[Archived] Last Game: Reading Away

[chaddyrovers]

8 minutes ago, Dunnfc said:

Why he's crap?

He is needed. Mulgrew and Lenihan injured. Brown and Greer too old

[arbitro]

Reading passed us off the pitch in the first half and their movement was far too much for some of our players. We seemed lazy and off the pace and allowed Reading far too much time and room and when that happens you get punished. The substitutions and chage in formation at half time gave us an edge we didn't have in the first half and we pretty much turned the tables on Reading  and after scoring there was lots of optimism that we could go on and get something. However the old saying that you are vulnerable when you have scored was true for us and it was pretty much game over. I wonder if the formation change will influence Mowbray in the remaining games as we looked far more effective in the second period.

Conway and Steele need dropping. I don't like to make scapegoats but Conway has pretty much been a passenger for weeks now and Steele is costing us goals through basic goalkeeping errors. However I don't expect either to be left out.

[Dunnfc]

Good posts from who went and a bloody well done to you for going! 

[funny-old-game]

7 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Ha. Very good.

Lily Savage would probably have performed better as manager here and left the squad in better shape for this season than Lambert did though.

 

You seem to be like lots of niave, impatient owners and fans out there. You can't turn things around in a sort space of time especially with the squad we have/had and the insane way this club is run.

[G Somerset Rover]

Just now, arbitro said:

Reading passed us off the pitch in the first half and their movement was far too much for some of our players. We seemed lazy and off the pace and allowed Reading far too much time and room and when that happens you get punished. The substitutions and chage in formation at half time gave us an edge we didn't have in the first half and we pretty much turned the tables on Reading  and after scoring there was lots of optimism that we could go on and get something. However the old saying that you are vulnerable when you have scored was true for us and it was pretty much game over. I wonder if the formation change will influence Mowbray in the remaining games as we looked far more effective in the second period.

Conway and Steele need dropping. I don't like to make scapegoats but Conway has pretty much been a passenger for weeks now and Steele is costing us goals through basic goalkeeping errors. However I don't expect either to be left out.

Thanks for the report Arbitro. What is most worrying to me is the first part about movement, off the pace, laziness etc. Mowbray said that he brought in the players that he did because they'd give us more legs! As many of us know, Akpan is Akpan, Feeney offers very little defensive support and Gallagher cannot play up top on his own. Hopefully some harsh lessons learnt for Tony last night. 

[Gav]

1 hour ago, cesus said:

Thanks to those who went and reviewed on here, awful drive midweek to watch this squad of players. Just watched the highlights, so much room and time given for all the goals, players just strolling back, two players pulling Nyambe to pieces and don't get me started on Steele for two of the goals!!!

I've still to make my mind up whether this is a poor squad or a squad that has been sent spiralling into a rut by the previous management. Let's be honest we can barely pick a player of the season!

Seen the highlights now and whilst Steele could have done better for the goals, he was once again let down by the players around him stood like statues for the second goal, very poor.

Let me help you with making your mind up cesus, the squad is extremely poor and has been for a few seasons now, we're destined for league one and probably league 2 unless these rats sod off back to under the rock whence they came.

The new managerial bounce may well have saved us this season, but the whole saga doesn't get any better than this really, you simply cannot progress with the current owners, structure and transfer policy in place.

[RV Blue]

Just now, funny-old-game said:

You seem to be like lots of niave, impatient owners and fans out there. You can't turn things around in a sort space of time especially with the squad we have/had and the insane way this club is run.

Funny how some can though, isn't it? Silva at Hull, Clement at Swansea, Sam at Palace, Warnock at Rotherham last season and Cardiff this season, etc., etc. 

[47er]

Just now, RV Blue said:

Funny how some can though, isn't it? Silva at Hull, Clement at Swansea, Sam at Palace, Warnock at Rotherham last season and Cardiff this season, etc., etc. 

Sam at Palace.

[Gav]

Just now, 47er said:

Sam at Palace.

He should be in the Tower under lock and key 

[A cup of beans]

Just now, RV Blue said:

Funny how some can though, isn't it? Silva at Hull, Clement at Swansea, Sam at Palace, Warnock at Rotherham last season and Cardiff this season, etc., etc. 

Have you seen our squad. ?

It's simply not good enough. 

Any Manager on the planet would find getting consistent results an impossibility.

The best we can hope for is a couple of wins out of the blue, coupled with our relegation rivals losing more than us.

A run of wins will not happen.

[47er]

Bingo! I knew you'd reply but under 60 seconds was beyond expectations! 

[den]

Some great reports from the fans who went.

Back four getting a lot of grief game after game, probably rightly so, but from the game highlights - which is all I see nowadays, the midfield four really struggle to stay goal side of the ball which is leading to the back four being exposed far more than they would think is acceptable.

I said a while back that I'm not convinced by Mowbray and I'm still not. However, it's plain to see the squad just isn't good enough and the more managers we go through, getting the same performances just highlights that.

[RV Blue]

Just now, A cup of beans said:

Have you seen our squad. ?

It's simply not good enough. 

Any Manager on the planet would find getting consistent results an impossibility.

The best we can hope for is a couple of wins out of the blue, coupled with our relegation rivals losing more than us.

A run of wins will not happen.

I don't think our squad is far (if at all) behind a lot of squads in this league if I'm honest. I can only think of 3 or 4 teams at Ewood who looked to have considerably better players than us. Owen Coyle kept us within touching distance ffs!

[47er]

Our squad is poor but if we are to escape we have to make the best of it. Unless he's injured Emnes would start every game for me behind either Gallagher or Joao.

Easily the best creative player we have.

[den]

Just now, 47er said:

Our squad is poor but if we are to escape we have to make the best of it. Unless he's injured Emnes would start every game for me behind either Gallagher or Joao.

Easily the best creative player we have.

Yeah, agreed. The Bristol City game is massive, but my hopes lie with them being so poor that we'll beat them, rather than us being capable of raising our game.

[jim mk2]

1 hour ago, cesus said:

Thanks to those who went and reviewed on here, awful drive midweek to watch this squad of players. Just watched the highlights, so much room and time given for all the goals, players just strolling back, two players pulling Nyambe to pieces and don't get me started on Steele for two of the goals!!!

I've still to make my mind up whether this is a poor squad or a squad that has been sent spiralling into a rut by the previous management. Let's be honest we can barely pick a player of the season!

 

The first 2 goals were so easy Reading might have been on the training ground. Two carbon-copy goals with Nyambe exposed and central defenders watching the ball jnstead of the man. 

Gallagher annoyed me the whole match - I don't see what he offers to the team. In the second half he gave the ball away and made no effort to get it back - contrast with Emnes or possibly Joao who chased a Reading player back for 50 yards to win the ball back after losing it. 

[funny-old-game]

5 minutes ago, RV Blue said:

Funny how some can though, isn't it? Silva at Hull, Clement at Swansea, Sam at Palace, Warnock at Rotherham last season and Cardiff this season, etc., etc. 

Sam and Warnock have always been able to it so nothing more to say.

Clement failed at Derby and Silvia us to me is an unknown quantity so can't comment.

All the sensible fans will know what I'm getting at so I'll leave it there.

[JHRover]

Our squad is short on quality and depth, but a bigger problem this season has been a lack of organisation, fitness and ruthlessness all of which I believe are mainly to do with poor planning at the club and appalling coaching/management over a sustained period.

From the word go we have been playing catch up in terms of adding players to the squad (most of our business done at the 11th hour once the Duffy cash was in the bank) and have been behind our rivals in terms of fitness and preparation (Norwich game the perfect example of a side that looked about 3 weeks behind their opponents).

I don't think man for man we are significantly worse than many sides in this league. From memory the only games where we've been comprehensively outplayed and outclassed for 90 minutes this season have been Norwich at home, Huddersfield at home, Wigan away, not many others.

To succeed in this league you don't need a squad of worldbeaters on £30k a week each costing £5 million. That's why the excuses about revenues etc. from Cheston irritate me so much. You need to be organised, plan in advance, act decisively, appoint the right staff, properly replace players when they do depart, have an identity as a club, sign players that won't sit in the treatment room all season and our failure with all the above is in my opinion the primary reason we are where we are rather than the individual abilities of players in the squad.

It is rare in this league for any club to be miles adrift and get beat every week. It's happened to Rotherham this season, it happened with Blackpool the other year, but usually at least 2 of the relegation spots remain open to any of 6-7 clubs or more going into the last 5 games.

[Mike Graham]

Just now, jim mk2 said:

 

The first 2 goals were so easy Reading might have been on the training ground. Two carbon-copy goals with Nyambe exposed and central defenders watching the ball jnstead of the man. 

Gallagher annoyed me the whole match - I don't see what he offers to the team. In the second half he gave the ball away and made no effort to get it back - contrast with Emnes or possibly Joao who chased a Reading player back for 50 yards to win the ball back after losing it. 

It sounds like Gallagher continued to play like he did when he came on v PNE.  He is incapable of holding onto a ball, keeping possession and tracking back.  He needs to support the defence and midfield rather than make it worse for them.

What was the attitude of the Rovers fans like Jim, resigned?

[Mike Graham]

Just now, JHRover said:

Our squad is short on quality and depth, but a bigger problem this season has been a lack of organisation, fitness and ruthlessness all of which I believe are mainly to do with poor planning at the club and appalling coaching/management over a sustained period.

From the word go we have been playing catch up in terms of adding players to the squad (most of our business done at the 11th hour once the Duffy cash was in the bank) and have been behind our rivals in terms of fitness and preparation (Norwich game the perfect example of a side that looked about 3 weeks behind their opponents).

I don't think man for man we are significantly worse than many sides in this league. From memory the only games where we've been comprehensively outplayed and outclassed for 90 minutes this season have been Norwich at home, Huddersfield at home, Wigan away, not many others.

To succeed in this league you don't need a squad of worldbeaters on £30k a week each costing £5 million. That's why the excuses about revenues etc. from Cheston irritate me so much. You need to be organised, plan in advance, act decisively, appoint the right staff, properly replace players when they do depart, have an identity as a club, sign players that won't sit in the treatment room all season and our failure with all the above is in my opinion the primary reason we are where we are rather than the individual abilities of players in the squad.

It is rare in this league for any club to be miles adrift and get beat every week. It's happened to Rotherham this season, it happened with Blackpool the other year, but usually at least 2 of the relegation spots remain open to any of 6-7 clubs or more going into the last 5 games.

Just think about some of the players Rovers brought in when we were promoted to the Premiership in the early 90's.  People like Kevin Moran....fighters who would give all for any team they played for.

What have we got......a number of pansy players.

[jim mk2]

Just now, preston blue said:

It sounds like Gallagher continued to play like he did when he came on v PNE.  He is incapable of holding onto a ball, keeping possession and tracking back.  He needs to support the defence and midfield rather than make it worse for them.

What was the attitude of the Rovers fans like Jim, resigned?

Yes, very quiet - completely different to the last away match I went to, at Fulham. 

In fact,, the whole demeanour of the team was one of indifference and resignation. Maybe the Preston match has knocked the stuffing out of them.

We will always concede goals so we need to score them - so that means starting with the creative players like Emnes and Joao and Guthrie.

Based on last night,  I can't see us beating Bristol City. 

[RV Blue]

Just now, funny-old-game said:

Sam and Warnock have always been able to it so nothing more to say.

Clement failed at Derby and Silvia us to me is an unknown quantity so can't comment.

All the sensible fans will know what I'm getting at so I'll leave it there.

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make, yes they have always been able to do it, so what? Clement failed at Derby, so what? Silva is an unknown quantity (to you), so what? You said "you can't turn things around in a sort space of time", and I have just proven that you can. Really sensible point there...

[JHRover]

A failure to create/convert chances when they appear, and a failure to defend stubbornly and effectively when under pressure. A recipe for disaster when in in the middle of the pitch we've had bucket loads of possession and had our opponents on the back foot for long periods.

Last night was one of those occasions. Appalling in the first half, yet changes at half time and a much improved display saw us put Reading on the back foot. They were panicking. We finally make a breakthrough with 15 minutes to go and then straight from the re-start we switch off and within 30 seconds they are inside our penalty area, force Steele into a save, win a corner, and from that are able to pass the ball around the edge of the penalty area. They must have had 3-4 shots in succession with the last one going in and putting the game to bed. Its a weakness that has been running through the side all season. A lack of know-how at crucial times in games at both ends of the pitch.

[Mike Graham]

Just now, jim mk2 said:

Yes, very quiet - completely different to the last away match I went to, at Fulham. 

In fact,, the whole demeanour of the team was one of indifference and resignation. Maybe the Preston match has knocked the stuffing out of them.

We will always concede goals so we need to score them - so that means starting with the creative players like Emnes and Joao and Guthrie.

Based on last night,  I can't see us beating Bristol City. 

Thanks.  That makes for worrying  reading.

[nathan_rovers1]

I know this post might cause some slight anger amongst people, I just do not think we have a terrible squad as some people say.

What I think is terrible is the set up that has surrounded these players the majority of the season. If I look at life under TM I think that is evident. What is obvious that we need to recruit more players and yes absolutely we need to strengthen as I do not think some of the players are good enough or want it enough- I think that is a huge point.

 

Yesterday was poor and I have to say I thought Reading were fantastic, however I do think we are better than Barnsley and Bristol and can see us winning those games.