Ler's talk about the Reading game

[selby]

  Probably one of the few times ever that a team sitting 12th in the league playing third from bottom in the division will start the game complete outsiders in a game, with current form and history completely against us.
  We are beginning to look like a team bereft of confidence and in some players case completely out of anything resembling form, which has got to be worrying but hopefully can be put right.
 Inevitably some supporters are beginning to question the management, I am not one for change at all, and have confidence in the club and team to come out of it, and start to build again which is what I expected this season thinking before the start of the season with the players we have got near half way in the league and a couple of cup runs at the end of the season are as much as I hoped for from the start.
  We need to get over the hump, find our best team until the January window when we can re evaluate the position, but need to be doing our homework now,  and am sure the management will be on it.
 We have questions all over the pitch at the moment from front to back, soft down the centre of the pitch at the back, mid field who are  looking as though they have just met that weekend, and powder puff up front, and a game that goes from side to side, and even backwards in the passing movements and a lack of pace in our game, out wide the wingers and full backs our most consistent performers, but being forced down blind alleys.
  Our opponents also have had a poor start to the season, seen as one of the bigger clubs in the division and successful in the not too distant past, they have started poorly.
  Winning two drawing one and losing two of their five league home games would be not what they expected but  have Marriott in the top twenty division goal scorers, and only lost a tight game at Cardiff 2-1 on Saturday. They have also not been great over their last six games in the league only managing one victory, so will be looking at our form and thinking they could get back on track against us.
  What team we put out is anyone's guess, and at the moment how we play probably the same, but we can be far better than what we have shown the last few games and we need to get back on it and quickly.
  A game if we get back to performing as a team and playing well we can get a result from which will boost the confidence of the players with some big fixtures in cup as well as league coming up to Christmas.
  What are your thoughts?
  What would your line up be?
   I would play O'Riordon and Bailey central defence, would you?
   Can we get a result?
   Lot's to discuss please have your say

[keith79]

Back to very basics for me.  Id play 5 at the back 4 in midfield and 1 uptop. Let not get beat and play on the counter attack

[DRFCSouth]

Let's stay in the game and try and try and have a game free of glaring errors.

Reading don't tend to score many but stay in games. Our record against them is iffy, albeit we don't meet that often.

This is the first time in many years when we should go in with some optimism against them.

[Usher wide.]

Let's stop messing with thoughts of giving Hanlan a 'run of games', or playing Osanyu, Crew, Ajayi.

We're struggling for some 'calm' in the back four, that's clear in the soft goals we are giving away. However, Grant has the dilemma there of not having a recognised right back to call on. He gave Grehan a go on Saturday & may well do so again (he didn't disgrace himself), but it's the central pairing we're struggling in getting right. In my opinion Jay needs a rest. He appears to be struggling 'mentally' at present, Grant alluded to him 'over thinking' his role so let's pair O'Riordan with Pearson, youth with pace & experience with age.

Billy needs the wide pairing to get closer to him & I would start with Middleton & Mols. Gibbo could be used at some point in an impact sub role.

I'd persevere with the same midfield but if Grant preferred Broadbent over Close fair enough.

We can win this one, it's not Orient.

[steve@dcfd]

First how many players are injured and won’t be available
Pearson went off limping yesterday
Nixon appears to be injured and could be out weeks??
Broadbent not in the squad at all yesterday is he injured or ill
Clifton will he be ready for Saturday
Sterry appears he won’t be ready
Hanlan not in the squad at all yesterday left out or injured
Was Molyneux benched or had he been ill
Supporters make their own mind up if information is not available and with us not winning then they blame the manager for his selection.

Grant was asked after the game by Free Press why changes were made for starting eleven yesterday. His answer was “The team changed a couple of times in the week due to injury and illness so that was the team we felt could go and get a result.”

Try and get a settled 11
Supporters ask questions why said players not in the squad as yesterday ie Nixon and Broadbent we still don’t know if they were injured or ill or just left out for others.

[Alan Southstand]

Pearson has a back issue.
Molyneux was ill in the week.
Nixon will be possibly a couple of weeks
Sterry is long term - problems with both shoulders
Broadbent injured but not sure how long

Add to the a complete loss of form with McGrath and possibly one or two others.

I have to take issue with Grehan - no way he had a good game on Saturday. The stats for crosses were something like 4 for us and 24 for them and that was only half time. We got worse in the second half!

Grant has quite a few problems to solve this week.

[Chris Black come back]

If we manage to get something on Saturday it will be on par with that insane win at Sunderland when Reo scored the winner. Very, very low expectations for Reading.

[steve@dcfd]

Quote
 have to take issue with Grehan - no way he had a good game on Saturday. The stats for crosses were something like 4 for us and 24 for them and that was only half time. We got worse in the second half!

He had a good first half but his second half was not.
In fact the right side was poor in an attacking sense all game. Every time Ajayi got the ball on the right he passed it backwards and so did Grehan
When Molyneux replaced Ajayi he hardly ever crossed the ball forcing Grehan to try and he was over hitting them.
The right side needs sorting without Nixon and most of all Sterry we do not have a player who can put in good crosses in from the right byline. 

[RugbyRover]

Quote
 have to take issue with Grehan - no way he had a good game on Saturday. The stats for crosses were something like 4 for us and 24 for them and that was only half time. We got worse in the second half!

He had a good first half but his second half was not.
In fact the right side was poor in an attacking sense all game. Every time Ajayi got the ball on the right he passed it backwards and so did Grehan
When Molyneux replaced Ajayi he hardly ever crossed the ball forcing Grehan to try and he was over hitting them.
The right side needs sorting without Nixon and most of all Sterry we do not have a player who can put in good crosses in from the right byline.

Bailey is an option.

[ncRover]

Reading play Northampton on Tuesday night.

[steve@dcfd]

Quote
 have to take issue with Grehan - no way he had a good game on Saturday. The stats for crosses were something like 4 for us and 24 for them and that was only half time. We got worse in the second half!

He had a good first half but his second half was not.
In fact the right side was poor in an attacking sense all game. Every time Ajayi got the ball on the right he passed it backwards and so did Grehan
When Molyneux replaced Ajayi he hardly ever crossed the ball forcing Grehan to try and he was over hitting them.
The right side needs sorting without Nixon and most of all Sterry we do not have a player who can put in good crosses in from the right byline.

Bailey is an option.

We need a right sided midfielder who can cross the ball with the right foot not cutting to use the left foot I don’t understand and I haven’t for some time why Gibson can’t play on the right as he is right footed

[Barmby Rover]

Go one goal down and Rovers are finished, I will give it 20 minutes before game is over.

[Usher wide.]

Go one goal down and Rovers are finished, I will give it 20 minutes before game is over.

We need supporters like you BR like I need piles.

Thanks for your positive contribution.

[selby]

  A game is never lost until it's won BR. and that is the attitude our team needs to take into every game.
  I have seen players not play well, we all have,  but never stop trying.

[grayx]

Back to very basics for me.  Id play 5 at the back 4 in midfield and 1 uptop. Let not get beat and play on the counter attack

And the one up top being??

[graingrover]

I don’t see us as outsiders more as down spirited and with a downbeat fan base .

[ForsolongaRover]

I can understand the feeling that we go to Reading in fear of a repeat of history. It’s a ground where I’ve seen Rovers lose twice to considerably superior teams in the days when they were only just out of the PL or about to return there.

Yet if you’ve followed their fortunes more recently they are no longer the force they were, so is our fear just “in the mind”?

If they were not Reading I think we’d believe we might have a good chance of 3 points, so  memories of past must be firmly repressed.

[scawsby steve]

My concern is nothing to do with our history at Reading, it's the fact that we've lost 5 and drawn 1 of our last 6 league games.

I honestly don't know what GM can do to turn this around.

[Lesonthewest]

I'm hoping against hope, one of our biggest bogey teams ever. Since 1950 they have beaten us 30 times, while we have won the grand total of 5, & drawn 9.

[In the box]

McCann has had an easy ride ride since he returned and he lived up to his ability to set out his stall and stabilised the team . How much influence or input he had with recruitment is unknown but I find it hard to see what he thought of Hanlan and Olusanya when brought them in . We are now dropping like a stone because of these decisions as the entire team looks lost beyond the halfway line . McCann is falling out with Middleton games shouting at him , yet he’s struggling to find any player in scoring position to convert his hard work . Injuries are taking there toll ( yet we are supposed to have enough cover for every position) this was clearly a tall story . Unless McCann rally the players back to believing in themselves and create the team spirit needed to grind out results , it’s going to be a hard road back ..

[steve@dcfd]

Watching Reading V Northampton although 0.  0 at halftime been a good game Reading being the slightly better side so far. We will have a hard game on Saturday.

Reading who have been the best side have made it 1 0 should have been in front before now.

[In the box]

Watching Reading V Northampton although 0.  0 at halftime been a good game Reading being the slightly better side so far. We will have a hard game on Saturday.

Reading who have been the best side have made it 1 0 should have been in front before now.

They’re playing in an near empty stadium could help us ..

[steve@dcfd]

Yes I wonder if they will more there on Saturday

[scawsby steve]

Watching Reading V Northampton although 0.  0 at halftime been a good game Reading being the slightly better side so far. We will have a hard game on Saturday.

Reading who have been the best side have made it 1 0 should have been in front before now.

The question is, Steve, how solid was the Reading defence, and will it be able to cope with the dynamic, lethal attacking force of the Rovers' pacey, exciting forwards?

[Alan Southstand]

Having your tongue extracted from your cheek can be quite painful, Scawsby

[selby]

 They are not great spiralled down the pecking order for the last few years and are in the bottom half of the league.
  If we get back a little form play well and strengthen  our central defence we have every chance of getting a result as man for man playing our best team we are more than a match for them, and its about the players having the will and ambition to show it. 

[GazLaz]

They are not great spiralled down the pecking order for the last few years and are in the bottom half of the league.
  If we get back a little form play well and strengthen  our central defence we have every chance of getting a result as man for man playing our best team we are more than a match for them, and its about the players having the will and ambition to show it. 

They are still suffering from having a rogue owner previously.

[Donnywolf]

Watching Reading V Northampton although 0.  0 at halftime been a good game Reading being the slightly better side so far. We will have a hard game on Saturday.

Reading who have been the best side have made it 1 0 should have been in front before now.

The question is, Steve, how solid was the Reading defence, and will it be able to cope with the dynamic, lethal attacking force of the Rovers' pacey, exciting forwards?

He ha yes SS . Pinched directly from  TV s The List  , I will say "Name them"

[ForsolongaRover]

I see from the report that some excellent saves from the Northampton goalkeeper kept the score down, so let’s hope that TLT regains some of his best form to do the same for us.

[Dagenham Rover]

Let's stay in the game and try and try and have a game free of glaring errors.

Reading don't tend to score many but stay in games. Our record against them is iffy, albeit we don't meet that often.

This is the first time in many years when we should go in with some optimism against them.

Probably the understatement of the year