BFTG - QPR (A)

[Jagermesiter1871]

I feel like the club has been deliberately going for a slow start since we lost in the play-offs. Everything in pre-season seem half arsed from signings to friendlies and an opening display like that was guaranteed. The lack of urgency with signings particularly - it seems like we're waiting for deadline day when in reality surely you want the bulk of your transfers done as early into pre-season as possible so any signings can bed in. Utterly bizarre and I'm not sure what the clubs reasoning is.

If we wait until deadline day we might be able to sign Oliveira for £5million instead of £8million when Norwich realise that we are the only option. Other players might cost considerably less too.

Other than that there is no other reasoning.

Or alternatively Norwich realise we are desperate and instead add an extra £5 million on top knowing worse case they still have a player who can bang goals in for them? I personally think our striker situation is quite desperate and I'm sure other clubs in the division are well aware of this.

[Snowflake Royal]

No thoughts on Richards' debut? Anyone?

[blythspartan]

Well that was a waste of £100.00.

[blythspartan]

Pressed submit too quickly.

I was disappointed that our players didn't turn up for the game with the same enthusiasm as me and my cousin had for the first game of the season.

Fair play to QPR, as Holloway really had them at it.

I watch our games with a fairly level head but I am shocked about how many injuries we have at the start of the season.

Also, I much prefer to see a gradual build up of friendlies in this country, as the training camp in Holland seems to have beena waste of time.

It's only the first game but with some tough ones to come I am a little concerned.

Hopefully, we can bolster the squad sooner rather than later.

[bobby1413]

Also, I much prefer to see a gradual build up of friendlies in this country, as the training camp in Holland seems to have beena waste of time.

Obviously Jaap Stam knows a little more about Football than me ... but I do agree with you.

From a fan's point of view I was pretty disappointed there was no home friendlies like other clubs had, some with pretty juicy ones. Not only this but yea I don't think playing behind closed doors is really the best preparation if it's your sole method.

Surely the idea is to:

1) Practice and maybe play some behind closed doors to get some momentum
2) Play some very low league sides with some crowd
3) Play better opposition - League 1 / PL or Foreign teams - with a bigger crowd to really get some kind of real match feel.
4) Start the season - and this won't be that MASSIVE a change based on the approach in pre-season.

What we did was almost play training matches (in my view a different thing to friendlies), and is only one step away from a quick game at the end of training.

[Platypuss]

I had assumed that the pre-season itinerary was affected by the need to get the new pitch bedded in.

[CountryRoyal]

No thoughts on Richards' debut? Anyone?

Barely noticed him (which is a good thing I suppose) we were camped out in our half pretty much and he didn't have an opportunity to show case anything or impose himself on the game.

[Snowflake Royal]

No thoughts on Richards' debut? Anyone?

Barely noticed him (which is a good thing I suppose) we were camped out in our half pretty much and he didn't have an opportunity to show case anything or impose himself on the game.

Thank you CR

[Esteban]

Disagree that the players didn't try or didn't care. That wasn't the issue at all. This was a typical post playoff hangover performance. Not helped by injuries, granted, but mostly a failure of the mentality of the players.

The first goal was vital, we conceded due to a total lack of concentration and a very good cross that took Mannone out of the game. Washington had a run on Popa, Gunter tucked in as he should and it was a good header just inside the post. You could see the fragility of the players at that point.

The squad needs at least four new players to freshen it up and fill it out. We did very well last season, but we're heading for mid-table at the moment.

[Steve_Upper_West]

Well that was pretty dire...... was enjoying a nice day out until about 3pm, shocking display

Not Kelly's best game in a Reading shirt yesterday - talking of which another naff away kit

Can someone explain why Mackie was getting such a torrent of abuse, even before his run in with Gunter - did he celebrate a goal against us since he left or comment unfavourably on his time at the club?

[bobby1413]

another naff away kit

Really? I thought it looked lovely - at least from the 2 minutes I saw on TV and the 3-4 pictures of players running with it on

Can someone explain why Mackie was getting such a torrent of abuse, even before his run in with Gunter - did he celebrate a goal against
us since he left or comment unfavourably on his time at the club?

I may be wrong but I think:

1) Yes he has scored and celebrated (no issue personally... he owes us nothing)
2) I *think* he may have celebrated and kind of cockily gestured towards the Reading fans (don't care that much but a bit unnecessary)
3) Generally, I think he's a bit of a c0ck and thought the same when he played for Reading

[windermereROYAL]

another naff away kit

Really? I thought it looked lovely - at least from the 2 minutes I saw on TV and the 3-4 pictures of players running with it on

Can someone explain why Mackie was getting such a torrent of abuse, even before his run in with Gunter - did he celebrate a goal against
us since he left or comment unfavourably on his time at the club?

I may be wrong but I think:

1) Yes he has scored and celebrated (no issue personally... he owes us nothing)
2) I *think* he may have celebrated and kind of cockily gestured towards the Reading fans (don't care that much but a bit unnecessary)
3) Generally, I think he's a bit of a c0ck and thought the same when he played for Reading

Can`t remember the full details but he did have something to say about us after he left, also thought it wasn`t called for to celebrate in front of our fans when he scored the winner at the Madejski last season.

[Diablo Diablo]

Could we expect anymore ?

Preseason has not shown much and very strange structure to it.

Transfers have been completely underwhelming at every single level and why do you sell one of the only strikers you have early in the window when the cupboard is bare due to injury and nobody signed (Bodvarsson is not a striker - look at his goal less record) ?

Injuries - not helpful but don't think those missing would have changed the outcome.

Cannot say I am looking forward to the next two home league games but that is the cross season ticket holders bear. Stam was a very lucky manager last year lets hope he finds the charm quickly.

Perhaps this will act as a wake up call and they will pull their finger out, find some money to spend and actually sign some players who may potentially improve the squad unlike the business so far (very poor).

[Ascotexgunner]

Danny Williams

[Jagermesiter1871]

I had assumed that the pre-season itinerary was affected by the need to get the new pitch bedded in.

The pitch replacement would have been months/years in planning. This is not an excuse.

[paultheroyal]

Well that was pretty dire...... was enjoying a nice day out until about 3pm, shocking display

Not Kelly's best game in a Reading shirt yesterday - talking of which another naff away kit

Can someone explain why Mackie was getting such a torrent of abuse, even before his run in with Gunter - did he celebrate a goal against us since he left or comment unfavourably on his time at the club?

Quoted last season saying something like "felt right wearing proper blue and white hoops" or something like that...

[Stranded]

I had assumed that the pre-season itinerary was affected by the need to get the new pitch bedded in.

The pitch replacement would have been months/years in planning. This is not an excuse.

I was under the impression it had been brought forward 12 months due to the state of the pitch last year - could be wrong.

Even if so, these things take time and there was only 12 weeks since the Fulham game and the Gillingham game tomorrow. Play on a new pitch too early and it becomes a waste of money and more of a hindrance. I'm not sure how not playing a friendly at the stadium would have caused a poor performance like Saturday. Even if we had and played Ajax rather than Vitesse, it would still have been a glorified training game in front of a small barely interested crowd who are only there as they had nothing better to do. Hardly worth risking the pitch for. It was the right call to play at Wycombe.

If there has been a mistake in pre season it was staying in Holland for the second set of games, perhaps would have been more beneficial coming back to England on say the Thursday and playing say Oxford/Wycombe/Swindon away on the Saturday. If they wanted to play two teams could easily have done so with staggered kick offs - say Oxford at 1pm and Swindon at 5pm. On one on Saturday and the other on Sunday.

Key thing for me though was the injuries and the fact that we are clearly 3 players short at the mo, the latter needs to be sorted asap.

[6ft Kerplunk]

Quoted last season saying something like "felt right wearing proper blue and white hoops" or something like that...

tbf I glanced at the photos from Saturday's game and thought that it was nice to have a decent kit for a change. Then I remembered we were away.

[genome]

I had assumed that the pre-season itinerary was affected by the need to get the new pitch bedded in.

The pitch replacement would have been months/years in planning. This is not an excuse.

I would say that a stadium without a pitch is a pretty good excuse.

While it may have been planned for months beforehand, we didn't have the means to do it until the Chinese owners were confimred, and that was only after the play-off semi's. And we didn't know what league we would be playing in the following season so I would expect they wouldn't arrange any friendlies until they knew that.

[tidus_mi2]

I had a nagging feeling before the game that it just felt we hadn't done enough in pre-season, I was finding it hard to believe the season was starting because it seemed like the team had really only got halfway through pre-season themselves and it showed on Saturday, hopefully at worst it just means we have a slow start to the season but that can have an overwhelming effect on the season.