BFTG Blackpool.

[bcubed]

[ Yesterday was perhaps one game too many and there was no energy to reply once we went behind.

With 33 games to go yet. You have to start to question whether the players actually have the neccessary attributes to be top consistant performers.

There are very few clubs who will be living with being unable to make any changes game to game without weakening the side, so halves like yesterday will happen until we have 3 or 4 more players back.

It is also a hard accusation to put on this group when over the past 8 games they are W5 D1 L2. That is promotion form.

Indeed

And is what I said above

[URZZZZ]

[ Yesterday was perhaps one game too many and there was no energy to reply once we went behind.

With 33 games to go yet. You have to start to question whether the players actually have the neccessary attributes to be top consistant performers.

There are very few clubs who will be living with being unable to make any changes game to game without weakening the side, so halves like yesterday will happen until we have 3 or 4 more players back.

It is also a hard accusation to put on this group when over the past 8 games they are W5 D1 L2. That is promotion form.

Players looked fairly leggy from minute 1. Ejaria and DB stood still on a number of occasions with their respective fullback running off them. Paunovic really lost his temper with DB on one occasion in the first half. Don’t claim to be knowledgeable with regards to sports science and fitness etc but we have just had two weeks off. Irrespective of the lack of changes available, to put in such a lethargic performance from the get go is disappointing

Aside from that, the collapse last night was very similar to Bournemouth last season. That day we had a bench of Southwood, Holmes, Watson, Gibson, Tetek, Olise, Meite and Baldock. Sure, Bournemouth are a stronger team then Blackpool but the core principles of the collapse were similar (with a much stronger bench that afternoon). Second half collapses against Brentford, Millwall and Swansea last season too. Most pointed to fatigue then but think there’s more to it

[Stranded]

With 33 games to go yet. You have to start to question whether the players actually have the neccessary attributes to be top consistant performers.

There are very few clubs who will be living with being unable to make any changes game to game without weakening the side, so halves like yesterday will happen until we have 3 or 4 more players back.

It is also a hard accusation to put on this group when over the past 8 games they are W5 D1 L2. That is promotion form.

Players looked fairly leggy from minute 1. Ejaria and DB stood still on a number of occasions with their respective fullback running off them. Paunovic really lost his temper with DB on one occasion in the first half. Don’t claim to be knowledgeable with regards to sports science and fitness etc but we have just had two weeks off. Irrespective of the lack of changes available, to put in such a lethargic performance from the get go is disappointing

Aside from that, the collapse last night was very similar to Bournemouth last season. That day we had a bench of Southwood, Holmes, Watson, Gibson, Tetek, Olise, Meite and Baldock. Sure, Bournemouth are a stronger team then Blackpool but the core principles of the collapse were similar (with a much stronger bench that afternoon). Second half collapses against Brentford, Millwall and Swansea last season too. Most pointed to fatigue then but think there’s more to it

Fatigue will be part of it. TDB is only back after a year out injured, DD has not played week in, week out in 2 years - it will catch up esp. if you don't really have the option of taking someone off with 30 to go.

Part of Wednesday though would have been, what appeared to be at least, a belief that the game was done and that they could just coast through the rest of the game - if we had scored the 3rd in the opening minutes of the half then that would have been fair enough but not getting it, teamed with tired, switched off players sitting back simply gave a Blackpool team that already believed they could get back in to it all the ammunition they needed to do just that.

[Sanguine]

Bit surprised to see some of you sticking up for Puscas. He was oxf*rd abysmal apart from the goal assist.

We were crying out for someone to hold the ball up in their half and he failed miserably.

That's why Blackpool kept getting possession back because the ball kept bouncing off him, lost it because he had no strength, oh and zero pace!

I know our midfield .had an off day, however Puscas has one every oxf*rd game Dreadful!

We barely got the ball to him! Time after time his runs were ignored.

Can see the talent that Puscas obviously has, but there's that cliche that players 'get better when they aren't playing', Puscas seems to be enjoying that even whilst he's on the pitch. There's only so many times he can make a run that is being ignored - it suggests that it might be the wrong one, or not what has been arranged on the training ground. He's a 20-goal a season striker, but just might not be a good fit for us.

[Hound]

There are very few clubs who will be living with being unable to make any changes game to game without weakening the side, so halves like yesterday will happen until we have 3 or 4 more players back.

It is also a hard accusation to put on this group when over the past 8 games they are W5 D1 L2. That is promotion form.

Players looked fairly leggy from minute 1. Ejaria and DB stood still on a number of occasions with their respective fullback running off them. Paunovic really lost his temper with DB on one occasion in the first half. Don’t claim to be knowledgeable with regards to sports science and fitness etc but we have just had two weeks off. Irrespective of the lack of changes available, to put in such a lethargic performance from the get go is disappointing

Aside from that, the collapse last night was very similar to Bournemouth last season. That day we had a bench of Southwood, Holmes, Watson, Gibson, Tetek, Olise, Meite and Baldock. Sure, Bournemouth are a stronger team then Blackpool but the core principles of the collapse were similar (with a much stronger bench that afternoon). Second half collapses against Brentford, Millwall and Swansea last season too. Most pointed to fatigue then but think there’s more to it

Fatigue will be part of it. TDB is only back after a year out injured, DD has not played week in, week out in 2 years - it will catch up esp. if you don't really have the option of taking someone off with 30 to go.

Part of Wednesday though would have been, what appeared to be at least, a belief that the game was done and that they could just coast through the rest of the game - if we had scored the 3rd in the opening minutes of the half then that would have been fair enough but not getting it, teamed with tired, switched off players sitting back simply gave a Blackpool team that already believed they could get back in to it all the ammunition they needed to do just that.

The game reminded me of the Birmingham home game last year, when we just didn't react to their pressing and aggression on midfield. I think we did sit back a bit, but it then felt when Blackpool started to get on top, we had no energy to try to match it and fight back. i wonder if something they did took us by surprise a bit.

[Zip]

Bit surprised to see some of you sticking up for Puscas. He was oxf*rd abysmal apart from the goal assist.

We were crying out for someone to hold the ball up in their half and he failed miserably.

That's why Blackpool kept getting possession back because the ball kept bouncing off him, lost it because he had no strength, oh and zero pace!

I know our midfield .had an off day, however Puscas has one every oxf*rd game Dreadful!

We barely got the ball to him! Time after time his runs were ignored.

Can see the talent that Puscas obviously has, but there's that cliche that players 'get better when they aren't playing', Puscas seems to be enjoying that even whilst he's on the pitch. There's only so many times he can make a run that is being ignored - it suggests that it might be the wrong one, or not what has been arranged on the training ground. He's a 20-goal a season striker, but just might not be a good fit for us.

The runs look fine to me. We simply don’t release the ball quickly enough. The crowd were groaning at times because we could see what was happening. It’s a recurring issue with players, especially Ejaria, hanging onto the ball too often.

[Zip]

Players looked fairly leggy from minute 1. Ejaria and DB stood still on a number of occasions with their respective fullback running off them. Paunovic really lost his temper with DB on one occasion in the first half. Don’t claim to be knowledgeable with regards to sports science and fitness etc but we have just had two weeks off. Irrespective of the lack of changes available, to put in such a lethargic performance from the get go is disappointing

Aside from that, the collapse last night was very similar to Bournemouth last season. That day we had a bench of Southwood, Holmes, Watson, Gibson, Tetek, Olise, Meite and Baldock. Sure, Bournemouth are a stronger team then Blackpool but the core principles of the collapse were similar (with a much stronger bench that afternoon). Second half collapses against Brentford, Millwall and Swansea last season too. Most pointed to fatigue then but think there’s more to it

Fatigue will be part of it. TDB is only back after a year out injured, DD has not played week in, week out in 2 years - it will catch up esp. if you don't really have the option of taking someone off with 30 to go.

Part of Wednesday though would have been, what appeared to be at least, a belief that the game was done and that they could just coast through the rest of the game - if we had scored the 3rd in the opening minutes of the half then that would have been fair enough but not getting it, teamed with tired, switched off players sitting back simply gave a Blackpool team that already believed they could get back in to it all the ammunition they needed to do just that.

The game reminded me of the Birmingham home game last year, when we just didn't react to their pressing and aggression on midfield. I think we did sit back a bit, but it then felt when Blackpool started to get on top, we had no energy to try to match it and fight back. i wonder if something they did took us by surprise a bit.

I wonder if training is now a lot less intense for fear of more injuries resulting in match fitness not being where it needs to be.

[Stranded]

We barely got the ball to him! Time after time his runs were ignored.

Can see the talent that Puscas obviously has, but there's that cliche that players 'get better when they aren't playing', Puscas seems to be enjoying that even whilst he's on the pitch. There's only so many times he can make a run that is being ignored - it suggests that it might be the wrong one, or not what has been arranged on the training ground. He's a 20-goal a season striker, but just might not be a good fit for us.

The runs look fine to me. We simply don’t release the ball quickly enough. The crowd were groaning at times because we could see what was happening. It’s a recurring issue with players, especially Ejaria, hanging onto the ball too often.

The runs are absolutely fine, at times the movement is excellent. Sometimes of course the pass won't look on at pitch level when it does to us but the fact is, we have turned down the through ball for him when it has been on sometimes - this may be tactical but he showed on Weds that he has the pace and power to latch on to those and get a shot away. He will miss some, he'll score some but if we only do it once every 5 or so games then he's only going to get a very limited number of chances to score.

[Zip]

Can see the talent that Puscas obviously has, but there's that cliche that players 'get better when they aren't playing', Puscas seems to be enjoying that even whilst he's on the pitch. There's only so many times he can make a run that is being ignored - it suggests that it might be the wrong one, or not what has been arranged on the training ground. He's a 20-goal a season striker, but just might not be a good fit for us.

The runs look fine to me. We simply don’t release the ball quickly enough. The crowd were groaning at times because we could see what was happening. It’s a recurring issue with players, especially Ejaria, hanging onto the ball too often.

The runs are absolutely fine, at times the movement is excellent. Sometimes of course the pass won't look on at pitch level when it does to us but the fact is, we have turned down the through ball for him when it has been on sometimes - this may be tactical but he showed on Weds that he has the pace and power to latch on to those and get a shot away. He will miss some, he'll score some but if we only do it once every 5 or so games then he's only going to get a very limited number of chances to score.

Precisely

[windermereROYAL]

I give you Vydra, Grabben and Billy Sharp, free scorers where ever they play at this level until they came here.

[Bigtimmeh]

Honestly the problem for me was the midfielders. Our defence was fine we could just never win the second ball, or when we did we would dwell on it too much. So whoever we had up front no one stood a chance. Midfield just looked exhausted and scared of giving the ball away..which made them dwell in it more and slow us down. Swift largely anonymous, drinkwater exhausted after the first half an hour, laurant struggled to know where to play, ejaria was at his most frustrating in the second half and tdb couldn't get the ball..

[Hendo]

I give you Vydra, Grabben and Billy Sharp, free scorers where ever they play at this level until they came here.

Decided to take a quick look at stats for each.

Vydra:

3 in 31 for Reading - 1 in 10
65 in 187 total for Championship - 1 in 3

Grabban

3 in 16 for Reading - 1 in 5
82 in 214 total for Championship - 1 in 3

Sharp

2 in 10 for Reading - 1 in 5
118 in 335 total for Championship - 1 in 3

Not great reading

[Sutekh]

I give you Vydra, Grabben and Billy Sharp, free scorers where ever they play at this level until they came here.

Decided to take a quick look at stats for each.

Vydra:

3 in 31 for Reading - 1 in 10
65 in 187 total for Championship - 1 in 3

Grabban

3 in 16 for Reading - 1 in 5
82 in 214 total for Championship - 1 in 3

Sharp

2 in 10 for Reading - 1 in 5
118 in 335 total for Championship - 1 in 3

Not great reading

Vydra tried hard but just didn’t seem to get the luck
Grabban was usually played out of position
Not sure about Sharp, seem to recall he played a number of games as sub but looked decent when he did play, enjoyed his winner at Huddersfield.

Overall, since Brian’s first run as manager came to an end, it’s quite incredible what a stint at Reading has done for some strikers

[Pepe the Horseman]

I give you Vydra, Grabben and Billy Sharp, free scorers where ever they play at this level until they came here.

Decided to take a quick look at stats for each.

Vydra:

3 in 31 for Reading - 1 in 10
65 in 187 total for Championship - 1 in 3

Grabban

3 in 16 for Reading - 1 in 5
82 in 214 total for Championship - 1 in 3

Sharp

2 in 10 for Reading - 1 in 5
118 in 335 total for Championship - 1 in 3

Not great reading

Vydra tried hard but just didn’t seem to get the luck
Grabban was usually played out of position
Not sure about Sharp, seem to recall he played a number of games as sub but looked decent when he did play, enjoyed his winner at Huddersfield.

Overall, since Brian’s first run as manager came to an end, it’s quite incredible what a stint at Reading has done for some strikers

I think Sharp would've done well over a full season.

[Hendo]

Also got to consider that Grabban was suffering with crohns while he was here.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Also got to consider that Grabban was suffering with crohns while he was here.

That was Chris Martin wasn't it?

[Hendo]

Also got to consider that Grabban was suffering with crohns while he was here.

That was Chris Martin wasn't it?

It was indeed, my mistake.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Also got to consider that Grabban was suffering with crohns while he was here.

That was Chris Martin wasn't it?

It was indeed, my mistake.

We can add him to the list anyway.

[LUX]

Also got to consider that Grabban was suffering with crohns while he was here.

That was Chris Martin wasn't it?

no, he's in Coldplay

[Pepe the Horseman]

Also got to consider that Grabban was suffering with crohns while he was here.

That was Chris Martin wasn't it?

no, he's in Coldplay

Never made that connection before. Brilliant!