MATCHWATCH : Stoke City (h) sponsored by Dylan Kerr

[genome]

No. I have a right to an opinion and if I think the keeper was shit I will say it.

You have a mouse and a finger, scroll down if you don't want to see it.

You called for the manager’s head.

Let me rephrase. Stop posting like a moron.

I didn't, I just said out and posted by mistake it was meant to say

out of ideas

Deary me

[RoyalBlue]

Unreal some of you, Rafael is one of the best keepers, if not the best in this league, and you want to drop him?.....FFS get a grip.

Absolutely spot on. Biggest criticism of him today was that he put his hand up for offside after his error, rather than focussing 100% on trying to stop the player scoring - late setting as a consequence.

[RoyalBlue]

Baldock very articulate and considered in his post match interview. Clearly an intelligent guy and not just in footballing terms. I too think he has done quite well in the last two games when he came on - looked one of our players most likely to create openings and chances.

He's not your stereotypical footballer - just referred to Olise being 'an enigma', clearly knows what it means too! And a nightmare for football cliche bingo, not sure he dropped one in a lengthy interview.

Money on him becoming a very good pundit post-retirement.

[CountryRoyal]

Baldock very articulate and considered in his post match interview. Clearly an intelligent guy and not just in footballing terms. I too think he has done quite well in the last two games when he came on - looked one of our players most likely to create openings and chances.

He's not your stereotypical footballer - just referred to Olise being 'an enigma', clearly knows what it means too!

Money on him becoming a very good pundit post-retirement.

Its a shame being articulate and intelligent don't get you points, otherwise with him and Aluko we'd be promotion favourites.

[Notts Royal]

Can only go 2 ways now. Meite and Ejaria return for Bournemouth and the club put in a sterling performance to get something out of it, then continue in a similar fashion for Millwall, Bristol etc. Or go to Bournemouth flatter a bit but lose and then do the same at Millwall and then the wheels really are starting to fall off and next there’s real danger of resuming the cr@p of the last 3 seasons and VP could be struggling to keep his job.

We’re top of the league. Talk of pauno losing his job is utterly ridiculous

At the moment yes. Another month of cr@p results and it’s not so ridiculous.

Yes but in the previous 3 seasons we weren’t even close to the top half. We might end up midtable, which would be a significant drop from our current position, but progress compared to those seasons.

All depends what your baseline/expectations are; for me, a great first 7 games didn’t change mine massively.

[RoyalBlue]

Baldock very articulate and considered in his post match interview. Clearly an intelligent guy and not just in footballing terms. I too think he has done quite well in the last two games when he came on - looked one of our players most likely to create openings and chances.

He's not your stereotypical footballer - just referred to Olise being 'an enigma', clearly knows what it means too!

Money on him becoming a very good pundit post-retirement.

Its a shame being articulate and intelligent don't get you points, otherwise with him and Aluko we'd be promotion favourites.

But IMO in their last couple of appearances both have looked more likely than most of the team to help get us points.

[Zip]

Baldock very articulate and considered in his post match interview. Clearly an intelligent guy and not just in footballing terms. I too think he has done quite well in the last two games when he came on - looked one of our players most likely to create openings and chances.

He's not your stereotypical footballer - just referred to Olise being 'an enigma', clearly knows what it means too!

Money on him becoming a very good pundit post-retirement.

Its a shame being articulate and intelligent don't get you points, otherwise with him and Aluko we'd be promotion favourites.

But IMO in their last couple of appearances both have looked more likely than most of the team to help get us points.

Aluko has shown some nice skill but without the end product. Baldock is Baldock. Meh.

[Hound]

Seeing talk of our really tough run, just checked and it’s Bournemouth away (fair enough) then Millwall (dire home record and loads of injuries) and bloody Bristol city?

[Snowflake Royal]

This season because of the compressed runs of games are going to be all about survival of the fittest. If we get players back in a couple of weeks we will be fine.

Take Sonko, Sidwell, Little & Convey out of 106 side (nearest equivalents to players missing today) and its a pretty average side left

To be fair, the 106ers beat their nearest rivals, Sheff Utd, without Murty, Shorey, Sidwell or Kitson that's definitely three of the best players.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Baldock very articulate and considered in his post match interview. Clearly an intelligent guy and not just in footballing terms. I too think he has done quite well in the last two games when he came on - looked one of our players most likely to create openings and chances.

He's not your stereotypical footballer - just referred to Olise being 'an enigma', clearly knows what it means too!

Money on him becoming a very good pundit post-retirement.

Its a shame being articulate and intelligent don't get you points, otherwise with him and Aluko we'd be promotion favourites.

[Ascotexgunner]

Seeing talk of our really tough run, just checked and it’s Bournemouth away (fair enough) then Millwall (dire home record and loads of injuries) and bloody Bristol city?

Don't think we have anything to worry about with Bournmouth. They specialise in draws, and if we can get a few players back from injury we can get result.

[Lower West]

Seeing talk of our really tough run, just checked and it’s Bournemouth away (fair enough) then Millwall (dire home record and loads of injuries) and bloody Bristol city?

Don't think we have anything to worry about with Bournmouth. They specialise in draws, and if we can get a few players back from injury we can get result.

Opposition managers have us worked out that's the bigger problem. No sign of a plan B or C.

[Snowflake Royal]

Seeing talk of our really tough run, just checked and it’s Bournemouth away (fair enough) then Millwall (dire home record and loads of injuries) and bloody Bristol city?

Don't think we have anything to worry about with Bournmouth. They specialise in draws, and if we can get a few players back from injury we can get result.

Opposition managers have us worked out that's the bigger problem. No sign of a plan B or C.

Dropping McIntyre for Gibson and changing shape to 3-5-2 seemed quite like a plan B

[Snowball]

Seeing talk of our really tough run, just checked and it’s Bournemouth away (fair enough) then Millwall (dire home record and loads of injuries) and bloody Bristol city?

Don't think we have anything to worry about with Bournmouth. They specialise in draws, and if we can get a few players back from injury we can get result.

Opposition managers have us worked out that's the bigger problem. No sign of a plan B or C.

Not sure I can agree with this. We haven't been OUTPLAYED in those three defeats

But

1 We've missed a lot of very good chances (regressing to the mean?)

We've had enough decent chances to have drawn or won all three games

2 The three teams to beat us have been amazingly clinical scoring a ridiculously high percentage of goals from chances.

3 Many of the goals were due to individual errors, maybe due to tiredness or mental tiredness. We weren't opened up by great play at any time that I can remember.

4 The two 0-3's, while horrible, were even or leaning RFC's way until goal number one, and both teams got very late sucker goals when RFC were chasing the game. We'll remember the score, but the scores aren't reflective of the game



If you look at the shooting stats

Reading

14 Shots, 7 on target , 2 goals Coventry
17 Shots, 5 on target, 0 goals Preston
15 Shots, 5 on target, 0 goals Stoke

Nothing much wrong with chance-creation and averaging six on target shots a game.

Total

46 Shots, 17 on target, 2 goals Reading
34 Shots, 12 on target, 8 goals Coventry, Preston, Stoke

Seriously our opponents converted TWO-THIRDS of every shot on target into a goal. That is five times the norm!!

[Snowflake Royal]

That happens when most chances are handed to you gold plated and gift wrapped

[Snowball]

That happens when most chances are handed to you gold plated and gift wrapped

By horrible individual, uncharacteristic errors. Not by being outplayed.

But look also how, suddenly our lethal strikers weren't.

[Snowflake Royal]

That happens when most chances are handed to you gold plated and gift wrapped

By horrible individual, uncharacteristic errors. Not by being outplayed.

But look also how, suddenly our lethal strikers weren't.

How long before they stop being uncharacteristic?

[BR0B0T]

Baldock very articulate and considered in his post-match interview..

I went to the same grammar school as him.

[Snowball]

Baldock very articulate and considered in his post-match interview..

I went to the same grammar school as him.

grammer

[URZZZZ]

Its a shame being articulate and intelligent don't get you points, otherwise with him and Aluko we'd be promotion favourites.

But IMO in their last couple of appearances both have looked more likely than most of the team to help get us points.

Aluko has shown some nice skill but without the end product. Baldock is Baldock. Meh.

Was a difficult one with Baldock on Saturday

Joao and Puscas weren’t working together very well and it was probably right to sub one of them off

Problem was Baldock was our only striker on the bench. I think he has his uses and I certainly rate him more than you seem to, but as someone pointed out in the matchday thread, he was never likely to change the game. You’re then left with a conundrum, do you stick with a duo that isn’t working, change to one up front (which will be seen as “defensive”) or being someone on who will bring energy and intelligence but a lack of goal threat

Personally feel he should be either used from the start in a two with Joao or Puscas or brought on to preserve a lead. Unfortunately can’t see much use for him outside of that