Perspective

[Wycombe Royal]

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.

Although, with the exception of Long, we are still using the same players and playing the same formaton as we did in the second half of last season that saw us score regularly and win lots of matches. Football is played on fine margins and it only takes one part to under-perform and the whole things goes tits up.

[Hoop Blah]

Well yes, apart from not really having

Harte playing at a half decent level and chipping in with significant goals
Kishanishvili adding composure, a bit of pace and an touch of class,
Mills adding much more of a threat at set pieces (at both end perhaps),
Ingimarsson adding a calming influence around the squad (we've probably replaced that now we've got Gorks though, he seems that kind of character)
Griffin is no longer being used and I think he supported his winger more last season than Cummings has since taking the right back spot

That's without even considering that Kebe and Legiertwood have looked half the players they did last season for whatever reasons.

Long was the icing on the cake for the side last season. The team was almost built around his ability to work the channels and create chances from a lot of nothing balls (either by falling over for penalties and free kicks or beating his man down the side). Taking him out makes us toothless, especially when you consider the effect missing out on the playoffs and then losing Long and Mills has probably had on the squad.

A bit like when we were in the Premier League, the team has stagnated a bit and we didn't look to improve it. Instead we lost some key individuals and looked to replace from within and without adding much in the way of a new spark. A team needs to kept fresh with some new blood and we don't seem to do that so much (Le Fondre is the closest we have to that this season, but it's a big ask for him to come in and do too much straight away).

[Wycombe Royal]

I was talking about the attacking players, not the defence. THis defence is doing much different to the onewe had last season with the exception of Harte. If anything Cummings is more attacking than Griffin.

[melonhead]

and our defence is probably the one bit of our game that seems to be working perfectly

[Svlad Cjelli]

and our defence is probably the one bit of our game that seems to be working perfectly

.... "well" rather than "perfectly"

[Hoop Blah]

We play as a team, not just distinct departments.

A lot of our attacking problems, IMO, stem from giving the ball away too cheaply because of the distribution from the back and a lack of someone running the game from the middle of the park.

Kebe played a lot better last year when he had Griffin behind him and I'd argue that Griffin last year supported Kebe more, and more effectively, than Cummings has this season. Griffin this year didn't look as capable of that but he started the season with a knock and so it's not surprising.

Harte would start attacks down the left pretty well by passing better than Mills has this year. He was helped by having Long to aim at for the easy out ball, but still, his distribution was better last season than Mills' has been this year. Mills offers more in getting forward to make runs and make space, but I don't think McAnuff or Robson-Kanu have made the most of that.

Pearce/Gorks is a less composed and footballing pairing than we had last season.

All that contributes to the attacking players have less of the ball, and less of the ball in the right places. It means their job is harder even without the loss of Long who was the focal point of the attack and turned a lot of poor performances into draws and wins because of the way we used him.

Two of the biggest let downs this season, for me, have been Kebe and Legiertwood. I hadn't really thought about Kebe's form being impacted by Griffin not being in the side and playing well but perhaps that is a factor and it's not just Kebe playing at 85% whilst he waits for a move.

[melonhead]

and our defence is probably the one bit of our game that seems to be working perfectly

.... "well" rather than "perfectly"

pedant!


its teh one area we dont really have to worry about then
imo

[Wycombe Royal]

We play as a team, not just distinct departments.

A lot of our attacking problems, IMO, stem from giving the ball away too cheaply because of the distribution from the back and a lack of someone running the game from the middle of the park.

Kebe played a lot better last year when he had Griffin behind him and I'd argue that Griffin last year supported Kebe more, and more effectively, than Cummings has this season. Griffin this year didn't look as capable of that but he started the season with a knock and so it's not surprising.

Harte would start attacks down the left pretty well by passing better than Mills has this year. He was helped by having Long to aim at for the easy out ball, but still, his distribution was better last season than Mills' has been this year. Mills offers more in getting forward to make runs and make space, but I don't think McAnuff or Robson-Kanu have made the most of that.

Pearce/Gorks is a less composed and footballing pairing than we had last season.

All that contributes to the attacking players have less of the ball, and less of the ball in the right places. It means their job is harder even without the loss of Long who was the focal point of the attack and turned a lot of poor performances into draws and wins because of the way we used him.

Two of the biggest let downs this season, for me, have been Kebe and Legiertwood. I hadn't really thought about Kebe's form being impacted by Griffin not being in the side and playing well but perhaps that is a factor and it's not just Kebe playing at 85% whilst he waits for a move.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. The midfield is getting plenty of the ball, as our the wide players, and this is backed up by our possession stats in matches. The problem is the lack of creativity from the middle (which we also had last season) and the massively underperforming wingers. They are getting the same quality of supply, similar support and in the same areas of the pitch but they just cannot deliver a decent cross on a regular basis (probably about 1 in 10). As our attacking play is about getting the ball in from wide positions (plan A, and we don't have a plan B) then it is obvious why we aren't scoring.

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

and our defence is probably the one bit of our game that seems to be working perfectly

.... "well" rather than "perfectly"

.."better" than the wingers and forwards rather than "well"

[melonhead]

halfemptymuch?


actually,i hate people who say that. apologies

[Hoop Blah]

WR, I do agree that the wingers aren't playing as well and that we don't have the creative spark in the middle either, and I agree that we didn't have that last season either.

What I don't agree with is that McDermott has only lost 1 player (Long) from last season and so still has the same squad to select from. If Kebe has his mind elsewhere and McAnuff, Harte and Griffin are all a year older and less effective then only replacing them with Mills and Cummings means as an attacking unit we're not as effective.

Kebe has been out injured too, but he's looked half the player when he has played (I've never subscribed to the hype about him, he's had 6 good months in all his time with us) and without him worrying teams we're a different side.

I also disagree that last year it was all about getting it to the wings and getting crosses in. It was a lot more about Long working the opposition back four and making the space for the wingers to cut inside. He was the main point of attack and lead the line very well for the latter stages of the season.

Also, the midfield might be getting as much possession but generally it's the lack of quality possession their getting because, as a team, we're not as effective. That's partly due to the other players I listed not being here or being fit/involved and partly because Long has left and we haven't replaced him.

As ever it's a combination of many things, but the root problem is that we don't have the right players doing the right things. I put the blame for that down to the lack of resources at McDermotts disposal for whatever reasons that is.

[marcusopp]

I don't think it's right to single out individuals, or roles within the team.
Your average full back will always be favourite to stop your average winger in a one on one scenario.
How the winger gains an advantage is the movement of other attakers (incl. full backs) and the timing of the ball they receive.
Last year we scored most of our goals on the break, thanks mainly to quick thinking Feds and McAnuff releasing Long and Kebe. As we've got a few new faces around this year, and with a few injuries, it makes it much more difficult for Feds and McAnuff to find the perfect outball.
If a winger receives the ball to feet, it's usually a stalemate and he passes it back, but if he gets it on the run, he's got the upper hand over the defender, as he won't know what the forward is going to do, especially if there are one or two forwards making runs too.

To cut a long story short, we're not surprising our opponents enough yet as we're still gelling.
My mate was saying he anticipates another trip to wembly this may, i believe him!
ps, he didn't specify RFC in the playoffs, he might have meant a trip to the market!

[Wimb]

I also think it's important to remember that we started in this sort of fashion goalscoring wise last season as well and look how that one ended up....

Last season we scored more than once just 5 times in our first 15 games, exactly the same record as we have this year. On top of that, we would score more than once in just one more game out of the next 5 as well and still managed a play-off place.

Defence wise we have 4 clean sheets in 15 games this year and last year we had 5 in 15 so again hardly a massive difference there.

We were in 10th position on 22 points this time last year and now we're 17th on 18, so once again it's not exactly that much of a gulf and the fact we've been beaten just once in nine games shows that it only takes a slight improvement in the final third and we'll be fine.

[JoebyRFC]

the draws we have got recently, especially saints and derby, have gone down as defensive errors, which in theory fair enough is correct. But it must be a bloody annoyance for them working hard and being solid for 80minutes only allowing the opponents one or two shots, while we end up (especially at home) having 10+ shots, 100's of corners with no outcome! come on McDermott bring in some creativity!