Renewed pessimism/interest

[Snowflake Royal]

Stam's side doesn't take enough risks. They don't want to lose the ball at all. They just want total possession. They should try the riskier passes, they should try to take players on, they should try to get to the byline and pull the ball back, players should be busting a gut to get forward in numbers and try to get on the end of things. It is far too cautious. Yes we will lose the ball more. But we have Joey Van Den Berg, Liam Kelly, Edwards and Bacuna. We have McShane, Obita and Moore. Don't tell me these lads don't know how to win the ball back. They are as good defensively as anyone we have seen wear the hoops. We have the players. We just need to up the tempo and up the aggression.

THIS!

The problem is that the players who have the ball the most are the players who can't afford to take risks because they're deepest.

This is because our midfield and attack are utterly useless at working together to make space and progress the passes through the pitch. One person at a time makes themselves available and no one is moving to receive quick ball from them in preparation for them receiving the pass.

They aren't playing instinctively either. Loads of times someone sees what little movement there is and hesitates so either the moment is gone or the pass is too late.

Too many of the attackers also look to receive the ball to make something happen and when their chance goes, rather than pass with purpose to give someone else the chance to make it happen, they hit a half-hearted sloppy pass with no purpose.

It's all fine margins though. We're never far from great. When got right its incredibly effective, but when not right its awful.

[genome]

When you look at the seasons gone by since we last gained a promotion, it's not hard to see why the interest has gone down for some:

2012/3 - In the PL, but wasn't a hugely enjoyable season IMO
2013/4 - Nigel Adkins
2014/5 - Awful, despite cup run
2015/6 - Awful
2016/7 - Much better, but still not the most exciting football
2017/8 - So far, as above, but without the results

If you look at the seasons preceding this, it's:

2005/6 - Promotion
2006/7 - Highest ever finish
2007/8 - Releg8ed, but still exciting
2008/9 - Play-offs
2009/10 - Bad first half, very good second half - and featured arguably our best ever player
2010/11 - Play-offs
2011/12 - Promotion

Have we been spoiled?

[bcubed]

When you look at the seasons gone by since we last gained a promotion, it's not hard to see why the interest has gone down for some:

2012/3 - In the PL, but wasn't a hugely enjoyable season IMO
2013/4 - Nigel Adkins
2014/5 - Awful, despite cup run
2015/6 - Awful
2016/7 - Much better, but still not the most exciting football
2017/8 - So far, as above, but without the results

If you look at the seasons preceding this, it's:

2005/6 - Promotion
2006/7 - Highest ever finish
2007/8 - Releg8ed, but still exciting
2008/9 - Play-offs
2009/10 - Bad first half, very good second half - and featured arguably our best ever player
2010/11 - Play-offs
2011/12 - Promotion

Have we been spoiled?

Yes we have

[bcubed]

There's no movement off the ball, no confidence or flair to take people on. There's no obvious desire to win back the ball when it's lost, no tenacity. And there doesn't seem to be a backbone to this team. Where's the spirit?

[Pandoras Box]

Have we been spoiled?

Yes we have

No we haven't.
In any walk of life, if you have had even moderate but consistent success you haven't been spoilt you've earned it.

However if you then start to not do as well, you've basically gone downhill.

[genome]

Well, the teams earned it, all the fans do is turn up

[Maneki Neko]

this is just what happens when you take tribalism out of the game.
then its just about the 'products' success and excitement for the 'customers'
and when you don't get those things you stop going, where before youd go no matter what and have a fierce pride about how shit you generally were.

[Jaytee]

Yes - its a bit tedious, Yes - it is frustrating but no need to boo . We play some very good football albeit just a bit too languid and blunt. We miss Danny surging forward in midfield, but still keep the ball well. While we have the ball then they do not. However I would prefer that we were keeping the ball a bit further up the field!
I've always defended Gunter but I think its time he had a bit of a rest as the International duty seems to have taken its toll.
Dodi took his goal well but not sure he is the answer. McCleary looks off the pace . McShane is pretty awesome but is sometimes guilty of going for every ball in the air even when we already have 2 players going for it ( he was guilty of that for the Bristol goal, although everyone blamed Gunter for not clearing). Opposition teams have it sussed but that doesn't mean it wont work - just need a bit of clinical sharp finishing.

I still think that the season will be a good one , but Stam should not make comments about fans - it shows its getting to him and quite often leads to P45!

Still Harry is on the dole at the moment!

Keep the faith .

[Barcelona Blue]

There's no movement off the ball, no confidence or flair to take people on. There's no obvious desire to win back the ball when it's lost, no tenacity. And there doesn't seem to be a backbone to this team. Where's the spirit?

I totally agree with this, I have lived in Barcelona for 25 years and have regulary come back to watch home games/on sky etc and now with the i- follow I can watch every game live.

Possession football
I´ve watched Barça hundreads of times , the best out there at possession football, if you watch their style, YES they keep the ball and sometimes monotonously but then suddenly theres movement off the ball, this disorientates defenders , suddenly theres a though/fast or unexpected ball and theres danger.

Just Possession footabll
Reading are doing the posesision bit well considering the level of players, but if dont move off the ball then it´s pointless, its JUST possession.

[grey_squirrel]

There's no movement off the ball, no confidence or flair to take people on. There's no obvious desire to win back the ball when it's lost, no tenacity. And there doesn't seem to be a backbone to this team. Where's the spirit?

I see what you did there.

Wasn't Tenacity, Spirit, Flair Pardew's Cornerstones?

All of the above, which the poster's here have easily identified, are now totally lacking.

And well, put simply, when I realised I was waking up on match days thinking 'oh god, I've got to go to football' today, I stopped going and have no intention of returning until - at least some - excitement factor returns. Simple as.

[Hound]

Don't agree with that really. I think we win the ball back well and spirit normally isn't An issue

The lack of movement was very obvious on sat and until McCleary and Obita went wing back, no real attempts to take people on

Is there any news on Obita btw? Not heard anything

[genome]

Hopefully he won't be out for too long. When he came on he seemed like the only player willing to try and stretch the game.

The lack of movement was a problem just as much as the lack of width. At one point in the second half Gunter had the ball on the right and we had about six players in the centre of the park, just in front of the Hull backline, within a few yards of each other, and absolutely noone on the wings.

[Hound]

Hopefully he won't be out for too long. When he came on he seemed like the only player willing to try and stretch the game.

The lack of movement was a problem just as much as the lack of width. At one point in the second half Gunter had the ball on the right and we had about six players in the centre of the park, just in front of the Hull backline, within a few yards of each other, and absolutely noone on the wings.

It sounds like it was more of an impact injury rather than a tear or break. Which would hopefully mean back after the international break

[royalp-we]

When you look at the seasons gone by since we last gained a promotion, it's not hard to see why the interest has gone down for some:

2012/3 - In the PL, but wasn't a hugely enjoyable season IMO
2013/4 - Nigel Adkins
2014/5 - Awful, despite cup run
2015/6 - Awful
2016/7 - Much better, but still not the most exciting football
2017/8 - So far, as above, but without the results

If you look at the seasons preceding this, it's:

2005/6 - Promotion
2006/7 - Highest ever finish
2007/8 - Releg8ed, but still exciting
2008/9 - Play-offs
2009/10 - Bad first half, very good second half - and featured arguably our best ever player
2010/11 - Play-offs
2011/12 - Promotion

Have we been spoiled?

Yes we have

Nah. We would have been spoilt if we could have sustained our rise, like Bournemouth, Saints and Watford appear to be doing.

Theres been good games thrown in like the cup runs, but not much sustained excitement (reflected by the atmosphere people keep saying about on a match day) and hasn't fully recovered since 12/13 - 4 or 5 years is a long time in football terms.

[genome]

If we had a good owner upon getting promoted in 2012, I think we'd potentially still be there now.

[Snowflake Royal]

If we had a good owner upon getting promoted in 2012, I think we'd potentially still be there now.

I don't think so. I think we were miles off a sustained spell in the PL with that side. It was a highly specialised Championship busting side.

We might not have gone down first season, and when we did inevitably go down we might have bounced back up harder... but there was just too much work to do to make it properly competitive to stay up for long.

[bcubed]

There's no movement off the ball, no confidence or flair to take people on. There's no obvious desire to win back the ball when it's lost, no tenacity. And there doesn't seem to be a backbone to this team. Where's the spirit?

I see what you did there.

Wasn't Tenacity, Spirit, Flair Pardew's Cornerstones?

All of the above, which the poster's here have easily identified, are now totally lacking.

And well, put simply, when I realised I was waking up on match days thinking 'oh god, I've got to go to football' today, I stopped going and have no intention of returning until - at least some - excitement factor returns. Simple as.

At least we knew with Pards that the players looked like they were up for it and gave their all
Obviously carried on with SSC with knobs on.
Yes we were spoiled but I miss that stuff

[furthest flung fan]

Have just lost meekly to Millwall...assume that this thread will now kick up a gear or two!! So far we have words like meek, languid and timid to describe our style of play. No passion of pace in evidence. What I do know is that without a striker, there will never be a sense of purpose to a team's moves. Someone to aim for, someone to bang 'em in. Like big Jimmy Quinn?

[Top Flight]

Have just lost meekly to Millwall...assume that this thread will now kick up a gear or two!! So far we have words like meek, languid and timid to describe our style of play. No passion of pace in evidence. What I do know is that without a striker, there will never be a sense of purpose to a team's moves. Someone to aim for, someone to bang 'em in. Like big Jimmy Quinn?

Correct and that was exactly the problem tonight. We got forward and then we didn't know what to do. There were some crosses into a box that was void of any orange shirts. There is no purpose to our attacking play right now. We don't need just one striker. I think we need two. I want to see a partnership up front. Barrow can be one half of that partnership. Kermie or Bod could be the other half. But Stam prefers to play with wingers everywhere.

[Sutekh]

Things aren't going very well at the moment.

Poor team selections and the non-sensical purchase of Aluko on one hand. Injuries to key players (Kermorgant, Barrow, Obita, Bacuna etc.) on the other.

On top of that there is the style of play which the fans just have not bought into because it is so utterly tedious and unexciting - in the way Reading do it - but can be endurable if it is progressing and improving month to month and results are being earned. At the moment it has receded back into the worst depths of last year and results have disappeared.

Currently it's just a blip. a bad run. Think the team did something similar this time last season with a run of 4/5 games looking clueless and not getting much return so I don't think it's a case of panicking and hurling your toys from the proverbial perambulator just yet but it will become a worry if things don't improve in the next month. However, with the games coming up being Norwich at home followed by very difficult and troubling away visits to Leeds and Sheffield United this might well become a serious problem for the club and for Stam himself because we do not know yet how the new owners will react. If they're like the Chinese group that own Birmingham then it's not beyond the realms of possibility Reading could be looking for a new manager this time next month.

All in all though just a bit more learning for all involved at the club that will see the management having learned a lot more about where the issues are with both themselves and within the squad they have. And most importantly let's not forget the Reading aren't going to win the league anyway.

Finally, I don't really think last night was too much of a surprise as Reading still maintain this truly awful record when playing midweek evening league fixtures away from home. Since the start of the 2012/2013 season Reading have played 27 away league games on a Tuesday or Wednesday and won just 2 while racking up 17 defeats.