MATCHWATCH : Sunderland (h)

[JR]

That was dreadful, but some of this overreaction is frankly laughable.

There are posters coming out of the woodwork on this page to chastise the team - where were you after Stoke, Blackburn etc?

Everything said by Ian Royal, Sutekh etc is correct - we were very very poor.

BUT that happens in the Championship and particularly with our patchwork squad should not be a surprise.

Just look at the table - after 20% of the season we are 4th! FOURTH - not even the most optimistic on here would have foresaw that.

So let’s criticise a bad performance, but not lose perspective of a stunning start.

[Royal Rother]

Joao’s stats as quoted on Sky are interesting if I heard correctly.

6 touches in the opponent’s box all season.

3 shots all season, all goals.

Can that be right?

And if it is, what can we do about it?

Have some of the ball so we can give it to him.

Clearly I have a problem with his work rate and that is part of the cause of the negative side of the stats, a lone centre forward has to work bloody hard and he can’t / won’t do that.

However, as Rax alludes to, when he has someone alongside it frees him up a bit and gives him a chance to find a bit of space. A creative midfielder who can pick a pass would be bloody handy or an Ejaria whose tricks can confuse defenders, and enable Joao to drift into some space.....

I dunno. Tonight was just about as bad as it gets, they were all at fault.

Saturday’s another day. And probably a similar outcome.

But Ince will have seen plenty out there to concern him - let’s hope he can work out a plan that gets more out of Joao - if he’s going to play him he’s seen enough of him now to know he isn’t going to change how he plays so he has to work something out so we can create space for him, (he won’t create it himself unless it’s with one of his shimmies when he can see the posts in front of him which is when he comes alive of course), otherwise more often not he will just be a waste of a shirt.

I’m trying here to accept him for what he is, rather than lambast him. 6 touches in the oppo says a lot about him I think, but also (probably) a fair bit about everyone else too.

It needs fixing.

[windermereROYAL]

Normal service has been resumed at home. Next game is Norwich

After Huddersfield, but that`s on telly too, can`t wait.

[Lower West]

So let’s criticise a bad performance, but not lose perspective of a stunning start.

By the end of a full season. Teams that concede the greatest number of goals end up in the bottom 3. Only league position that matters is after 46 games. No one remembers the what if moments.......

[Rax]

One of the worst performances since Terry.

Fornah is a L2 player at best - a midfield performance Mark Reilly would have been proud of.

I'm bemused at best - v Stoke - 2 up front, dynamic team effort that deserved the win - tonight long balls to the lone Joao - I mean WTF.

Sir Steve would not have changed a winning team.

So Sir Steve would have put an injured player out on the pitch?!

No - presume Longy was injured - but you surely get my drift?

[Royalcop]

I also left with 20 mins to go; entirely obvious we were never getting back into that game once their third went in. Genuinely baffled by where that performance came from - the polar opposite of the performance v Stoke. No passion, commitment or understanding between the players. Sunderland weren’t even any good, we gifted them those three points.

[Ascotexgunner]

That was dreadful, but some of this overreaction is frankly laughable.

There are posters coming out of the woodwork on this page to chastise the team - where were you after Stoke, Blackburn etc?

Everything said by Ian Royal, Sutekh etc is correct - we were very very poor.

BUT that happens in the Championship and particularly with our patchwork squad should not be a surprise.

Just look at the table - after 20% of the season we are 4th! FOURTH - not even the most optimistic on here would have foresaw that.

So let’s criticise a bad performance, but not lose perspective of a stunning start.

You see it as 4th.....I see it as 6 points off relegation.
We were truly dire tonight. Any positivity I had that this team is mid table possibly has gone.
We will pretty much be fighting the other end like last season.
Really disappointed about tonight and the first two piss poor efforts up front that left us on the back foot to concede.

[JR]

One of the worst performances since Terry.

Fornah is a L2 player at best - a midfield performance Mark Reilly would have been proud of.

I'm bemused at best - v Stoke - 2 up front, dynamic team effort that deserved the win - tonight long balls to the lone Joao - I mean WTF.

Sir Steve would not have changed a winning team.

So Sir Steve would have put an injured player out on the pitch?!

No - presume Longy was injured - but you surely get my drift?

Long is injured, but actually the whole never change a winning team approach is one of my biggest bugbears in the game.

You pick a team to win the game in front of you, not the one behind.

Also there are always games you win that you didn’t deserve to, so to blindly pick the same side can be daft.

[JR]

That was dreadful, but some of this overreaction is frankly laughable.

There are posters coming out of the woodwork on this page to chastise the team - where were you after Stoke, Blackburn etc?

Everything said by Ian Royal, Sutekh etc is correct - we were very very poor.

BUT that happens in the Championship and particularly with our patchwork squad should not be a surprise.

Just look at the table - after 20% of the season we are 4th! FOURTH - not even the most optimistic on here would have foresaw that.

So let’s criticise a bad performance, but not lose perspective of a stunning start.

You see it as 4th.....I see it as 6 points off relegation.
We were truly dire tonight. Any positivity I had that this team is mid table possibly has gone.
We will pretty much be fighting the other end like last season.
Really disappointed about tonight and the first two piss poor efforts up front that left us on the back foot to concede.

Jesus Christ!!! One bad performance. Preceded by 4 home games we won that we deserved to win.

Get a grip.

[Rax]

So Sir Steve would have put an injured player out on the pitch?!

No - presume Longy was injured - but you surely get my drift?

Long is injured, but actually the whole never change a winning team approach is one of my biggest bugbears in the game.

You pick a team to win the game in front of you, not the one behind.

Also there are always games you win that you didn’t deserve to, so to blindly pick the same side can be daft.

Fair point JR - I'm just frustrated that we looked decent with 2 up top and Ince then goes blindly into "sole Joao" mode.

Long balls into him against a bruising CB is never gonna work - and it didn't!

[leon]

That was an abomination. It clearly wasn’t working with Joao upfront on his own always surrounded by about three players whenever he got the ball landing on him from outer space.

The goals were laughable but entirely predictable as the midfield were nowhere to be seen all game but the defending for the first was utterly mind boggling.

We might go down we might stay up but ffs Ince learn to change it when it’s not working. Tonight that was at about 10 mins in.

[JR]

No - presume Longy was injured - but you surely get my drift?

Long is injured, but actually the whole never change a winning team approach is one of my biggest bugbears in the game.

You pick a team to win the game in front of you, not the one behind.

Also there are always games you win that you didn’t deserve to, so to blindly pick the same side can be daft.

Fair point JR - I'm just frustrated that we looked decent with 2 up top and Ince then goes blindly into "sole Joao" mode.

Long balls into him against a bruising CB is never gonna work - and it didn't!

I hear you - Joao is one of the most frustrating strikers when he is not on it. It’s not like Long (or Doyle) who good day or bad day would put 106% in

[JR]

Paul Ince reaction - great to see to be honest:

First and foremost, credit to Sunderland. They played some good stuff and they looked a very good side. But we let them look like a very good side," Ince began.

"We had no intensity, no second balls won, in possession we were sloppy, we couldn’t hold the ball up, we looked tired – and we shouldn’t be saying that after we had the weekend off.

"We looked nervous. They looked sharper, hungrier, we didn’t look our normal selves – we were completely the opposite to what we’ve done in the first four home games.

"They wanted it more than us, we weren’t aggressive enough, we weren’t competitive enough. We didn’t do anything right.

"We were miles off it. There is not one player who did themselves credit tonight. And if we’re not on it, we’re going to get beaten. Because we are where we are and because we’ve had a good start, everyone was getting a bit above our station.

"This result is a wake-up call. It’s a kick up the backside we needed. Our job is to stay in this league. And this is where we are.

"Maybe the players got carried away too. We’re not good enough not to be on it. This result puts everyone’s feet back on the ground.

"We have to compete in every game. We have to fight for everything, we have to fight to win. And we’ve got to do that in every single game until we get to March and then we’ll see where we are in the table.

"We have got to do the basics right, that's what kept us up last year and that is what has given us a good start this season. But we didn’t do that tonight. We didn’t turn up.

"It’s 12 points from five home games and we have to be positive about that. But if we go into games with that same attitude and application, we’ll lose. So I hope to see a response on Saturday."

[Snowflake Royal]

Paul Ince reaction - great to see to be honest:

First and foremost, credit to Sunderland. They played some good stuff and they looked a very good side. But we let them look like a very good side," Ince began.

"We had no intensity, no second balls won, in possession we were sloppy, we couldn’t hold the ball up, we looked tired – and we shouldn’t be saying that after we had the weekend off.

"We looked nervous. They looked sharper, hungrier, we didn’t look our normal selves – we were completely the opposite to what we’ve done in the first four home games.

"They wanted it more than us, we weren’t aggressive enough, we weren’t competitive enough. We didn’t do anything right.

"We were miles off it. There is not one player who did themselves credit tonight. And if we’re not on it, we’re going to get beaten. Because we are where we are and because we’ve had a good start, everyone was getting a bit above our station.

"This result is a wake-up call. It’s a kick up the backside we needed. Our job is to stay in this league. And this is where we are.

"Maybe the players got carried away too. We’re not good enough not to be on it. This result puts everyone’s feet back on the ground.

"We have to compete in every game. We have to fight for everything, we have to fight to win. And we’ve got to do that in every single game until we get to March and then we’ll see where we are in the table.

"We have got to do the basics right, that's what kept us up last year and that is what has given us a good start this season. But we didn’t do that tonight. We didn’t turn up.

"It’s 12 points from five home games and we have to be positive about that. But if we go into games with that same attitude and application, we’ll lose. So I hope to see a response on Saturday."

Very good summary.

[Zip]

I also left with 20 mins to go; entirely obvious we were never getting back into that game once their third went in. Genuinely baffled by where that performance came from - the polar opposite of the performance v Stoke. No passion, commitment or understanding between the players. Sunderland weren’t even any good, we gifted them those three points.

I don’t agree about Sunderland. They were excellent. Zipped the ball about really well and always had a midfielder in space. They closed us down superbly. Their third goal was outstanding.

Worst performance I have ever seen from a Reading team. We looked like a non League team. I have no issues with us losing if we give it a go but losing like that tonight was simply unacceptable.

[Zip]

That was dreadful, but some of this overreaction is frankly laughable.

There are posters coming out of the woodwork on this page to chastise the team - where were you after Stoke, Blackburn etc?

Everything said by Ian Royal, Sutekh etc is correct - we were very very poor.

BUT that happens in the Championship and particularly with our patchwork squad should not be a surprise.

Just look at the table - after 20% of the season we are 4th! FOURTH - not even the most optimistic on here would have foresaw that.

So let’s criticise a bad performance, but not lose perspective of a stunning start.

You see it as 4th.....I see it as 6 points off relegation.
We were truly dire tonight. Any positivity I had that this team is mid table possibly has gone.
We will pretty much be fighting the other end like last season.
Really disappointed about tonight and the first two piss poor efforts up front that left us on the back foot to concede.

Jesus Christ!!! One bad performance. Preceded by 4 home games we won that we deserved to win.

Get a grip.

It wasn’t bad. It was unacceptable. However Ince has said what needed to be said. On balance we have done very well to have 15 points. There dies need to be a reaction on Saturday.

[URZZZZ]

I also left with 20 mins to go; entirely obvious we were never getting back into that game once their third went in. Genuinely baffled by where that performance came from - the polar opposite of the performance v Stoke. No passion, commitment or understanding between the players. Sunderland weren’t even any good, we gifted them those three points.

I don’t agree about Sunderland. They were excellent. Zipped the ball about really well and always had a midfielder in space. They closed us down superbly. Their third goal was outstanding.

Worst performance I have ever seen from a Reading team. We looked like a non League team. I have no issues with us losing if we give it a go but losing like that tonight was simply unacceptable.

‘Greed - Roberts and to a lesser extent Clarke ran us ragged all night and I thought Alese had a very good game for them

Roberts and Clarke showing the merits of taking on a man and creating danger through pace. For the thousandth time, Yiadom is not a wing back and Rahman offers nothing in this system, a waste of time. How were we meant to get back in the game with those two as our outball? Dreadful management

[Zip]

I also left with 20 mins to go; entirely obvious we were never getting back into that game once their third went in. Genuinely baffled by where that performance came from - the polar opposite of the performance v Stoke. No passion, commitment or understanding between the players. Sunderland weren’t even any good, we gifted them those three points.

I don’t agree about Sunderland. They were excellent. Zipped the ball about really well and always had a midfielder in space. They closed us down superbly. Their third goal was outstanding.

Worst performance I have ever seen from a Reading team. We looked like a non League team. I have no issues with us losing if we give it a go but losing like that tonight was simply unacceptable.

‘Greed - Roberts and to a lesser extent Clarke ran us ragged all night and I thought Alese had a very good game for them

Roberts and Clarke showing the merits of taking on a man and creating danger through pace. For the thousandth time, Yiadom is not a wing back and Rahman offers nothing in this system, a waste of time. How were we meant to get back in the game with those two as our outball? Dreadful management

I thought our biggest problem was in midfield. Hendrick simply isn’t very good and Loum was a huge disappointment. Would like Ejaria in for Hendrick after the international break. I think he is by some distance our weakest link.

[CountryRoyal]

ffs Ince learn to change it when it’s not working. Tonight that was at about 10 mins in.

My girlfriend, who knows next to nothing about football, commented that it looked like "the team in red have an extra player".

That is when you know its not working and you should change it up.

[URZZZZ]

Most were really poor but going through the team:

Lumley - nothing wrong but didn’t look convincing

Holmes and Hutchinson did OK, although Holmes had an awful last 20 minutes. McIntyre was dreadful. Yiadom started the season positively at CB, disappointed he’s been moved again. Aside from one near reverse pass to Ince in the first half, every pass went back to Holmes. Hoilett was ineffective

Midfield three never had any control of the game, time and time again Sunderland found pockets of space between our defence and midfield and there was no quality on the ball. Hendrick needs to play at a quicker tempo but I don’t think he has it in him. Fornah up and down but mainly the latter and Loum miscontrolled the ball time and time again

Ince worked hard but to no avail and wasn’t a threat going forward. Joao was poor albeit with no service. Rahman was Rahman, the odd neat touch aside, I’m not quite sure what he offers the team

Really need a new setup against teams with 3CB’s. Long and Ince showed the way against Blackburn, the intensity and pressure caused danger throughout as opposed to Joao who just can’t play that game. Exact same situation against Sheffield, sit deep against a team with 3/5 at the back, no pressure on their defence as they play out and watch them dictate the play from 1 to 90. This is where Ince has to learn from mistakes and differ from his predecessors who have watched on and on in vain that their main tactic works