Clutching at straws we won the 2nd half 2-0 and 7-0 on the corner count. Too little too late but good response.

Do think Brum stopped really playing about 15 minutes ago tho.

They played the same throughout tbh. Disappointed to lose, but obvs statement you give 3 easy goals away you’re not going to win any

Just don’t know what this teams style,of play is, just seems completely random. Whatever, constant defensive errors make everything else irrelevant. Yiadom really is crap.

Don't know why. Apparently we were totally outplayed .

Random choice to criticise

There were about 7 others in line before him to have a go at

How on earth did they only get 1 yellow card? Sanderson especialy?

They were kicking lumps out of Meite. And the clearest break stopping pull back from their No. 2 in the last couple of miutes you'll ever see. That's always a yellow.

Yep, it's 3 points dropped for me because tbh, they are poor. Defensive errors proved costly and even though they maybe should have had 1/2 more on reflection, but it's easy to say when you're 3-0 up, the game is different. Can see why they were fancied to go down.

Bad defending cost us today. I actually thought we played well but lost to some lapses in concentration and clinical finishing from Birmingham.

Not too disappointed overall except the defending, it happens. Need to cut out these poor mistakes at the back though.

Those 2 second half goals quite impt I think. Shows we can score goals and hopefully keep the confidence up

Attacking stats wise, prob as impressive as we’ve had all season - 20/8 for shots. Ince’s corners were disappointing though

Random choice to criticise

There were about 7 others in line before him to have a go at
Not really, he’s constantly poor, can’t pass, can’t cross, poor control. Others are poor sometimes, he’s poor always.

I think Yiadom is suffering a little from age and a fair amount from team shape.

Give him a simple RB job to do, and he's perfectly decent.

Fair comment

He has only just turned 31!
He has never been a wing back because he can't cross. I may have mentioned this before but yes agree he is fine as a right back.

He has only just turned 31!
He has never been a wing back because he can't cross. I may have mentioned this before but yes agree he is fine as a right back.
31 is getting on for a footballer. Certainly several years past prime.

Sorry zip, I'm old and you're ancient.

He has only just turned 31!
He has never been a wing back because he can't cross. I may have mentioned this before but yes agree he is fine as a right back.

Think he’s had a fairly good season in the RCB role but was poor tonight

Yiadom and Rahman as the two WB’s was a dreadful choice. Rahman doesn’t take a man on, neither create, they can’t cross. Really struggling with that call. We looked much better with Hoilett and NGW on. Can Ince not see it?

He has only just turned 31!
He has never been a wing back because he can't cross. I may have mentioned this before but yes agree he is fine as a right back.

Think he’s had a fairly good season in the RCB role but was poor tonight

Yiadom and Rahman as the two WB’s was a dreadful choice. Rahman doesn’t take a man on, neither create, they can’t cross. Really struggling with that call. We looked much better with Hoilett and NGW on. Can Ince not see it?

Time to give NGW another start ahead of Rahman. Ince always seems to prefer the older head though.
Junior was a bit off v Coventry but is probably our best crosser.

Not as embarrassing as club1871


Or y26/26

He has only just turned 31!
He has never been a wing back because he can't cross. I may have mentioned this before but yes agree he is fine as a right back.
31 is getting on for a footballer. Certainly several years past prime.

Sorry zip, I'm old and you're ancient.

You're old and small. I'm just beautiful.

Think he’s had a fairly good season in the RCB role but was poor tonight

Yiadom and Rahman as the two WB’s was a dreadful choice. Rahman doesn’t take a man on, neither create, they can’t cross. Really struggling with that call. We looked much better with Hoilett and NGW on. Can Ince not see it?

Time to give NGW another start ahead of Rahman. Ince always seems to prefer the older head though.
Junior was a bit off v Coventry but is probably our best crosser.

Rahman’s automatic first choice selection for Reading and Ghana baffles me - at best he is bangs average. Probably the least inspiring full back in 30 years for Reading.

Defence plenty experienced enough. Just made stupid errors
Yeah. Sarr's 29, Yiadom 31, Rahman 28. All played plenty of games. Hell, McIntyre has almost 80 appearances.

And for steel, Sarr, Yiadom and McIntyre have plenty.

How many games have Sarr, McIntryre and Mbengue played together as CBs?

Thought Ince got the selection wrong but we played fairly well on the whole, without over threatening. You could say that on another day we’d be coming home with the points but when you make so many defensive mistakes, you get what you deserve. The first goal was the worst. Cold night, opportunity to climb up to 5th before the other games and we give away a goal like that. Lumley miskicks, Rahman is on his back foot and then Loum’s error. Not good enough from the three of them

In saying that, Loum had a better game than his recent ones. He had a good second half and Hendrick had a good first half and I thought we had the better of the midfield overall which hasn’t always been the case this season. I’m guessing Ince agreed as he usually swaps Loum and Fornah for each other which wasn’t the case tonight

Surprised Carroll and NGW didn’t come on sooner. Birmingham were clearly sitting in and inviting us to play more direct yet he went with Joao first. He did score but offered little else. We were a lot more threatening with the former two on, along with Hoilett who has to be one of the first names on the team sheet

Lumley - 5

Mbengue - 4
Sarr - 5
McIntyre - 5

Yiadom - 5
Hendrick - 6
Loum - 6
Rahman - 5

Ince - 6
Long - 5
Meite - 7

Joao - 6
Hoilett - 7
Carroll - 7
NGW - 6

Bearing in mind we have just 1 player (NGW) suited to playing wingback, is there not a case for changing to 4 at the back? 3-5-2 rarely works and we don’t have the players to play the formation effectively, yet since persists with it

One of the most overrated, couldn’t give a toss, players we’ve had in recent years. But some love him for a few Instagram posts

Why do we even bother with corners from the left? The inswingers from the right footer are just garbage, might as well go short and retain possession

Hoilett can do the job pretty well. Don’t mind Yiadom playing it but it has to be balanced with NGW on the left. NGW looked decent in the 15 mins or so he had

One positive I suppose was 2nd game running the subs made an impact. It’s good to have those options

The usual over reaction over on twatter and from the resident twat on here, granted we contributed greatly to our own downfall but on another day we win that comfortably.
Ruddy made some decent saves and we basically dictated play yes you could argue Brum sat back but we had more in the first half too.
with 20 efforts on goal you don`t expect to leave empty handed, but it was on sky so it`s no real surprise,
A couple of takes for me, Rahman needs to be benched, he doesn`t seem to know what a forward pass is, and despite the returning hero worship Shane Long should only ever be used as an impact sub.

Mistakes cost us, granted. Not buying into us being the better team as Brum did a job on us and just needed to manage the game. A few things I noticed from the tactical side of our game that wound me up -

- how many times the player were recycling the ball at the back then eventually goes back to Lumley to lump forward, I counted only twice we broke the lines from the back into Hendrick which then led onto good Chances. Surely that has to be looked at
- first goal was so avoidable, Baba had a chance to drive forward, yet he turned back and recycled the ball and we then gave it away then 1-0. Have they been told not to drive forward?
- 25 mins to go, why AC wasn’t on I have no idea, look at how the Dutch went wide and diagonally into the box in their game against Argentina and the problems it caused whilst chasing the game
- Fornah and NGW have to be starting every week

Overall I’m a fan of Ince and he’s done more than what’s been asked of him since coming in, he has a thankless task with the resources available to him with our embargo etc, BUT if we stay in this league and can spend again is he the man to take us forward? He’s earned a chance if he keeps us up. But I’m not sure he’s the man

Let’s ignore the goals for a minute (will come back to that) but I thought we were excellent. People go on about stats, I don’t, but looking at them we were amazing and dominated.

What did lumley have to do other than pick the ball out of the net. We were more direct, created countless opportunities and on another day lauding a brilliant performance. Meite was superb and one of his best games in a Reading shirt. Sky commentators did my fruit in last night with the love in with Birmingham and Deeney. I thought they were very poor.

First goal, we were off it from the kick off, watch it back and you will see how slow we were at initial closedown way before cross went in. It was all just half hearted. Same for penalty, yes it was, shouldn’t of challenged like that but also it was a dive. Played for contact. Third goal summed up the previous two goals.

So basically we gifted them 3 goals. But between all that I thought we were excellent. One of the most strangest games I have witnessed in a very long time. If we scored that 2nd five mins earlier we would of drawn that game.

Hendrick was very poor I thought. Baba is doing my head in. Yiadom of last year god knows where he has gone.

This is a strange post to make but it’s how I am feeling. I am expecting a reaction against Swansea, certainly defensively but also more of the positive forward play too.

Have a good weekend.

My seat.

LOL

That first 30 minutes.

LOL

Other than that, we were dominant without ever dominating. There was one bit along the left where three, if not four players, made half a yard then remembered they couldn't kick with their left foot. Ball went back. Momentum over.

Last few minutes, turns out that having an actual once-top-level player on the pitch makes a difference. Shocked as defenders struggle when stretched and moved around.

I also had the last laugh as I had indeed come in a taxi.

Both!