Back from the game

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Has anyone else noticed how since signing his new contract, Hunt has been rather awful

Hunt rather summed up how we've been playing of late - bags of effort but absolutely no end product. Did he manage a single decent cross all match?

I've also got absolutely no idea what Kitson & Doyle were doing today, as they spent as much time out wide as in the middle. I remember one move in the first half, a throw I think, where both Kitson and Doyle ran out of the box towards the thrower, leaving us with just one player in the penalty area had we been able to get a ball in.

Add to that Murty trying to be captain fantastic by getting into advanced positions too often, and usually giving the ball away and leaving us exposed at the back (as for the second goal), and our complete inability to mark anyone making a run into the box (why was Murty on the post for their first goal instead of trying to stop the guy getting the ball?) and you get the impression that the team have completely lost their professionalism and are just doing their own thing. You can't fault any of the players for effort, but without the organisation and teamwork to go with it, it's wasted.


There are 11 games to go so there's plenty of time to turns things round, but we need to make it happen rather than than just plodding along in the same rut just hoping something will happen. Sadly, it just appears we've been doing the same things week-in, week-out on the training ground without any apparent idea how to change things.

The 2nd goal happened because Murty gave the ball away on the halfway line and din't have the pace to get back, when Harweood was celebrating scoring, Murty was 30 odd yards out in the middle with his hand on his head. That's how far he'd got back, 10 yards, in that time they'd passed it scored and were celebrating.

He's too old, too slow and wouldn't touch the squad of any other team in this league, yet he's our bloody captain!

the first goal was also due to giving away possession in their half (Hunt this time with some schoolboy miscrontrolling) and Shorey completely out of position.

[rob the royal]

my analysis?

FUBAR: F'd up, beyond avoiding relegation

i went to today's game firmly believing that nothing less than a point would do if we were going to have any realistic chance of staying up. as many people have already said i don't see where the points are going to come from. i hope that the team prove me wrong.

at this point i'm not sure how much difference team selection is going to make. nobody seems to have any real belief that they can win the game. but if we're going to point fingers oster was rubbish, and ingimarsson needs to come back into the defence.

as other people have said it's all very well getting crosses into the box but there has to be someone in the box to put it away, where were they all?

the ref was poor, but to be honest, let's not forget they had missed a pen, had that gone in it could have been a lot worse. where is the reading that would have taken that as a warning sign an then gone up the other end of the pitch and peppered the opposition goal with shots? we hardly had a shot today. we seem completely ineffective in the final third and yet some of our build up play in the middle of the pitch looked like the old reading?

what's the answer? i wish i knew, and i bet steve coppell does too, but if you ask me no matter what he does it may now be too late.

fubar

[tilehurstender]

a few questions:

Why is our fully fit record signing not deemed even good enough to get into a team that not won this year?

In a must win game, why have we got two centre backs but only one recognised striker on the bench?

If a job description says "Defensive Coach" and you haven't kept a clean sheet since October shouldn't that person be under pressure to keep their job?

The "Rent a Quote" players that regularly appear on the back pages of the Evening Post with the old chestnuts of "We're all in this together" or " We're all fired up for Saturday" should maybe shut up and do it when it counts.

Why persist with the same players based on their performances 10 months ago?

[towserSL2crew]

Wot a game , worse than Bolton. some people moaning about Murts going forward and being out of position , wot choice had he when Oster was going hiding in the middle in case he got the ball out wide and had to try and go past a defender. We had no-one out wide till Kebe came on ( he looked ok and did at Everton ).
Kits & Doyle are not working at the minit so get Leroy back on , start Kebe ( Osters not up to this class) start Shane with Leroy ,give Rosenior a start at right back and play the ball up the park dont loft it up the middle when the defence is twice the size of our forwards .And pray Glen Little is back soon , hope its not too late.
Lets all go to Smogland next week and do the smoggies ( Well be there ) ..........Come on you RZZZ ....its not all over yet lads !!

[Alan Partridge]

:o Wot a game , worse than Bolton. some people moaning about Murts going forward and being out of position , wot choice had he when Oster was going hiding in the middle in case he got the ball out wide and had to try and go past a defender. We had no-one out wide till Kebe came on ( he looked ok and did at Everton ).
Kits & Doyle are not working at the minit so get Leroy back on , start Kebe ( Osters not up to this class) start Shane with Leroy ,give Rosenior a start at right back and play the ball up the park dont loft it up the middle when the defence is twice the size of our forwards .And pray Glen Little is back soon , hope its not too late.
Lets all go to Smogland next week and do the smoggies ( Well be there ) ..........Come on you RZZZ ....its not all over yet lads !!

Oster was off the pitch when Murty's own crapness gifted Villa the 2nd and killer goal.

[howser]

With the risk of being slated on here I though that kebe upped the pace and played ok, must start with him at least next week, Cisse not great today but why take him off for Ingi, and leave Sonko on he was truly awful today and looks slow cumbersome and a sending off waiting to happen.

[AbovetheI]

From what i heard from SC on Reading 107 after the match,he will make wholesale changes against Boro.

Bollocks.

[Schards#2]

From what i heard from SC on Reading 107 after the match,he will make wholesale changes against Boro.

Bollocks.

They're going to buy the half time oranges at Macro instead

[AbovetheI]

From what i heard from SC on Reading 107 after the match,he will make wholesale changes against Boro.

Bollocks.

They're going to buy the half time oranges at Macro instead

Very good.

[loyalroyal4life]

Quote from coppell :

"I feel I have been too loyal to some players in the squad and it might just be that there will be four or five changes for the next game. The ones on the outside of the team must be hellishly frustrated as the ones who are playing at the moment just aren't delivering."

If this is finally a GENUINE admission from the man that he is too loyal to have any bottle to drop players having woeful games week in week out then THANK GOD at last. I can't however see sir steve making 4 or 5 changes.

That'll mean no cisse, harper, oster, doyle at the very least. Can't see it tbh

Hindsights a wonderful thing Steve. But this is the guy who said we'd sign players to improve the team in January, so it will be the same side next week.

Exactly. Agreed. I will be surprised with 1 change. To see 4 or 5 might send me to hospital

[mzungu_royal]

Look, to all those doubters of SC, he's the best we'll ever have. Id we sack him, then who will there to be replace. Come on guys, he's intelligent and knows the game very well. Yes, he may too laid back but he's the best and i dont know about you people, but i back him 100% to get us out of this dog cr!p situation we're in. Back him guys.

[RoyalBlue]

Well Coppell will have to make one change - according to Sky that was Sonko's 5th yellow.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

some people moaning about Murts going forward and being out of position , wot choice had he when Oster was going hiding in the middle in case he got the ball out wide and had to try and go past a defender.

That was kind of the point. People weren't doing their jobs, so others were moving out of position to do their jobs for them, meaning that they in turn were out of position....

Now either we believe we are Ajax of the 1970s, and all our players can play comfortably interchange in any position, or our teamwork and organisation has gone to pieces and we are playing as individuals rather than as a team.

If it's the latter, which I suspect as I don't see too many players reminiscent of Cruyff & Neeskens in their prime out there, then it really doesn't matter which players we bring in or leave out as it'll just be re-arranging deckchairs on the titanic. We don't need more effort or more spirit - we seem to have bags of that - we need more organisation.

[mzungu_royal]

some people moaning about Murts going forward and being out of position , wot choice had he when Oster was going hiding in the middle in case he got the ball out wide and had to try and go past a defender.

That was kind of the point. People weren't doing their jobs, so others were moving out of position to do their jobs for them, meaning that they in turn were out of position....

Now either we believe we are Ajax of the 1970s, and all our players can play comfortably interchange in any position, or our teamwork and organisation has gone to pieces and we are playing as individuals rather than as a team.

If it's the latter, which I suspect as I don't see too many players reminiscent of Cruyff & Neeskens in their prime out there, then it really doesn't matter which players we bring in or leave out as it'll just be re-arranging deckchairs on the titanic. We don't need more effort or more spirit - we seem to have bags of that - we need more organisation.

could agree with you in some aspects but i dont like the way that many people on this site tonight are having a go at the best manager we've had in years. Sod off all of you in saying SC should go, you guys know sod all about football

[Norfolk Royal]

Lot of good points been made so I might as well have my tuppenceworth.

I think to analyse from a playing point of view, disregarding lack of transfer activity, you have to look at what has changed since last season and the championship season.

We played our best football to my mind when Little and Convey were both playing and we played at fast tempo. The loss of Little cannot be overstated. He is the one player we had who could produce the unexpected, hold the ball up, and worry the opposition. His loss has been massive, more so than Sidwell in my book. If he had been playing today we would at least have had an outlet who could hold the ball up taking pressure off the defence.

When we were playing well we were snatching the ball and throwing it back in immediately and the thrower had options. That approach seems to have gone completely. Why is that? Is it deliberate? Whatever the reason, it means we lose momentum.

The Lita situation hasn't helped and has been a distraction spreading unrest. If Coppell is not going to play him, and i think he has been forced into it now, he should have been shipped out in January.

Sonko looks leaden and off the pace. My father, who doesn't see many Reading games, said: 'Who's that bloke there, he's dragging his legs and can hardly run.'

When I next looked at Sonko as he laboured after one of the Villa's excellent attackers, he did appear to be dragging his left leg as if injured, and that was early in the second half. If he is injured he shouldn't be playing.

All these things combined have destabilised the team and led to the current situation. What can be done?

Bikey must definetly replace Sonko, playing alongside Ingimarsson, who looked much more assured than Cisse, who had a mare.

Rosenior must be given a chance at right back. I like Murts and he made one great saving tackle today, but he is not good enough at this level.

Doyle must be dropped. His loss of form and consequent lack of confidence I feel is affecting the rest of the team. He seems to have lost the subtle touches that marked him out as a top player last season and won him space to score goals.

Marek does not look fit enough for the English game. He was out on his feet at the end. But I would persist with him for the first hour of the game because it is obvious he can pick out a pass, perhaps replacing him with Gunnarrsoon if we are drawing or winning at that time.

Oster must be dropped surely. But who to replace him with. That would mean either Gunnar starting again or Cisse back in midfield.

Kitson must be told to play further forward, up against the last opposition defender. He is much more effective using his strength to induce mistakes further up the pitch. There were so many times today when players were looking to cross and Kitson was nowhere to be seen.

I still think there is a chance we can stay up, albeit slim. If we do, it will be fourth from bottom, most likely at the expense of Birmingham, or even Newcastle.

But for that to happen, something disasterous is going to have to happen to those teams and we will have to make an unlikely improvement. It' ain't looking good in other words.

[Far Canal]

Now onto individuals.

Hahnemann - Our MOTM today and why? Because apart from the usual 5 or 6 kicks into the stand he was the only one who did his job averagely/ acceptably.

Murty - Just LOL. In no other Premiership and most Championship sides would 'our Graeme' get a game. He's slow, gets caught out of position and his passing and crossing are atrocious. Soon as he inevitably gave the ball away on the half way line 'that's a goal' There was NO CHANCE of him catching up with their player, slotted into Harewood into the vacant RB position and cya.

SHorey - Terrible. But he's been terrible all season. In for his decent left foot. Apart from 2 free kicks today it was AWOL.

Cisse - Said it from his first game there. He can't head the ball. He will try to bring it out of the air or let it bounce rather than head it. He's quick enough usually to recover but there were serious communication problems out there all day and he cocked up for the 1st goal. Bullied around by Carew, obvious. Looked like he was playing out of position...Oh.

Sonko - Typical Sonko. In the air he was fine but he's too clumsy. He has lost a yard of pace and got given the run around today.

Oster - I never want to see him in an RFC shirt again. He wasn't good enough for the CCC and he's not good enough now. Never has been, never will be. Answers on a postcard what this person brings to the club?

Harper - Nothing today. When we are struggling like now, he's not the person you want. Has no bottle, wins nothing, creates nothing.

Matejovsky - Worst game for RFC today. Really really poor.

Hunt - LOL. £25,000 a week? Ultimately for someone who isn't very good at football. Lots of endeavour lots of effort, has NO END PRODUCT. Can't cross, his passing is crap and he's our player of the year, sums it up to be honest.

Doyle - ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
No goals since the black death, he'll be in next week.

Kitson - Our centre forward turned right winger, left winger, left back, anywhere but up front!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amount of crosses that came in and he was nowhere to be seen Get in the fcuking BOX!!!

Kebe - Bas Savage with pace
Ivar - what was the point?
Long - Pfff

I would like to add one more name to this list: Bikey.

Did anyone else notice him in the second half?
Out of seat on the bench, pointing at what was happening on the field and looking more animated than 11 outfield players.
He must start at Middlesborough.

[cmonurz]

Bikey is a rough diamond, but he WILL become a top-class centre-back. More natural talent in his little toe than in the rest of our defence.

[PEARCEY]

Yes I would rather see us go down fighting (literally) with Bikey in the side. Coppell has to snap out of this negative mindset and take chances now because the team really looked like they were going through the motions today and that is something you just would not think Bikey would do.

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

Lot of good points been made so I might as well have my tuppenceworth.

I think to analyse from a playing point of view, disregarding lack of transfer activity, you have to look at what has changed since last season and the championship season.

We played our best football to my mind when Little and Convey were both playing and we played at fast tempo. The loss of Little cannot be overstated. He is the one player we had who could produce the unexpected, hold the ball up, and worry the opposition. His loss has been massive, more so than Sidwell in my book. If he had been playing today we would at least have had an outlet who could hold the ball up taking pressure off the defence.

When we were playing well we were snatching the ball and throwing it back in immediately and the thrower had options. That approach seems to have gone completely. Why is that? Is it deliberate? Whatever the reason, it means we lose momentum.

The Lita situation hasn't helped and has been a distraction spreading unrest. If Coppell is not going to play him, and i think he has been forced into it now, he should have been shipped out in January.

Sonko looks leaden and off the pace. My father, who doesn't see many Reading games, said: 'Who's that bloke there, he's dragging his legs and can hardly run.'

When I next looked at Sonko as he laboured after one of the Villa's excellent attackers, he did appear to be dragging his left leg as if injured, and that was early in the second half. If he is injured he shouldn't be playing.

All these things combined have destabilised the team and led to the current situation. What can be done?

Bikey must definetly replace Sonko, playing alongside Ingimarsson, who looked much more assured than Cisse, who had a mare.

Rosenior must be given a chance at right back. I like Murts and he made one great saving tackle today, but he is not good enough at this level.

Doyle must be dropped. His loss of form and consequent lack of confidence I feel is affecting the rest of the team. He seems to have lost the subtle touches that marked him out as a top player last season and won him space to score goals.

Marek does not look fit enough for the English game. He was out on his feet at the end. But I would persist with him for the first hour of the game because it is obvious he can pick out a pass, perhaps replacing him with Gunnarrsoon if we are drawing or winning at that time.

Oster must be dropped surely. But who to replace him with. That would mean either Gunnar starting again or Cisse back in midfield.

I still think there is a chance we can stay up, albeit slim. If we do, it will be fourth from bottom, most likely at the expense of Birmingham, or even Newcastle.

But for that to happen, something disasterous is going to have to happen to those teams and we will have to make an unlikely improvement. It' ain't looking good in other words.

a vast majority of your points raised are clearly the reasons for Readings 'rapid' decline. It is essential that Bikey starts at CB, he has grown in stature and has the neccesary speed and strength to survive in the prem. He kept Carew very quiet last season so i was very suprised he wasnt included today. I dont think Sonko can be written off though, he covered a lot for Cisse who is still very inexperienced there and Ivar is simply not prem standard. Murty for all his captain qualities is running on empty in a majority of this seasons games, i just dont think he has the neccesary stamina and fitness required for the premiership now- Rosenior must be given a chance. Doyle needs a rest but the other options 'appear' limited, Lita who for whatever reason has not been able to shine in the limited appearances given to him and Long doesnt seem to have presence for the full 90. I was dissapointed with Marek's contribution today, very slow at deciding what to do and generally looking flustered so hopefully improvements there. Clearly we have missed Little and Sidwell much more than i thought we would do at the time, though part of this is that simply we have not adequately replaced like for like. Fae has returned to obscurity again and the 10 or so players we have used on the RW speaks volumes about the service on offer. Oster i always have maintained is more effective in CM and after a fairly bright start was out of the game come the 2nd half. Kebe looked raw and had pace to burn though with some Savage moments! Who knows we may get something effective out of him in our current predicament but its not something we can 100 percent rely on as even coppell has admitted.

Whatever division you are in 8 defeats in a row is disasterous and the current squad are now part of an unwanted record that stood in the dark days of TB.There is a slight similar air of resignation as of 97/98,with nothing you can do including fans days and messages of support to control what goes on pitchside, though it clearly was a case of incomptence on bullivants part combined with an wholly inadequate squad over 10 years ago.For all my viewpoints on todays game, there comes a point where you have to admit that the current squads form is not good enough to keep us in the prem no matter what analysis we can all bring to the table,even Coppell himself is unable to supply a quick fix solution. The problems within the squad have become endemic and it is not based on one area that can be dealt with . With 11 games to go its by no means over in the hoping sense but defeat to Middlesborough will leave both fans and coaching staff at an utter loss at where to go with the team and the team further demoralised and playing within themselves. We have to have an immediate turn around in form to collect points starting at the riverside, which after 8 losses is a big big ask. We managed to get ourselves out of a hole last season after 4 or so defeats but came back with a string of results before the rot set in. I can only forsee a battle between us and Birmingham now unless Newcastle get dragged in it with some horrendous fixtures left for them. The worry for me though is that at the current time Birmingham look far more likely to pick off points than we do especially with the seemingly inspired signing of mcfadden, leaving it all to do for us. We just have to hope that Coppell lays out a final battle plan for the remaining games to instill confidence and belief back into our key players who, when on form are good enough to save us from the drop. Part of this could include 3-4 knee jerk changes from todays game so i guess we will wait and see come Boro.

[Forest Gump]

Stuck with the squad so change the f2ck'ing management. Even though that's also another post.