MATCHWATCH : Luton Town (a)

[Snowflake Royal]

Right from the start we didn't look interested, Olise in particular
and for the first fifteen Ejaria was way off.

I just do not get the lack of urgency. I don't mind being beaten, but I want
to see some fight, some spirit, a few heavy tackles.

Holmes got caught out once but was my Reading MotM

Rafsel made some decent saves. Rhino/Laurent were OK

Puscas was dire, Meite looked clumsy. For all his undoubted skill, Olise didn't want
to command the game. A player with his skills should be demanding the ball. He
looked like a player who has had his head turned.

I presume Moore has re-done his shoulder?

Richards was a bit ordinary, Yiadom, ditto

I think people looking for urgency don't really understand the game plan Pauno has.

He's not looking for urgency. He's looking to control possession and dictate the game. He's told us as much. And consequently we get so far then look a bit confused about what to do next. I mean, any manager who wants urgency isn't going to play Ovie 'out for a dawdle' Ejaria on the wing.

I think we've also suffered from the team playing just too fluidly. Remember the start of the season when Rino and Laurent just sat and mopped everything up, feeding simple balls forward? Now they're running down the wings, covering fullback, passing round the edge of the box. Meite keeps sneaking in field to play as a striker rather than bullying his fullback - where was he all game? Because Yiadom was where he should be. Ejaria and Olise both playing RW at times, sometimes Richards, Ejaria Olise and Laurent at LW. It's a problem.

[Zip]

Yes, he is impressive at centre half. We could have ruined him playing him at rifht back like we have been doing. The injuries to Morrison and McIntyre have thrown him in and he’s done really well. We must start him there next season.

+1 I'd probably have Morrison as 3rd choice behind Moore and Holmes now

I'd have Morrison and McIntyre as first choice.

Yeah my centre back pairing too. We miss Morrison.

We were so slow again tonight. No urgency until the last few minutes. Not one decent save by their keeper and this in a game we had to win.
We always seem to start so slowly struggling to move the ball forward with so much passing across our own penalty box.
The lack of movement was shocking. Too often the player on the ball had no options. Yet again no width. PLEASE sign some wingers Reading.
Baldock lacks quality but his movement and workrate put the rest to shame.

[yuomi]

Just 8 points from our last 8 games. Says it all. I keep hearing how much we have improved under Pauno. I think not.
He has done enough to stay on next season. Not sure Dai will see it that way. Could be a messy summer

Thing is, even when we were winning we weren't playing particularly good football. Struggling to think of many performances where we actually dominated games, and our goals were scattergun and opportunistic. Credit to Joao (during the time when he could play football) for actually creating a lot of those goals out of very little.

The summer is going to be a proper soap opera. Not that many players in this squad I'd be truly sad to see the back of. Holmes, TMac and Rino maybe...?

[skipper]

That was dogshit and I haven’t enjoyed watching a single Reading game all season.

Don't trash talk. We've been thoroughly excellent at times this season.

What a ridiculous thing to say.

[Snowflake Royal]

+1 I'd probably have Morrison as 3rd choice behind Moore and Holmes now

I'd have Morrison and McIntyre as first choice.

Yeah my centre back pairing too. We miss Morrison.

We were so slow again tonight. No urgency until the last few minutes. Not one decent save by their keeper and this in a game we had to win.
We always seem to start so slowly struggling to move the ball forward with so much passing across our own penalty box.
The lack of movement was shocking. Too often the player on the ball had no options. Yet again no width. PLEASE sign some wingers Reading.
Baldock lacks quality but his movement and workrate put the rest to shame.

See my posts about game plan and replying to snowball about urgency.

I don't care if we have wingers, it's not the only way to play the game. I do want us to know how we're going to try to score though.

I'd love someone, anywhere, who knew how to look up, pick a player and ping a cross onto their head though. Our crossing is poor.

But I've still thoroughly enjoyed this season, even if its petered out into disappointment.

[CountryRoyal]

Barnsley had 21 shots and 7 on target.

Compare to our “12 and 1”.

None of which were even remotely testing.

Ismael (and Dike) have transformed Barnsley beyond all recognition. Whatever we had, they've got it now and fair play to them. This team has regressed right back to where it was; toothless, lazy, disjointed and, most worryingly, confused. We're completely devoid of any kind of pace and I'm sort of amazed it's taken it this long to start so obviously coming home to roost. Add to that we've got a squad that's shallower than a paddling pool and our "impact subs" are two mercs on massive salaries who know they're off in a couple of games.

We need a massive clear out this summer but (i) we can't afford one and (ii) we're not allowed to do one anyway according to the EFL.

Wonder if Rossi might have done for us what Dike's done at Oakwell...

Exactly. A January recruit. Another of the factors as to why we’ve come up short. Small margins.

[CountryRoyal]

Just 8 points from our last 8 games. Says it all. I keep hearing how much we have improved under Pauno. I think not.
He has done enough to stay on next season. Not sure Dai will see it that way. Could be a messy summer

Thing is, even when we were winning we weren't playing particularly good football. Struggling to think of many performances where we actually dominated games, and our goals were scattergun and opportunistic. Credit to Joao (during the time when he could play football) for actually creating a lot of those goals out of very little.

The summer is going to be a proper soap opera. Not that many players in this squad I'd be truly sad to see the back of. Holmes, TMac and Rino maybe...?

The only games we’ve really looked convincing and won have been against teams in awful form or with 10 or 9 men.

[Zip]

I'd have Morrison and McIntyre as first choice.

Yeah my centre back pairing too. We miss Morrison.

We were so slow again tonight. No urgency until the last few minutes. Not one decent save by their keeper and this in a game we had to win.
We always seem to start so slowly struggling to move the ball forward with so much passing across our own penalty box.
The lack of movement was shocking. Too often the player on the ball had no options. Yet again no width. PLEASE sign some wingers Reading.
Baldock lacks quality but his movement and workrate put the rest to shame.

See my posts about game plan and replying to snowball about urgency.

I don't care if we have wingers, it's not the only way to play the game. I do want us to know how we're going to try to score though.

I'd love someone, anywhere, who knew how to look up, pick a player and ping a cross onto their head though. Our crossing is poor.

But I've still thoroughly enjoyed this season, even if its petered out into disappointment.

The trouble is playing the patient game isn’t working. When we played with urgency in the final minutes Luton started to panic at the back.
Yes I have enjoyed the season too and have an affection for this team but am so disappointed with the way we have faded away.

[Snowflake Royal]

Yeah my centre back pairing too. We miss Morrison.

We were so slow again tonight. No urgency until the last few minutes. Not one decent save by their keeper and this in a game we had to win.
We always seem to start so slowly struggling to move the ball forward with so much passing across our own penalty box.
The lack of movement was shocking. Too often the player on the ball had no options. Yet again no width. PLEASE sign some wingers Reading.
Baldock lacks quality but his movement and workrate put the rest to shame.

See my posts about game plan and replying to snowball about urgency.

I don't care if we have wingers, it's not the only way to play the game. I do want us to know how we're going to try to score though.

I'd love someone, anywhere, who knew how to look up, pick a player and ping a cross onto their head though. Our crossing is poor.

But I've still thoroughly enjoyed this season, even if its petered out into disappointment.

The trouble is playing the patient game isn’t working. When we played with urgency in the final minutes Luton started to panic at the back.
Yes I have enjoyed the season too and have an affection for this team but am so disappointed with the way we have faded away.

I'm not sure it's the patient game that's the problem. It's that we don't know what we're waiting for to open up or how to engineer it. Though I prefer an up tempo game.

We could play high octane and still not create a lot because no one knows what the play to do it is.

[Zip]

Barnsley had 21 shots and 7 on target.

Compare to our “12 and 1”.

None of which were even remotely testing.

Ismael (and Dike) have transformed Barnsley beyond all recognition. Whatever we had, they've got it now and fair play to them. This team has regressed right back to where it was; toothless, lazy, disjointed and, most worryingly, confused. We're completely devoid of any kind of pace and I'm sort of amazed it's taken it this long to start so obviously coming home to roost. Add to that we've got a squad that's shallower than a paddling pool and our "impact subs" are two mercs on massive salaries who know they're off in a couple of games.

We need a massive clear out this summer but (i) we can't afford one and (ii) we're not allowed to do one anyway according to the EFL.

Wonder if Rossi might have done for us what Dike's done at Oakwell...

Exactly. A January recruit. Another of the factors as to why we’ve come up short. Small margins.

Pauno will have been frustrated by this. It’s one reason why he deserves another crack next season. He needs to be able to mould the squad to suit how he wants us to play. Let’s not go through yet another managerial change. It takes us nowhere.

[Lower West]

It's been a good season. It's a solid foundation. But now we need a proper pattern of play. Forget plan B. Let's have an actual defined Plan A, and if it isn't working, don't just immediately change the whole thing. Switch up the players who aren't delivering on the Plan.

This the team and formation that Bowen left behind last summer. We haven't kicked on. No excuse for not having improved the style of play. If Mr Dai didn't rank Bowen. Then difficult to see Pauno surviving. As promotion is all that matters to our owners. Not interested in building for the long term. .

[Snowflake Royal]

Yep.

How many times have we started a season with the same one who started the season before in the last 10 years?

It's Stam.... and .. er... does Adkins squeeze in? And neither of them finished that second season as manager.

To be honest I'd take 3 seasons of 15th if it was the same oxf*rd manager in all three for a change.

[Snowflake Royal]

It's been a good season. It's a solid foundation. But now we need a proper pattern of play. Forget plan B. Let's have an actual defined Plan A, and if it isn't working, don't just immediately change the whole thing. Switch up the players who aren't delivering on the Plan.

This the team and formation that Bowen left behind last summer. We haven't kicked on. No excuse for not having improved the style of play. If Mr Dai didn't rank Bowen. Then difficult to see Pauno surviving. As promotion is all that matters to our owners. Not interested in building for the long term. .

If Vision is right and the owners sack managers because they lose faith in them getting us promoted, Pauno is on very thin ice.

I'm hoping he's wrong, Bowen was an aberration of a decision and they pull the trigger when they're worried about relegation. In which case, Pauno has loads of time.

[morganb]

Patient play seems to allow the opposition to regroup and get 11 players behind the ball thus making them harder to break down.

No idea what goes through the minds of Reading players, for weeks they've looked like they don't want the chance of getting into the play offs and a opportunity to play in the Premier League. They've gone through the motions but they lack something - Passion? Effort? Ideas?

As for where this leaves Pauno and his back room staff, was the season a success (well we'll finish higher than in the past few seasons) or a failure (we had a flying start but have gradually slipped down the table to 7th and recorded a number of poor performances and duff results)?

[royalstevep68]

Worst performance of the season. We played far better in the Watford lose. No sense of urgency. Almost like a pre season friendly. We blew the playoffs in that draw against Barnsley, compounded by poor results since like qpr.

First half of the season was great, we played some good football and looked solid at the back. Since feb we’ve looked short of ideas up front and shaky at the back.

We are far too casual, lack urgency, mentally feeble. Reckon we will lose a few players, olise, Moore, Richards obviously.

Just seems so odd, we played some superb football at times, amazing that some dullards forget that. Just not often enough. But equally poor at times. Games like Bournemouth away, Brentford home, prove that. Bristol city home and Bournemouth home we played brilliant football. Just not often enough. Now we look worse than the last few days under Bowen, who to be fair turned things around a bit.

We look mid table at best now. Can’t see us challenging next season. Gutted after a promising start. Never thought we would win the league after the amazing start, but to not even make the playoffs is shocking.

[royalstevep68]

Where’s my bloody post!!!!!

[Notts Royal]

Been very impressed again with Holmes tonight - becoming an excellent CB

Agree...saves us needing to shell out on a centre back. I’d written him off but he’s proved me wrong!

[Orion1871]

So predictable the “bedwetters” were predicting it weeks ago.

So a big fcuk you, to all those who dismissed out of hand posters genuine concerns.

Yeah, well I also said we'd probably miss out ages ago. But I didn't shit the bed at the same time.

I think that's the closest you'll get to an apology, Leon.

Unsurprisingly he's still found a way to claim he was right anyway.

[Elm Park Kid]

My argument has always been that it takes multiple seasons for a team to develop a specific style. Players have to know each other and the manager's tactics extremely well in order to to make the quick decisions necessary on the pitch to play quick, attacking football; they need to know instinctively who is covering them before deciding to push forward. Sometimes you can have a team that has the potential to jell together, but a lack of confidence or a particular management style prevents it. In which case bring someone else in can result in fast results. But more often than not it's just a long, tough process of working together towards a common objective that the players believe in. It's why it's so important for a manager to be respected and seen as long-term fixture - why work hard towards any particular goal if you don't have confidence it will work or that the manager (or fellow team mates) will be around in a few months?

We've repeated the same managerial decisions for long enough now to know that they don't work. We're not going to just randomly find a 'diamond in the rough' who's going to magically transform the club into PL material, even though it seemed like it a couple of times. Either we take a public decision to stick with Pauno for multiple seasons, or we bring in an established Championship manager and let him start the process. To be honest, I don't mind which one, as long as we stick with a manager going forward.

[leon]

So predictable the “bedwetters” were predicting it weeks ago.

So a big fcuk you, to all those who dismissed out of hand posters genuine concerns.

Yeah, well I also said we'd probably miss out ages ago. But I didn't shit the bed at the same time.

Nor did I. As you well know. You just love belittling other posters.

Anyway roll on the summer I hope you can control yourself this time.