to pay for to keep though, as always. Don't want to see Tom leave and end up playing successful Championship football against us in a year or two.

I think I'd be in tears if I'd clattered into the post like that. Sliver lining was that he didn't go one leg one side of the post and the other leg the other side. Now that could have been serious.

I'm not a big fan of left footed centre backs to be honest but on the basis that he looked OK apart from the error that led to the goal, I'd give him another game if Moore is still out next time.

[Snowflake Royal]

McIntyre is a good player, but you can't expose him to pace. Next to Morrison and with Richards forward and Laurent/Rino not covering he'll be in trouble with a high line.

Play to his weaknesses it's an issue, play to his strengths it's not.

Gibson looked like he was in tears at the end. Good player, rather develop the one who is committed to us and we don't have to pay for to keep though, as always. Don't want to see Tom leave and end up playing successful Championship football against us in a year or two.

I think I'd be in tears if I'd clattered into the post like that. Sliver lining was that he didn't go one leg one side of the post and the other leg the other side. Now that could have been serious.

I'm not a big fan of left footed centre backs to be honest but on the basis that he looked OK apart from the error that led to the goal, I'd give him another game if Moore is still out next time.

I think I was looking at the ceiling cursing when he hit the post, didn't realise it was that hard.

[Westwood52]

McIntyre is a good player, but you can't expose him to pace. Next to Morrison and with Richards forward and Laurent/Rino not covering he'll be in trouble with a high line.

Play to his weaknesses it's an issue, play to his strengths it's not.

Gibson looked like he was in tears at the end. Good player, rather develop the one who is committed to us and we don't have to pay for to keep though, as always. Don't want to see Tom leave and end up playing successful Championship football against us in a year or two.

I think I'd be in tears if I'd clattered into the post like that. Sliver lining was that he didn't go one leg one side of the post and the other leg the other side. Now that could have been serious.

I'm not a big fan of left footed centre backs to be honest but on the basis that he looked OK apart from the error that led to the goal, I'd give him another game if Moore is still out next time.

He had a strange game.To begin with watching him,I thought he was too good for the likes of us(remember Matthew Upson);then he screwed up a pass back,which we just about got away with,then he missed a good chance to score,then right at the end that horror mis control.I am not sure who deserves a chance at CB now between him and McIntyre.I think if Holmes is fit he will get the nod.He seems to be a bit more physical than the other two and at CB you cannot afford to piss around.I don’t expect to see Moore back any time soon.

[Snowflake Royal]

My sense is Holmes has a bit less weakness to pace so would happily see him get a chance when fit.

McIntyre just got exposed repeatedly and had a poor slip.

[SCIAG]

I'm not a big fan of left footed centre backs to be honest.

Weird. So you’re objecting to the likes of Laurent Blanc, Giorgio Chiellini, David Alaba, Paolo Maldini, Frank de Boer, Daniel Passarella, Aymeric Laporte, Marcel Desailly, Ruud Krol, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marco Materazzi, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Jan Vertonghen, Lucas Hernandez, Daniel Agger, and Reading’s own Dariusz Wdowczyk and Matthew Upson?

[URZZZZ]

I'm not a big fan of left footed centre backs to be honest.

Weird. So you’re objecting to the likes of Laurent Blanc, Giorgio Chiellini, David Alaba, Paolo Maldini, Frank de Boer, Daniel Passarella, Aymeric Laporte, Marcel Desailly, Ruud Krol, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marco Materazzi, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Jan Vertonghen, Lucas Hernandez, Daniel Agger, and Reading’s own Dariusz Wdowczyk and Matthew Upson?

Would add Gorkss to that list, quality centre half

[Old Man Andrews]

I'm not a big fan of left footed centre backs to be honest.

Weird. So you’re objecting to the likes of Laurent Blanc, Giorgio Chiellini, David Alaba, Paolo Maldini, Frank de Boer, Daniel Passarella, Aymeric Laporte, Marcel Desailly, Ruud Krol, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marco Materazzi, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Jan Vertonghen, Lucas Hernandez, Daniel Agger, and Reading’s own Dariusz Wdowczyk and Matthew Upson?

LOL. He literally just said he wasn't a fan of them, he didn't say every single left footed centreback is history is terrible.

[Snowflake Royal]

I'm not a big fan of left footed centre backs to be honest.

Weird. So you’re objecting to the likes of Laurent Blanc, Giorgio Chiellini, David Alaba, Paolo Maldini, Frank de Boer, Daniel Passarella, Aymeric Laporte, Marcel Desailly, Ruud Krol, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marco Materazzi, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Jan Vertonghen, Lucas Hernandez, Daniel Agger, and Reading’s own Dariusz Wdowczyk and Matthew Upson?

That's a really weird shout from Norrers.

[Hound]

I'm not a big fan of left footed centre backs to be honest.

Weird. So you’re objecting to the likes of Laurent Blanc, Giorgio Chiellini, David Alaba, Paolo Maldini, Frank de Boer, Daniel Passarella, Aymeric Laporte, Marcel Desailly, Ruud Krol, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marco Materazzi, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Jan Vertonghen, Lucas Hernandez, Daniel Agger, and Reading’s own Dariusz Wdowczyk and Matthew Upson?

That's a really weird shout from Norrers.

Indeed. Why would you pick on left footed CBs? Explain that one NR

[Snowball]

I'm not a big fan of left footed centre backs to be honest.

Weird. So you’re objecting to the likes of Laurent Blanc, Giorgio Chiellini, David Alaba, Paolo Maldini, Frank de Boer, Daniel Passarella, Aymeric Laporte, Marcel Desailly, Ruud Krol, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marco Materazzi, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Jan Vertonghen, Lucas Hernandez, Daniel Agger, and Reading’s own Dariusz Wdowczyk and Matthew Upson?

apart from them

[Norfolk Royal]

I'm not a big fan of left footed centre backs to be honest.

Weird. So you’re objecting to the likes of Laurent Blanc, Giorgio Chiellini, David Alaba, Paolo Maldini, Frank de Boer, Daniel Passarella, Aymeric Laporte, Marcel Desailly, Ruud Krol, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marco Materazzi, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Jan Vertonghen, Lucas Hernandez, Daniel Agger, and Reading’s own Dariusz Wdowczyk and Matthew Upson?

Yeah, they were all rubbish.

[Norfolk Royal]

Weird. So you’re objecting to the likes of Laurent Blanc, Giorgio Chiellini, David Alaba, Paolo Maldini, Frank de Boer, Daniel Passarella, Aymeric Laporte, Marcel Desailly, Ruud Krol, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marco Materazzi, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Jan Vertonghen, Lucas Hernandez, Daniel Agger, and Reading’s own Dariusz Wdowczyk and Matthew Upson?

That's a really weird shout from Norrers.

Indeed. Why would you pick on left footed CBs? Explain that one NR

I'm not picking on any one or being in any way Leftfootist. I just think that if you play a left footed centre back and a right footed centre back together, their natural inclination is to move further apart from each other on more occasions that it is safe to do so.

Meaning, that the left footed centre half, who will obviously be played to the left of the pairing, will push the ball to their left almost exclusively before making a clearance. If that clearance goes to an opposition player they then have to make ground quickly to form the usual distance barrier with the other centre half.

If they are marginally slow to do so there will be a gap for the opposition to launch a swift counter attack. I think that may have happened a couple of times in the Stoke game.

You could argue the same bias exists for the right footed player in the pairing of a right footed and left footed centre back and you'd be right.

You could also argue that the solution to the problem, and it's only a theory to mull over, is to play two left footed centre backs. And you'd be right.

But on the basis that just ten per cent of the world's population are left footed, the talent pool for right footed centre halfs is much larger making it more likely that a combination of two right footed centre halfs would succeed.

[Hound]

Hmm interesting theory

Right footer at left cb and left footer at RCB?

[Snowball]

Hmm interesting theory

Right footer at left cb and left footer at RCB?

They could hold hands

[Millsy]

At the moment each of our defenders seems to have two left feet.

And two left heads.

Hang on, that doesn't work does it...

[Snowball]

At the moment each of our defenders seems to have two left feet.

And two left heads.

Hang on, that doesn't work does it...

See Tierney for Arsenal!

[Millsy]

At the moment each of our defenders seems to have two left feet.

And two left heads.

Hang on, that doesn't work does it...

See Tierney for Arsenal!

Just seen it.

Dafuq