Perspective

[RoyalBlue]

I am a little disappointed that after watching 9 games, I've seen 1 win

And how many goals have you seen us score in those 9 games?

[muddyfeet]

I am a little disappointed that after watching 9 games, I've seen 1 win

And how many goals have you seen us score in those 9 games?

cant remember, what is your point?

[RoyalBlue]

I am a little disappointed that after watching 9 games, I've seen 1 win

And how many goals have you seen us score in those 9 games?

cant remember, what is your point?

That not only have you seen just one win but also, from a Reading fan's perspective, the football you have seen has not exactly been the most exciting with not much opportunity to even celebrate a goal being scored.

thats one kind of perspective yes.
but youre never guaranteed a good game and a win.
and tbf, most people who support reading, didnt really start cos thats what they expected every week.

Agreed and I have seen some pretty dire stuff over the years.

No matter who you support, you should be able to expect more than what we offered last night as a very minimum.

i didnt go, so cant really say, it did sound poo
but like i said, there are no guarantees in football

You can pretty much guarantee that we won't score in the first half of a game!

[muddyfeet]

reckon it must be an average of a goal per game maybe

tbh I dont turn up expecting goals galore and exciting games

[RoyalBlue]

reckon it must be an average of a goal per game maybe

tbh I dont turn up expecting goals galore and exciting games

And presumably you no longer expect wins! Good passing football? - No forget that.

Doesn't seem that there is that much to look forward to. Well done for still turning up.

[muddyfeet]

reckon it must be an average of a goal per game maybe

tbh I dont turn up expecting goals galore and exciting games

And presumably you no longer expect wins! Good passing football? - No forget that.

Doesn't seem that there is that much to look forward to. Well done for still turning up.

cant work out if you're being sarcastic or not?!

sadly I still get excited for each game and go into each one feeling optimistic

[melonhead]

reckon it must be an average of a goal per game maybe

tbh I dont turn up expecting goals galore and exciting games

And presumably you no longer expect wins! Good passing football? - No forget that.

Doesn't seem that there is that much to look forward to. Well done for still turning up.

weve played some nice stuff at home recently

That not only have you seen just one win but also, from a Reading fan's perspective, the football you have seen has not exactly been the most exciting with not much opportunity to even celebrate a goal being scored.

last few home games have all been exciting, derby and saints especially
even the boro nil nil was an enthralling game that could easily have gone either way
and for last night, and watford- you have to expect a stinker every now and then, especially with a young team.

[melonhead]

reckon it must be an average of a goal per game maybe

tbh I dont turn up expecting goals galore and exciting games

And presumably you no longer expect wins! Good passing football? - No forget that.

Doesn't seem that there is that much to look forward to. Well done for still turning up.

cant work out if you're being sarcastic or not?!

sadly I still get excited for each game and go into each one feeling optimistic

agreed- whats the point otherwise

[andrew1957]

Despite what some say our problems are not at the back (as we have conceded less goals at the 15 game stage than we did last year). Conceding one goal a game on average is good.

Our problem is clearly the lack of creativity at the front.

Last season Long scored 21 and had 10 assists.
McAnuff had 7 assists and 4 goals
Kebe had 7 assists and 9 goals.
Howard also had 5 assists

It seems to me that our wingers have simply not performed so far this season. We have also lost Howard (and he will probably be gone in January permanently). Long was not only a scorer but a creator.

I got shouted down in the summer for pointing out the lack or reinvestment but the results are now clear for all to see.

Does that mean Brian cannot lead us to another good season ......... no I think he has worked miracles so far and he might do so again.........but the current club policy will mean sooner or later that mid table mediocrity is the best we can hope for.

[melonhead]

absolutely right about the lack of creativity.
i think the loss of howard is less of a problem cos he hardly played, and never really set up any/scored any goals, although the system we play when hes in the team may help over all.
its the wingers that are the problem- with kebe injured or uninterested, and mcanuff struggling its down to HRK. and while he started really well, hes gone off the boil now, and its left us bereft of creative options



moaning about lack of reinvestment, isnt a reason to be shouted down, although it is without at least trying to understand it, in the context of our finances.

i start each season being happy with midtable mediocrity, and not being relegated as the lowest point at which i will still be ok with. anything else is then a bonus, and weve been lucky to get these bonus' most seasons.

[marcusopp]

absolutely right about the lack of creativity.
i think the loss of howard is less of a problem cos he hardly played, and never really set up any/scored any goals, although the system we play when hes in the team may help over all.
its the wingers that are the problem- with kebe injured or uninterested, and mcanuff struggling its down to HRK. and while he started really well, hes gone off the boil now, and its left us bereft of creative options



moaning about lack of reinvestment, isnt a reason to be shouted down, although it is without at least trying to understand it, in the context of our finances.

i start each season being happy with midtable mediocrity, and not being relegated as the lowest point at which i will still be ok with. anything else is then a bonus, and weve been lucky to get these bonus' most seasons.

Remember, both HRK and Kebe have been injured most of the season. I'm suprised Obita doesn't get a few sub appearances though.
I'm not sure why Kebe's refusing to sign a new deal, but hopefully he'll be back to his best, and we'll start getting some goals.
The problem up front is that no one can lead the line. The others all do a job, but need a Long or a Kitson with them, someone good in the air.
Maybe that new french bloke, cedirc something or other will be fit soon.....

[melonhead]

last night, and indeed the previous few games the strikers never got a chance due to the lack of service from the wingers
when hes had chances ALFie usually scores.

church had 1 15 goal season, and nhunts record is good when not injured, and has been forced to play on the wing for most of this season

[RoyalBlue]

reckon it must be an average of a goal per game maybe

tbh I dont turn up expecting goals galore and exciting games

And presumably you no longer expect wins! Good passing football? - No forget that.

Doesn't seem that there is that much to look forward to. Well done for still turning up.

cant work out if you're being sarcastic or not?!

sadly I still get excited for each game and go into each one feeling optimistic

No sarcasm intended.

[SHORT AND CURLY]

I am a little disappointed that after watching 9 games, I've seen 1 win

You Lucky, Lucky, Luckeeeeeeeeee Barstard!

I have been to 3 away games, Pompey, Charlton and Palace, Missed the home games against Watford and Doncaster and haven't seen us win a game this season

And yes I will be at the Brum game

[muddyfeet]

Least we're not Leeds!!

[Sarah Star]

You want perspective? Two words, Billy Sharp

+1

I was surprised that he played last night - let alone scoring a goal, but then I remember some football coach or other saying that a lot of players want to play when other devastating things are happening in their lives as it helps to focus on something else for a while, like Simon Church when his Dad died.

Sorry to get all depressing. Carry on talking about Reading.

[thirtyyarder]

FWIW my thoughts as a loyal fan who is distant, by this I mean I live abroad so, barring a couple of games on sporadic visits to the homeland, I haven't seen many games live over the last three years. However, having watched on tenterhooks our progression over this time I must admit that the current overview is depressing:

We consistently develop players well. Wonderful. However, we have openly said we spent alot of money on keeping players when we were relegated to try and push for the rebound promotion. The players we let go and sold afterwards weren't incredible players, they were average premiership players. But we are seeing a trend of selling any player as soon as they appear to be of reasonable quality. Who would be surprised if Karacan continued playing for the next two months and a mid-table prem club came in for him in jan with a 2mil bid and we sold him? My point is, we don't seem to be sending the message to players and fans that we really believe in promotion.

I celebrate the club's position in not playing the game the conventional way, the very fact of where I live should confirm this, however football teams, and supporters as a whole, react to events very emotionally. A small signing by league standards was wildly over-received by some reading fans, therefore a relatively small financial push by the club over a consistent period of time would see a massive lift.

Why do we sign lower league replacements for players who have left for higher league clubs? Why do clubs who consistently have finished beneath us spend more money than us?

I am 100 percent behind McDermott and the team, however, I feel that he will have to have, and at least 9/10 of the team would have to have, the best season of their careers to get promoted.

Exactly as it was for coppell.

[Platypuss]

Sorry to get all depressing. Carry on talking about Reading.

Make up your mind.

[Only one Trevor Morley]

It strange we have a manager who eposuses the virtues of attacking football and going for it and yet the cumalative totals of goals scored in games involving reading is the second lwoest of all clubs in the league. He wants to attack but his players arent giving him the artillery to do what he wants and so we end up playing what i call 'nothing' football. We dont really do anything well for 90 minutes but nor do we do anything too bad..... The one problem with the Coppell/Mcdermott style of football is that its utterly depedendant on your wingers and to a lesser extent your full backs producing the creativity as you have the central midfield in a ball winning capacity - if the wingers dont produce then you're struggling particularly if you dont have a talisman hold up player like Long.

For me we need to bring in a winger on loan - send Khumalo back if he isnt getting a game and use the money to get someone exciting in who'll lift spirits and provide service. Kebe and Mcanuff have been our main attacking threats for the last 2 and a half years and we need to freshen things up.

Alfie is a great player but as he said when he joined he does need service . he said he thought he'd be working with the two best wingers in the championship - he must be wondering who the two worst are on current form

[Hoop Blah]

It strange we have a manager who eposuses the virtues of attacking football and going for it and yet the cumalative totals of goals scored in games involving reading is the second lwoest of all clubs in the league. ...

Because it's all words to an extent. Yes we apparently like to attack and go out to win every game, but at the same time our formation and players don't really support that statement.

McDermott often said that he wouldn't have a pop at referee's too, right up until mistakes and decisions started to go against us and they potentially cost us points. Then he started like any other manager.

I don't blame McDermott for it, to an extent his hands are tied and he's stuck playing a pretty dull brand of percentage football that rarely entertains or excites.

He doesn't have the resources to buy players he thinks he can use to consistently open teams up and so we're left with what we have, an bunch of ordinary players that make up a pretty ordinary team at the moment.