BFTG Blackpool

[Snowball]

I remember old arguments here around Shane Long
where folks argued that "most goals" or a high percentage
were in the last quarter.

I've just noticed an oddity about reading's goals F-A

This is league and cup ATM

Reading have scored just three early goals (both cup)
an OG (1) Special-K (1) and McIntyre (3) at Exeter.

After that just two more goals between 31-40
ANOTHER OG (32) at Exeter, and the OG (33) v Cheltenham.

So in 11 games we have scored just 5 goals in the
first 45 minutes of games, ad three were OG's!

==================

We then have a serious weighting towards later goals

Extra Time

45+1 Special-K
45+3 Knibbs

46-55

51 Special-K


56-65

57 Special-K
57 Mukairu
60 Mukairu

66-75

67 Savage
67 Ballard

76-85

77 Savage
78 OG
79 Elliott
85 Harris

86-90

86 Vickers
87 Special-K
88 Camara
90 Vickers

90+

96 Ballard

You may think "so?" but the histogram for goals CONCEDED
is a totally different pattern.

Our opponents don't show ANY second-half late-goal tendency
Their goals are almost perfectly spread out as 1 or two per time slot.

0 Goals 1-10
2 Goals 11-20
1 Goals 21-30
2 Goals 31-40
1 Goals 41-45
1 Goals 45+
============
1 Goals 46-55
1 Goals 56-65
1 Goals 66-75
1 Goals 76-85
0 Goals 85-90
1 Goals 90+

Not at all sure what this indicates.

Does it mean we run sides ragged with our press
but when it goes wrong we often concede
(7 goals conceded first half, only 4 second half)

The differences are huge. For example we have scored
5 in the last 5 minutes of normal time. Opponents nil

In the ten minutes 75-85 we are scoring 4-1

20 Bolton
20 Blackpool

27 Blackpool

31 Blackpool
34 Exeter

43 Boro

45+3 Ipswich

====================

51 Blackpool

59 Ipswich

72 Port Vale

83 Cambridge

93 Exeter

[Sutekh]

Mola clearly has pedigree coming through the Chelsea academy, playing for England U21s and being signed by Stuttgart. But Blackburn fans had nothing good to say about him, and so far he's done little to prove them wrong. I'm hoping that he's still getting up to speed and will improve in the next month, but I can't help that think he was a bit of a panic signing who we wouldn't have gone for without the Dai imposed restrictions.

I agree out of position McIntyre could be the best option there for now.

I'd go Guiness-Walker. He's not the best defensively, but he's better than Mola and he can get forward well. He does at least try to stop crosses.

McIntyre in at CB alongside Abbey. Yiadom can stay RB for now. (If NGW is injured then McIntyre @LB phasing Carson in slowly & Holmes with Abbey)

Wing and Savage in midfield. If that doesn't work, Rushesha or Craig an bring some hustle and bustle to the game.

Away from home I'm dropping Ballard and putting in an extra midfielder.

Implication from the post match with Tim was that NGW has been injured rather than not in plans. Tim asked and Monica said NGW should be back in a week or so.

[RoyalBlue]

Mola clearly has pedigree coming through the Chelsea academy, playing for England U21s and being signed by Stuttgart. But Blackburn fans had nothing good to say about him, and so far he's done little to prove them wrong. I'm hoping that he's still getting up to speed and will improve in the next month, but I can't help that think he was a bit of a panic signing who we wouldn't have gone for without the Dai imposed restrictions.

I agree out of position McIntyre could be the best option there for now.

I'd go Guiness-Walker. He's not the best defensively, but he's better than Mola and he can get forward well. He does at least try to stop crosses.

McIntyre in at CB alongside Abbey. Yiadom can stay RB for now. (If NGW is injured then McIntyre @LB phasing Carson in slowly & Holmes with Abbey)

Wing and Savage in midfield. If that doesn't work, Rushesha or Craig an bring some hustle and bustle to the game.

Away from home I'm dropping Ballard and putting in an extra midfielder.

Implication from the post match with Tim was that NGW has been injured rather than not in plans. Tim asked and Monica said NGW should be back in a week or so.

Did Dellor also ask Selles about his current all-time favourite player Tom Holmes and criticise him for not playing him or was it the usual case of him endlessly harping about it on air and then not having the balls to say the same to the manager face to face?

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Poor across the board really yesterday. I hope this is just a case of Mola not being quite up to speed yet but he needs to do quickly. I'd almost rather have Carson in for the league games and Mola in for the EFL Trophy games at the minute.

Hutch was poor yesterday as well, midfield is certainly an area that we need to sort out, hopefully Wing can slot in there and make a big difference for us.

Seen a couple of criticisms of the formation. To play 4-4-2, or a variation of it, especially away from home, you need a forward who can drop in and do something 5-10 yards deeper to give us a bit more shape and to stop midfield players picking up the ball in deeper areas and keep them moving.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Ady Williams saying on Twitter we should start TMac and Holmes next week, the guy is clueless, BBC Berks needs a complete overhaul.

[tidus_mi2]

Ady Williams saying on Twitter we should start TMac and Holmes next week, the guy is clueless, BBC Berks needs a complete overhaul.

It could well be that he sees them both as Reading boys and old fashioned defenders like himself. They really haven't shown anything to suggest they should be starting.

[Clyde1998]

Ady Williams saying on Twitter we should start TMac and Holmes next week, the guy is clueless, BBC Berks needs a complete overhaul.

One bad result and we should make huge changes to the team seems to be a line that gets repeated a lot on BBC Berks. The reality is we've got a largely young and inexperienced team - these players will improve and learn from playing regularly and require serious match experience in order to reduce the chance of making mistakes.

We've also had players like Wing, Smith and Camara missing for most/all of this season - all three would benefit the side when they're back being available regularly.

Additionally, we've got a run of games now where we could very realistically get nine points: Burton, Northampton, Leyton Orient. Then, assuming the Oxford game gets moved for internationals, Charlton and Fleetwood, where another four points is very possible. We could be very comfortably in a mid-table position by the end of that run. I think most people would be happy with a mid-table finish this season.

It's a complete over-reaction to a poor performance and result.

[leon]

Ady Williams saying on Twitter we should start TMac and Holmes next week, the guy is clueless, BBC Berks needs a complete overhaul.

One bad result and we should make huge changes to the team seems to be a line that gets repeated a lot on BBC Berks. The reality is we've got a largely young and inexperienced team - these players will improve and learn from playing regularly and require serious match experience in order to reduce the chance of making mistakes.

We've also had players like Wing, Smith and Camara missing for most/all of this season - all three would benefit the side when they're back being available regularly.

Additionally, we've got a run of games now where we could very realistically get nine points: Burton, Northampton, Leyton Orient. Then, assuming the Oxford game gets moved for internationals, Charlton and Fleetwood, where another four points is very possible. We could be very comfortably in a mid-table position by the end of that run. I think most people would be happy with a mid-table finish this season.

It's a complete over-reaction to a poor performance and result.

err ok

[Snowflake Royal]

Ady Williams saying on Twitter we should start TMac and Holmes next week, the guy is clueless, BBC Berks needs a complete overhaul.

One bad result and we should make huge changes to the team seems to be a line that gets repeated a lot on BBC Berks. The reality is we've got a largely young and inexperienced team - these players will improve and learn from playing regularly and require serious match experience in order to reduce the chance of making mistakes.

We've also had players like Wing, Smith and Camara missing for most/all of this season - all three would benefit the side when they're back being available regularly.

Additionally, we've got a run of games now where we could very realistically get nine points: Burton, Northampton, Leyton Orient. Then, assuming the Oxford game gets moved for internationals, Charlton and Fleetwood, where another four points is very possible. We could be very comfortably in a mid-table position by the end of that run. I think most people would be happy with a mid-table finish this season.

It's a complete over-reaction to a poor performance and result.

Well Selles did it after Vale

[Sutekh]

I'd go Guiness-Walker. He's not the best defensively, but he's better than Mola and he can get forward well. He does at least try to stop crosses.

McIntyre in at CB alongside Abbey. Yiadom can stay RB for now. (If NGW is injured then McIntyre @LB phasing Carson in slowly & Holmes with Abbey)

Wing and Savage in midfield. If that doesn't work, Rushesha or Craig an bring some hustle and bustle to the game.

Away from home I'm dropping Ballard and putting in an extra midfielder.

Implication from the post match with Tim was that NGW has been injured rather than not in plans. Tim asked and Monica said NGW should be back in a week or so.

Did Dellor also ask Selles about his current all-time favourite player Tom Holmes and criticise him for not playing him or was it the usual case of him endlessly harping about it on air and then not having the balls to say the same to the manager face to face?

Tim did ask if Holmes was likely to be involved next week and Selles said that Holmes has been involved with the u21s and that he thinks the current team needs to "find its way", so take that as a "no" then.

Ady took a call after the game from someone who said Holmes was an OK defender but just not as good as all that and Ady said he agreed with 95% of what was said(!) but then said - in his opinion - that Holmes would go to a Championship club - completely missing the point that he was at a Championship club last season and looked poor much of the time (though to be fair the "negative nancy" of a manager and poor defensive unit around him didn't exactly help him).

[Royal_jimmy]

Clinton Mola = the new Shaun Cummings

[Snowflake Royal]

Implication from the post match with Tim was that NGW has been injured rather than not in plans. Tim asked and Monica said NGW should be back in a week or so.

Did Dellor also ask Selles about his current all-time favourite player Tom Holmes and criticise him for not playing him or was it the usual case of him endlessly harping about it on air and then not having the balls to say the same to the manager face to face?

Tim did ask if Holmes was likely to be involved next week and Selles said that Holmes has been involved with the u21s and that he thinks the current team needs to "find its way", so take that as a "no" then.

Ady took a call after the game from someone who said Holmes was an OK defender but just not as good as all that and Ady said he agreed with 95% of what was said(!) but then said - in his opinion - that Holmes would go to a Championship club - completely missing the point that he was at a Championship club last season and looked poor much of the time (though to be fair the "negative nancy" of a manager and poor defensive unit around him didn't exactly help him).

Holmes is a lower end Champ / upper end L1 defender.

He's been screwed over by the appalling defensive set piece management of Paunovic and dreadful negativity of Ince, picking up bad habits and losing all form.

But if he can ever recover from that he's plenty good enough and Ady is right.

Selles can say the current side need to find their way all he likes, but for the last two games, Bindon and Abbey have looked every bit as ropey as McIntyre and Holmes did together last season. Only they have pace, which was the more senior pairs big weakness.

It's not like Selles wasn’t willing to drop Holmes and McIntyre after one bad performance against Vale. Or Carson after two.

And no, Dean is no more the answer, just because Reading fans didn't see his failures at Birmingham.

There needs to be a change at CB or CM, probably both. But making a change doesn’t mean you're writing a player off for good.

No one should be expecting Bindon especially, but also Abbey, to be making 40 senior starts this season.

[URZZZZ]

Agreed the formation needs to change away from home. 4-2-2-2 offers the full backs no protection, and if teams beat our press Savage and Hutchinson get overrun. It was 5-3-2 second half yesterday - perhaps that is worthwhile from the start next time.

Though in our 2 worst away games (yesterday and Vale) we started well, and if you score early the game is different. 5-3-2 or 4-5-1 hands initiative to the opposition from the start.

Agreed

There’s signs in this team but we struggle when teams settle into the game and start sitting back. First goal is becoming very important.

[Hound]

Just swapping back in Holmes, TMc or Dean won’t fix anything in itself. Personally I’m not that keen on playing two such inexperienced CBs and would swap TMc, Hutch or Dean in for Binden - but think that’d only make a marginal difference

The set up is too open away. We’re asking the full backs to do too much - it’s no wonder they keep getting called out as having bad games in away games.

Hutch and Savage are both good players but aren’t providing the protection. I’d strongly consider either Rushesha or Craig as they seem more natural in that CDM position

But yeah Selles needs to tweak the formation. To what and without changing too much I’m not too sure but he needs to give that back 4 more protection

It’ll come though, we’re wildly inconsistent and struggle generally when we go behind but it is a mid/long term plan. Don’t chop and change too much now

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Did Dellor also ask Selles about his current all-time favourite player Tom Holmes and criticise him for not playing him or was it the usual case of him endlessly harping about it on air and then not having the balls to say the same to the manager face to face?

Tim did ask if Holmes was likely to be involved next week and Selles said that Holmes has been involved with the u21s and that he thinks the current team needs to "find its way", so take that as a "no" then.

Ady took a call after the game from someone who said Holmes was an OK defender but just not as good as all that and Ady said he agreed with 95% of what was said(!) but then said - in his opinion - that Holmes would go to a Championship club - completely missing the point that he was at a Championship club last season and looked poor much of the time (though to be fair the "negative nancy" of a manager and poor defensive unit around him didn't exactly help him).

Holmes is a lower end Champ / upper end L1 defender.

He's been screwed over by the appalling defensive set piece management of Paunovic and dreadful negativity of Ince, picking up bad habits and losing all form.

But if he can ever recover from that he's plenty good enough and Ady is right.

Selles can say the current side need to find their way all he likes, but for the last two games, Bindon and Abbey have looked every bit as ropey as McIntyre and Holmes did together last season. Only they have pace, which was the more senior pairs big weakness.

It's not like Selles wasn’t willing to drop Holmes and McIntyre after one bad performance against Vale. Or Carson after two.

And no, Dean is no more the answer, just because Reading fans didn't see his failures at Birmingham.

There needs to be a change at CB or CM, probably both. But making a change doesn’t mean you're writing a player off for good.

No one should be expecting Bindon especially, but also Abbey, to be making 40 senior starts this season.

I don't see how chopping and changing after a couple of bad days is going to help the pair to be fair. There are going to be good and bad games, Saturday was a bad game. I would rather both Bindon and Abbey were playing consistently in the league together in order to help develop a partnership, rather than bring others in when things haven't gone so well. We've got enough cup games for them to be rotated as it is anyway.

I'd rather we potentially used McIntyre at LB for the time being, looked to move Holmes on in Janaury if deemed surplus to requirements and keep Dean around with the younger lads at the back.

[URZZZZ]

Did Dellor also ask Selles about his current all-time favourite player Tom Holmes and criticise him for not playing him or was it the usual case of him endlessly harping about it on air and then not having the balls to say the same to the manager face to face?

Tim did ask if Holmes was likely to be involved next week and Selles said that Holmes has been involved with the u21s and that he thinks the current team needs to "find its way", so take that as a "no" then.

Ady took a call after the game from someone who said Holmes was an OK defender but just not as good as all that and Ady said he agreed with 95% of what was said(!) but then said - in his opinion - that Holmes would go to a Championship club - completely missing the point that he was at a Championship club last season and looked poor much of the time (though to be fair the "negative nancy" of a manager and poor defensive unit around him didn't exactly help him).

Holmes is a lower end Champ / upper end L1 defender.

He's been screwed over by the appalling defensive set piece management of Paunovic and dreadful negativity of Ince, picking up bad habits and losing all form.

But if he can ever recover from that he's plenty good enough and Ady is right.

Selles can say the current side need to find their way all he likes, but for the last two games, Bindon and Abbey have looked every bit as ropey as McIntyre and Holmes did together last season. Only they have pace, which was the more senior pairs big weakness.

It's not like Selles wasn’t willing to drop Holmes and McIntyre after one bad performance against Vale. Or Carson after two.

And no, Dean is no more the answer, just because Reading fans didn't see his failures at Birmingham.

There needs to be a change at CB or CM, probably both. But making a change doesn’t mean you're writing a player off for good.

No one should be expecting Bindon especially, but also Abbey, to be making 40 senior starts this season.

As with the GK position, it’s a bit more difficult as a CB to regain the confidence needed after a sustained loss of form. Errors are magnified and there’s little room for error.

Unfortunately Holmes and McIntyre play like CB’s who know they’re under pressure and it reflects with how they play on the pitch. Jittery, very little composure or command and therefore more prone to errors. Our clean sheet record (and subsequently goals conceded record) has been appalling for two seasons straight and they’ll be aware of that.
Psychologically, it plays on your mind, regardless of how much you can attribute the overall blame to them.

Holmes has something IMO and under the right guidance and management, can still go on to have a decent career at Championship level. But there’s too much water under the bridge and it’s not going to happen for him here. He needs to move elsewhere for his own good.

[Franchise FC]

Just swapping back in Holmes, TMc or Dean won’t fix anything in itself. Personally I’m not that keen on playing two such inexperienced CBs and would swap TMc, Hutch or Dean in for Binden - but think that’d only make a marginal difference

The set up is too open away. We’re asking the full backs to do too much - it’s no wonder they keep getting called out as having bad games in away games.

Hutch and Savage are both good players but aren’t providing the protection. I’d strongly consider either Rushesha or Craig as they seem more natural in that CDM position

But yeah Selles needs to tweak the formation. To what and without changing too much I’m not too sure but he needs to give that back 4 more protection

It’ll come though, we’re wildly inconsistent and struggle generally when we go behind but it is a mid/long term plan. Don’t chop and change too much now

And last season we were set up too negative ?

Maybe we are simply not yet good enough because we keep having to take players that others don't want.
This summer was a little better because we seem to have picked up some with potential. The 'problem' with potential is that you have to be patient while that potential is realised

[Hound]

Just swapping back in Holmes, TMc or Dean won’t fix anything in itself. Personally I’m not that keen on playing two such inexperienced CBs and would swap TMc, Hutch or Dean in for Binden - but think that’d only make a marginal difference

The set up is too open away. We’re asking the full backs to do too much - it’s no wonder they keep getting called out as having bad games in away games.

Hutch and Savage are both good players but aren’t providing the protection. I’d strongly consider either Rushesha or Craig as they seem more natural in that CDM position

But yeah Selles needs to tweak the formation. To what and without changing too much I’m not too sure but he needs to give that back 4 more protection

It’ll come though, we’re wildly inconsistent and struggle generally when we go behind but it is a mid/long term plan. Don’t chop and change too much now

And last season we were set up too negative ?

Maybe we are simply not yet good enough because we keep having to take players that others don't want.
This summer was a little better because we seem to have picked up some with potential. The 'problem' with potential is that you have to be patient while that potential is realised

Yep don’t disagree. I don’t think there is loads wrong but the balance isn’t quite right there

It’s how do we stabilise the centre of the park without losing much of the attacking opportunities- it’s not easy, but maybe something we need to do away.

Mentioned Rushesha - he is the one player I’ve seen a few times who really seems to be the cdm role - whether he is actually good enough is another question

[Lower West]

The reality is we've got a largely young and inexperienced team - these players will improve and learn from playing regularly and require serious match experience in order to reduce the chance of making mistakes.

Technical ability isn't enough. The lack of hardened experience will be telling. Being in a relegation scrap may well be a step to far for some. Also the physical ability to survive a full league season. The old pro's in the opposition will know all the tricks to get under their skin. Odds are stacked against them. Without wise heads alongside them on the pitch.