MATCHWATCH : Stoke City (a)

[windermereROYAL]

Wasn’t able to watch or listen to the game today but having looked at the score line it’s safe to say we will be getting relegated. Frustrating to score 2 goals away from home and not come away with points. Defensive side needs to be sorted out but hardly surprising with the lack of pre season it had as a unit.

No need to panic , onto the next one.

Whatever you are drinking I`ll have a pint.

[Snowflake Royal]

4) Joao doesn't look the same player at all.

Does he look good?

Or does he look like the same Joao for the second half of last season? Guessing the latter.

Latter.

[Hound]

Yep, Joao, Puscas, Rafael all had poor games and didn’t think McIntyre, Morrison or Moore were much better

Need those boys to step up pretty quickly

[Snowflake Royal]

Cabral - 5.5 some poor kicking, some good, some decent saves but nothing that hard I recall, and weak on No 2.
Yiadom - 6 fairly classic Yiadom performance
McIntyre - 5.5 not great at LB
Moore - 5.5 poor defending, doubly at fault for goal one, weak on 2, but did score at least
Morrison - 6 not his best game but not bad.
Rino - 6.5 reasonably solid, decent shot early on, should have done better when through later
Laurent - 6.5 bit hit and miss, some.silly mistakes, some really good. Think he pushes forward too much
Swift 7.5 good goal, at least one good set piece, but some stinkers too. MotM
Bristow - 5.5 nothing bad, just not really there yet
Azeez - 6 not quite, but some good signs
Joao - 5 fed off scraps and didn't do a lot to get involved. Some bright moments but mostly Marshalled out the game

Tetek - tbh didn't really notice him
Puscas - fed off scraps
Holmes - desperate gamble

Defensive set piece coach - 3

[Getthebeerens]

Wasn’t able to watch or listen to the game today but having looked at the score line it’s safe to say we will be getting relegated. Frustrating to score 2 goals away from home and not come away with points. Defensive side needs to be sorted out but hardly surprising with the lack of pre season it had as a unit.

No need to panic , onto the next one.

Whatever you are drinking I`ll have a pint.

I read #readingfc on Twitter and the state of panic after one game sent me over the edge, I really need to avoid that app. Think I’m sick to death of the negativity around our team at the moment. We still have a pretty strong starting 11 to compete.

[One Beer is never enough.]

Puscas is the Romanian Sam Baldock. Just runs around a bit and not much else. Hoped we would have offloaded him.

Would rather see McNulty

I disagree with this completely. If you watch Puscas he is looking to make a run every time however no one seems to look forwards to where he is and gamble. It reminds me a bit of Matejovsky who was always looking for a pass that was always 2 steps ahead of the players we had at the time and as such, it looked like he wasted a lot of balls which were actually quite clever. DOn't know who he has pissed off on the team, but given service and a run he would do well. He certainly puts more effort and looks more interested than Joao...

[Snowflake Royal]

Puscas is the Romanian Sam Baldock. Just runs around a bit and not much else. Hoped we would have offloaded him.

Would rather see McNulty

I disagree with this completely. If you watch Puscas he is looking to make a run every time however no one seems to look forwards to where he is and gamble. It reminds me a bit of Matejovsky who was always looking for a pass that was always 2 steps ahead of the players we had at the time and as such, it looked like he wasted a lot of balls which were actually quite clever. DOn't know who he has pissed off on the team, but given service and a run he would do well. He certainly puts more effort and looks more interested than Joao...

Puscas doesn't have the best first touch and doesn't really know when to press and where to be. He's improved since he got here, but it'll take a barren run for Joao to start him, or a change of shape.

Think I'd be looking hard at 5-3-2 and try to get wing backs whipping in a lot of balls for Joao and Puscas.

.............................Cabral
............Holmes, Morrison, McIntyre
Yiadom, Rinomhota, Laurent, Bristow
..............................Swift
.........................Puscas, Joao

[Royal_jimmy]

Honestly think refusing £8m for Moore and giving him a PL wage on a 3 / 4 year contract is one of the worst transfer decisions the club has ever made.

Only real other contenders are signing Aluko for £7m on top wages for 3/4 years at 28 and Pogrebnyak for 4 years on huge PL wages.

No surprises one under Zingaravich and two under Gourlay and Dai.

Pogrebnyak was when we were a premier league team. Mistake there was giving him a 4 year deal.

Aluko was a strange signing but he was only on £15k a week. Not as high as others were.

[Royal_jimmy]

It's our fault for overspending for nigh on a decade and doing the bare minimum to get wages down.

It's our fault for giving cup and league debuts to players we didn't want as part of our senior squad knowing the financial position we were in and the rules around them.

It's our fault for handing out long contracts to punts we decide we don't want, can't get rid of and refuse to use.

Maybe, but as has been pointed out by others, effectively forcing clubs to release their most valuable assets for pretty much bugger all, thus significantly worsening their financial situation, demonstrates the stupidity of the current EFL approach to FFP. And can the EFL really be excused for sitting on the fence, not reaching/communicating decisions/punishments and leaving clubs in a dangerous damaging limbo?

The rules are clear. We're not in limbo. We're trying to get round the rules.

You can sign players on 1 year deals up to 23. We have 24. Our problem.

You overspend its your problem you can't extend contracts.

The FL didn't make us refuse to sell high earners for millions.
It didn't make us pay 211% of our income in wages.

Would you prefer the FL required us to sell Moore, Cabral, Swift and Joao? At cut price because clubs can take advantage? Assuming the players will accept moving to lower deals.

How do we have 24 senior players? We've only got 17.

1. Rafael
2. Yiadom
3. Holmes
4. Morrison
5. Moore
6. McIntyre
7. Araruna
8. Tetek
9. Southwood
10).Rinomhota
11. Laurent
12. Meite
13. McNulty
14. Swift
15. Ejaria
16. Puscas
17). Joao

That's 17 players.... who are the other 7?

Azeez, Bristow, Dorsett is 20 if you include those 3 too.

[Snowflake Royal]

How do we have 24 senior players? We've only got 17.

1. Rafael
2. Yiadom
3. Holmes
4. Morrison
5. Moore
6. McIntyre
7. Araruna
8. Tetek
9. Southwood
10).Rinomhota
11. Laurent
12. Meite
13. McNulty
14. Swift
15. Ejaria
16. Puscas
17). Joao

That's 17 players.... who are the other 7

Senior player involves anyone to have played a professional game. And those on loan.

So Azeez, Dorsett, Camara, Bristow, Melvin-Lambert etc etc.

[windermereROYAL]

Wasn’t able to watch or listen to the game today but having looked at the score line it’s safe to say we will be getting relegated. Frustrating to score 2 goals away from home and not come away with points. Defensive side needs to be sorted out but hardly surprising with the lack of pre season it had as a unit.

No need to panic , onto the next one.

Whatever you are drinking I`ll have a pint.

I read #readingfc on Twitter and the state of panic after one game sent me over the edge, I really need to avoid that app. Think I’m sick to death of the negativity around our team at the moment. We still have a pretty strong starting 11 to compete.

I`m no longer on twitter, it was a godsend when i had my account suspended. full of total bellends.

[Orion1871]

Wasn’t able to watch or listen to the game today but having looked at the score line it’s safe to say we will be getting relegated. Frustrating to score 2 goals away from home and not come away with points. Defensive side needs to be sorted out but hardly surprising with the lack of pre season it had as a unit.

No need to panic , onto the next one.

Whatever you are drinking I`ll have a pint.

I read #readingfc on Twitter and the state of panic after one game sent me over the edge, I really need to avoid that app. Think I’m sick to death of the negativity around our team at the moment. We still have a pretty strong starting 11 to compete.

This place is bad but at least we can comfort ourselves with the fact that no one on here, not even DD and OMA, is a bigger c[u]nt than "LordCKS".

[Notts Royal]

Whatever you are drinking I`ll have a pint.

I read #readingfc on Twitter and the state of panic after one game sent me over the edge, I really need to avoid that app. Think I’m sick to death of the negativity around our team at the moment. We still have a pretty strong starting 11 to compete.

I`m no longer on twitter, it was a godsend when i had my account suspended. full of total bellends.

You just don’t get a good feel of the games & who played well etc. Lord CKS is the worst…sucks the life right out of you.

At least on here there’s a degree of realism & balance

[Royal Rother]

It's our fault for overspending for nigh on a decade and doing the bare minimum to get wages down.

It's our fault for giving cup and league debuts to players we didn't want as part of our senior squad knowing the financial position we were in and the rules around them.

It's our fault for handing out long contracts to punts we decide we don't want, can't get rid of and refuse to use.

Maybe, but as has been pointed out by others, effectively forcing clubs to release their most valuable assets for pretty much bugger all, thus significantly worsening their financial situation, demonstrates the stupidity of the current EFL approach to FFP. And can the EFL really be excused for sitting on the fence, not reaching/communicating decisions/punishments and leaving clubs in a dangerous damaging limbo?

The rules are clear. We're not in limbo. We're trying to get round the rules.

You can sign players on 1 year deals up to 23. We have 24. Our problem.

You overspend its your problem you can't extend contracts.

The FL didn't make us refuse to sell high earners for millions.
It didn't make us pay 211% of our income in wages.

Would you prefer the FL required us to sell Joao?

Yes.

[Crowbar6753]

Puscas is the Romanian Sam Baldock. Just runs around a bit and not much else. Hoped we would have offloaded him.

Would rather see McNulty

I disagree with this completely. If you watch Puscas he is looking to make a run every time however no one seems to look forwards to where he is and gamble. It reminds me a bit of Matejovsky who was always looking for a pass that was always 2 steps ahead of the players we had at the time and as such, it looked like he wasted a lot of balls which were actually quite clever. DOn't know who he has pissed off on the team, but given service and a run he would do well. He certainly puts more effort and looks more interested than Joao...

Puscas doesn't have the best first touch and doesn't really know when to press and where to be. He's improved since he got here, but it'll take a barren run for Joao to start him, or a change of shape.

Think I'd be looking hard at 5-3-2 and try to get wing backs whipping in a lot of balls for Joao and Puscas.

.............................Cabral
............Holmes, Morrison, McIntyre
Yiadom, Rinomhota, Laurent, Bristow
..............................Swift
.........................Puscas, Joao

100% this....we have no left back, and some really good centre backs. It makes total sense to go three at the back and utilize Bristow and Yiadom as Wing Backs. This formation also allows two up top which hopefully will play to Puscas's strengths.
However, Pauno's biggest downfall was having no Plan B and a lack of tatical knowse and i will bet my house that he play's the same system all season, the same system that everyone had worked out during the second half of last season.
I like Pauno, but if you do not have the ability to adjust when things are going wrong you'll end up in a spot of bother!!

[Zip]

Yep. We were found out last season playing just Joao upfront. Teams put two players into him and marked him out of games. We had no plan B.
If we are going to play two upfront though we need players that can send in decent crosses. Who are those players?

[windermereROYAL]

Just seen the goals for the first time, how many goals does Rafael need to give away before we get the message that he really isn`t very good?

[Stranded]

Just seen the goals for the first time, how many goals does Rafael need to give away before we get the message that he really isn`t very good?

Which one was his fault today? Not sure youcan blame him on the first one so was it the deflection or the deflection?

[windermereROYAL]

Just seen the goals for the first time, how many goals does Rafael need to give away before we get the message that he really isn`t very good?

Which one was his fault today? Not sure youcan blame him on the first one so was it the deflection or the deflection?

The 2nd, straight at him but it went through his legs.

[Crowbar6753]

Yep. We were found out last season playing just Joao upfront. Teams put two players into him and marked him out of games. We had no plan B.
If we are going to play two upfront though we need players that can send in decent crosses. Who are those players?

I've always thought of Yiadom as more of a wing back due to his pace and fitness, his crossing isn't bad but needs to be worked on. With regards to Bristow, i have very little knowledge of this chap. Mind you, playing as a wing back and having three commanding centre backs behind should give him less worries than playing as a rookie left back.
Get them both on the training ground putting in crosses!! surly that's what the coaching team is there for.