FridaysGhost We have a good Manager who is determined to play a certain formation 4-5-1 (no plan B). p.s. remember Brendan Rodgers. And who wants to pass from the back.
Well for a start, one of Rodgers' major problems was he kept chopping and changing the formation. We started with a Mourinho-style 4-3-3, but switched to a 4-4-2 and also tried a 4-3-3 with three attacking midfielders, off the top of my head.
Adkins used 4-4-2 most of the time at Scunthorpe and Southampton. He only started using 4-2-3-1 regularly in his final season at Southampton. Even as Reading manager, several times he used Pogrebnyak and Hunt up front together. He doesn't play a rigid short passing game, but will launch the ball into the box when occasion demands (he practically made Rickie Lambert's career with these long ball tactics). He's a pragmatist, not an idealist like Rodgers.
We have a good squad who, for years, have played 4-4-2 and used the flanks. With Centre-backs who cannot pass from the back.
I agree about the good squad. What you have to remember though is that our squad hasn't "used 4-4-2 for years". Our team might have, but our current squad isn't made up of players who have been in our team for years. I'll grant you Pearce, Karacan, Kebe and McAnuff, and Leigertwood and Cummings if they're involved, but other than that our outfield players are overwhelmingly recent recruits who have played in a wide variety of styles in recent years. Even then, not so long ago McAnuff spent a year playing for Brendan Rodgers and they've all spent 5 months training and playing for Adkins already.
I think all our centre backs are reasonable passers. You don't need to be Beckenbauer, you just need to be better than Sonko. It wasn't so long ago that Sean Morrison was kicking clearances over Sixfields, and now he's unrecognisable.
We have a good midfield.
No arguments from me.
We have no-one on our books (except for Roberts(retired)) who can play the forward role in a 4-5-1.
Pogrebnyak can (he's certainly looked better at it than Roberts), Samuel can, and hopefully Blackman, Le Fondre and Ugwu can adjust to it.
Our Owner expects an immediate return to the Premiership whilst definately retaining the Reading Way of transfers - a situation which has been proved wrong every time the team has tried to progress.
No it hasn't. That's just outright wrong. We have three promotions under Pards, Coppell and McDermott from conservative approaches with the odd gamble (Lita). We also stayed up in the Premier League under Coppell and had a Championship play-off campaign under each manager.
Our two worst seasons of late were the two where we spent the most money!
Will Reading end in a promotion position? You tell me.
I can't see the future, but the odds are good.