MATCHWATCH : Sunderland (a)

[RoyalBlue]

The teams Ince picks simply aren't good enough to continually try to defend zero, particularly against the better teams in this league. We actually have some pretty decent talent going forwards and Ince has to start giving them the opportunity to influence games from the outset.

[tidus_mi2]

The away tactics are clearly wrong as well, hence our absolutely atrocious record, relying on our home form to have a decent season, so we basically need to beat Rotherham and Blackpool coming up.

[stealthpapes]

Our tactics on the day were quite transparent, frustrate, slow the pace of the game down etc. We were doing it quite effectively until the 84th minute. This is a rag bag team at the moment due to the restrictions on us and we have to get through this season and hopefully start to rebuild a more expansive side again.

In the meantime, the players on the pitch rolled their sleeves up yesterday and looked committed to the cause. The ref (blind as a) Coote, a homer extraordinaire, although my first reaction late on was Meite was going to get sent off and he was lucky because I thought nothing would’ve given this ref more pleasure than to use his red card yesterday.

A couple of times in the first half Shane was played in nicely and as my son said to me, Shane of five years ago would’ve taken one of those chances with an extra yard of pace.

Agree with this. Thought we're now under-rating what was a solid away day 1st half.

Sunderland were not good first half, they seemed to pass the ball out of play a lot, their keeper’s kicking is not good, and we defended the threat from their wings, Clarke in particular, really well. They played better second half and ultimately they got the three points their second half performance deserved, but we came close to spoiling the party and picking up what would a be a useful point on the road, but two massive games coming up that we need to make sure we win one and draw one of.

Yup, Sunderland better second but not great. Draw was on, if we could avoid mistakes ...

Until they score I’ve never heard such a quiet 38,000 crowd. It is as if they thought we would roll over and have our tummies tickled and they’d win comfortably 4 or 5 nil. They got their 3 points ultimately but I’d bet there were quite a few ripped up exact score coupons in the home end when the turkey shoot never happened!

I honestly think it's the stadium - we're singing to a roof, their noise was all at ground-level.

(it is, I think, 21 years on Tuesday we last played Swindon competitively ... arf!)

I love going to the North East to watch games, really passionate and loyal fans, they really do eat, sleep and breathe football up there. Good fans and wish them well, nice stop to the Vaux taproom too before the game!

Yes. The Fan's Museum was also a solid highlight - pub, memorabilia museum, disused railway station, architecture. Lovely. Pizza place outside Vaux also good and I stayed overnight near a beach.

[Kitsondinho]

You’d have thought we lost 8-0 with some of the crap I heard on the way out from their fans. Most noise I heard from them all day.

[Millsy]

Just bored of the ridiculous overreaction to a narrow defeat. Sunderland didn’t play us off the park. We weren’t outclassed

Only watched 2min highlights and didn't even listen to it, but it certainly looked like they had many chances and we had none. Either that or the editing was very one sided.

[Millsy]

Sorry guys completely missed the game.

Bftg or ratings and summary please someone?

Ince set us out to time waste for a draw from minute 1. We mostly defended resolutely and had a few nearly chances from Sunderland errors but created nothing. Sunderland were bang average. The difference was Roberts always scores against us.

Lumley - 7 not tested many times, but pulled off one double / triple save - although if he'd pushed it safe rather than straight at a Sunderland player it wouldn’t have needed to be a double / triple.
Hoilett - 6 ok, but not as good as his last performance
Rahman - 3 can't cross for toffee, shouldn't be playing, or even at the club, cost us the game with a moment of sheer idiocy trying to stop dead and pirouette on his own 6 yard line rather than just bloody clear his lines
Yiadom - 7 good display
Sarr - 5 protected well by McIntyre whilst in the middle of the three but exposed once at left, just not very good.
Mbengue - 8 I was wrong, his pace is a real asset, he can pass and he's picked up positioning and anticipation really well
Hendrick - 5 vanished at HT, so much of the game passes him by sometimes.
McIntyre - 7 don't like him in midfield but first half he was excellent, second bypassed.
Ince - 6 didn’t really happen for him, shooting and crossing wasn't great
Long - 6 ran a lot, but our final touch/ pass was poor
Carroll - 6 won headers but they rarely find someone.

Dann - 5 his introduction was pointless and caused 3/4ers of the remaining defence to switch position to accommodate him. Mbengue would have covered Rahman where Sarr was beaten which led to Rahman's moment of idiocy.
Meite - 5 can't play striker effectively. Especially when we don’t try to create anything and have only 16 minutes to play.

Fornah and someone else I think... n/a. Damage already done by playing for a draw rather than trying to win, an unnecessary bad sub and a moment of sheer stupidity from Rahman.

Many thanks Ian, as ever.

Really useful. Quite disappointing to learn about what sounds like another odd Dann introduction. What is it with Ince and his Dann 'supersub' fantasy.

[Kitsondinho]

Just bored of the ridiculous overreaction to a narrow defeat. Sunderland didn’t play us off the park. We weren’t outclassed

Only watched 2min highlights and didn't even listen to it, but it certainly looked like they had many chances and we had none. Either that or the editing was very one sided.

The 2 min highlights were all that happened in the game.

[Orion1871]

You’d have thought we lost 8-0 with some of the crap I heard on the way out from their fans. Most noise I heard from them all day.

I'm glad they get to watch Newcastle become super rich and surpass them. Awful fanbase, their arrogant journalist sums them up.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

I don't really think it was anything other than a typical Reading away performance. Pretty solid throughout, relinquished the ball without being cut open on many occasions really, worked hard but were toothless up front really.

Ince and Raba will take a lot of stick, I don't actually think Baba played poorly I think he just had an average game but will rightfully take stick for the goal just for a moment of madness, but that sums us up away from home really, just those individual moments in a game that cost us. I don't like the Dann substitution, even if it does turn out to be "like-for-like", it just gives the impetuous to the opposition.

Mbengue was our best player, he's a mainstay in the side for me, Lumley and McIntyre had good games as well, everyone else was decent but not spectacular.

I wasn't expecting much, but these next 3 games will tell us a lot of where we will finish. Ince will probably start coming up significant pressure from the fans if we get turned over on Tuesday, but we've got a good record against those sides towards the bottom at home (beaten Huddersfield, Cardiff, Stoke, Bristol City* and even Swansea and Coventry if you like) so I'm not panicking yet. But I'll be very relieved just to take 3 points on Tuesday,

[Snowflake Royal]

Sorry guys completely missed the game.

Bftg or ratings and summary please someone?

Ince set us out to time waste for a draw from minute 1. We mostly defended resolutely and had a few nearly chances from Sunderland errors but created nothing. Sunderland were bang average. The difference was Roberts always scores against us.

Lumley - 7 not tested many times, but pulled off one double / triple save - although if he'd pushed it safe rather than straight at a Sunderland player it wouldn’t have needed to be a double / triple.
Hoilett - 6 ok, but not as good as his last performance
Rahman - 3 can't cross for toffee, shouldn't be playing, or even at the club, cost us the game with a moment of sheer idiocy trying to stop dead and pirouette on his own 6 yard line rather than just bloody clear his lines
Yiadom - 7 good display
Sarr - 5 protected well by McIntyre whilst in the middle of the three but exposed once at left, just not very good.
Mbengue - 8 I was wrong, his pace is a real asset, he can pass and he's picked up positioning and anticipation really well
Hendrick - 5 vanished at HT, so much of the game passes him by sometimes.
McIntyre - 7 don't like him in midfield but first half he was excellent, second bypassed.
Ince - 6 didn’t really happen for him, shooting and crossing wasn't great
Long - 6 ran a lot, but our final touch/ pass was poor
Carroll - 6 won headers but they rarely find someone.

Dann - 5 his introduction was pointless and caused 3/4ers of the remaining defence to switch position to accommodate him. Mbengue would have covered Rahman where Sarr was beaten which led to Rahman's moment of idiocy.
Meite - 5 can't play striker effectively. Especially when we don’t try to create anything and have only 16 minutes to play.

Fornah and someone else I think... n/a. Damage already done by playing for a draw rather than trying to win, an unnecessary bad sub and a moment of sheer stupidity from Rahman.

Many thanks Ian, as ever.

Really useful. Quite disappointing to learn about what sounds like another odd Dann introduction. What is it with Ince and his Dann 'supersub' fantasy.

As you know, I think Dann shouldn't be at the club and certainly shouldn't be playing. Bringing him on didn't strike me as a good idea but if you're going to do it, don't completely re-organise the defence in the process!

[Kitsondinho]

You’d have thought we lost 8-0 with some of the crap I heard on the way out from their fans. Most noise I heard from them all day.

I'm glad they get to watch Newcastle become super rich and surpass them. Awful fanbase, their arrogant journalist sums them up.

Full of this kind of crap on Twitter…
‘Reading are comfortably the worst team to come to the SoL this season. Time wasting from the 5th minute and played negative, dull football throughout. It was like we were back in League 1’
Well, if we were so poor, why did it take 83 mins and a Baba mistake for them to finally score? Our game-plan isn’t exactly secret…they should have prepared better to counter it before the game!

[Snowflake Royal]

Generally speaking, I don’t expect a good team of excellent technicians to create bugger all clear chances and repeatedly kick the ball straight into touch when attempting to pass.

Bit up themselves for also rans to Luton and Millwall

[paultheroyal]

A poor game against two poor teams with a defensive mistake being our total undoing. I’d be very disappointed to see Baba start on Tuesday. Other standouts…

Lumley, saves when needed, great presence and although not Raphael style a brilliant triple save which lifted everyone. Give this man a contract next season.

Sarr and Mbengue, a real partnership can form there. Sarr as a powerhouse and mbengue pace can be a a real asset to us.

Azeez needs to start. Rotherham is perfect for him. Put him in there. Fornah too, his energy is badly needed.

Need to stop this playing players out of position nonsense. McIntyre for one. He’s not a midfielder.

Response needed urgently come Tuesday.

[URZZZZ]

Don’t like picking on individuals, think it’s a bad practice but Rahman’s inclusion gets odder with each passing week. Contractually, not really sure how Chelsea would benefit too much from us playing him

Messed up for the goal but mistakes happen. More to the point he offers absolutely nothing in that role. Stick him as a LB in a back four or drop him

[Snowflake Royal]

Don’t like picking on individuals, think it’s a bad practice but Rahman’s inclusion gets odder with each passing week. Contractually, not really sure how Chelsea would benefit too much from us playing him

Messed up for the goal but mistakes happen. More to the point he offers absolutely nothing in that role. Stick him as a LB in a back four or drop him

Every game seems to be lowering his potential sale value and turning off clubs, if they have any sense.

At this point Chelsea should be paying us to take him out of the shop window.

[South Coast Royal]

Have seen a bit of Sunderland this season and play golf now and again with one of their fans who loves to talk football.

Diallo has been the star turn especially with Ross Stewart not having played much and on Saturday he either had an off day or we squeezed him out of the game; whichever, he was ineffective.
With Stewart injured again and Ellis returned to Everton there is no central point to their attack and they don't have the option of putting the ball in the air-they do have the option of course but sensibly don't do it.
They have exceeded expectations as a promoted team and Mowbray (what a decent manager he is) continues to play down their chances.

Over the years we have complained about opposition teams time-wasting and lacking ambition and on Saturday that was us, so their fans complaining is quite understandable as, like all fans, we go to football to be entertained and are disappointed when it doesn't happen.

I am not going to criticise our tactics or performance because, as posted elsewhere, this is a very limited squad with the manager trying to squeeze performances out of them with the sole aim of survival and Dann and Rahman appear to be favourites but so be it for now, the other options aren't much better.

Another game ticked off , still quite a few points off the relegation places and no great need to worry as long as we get 3 or 4 points or more from the next 3 games.