News and Views
Reading Bottom: Another Narrow Defeat
13 August 2018
By Hob Nob Anyone?
It was business as usual for the Royals this weekend as they enjoyed some good spells of football against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground before leaving with a 0-1 defeat. Reading have lost their opening two games of the Championship season and sit bottom of the table, as they continue the form that finished last season's disappointing campaign. There are some signs for optimism, but the truth is that despite the signings of Baldock and McNulty the Royals are dramatically lacking up front. There seems little doubt that Reading face a tough season ahead of them. Most Reading fans remain confident that Reading will avoid the drop but there are no signs that we should expect anything more with the current squad.
Playing away from home against a team expected to challenge for promotion this season, Reading did a good job in limiting Forest's chances. Despite Liam Moore staying at Reading he was again missing from the match day squad, allowing Ilori and McShane to continue in the centre of defence. The defence dealt with Forest with no issues for most of the game. After few chances it was 0-0 at half-time and it was Reading that went closest after the break with Meite putting a header just wide. However, it was a quiet afternoon from Baldock who found himself replaced by McNulty on the hour. McNulty also had no success up front and instead it was Forest that claimed the win on 68 minutes as they gradually too control of the game.
The Royals were never likely to come back from a goal down away from home - they last time we scored on the road was way back in March. Reading have now scored just a single league goal in their last five games and Clement appears to have a massive job ahead of him to turn things around. Despite the early pressure Clement remains confident of a Reading revival as the season continues: "It was too not bad a performance, particularly away from home against a team that played very well in their last game here... we had the advantage... The reality is we're an improving team. I can see the improvement so I'm not worried."
Reading now face Birmingham City at home on Tuesday night in the league cup before Bolton Wanderers visit next weekend. Reading will fancy their chances of some first league points of the season against Bolton who struggled last term and just survived the drop. However, Bolton will arrive with confidence after picking up four points from their opening two games.
Discussion On This Story:
Sutekh
Another game and another defeat. Forest away normally is so no real difference from any past season there. Last time we went there for an August fixture we lost 4-1 so an improvement on that
Overall there does seem to be some improvement in the team and the way it plays and anyone who was expecting anything more than mid table at best with this current rebuild is deluded.
An unluckiy loss to Derby and now this result shouldn’t set alarm bells ringing but it does heighten the main issue which is a serious lack of attacking prowess.
Desperately need midfield invention to challenge and cover the seemingly permanently crocked Swift for a start.
Anyway speed your ramblings below.
Overall there does seem to be some improvement in the team and the way it plays and anyone who was expecting anything more than mid table at best with this current rebuild is deluded.
An unluckiy loss to Derby and now this result shouldn’t set alarm bells ringing but it does heighten the main issue which is a serious lack of attacking prowess.
Desperately need midfield invention to challenge and cover the seemingly permanently crocked Swift for a start.
Anyway speed your ramblings below.
Kitsondinho
Just got back. I really enjoyed that. Yes we lost, but we weren’t outclassed. We played well and created chances. Forest were no better or worse than us, they created a few half chances....but most of their best chances came from our mistakes. Grabban’s 1 on 1 with Vito, the close header and the goal. I thought Vito played well, but had little chance with the goal. I was impressed with the back 4 and our central midfield. Attacking wise, it seems to be slowly coming together, but we didn’t use Barrow nearly enough. I really like Meite, but he clearly still needs time to develop his game. He has a real hunger and works hard for the team.....however, he may not be the answer this season. Overall no need to panic yet, however obviously if we don’t start scoring a few more of our chances then it’ll be a long old season!!
CountryRoyal
I’m going to start with ratings.
Mannone 5 - remarkably unremarkable.
Yiadom 7 - quickly becoming my favourite player. Best right back we’ve had for almost a decade.
Ilori 8 - hard to pick between him and Yiadom but was once again excellent, mature and commanding performance.
McShane 6 - less of a liability but too uncultured often giving away possession by hoofing it where there was perhaps a better option. Is seemingly forming a decent partnership with Ilori though so think it would be harsh to drop him. As much as it pains me to say it I’d persist atm.
Blackett 4 - quite a Blackett performance, some good some bad, some very very bad.
Meyler 5 - didn’t notice him too much which might be a good thing. Did have a tendency to just lump it back in but probably solid enough.
Kelly 5 - saw a lot of the ball and found some good passes down the left but still not enough cutting edge creatively. Average set piece delivery at times.
Barrow 5 - was marked out of the game didn’t have much joy at all but still managed to get into a couple of dangerous areas.
Bod 6 - a lot of running and commitment and endeavour but lacks quality. Nothing we don’t already know.
Meite 6 - would be worth £20 million if he had a first touch, unfortunately he doesn’t. Still very raw. Didn’t realise how much of a beast he is in the air. Happy to persist with him especially if it’s at the expense of Aluko.
Baldock 5 - still don’t really know what to make of Baldock but he didn’t have a sniff. We need to find a way of linking up our strikers but we’re a long way off the mark there. Never really had the ball in any dangerous areas.
Cba to do subs but good to see McNulty. Did absolutely nothing but not really his fault.
Referee utterly atrocious, beyond belief the amount of shit he let Forest get away with, to see he didn’t book one of their players is incredible.
Forest looked very average, won’t be causing anyone any trouble based on that.
Our overall performances certainly haven’t warranted us being bottom with zero points and whilst our inadequate strike force and attack means we will struggle for goals this season, I’ve seen enough in our play to suggest we should be ok, but the longer we go on without a win (or a draw for that matter) the quicker confidence will sink and the harder it will be.
Mannone 5 - remarkably unremarkable.
Yiadom 7 - quickly becoming my favourite player. Best right back we’ve had for almost a decade.
Ilori 8 - hard to pick between him and Yiadom but was once again excellent, mature and commanding performance.
McShane 6 - less of a liability but too uncultured often giving away possession by hoofing it where there was perhaps a better option. Is seemingly forming a decent partnership with Ilori though so think it would be harsh to drop him. As much as it pains me to say it I’d persist atm.
Blackett 4 - quite a Blackett performance, some good some bad, some very very bad.
Meyler 5 - didn’t notice him too much which might be a good thing. Did have a tendency to just lump it back in but probably solid enough.
Kelly 5 - saw a lot of the ball and found some good passes down the left but still not enough cutting edge creatively. Average set piece delivery at times.
Barrow 5 - was marked out of the game didn’t have much joy at all but still managed to get into a couple of dangerous areas.
Bod 6 - a lot of running and commitment and endeavour but lacks quality. Nothing we don’t already know.
Meite 6 - would be worth £20 million if he had a first touch, unfortunately he doesn’t. Still very raw. Didn’t realise how much of a beast he is in the air. Happy to persist with him especially if it’s at the expense of Aluko.
Baldock 5 - still don’t really know what to make of Baldock but he didn’t have a sniff. We need to find a way of linking up our strikers but we’re a long way off the mark there. Never really had the ball in any dangerous areas.
Cba to do subs but good to see McNulty. Did absolutely nothing but not really his fault.
Referee utterly atrocious, beyond belief the amount of shit he let Forest get away with, to see he didn’t book one of their players is incredible.
Forest looked very average, won’t be causing anyone any trouble based on that.
Our overall performances certainly haven’t warranted us being bottom with zero points and whilst our inadequate strike force and attack means we will struggle for goals this season, I’ve seen enough in our play to suggest we should be ok, but the longer we go on without a win (or a draw for that matter) the quicker confidence will sink and the harder it will be.
Hound
I think the strike force will score goals given time. Baldock is a quality player who will do well once settled imo, and Bod despite his clear limitations is a pain in the arse to play against, and will score 10+ for us
McNulty is a bit of an unknown but Im hopeful he’ll acclimatise
Meite and the likes of Swift and Barrow should chip on with a few as well. Happy to be fairly patient for the moment. There are enough good signs I think, but I’d feel massively better if we are sitting on 3 points this time next week
McNulty is a bit of an unknown but Im hopeful he’ll acclimatise
Meite and the likes of Swift and Barrow should chip on with a few as well. Happy to be fairly patient for the moment. There are enough good signs I think, but I’d feel massively better if we are sitting on 3 points this time next week
PieEater
Just got back. As others have said I didn't think we deserved to lose that. From our end it looked like we gifted the chance to them after a defensive mix up. I thought the team played well and were perhaps guilty of over playing in the first half and we never had a final ball. If we'd just shoot and go for the rebounds or second balls we'd do better.
It was a bit like Derby, no luck on our side, Forest were very professional killing our breaks and delaying free kicks, the ref was a homer and should have at least booked their number 4 for two cynical tackles on a breakaway. Our best chance fell to Bod but somehow he scuffed it, the ball went under the defender just enough to slow if for the keeper to catch.
I have to think we'll be ok if we keep playing like that but I wonder when the pressure to get points will set in and the confidence goes. Bolton next week is now a big one.
It was a bit like Derby, no luck on our side, Forest were very professional killing our breaks and delaying free kicks, the ref was a homer and should have at least booked their number 4 for two cynical tackles on a breakaway. Our best chance fell to Bod but somehow he scuffed it, the ball went under the defender just enough to slow if for the keeper to catch.
I have to think we'll be ok if we keep playing like that but I wonder when the pressure to get points will set in and the confidence goes. Bolton next week is now a big one.
sandman
They say the sign of a good team is one that wins even when playing badly. This Reading team is not a team that are going to do that, so they really need to pick up points when they're playing well. The fact that they are not doing that is a massive worry.
Awful atmosphere from the home fans until they scored. Really quiet.
Mannone - Needs to be far more decisive in his box. 6
Yiadom - A right back who actually tries to get forward rather than turning back at every opportunity. Haven't seen one of those in a while. 7
Illori - One dodgy moment in the first half which Mannone rescued him from but very good apart from that, with less overly casual moments than usual. 8 motm.
McShane - Oh dear. Failed to clear his lines on numerous occasions, poor touch when he was trying to bring the ball down led to us being pinned back and eventually conceding the goal. Need Moore back in asap. 4
Blackett - One of his better games bar one dodgy moment. 6
Meite - Poor first touch, works hard but lacking quality. 6
Meyler - Put himself about but lacking pace. 5
Kelly - Some nice tidy passing. Just can't help thinking that he could do more. 6
Barrow - Hardly in the game until late on. 5
Baldock - Another hard worker who lacks quality. 5
Bod - And another one. Tried but his finishing let him and us down majorly. 5
Subs:
Richards - Shame from his pov that Obita is still injured because he really needs a loan move. Bit of a nightmare for him, although on one occasion he wasn't helped by a hospital pass from his captain. 4
Bacuna - 5
Mcnulty - 5
We really need to get our season up and running next week.
Awful atmosphere from the home fans until they scored. Really quiet.
Mannone - Needs to be far more decisive in his box. 6
Yiadom - A right back who actually tries to get forward rather than turning back at every opportunity. Haven't seen one of those in a while. 7
Illori - One dodgy moment in the first half which Mannone rescued him from but very good apart from that, with less overly casual moments than usual. 8 motm.
McShane - Oh dear. Failed to clear his lines on numerous occasions, poor touch when he was trying to bring the ball down led to us being pinned back and eventually conceding the goal. Need Moore back in asap. 4
Blackett - One of his better games bar one dodgy moment. 6
Meite - Poor first touch, works hard but lacking quality. 6
Meyler - Put himself about but lacking pace. 5
Kelly - Some nice tidy passing. Just can't help thinking that he could do more. 6
Barrow - Hardly in the game until late on. 5
Baldock - Another hard worker who lacks quality. 5
Bod - And another one. Tried but his finishing let him and us down majorly. 5
Subs:
Richards - Shame from his pov that Obita is still injured because he really needs a loan move. Bit of a nightmare for him, although on one occasion he wasn't helped by a hospital pass from his captain. 4
Bacuna - 5
Mcnulty - 5
We really need to get our season up and running next week.
Royal_jimmy
That game had very little quality in it. We have plenty of endeavour and sharpness but there's no cutting edge there. I was disappointed to see Swift not bought on, he's the only player who can actually create something from the centre of the park. He's clearly injured but why would he be on the bench if he isn't fit?
Forest were average, on that showing they won't do much this season. Their goal was from a defensive Meyler error rather than being the better side.
I cba to do reviews but I was surprised to see Richards bought on at the end. I have no idea what Clement was thinking there.
As for the squad, it just looks short on quality, ambition and bite all over the pitch. We are 2-3 quality signings light. I can't help but think someone creative to compete with Swift would help our chance creation. I blame the board for that. Since Gourlay has come in, we've signed so many really poor players at crazy fees with no real rationale for them being in the squad. I am sure Baldock will improve when he settles in but I just don't think he suits the system we play. The same could be said for a fair few others too. The fact we are putting in better performances but are still losing games is a huge concern.
I hope I am wrong but I just don't see Clement as the man to turn around what's been a decline over the past year.
My MoM is Ilori, he seems much better from last year.
Forest were average, on that showing they won't do much this season. Their goal was from a defensive Meyler error rather than being the better side.
I cba to do reviews but I was surprised to see Richards bought on at the end. I have no idea what Clement was thinking there.
As for the squad, it just looks short on quality, ambition and bite all over the pitch. We are 2-3 quality signings light. I can't help but think someone creative to compete with Swift would help our chance creation. I blame the board for that. Since Gourlay has come in, we've signed so many really poor players at crazy fees with no real rationale for them being in the squad. I am sure Baldock will improve when he settles in but I just don't think he suits the system we play. The same could be said for a fair few others too. The fact we are putting in better performances but are still losing games is a huge concern.
I hope I am wrong but I just don't see Clement as the man to turn around what's been a decline over the past year.
My MoM is Ilori, he seems much better from last year.
Notts Royal
Glad I waited to post - in the hours after the game emotions were high & I felt we were robbed. In truth we weren’t robbed, but we certainly didn’t deserve to lose that - we looked the better in possession for sizeable spells of the game. It was a scrappy game but we were competitive throughout - a refreshing change from the shower we saw under Stam. Plenty of effort & an enjoyable game to watch IMO.
However, once again we were let down by the lack of a quality striker. For me, we’ve not signed the right striker in this window. We’ve signed 2 pint-sized strikers but non who can lead the line on their own. What we actually needed was a more mobile version than Jon Dadi - someone who can lead the line on their own. Jon Dadi strikes me as someone more effective than coming off the bench. We’d even look more dangerous with Cameron Jerome up front.
Mannone 5 - he just doesn’t instill much confidence in the back 4
Yiadom 7 - good little signing this guy is
Illori 8 - didn’t put a foot wrong, very quick & commanding
McShane 6 - I’m a big Paul fan but he has definitely declined
Blackett 6 - actually feel sorry for him. He didn’t do much wrong yesterday.
Meyler 6 - he’s def better than Joey but that’s not saying much. We looked better when Bacuna came on
Kelly 6 - thought he had a decent game. Really spread the ball well. Should’ve shot in the 1st half with a good opportunity
Barrow 6 - should’ve utilised him more, didn’t get the ball enough
Meite 6 - had Osborn for toast but tired as the game went on
Baldock 5 - wasn’t in the game
Bod 5 - plenty of effort, shame he’s not very good
Subs
Bacuna 7 - this guy is ridiculously hot & cold. Thought he played really well
McNulty 5 - did he touch the ball?
Richards 5 - was it his side where the goal came from?
Fans 7 - thought we made some decent noise bearing in mind only 200-300 of us could actually bother to stand
However, once again we were let down by the lack of a quality striker. For me, we’ve not signed the right striker in this window. We’ve signed 2 pint-sized strikers but non who can lead the line on their own. What we actually needed was a more mobile version than Jon Dadi - someone who can lead the line on their own. Jon Dadi strikes me as someone more effective than coming off the bench. We’d even look more dangerous with Cameron Jerome up front.
Mannone 5 - he just doesn’t instill much confidence in the back 4
Yiadom 7 - good little signing this guy is
Illori 8 - didn’t put a foot wrong, very quick & commanding
McShane 6 - I’m a big Paul fan but he has definitely declined
Blackett 6 - actually feel sorry for him. He didn’t do much wrong yesterday.
Meyler 6 - he’s def better than Joey but that’s not saying much. We looked better when Bacuna came on
Kelly 6 - thought he had a decent game. Really spread the ball well. Should’ve shot in the 1st half with a good opportunity
Barrow 6 - should’ve utilised him more, didn’t get the ball enough
Meite 6 - had Osborn for toast but tired as the game went on
Baldock 5 - wasn’t in the game
Bod 5 - plenty of effort, shame he’s not very good
Subs
Bacuna 7 - this guy is ridiculously hot & cold. Thought he played really well
McNulty 5 - did he touch the ball?
Richards 5 - was it his side where the goal came from?
Fans 7 - thought we made some decent noise bearing in mind only 200-300 of us could actually bother to stand
CountryRoyal
I just don’t see how we could go out and get ANOTHER striker when we’ve already signed 2 (admittedly strange ones) this summer. Who’s even available to get for a potential loan?
None of our strikers seem to be ones that can create for themselves and so we really need the service. Equally they aren’t the type of strikers to run in behind which is what causes defences trouble. Bod sort of is but certainly isn’t overly quick and is far more likely to scuff the shot, kick the turf and fall over, than he is to make the keeper work.
A quality creative midfielder for me is a must. I hoped Kelly could provide that but he just doesn’t have it in his locker, Swift who has the ability is permacrocked and blows hot and cold.
You know, if we could get another winger of genuine quality I’d almost consider playing Barrow up top with Baldock/McNulty and have the former running in behind stretching the defences.
Pandoras Box
Playing with more intent this year which is good. When we upped the pressure, we started creating some chances.
Played quite well, but to be honest, I think if this team ‘clicks’ they will still be a plum average championship team.
Bodvarsson is not a natural striker. He has got to score those half chances he keeps fluffing or missing.
The midfield has got to be sharper and more creative.
What happened to Kelly? A few years back he was renowned for some cracking long range goals. Yesterday , even when the seas parted and he had a total view on goal, he’d turn round and send a long pass to the wings.
This can only mean that they are expecting Bod to nod it in every time and that ain’t gonna happen.
A good Champ team will not rely on sneaking the odd goal here and there, they need an attack that puts constant pressure on the opposition and a midfield that commands the centre of the pitch. Neither of which we have at the moment.
Played quite well, but to be honest, I think if this team ‘clicks’ they will still be a plum average championship team.
Bodvarsson is not a natural striker. He has got to score those half chances he keeps fluffing or missing.
The midfield has got to be sharper and more creative.
What happened to Kelly? A few years back he was renowned for some cracking long range goals. Yesterday , even when the seas parted and he had a total view on goal, he’d turn round and send a long pass to the wings.
This can only mean that they are expecting Bod to nod it in every time and that ain’t gonna happen.
A good Champ team will not rely on sneaking the odd goal here and there, they need an attack that puts constant pressure on the opposition and a midfield that commands the centre of the pitch. Neither of which we have at the moment.
Snowflake Royal
People need to get a grip on reality. We've signed two strikers and brought a third back from loan. We're not bringing in another. We clearly can't afford the millions it would cost to get a player of the calibre we want; and even then it'd be a gamble as to whether they would succeed.
Baldock has played less than a game and a half for us, and had little pre-season with us plus he didn't play much last year. He's going to take a little while to get up to speed.
McNulty has had a pre-season and played last year, but he hasn't played a lot with Bod or Baldock and he's making a big step up. He's also had less than half a game.
Meite is raw and making a decent step up. He's not played much with Bod or Baldock. He's played on the wing and a cameo upfront.
Bod has had very little pre-season and has a 1 in 2 strike rate so far.
Can we not give the team and these players at least five or six games to establish some form before we start writing them off?
Baldock has played less than a game and a half for us, and had little pre-season with us plus he didn't play much last year. He's going to take a little while to get up to speed.
McNulty has had a pre-season and played last year, but he hasn't played a lot with Bod or Baldock and he's making a big step up. He's also had less than half a game.
Meite is raw and making a decent step up. He's not played much with Bod or Baldock. He's played on the wing and a cameo upfront.
Bod has had very little pre-season and has a 1 in 2 strike rate so far.
Can we not give the team and these players at least five or six games to establish some form before we start writing them off?
sandman
It's not writing these players off to see that none of them are strikers a club at this level should have as first choice. They're all good second or third choice strikers that would supplement a squad but none of them are going to get the goals you need to get anywhere but mid table, if you're lucky.
Would question why we're signing players like Mcnulty that "need to make a big step up" when we have our own in house strikers that need to do the same and wouldn't cost us over a million pounds.
Would question why we're signing players like Mcnulty that "need to make a big step up" when we have our own in house strikers that need to do the same and wouldn't cost us over a million pounds.
Notts Royal
Agree with Sandman. Snowflake I don’t think previous posters have been that critical of the signings, just pointing out why we didn’t win the game & areas we are deficient in.
No we don’t have the “millions” of other clubs in our league, but if we spent £3m or so (don’t believe it was the quoted £7m) on Sone Aluko, we could easily spend the quoted £1.5m on someone like Jerome - yes he’s a bit of a donkey but he can play as a lone striker & is at least an upgrade on Jon Dadi.
No one has faulted the effort shown by the team, which was a big improvement, and i actually think a Clement is the righ man to take this team forward.
I think you’re the one who needs to get a grip on your interpretations of this thread
No we don’t have the “millions” of other clubs in our league, but if we spent £3m or so (don’t believe it was the quoted £7m) on Sone Aluko, we could easily spend the quoted £1.5m on someone like Jerome - yes he’s a bit of a donkey but he can play as a lone striker & is at least an upgrade on Jon Dadi.
No one has faulted the effort shown by the team, which was a big improvement, and i actually think a Clement is the righ man to take this team forward.
I think you’re the one who needs to get a grip on your interpretations of this thread
Snowflake Royal
Given the amount two of them have played at this level - meaning they're basically untried, and the fact one of them won promotion with Brighton, that's exactly what it is.
You don't need one player to score a boatload of goals to have a good season. Even if you have one player who scores a boatload, it doesn't mean you'll have a good season, and it certainly doesn't have to be a striker.
Why would any Reading fan have serious ambitions for anything above mid-table this season? Mid-table is exactly what we should be looking for.
Royal_jimmy
It's not just the strikers who are the problem.
Yesterday, we created the square root of sweet fa despite looking the better side at times. Whilst I do question if the strikers we signed will suit us, we can't score without creativity. At the moment we have none of that in this team. There's effort and huffing and puffing but there's just no quality.
I think survival is the best we can hope for and try to build on that for future seasons.
Next week vs Bolton, I want to see us take the game to them. If we go 1-0 up and are dominating, we need to kill the game off by getting a 2nd, 3rd, 4th. We can't keep a clean sheet so that's what we need to learn to do to win games.
Yesterday, we created the square root of sweet fa despite looking the better side at times. Whilst I do question if the strikers we signed will suit us, we can't score without creativity. At the moment we have none of that in this team. There's effort and huffing and puffing but there's just no quality.
I think survival is the best we can hope for and try to build on that for future seasons.
Next week vs Bolton, I want to see us take the game to them. If we go 1-0 up and are dominating, we need to kill the game off by getting a 2nd, 3rd, 4th. We can't keep a clean sheet so that's what we need to learn to do to win games.
Pandoras Box
As seems to be the norm in today’s world of debate, if someone disagrees with someone’s opinion, their alternative view is manipulated into a negative and anti whatever stance.
No one is writing off any players and no one has said that. Fact.
Bod may have scored a goal in two matches, but there were chances yesterday that he didn’t connect with that a natural poacher type striker may have. Fact
He worked hard and created a couple of chances off his own back but he’s never going to set the world alight, that’s all.
To falsely claim that a valid opinion of someone who witnessed the game yesterday as writing them off is rather unfair.
No one is looking for him to be benched or got rid of and I also don’t believe Baldock or McNulty got the opportunity to show their skills through the service that was offered.
That doesn’t immediately mean we need new strikers and to put everyone on the transfer list.
Snowflake Royal
As seems to be the norm in today’s world of debate, if someone disagrees with someone’s opinion, their alternative view is manipulated into a negative and anti whatever stance.
No one is writing off any players and no one has said that. Fact.
Bod may have scored a goal in two matches, but there were chances yesterday that he didn’t connect with that a natural poacher type striker may have. Fact
He worked hard and created a couple of chances off his own back but he’s never going to set the world alight, that’s all.
To falsely claim that a valid opinion of someone who witnessed the game yesterday as writing them off is rather unfair.
No one is looking for him to be benched or got rid of and I also don’t believe Baldock or McNulty got the opportunity to show their skills through the service that was offered.
That doesn’t immediately mean we need new strikers and to put everyone on the transfer list.
Except there literally are calls for a third striker to be loaned in and the new signings dismissed as not up to standard right here.
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