MATCHWATCH : Hull City (h)

[NathStPaul]

Agree with Hounds views normally but can't on this ocassion. A better manager would have got a better tune out of the group we have and a better director of football wouldn't have appointed Ince in the first place.

Its hard to be hyper critical of Ince, he will likely keep us up. If that was his remit then job done but good god does this club need a major reset and imo that starts with Ince in the summer. The whole place is just stale, it is a dead club in every respect. Stadium is dead, players are going through the motions, the connection to the town and community is at an all time low and I'm now seeing people who have never missed a game deciding they will no longer going to games.

The football offering from Reading FC has to be pound for pound the worst in English football when you add up everything together. Personally I've gone past being angry about it or sad, I just no longer care about the team I've supported for over 30 years.

[Hound]

Agree the whole place needs a good kick up the backside and it is low atm

I think it’s not just Reading tbh, I suspect the feeling is similar at QPR, Bristol, Swansea, Hudders, Brum, WBA, Cardiff. The EFL/Prem is killing the champ with the stupid parachute payments and deductions

Don’t want to defend ince a great deal as also find the football pretty awful, and don’t think he is a good manager. But it’s a bloody tough job he has on his hands and was always going to be like that

Who would you genuinely take from this team into next year if you could pick and choose? Holmes - maybe? Ince - but yeah the attitude is getting out of hand. AC - just about.

Other than that it’s young players - Azeez, Mbengue, NGW - who may or may not come good

It’s a poor side, simple as. I’m not just saying this now - said this back in oct/nov when we in the PO positions

[Millsy]

Ok so we’re saying our players are shite. So that gets Ince off the hook then and presumably means we’re Bowen out instead? Just checking.

No secret that I like Ince, but I think we do have fairly decent players and am disappointed that we can’t play in a way that gets the best out of them. Our game plan is lump it to Carroll and hope Tom Ince’s hard work pays off.

Nope not Bowen’s fault - remember we’ve had no budget to play with and the likes of Hendrick were prob as good as we could hope for. And tbf the experience of the likes of Carroll, Long and Ince has won us points.

From the state of the trialists we had pre season he did well to get as good as team as we have. It’s still crap though

I think so too. We are doing well under hard circumstances, which is why as upsetting as the situation is I can't justify being anti-Ince. But I can certainly express disappointment at our form and hope that we use the players more effectively.

[tidus_mi2]

I'm personally just sick of seeing us lump it to Carroll, who normally wins the ball but no one follows it up. Also fitness levels appear to be diabolical because anytime we have a chance of a break, we're just jogging up the pitch.

This is going to be a massive international break if we indeed get a point deduction, it'll be the final time to regroup for a final push.

[Snowflake Royal]

I'm personally just sick of seeing us lump it to Carroll, who normally wins the ball but no one follows it up. Also fitness levels appear to be diabolical because anytime we have a chance of a break, we're just jogging up the pitch.

This is going to be a massive international break if we indeed get a point deduction, it'll be the final time to regroup for a final push.

Having a strategy of lump it up to Carroll when you play 5 at the back and two midfielders fairly defensively to try not to concede is mindbogglingly stupid, because it just guarantees he's up against two defenders, with (if he's lucky) one marked player in support and the opposition have cover to pick up loose balls.

[Snowflake Royal]

Agree with Hounds views normally but can't on this ocassion. A better manager would have got a better tune out of the group we have and a better director of football wouldn't have appointed Ince in the first place.

Its hard to be hyper critical of Ince, he will likely keep us up. If that was his remit then job done but good god does this club need a major reset and imo that starts with Ince in the summer. The whole place is just stale, it is a dead club in every respect. Stadium is dead, players are going through the motions, the connection to the town and community is at an all time low and I'm now seeing people who have never missed a game deciding they will no longer going to games.

The football offering from Reading FC has to be pound for pound the worst in English football when you add up everything together. Personally I've gone past being angry about it or sad, I just no longer care about the team I've supported for over 30 years.

Bowen came in after Ince didn't he?

Ince was appointed by whoever the non-entity mouthpiece of Dai is iirc.

[royalsroyalsroyals92]

Ok so we’re saying our players are shite. So that gets Ince off the hook then and presumably means we’re Bowen out instead? Just checking.

No secret that I like Ince, but I think we do have fairly decent players and am disappointed that we can’t play in a way that gets the best out of them. Our game plan is lump it to Carroll and hope Tom Ince’s hard work pays off.

Not asking this to be rude, but I'm just generally wondering.... I've watched every match this season (I live abroad so have a video season pass), what is it you like about Ince or enjoy about Reading being managed by him? Genuinely, just want to hear why!

[NathStPaul]

Agree with Hounds views normally but can't on this ocassion. A better manager would have got a better tune out of the group we have and a better director of football wouldn't have appointed Ince in the first place.

Its hard to be hyper critical of Ince, he will likely keep us up. If that was his remit then job done but good god does this club need a major reset and imo that starts with Ince in the summer. The whole place is just stale, it is a dead club in every respect. Stadium is dead, players are going through the motions, the connection to the town and community is at an all time low and I'm now seeing people who have never missed a game deciding they will no longer going to games.

The football offering from Reading FC has to be pound for pound the worst in English football when you add up everything together. Personally I've gone past being angry about it or sad, I just no longer care about the team I've supported for over 30 years.

Bowen came in after Ince didn't he?

Ince was appointed by whoever the non-entity mouthpiece of Dai is iirc.

Fair point, not entirely certain on timings. Hard to keep track on the amount of shit decisions made at the football club in the last 5-10 years.

[Snowflake Royal]

Agree with Hounds views normally but can't on this ocassion. A better manager would have got a better tune out of the group we have and a better director of football wouldn't have appointed Ince in the first place.

Its hard to be hyper critical of Ince, he will likely keep us up. If that was his remit then job done but good god does this club need a major reset and imo that starts with Ince in the summer. The whole place is just stale, it is a dead club in every respect. Stadium is dead, players are going through the motions, the connection to the town and community is at an all time low and I'm now seeing people who have never missed a game deciding they will no longer going to games.

The football offering from Reading FC has to be pound for pound the worst in English football when you add up everything together. Personally I've gone past being angry about it or sad, I just no longer care about the team I've supported for over 30 years.

Bowen came in after Ince didn't he?

Ince was appointed by whoever the non-entity mouthpiece of Dai is iirc.

Fair point, not entirely certain on timings. Hard to keep track on the amount of shit decisions made at the football club in the last 5-10 years.

Much like with McDermott2 and Stam, I think had we stuck with Bowen, we may not have had as good a finish as under Clowno season 1, but we probably would have been better off in season 2 and now.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

A draw was probably about fair really, another game where it wasn't great between two pretty poor sides struggling for form.

It's another point towards survival though, I'd have liked it to be 3, but it's not so we are going to have to get points from other games. We've got a pretty favourable run in though so we just need to make sure we battle hard and get it done.

The international break will do us good and hopefully allow us to bring a couple of better players back into the squad.

[paultheroyal]

Frustrating to say the least. Tepid performance when game was there for the taking. That last play just summed the whole mentality of the squad i thought. Pretty clueless with game management etc.

The one thing which is grinding my gears is style of play. Time and time again we are in an advance position, and back it comes. Turn around and retreat. Yet, in a more riskier position, time and time again Holmes, Sarr, Mcintyre would run the ball out of defence.

This obsession with keeping the ball (not even in the final third) is utter mind boggling.

Run at them. Take them on!! Attack the centre halves, attack the wide areas. If you lose it, retreat and start again. In an instant you will have the crowd on your side if you showed this style of play and commitment. So infuriating.

[Snowflake Royal]

Must be watching different
games, because from what I see we have little interest in keeping the ball or playing out from the back. Just hoofing.

[Millsy]

Ok so we’re saying our players are shite. So that gets Ince off the hook then and presumably means we’re Bowen out instead? Just checking.

No secret that I like Ince, but I think we do have fairly decent players and am disappointed that we can’t play in a way that gets the best out of them. Our game plan is lump it to Carroll and hope Tom Ince’s hard work pays off.

Not asking this to be rude, but I'm just generally wondering.... I've watched every match this season (I live abroad so have a video season pass), what is it you like about Ince or enjoy about Reading being managed by him? Genuinely, just want to hear why!

To be clear, I'm disappointed by the form and without a turnaround in form I'll join the Ince Out mob.

I like him as a person, from what I can tell a down to earth honest chap. And he hs enough passion not to be cardboard. I like that he has managed to get the best out of some players, eg the likes of Lumley who was a write-off by many before he joined, carried on where he left off with an awful game of errors yet is confident and half-decent now. I can't ignore that he kept us up last season and having lost key players and unable to strengthen he has still done ok this season. Up until fairly recently we've been closer to the playoffs than the relegation spots, against all expectations. Lastly he clearly gets the best out of his son, or at least his son plays his guts out for his dad. I like the father and son team and I think/hope most of us here would be absolutely delighted for him to be able to turn this around.

Have also watched every kick of every game (bar one or two games tops) and of course am not blind to the current issues (which I frequently point out) and if he is unable to demonstrate that he can get the best out of this team and stop the rot I can't see much of a future for him next year other than just keeping him because he kept us up.