DavidMailsTightPerm

For one - he would have been 1 on 1 with their forward - so still likely to concede. Also - how many times have we critised keepers for staying on their line - in this case it would have been a straightforward collection by the keeper if not for Douglas's heel. I am not certain what is going on - but Pears seems to be getting a lot of stick from some on this MB - though we let in 4, not really certain what he could have done (also no one seems to mention his unbelievable reaction save from Williams). Give the lad a chance.

For starters he is going to have to strengthen back muscles for frequent picking ball out of net (based on Tuesday). Possibly adapting to sweeper keeper (which is part of new approach). Understanding how poor our defenders are ie don't assume Douglas will let ball come through to you - need to consider he may back heel and adjust position accordingly ?

Didn't say it wasnt his fault - just that the formation we adopted couldn't be blamed for individual errors. To put some balance - Ayala was unavailable, as was Bell. There was a fair amount of debate on here whether JRC or Nyambe should start - with some say how could you drop JRC (hindsight is a wonderful thing). Everyone has been clamouring for Douglas to start. I also think losing Johnson was a blow - given the addional heading ability he brings in midfield. Also, Lenihan's form is a huge concern - could TM have predicted such a down turn ? Not saying I am happy with TMs approach to the defence - where IMO we needed another decent centre half bringing in - even allowing for keeping Williams.

For those blaming the formation - how many goals were due to individual errors as opposed to the defence being exposed due to the system ?

And yet he gets accused of tinkering too much ?. Get a formation and stick to it, dont worry so much about the opposition has often been leveled at him. I am not saying you are necessarily wrong - but just pointing out how difficult it is to please all the fans all the time.

I just watched the highlight of first goal - I think he had positioned himself for Douglas to let it go through. Then, as per rest of defence, was undone by Douglas heel. I can't believe the stick he is getting - every single one of our defenders had a mare last night - so not certain how Pears can really be blamed.

Could I ask what he did wrong last night. His position for the first goal was a mystery - but so was our whole defence. But I struggle to think in which situations he could have done better. It is a genuine question - I know we let in 4 goals, but not certain what he could have done better (other than 1st goal - but the outcome would have been the same)

What is funny - one game ago some people were saying what a good manager TM was - one game later some people want him sacked. Some poor defensive performances tonight - don't think any of the back 4 came out with any credit. Not certain why Pears seems to be getting some stick - first goal possible could be better positioned - but not certain he could have stopped any of them. Though made little difference - frustrated with referee who did little to stop their time wasting - and frustratingly booked Rovers players, but not Reading players making similar offences.

I am worried - as I feel far too optimistic about this match. Reading sound a little like us when first relegated under Kean - where results were far better than performances. Let's hope we can put an end to their run.

I agree about starting matches- but would imagine we will see him coming off the bench (hopefully) before then. Great player to come on to help us unlock a tiring defence ?

Going to a tough call for TM - a lot of players lose an edge in pace following this type of injury and Dack was never really quick anyway. The one thing Dack will give us is the ability to unlock a defence with a bit of skill and goal scoring threat - how we fit him into the current team is a quandary for TM.

I think (and this isn't BBs fault,) £7m was far too much for a Championship side to pay for potential. Even most Premiership sides would have hesitated at that price. If he continues to improve, and possibly plays a key role in promotion we may look back and congratulate TM for his eye for a player - but will still think it was a huge gamble for a mid table Championship club.

I see the problem as being 3 matches in a week - but ultimately I am sure that TM will be led by his sports science team

I was thinking through the centre - though must admit don't know which type of forward the Reading centre halves would prefer to play against. But if they defend deep, there may not be the space behind for Armstrong to be as effective.

It is a difficult call - if Reading are a counter attacking team then Nyambe would be a good choice (with his pace) - however against a packed defence, going forward, JRC would get the vote. Given the heavy workload - I would play Nyambe - also half expecting a bit of rotation - with possibly Gallagher starting rather than BB (though would be a tough call after Saturday). Its a tough one for TM - rest one or two of the better players and get the wrath of the fans - or don't rest and they pick up injuries - and he gets the wrath of the fans - who would be a manager ?

At the moment it has been an average start - with I would argue above average performances. Over the season we will find out how good this team is - but I would argue we have been a little unlucky with injuries so far. Williams & Rothwell were both playing well when they came down with COVID - and the impact of losing Travis cannot be over estimated. Any team getting promoted needs luck at the right times - up to press I think (in matches) our luck has been fairly even - our biggest failing has been to convert numerous good chances - and that isn't luck just poor finishing

Can you somebody let me into the Brereton secret - it is almost like he has a twin brother who can actually play. Every now and then he does something that reminds you of the player we signed - but so far he has been one our best players. Given the way we play he is almost undroppable on todays performance. It is strange - I actually felt disappointed - as we are still missing a large number of very good chances. Armstrong and Holtby should have both had hat tricks. Let's hope they are saving them for Tuesday ?

Nyambe has been prone to hamstring strains etc - be interesting to see if this is rotation, tactical or TM just prefers JRC. We now have two full backs with good technical ability but possibly the odd question mark against them defensively.

Issue isn't creating chances - it is taking them

I like Dolan - but on last nights showing (and improvement since lockdown) would persist with BB.

Possibly for his height if we decide to go long.

I would say we played well in 4 out of the 6. We won 2 and lost two of those. Against Cardiff we were average and Forest poor. So don't see it as a big problem at the moment. For me there are far more positives than negatives - from style of play to recruitment of players. We have been a little unlucky with injuries/covid - but that is going to be an issue for most teams. It was a shame that two of our currently better performing players got Covid.

Putting the ball in the back of the net is where we fell down. This is why top strikers cost so much money.

I think Elliott would be.

How poor are some of the teams we have played that in 50% of league matches we haven't conceded. When you examine it - only the newly relegated teams have scored than one against this toilet defence.