MATCHWATCH : Middlesbrough (h)

[JR]

The Warnock hate is weird and quite childish tbh. He is a great character and a great Football League manager. The game will be far poorer when he retires.

I actually like him. Proper pantomime villain. Obvs he is a complete and utter bellend but thats part of the fun

Exactly, you need that figure of hate in the game. He plays on it and has built a brand out of it. Seems like a nice chap when you see him on Soccer Saturday etc, good storyteller etc.

+1 he’s my favourite manager in football by quite a distance

[NathStPaul]

I actually like him. Proper pantomime villain. Obvs he is a complete and utter bellend but thats part of the fun

Exactly, you need that figure of hate in the game. He plays on it and has built a brand out of it. Seems like a nice chap when you see him on Soccer Saturday etc, good storyteller etc.

+1 he’s my favourite manager in football by quite a distance

Personalities are disappearing rapidly from the game, used to be full of engaging, odd and brilliant characters. Clough, Bobby Robson, Sir Alex etc etc. We should enjoy old school managers like Warnock while we can.

[JedMaxwell]

Warnock is entertaining and a very canny operator; I think he knows that a lot of people think he's a dinosaur and he uses that to his advantage. It will be a shame when he does retire, as characters are being lost in the game as others have said.

In terms of the result, I'd really like us to have a proper go at them and try to use the recent momentum to get another win. Ultimately though, I'd take a draw as the team transitions out of the difficult start.

[SCIAG]

In terms of personalities, give me Klopp and Tuchel ahead of Warnock every day of the week.

[tidus_mi2]

Reading Warnock's pre-match comments it does seem that he enjoys being the pantomime villain when he comes up against us.

[Brogue]

I hope ‘what a waste of petrol’ will be sung to them if we win.

[Pepe the Horseman]

I hope ‘what a waste of petrol’ will be sung to them if we win.

Memories of battering Oldham 5-0 during the last petrol crisis x

[Lower West]

Would like to understand what the situation is with Dann. He must have an injury. There is no way after several weeks at the club he can’t be fit enough to play. If he needed match fitness then he would have played in one of the u23 games.

No preseason training with CP. Totally sidelined. Lack of u23 time suggests well off the pace.

Lack of height in the team is a major concern for tomorrow. Zonal marking.......

[Pepe the Horseman]

Expecting Dann to play, but if not would Rahman at CB and Bristow LB be an option? Not actually seen him play yet, so no idea how good he is defensively.

[Once upon a time .]

I will give you another view on Warnock . A few years ago Terry Bell the ex Reading centre forward died , and Neil Warnock attended the funeral , he was living in Cornwall , and travelled up and back by train and taxi to the crematorium and wake . Apparently they had played together at Hartlepool .

[Sutekh]

Would like to understand what the situation is with Dann. He must have an injury. There is no way after several weeks at the club he can’t be fit enough to play. If he needed match fitness then he would have played in one of the u23 games.

No preseason training with CP. Totally sidelined. Lack of u23 time suggests well off the pace.

Lack of height in the team is a major concern for tomorrow. Zonal marking.......

Dann was on Palace’s books last season therefore would have been fit and up to speed when the season ended (he did play 15 games in the PL last season). In the close season I would imagine he was training somewhere to maintain some sort of decent level so that he could get himself sorted at another club. Therefore he shouldn’t be that much off the pace of things and certainly should be able to “hold his own” for an hour or so in an u23 game. His non appearance at that level so far might just be prudent “not wanting to risk things unnecessarily” given the horrendous curse that appears to be on the club with injuries this season.

If he’s still not involved in any capacity today then I would surmise he’s actually carrying (or been very recently carrying) some sort of injury

Either way, today sees Reading’s CB partnership being:

1. Strickland/Laurent

Are there any other players in the squad who have played at CB? Yiadom? Rahman?

[windermereROYAL]

JLow reporting Stickland in the squad and Dann still not match fit. I`m not confident at all, the bogey could well continue.

[Millsy]

I hope ‘what a waste of petrol’ will be sung to them if we win.

It'd be better to sing "what a waste of petrol (or diesel if that's what your car uses)". Alas I don't start the chants anymore. I hope club 1871 take note.

[Snowball]

Hadn't realised how many top sides we've played

2-4-5-7-8-9

3 one-goal defeats in there, (one in 96th minute?)
a win at Fulham and a 3-3 draw v QPR

Plus 16th & 21st Both wins against poor sides


Maybe we really are a top-half side, and likely to improve
as the new men bed in and the injured return

[Snowflake Royal]

Hadn't realised how many top sides we've played

2-4-5-7-8-9

3 one-goal defeats in there, (one in 96th minute?)
a win at Fulham and a 3-3 draw v QPR

Plus 16th & 21st Both wins against poor sides


Maybe we really are a top-half side, and likely to improve
as the new men bed in and the injured return

Too early in the season. At this stage 3 points (which we've given a lot of teams) jumps you about 4-8 places.

[Barney]

With Puscas not playing today, are we starting the game with NO forwards ?

[Brogue]

[Brogue]

Yiadom & Laurent at cb and Tetek at RB Rahman at lb?

[Royal Rother]

No forwards and no central defenders would be an interesting way to approach the game.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Who are Boro's CBs?