Back From The Game - Middlesbrough (H)

[Schards#2]

Just shit, just absolute shit. There is simply nothing positive to take from that garbage.

Yet again, Rodgers changes make the team perform worse with immediate effect, you have to seriously question whether this guy has the first idea of what he is doing or whether he's the managerial equivalent of that bloke who blagged a game for Southampton by pretending he was George Weah's cousin.

At no stage did we look like being anything other than soundly beaten by an out of form side and, end the end, we got off lightly at 2-0

[I was there at Elm Park]

And how many times on Tuesday night did Fed pull off an important save or they hit the post or bar? Being realistic and objective (which for HNA will be a novelty), what could the final score have been Tuesday?

On the other hand if McAnuff had scored just after half time the game would have been over. We just about deserved to win on Tuesday, it was not a vintage performance and you could still see our weaknesses which unfortunately have reared their ugly head again today!

[strap]

Bloody hell, was it really as bad as you're all suggesting? 9 out of 10 messages suggest we're absoutely dire. Speak the whole match trying to repair my laptop that went tits up on me, and only managed a few snippets from BBRB pre- and post-match.

Oh, and the laptop? After swapping over 2 motherbaords, found out it was just a loose memeory module. Not sure if that was more of a waste of an afternoon than being at the Mad House?!

Think we're in the poo. Phone call to SSC I think Mr Mad.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Where's the fitness?

^^^ This

Someone was saying that a lot of the fitness training has been dropped by Rogers in favour of more ball play

Hope this isnt true as its very worrying........

[Terminal Boardom]

Wasn't there today but it's obvious the same problems are there from last year. We were great away then and poor at home.

If some of you had been to Preston you would have seen a completely different performance.

F*ck knows how we're going to sort it out at home. We need a win soon but our away form should see us into mid-table.

And how many times on Tuesday night did Fed pull off an important save or they hit the post or bar? Being realistic and objective (which for HNA will be a novelty), what could the final score have been Tuesday?

But that was Tuesday. Next game, same line up, shambolic attempt. WTF is going on? Where's the motivation? Where's the passion?

Well they could have got another three goals but we could have had another two - so 4-4

I really don't know how it could be so different in four days, but it could have something to do with the motivation factor, and the fact that there is so much pressure on them to do well at the Madejski.

See my Jekyll and Hyde thread.

But there was no pressure on them at all today. The atmosphere was at best flat. No-one getting on the players backs. It was like a library.

[Ian Royal]

Interesting reading. Thanks folks.

Not sure Rodgers is doing too badly with his pre-match tactics these days - radio painted a picture similar to that which JMW has posted. Ok first half that we gradually faded out of, but a fair amount of threat with no edge. Stats on RW had us with 5 shots on first half. Surprised to see Floyd say we didn't have one 'til the 90th.

Second half he subs and changes tactics, but in such an awful awful way! The man should be banned from making substitutions. Sounded like he tried to play a Coppell 4-4-2 from the end of last season. You know the one, only one decent winger (on the wrong flank) and two defensive midfielders offering no support to the attack.

Did the same thing against Watford, where again we looked devoid of any threat upfront 2nd half. No wonder he tries not to play a normal 4-4-2. He's oxf*rd clueless as to how it should work.


Can't honestly say I expected any result today, but a semi decent performance would have been nice. I reckon he has about 5 games left to start stringing some results together.

[Archie's penalty]

But there was no pressure on them at all today. The atmosphere was at best flat. No-one getting on the players backs. It was like a library.

It's a mystery to me as well mate. As it was last year. *Throws up his hands in frustration.*

[coyrls]

Well, he's lost the crowd; the indifference was overwhelming.

[PremAddict]

Bloody hell, was it really as bad as you're all suggesting? 9 out of 10 messages suggest we're absoutely dire. Speak the whole match trying to repair my laptop that went tits up on me, and only managed a few snippets from BBRB pre- and post-match.

Oh, and the laptop? After swapping over 2 motherbaords, found out it was just a loose memeory module. Not sure if that was more of a waste of an afternoon than being at the Mad House?!

Think we're in the poo. Phone call to SSC I think Mr Mad.

You swapped out two motherboards before checking the memory? Sounds like you made some poor tactical decisions on subs. What'd you do, phone BR for advice?

Didn't listen to any of the match (was taking the wife and kids to the airport) but I can say this is the first time I have seen that 99% of the "back from the game" posts were very negative. Makes me a bit queezy.

[handbags_harris]

Just shit, just absolute shit. There is simply nothing positive to take from that garbage.

Yet again, Rodgers changes make the team perform worse with immediate effect, you have to seriously question whether this guy has the first idea of what he is doing or whether he's the managerial equivalent of that bloke who blagged a game for Southampton by pretending he was George Weah's cousin.

At no stage did we look like being anything other than soundly beaten by an out of form side and, end the end, we got off lightly at 2-0

^^^ THIS.

[RoyalBlue]

Well, he's lost the crowd; the indifference was overwhelming.

The interesting thing is that if most other clubs' supporters were witnessing what we are having too, they would have been on the backs of manager, players and board a long, long, time ago. Reading fans have shown an incredible amount of restraint at games to date but I suspect that it won't be too long before this starts to change, unless we start to see some wins.

Oh and the ref and one of his assistants was absolutely shocking today but even if they had been world class it would have made no difference to our team's dreadful performance.

[weybridgewanderer]

Stats on RW had us with 5 shots on first half. Surprised to see Floyd say we didn't have one 'til the 90th.

Watching form the north stand we didn't have a shot on target till the 89th minute

were RW reporting shots or shots on target?

We had about 2 shots in the 44 minutes of the second half before we finally had a shot on target

[FiNeRaIn]

This team is far, far worse than the team which got us promoted from division 2 back in the day. Id much rather have a fully fit andy hughes, Kevin watson, viveash,etc
How can a club go from 8th in the prem to a squad that would be mid table in division 2 ( at most). Middlesbrough sliced us open like a cake at times today and didn't get out of second gear.
There is truly nothing to get excited about with this current set up as a club and I can't stress enough how much I regret renewing my season ticket. The second half performance today was the most clueless I've seen since the days of elm park - at least that relegation team had fight and could do the basic bombard the opponents goal scenario. This team just fizzled out without a ripple, had absolutely no idea what formation they were playing and its going to be a sorry sight when our best player bertrand leaves in the summer. If anything was going to happen it was by his doing - he's a left back ffs.

Rodgers - clueless. Just completely clueless as a manager, no idea how watford did ok with him in charge. Truly remarkable.

Madejski - self proclaimed anti-football man who knows nothing about the game. He somehow believes selling more or less your entire first team squad will have little impact. Set the club back YEARS over the last few months. However, I wouldn't sack rodgers, no point. A source of mine has it that these talks with the arabs are still ongoing and are still likely to happen, so fingers crossed this goes through before xmas. They'll want there own man so might as well wait until that goes through, thats the only positive on the horizon.

[Ian Royal]

Stats on RW had us with 5 shots on first half. Surprised to see Floyd say we didn't have one 'til the 90th.

Watching form the north stand we didn't have a shot on target till the 89th minute

were RW reproting shots or shots on target?

We had about 2 shots in the 44 minutes of the second half before we finally had a shot on target

Had us with 5 on target and 6 off target first half, then about 3 all second half for both combined. Although by that point I wasn't really paying much attention anymore.

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

a new low today in my mind and no signs that Rodgers has learnt anything about his 'transformed' side. We look like a club wallowing in our post premiership demise,no fire in the belly on the pitch, leaderless from top to bottom. No matter how you spin it we just wont get the goals required with a series of cut and paste formations and a lack of a feared striker who will plunder 20 plus goals. Gunnarson as an old experienced head showed the way ahead with mishit pass after mishit pass while Howard put in a masterclass of chasing shadows and never having the energy levels( is he our answer to Jon Parkin??) to produce anything of note-he is quite inept where is Tabb or Cisse??. Defensively we are even becoming a worry with set pieces undoing us and miss comunication from goalie to cb's creeping in. Who on earth do we call upon if our lb/rb get injured or start to get shown up (rest easy Shaun 'flatfloot' cummings). Mcanuff looked lively and full of invention but it cries out for a 2 man striker partnership which is never going to happen with BR. If Kebe continues his 1 in 7 performances someone like James Henry would be ideal but given BR's systems which refuse to give wingers the freedom to express themselves i fear he will be a victim of his very systems. Two very tough games ahead of which a point is probable which brings his tenure to almost a third of a season in charge- bottom three by Ipswich at home and i dont think Rodgers should expect any favours from the RFC board and rightly so.

[Schards#2]

Stats on RW had us with 5 shots on first half. Surprised to see Floyd say we didn't have one 'til the 90th.

Watching form the north stand we didn't have a shot on target till the 89th minute

were RW reproting shots or shots on target?

We had about 2 shots in the 44 minutes of the second half before we finally had a shot on target

Had us with 5 on target and 6 off target first half, then about 3 all second half for both combined. Although by that point I wasn't really paying much attention anymore.

Their goalie made his first save at 89.40 minutes.

We had other shots but they were blocked before they reached anywhere near the goal. Whether any of these would have been on target is arguablr and hard to see from the east stand.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Leroy Lita's goal with the East Stand applauding was the highlight of the game.

Nothing to say on a total inept Reading performance.

[peterroyal76]

Two holding midfielders!.......at home!
I would like to say well done to our esteemed and much highly rated (in our boardroom or should that be bored!) director of football for deciding that Hunt,Long,Mooney and Church are better than Lita! Mr Hammond time to go.

[weybridgewanderer]

Second half in particular was really was dire.

Was like being back at the swansea game again

Their keeper never made a save in the 1st half. We had one header that went just wide and maybe a few shots that were blocked. 5 shots on target tand 11 shots in total?? That may be stretching it a bit.

what wa sthe deal with the "fancy" free kick in the second half? We can;t even get the basics right, we should focus on that before we start on the fancy stuff.

Throw ins.. twice in the first half we threw the ball to our player who kicked it straight out for a boro throw.

So in the second half we changed tack and just through the ball staright to their player from our throw in.

Crosses were dreadful, high hanging balls that their keeper could claim all day long.

we'll never score when all we do is pass side ways and backwards. how often were we 3 on 2 or 3 on 3 and start playing the ball sideways till they got back in numbers

[The Quiet Man]

The two key things to get worried about is that we are creating very little from open play and our central midfield is too lightweight and cannot dominate a game. We have now played enough games for the opposition to have a good idea of our likely tactics and our midfield is getting found out at home earlier and earlier (today Boro took us apart at the start and at one down we never looked confident we would get back into the game)

Today was very poor because Boro weren't that good apart from the opening 15 minutes and they were given two goals by poor defending, without that sloppy defending it could well have been another home point with a lot of average football from both sides.

Not at all clear what Rodgers policy is - why have two central defenders and a defensive midfield player who can play centre back on the bench at home. Just how does Howard get a game - he couldn't run a bath let alone a midfield - is he a chosen one - I've yet to see him have a decent game.

Individual players pretty poor - karacan tried hard, McAnuff had a good 5 minutes and that was about it.