How good/bad is our defence?

[Hoop Blah]

Agree with most of those last two posts, and even parts of yours too brendy. I'm not sure I can see Hector being a Premier League defender though, although I agree he has some of the attributes needed.

Is it really natural to over-hype and get excited about a player though brendy? We see it all the time all over the place, not just at Reading or on HNA. I don't get one a player can't just be a decent prospect and not a world beater in waiting. Federici gets the same treatment. So often we hear of him as making world class saves or being the best keeper outside the Premier League when in reality keepers make good reflex saves all the time and there really isn't a worldy every other game and he's just a decent Championship keeper.

Hector shows a lot of promise, but as Victor/BR says, he's no raw kid with no experience and he's still making (and repeating) a lot of mistakes in a defence that's let in too many soft goals all season.

[biff]

TLDR. But the goals against Rotherham, and the goals vs Brentford, were all defensive shit shows. Crosses nowhere near to being stopped at source, strikers getting a run on static lumbering CBs, goal. Every time. Ive never seen a Reading team so obviously worked out by the league.

[melonhead]

Is it really natural to over-hype and get excited about a player though brendy? We see it all the time all over the place, not just at Reading or on HNA.

the second sentence seems to answer the question in the first....

[melonhead]

I agree Brendy if we were talking about Cooper as one of the "yoofs" but Hector is now hardly inexperienced with many league games for us, Aberdeen, Barnet et al under his belt.
As mentioned earlier he not only has a similar build to Chris Smalling he also is the Championship version of him-a player who has many footballing attributes but lacks concentration and hopefully he can become totally focused next season.

the whole defence feels the pressure of the team not scoring. the younger and more inexperienced you are the more it has an effect on you.
imo.

hes 22 and playing his first full season in 1st team grown up football
& 40 games in the championship isn't much experience at all.
especially for a central defender.

add to that playing in a very shaky defence, with a lot of changes, in a team devoid of confidence and you get even more shakiness, and even more poor decision making

[Forbury Lion]

Obita - player of the season at left back last year, average at best this year.

The manager got the tactics spot on at Wembley, If he can get the players playing regularly with those levels of commitment and concentration we will be in the top half and that's without making any new signings (assuming nobody leaves)

[BR2]

I don't think we should take much notice of Wembley form and tactics.
Teams raise their game in cup matches (Bradford at Chelsea) and Wigan of course actually won the FA Cup and have since suffered 2 relegations.
It's the bread and butter of league performances that show how good or bad a team is over 46 games and the horrid truth is that our goal difference is only better than the relegated pair of Milwall and Blackpool.
My fear is that we will start next season with the same back 5 that has played most games together this season and every week look as though they have never played together with each one blaming the others for every goal that goes in or standing there rooted to the spot with their hand in the air claiming for an offside that never was.

[Hoop Blah]

I agree with the sentiment of ignoring the cup displays because they're a different kettle of fish but I don't think we'll go into next season with the same back 5, largely because I'm not convinced Pearce and Federici will be here.

By the same logic that you should exclude cup games you could ignore a lot of the league performances too as the whole club, rightly or wrongly, had their eye on the cup.

[Schmeichel the dog]

I am a massive Hector fan. Sure there have been mistakes but he has had a great first season. If he continues to develop at the same rate he will easily become our most saleable assest since Gylfi (unfortunately). Really not bothered about the defence's performance this year, when compared to problems further up the pitch......

[gazzer, loyal royal]

the best form of defence is attack. Unfortunately the ball comes back far too quickly, and we just aren't adept at absorbing pressure.

Gunter and Obita let in far too many crosses, which leaves our centre backs exposed

[melonhead]

I agree with the sentiment of ignoring the cup displays because they're a different kettle of fish but I don't think we'll go into next season with the same back 5, largely because I'm not convinced Pearce and Federici will be here.

By the same logic that you should exclude cup games you could ignore a lot of the league performances too as the whole club, rightly or wrongly, had their eye on the cup.

id have to question any team that wanted to sign them up on more thaan/anything like the money theyre currently on here, after the season they've been involved in.
doesn't mean those teams aren't out there, but id have the seriously question their sanity

[Ian Royal]

Agreed brendy, not scoring and not winning exposes the errors that will always exist at the back as none of them are infallible, especially when the pressure increases.

I just think people get a bit carried away with Hector when his little attempts at nicking the ball or coming out of the back with the ball come off. He needs to learn when to concentrate on the basics and when to take the risks, ie when they're not so risky!

It looks great when it comes off but can certainly cost us when it doesn't.

Hector's got bags of potential, and his only real problem is decision making. That's going to improve with games and so I think people are willing to forgive the odd lapse because of what he could be and hopefully should be. I mean he's had, what? Two seasons total at a level vaguely comparable with this? Centreback is a particularly hard trade to learn where the mental side is particularly important.

We have a decent defence, and if we were all right going forward with protection in midfield, we'd probably be fine with what we have. But I wouldn't say it's a particularly good defence, because we lack reliable quality at both full back position. Obita's going to have learnt a lot from this season and give him a decent winger ahead and we might see the best of him again. Gunter's never been convincing as a defender first, and he's never really appeared to be a brave defender. We could improve on both of them easier than we could Pearce or Hector IMO. Cooper's a bit of a weak back up considering the comparative experience in the rest of the defence, particularly if he comes in for Pearce.

[Lower West]

Gunter and Obita let in far too many crosses, which leaves our centre backs exposed

Gunter and Obita get exposed.

The team as a whole needs to defend better.

[Hoop Blah]

I agree with the sentiment of ignoring the cup displays because they're a different kettle of fish but I don't think we'll go into next season with the same back 5, largely because I'm not convinced Pearce and Federici will be here.

By the same logic that you should exclude cup games you could ignore a lot of the league performances too as the whole club, rightly or wrongly, had their eye on the cup.

id have to question any team that wanted to sign them up on more thaan/anything like the money theyre currently on here, after the season they've been involved in.
doesn't mean those teams aren't out there, but id have the seriously question their sanity

They don't need to, they just need to offer more we will be, which presumably will be significantly less than we're paying them currently.

I think there's lot more potential for a Premier League team to pay Federici a load of money to be 2nd or 3rd choice than Pearce getting something more appealing than our offer. I think Federici is probably a bit more interested in a move away too.

[Snowball]

Sitting here waiting for Derby v Reading and just thought


If we had had Leigertwood at his RFC best, would the defence still look weak?

If we got a DM of the same quality would that solve our issues?

[Victor Meldrew]

Possibly Snowy but our 106 side and Bournemouth's promoted side this season didn't have a defensive mid as such.
Both teams have played with two wingers and two multi-purpose central midfielders and have been very successful.
I feel that midfielders should be able to do everything and act as the engine room of a side and there is too much in the game now of defining midfield players as either attacking or defending and ideally they should be both.

Mind you when teams reach the top level they often have to compromise on their attacking intent and play just the one winger and/or one striker but at Championship level I don't feel that a nominated defensive mid is necessary unless you play with 3 at the back.