Rival Watch

[Stranded]

The league does seem open this year. If you look at our results against Preston, Swansea and WBA we should be capable of competing higher up the table. Consistency is key. The humble pie we may all have to eat over Bowen is currently heating up in the oven after the first 3 games; being top half by Christmas is not inconceivable at which point it will be served.

If results go in a, not too surprising, way this weekend - we could easily find ourselves 8 points off the play-offs and 6 points clear of the bottom 3. It is an incredibly bunched division this year in which any extended run of form can see a team climb the table quickly, or conversely drop down it again just as fast.

[URZZZZ]

Genuinely can’t believe Preston are top of the Championship. Awful against us and not much better on the bits I saw on TV today

Well, they have a clear defined style/formation. They have a good balance in their team, for example Stockley, Nugent and Maguire/Barkhuizen up top. They're solid at the back. They're also cynical. Fisher with 7 bookings so far! Pearson with 5

Not a great footballing side but effective/efficient

against us I couldn’t tell what their “system” was. Had no idea whatsoever. Ben Pearson is absolutely rubbish. The modern day budget Ray Wilkins

Well, it’s clear their system is to play on the counter, especially away from home. Because their home form is superb (pretty much full points so far) they can afford to draw their away games. So I suppose what they tried to do is keep it tight at the back, and then maybe nick it from a counter/set piece. Like they did at Charlton yesterday. Fortunately for us, our balance was superb against Preston which didn’t enable them to play the way they wanted to

Pearson is one of them players where if you give him the time and space, he’ll be able to dictate the play and will look the standout player. However, if you get in his face, frustrate him, he’ll struggle and he seems to get frustrated very easily, hence his poor disciplinary record

[paultheroyal]

Said it before and I will say it again..

You will need the lowest points total in Championship history this season to go up and it will be the highest points total required to stay up i.e. 21st place.

[URZZZZ]

Said it before and I will say it again..

You will need the lowest points total in Championship history this season to go up and it will be the highest points total required to stay up i.e. 21st place.

Can’t disagree. The only team I can see falling adrift is Barnsley but I can’t see any team running away with it near the top

[Stranded]

Said it before and I will say it again..

You will need the lowest points total in Championship history this season to go up and it will be the highest points total required to stay up i.e. 21st place.

Can’t disagree. The only team I can see falling adrift is Barnsley but I can’t see any team running away with it near the top

Can't see Boro doing much unless they get rid of Woodgate. Their win against us, when we somehow failed to score, looks massive for them at the mo.

[URZZZZ]

Said it before and I will say it again..

You will need the lowest points total in Championship history this season to go up and it will be the highest points total required to stay up i.e. 21st place.

Can’t disagree. The only team I can see falling adrift is Barnsley but I can’t see any team running away with it near the top

Can't see Boro doing much unless they get rid of Woodgate. Their win against us, when we somehow failed to score, looks massive for them at the mo.

Thing is, apart from against Sheffield Wednesday, they’re not getting thumped often either. They have scored 0 goals in 4 games, it’s a real problem for them. Even against us, their goal was from a set piece (funnily enough a freekick kept low amongst all the bodies in the box!)

[Snowflake Royal]

The league does seem open this year. If you look at our results against Preston, Swansea and WBA we should be capable of competing higher up the table. Consistency is key. The humble pie we may all have to eat over Bowen is currently heating up in the oven after the first 3 games; being top half by Christmas is not inconceivable at which point it will be served.

Er... speak for yourself.

[WestYorksRoyal]

The league does seem open this year. If you look at our results against Preston, Swansea and WBA we should be capable of competing higher up the table. Consistency is key. The humble pie we may all have to eat over Bowen is currently heating up in the oven after the first 3 games; being top half by Christmas is not inconceivable at which point it will be served.

Er... speak for yourself.

Maybe you were an honourable exception, but look at the posts on here about 3 weeks ago. You cannot deny the reaction of fans was about 95% negative, though if he does well I'm sure 99% of us will be rushing to say we always thought he should have been given a chance actually.

[From Despair To Where?]

Err, I think most people were underwhelmed but were happy to give him a chance before slagging him off.

It was only the usual vocal minority or the Twitter mong collective who crawled out if the woodwork, calling him a snake and coming up with conspiracy theories about how he got the job who were complaining.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Genuinely can’t believe Preston are top of the Championship. Awful against us and not much better on the bits I saw on TV today

But they won, completely irrelevant if they played well or not. We were very good against them and didn't let them have a sniff, we made them look bad and the team and manager deserve credit for that.

yes, thats fair. I think they also had a) a bad day and b) Neil admitted he got caught out on the tactics, not knowing what style Bowen would implement.

I've plenty of time for them tbh, though obvs didn't like their cheating at our place. Done very well on a small budget, good signings and a good manager

Same - well run club and fans have always come across as knowledgeable and decent

[Hound]

Indeed. I sense they don’t like us a great deal mind. See us very much as the southern softie club from what I can make out.

Never mind - would much rather they got some success than Leeds or some of the other clubs at the top

[East Grinstead Royal]

Err, I think most people were underwhelmed but were happy to give him a chance before slagging him off.

It was only the usual vocal minority or the Twitter mong collective who crawled out if the woodwork, calling him a snake and coming up with conspiracy theories about how he got the job who were complaining.

Theories that Jeff Stelling is seeking to perpetuate by twice (at least) saying on Saturday that Bowen "appointed himself as manager."

[Snowflake Royal]

Err, I think most people were underwhelmed but were happy to give him a chance before slagging him off.

It was only the usual vocal minority or the Twitter mong collective who crawled out if the woodwork, calling him a snake and coming up with conspiracy theories about how he got the job who were complaining.

Having quickly double checked what I actually said to make sure I wasn't going to get called out, the first few pages of his confirmed thread were mostly people laughing at the idiot negative reaction on Twitter, and JMW saying we're a joke club.

I try not to judge Reading fans by the vocal minority of absolute helmlords on twitter, half of whom couldn't find their arse with a map and sherpa support group.

[From Despair To Where?]

Err, I think most people were underwhelmed but were happy to give him a chance before slagging him off.

It was only the usual vocal minority or the Twitter mong collective who crawled out if the woodwork, calling him a snake and coming up with conspiracy theories about how he got the job who were complaining.

Theories that Jeff Stelling is seeking to perpetuate by twice (at least) saying on Saturday that Bowen "appointed himself as manager."

...and Ian Holloway spouting off about it just because he quite reasonably got lumped in with the joke FM applications and had his application recycled into rodent bedding.

[URZZZZ]

West Brom look classy, that Diangana, Pereira, Sawyers triangle is quality

[Hound]

Stoke are filth though. They really could go down. What a mess of a club - Sunderland spring to mind

[Stranded]

Stoke are filth though. They really could go down. What a mess of a club - Sunderland spring to mind

And there seem to be a lot of fans convinced Neil will leave PNE to go there.

He would need to be insane or offered all the money in the world. The club is rotten following a few years if rank mismanagement.

[Hound]

That challenge for the penalty

Sawyers is a lovely player. £3m wasn’t it?

[URZZZZ]

That challenge for the penalty

Sawyers is a lovely player. £3m wasn’t it?

VAR would still take five minutes to decide it

On form, there aren’t many better midfielders than Sawyers. Think it was around 3m yeah

[Royalwaster]

Err, I think most people were underwhelmed but were happy to give him a chance before slagging him off.

It was only the usual vocal minority or the Twitter mong collective who crawled out if the woodwork, calling him a snake and coming up with conspiracy theories about how he got the job who were complaining.

I was in the underwhelmed camp but actually also relieved it didn't go to his mate Mark Hughes ...