Decent second half, but looked like Blackpool had long since settled for 1-0.

Think the way we set up was terrible. Really like Ince, though still lacking a little on the end product. Meite looks like he's fully fit which is good. Hoilett still got the twists and the turns, wasted in our half. Holmes and McIntyre good. NGW looks ok, didn't seem very trusted and a couple of unlucky slips. Ejaria did decent defensive work. Fornah and Hendrick grew into the game, Hendrick in particular. Yiadom good but handicapped playing CB.

Poor from Ince imo. Don't mind the result, but I want to see him get the basics right, and he hasn't today for me.

Same old story with Ince.....desperate to change things and no subs.

A bench full of inexperienced youngsters but surely you give them a run out for 10/15 minutes when chasing a game, even if it’s to just freshen things up, otherwise what’s the point in naming them on the bench in the first place?

Should have taken the game to Blackpool from the start.

Reading’s strengths are really the forward options so play to them.

Sounds like the defence is still ropey but let’s hope getting Loum and Sarr into the team will make things much more solid. Certainly will need that with new look Cardiff rocking up next week.

Lastly, please can you all pray or do whatever you think’ll work to get the crazy injury cycle hanging over the club put to rest.

Sounds like it got better as it went but really need those players fit and in the side asap

Lots of corners - bit frustrating when due to the EFL being slow and rubbish we couldn’t play our 6ft 6 CB

Not really sure how Sarr will make much difference, Holmes and McIntyre both played pretty well. NGW looked ok. At best it frees up Yiadom to play RWB, but that means dropping Hoilett probably. Not really much of a plus for me.

Loum presumably for Fornah could be handy. But it wasn't really any of the cogs that were the problem for me, it was the way they were put together.

Starting so narrow and deep was crackers from Ince, it really did open up for Blackpool down the flanks. Poor management letting a team come onto us like that, especially as the shape of the side looked all over the place.

Re: the substitutions - I can understand if P.Ince thought it was important to give players as much game time together as possible. It's not like we weren't creating chances or had any obvious defensive problems - we just couldn't quite get it all working at the same time. Not sure that bringing new players into the mix would have helped.

1 sub with 7 minutes to go when losing?

Leopards don’t change their spots.

Second half we were the ones pushing. We absolutely 100% could have taken off a defender or a midfielder for Long with 20 / 30 minutes to go. We could have given Scott a go on the wing over Ejaria. Or freshened up midfield with Leavy.

Minimum expectation there is a substitution by 75 minutes at the latest and at least one more around 80.

FYI @Hound - Whoscored had Ejaria as our joint second best player today on the ratings. No chance. That's why I don't rate those ratings.

It's a very odd habit that both Paunovic and Ince seem to have, very strange not to go hell for leather with 10 minutes left. I understand that we have a young bench but sometimes you have to put your trust in them and hope for the best.

Not really sure how Sarr will make much difference, Holmes and McIntyre both played pretty well. NGW looked ok. At best it frees up Yiadom to play RWB, but that means dropping Hoilett probably. Not really much of a plus for me.

Loum presumably for Fornah could be handy. But it wasn't really any of the cogs that were the problem for me, it was the way they were put together.
Did Yiadom not play RWB? His heat map suggests he did..

I thought we looked poor. Not shit. Just poor. Guinness-Walker looked a bit shit..

Good head on him though.

Good head on him though.
Reminded me of that Instagram page.

Not really sure how Sarr will make much difference, Holmes and McIntyre both played pretty well. NGW looked ok. At best it frees up Yiadom to play RWB, but that means dropping Hoilett probably. Not really much of a plus for me.

Loum presumably for Fornah could be handy. But it wasn't really any of the cogs that were the problem for me, it was the way they were put together.
Did Yiadom not play RWB? His heat map suggests he did..
He played RCB but second half you could maybe argue we reverted to 4 at the back with him RB. He certainly led the charge a lot.

Negative tactics, team needs to bed in, but we need to make managerial if it's not any better after 8 games. Hope to be proven wrong.

It's a very odd habit that both Paunovic and Ince seem to have, very strange not to go hell for leather with 10 minutes left. I understand that we have a young bench but sometimes you have to put your trust in them and hope for the best.
If only to protect tired legs.

How much damage is Leavy going to do on for Fornah for 10 minutes at 1-0 down and not looking like scoring?

Would Scott have contributed less than Long for 10 minutes if he came on for Ejaria or Hendrick or NGW?

Hoilett started looking tired. Ince did a LOT of running.

First half was poor, sat WAY too deep and narrow. Second half was better. Long made a difference when he came on. Maybe could and should have nicked an equaliser, but lacked quality when it mattered.

Need a few more players if we can find them, a creative player is an absolute must. Ejaria hasn't shown anything to suggest he's capable of replacing Swift. Would even sacrifice signing another left back if necessary.

Did Yiadom not play RWB? His heat map suggests he did..
He played RCB but second half you could maybe argue we reverted to 4 at the back with him RB. He certainly led the charge a lot.
I couldn't figure out the formation at all. For a while I thought it was a 4-4-2 with Ince as a second striker who just wasn't playing as a striker. Anyway. Let's move on quickly.

I listened on BBCRB and we sounded decent in the second half and it’s too early to form any real opinion.

Azeez has done his hammy so is out for around 6 to 8 weeks and it’s sounds like Joao won’t be back anytime soon. The injury curse continues. The worry is our first few games look winnable but we’ll have important players missing.

Pretty much the only opportunity we actually created was when he, for once, went outside his man and put a good ball across the box which Meite and then Hoilett failed to convert.

He was dreadful for the first 25 minutes or so but after that I can totally see how he would feature as one of our better players.

I also can’t help but think that if Ejaria had delivered the consistently poor final balls that Hoilett and Ince did in the second half he’d be getting pelters on here because when it comes down to it all 3 are incredibly inconsistent in that department .

He played RCB but second half you could maybe argue we reverted to 4 at the back with him RB. He certainly led the charge a lot.
I couldn't figure out the formation at all. For a while I thought it was a 4-4-2 with Ince as a second striker who just wasn't playing as a striker. Anyway. Let's move on quickly.
That's because it's a disorganised dysfunctional mess.

It's a very odd habit that both Paunovic and Ince seem to have, very strange not to go hell for leather with 10 minutes left. I understand that we have a young bench but sometimes you have to put your trust in them and hope for the best.

Yeah I suppose you could argue that we were playing ok so Ince didn’t want to break up the small amount of momentum we’d built up but I can’t shake the feeling that Ince ( and also Bowen ) is not a manager that particularly trusts young players . I get that Long probably only had 10-15 minutes in him but to completely ignore the rest of the bench on the opening day of the season in trying conditions suggests he has zero faith in them .

Not really sure how Sarr will make much difference, Holmes and McIntyre both played pretty well. NGW looked ok. At best it frees up Yiadom to play RWB, but that means dropping Hoilett probably. Not really much of a plus for me.

Loum presumably for Fornah could be handy. But it wasn't really any of the cogs that were the problem for me, it was the way they were put together.

I thought NGW looked awful; another day and he solely could have cost us 3 goals.

Pretty much the only opportunity we actually created was when he, for once, went outside his man and put a good ball across the box which Meite and then Hoilett failed to convert.

He was dreadful for the first 25 minutes or so but after that I can totally see how he would feature as one of our better players.

I also can’t help but think that if Ejaria had delivered the consistently poor final balls that Hoilett and Ince did in the second half he’d be getting pelters on here because when it comes down to it all 3 are incredibly inconsistent in that department .
They at least consistently attempt to deliver balls in, and both play at the right tempo.

Absolutely stunning ball across the goal by Meite that Ejaria watched whistle through rather than be in position to tuck away.

It's a very odd habit that both Paunovic and Ince seem to have, very strange not to go hell for leather with 10 minutes left. I understand that we have a young bench but sometimes you have to put your trust in them and hope for the best.

Yeah I suppose you could argue that we were playing ok so Ince didn’t want to break up the small amount of momentum we’d built up but I can’t shake the feeling that Ince ( and also Bowen ) is not a manager that particularly trusts young players . I get that Long probably only had 10-15 minutes in him but to completely ignore the rest of the bench on the opening day of the season in trying conditions suggests he has zero faith in them .

Yep get that feeling as well. Also not sure how much he rates Fornah

Yeah I suppose you could argue that we were playing ok so Ince didn’t want to break up the small amount of momentum we’d built up but I can’t shake the feeling that Ince ( and also Bowen ) is not a manager that particularly trusts young players . I get that Long probably only had 10-15 minutes in him but to completely ignore the rest of the bench on the opening day of the season in trying conditions suggests he has zero faith in them .

Yep get that feeling as well. Also not sure how much he rates Fornah
Given he signed him, hopefully quite highly. Or not sure he should have bothered.

Could have been a Bowen call

That would be worryingly dysfunctional if our DoF is signing players the manager doesn’t rate.

Yep get that feeling as well. Also not sure how much he rates Fornah
Given he signed him, hopefully quite highly. Or not sure he should have bothered.

Again we’re assuming he has final say on all the players that arrive and I’m not sure that’s the case . By his own admission in the week we were desperate to cover central midfield so reckon he’d have taken pretty much anyone. FWIW I thought like most of the team he got better as the game went on .