Why we are sh*t

[Top Flight]

Reasons why we are so sh*t.

1) Al Habsi went to Islamic State of Saudi Arabia.

Ali made at least 1 world class save in every game and this kept us on the right side of the scoreline most of the time last season despite the fact that we were playing sh*t and were unconvincing most weeks. Most of us were scratching our heads at our lofty league position last season but much of the explanation for it lies in two times player of the season Ali Al-Habsi.

2) Danny Williams decided that time was running out on his career and he needed to live the dream straight away and so he joined Huddersfield.

We miss his engine in the centre of the park. Any team that is going to be successful in the Championship needs a player that is all heart, power, energy and fight and that was Williams. What he lacked in quality and technique he made if up for with his driving runs, tough tackling and playing with heart in the middle of the park. Whenever we have been successful in the past we had this type of player. Lads like Sidwell, Leigertwood and Parkinson come to mind. These lads are influential and raise the game of everyone around them. They set the standard of what is expected in terms of effort and their team mates follow the example. Without such a leader and battler in the centre of midfield this season we look weak, soft and lacking in the kind of fight that is needed to churn out results in this unforgiving division.

3) Obita got crocked

The star of the Play-off semi finals, Obita gave us quality and balance on the left hand side. He could attack with gusto and defend with vigour. Nobody has come close to filling the void on the left hand side after losing star man Jordan. Gunter is good but leaves us a little unbalanced as he is not a natural left footer. Blackett cannot maraude down the flank like Obita and is not really a left back. Omar never got the chance and when he did he got crocked too. Luck has not been with us down the left hand side this season.

4) Kermorgant also got crocked

Losing Yann to injury was also a blow. The goal threat vanished and now that he is back from injury it will take weeks for Yann to get back to the levels of last season as he is no spring chicken anymore and he needs about 12 weeks of regular play to get up to speed.

5) Beerens not fancied on the left anymore.

This one will be argued against by many I'm sure. Beerens is a quality left winger. He should be playing on a regular basis like last season. He combined well with Obita. He can deliver an excellent cross into the box. When he played last season we were more creative and we won more games and scored more goals. That is no coincidence. He was more effective for us than Barrow has so far proved to be.

6) Stam out of ideas

I don't think Stams knowledge of players is strong enough to find the right solutions. He always seems to want to go for the obvious targets and then complains when he is quoted international telephone number prices to acquire their services. Top scout McDermott could think outside the box and was able to work within very stricht financial restrictions. You don't always have to go after Norwich's number 1 striker who is banging in 15 goals right now and is valued at £15 million. The lad who has fallen out of favour at Bournemouth or Palace and only costs £1million is probably a better striker.

7) Quinn still out

Reading's form under Steve Clarke took a nose dive the moment Stephen Quinn got injured. And with Williams now at Huddersfield, we just don't have a battler anymore in the middle of the park who can put the work in. Quinny could and and did set a good example of work rate. Without these types of winners on the pitch our current boys are just being too weak and are easy pushovers.

McCleary crocked

'G' was a player that could rip the Championship to shreds when he was fit and in the mood. He was dangerous and very effective. We need the real G back again. He could be many weeks away from the player that he was.

[Jack Celliers]

The spine of the team is important. Our team doesn't have one.
1) No Al Habsi to save us once or twice a game with a wonder save
2) McShane has been awful for months
3) No box-to-box player to replace Williams
4) Playing without a striker too offten

[Hound]

The spine of the team is important. Our team doesn't have one.
1) No Al Habsi to save us once or twice a game with a wonder save
2) McShane has been awful for months
3) No box-to-box player to replace Williams
4) Playing without a striker too offten

I think Bacuna could be as effective as Williams but keeps getting injured

We have played a striker in most matches, they just haven’t been Great and generally had awful service

Agree on McShane

With How we played last year, even though we were successful, we were only ever going the first goal down from losing a game

Agre in the OP on Obita, a big loss and always appears to be a good ‘team man’. Vastly underrated last year. That Fulham semi was as good a FB display as you would see at this level

[tmesis]

4) Playing without a striker too offten

While there are other factors, not getting in a player in the summer who can score goals has been our biggest undoing this season.

When you play one up front, that one guy really has to produce, or you'll fail to score. If you fail to score it'll erode confidence in the whole team (and also the team tactics), and that's what's happened, with us progressively getting worse.

The "can't find a player in our price range" excuse got shot to pieces by signing Aluko. It just seems that our scouting was really poor, and we didn't look at enough players.

[Hound]

Think it’s slightly strange that despite a lot for criticism of not getting a striker in etc, we are now at the end of Jan and barely even been linked to anyone bar Martin (which has looked for a couple of weeks as a no-go)

I wonder how much the management do see it as a problem. You’d have thought we’d at least have a loan lined up. I don’t believe there aren’t players in the prem that would come til the end of the season.

[Elm Park Kid]

Think it’s slightly strange that despite a lot for criticism of not getting a striker in etc, we are now at the end of Jan and barely even been linked to anyone bar Martin (which has looked for a couple of weeks as a no-go)

I wonder how much the management do see it as a problem. You’d have thought we’d at least have a loan lined up. I don’t believe there aren’t players in the prem that would come til the end of the season.

Yeah, I mean you look at Darren Bent going to Burton and ask wouldn't we love a player like that at the moment?

All I can think is that Stam reckons that Kermorgant will be good again once he's properly fit and just wants to keep playing him. Any striker they bring in would just end up on the bench.

BTW - Agree with most of the opening post. Though I reckon that Obita could have been adequately replaced with any championship standard left-back and we'd have been fine. Had Bucana been allowed to play consistently at CM he could have also replaced Williams. The loss of a fit Kermorgant was key though.

[Henley Royal 1]

We are shit for all those reasons that have been posted .The one thing that still sticks with me was the play off final where Gunter was frantically waiving his arms trying to get the crowd behind them with zero response , we could not get worked up for a game like that which we could only dream about 40 years ago .The style of football is rancid i am only going because i have too support them it is my duty .

[Snowflake Royal]

I understand that decent strikers are in high demand. That they're expensive and difficult to sign. Few and far between. I can accept we blew our wedge (foolishly) on Aluko.

But why, oh why, have we not signed any fullback? We have Gunter and Richards. Bacuna, who is desperately needed in midfield, has played most of his games at right back and we've had Gunter, Richards, Blackett and Obita at left back.

Surely it can't be hard to sign literally any fullback so we can stop playing our best mudfielder in defence and have a specialist on the bench still. It's inexcusable to not even try a PL Uxx on loan.

So many of our problems ease (not go away, but ease) with two full backs and Bacuna in midfield. He's the Williams equivalent (with fewer blind allies so better IMO), the driving force through midfield. He'll have a crack with a long shot, play a through ball, put a tackle in, carry the ball forward.

With McCleary shot to buggery we have no wingers you can trust to play the wing back role. Gunter's always been a bit panicky over the halfway line (less so on the left), Richards isn't trusted, Blackett's a calamity, Watson's nowhere, Obita's injured. We can't really play with wing backs as an alternative because of this. The idea of Barrow, Beerens, Aluko or even Popa at wing back is laughable.

A striker will solve fuk all because they'll get few chances and the rest of the team will remain a shambles. They address none of the underlying problems. But a fullback. They really could improve the whole team.

[windermereROYAL]

We`ve needed a striker for 5 years, only a blind man or the management can`t see what`s so fcuking obvious.

[9165]

The way Richards had been mucked about is symptomatic of the way the club has been run this season. A sparkling debut then left on the bench for weeks. As previously mentioned Gunter on the left should be a stop-gap not a semi permanent solution. Bacuna is wasted at full back. With Richards now crocked why did we not go for a loan of Targett from Southampton who instead hss gone to Fulham? Frankly, its a mess.

[Snowflake Royal]

We`ve needed a striker for 5 years, only a blind man or the management can`t see what`s so fcuking obvious.

You misunderstand. Of course we need better strikig options and have done for years. But a striker is clearly proving extremely difficult and will be expensive.

In terms of a best bang for buck to give us a short term turn around, I think it's criminal to ignore the position we regularly can't even field a proper specialist, and get our best players playing in theirmost effective positions.

A striker is not going to help create a lot more chances, or improve our midfield or defence. A proper fullback and the knock on effects might.

[Lower West]

McCleary crocked

'G' was a player that could rip the Championship to shreds when he was fit and in the mood. He was dangerous and very effective. We need the real G back again. He could be many weeks away from the player that he was.

Spent too much time crocked over the years.

[starbug]

What I think we need more than anything is a controlling midfield player. Doesn't need to be quick, dynamic or even young but someone who is an obvious go to player, comfortable on the ball and indeed will demand the ball and stop going bl00dy backwards all the time, someone like Caskey springs to mind.

Better goalies, wingers or strikers are irrelevant if the ball spends most of the time passing around the back.

[Berry]

Not trying to be negative but...Its all getting so boring picking over the why's and wherefores...Like raking over ashes and then raking the soil up...1 reason and 1 alone why Reading are fecal...Stam.....When he goes we become better, Over complicating things is what Stam does, are we all now basing our displeasure on his mantra as well??

[tidus_mi2]

Another thing I don't think was mentioned yet but our pre-season preparation was a complete shambles, it was no surprise QPR comfortably turned us over 2-0 on the first game.

[Snowflake Royal]

What I think we need more than anything is a controlling midfield player. Doesn't need to be quick, dynamic or even young but someone who is an obvious go to player, comfortable on the ball and indeed will demand the ball and stop going bl00dy backwards all the time, someone like Caskey springs to mind.

Better goalies, wingers or strikers are irrelevant if the ball spends most of the time passing around the back.

Bacuna.

[tidus_mi2]

First season without the drummer in Y19.

[Snowflake Royal]

First season without the drummer in Y19.

Every cloud

[bcubed]

I understand that decent strikers are in high demand. That they're expensive and difficult to sign. Few and far between. I can accept we blew our wedge (foolishly) on Aluko.

But why, oh why, have we not signed any fullback? We have Gunter and Richards. Bacuna, who is desperately needed in midfield, has played most of his games at right back and we've had Gunter, Richards, Blackett and Obita at left back.

Surely it can't be hard to sign literally any fullback so we can stop playing our best mudfielder in defence and have a specialist on the bench still. It's inexcusable to not even try a PL Uxx on loan.

So many of our problems ease (not go away, but ease) with two full backs and Bacuna in midfield. He's the Williams equivalent (with fewer blind allies so better IMO), the driving force through midfield. He'll have a crack with a long shot, play a through ball, put a tackle in, carry the ball forward.

With McCleary shot to buggery we have no wingers you can trust to play the wing back role. Gunter's always been a bit panicky over the halfway line (less so on the left), Richards isn't trusted, Blackett's a calamity, Watson's nowhere, Obita's injured. We can't really play with wing backs as an alternative because of this. The idea of Barrow, Beerens, Aluko or even Popa at wing back is laughable.

A striker will solve fuk all because they'll get few chances and the rest of the team will remain a shambles. They address none of the underlying problems. But a fullback. They really could improve the whole team.

What gets me and Ive said it before is that the team against Derby away had Richards at left back and Bacuna (and I agree he has the potential to be much better than Williams) in front of the defence. That was far and away the best we have played all season IMO. Bacuna ran the game. Richards had a debut to dream of and didn't put a foot wrong.

So why didn't Stam stick with this selection and formation? He can't have failed to notice how well we played!
But his reaction was seemingly to conclude that Richards wasn't ready and Bacuna should play on right side of defence instead of Gunter.

So I agree a new striker isn't necessarily the answer and frankly given the above failure to learn I'm not sure what additions to the squad will make any difference

[Zip]

The point made about our start of the season is relevant. We lost to a poor QPR side and could have been thrashed in that game. Stam admitted we were undercooked. Whose fault is that Jaap? Previous mismanagement? It was then compounded by our failure to beat a team down to ten men from the first minute of the match.

So avkimp start to the season from which we have not fully recovered.