Away form

[morganb]

Our away form is terrible.

Our away form has been terrible for years.

What needs to be done to change our away form?

Was today's result against Rotherham due to playing 3 games in a week and having a lack of squad depth?

Are away results affected by travelling on the day rather than having an overnight hotel stay due to costs?

Is it all on the manager's tactics or mentality of the players?

Just curious what people's thoughts are

[Brogue]

Playing a CM at RB (21) a 16 year old at left back, MM (22) and TB (19) at CB probably doesn’t help. You can’t expect to win many away games with a back four with an average age of 19.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Can I ask, what is a reasonable haul from games at Birmingham, Wrexham, Bolton and Rotherham for a mid table side?

[Snowflake Royal]

Can I ask, what is a reasonable haul from games at Birmingham, Wrexham, Bolton and Rotherham for a mid table side?

2 to 4 is decent from that lot I'd say.

1 is disappointing. But it's very much a case of nearly much better.

[WestYorksRoyal]

I would say pressure is building on the next 3, which appear more winnable (Exeter, Stockport, Stevenage). 4 - 6 points from there and away form is no cause for concern. 1 or 2 and it's an issue.

[RG30]

Are away results affected by travelling on the day rather than having an overnight hotel stay due to costs?

Don't believe this has been case for a while now (for the longer distance games anyway).

[Royal_jimmy]

We've picked up 51 points from a possible 219 in the last 3 and a bit seasons.

Out of 73 games we've averaged 0.68 per game, very poor. Even when we've had issues as a club that's not good enough at all. Only 13 wins in that too.

[Royal_jimmy]

Our away form is terrible.

Our away form has been terrible for years.

What needs to be done to change our away form?

Was today's result against Rotherham due to playing 3 games in a week and having a lack of squad depth?

Are away results affected by travelling on the day rather than having an overnight hotel stay due to costs?

Is it all on the manager's tactics or mentality of the players?

Just curious what people's thoughts are

We're not travelling on the day unless it's a local game.

It's because we have an inexperienced team why we're poor away. Also our tactics are not ideal away from home.

[Snowflake Royal]

We've picked up 51 points from a possible 219 in the last 3 and a bit seasons.

Out of 73 games we've averaged 0.68 per game, very poor. Even when we've had issues as a club that's not good enough at all. Only 13 wins in that too.

Shambolically run team in relegation battles doesn’t win away games shocker.

[From Despair To Where?]

There's all sorts of factors around the general state of the club that will be affecting away form but specifically this season, we've played Hollywood FC and their seasoned, experienced squad, Moneybags FC and their transfer spend greater than pretty much every team in the division above, last season's losing play off finalists and a team who got relegated last season and are the proverbial yo-yo club. I'd be more concerned if we were losing to teams like Burton or Cambridge.

[Sutekh]

Why all the moaning? Losing 2-1 up there is a damn sight better than the Ince led 4-0 shambles from 2 years ago. Next league away trip is postponed so have to wait to towards the end of the month for 2 midweek away visits to Exeter and Stockport.

There'll be an away league win one day.

[morganb]

Surely a lot of the issues that affect our away form also affect our home form? However isn't our home form really good?

[Snowflake Royal]

Surely a lot of the issues that affect our away form also affect our home form? However isn't our home form really good?

It's really too early to talk much about our away form this season. And last season was better than the one before.

Teams generally do worse away from home. Refs tend to slightly favour home teams. Crowd advantage. Half our away results have been affected by tight refereeing calls going against us. Our team is full of youth and inexperience which can be exacerbated away in a more hostile environment and home teams playing more confidently and determinedly.

We're a team of fine margins. That could easily have been a win on another day, as could Birmingham.

[Sutekh]

Surely a lot of the issues that affect our away form also affect our home form? However isn't our home form really good?

It's really too early to talk much about our away form this season. And last season was better than the one before.

Teams generally do worse away from home. Refs tend to slightly favour home teams. Crowd advantage. Half our away results have been affected by tight refereeing calls going against us. Our team is full of youth and inexperience which can be exacerbated away in a more hostile environment and home teams playing more confidently and determinedly.

We're a team of fine margins. That could easily have been a win on another day, as could Birmingham.

Difference in fine margins being that at Birmingham points were dropped due to a blunder of the "official" kind.

[stealthpapes]

Likewise yesterday (imho).

Likewise Derby (A) last season (twice!). And Fleetwood.

I can't remember too many away games from last season (or the run-in the season before, where I went to most from Sunderland onwards) where 50:50 calls went more our way than against.

[Snowflake Royal]

Surely a lot of the issues that affect our away form also affect our home form? However isn't our home form really good?

It's really too early to talk much about our away form this season. And last season was better than the one before.

Teams generally do worse away from home. Refs tend to slightly favour home teams. Crowd advantage. Half our away results have been affected by tight refereeing calls going against us. Our team is full of youth and inexperience which can be exacerbated away in a more hostile environment and home teams playing more confidently and determinedly.

We're a team of fine margins. That could easily have been a win on another day, as could Birmingham.

Difference in fine margins being that at Birmingham points were dropped due to a blunder of the "official" kind.

Arguably the same yesterday for one at least.

[Clyde1998]

Since the return from Covid (the start of 2021-22), our league away record has been P73; W13; D13; L47, compared to P74; W33; D18; L23 at home. That difference between home and away form is what's the biggest problem for me, as we're clearly good enough to get results away from home. Last season gained the least points away from home in the division, compared to the seventh best home record.

I wonder if we fail to get consistent points away from home due to some combination of tactical and mental frailties.

Would say this season, we've started with four away games against sides who'll likely be competing towards the top of the table come May and all are sides which could quite easily beat us at home this season. It may be we'll pick up away from home simply by playing the weaker sides in the division.

[WestYorksRoyal]

I don't see the logic of looking back too far. This is basically a new team from the start of last season, so what happened going back to Covid or 2017 really isn't relevant.

[Clyde1998]

I don't see the logic of looking back too far. This is basically a new team from the start of last season, so what happened going back to Covid or 2017 really isn't relevant.

The logic is simply to say it's not something that's suddenly occurred - and not unique to the current squad of players.

It's possible certain factors which led to our significantly worse away form compared to home form have existed since before any of these players were at the club.

Additionally, it could be as simple as that study where girls that were told they were bad at maths performed worse than similar girls that weren't told that; if players believe Reading will do badly away, there may be a psychological block for away games that transcends the actual players' time at the club.

[leon]

All of the above is bollocks.

We set up like we’re at home. We’re not we’re in some provincial hellhole. We need more steel in midfield to shore it up.

Yesterday’s midfield was far too weak. Go defensive grind out draws and some wins and build from there.