Noel Hunt - Welcome to the hot seat

[Snowflake Royal]

Obviously a time where there will be lots of talk disecting what's gone before right now, but I thought a good idea for a more forward looking thread, with a bit of positivity too.

So congratulations to Noel Hunt on being offered, and accepting, the role of Reading Manager til the end of the season. And a big thanks for stepping up to take the reigns on this broken cart of a club and trying to steer it to safety. Good luck.

Noel's always struck me as an infectiously enthusiastic and positive guy, with a lot of humour and a relaxed but hard working attitude.

In his playing days he was full of positive running and graft. He knew where to put himself about on the pitch. A real trier with a laugh and a joke. An infectious smile.

More than anything the club needs an injection of hope and positivity, and if there's one thing I think Noel can bring, it's that.

Hard to say what he has to work with, with Meite mysteriously absent and Holmes looking crocked against Preston.

I'm hoping to see more of the Academy lads who at least have a real energy and buzz about them when they play. We've been far too passive, we need to give it a go.

Key priorities for Hunty in my view:
1) Lift morale and belief
2) Make sure the defence contains pace across the line
3) Play direct, but not long. Play it mostly on the deck. Pass and move.
4) Put in some simple patterns of play for moving forward and make sure everyone knows their role, and the role of everyone else.

Free hit as a Championship Manager. We're in a hole. No one expects much, but there's a chance.

[windermereROYAL]

If he can get us out of this mess we can freely upgrade him from hero to god.

[From Despair To Where?]

Can we still register him as a player?

[Sutekh]

Unlike the previous regime, spend time working on set pieces as these are like godsends when you create naff all in open play.

[Loafer]

Tldr

What does that drivel say?

[Norfolk Royal]

Noel's always struck me as an infectiously enthusiastic and positive guy, with a lot of humour and a relaxed but hard working attitude.

In his playing days he was full of positive running and graft. He knew where to put himself about on the pitch. A real trier with a laugh and a joke. An infectious smile.

Are you sure you're not describing the club mascot?

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Point 2 might be quite hard considering the only defender we've got with pace is Mbengue. Suppose Yiadom and NGW aren't slouches though.

Yiadom Holmes Mbengue NGW

Could do worse than that even if it does lack a bit of experience.

[Snowflake Royal]

Noel's always struck me as an infectiously enthusiastic and positive guy, with a lot of humour and a relaxed but hard working attitude.

In his playing days he was full of positive running and graft. He knew where to put himself about on the pitch. A real trier with a laugh and a joke. An infectious smile.

Are you sure you're not describing the club mascot?

Queensley would be a step up on Ince.

[Snowflake Royal]

Point 2 might be quite hard considering the only defender we've got with pace is Mbengue. Suppose Yiadom and NGW aren't slouches though.

Yiadom Holmes Mbengue NGW

Could do worse than that even if it does lack a bit of experience.

Switch Holmes and Mbengue so Amadou has a voice of experience either side of him and imo that's been obviously our best defence for months.

[Hound]

Might be being cynical but I reckon it’ll be Bowen and Eddie pulling the strings with Hunt supporting and doing the interviews etc

Can’t really remember how Bowen set up before (4-4-2 ish?) but I might have a look back at a few games and see

Do wonder if we’ll persist with Hendrick who was obvs a Ince favourite.

[Hound]

Point 2 might be quite hard considering the only defender we've got with pace is Mbengue. Suppose Yiadom and NGW aren't slouches though.

Yiadom Holmes Mbengue NGW

Could do worse than that even if it does lack a bit of experience.

Switch Holmes and Mbengue so Amadou has a voice of experience either side of him and imo that's been obviously our best defence for months.

Yep that’s what I’d go with. Wouldn’t be against Baba in a back 4 but for me Mbengue has to play at CB. If not him, then Yiadom with Abrefa at RB

[PATRIQT]

Poor fella couldn't have a harder start. I think relegation is all but a certainty now anyway, so no blame will fall at Hunty's feet.

[Snowflake Royal]

Point 2 might be quite hard considering the only defender we've got with pace is Mbengue. Suppose Yiadom and NGW aren't slouches though.

Yiadom Holmes Mbengue NGW

Could do worse than that even if it does lack a bit of experience.

Switch Holmes and Mbengue so Amadou has a voice of experience either side of him and imo that's been obviously our best defence for months.

Yep that’s what I’d go with. Wouldn’t be against Baba in a back 4 but for me Mbengue has to play at CB. If not him, then Yiadom with Abrefa at RB

And lets face it, it may lack experience, but it would be hard pressed to make more errors than

Yiadom, Holmes, Dann, Sarr, Rahman

And it wouldn’t get caught out by pace constantly.

[Wycombe Royal]

Hard to say what he has to work with, with Meite mysteriously absent

He wasn't mysteriously absent, he limped off injured against Birmingham.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Switch Holmes and Mbengue so Amadou has a voice of experience either side of him and imo that's been obviously our best defence for months.

Yep that’s what I’d go with. Wouldn’t be against Baba in a back 4 but for me Mbengue has to play at CB. If not him, then Yiadom with Abrefa at RB

And lets face it, it may lack experience, but it would be hard pressed to make more errors than

Yiadom, Holmes, Dann, Sarr, Rahman

And it wouldn’t get caught out by pace constantly.

Yeah I'd probably stick Rahman in at LB instead of NGW though personally and yes it may lack experience but it's not like it lacks quality in respect to the other players we could choose from. Sarr and Dann haven't been great for us, although neither were particularly poor on Monday granted.

[Hound]

I think you can only really play 1 of Sarr, Holmes or Dann

Not loads between them in current form but Holmes is the better of them. Though the others offer the left sided option

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Might be being cynical but I reckon it’ll be Bowen and Eddie pulling the strings with Hunt supporting and doing the interviews etc

Can’t really remember how Bowen set up before (4-4-2 ish?) but I might have a look back at a few games and see

Do wonder if we’ll persist with Hendrick who was obvs a Ince favourite.

I actually wouldn't want that personally if that was to be the case. I'd want Hunt being the manager. If he needs to go to Bowen for advice, or Bowen and co see something extremely flawed in what Hunt is trying to do, that's when I'd want him to step in.

If Hunt is the manager, he needs to be that. Leave it down to him to make those decisions, not be his puppet for someone else.

[Snowflake Royal]

Hard to say what he has to work with, with Meite mysteriously absent

He wasn't mysteriously absent, he limped off injured against Birmingham.

Mbengue was limping in that game too. He was still on the bench.
Holmes was injured against Preston, played on.

Nothing mentioned about Meite ahead of the game from what I saw.

[Wycombe Royal]

Hard to say what he has to work with, with Meite mysteriously absent

He wasn't mysteriously absent, he limped off injured against Birmingham.

Mbengue was limping in that game too. He was still on the bench.
Holmes was injured against Preston, played on.

Nothing mentioned about Meite ahead of the game from what I saw.

All irrelevant. Are you trying to suggest that if Mbengue was limping and managed to make the bench then Meite should have been fit aswell? And the club don't have to say if someone was injured or not.

Meite came off the pitch in front of the East Stand directly in front of me. He was clearly limping. End of. Trying to claim his absence was mysterious from your sofa is just ridiculous.

[Hound]

Hardly be a surprise if Meite wasn’t fit would it? Basically been injured for half the last 3 years