Really poor performance and Blackburn deserved the 3 points. Worst performance I've seen this season albeit I missed Huddersfield.

No creativity at all and poor tactics. I really don't think Pauno is the right manager for us long term and I wouldn't renew his contract this summer.

Hardly anyone had a good game, created absolutely nothing and Kaminski won't have a easier game between the sticks.

Southwood - 6
Yiadom - 5
Moore - 3
Dann - 4
Baba - 5
Drinkwater - 5
Laurent - 2
Azeez - 3
Dele-Bashiru - 5
Swift - 3

Clarke - 4
Puscas - 5

We weren't in the game at all.

Blackburn are an ok side. Probably finish mid table but today's performance really worried me. We are bad away from home.

Didn`t you go Wednesday?

Pauno`s post match comments were concerning, I didn`t watch any of the game but he said we played well in the first half.
62% possession would sugest we had quite a lot of the ball.

Would have lost all seven away if Fulham and Cardiff had their shooting boots on.

Didn`t you go Wednesday?

Pauno`s post match comments were concerning, I didn`t watch any of the ame but he said we played well in the first half.
62% possession would sugest we had quite a lot of the ball.

We were worse today I think

PAUNO OUT

Excellent so we’re going in the right direction.

This is a really odd team we either play ok or we play like a fcuking shambles. We can attack and score goals - we also have no backbone and crumble when things start going wrong.

Absolutely not convinced by the manager.

Didn`t you go Wednesday?

Pauno`s post match comments were concerning, I didn`t watch any of the ame but he said we played well in the first half.
62% possession would sugest we had quite a lot of the ball.

We were worse today I think

Seriously? Haven’t seen today’s game but Wednesday was appalling. Surely today wasn’t worse than that.
Blackburn were in poor form before this game as well and their fans are unhappy with Mowbray.

Mowbray?

Good old fashioned northern manager...like him

So do I but they want him out.

After today?

Do the ‘Venkys’ (sic) still play a part in their club?

Don’t think they do but yes they still want him out.

Don’t think they do but yes they still want him out.a lot of teams with delusions of grandeur...including us

Missed the 2nd half but thought we looked alright first. Probably edged it. So think many of you may be clouded by an atrocious 2nd half.

This is a really odd fan base we either play ok or we play like a fcuking shambles

.....and like Reading have never lost two or three games on the bounce in the past 150 years?

Pathetic reactions from our keyboard x-perts sometimes.

This is a really odd fan base we either play ok or we play like a fcuking shambles

You’re really odd.

I guess we are like any fan base, win and we are brilliant and the sky is the limit lose and we are shit and we are going down, Christ we should used to it in the seasons since the play-off defeat.

Listening to Pauno ramble post match. Sounded like Stam in the second season all over again. With the 3rd worst defensive record in the league. Very apparent that the tactics adopted aren't working.

Disappointing as it is oddly enough it happens. Teams lose.

Last 6-7 games or so have been pretty good overall.

In what reality does a transfer embargoed injury hit team expect to win every game?

I'm not too fussed that we were utterly shit today.

My only criticism would be (and this is no way a Pauno Out ramble but if the cap fits...) when your only consistently fit striker is a Puscas, love him or hate him you HAVE to find a way to play to his strengths, and get him playing game in game out to give him confidence and get him to gel with the midfield and develop a game plan.

We THOUGHT this is what Pauno was doing in those two games where Puscas finally developed into a decent lookign striker then unexpectedly he was dropped, confidence and form plummeted to rock bottom understandably and he has since been in/out/in/out/subbed/benched etc and generally looking very unhappy, on the backdrop of already feeling homesick and miserable. Poor chap.

Like it or hate it he is our main man and I put it to Pauno that as manager he is paid the big bucks to utilise him to his strengths. And that means sticking with him and developing a plan that incorporates him.

He came on today as a forced sub so clearly there was no ingrained gameplan before the match involving the lad. The team are confused and don't know what the gameplan is in the final third. No wonder when Puscas is unexpectedly on the pitch they don't know how to pass to him. We pass it around aimlessly when in attack and slow down or take long shots. They seem more comfortable passing the ball around dangerously in their own half as at least they know what the plan is there. Let's have some consistency and let's build it around Puscas, if only because he's pretty much the only fit guy who can play up there at the moment.

A consistent game plan with mediocre players >>>>> an inconsistent uncertain game plan with technically better players.

Start him and use him properly.

Why he has to insist on playing out from the back when teams are just pressing and taking the ball of us for fun. Why not just hoof it upfield and get your forwards chasing and harassing the defenders at least it gets the ball away from your own goal. Football is not complicated at times. When you have a group of players incapable of playing that style and low on confidence keep the game simple.

No need to get too upset about a couple of defeats and noonneed to get ahead of ourselves on good runs.

The Championship this year is just ridiculously even. Nearly a 3rd of the way through and look at the table.

Top 3 look like they could pull away, Bournemouth even look like they could threaten our points record.

Bottom 4 a little bit adrift.

By the end of today we could be 15th but just 2 points off 5th.

Luton in 5th are just 7pts ahead of Peterborough in 20th. This is almost the dictionary definition of mediocre this year.

Top 3 are in their own league for the auto's. Bottom 4 likely in a battle to stay up. Everyone else, play-offs is the target, including us even with a deduction.

League is so well matched that Stoke lose 3 in a row and go from 5th to 9th but only on GD. Crazy league this year.

I'm seeing previous problems and failures repeat. Which is concerning.

Last season we started out with a strong defensive shape, then got increasingly open and cavalier as the season went on until we just kept conceding silly goals.

We started that way this season, then tightened up and are now cocky again.

Last season Rino and Laurent started by sitting and spoiling primarily. Then they got more expansive and adventurous. This season started adventurous, then Drinkwater came in and sat. Now he's playing all over the place and trying to create and take people on.

To me, this seems a failure in management. Either in getting the players to stick to the plan, or in encouraging them into a different and consistently failing plan.

I'm also concerned by the continued failure to address issues in the games. In both the last two we came under increasing pressure before collapsing, but no action was taken to address that. In both games the opposition started running through us at will as we gifted stupid turnover after stupid turnover.

The midfield is losing all shape, and spending too much of it's time dabbing off soft passes in tight areas playing each other into trouble and blind allies. Getting their pockets picked.

Yes, we don’t have many options on the bench, but we've had Holmes on the bench for two games whilst we got overrun. It took until we had 8 minutes left to do anything to try to change the game.

This is a problem. It needs to be addressed. A change is required. And I don't just mean grudgingly putting Puscas back in.

We have good players. But the balance is wrong and the performances have been drifting again for more than the last couple of games. The combinations aren't working. And with so many on loans or one year deals, we're in danger of the likes of Dann and Drinkwater to just give up trying because it won't matter to them come June if we finish 10th of 22nd

Agree with the above post.

That was the approach Bowen adopted.

Because of the misguided belief that if teams press high it leaves gaps further up the pitch, but that only works if you have a fast passing slick side not slow and cumbersome like ours.

Agree with most of that

Has echoes of Stam’s tactics. Found a winning formula which was rigid to an extent but successful. Tried to adopt a more fluid approach but hasn’t improved the performance of the team. Too much complication in a division that doesn’t need it. Best teams have a system where every player knows their role and sticks to it - not one where players are just wandering around the pitch in random positions (Swift, Ejaria, DB, Laurent etc)

Exactly this.

Two defeats and we're talking about changing things when we've been good since the new signings not going to win every game. All I ask for is more of a game plan around our only fit striker, no big changes. But even that's not necessary.

Think we have to be realistic with where we are. Of course games like yesterday and Blackpool will help fuel those who think Pauno isnt up to it - no real problem with that. He does seem to have his limitations certainly

But then these are exceptionally trying circumstances. Expecting us to be top 6 is pie in the sky really, and expecting anything other than erratic performances probably likewise.

We have 13 fit senior players, 2 of which are keepers. I suspect its debatable whether some of those are fully fit either - likes of Moore and Holmes quite potentially still carrying theirs.

We have no realistic options to change things up, not in game or at the start of the match. If a player is having a shocker, or gets a knock in the game, they just play 90 mins anyway. The more they play, the more fatigued they'll get.

No doubts this is impacting training as well - not too sure how good training can be when they are desperate not to pick up any more injuries, and also only have 11 decent level outfield players to train with. Not like we can do particularly good 11 vs 11 match ups without having to involve a bunch of 17 years olds with zero experience.

Pauno has a got a very rough deal atm. We've binned off all the borderline U23 lot like East and Watson, and are relying on players like Drinkwater, TDB, Rahman who have barely played for 2 years if at all with TDB. It was a risk with DD and Rahman coming in - maybe we took the wrong risk - but I guess they are performing exactly as expected - some weeks looking a class above, other weeks tired and off the pace

Its a tough league. With the points deduction hanging over us as well mid table would be a pretty bloody good result. Honestly don't see changing the manager, or any of the other changes (start hoofing it forward lolz) suggested will make a great deal of difference. We simply need the players back fit.

I thought Blackburn looked decent enough and eventually were good value for their win. Really liked the look of the young lad Tyrhys Dolan. Really well taken second goal that killed us off yesterday and looked a threat all game, willing to take people on.

At half time I was (maybe naively!) confident that we would go on and get the win in the second half, despite Gallagher hitting the post when he really should’ve scored in the first half, but we had controlled the game pretty well for the away side but the problem being a lack of cutting edge. I’m really not sure why in the second half we didn’t attempt more shots on goal, we seemed to want to try and walk it in to the net.

I think we missed a bit of pace from Azeez up top, that could’ve made the difference, but beaten by the better team on the day in the end, no complaints.

Exactly this.

Two defeats and we're talking about changing things when we've been good since the new signings not going to win every game. All I ask for is more of a game plan around our only fit striker, no big changes. But even that's not necessary.

Puscas needs someone to play off. Never going to work playing him as the sole striker.

Exactly this.

Two defeats and we're talking about changing things when we've been good since the new signings not going to win every game. All I ask for is more of a game plan around our only fit striker, no big changes. But even that's not necessary.

Puscas needs someone to play off. Never going to work playing him as the sole striker.

Here I fundamentally disagree - the way we play with Puscas up top on his own doesn't work but with the intricate play we are capable of, we should be able to work decent positions where we can release him or get quick balls into the box. The issue at the moment is we aren't doing enough of the first and taking too long to get balls into the box, or making poor decisions when Puscas is better placed.

Lost count of the amount of times we have 6 or 7 players around the box trying to thread it through, which means there is zero space for a striker to find as we take too long allowing their defence to set.