Hunt v Selles - what's changed?

[morganb]

Selles left Reading at the start of December with Noel taking over, since then the wheels have come off out speculative play-off push.

So, what has changed so drastically to cause this drop off in form?

Yes, Noel Hunt is inexperienced but had put in reasonable performances with the Unders and should have understood the way the first team played especially as the younger players appeared to integrate quite well into the main team.

When Ruben left he took his back room staff with him - I imagine they were just as instrumental in our style of play/analysis as he was.

Hunt's back room staff probably understand a different "type" of football but why would you change the style so much. Also when you see performances have dropped off change it back?

Perhaps we've had a few more injuries in the last couple of months.

Smith has left but other than that we had a successful January window.

How much responsibility should the players take or have they simply given up? Perhaps they have not gelled with Hunt as well as they did with Ruben?

Is it just that the teams/managers we have played against have been better than us or have improved/strengthen as the season has gone on?

Do you think there is anything that can be done to turn the corner or is the season going to fizzle out from now on in?

Thought I would put this up just to get some discussion going and to see what everyone's thoughts were

[Brogue]

We’ve become a long ball team. And I don’t know why. The high energy high press style selles introduced was working fine. The players knew what their roles were. And we’re effective at it. Now it’s just hoof

[stealthpapes]

Not naming any names, think its a no-scapegoat zone.

There's the odd sign of the passing football, but when heads are down, players always tend to go long.

Pace and tempo are much lower but again, signs of that coming back in spurts.

I think a few players are showing signs of tiredness or disruption. They were all in it together until the boss wasn't. That's got to have an effect.

Selles is a huge loss.

[Snowflake Royal]

Our first team coaching and management set up is a youth side coaching and management set up, with an old senior hand out of retirement.

Youth football is less about results, more development. Its far less pressured. It's a different beast it will take time to adapt for them.


We've had almost no fit fullbacks all season. Garcia has gone through the early splash impact of a young starlet and is now firmly in the under-experienced, underdeveloped known quantity category. He's settled in a little, so the need to smash out the blocks and go at beyond normal effort has eased.

We've lost our front man.

Our best defender is now a loanee on the way out. Our second best defender has been injured. Our LWer is semi fit and not playing as well.

There's an air of realisation we can't make a promotion push and that's sucked a bit of life out.

Selles wasn't just a good manager, he had become a talisman, there's nothing Hunt can do about the squad feeling let down by Selles, Smith and Bindon abandoning ship. They've done tremendously to ignore the ownership odsue for so long, but it's going to find its way through any cracks.

Everyone said this season was about survival until a new owner, top half finish... just getting the points to be safe after Selles went. Well we're still meeting or exceeding expectations. And we should be patient with Hunt, because Selles showed us what patience can be rewarded with. And he's going nowhere under Dai anyway.

[mikey_1871]

Our best ball-playing central midfielder being injured for the majorty of Hunt's tenure does not help the style of football

[Snowflake Royal]

Not naming any names, think its a no-scapegoat zone.

There's the odd sign of the passing football, but when heads are down, players always tend to go long.

Pace and tempo are much lower but again, signs of that coming back in spurts.

I think a few players are showing signs of tiredness or disruption. They were all in it together until the boss wasn't. That's got to have an effect.

Selles is a huge loss.

Yeah this. Savage and Knibbs hairing all over the place, Wing trying to turn every moment of possession into an immediate goal... there's more than a whiff of desperation.

[ILoveMoonPig]

Yeah, not blaming Selles for wanting out, but I felt like we had a connection with him and the players and then him choosing to leave basically broke that.

I do agree that we seem to have lost a lot of energy in our play. The high press has gone which gives our opponents a lot more time on the ball and they start to look a lot more effective against us as a result.

We misplaced or over hit a lot of passes last night, that was frustrating. And the number of times we just hoofed the ball into the channels in the hope that Campbell wins it with his pace.

[Dirk Gently]

When teams are short of confidence (e.g. when thy lose a well-respected manager or don't know what the future holds) they nearly always revert to long-ball football.

Getting rid of the ball as quickly as you can means you can't be criticised - trying to do something clever and it failing means you're the one in the crosshairs.

[retro royal]

The pitch is crap, Garcia, Campbell (Presume both won't be here next season) don't put 100% in, and a few others are off their games, Savage and Craig to name a couple. The disruption of Selles going and the group buying in to what he wanted was always going to affect us.

[Royal_jimmy]

Return to McDermott ball without the flair. That's what's changed.

[katweslowski]

Selles wasn't just a good manager, he had become a talisman, there's nothing Hunt can do about the squad feeling let down by Selles, Smith and Bindon abandoning ship.

Yes agree. When he was here, there was a real team ethic. Remember last season, the scenes in the Purple Turtle, it felt like we'd won the league or something (maybe not that extreme, but a real celebratory atmosphere). That continued, with the team having full confidence, a spirit, a fight. Now that key figure has gone.

I also think the team's own emotions and reaction is mirroring that of the fans as we all see these key individuals leaving. To be clear, I don't mean it's causing it - I just mean they feel the same as us.

For me personally, I have started to realise that Dai Yonnge and the takeover will never happen. I feel there is no hope of recovery and it must only be administration. The longer we try to continue this fight I think the more painful it will be.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

I think there would have been a drop off to some extent even if Selles was still here.

Injuries to Elliott and Mbengue, both post Selles, have had a big effect and the midfield looks like it is running on empty; at this stage of the season small squads get found out. Wing is now being effectively shackled with sides picking up on what Orient did.

Everyone around us strengthened, some significantly, in January....we have lost a proven L1 goalscorer, replacing with a Burton reserve player.

Finally, Dai is still here with no prospect of going anytime soon.

[Dirk Gently]

Plus everyone knows that we're just about safe from relegation but not in a position to properly push on to the playoffs (due to squad size, inability to strengthen in Jan, ownership, etc etc etc), so the season is starting to wind down - it's inevitable that performances will drop slightly.

And, always in the back of the mind, must be the possibility of points deductions which could cripple us no matter what the players do - that can't be a positive motivational factor. If I was a player I'd hardly be pushing myself when the mantra is "we need to get as many points in the bank in case the club doesn't pay its tax bill..."

[stealthpapes]

Did all the players get paid on time last season? It is much the same group.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Selles wasn't just a good manager, he had become a talisman, there's nothing Hunt can do about the squad feeling let down by Selles, Smith and Bindon abandoning ship.

Yes agree. When he was here, there was a real team ethic. Remember last season, the scenes in the Purple Turtle, it felt like we'd won the league or something (maybe not that extreme, but a real celebratory atmosphere). That continued, with the team having full confidence, a spirit, a fight. Now that key figure has gone.

I also think the team's own emotions and reaction is mirroring that of the fans as we all see these key individuals leaving. To be clear, I don't mean it's causing it - I just mean they feel the same as us.

For me personally, I have started to realise that Dai Yonnge and the takeover will never happen. I feel there is no hope of recovery and it must only be administration. The longer we try to continue this fight I think the more painful it will be.

Where have you been?l

[katweslowski]

Where have you been?l

Sadly I've been here watching it all.

To rephrase, I don't mean "started to realise"... more "I have accepted". Before I had some hope or at least just hadn't fully acknowledged it.

[The Royal Forester]

Maybe, the person who watches the opposition and reports back to Noel isn't as good at his job as the person who did it and reported back to Ruben.

[Clyde1998]

Obviously the coaching set up would've changed and Hunt will be making different tactical decisions than Selles. I do wonder how much is simply revision to the mean, especially with the injuries we've had.

I also get the sense all the optimism around the club has dissipated. We're seeing that in crowds and the atmosphere at games.

[Crusader Royal]

We’re 9th and 3 points off the playoffs.
We’re above where we should be and with more points.
Not sure the wheels have come off anything, we’re never going to maintain a consistent 46 game season in the state we are.

HUNT OUT

[blythspartan]

We’ve managed one more point against Shrewsbury.

We don’t have the luxury of rotating the squad and players are more tired and despondent now. I don’t think you can expect continuity when you lose the manager, along with his coaching staff.

Hunt is trying his best, but ultimately isn’t probably as good as Selles. We just have to support Hunt as nothing will change until Dai oxf*rd off.