Open training session

[Hound]

Holmes looked in a right shitty mood, didn’t look too good in the games, and couldn’t be arsed to do any selfies/autographs. Guessing he is on the way out very soon.

In this video you can see him signing autographs just like everyone else ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K9wcTaoxPA

Indeed. They caught him signing the only two things he signed!

I’m shamefully in that vid.

[72 bus]

I feel sorry for Holmes. He obviously cares and has given his all. He was probably our best defender last season and two or three ago he was good at RB.

And now he appears to have been unceremoniously binned by the club he loves and grew up with after a total second half shitshow, team wide, against Port Vale.

Yeah its quite a drastic turn of events. One can only assume there has been some sort of bad behaviour in response to Port Vale.

For all the "we have to promote the youth", the point of promoting the youth is that they turn into 1st team players for the long term. He is one of the youth of yester year. Of course any new academy player breaking into the first team at present will look good, they will be the at the highest motivational point of their entire career exactly right now, and they are playing against League One opposition.

Holmes is now passed the highest motivational point in his career, and he had to do what they were doing but against championship opposition.

We have little evidence to suggest that in 2-3 years time the new academy players today will fair better in Championship than Holmes did last year. The assumption that players just get better as they get older is to me false, players can frequently look at their career best right at the beginning, and that for them is / was their ceiling. I remember Aaron Lennon for one being pitched as a bright hope for England because he had a good 2006 world cup at 19. That was the peak of his career. I'm the same age as him, and it really stuck with me.

How many games have you actually been to in the last two seasons ?
He was part of probably the worst pairing of centre backs in the championship (1st and third worst) over the last two seasons.

Has no pace, positional sense, and is far to handsy basically a walking red card.

[morganb]

... far to handsy basically a walking red card.

Not disagreeing, but how many times has he been sent off or given away a penalty? I don't remember too many

[Snowflake Royal]

... far to handsy basically a walking red card.

Not disagreeing, but how many times has he been sent off or given away a penalty? I don't remember too many

He certainly worried me a lot with it, but I can't recall a single red, and no specific penalties.. maybe 1 or 2 tops.

Yeah, checked. No red cards, and 21 yellows in 116 appearances.

Oh and I've seen all but about 7 games from the last few seasons.

[Sutekh]

I feel sorry for Holmes. He obviously cares and has given his all. He was probably our best defender last season and two or three ago he was good at RB.

And now he appears to have been unceremoniously binned by the club he loves and grew up with after a total second half shitshow, team wide, against Port Vale.

Yeah its quite a drastic turn of events. One can only assume there has been some sort of bad behaviour in response to Port Vale.

For all the "we have to promote the youth", the point of promoting the youth is that they turn into 1st team players for the long term. He is one of the youth of yester year. Of course any new academy player breaking into the first team at present will look good, they will be the at the highest motivational point of their entire career exactly right now, and they are playing against League One opposition.

Holmes is now passed the highest motivational point in his career, and he had to do what they were doing but against championship opposition.

We have little evidence to suggest that in 2-3 years time the new academy players today will fair better in Championship than Holmes did last year. The assumption that players just get better as they get older is to me false, players can frequently look at their career best right at the beginning, and that for them is / was their ceiling. I remember Aaron Lennon for one being pitched as a bright hope for England because he had a good 2006 world cup at 19. That was the peak of his career. I'm the same age as him, and it really stuck with me.

Little evidence yes, but from the 1 opportunity so far it has been very convincing away at a very strong Millwall. The odd thing now is that v Ipswich we're likely to get Holmes and McIntyre back.

[morganb]

Tilehurst End take on the session:

https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/20 ... ion-royals

[Greatwesternline]

I feel sorry for Holmes. He obviously cares and has given his all. He was probably our best defender last season and two or three ago he was good at RB.

And now he appears to have been unceremoniously binned by the club he loves and grew up with after a total second half shitshow, team wide, against Port Vale.

Yeah its quite a drastic turn of events. One can only assume there has been some sort of bad behaviour in response to Port Vale.

For all the "we have to promote the youth", the point of promoting the youth is that they turn into 1st team players for the long term. He is one of the youth of yester year. Of course any new academy player breaking into the first team at present will look good, they will be the at the highest motivational point of their entire career exactly right now, and they are playing against League One opposition.

Holmes is now passed the highest motivational point in his career, and he had to do what they were doing but against championship opposition.

We have little evidence to suggest that in 2-3 years time the new academy players today will fair better in Championship than Holmes did last year. The assumption that players just get better as they get older is to me false, players can frequently look at their career best right at the beginning, and that for them is / was their ceiling. I remember Aaron Lennon for one being pitched as a bright hope for England because he had a good 2006 world cup at 19. That was the peak of his career. I'm the same age as him, and it really stuck with me.

Little evidence yes, but from the 1 opportunity so far it has been very convincing away at a very strong Millwall. The odd thing now is that v Ipswich we're likely to get Holmes and McIntyre back.

In August last year Holmes kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win against Millwall in an actual league match. That result sent Reading top!! after 6 matches. I would not be surprised if i was to open up BFTG after that game people singing the praises McIntyre and Holmes who both played the full 90. People are getting waaaay to carried away with writing these former Reading academy graduates off, and replacing them with newer academy players simply because they are new and shiny and still putting in 500% as they make their league debuts, albeit in a lower division to where McIntyre and Holmes made theirs.

[Sutekh]

Yeah its quite a drastic turn of events. One can only assume there has been some sort of bad behaviour in response to Port Vale.

For all the "we have to promote the youth", the point of promoting the youth is that they turn into 1st team players for the long term. He is one of the youth of yester year. Of course any new academy player breaking into the first team at present will look good, they will be the at the highest motivational point of their entire career exactly right now, and they are playing against League One opposition.

Holmes is now passed the highest motivational point in his career, and he had to do what they were doing but against championship opposition.

We have little evidence to suggest that in 2-3 years time the new academy players today will fair better in Championship than Holmes did last year. The assumption that players just get better as they get older is to me false, players can frequently look at their career best right at the beginning, and that for them is / was their ceiling. I remember Aaron Lennon for one being pitched as a bright hope for England because he had a good 2006 world cup at 19. That was the peak of his career. I'm the same age as him, and it really stuck with me.

Little evidence yes, but from the 1 opportunity so far it has been very convincing away at a very strong Millwall. The odd thing now is that v Ipswich we're likely to get Holmes and McIntyre back.

In August last year Holmes kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win against Millwall in an actual league match. That result sent Reading top!! after 6 matches. I would not be surprised if i was to open up BFTG after that game people singing the praises McIntyre and Holmes who both played the full 90. People are getting waaaay to carried away with writing these former Reading academy graduates off, and replacing them with newer academy players simply because they are new and shiny and still putting in 500% as they make their league debuts, albeit in a lower division to where McIntyre and Holmes made theirs.

While I agree, I see more promise in Bindon and Abbey than I've ever seen in Holmes and McIntyre. Not wanting write either of H&M off though as they are still capable players and no doubt will have a part to play in the future but they don't seem as comfortable in what Selles is trying to generate with the side at the moment.

Meanwhile where is Dorsett in all this? And why hasn't Akande got a game yet?

[Clyde1998]

Little evidence yes, but from the 1 opportunity so far it has been very convincing away at a very strong Millwall. The odd thing now is that v Ipswich we're likely to get Holmes and McIntyre back.

In August last year Holmes kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win against Millwall in an actual league match. That result sent Reading top!! after 6 matches. I would not be surprised if i was to open up BFTG after that game people singing the praises McIntyre and Holmes who both played the full 90. People are getting waaaay to carried away with writing these former Reading academy graduates off, and replacing them with newer academy players simply because they are new and shiny and still putting in 500% as they make their league debuts, albeit in a lower division to where McIntyre and Holmes made theirs.

While I agree, I see more promise in Bindon and Abbey than I've ever seen in Holmes and McIntyre. Not wanting write either of H&M off though as they are still capable players and no doubt will have a part to play in the future but they don't seem as comfortable in what Selles is trying to generate with the side at the moment.

Meanwhile where is Dorsett in all this? And why hasn't Akande got a game yet?

I'm fairly certain Dorsett has been injured. He's only played 62 minutes in our first two competitive U21 matches this season; you'd think he'd be first choice for the U21s if he was fit (and not in the first team squad).