That was one of the worst games I have ever listened to before. I llam a dedicated fan, i may not have been to a game for 8 years but i listen to every game on the radio we play and that was by far one of the worst. It sounded abysmal. Even the normally great commentary team sounded deflated and they know that this is the start of a downward spiral. The way that it seemed we played was nonsensical and hopeless. I'm glad I didn't pay all the money to go there today. I am going to protest at the training ground next week. Sack jack stamp and the owners. They are turning us into the next Stockport at this rate. We may aswell sack our manager and get somebody in like di canio or rowett who is a good manager and proven in the premier league.

0/10 for all players.
10/10 for Preston.
The referee can be described as faultless.

Sounded bright and promising for the first 30 minutes and seemed we should have scored at least once but as ever let down by bad luck and poor decisions

Then Blackett missed again and we fell apart and delivered the standard miserable away performance.

So, of the current top 9 teams away, Reading have played 6 and lost 6 (newcastle, brighton, huddersfield, leeds, fulham, preston) and still have sheff wed and norwich to go.

On the upside, the side is doing much better than expectations and theoretically should only get better with more time and investment - plus if someone had offered us our current position at the start of the season we'd all have taken it

So it's still up to us as even if Fulham beat Blackburn we just need to thwart Wednesday on Friday night and they'll be dreading Fulham even more than us.

Thanks for cheering me up today after that very good review.

Poor old Jack Stamp must be worried if he encounters you at your training ground protest next week....good luck

Momentum is just one win away.
WNG
We do need to tighten up on defense away from home. As Handbags pointed out to me :

"Only Norwich (37), Forest (39) and Rotherham (53) have conceded more goals away than us (35), something has to change away otherwise we're dropping..."

We only really have Weds and Leeds of the top sides left to play and both are very beatable - but I don't really fancy our chances at villa or Norwich either.

To many ifs and buts, we don't cut the mustard, end of. You don't get promoted when you play players out of position and have no plan b when things go wrong. The only bad luck and poor decisions are Stam usage of subs so there is no one else to blame but him.

Jonathan Low @jonathanl50
Just leaving Deepdale, disastrous afternoon for #readingfc. Lack of cutting edge at both ends very evident

Why would you have a cutting edge at the back?

I do pretty much ignore his opinion due to statements like that

Sharp to the point and effective defenders work for me.

I was actually at the game. Not as bad as the scoreline suggests. First was a mistake from Blackett. Second was the most blatant handball I've ever seen. Couldn't really see the third, but was game over by then.

Even before he scored Barkhuizen was the stand out player. Great touch and just looked a class above.

Mutch was better, before he went off, but after Tuesday night Williams had to start.

Grabban offered​ nothing again - either play him upfront, or don't play him at all.

I hope Oxford's cameo was with an eye of playing him on Fri night ahead of Blackett.

Why has everyone got it in for Blackett? I've seen Liam, Gunter make the same errors and everyone has amnesia.

This is starting to remind me of Tommy Burns infamous January transfer window when he brought in 6? Scottish players who were mostly dire except for Grant Brebner but played them regardless.

For all Japp Stam's success this season, he appears to have fallen down the same rabbit hole. Mick Gooding said bringing in new players can upset a successful squad but I would suggest this is usually due to managers insisting on playing their new acquisitions regardless of performance.

Frankly, if I was George Evans, if I didn't feel I was bashing my head against a brick wall before today, the penny would have dropped this afternoon when even JVB flirting with another suspension and Blackett, almost single handedly throwing the game before half time , was not sufficient to get this invariably reliable safe pair of hands off the bench.

It will be a crying shame if this very promising season turns to mush and we are denied at least the heart ache of another play off failure but that's where we are heading unless Japp can stop the rot that, in my view, is largely self inflicted.

I guess things could be worse...

Why has everyone got it in for Blackett? I've seen Liam, Gunter make the same errors and everyone has amnesia.
Gunter gets abuse every game. Thought Blackett had a half decent game, but his mistake put them in for the first. Would you rather me pretend it didn't happen?

Well I am on holiday and a few days back I found out that a bar close to my hotel was showing it live. I was thrilled.
watched the first 70 minutes before i headed somewhere else to get pissed.
first 30 minutes we bossed it, should have been at least 2 up, then Blackett f*cked up a simple though ball and we are one down. much to the delight of the Preston fan sitting behind me.
After that is was rapidly down hill. we get a corner and they score from it (again) then early 2nd half its 3-0 from a set piece.
we`ve been crying out for a goalscorer for at least 5 years. what do we end up with Lewis shitty Grabben. couldnt hit a barn door .
while Preston take a punt on a non league player that as now scored 4 in 3 games.
Can`t be arsed to mark players . but Mutch Grabben and Blackett can all just go and do one.
surely Reece Oxford can`t be worse than this shit we have at the back now?

rant mode off.

I'm not going to get too carried away with this, just like I don't when we go on an unbeaten run.

The one disappointing thing for me the last few weeks is the lack of fight when things don't necessarily go our way. Let's face it, we have been on the receiving end of some bad luck and a lack of cutting edge the last three away games, and boy have we been punished.

Huddersfield - not given a penalty that really ought to have been given. If we get that and score (big if), it changes the complexion of the match completely. All of a sudden we're in the box seat, and likely walk away with at least a draw.

Brighton - Beerens has a fantastic chance to put us in the lead but tamely hits the keeper, and we get a header at goal from the resulting corner. 1 minute later we're behind. Start of the second half we have an effort hooked off the line, 1 minute later we're two down.

Preston - we absolute batter them for the first half an hour but don't take our chances, we find ourselves 2-0 down at half time.

I'm well aware of the trend of thought that you make your own luck, and I think in these instances that could be quite applicable. I just find it a bit galling that the fine lines haven't gone our way in the last fortnight, and when they haven't we have capitulated big time.

The same Barkhuizen who I watched for Morecambe who couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo against Carlisle in a league 2 game this season yet he puts 2 past our defence today. God help us!

I have to agree with the points made about Grabban and Mutch, they just upset the balance of our team too much. In fact, we haven't won away in 4 games since they joined us (coincidence) and only won 2 home games from 4.

Stam needs to drop both of them to the bench and only play them when we are chasing a game.

I am no fan of Blackett but all players make mistakes. I'd still start Obita over him and McShane and Oxford on Friday. Blackett just offers nothing going forward and we've looked vulnerable with him at the centre of our defence.

Stam has a big job on his hands when it comes to how we approach away games. We need to be a bit more resilient, direct with pace to hit opponents on the counter attack yet we have some pacey players like McCleary playing. I'm all for this style in home games as it's clearly works and we have the 2nd best home record in the league even if we only win by the odd goal. Away we need to be a bit dirtier

If Stam hasn't managed to create a defence anywhere near what might be expected from someone with his experience after nearly a season and which still seems to make the same basic mistakes week after week, what possible chance has he got of ever creating a promotion winning midfield and attacking unit anywhere in the foreseeable future?

We have two of the worst fullbacks in the championship. Gunter and Blackett were utterly clueless and are easily beaten for pace. Blackett has the turning circle of an oil tanker. I know we are fifth but I feel the playoffs are slipping away. Fulham are on the march and I think we may be the ones who suffer and drop out.

I'm sure Brebner was a signing the summer afterwards along with Murts & probably Van Der Kwaak & Elroy Kromheer.

The "Magnificent 7" weren't all Scots although most were dire:

Paul Brayson was English and dire would have been an improvement.
Paddy Kelly was Irish and a decent centre back. I still maintain that if Craig Hignett had not broken Kelly's leg we would have stayed up that season. This is the other reason I still hate Hignett.
I think Jimmy Crawford was Irish as well, although I think he'd played a bit in Scotland.

The other 4 were Scots though:
Jimmy McIntyre
Robert Fleck
Stuart Gray
Scott Howie

I hope Oxford starts next game,

When is Ilori back?

I hate those who slag off Gunter.

However, I saw the highlights on the Football League show. what was he doing when the defender was running at him:

- he appeared to be about 2 seconds behind the pace
- once beaten he just stood out the way and watched rather than running back in

Strange really

Blackett - I've said for months he's utter sh*t

Funny though i heard someone today complimenting him and saying he's developing so well. I've not seen that personally.

Blackett was playing centreback.

motm v Barnsley

We have so many inconsistent/but yet match-winning players

Loving the title of this thread btw......where's Ian?

The same Barkhuizen who I watched for Morecambe who couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo against Carlisle in a league 2 game this season yet he puts 2 past our defence today. God help us!
Yeh, guess our terrible players improved his touch and finishing.

You lost me there.

Half decent teams have worked out our Plan A. We have no plan B.

We have shit defensive cover. We have shit attack. F**k knows how we are where we are. Probably the 72trillion midfielders we've bought aho make up for it.

But this is a great 1st season for Stam.

Looking forward to next season in the champ when it starts clicking more.

You lost me there.

I probably listen to more games then you and know the names of more players then you so I'm a better fan

^ Double Dave Royal^ alert