Nigel Adkin's post game interview /Derby

[VOR]

Not really that surprising we are struggling given all the upheaval over the last 18 months. The important thing this season is to stay up and show some progress in the second half of the season. It usually takes a while for lots of new players to bed in - especially when that includes quite a few youngsters. It's tough to take 3 and 4 goal defeats but these have mostly been at the hands of teams at the top of the division. I'd give Atkins to the end of the season unless we slide deep into the relegation zone soon.

[wingnut]

with williams karacan and mccleary back in the team we will be a totally different side. We are missing bite in the centre of the park and the two aformentioned will provide that, while mccleary will bring the much needed pace and width that we are also crying out for.

If I were a gambling man (which I'm not) I would bet that we won't put out a side with all of those players in it once this season.

[Hendo]

Not sure that anyone really gives a toss about the quality of an interview after the game, as in the heat of the moment they can be completely different to what you may hear 24 hours later.

4 pages suggest otherwise.

[Dixeyroyal]

with williams karacan and mccleary back in the team we will be a totally different side. We are missing bite in the centre of the park and the two aformentioned will provide that, while mccleary will bring the much needed pace and width that we are also crying out for.

Derby were imo the best side i have seen this season and we created, and should have scored at least 4 (cox header, HRK rebound, murray crossbar and pog miss) all this with a side nowhere near full strenghth. patience

Agreed that we will be a different side with these players back, and i am not suggesting that we make any rash decisions and get rid. I am just struggling to understand why some of the more senior players (Gunter/Pearce/Robson-Kanu) are constantly defended by Adkins rather than being made culpable for recent performances.
Gunter has been awful for ages, Pearce seems to have lost any positional sense he once had (the same positional sense that had Premier clubs chasing him little more than 12 months ago) and Robson-Kanu seems happy to believe that 50% effort is enough so that he can save himself for playing for Wales!

I agree that we have little in the way of replacements at the moment but i would rather Adkins say that these players are not giving enough instead of living in his little positive cloud. Maybe he should take a leaf out of Arry's book when asked why Tarabt didnt play for QPR yesterday, now thats how you get a reaction from a player!

[WoodleyRoyal]

Pearce needs a Gorkks next to him to tell him what to do he cant lead, hence adkins demoting him from vice captain last season

We don't know what goes on in the dressing room/ training ground Adkins may well be giving the players a roasting - he might just not want to air his dirty laundrey in public.

[Dixeyroyal]

Pearce needs a Gorkks next to him to tell him what to do he cant lead, hence adkins demoting him from vice captain last season

We don't know what goes on in the dressing room/ training ground Adkins may well be giving the players a roasting - he might just not want to air his dirty laundrey in public.

OK agree that we do not know what goes on in the dressing room but have to disagree with the Pearce comment. There is a difference between leading and concentrating on doing what you are paid thousands of pounds a week to do. I find it strange that Pearce is the one defended by everyone, yet Hector's recent performances are (arguably) more convincing as (A) a Central Defender and (B) someone who can actually start an attack from the back?
So if we sign another Central Defender (on the basis that we will probably never see Ferdinand) are you saying that they line up alongside Pearce rather than Hector?

[WoodleyRoyal]

basically yes, if pearce were playing along side a Gorkks type we would be seeing far fewer mistakes from him. I'm not taking anything away from Hector considering he has been thrown in the deep end i have been very impressed and believe he will turn out to be one of the best CB's this club has ever had. But at this time, a in form Pearce is better than Hector, imo of course

[Vision]

Hector is pretty symbolic of where we are at the moment though isn't he?

The ability and potential is clearly there but he's prone to lapses at this level and lacks consistencty. However that's what you get with young players and in order for them to fulfil their potential they need the opportunity to play and learn from those mistakes. It's more difficult for a young defender (especially a centre half) because his mistakes are magnified and deemed to be more costly than a young attacking player's.

As I said Hector, for me, sums us up currently where we're at as a club. The vast majority of his play is excellent but he's not quite there yet in terms of being a top player at this level but he has all the attributes (certainly physically) to get there. Like the club itself we're going through a transitional phase where we may have to accept a few more setbacks in order to properly progress and move forward.

As for Adkins, well I'm not keen on him as a personality and he doesn't always help himself (triple substitutions are the sign of a truly desperate manager) but I'm not sure given the particularly unique set of circumstances surrounding the club in the last 18 months or so, anyone else would have done that much better. Problem is there is only a certain amount of time you can be excused for injuries and boardroom upheaval. He's fast reaching the point where he's got to start showing he's the man for this job whatever rough cards people feel he's been dealt.

[ayjaydee]

Hector is pretty symbolic of where we are at the moment though isn't he?

The ability and potential is clearly there but he's prone to lapses at this level and lacks consistencty. However that's what you get with young players and in order for them to fulfil their potential they need the opportunity to play and learn from those mistakes. It's more difficult for a young defender (especially a centre half) because his mistakes are magnified and deemed to be more costly than a young attacking player's.

As I said Hector, for me, sums us up currently where we're at as a club. The vast majority of his play is excellent but he's not quite there yet in terms of being a top player at this level but he has all the attributes (certainly physically) to get there. Like the club itself we're going through a transitional phase where we may have to accept a few more setbacks in order to properly progress and move forward.

As for Adkins, well I'm not keen on him as a personality and he doesn't always help himself (triple substitutions are the sign of a truly desperate manager) but I'm not sure given the particularly unique set of circumstances surrounding the club in the last 18 months or so, anyone else would have done that much better. Problem is there is only a certain amount of time you can be excused for injuries and boardroom upheaval. He's fast reaching the point where he's got to start showing he's the man for this job whatever rough cards people feel he's been dealt.

^^^ This

Once again , the voice of reason speaks.

[Doolittle]

Pearce looks short of confidence right now - think it would be very harsh to drop Hector. Though Chris Gunter would be first on my list right now, if we had the option to drop anybody.

Cooper looked OK when he played. I suppose him and Hector would be seen as too inexperienced as a pair, though.

What's happened to Ferdinand ? I know he wasn't fit when he signed, but that was ages ago. Seems like we're not being told something there. Has he been reading the Adel Taarabt book of training methods, or if not that, what ?

[GH Royal]

Pearce looks short of confidence right now - think it would be very harsh to drop Hector. Though Chris Gunter would be first on my list right now, if we had the option to drop anybody.

Cooper looked OK when he played. I suppose him and Hector would be seen as too inexperienced as a pair, though.

What's happened to Ferdinand ? I know he wasn't fit when he signed, but that was ages ago. Seems like we're not being told something there. Has he been reading the Adel Taarabt book of training methods, or if not that, what ?

Out with an injury picked up trying to regain fitness... Basically a dudd signing, doubt we'll see him until around Feb to be honest

[Ian Royal]

And both Coppell and McDermott would admit when we had played badly

that's one eyed and revisionist.

Coppell was criticised for saying we'd played badly and he didn't know why. He also focused on the positives. McDermott described many poor performances as good. Adkins has openly said we've played badly on several occasions.

Finally, we didn't play badly against Derby and 3-0 was not reflective of either Derby's or our performance. As Derby fans have acknowledged. We did have more suicidal individual defending though.

[Eaststandman]

Hector is pretty symbolic of where we are at the moment though isn't he?

The ability and potential is clearly there but he's prone to lapses at this level and lacks consistencty. However that's what you get with young players and in order for them to fulfil their potential they need the opportunity to play and learn from those mistakes. It's more difficult for a young defender (especially a centre half) because his mistakes are magnified and deemed to be more costly than a young attacking player's.

As I said Hector, for me, sums us up currently where we're at as a club. The vast majority of his play is excellent but he's not quite there yet in terms of being a top player at this level but he has all the attributes (certainly physically) to get there. Like the club itself we're going through a transitional phase where we may have to accept a few more setbacks in order to properly progress and move forward.

As for Adkins, well I'm not keen on him as a personality and he doesn't always help himself (triple substitutions are the sign of a truly desperate manager) but I'm not sure given the particularly unique set of circumstances surrounding the club in the last 18 months or so, anyone else would have done that much better. Problem is there is only a certain amount of time you can be excused for injuries and boardroom upheaval. He's fast reaching the point where he's got to start showing he's the man for this job whatever rough cards people feel he's been dealt.

^^^ This

Once again , the voice of reason speaks.

Hard to disagree really, I don't know Adkins, but I do want Reading FC's manager to be successful whomsoever they may be. I seem to remember BR being ridiculed for his big book of tactics and I am becoming just a bit tired of the big book of excuses, real and or imaginary. No job is silky smooth all the time and I believe NA has enjoyed considerable time and patience IMHO and certainly enough to have made a more significant difference. In general I fear he is too cautious and reactive and needs to become more proactive in his approach!

[Royal Rother]

And both Coppell and McDermott would admit when we had played badly

that's one eyed and revisionist.

Coppell was criticised for saying we'd played badly and he didn't know why. He also focused on the positives. McDermott described many poor performances as good. Adkins has openly said we've played badly on several occasions.

Absolutely correct.

[leon]

And both Coppell and McDermott would admit when we had played badly

that's one eyed and revisionist.

Coppell was criticised for saying we'd played badly and he didn't know why. He also focused on the positives. McDermott described many poor performances as good. Adkins has openly said we've played badly on several occasions.

Absolutely correct.

Notice with interest you cut out the last bit.

"You just can't legislate for individual errors" Mr T Bullivant

[Royal Rother]

I didn't see the game so felt it would be wrong of me to agree with something of which I have no knowledge.

[Ian Royal]

that's one eyed and revisionist.

Coppell was criticised for saying we'd played badly and he didn't know why. He also focused on the positives. McDermott described many poor performances as good. Adkins has openly said we've played badly on several occasions.

Absolutely correct.

Notice with interest you cut out the last bit.

"You just can't legislate for individual errors" Mr T Bullivant

You certainly can't do much about individual errors from senior players when you have no alternatives.

Yes, getting alternatives is an important part of the job. But when you only had about a month in which you could make signings over the summer and most of your options are injured, there's not a lot you can do.

And there's certainly not a lot you can do to improve midfield when four of your preferred five midfielders are injured. And lots of our problems are coming from midfield. As they have for most seasons since Sidwell left.

[Cureton's Volley]

I would buy a car from this man.

I'd run him over with a car.

ALOL and a big fat +1

[leon]

Absolutely correct.

Notice with interest you cut out the last bit.

"You just can't legislate for individual errors" Mr T Bullivant

You certainly can't do much about individual errors from senior players when you have no alternatives.

Yes, getting alternatives is an important part of the job. But when you only had about a month in which you could make signings over the summer and most of your options are injured, there's not a lot you can do.

And there's certainly not a lot you can do to improve midfield when four of your preferred five midfielders are injured. And lots of our problems are coming from midfield. As they have for most seasons since Sidwell left.[/quote]

You miss my point. Well organised and drilled teams don't keep making lots (and I mean lots) of individual errors.

As you'll recall Bullivants team used to all the time and we know what happened to him. His team couldn't defend either.