Charlton - Back From The Game...

[Plymouth_Royal]

I've been saying this for weeks that Coppell needs to start playing his best players, so now is the time for Marcus and Bikey to come back.

IMHO Duberry and Fed have been at fault against Bristol City, Plymouth and now Charlton so I'd drop both of them.

LOL at this.

were you even at the plymouth game. there first goal shouldnt have stood because pearce got blatantly pushed. the second goal was a wonder goal from nothing,

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Never liked Rosenior. Great attidude doesn't make up for his short comings.

Not sure the club doesn't want promotion. But there are 1 or 2 players who signed new contracts with clauses making it easier for them to leave if we do not go up. Hunt has not played well since he signed his new deal.

I'd expect Bike and Bryn to come in and maybe Tabb and Kits. Tabb's ok, but no more. Better footballer than Hunt, did a few nice things but not much. Think Kebe/Little is the way to go when Kebe is fit. The Tabb and Harding signings are once again no different or no better than what we have. Would have been much better of with Surman on Cambell - Ryce than Tabb, because they are different. Been much better off if Coppell had bitten the bullet for once and fcuked SHunt off for a lower price, though to b fair not sure anyone would still have taken him.

Still we're in a great position, gotta take the chance now....

[Sir Rodney Effing]

Never liked Rosenior. Great attidude doesn't make up for his short comings.

Not sure the club doesn't want promotion. But there are 1 or 2 players who signed new contracts with clauses making it easier for them to leave if we do not go up. Hunt has not played well since he signed his new deal.

I'd expect Bike and Bryn to come in and maybe Tabb and Kits. Tabb's ok, but no more. Better footballer than Hunt, did a few nice things but not much. Think Kebe/Little is the way to go when Kebe is fit. The Tabb and Harding signings are once again no different or no better than what we have. Would have been much better of with Surman on Cambell - Ryce than Tabb, because they are different. Been much better off if Coppell had bitten the bullet for once and fcuked SHunt off for a lower price, though to b fair not sure anyone would still have taken him.

Still we're in a great position, gotta take the chance now....

We just played the bottom club - when else do you want us to take the ruddy chance?

[Carlos]

that was truly abysmal. after they scored their first and we hit the post, we only had one other chance in the first half and this is against the worst team in the league, a team who lost to watford at home last week.

not sure how athleticospizz can say rosenior was man of the match. that was one of the worst displays i have seen from anyone in a reading shirt. everytime he got the ball it was up in the air to no one in particular, both goals came on the right back position and his crossing was terrible. he made one good tackle in the game but that does not constitute a good performance.

long had a poor first half, but his second half header was unstoppable and quality ball from jay tabb who i thought has a really powerful ball on him, which is odd seeing as he looks like he is about 12.

At least there is one positive. we scored at home

[Wycombe Royal]

both goals came on the right back position

No they didn't. The first was a move down the Charlton right (our left) and the second was a free kick floated in the from Charlton right (our left).

The first goal should have been stopped by a combination of Hunt and Armstrong and the second should have been stopped by Duberry and Federici.

[Plymouth_Royal]

... jay tabb who i thought has a really powerful ball on him,....

blimey, wouldnt wanna be teabagged by him

[Starry Blue Hooped Wonder]

Well talk about snatching a draw from the jaws of a victory - some would call that classic 'old Reading'!

For what it's worth, I think the main problem is the defence at the moment. Not so much their defensive abilities, but that fact that Armstrong seems to be the only one of the four on the pitch last night who can play the ball out to one of our players (OK, to be fair, I do remember one time in the second half when Pearce did carry the ball out from the back and pass it to one of our players). This means that we don't reatain possession and are immediately under pressure. Doobs just kicks it up the pitch, anywhere he can, and Rossenior always hoofs it up to exactly the same place every time.

On top of that I agree with a few others, Feds should have had that cross for the second goal - if you go for the ball you have to claim it - he went for the ball, missed, fell on the floor and left an open goal for them. Anyway, 2 goals in each of the last 2 games - I think USA will start on Saturday.

I agree with a lot of people on here, Doyle has looked like he needs a rest for a while now - maybe that's part of the reason for signing Kitson?

I though Little had a good game until he tired. He retained possession when he could, tried to play in Rosenior and even made the odd tackle! But wasn't helped by the fact that none of the defence tried to use him as an outlet - I lost count of the number of times Doobs or Rosseignor lumped it up the feel to leave Little standing with his arms in the air saying 'didn't you see me'. Yes we didn't see him take on his man like in times of old, is that confidence, fitness or needing time to gel with Roseignor? When's Murty due to be fit again? That would leave Coppell with an interesting choice of Right Back.

[Stranded]

both goals came on the right back position

No they didn't. The first was a move down the Charlton right (our left) and the second was a free kick floated in the from Charlton right (our left).

The first goal should have been stopped by a combination of Hunt and Armstrong and the second should have been stopped by Duberry and Federici.

You could argue that Rosenior should not have let Bailey be all but unchallenged to drill in from 2 inches out but I agree the problem had already occured before then.

[Hoop Blah]

Thought Marek was poor tonight. He just looks lost in a 4-4-2. The problem with Coppell's favoured formation is that we haven't got a pair of CM players who work as a team, dominate the opposition and join up with the front two. When S Hunt's on his game he fills that gap, at the moment he's better on the bench.

Long was excellent tonight, Pearce (and Tabb) did ok too. Doyle desperately needs a break. Coppell desperately needs a rethink.

Have to disagree there, I thought Marek was very good today.

Every single time he got the ball he either played an early ball to try and set and attack or ran forward to create some space and look for runners. His style of play will always mean that some passes will get cut out. But thats the price you pay for having someone who is (shock, horror) actually trying to create some forward momentum

Marek suffers in the eyes of Reading fans as a Reading player can string together 20 amazing passes and set up 3 goals and still everyone would get on their back for one simple missed pass.

Haven' read most of this thread but I'd have no problem with Mateojvsky last night was he was giving the ball away far too much with simple easy passes. He wasn't attempting these defence splitting sublime through balls we keep hearing about, they were simple balls going wrong!

[Maguire]

Dull game and ended up sat next to a couple of idiots too.

What happened in the East Stand? Did someone die of boredom during the first half? Loads of stewards and what not.

[rfc58]

That was dire last night, but we already know that.

It seems we play decent enough football for the first 15 minutes, then if we haven't unlocked their defence, we punt aimless balls into the channels for Long and Doyle to chase, like a dog after a stick.

It also seems the players get jittery after say 4/5 passes, and if they haven't got the ball to the box, they won't continue to pass and move their way forward, simply launch a ball forward, in the hope something might come of it.

What concerns me is this, exactly a year ago, when we couldn't win a raffle, Coppell and his staff didn't appear to have a new gameplan, or the knowhow to motivate the team into finding an alternative way of playing, and the same seems to be happening again. We run out of ideas too quickly, and have no clue how to break a stubborn side down.

I wonder what exactly they do in training, as I'd hope they'd come up with a new gameplan for Ipswich, who too be fair will probably play the same as Charlton/Preston etc, but i doubt we will see Plan B on Saturday.

In some ways, i think it could be a blessing in disguise us not going up (if that's our fate) as this side is clearly not good enough, hardly any of the playing staff could cut it in the top flight, and with the chairman/Coppell and co at the helm, we won't strengthen to compete.

[Crowthorne Royal]

I know it sounds like a broken record but why do we insist on lumping the ball up to dimunitive strikers !!!??

It beggars belief that we just kept on doing it in the 1st half against a team who were crap....if you played football around them.

These lowly teams come to The MS and grow and grow in confidence because we are tactically inept.

Ipswich need to beat us which may play in to our hands....we need to score first and stop conceding = Hahnemman & Bikey.

[Wycombe Royal]

I know it sounds like a broken record but why does Liam Rosenior insist on lumping the ball up to dimunitive strikers !!!??

I corrected it for you.

[Stranded]

It also seems the players get jittery after say 4/5 passes, and if they haven't got the ball to the box, they won't continue to pass and move their way forward, simply launch a ball forward, in the hope something might come of it.

On this point didn't really seem to help that the few times we tried to do this the crowd suddenly got incredibly tetchy.

[Terminal Boardom]

MoM - Blakey
The rest can all sw*ndon off to the reserves or on loan to Rushden & Diamonds.
Matejovsky is too lightweght
Total lack of urgency in the right areas of the pitch
Inability of front 2 to find space
General inability of full backs to consistently ovrlap
Lack of options when in posession
Feds too slow to clear upfield
CM pairing invisible for at least 1 hour

Seen more life on a butcher's slab!

[Silver Fox]

...we were shit.

We could not string many passes together .

Marek started again, then I see.

Another two goals scored in which he played at least some part.

Do go on...

[Sarah Star]

It also seems the players get jittery after say 4/5 passes, and if they haven't got the ball to the box, they won't continue to pass and move their way forward, simply launch a ball forward, in the hope something might come of it.

On this point didn't really seem to help that the few times we tried to do this the crowd suddenly got incredibly tetchy.

I got a book from 'Help the Aged' the other day called 'Soccer Skills: Tactics and Teamwork. The Winning Formula' by FA Director of Coaching and Education, Charles Hughes. Bearing in mind it was published in 1990, apparently after analysing hundreds of international games at varying levels - it includes U21 and U16 games - they came to the conclusion that over 75% of goals came from five passes or less and only about 15% from 6 passes or more. Does that help?

[rfc58]

It also seems the players get jittery after say 4/5 passes, and if they haven't got the ball to the box, they won't continue to pass and move their way forward, simply launch a ball forward, in the hope something might come of it.

On this point didn't really seem to help that the few times we tried to do this the crowd suddenly got incredibly tetchy.

I got a book from 'Help the Aged' the other day called 'Soccer Skills: Tactics and Teamwork. The Winning Formula' by FA Director of Coaching and Education, Charles Hughes. Bearing in mind it was published in 1990, apparently after analysing hundreds of international games at varying levels - it includes U21 and U16 games - they came to the conclusion that over 75% of goals came from five passes or less and only about 15% from 6 passes or more. Does that help?

I guess it doesn't if the final pass is an aimless punt into a gap for your forward to chase, and thus giving the defender a 50/50 chance of getting their first.

[Plymouth_Royal]

MoM - Blakey

MOM - long

Matejovsky is too lightweght

matejovsky is not the greatest tackler, agreed. but his vision is top class, he has that bit of invention that no1 else does and its different from our wing play which is a great weapon.

Inability of front 2 to find space

long and doyle did look to get into space but if the ball is played into OUTER SPACE or heading passed the byline, what are they to do. the problem was defending during the game, hence the 2 goals conceded.

General inability of full backs to consistently ovrlap

fullbacks consistantly overlapping is too predictable and we would have been exploited imo. we still scored 2 goals and hit the woodwork 3 times without 'consistent overlapping'

Lack of options when in posession

4 against 5 in the middle its not easy to find a pass in the middle.

Feds too slow to clear upfield

CM pairing invisible for at least 1 hour

should have gone to spec savers

[Sarah Star]

True, but 15% is better than nothing so they should go for the extra pass.
The book also said they'd never recorded a match where a team achieved ten shots on target and lost.