Villa match thread, sponsored by Ron Atkinson

[Blue Blood]

I know nothing any more but would a fit Jem, Kebe, Guthrie be like 3 new signings?

[Avon Royal]

At least we can`t blame the Pog tonight.

Ideal will try.

[Avon Royal]

I know nothing any more but would a fit Jem, Kebe, Guthrie be like 3 new signings?

Like 3 of our new signings? Yes.

[ManchesterRoyals]

At least we can`t blame the Pog tonight.

Yeah we can it was his fault again we lost tonight

[RoyalBlue]

Shouldn't take away from the fact that once again McDermott and his team weren't good enough but Benteke did appear to foul Morrison and Cummings was shoved over the line thus removing any chance he had of blocking the header.

[Ascotexgunner]

I know nothing any more but would a fit Jem, Kebe, Guthrie be like 3 new signings?

Very good point.

[Ascotexgunner]

Shouldn't take away from the fact that once again McDermott and his team weren't good enough but Benteke did appear to foul Morrison and Cummings was shoved over the line thus removing any chance he had of blocking the header.

We've had some horrible decisions against us this season. Tonight was no exception.

[akranes]

I know nothing any more but would a fit Jem, Kebe, Guthrie be like 3 new signings?

Very good point.

Jem and Guthrie in midfield sounds good to me. As long as they're allowed to play to their strengths.

[blueroyals]

The look on Brian's face says it all, this is his last Reading game. He's almost in tears.

Poor b@stard. - he looked broken there. Gutted for him.

I'm not mad or angry now, I really feel sorry for him. He seems out of his depth and the team are certainly out of their depth.

Maybe this Premier League lark is just not 'The Reading Way'

+1

[plroyals]

something needs to change but i don't think its Brian. we could have Ferguson as manager and we would still go down. The squad just isn't good enough and its summed up by our best players being those who couldn't get in the team last year. yes, you could say that its the managers fault that the team isn't good enough but we don't know how much money he had to spend. lets be honest a lot of us were happy with the summers transfers and its the players that need to take responsibility.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

badly need two quality central midfielders in January and a decent winger - 3 decent players there and we have a chance but brian mc only seems to be able to sign championship standard players......

it was as if we were gearing up for another play-off push rather than already up.

The sad thing is that is was obvious that the team just wasn't good enough. I can understand the sentiment of wanting to give the players a chance, but ultimately it condemned us to the drop before a ball was kicked.

I know we aren't actually down yet, and four points is hardly an unbridgeable chasm with about 2/3rds of the season left, but this is a team that can work their socks off against teams who are having an off day, and still fail to win. We won't make 30 points.

Roll on the summer, as this season is over.

[Avon Royal]

The team can play a lot better than they are at the moment. It's a motivation/belief/confidence issue which is down, unfortunately, to the manager.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Gylfi - come back for a few months & save us

[grey_squirrel]

The team can play a lot better than they are at the moment. It's a motivation/belief/confidence issue which is down, unfortunately, to the manager.

Don't usually disagree with you Avon, but tht had nothing to do with confidence. It has to do with the fact that our Midfield 4 are shlt and can't even do the basics.

[Royal91]

Were down and so are Villa.

We need to be relegated so we can change our brand of football in the Championship. We got promoted too early and the investment was obviously not enough, but we all knew that anyway.

McDermott must go because he will not be able to change our brand of football.

Tabb and L,Wood are so shockingly bad its become embarrassing. The game changed from atrociously shit to slightly better for Villa when Ireland came on and that's the reason we lost along with shit CM's.

We couldn't bring anyone because our squad isn't good enough or deep enough.

McDermott well done but you do not have the long term vision or ability to move us forward now. GOODBYE

[Norfolk Royal]

That was poor tonight, very poor. Villa looked nervous and there for the taking in the first half. But a combination of three mistakes by the ref and Leigertwood giving the ball away handed the initiative to Villa and gave them the confidence to push on. Their goal was no surprise, it was always going to be settled by one, particularly after ALF's terrible miss.

McDermott has to get Leigertwood out of there. At his best he can be moderately effective in the PL but anything less than 100 per cent and he's a liability, and so it proved tonight.

If we go down this season, and it is looking very likely at the moment, the nagging feeling for me is that the problems we have now, ie personnel who don't look up to it, could have been predicted at the start of the season. The signings that have been made have not been integrated into the team quickly enough, or correctly, and we are basically playing our championship team. It hardly needs me to say that a championship team is not a premiership team.

So what do we do for the rest of the season. Standing still is not an option. Some imagination must be used to get the best out of the personnel that we have.

Our midfield provides little or any protection for the defence and particularly away from home we must play with someone in front of the back four, even Gunnarsson in that position would improve things. I would be tempted to bring back Pearce, contract dispute notwithstanding, and play Mariappa in front of the back four.

It looks bad now but some creative thinking in January might, just might, turn it around, but it seems a long way off.

[grey_squirrel]

That was poor tonight, very poor. Villa looked nervous and there for the taking in the first half. But a combination of three mistakes by the ref and Leigertwood giving the ball away handed the initiative to Villa and gave them the confidence to push on. Their goal was no surprise, it was always going to be settled by one, particularly after ALF's terrible miss.

McDermott has to get Leigertwood out of there. At his best he can be moderately effective in the PL but anything less than 100 per cent and he's a liability, and so it proved tonight.

If we go down this season, and it is looking very likely at the moment, the nagging feeling for me is that the problems we have now, ie personnel who don't look up to it, could have been predicted at the start of the season. The signings that have been made have not been integrated into the team quickly enough, or correctly, and we are basically playing our championship team. It hardly needs me to say that a championship team is not a premiership team.

So what do we do for the rest of the season. Standing still is not an option. Some imagination must be used to get the best out of the personnel that we have.

Our midfield provides little or any protection for the defence and particularly away from home we must play with someone in front of the back four, even Gunnarsson in that position would improve things. I would be tempted to bring back Pearce, contract dispute notwithstanding, and play Mariappa in front of the back four.

It looks bad now but some creative thinking in January might, just might, turn it around, but it seems a long way off.

Oh yes Pearce. Cut off your nose to spite your face - The Reading Way.

And replace LegsofWood with who?! We don't have alternatives! I wouldn't be surprised to see Mick Gooding turn up with his boots on Saturday!

[Ascotexgunner]

Were down and so are Villa.

We need to be relegated so we can change our brand of football in the Championship. We got promoted too early and the investment was obviously not enough, but we all knew that anyway.

McDermott must go because he will not be able to change our brand of football.

Tabb and L,Wood are so shockingly bad its become embarrassing. The game changed from atrociously shit to slightly better for Villa when Ireland came on and that's the reason we lost along with shit CM's.

We couldn't bring anyone because our squad isn't good enough or deep enough.

McDermott well done but you do not have the long term vision or ability to move us forward now. GOODBYE

You mean someone like Bodgers? No thanks. We have Kebe, Jem and possibly Guthrie to come back as well.

[Norfolk Royal]

That was poor tonight, very poor. Villa looked nervous and there for the taking in the first half. But a combination of three mistakes by the ref and Leigertwood giving the ball away handed the initiative to Villa and gave them the confidence to push on. Their goal was no surprise, it was always going to be settled by one, particularly after ALF's terrible miss.

McDermott has to get Leigertwood out of there. At his best he can be moderately effective in the PL but anything less than 100 per cent and he's a liability, and so it proved tonight.

If we go down this season, and it is looking very likely at the moment, the nagging feeling for me is that the problems we have now, ie personnel who don't look up to it, could have been predicted at the start of the season. The signings that have been made have not been integrated into the team quickly enough, or correctly, and we are basically playing our championship team. It hardly needs me to say that a championship team is not a premiership team.

So what do we do for the rest of the season. Standing still is not an option. Some imagination must be used to get the best out of the personnel that we have.

Our midfield provides little or any protection for the defence and particularly away from home we must play with someone in front of the back four, even Gunnarsson in that position would improve things. I would be tempted to bring back Pearce, contract dispute notwithstanding, and play Mariappa in front of the back four.

It looks bad now but some creative thinking in January might, just might, turn it around, but it seems a long way off.

Oh yes Pearce. Cut off your nose to spite your face - The Reading Way.

And replace LegsofWood with who?! We don't have alternatives! I wouldn't be surprised to see Mick Gooding turn up with his boots on Saturday!

Replace Leigertwood with who? Does it matter who? Just put anyone in there.

[Royal Ginger]

That was poor tonight, very poor. Villa looked nervous and there for the taking in the first half. But a combination of three mistakes by the ref and Leigertwood giving the ball away handed the initiative to Villa and gave them the confidence to push on. Their goal was no surprise, it was always going to be settled by one, particularly after ALF's terrible miss.

McDermott has to get Leigertwood out of there. At his best he can be moderately effective in the PL but anything less than 100 per cent and he's a liability, and so it proved tonight.

If we go down this season, and it is looking very likely at the moment, the nagging feeling for me is that the problems we have now, ie personnel who don't look up to it, could have been predicted at the start of the season. The signings that have been made have not been integrated into the team quickly enough, or correctly, and we are basically playing our championship team. It hardly needs me to say that a championship team is not a premiership team.

So what do we do for the rest of the season. Standing still is not an option. Some imagination must be used to get the best out of the personnel that we have.

Our midfield provides little or any protection for the defence and particularly away from home we must play with someone in front of the back four, even Gunnarsson in that position would improve things. I would be tempted to bring back Pearce, contract dispute notwithstanding, and play Mariappa in front of the back four.

It looks bad now but some creative thinking in January might, just might, turn it around, but it seems a long way off.

Oh yes Pearce. Cut off your nose to spite your face - The Reading Way.

And replace LegsofWood with who?! We don't have alternatives! I wouldn't be surprised to see Mick Gooding turn up with his boots on Saturday!

Replace Leigertwood with who? Does it matter who? Just put anyone in there.

Does AZ bring his boots?