Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
We Are Mid-Table. It’s All a Bit Drab - Notes for Reading
Tuesday, 2nd Feb 2016 05:00 by HarryFromBath

HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Tuesday night’s game at Portman Road by delving into their forums.

“We are ensconced in mid-table”, “We have left ourselves too much to do for a top-six push”, “It is incomprehensible that this team will need to look down the table from now on. It is also unlikely that we could go on a late run into the play-offs. So let’s have some entertainment from the team.”

“We are not a promotion contender right now.” The Royals go into Tuesday’s game 11 points from the top six and 10 points clear of the drop zone. Most fans have accepted that mid-table respectability and a decent FA Cup run is as much as can be expected from this season’s campaign.

“Ultimately a lot of fans want to turn up on Saturday wanting us to win that match regardless of the wider consequences. As long as we pick up some good results in the last few months of the season and ideally have a good Cup run then I will be happy even if we cannot quite make the play-offs.”

“There is definitely more spirit and tenacity in the side”, “We would have lost our last league game against Sheffield Wednesday [which finished as a 1-1 draw] with at least two goals in the ‘against’ column under Steve Clarke, just like we would have been knocked out of the FA Cup.”

The pivotal event in their season has been the dismissal of Steve Clarke in December and the return of Brian McDermott to the club he guided to promotion in 2012. Fans see the team now playing with more self-belief. “Going a goal down doesn’t signal the end of the game for us anymore. I like that.”

Brian McDermott

“Welcome back Brian, now leave the man to get on with the job”, “He has reignited the feel-good factor around the place and his man-management skills are evident as the team is rediscovering its identity”, “The team try harder as a unit and the manager is making the positive changes needed.”

“Brian seems to have lifted the mood and performances. I think the results will start coming too”, “His half-time team-talk in the Terriers’ Cup replay worked wonders. He really instils confidence”, “He inherited a total mess and has to act quickly to create belief, confidence and a style of play.”

Many fans have warmed to McDermott’s “brand of down-to-earth, best foot forward philosophy”, “He hasn’t had the benefit of a honeymoon period that other managers have had. He has sort of just picked up where he left off”, “Delighted. I feel a closer connection to the club since he returned.”

“Will it work second time round?”, “Steve Clarke should have been given more time to build his team”, “He was prematurely fired.” Some Royals feel that Clarke should have been given more than just under a year to work with his squad while also harbouring doubts about McDermott’s tactics.

“Once again [against the Owls] McDermott lined us up with people out of position only to see us play poorly, then he changed things and saw improvement”, “Some of this criticism is premature. He is still tinkering with the line-up and getting to know the squad and their strengths and weaknesses."

Formation

“Brian McDermott has a task on his hands rebuilding our confidence and getting us to find the net consistently”, “He has been landed with too many mediocre players”, “It’s a good job there is some true dross in this league otherwise we would be in a similar position to last season.”

Reading have played most games recently with a settled back four and one striker leading the line with a second frontman or playmaker linking in behind. McDermott now has a settled defence with Jordan Obita replacing Andrew Taylor at left-back, but the midfield is a work-in-progress.

Al HabsiGunterCooperFerdinandObitaNorwoodWilliamsEvansRobson-KanuPiazonVydra

The starting XI (above) in the Royals’ last league game against Wednesday lacked any threat from midfield. Fans felt that playing Danny Williams on the right was a mistake and the “lightweight” Lucas Piazon failed to give an isolated Matej Vydra any effective support.

“The 4-2-3-1 just didn’t work in the first half. There were no options for the front three. We resorted to playing the ball amongst our holding players and defenders on the halfway line, making it all too easy for Wednesday.” McDermott’s alterations (below) helped to change the pattern of the game.

Al HabsiGunterCooperFerdinandObitaNorwoodWilliamsJohnRobson-KanuKermogantVydra

“In the second half with the change of shape and Yann Kermogant up front we were more balanced and started to work our way into the game. The introduction of Ola John with Williams going into the centre and Hal Robson-Kanu moving to the right wing improved the balance even more.”

A Poor Summer Transfer Window

“It turns out that perhaps buying a load of mercenary foreigners with exotic-sounding names wasn’t the panacea I thought it might have been.” There is a wide acceptance that most of the arrivals this summer haven’t worked due to injuries or being unable to adapt to playing Championship football.

“We don’t spend much on transfers. You can’t really expect much from them. It’s okay but that is our way, low-risk punts, free agents and old players for the most part”, “It may be low risk but more was expected from this team. Not spending much didn’t mean we hadn’t got capable personnel.”

Reading 4 — 0 Walsall (FA Cup Fourth Round)

“A good, confidence-building win, Walsall are obviously no mugs and are third in League One. There were a couple more for Vydra and a clean sheet, so all in all a good day at last”, “It was a bizarre result. I came away thinking both that 4-0 flattered us and that we could easily have had seven.”

“The game was shocking for 30 minutes, as bad as I have seen but the goals were well taken.” The Royals took the lead when Robson-Kanu turned his marker and drove a shot home on 37 minutes and Vydra doubled the hosts’ advantage finishing off a move from close range three minutes later.

Danny Williams added a third after a driving run on 75 minutes before Vydra headed home with a minute left to seal a comfortable win. “It was the same old dreadfully slow start but overall it was a very professional display against a team who looked dangerous until we took the sting out of them.”

Al HabsiGunterCooperFerdinandObitaNorwoodWilliamsQuinnRobson-KanuTshibolaVydra

Reading sent out a strong starting XI (above) for Saturday’s game but McDermott used the tie to improve the match-fitness of recently injured Stephen Quinn and Aaron Tshibola (who was taken off after picking up a knock). Paul McShane and Michael Hector similarly featured as substitutes.

Reading 1 — 1 Sheffield Wednesday

“Another point nearer safety”, “I wish we could stop going one-down”, “After a dreadful opening half-hour we were the better team by miles”, “We should have won, which wasn’t a bad outcome considering we looked hopelessly outclassed in the first 20 minutes.”

“Poor start again”, “We cannot keep starting so badly.” The Owls took the lead after 10 minutes when Gary Hooper finished off a passing move after Reading’s centre-back Jake Cooper carelessly gave the ball away. Matej Vydra’s first-half penalty miss left Royals fearing the worst at half-time.


“Did we just score from a corner?”, “We haven’t scored from a corner in over 12 months.” Cooper atoned for his earlier error planting a fine header home from a set-piece on 74 minutes. McDermott was praised for his tactical adjustments but some felt that the visitors took their foot off the gas.

“We started as if we were intimidated and couldn’t cope with their high pressing game but the Owls decided to settle for 1-0 and time-waste at least as early as the half-hour mark”, “They were the best team we played at the start and could have given us a spanking if they hadn’t sat back after scoring.”

Reading 5 — 2 Huddersfield (FA Cup Third Round Replay)

“Well, that was freezing”, “I’m still thawing out”, “An excellent night’s entertainment for a tenner”, “We deserved to win although the score flattered us. I just thank God it wasn’t a draw. It was too cold for another 30 minutes”, “A win is a win in the end, but bloody hell it was cold.”

Reading got off to yet another slow start when Jamie Paterson and Tommy Smith fired the Terriers into a two-goal lead with just 15 minutes played. The turning-point of the game was the red-card shown to Jon Hogg for a foul on Vydra on 27 minutes. Piazon also scored from the resulting freekick.

Having only scored twice for the Royals since arriving on loan in September, Vydra bagged a second-half hat-trick as the hosts ran riot with a numerical advantage. Alex Fernandez added a fifth in stoppage time. “Let’s not get carried away, we were against 10 men for over an hour.”

Goalkeepers and Defenders

“We would have been 4-0 down in that shambolic first 25 minutes against Huddersfield without Ali Al-Habsi”, “He made a cracking sliding save on Nahki Wells to stop them going three up which would have killed us off”, “He rescued us with the one-on-ones and his communication was also excellent.”

The 34-year-old ex-Wigan man has replaced Jonathan Bond as first choice keeper. “He is benefitting from being the outright number one since McDermott came in”, “He makes decent saves and high profile clangers”, “He has improved and made some good saves but also cost us a tonne of points.”

“Chris Gunter is defensively adequate but wastes too many opportunities to threaten in attack either through poor decision-making or the inability to stick in a decent cross.” The 26-year-old ex-Forest man is “an above-average right-back for this level who you don’t always trust in the feistier games”.

The Wales international played well against the Owls. “Gunter made one good last-ditch block which he excels at and he linked well with Robson-Kanu, getting in some really good crosses”, “He is still too cautious and dithering with his first touch but he had a good game, threatening well in attack.”

“It was good to see Jordan Obita back.” The 22-year-old youth product played his first game since picking up a knee injury against the Owls. “He was the only player to start brightly and fade in that game”, “He gets forward well but we look weaker defensively without Andrew Taylor at left-back.”

“Obita has not lost the silly fouls from his game but played well”, “He defended really well and was much better at not diving in and getting beaten”, “He regularly terrified defenders in his first season by making runs with the ball into the box. He did that for the first time in ages against Wednesday.”

“Jake Cooper is almost there. He’s a little easy to push off the ball and has deer-in-the-headlights moments when he has to make a 50:50 decision but the lad does have talent and he scored from a bloody corner”, “He has a sweet left foot but no right foot and he can look ungainly at times.”

“Cooper gave the ball away for the Owls’ goal but they just seemed to walk through our defence to score.” The 20-year-old centre-half “is a young player just coming out of the academy, still learning the game”, “A decent prospect but far from a finished article. We look shaky with him at the back.”

“Paul McShane is a solid centre-back, prone to an error or two but overall a good signing.” The 30-year-old ex-Tiger “injects some urgency in the team and leads by example”, “His performances dipped when Anton Ferdinand was injured and a decent replacement for the departed Alex Pearce.”

“Our fearless ginger”, “The sooner he gets back in the side, the better”, “It was good to see McShane on for the final 20 minutes against Walsall although he looked unsurprisingly short of match fitness”, “He looked a bit rusty”, “He and Ferdinand oozed class together at the beginning of the season.”

Anton Ferdinand

“Our best centre-half when fit”, “He’s a great professional”, “Ferdinand is always in the right place. He never seems to do much because he has already anticipated what needs doing and makes it look so simple. He is awesome”, “He needs to be paired with a partner with pace as his own has gone.”

Ferdinand v Hull's Akpom

“Ferdinand is a good partner for Cooper at this point in his development.” The former Hammer “had a positive influence on Cooper after his pass to set up the Sheffield Wednesday goal. You could see him giving Cooper loads of encouragement.”

The 30-year-old ex-QPR centre-back “is experienced, his positioning is excellent and he is good on the ball but it looks as though he would like to stand on the same patch of grass for the entire game. Al-Habsi probably runs Ferdinand close in distance covered”, “A class act but he can barely move.”

Central Midfielders

“I was glad Alex Fernandez scored against Huddersfield”, “I hope he gets a proper chance in the side.” The 23-year-old Espanyol loan player “is unlucky to be competing with Oliver Norwood for the holding midfielder spot”, “He’s a good player who has looked classy every time I have seen him.”

“George Evans goes straight into the starting XI.” The 21-year-old signed from Manchester City this month and started against the Owls. “We had to accommodate Evans’s debut by playing Williams out wide and that screwed us”, “He was solid but he was the same type of player as Norwood.”

“Evans looked comfortable on the ball and certainly has potential but looked somewhat lost”, “He is off the pace of this league and not likely to partner Norwood. He is very confident on the ball and not afraid to go looking for it”, “He did okay for a debut and can play centre-half as well as midfield."

“Am I the only person who is desperate to see Stephen Quinn back in the team?”, “The early signs are that McDermott sees him as a good player à la Jay Tabb, preferring the midfield two of Norwood and Williams”, “Quinn has a touch more class and is a better passer and reader of the game.”

The 29-year-old former Hull City player “is a great little player and good as a midfielder, left-back or left-midfield, although not as a traditional winger”, “He shows real leadership trying to rally his team-mates”, “It makes such a difference having Quinn in midfield, up and down all game and making great tackles.”

Danny Williams

“I have been critical of Williams’s decision-making but he closes down quickly, tackles and gets forward quickly on the ball. He has got to learn to release the ball at the right time but his industry alone warrants a starting place”, “I hate his head-down runs, not seeing passes in front of him.”

Danny Williams (r) with Tom Adeyemi

The 26-year-old ex-Hoffenheim midfielder struggled on the right flank against the Owls. “Anonymous, he was totally wasted and useless out wide. In the middle he was everything we missed, driving us forward and taking players out of the game”, “He was lost on the wing but brilliant in the middle.”

“Williams did very well playing in the more advanced number 10 role against Walsall and he took his goal well”, “He struggled with his positioning in the first half but found his feet later on”, “His touch repeatedly lets him down but he tries all day long and provides a lot of our drive.”

Oliver Norwood

“Oliver crucially is a leader out there in a team where they are in short supply”, “A ball-playing midfielder”, “Not only is Norwood the best passer in the side, he is also the best reader of an opposition pass and is incredibly effective at intercepting the ball, although not the biggest tackler.”

Oliver Norwood in action with Bristol City's Jonathan Kodjia

The 24-year-old ex-Terrier “looks much more effective and dangerous slightly further up the pitch rather than picking the ball up 10 yards from his penalty area. Hopefully he will be finding Vydra’s runs rather than linking up with the full-backs”, “Exactly the type of player McDermott wants.”

“Norwood is the heart of the team”, “Sheffield Wednesday covered his passing options so that he repeatedly had to pass it square and then give away possession when he became overambitious. He was off the beat in the first half and way too deep”, “We’ll do well to keep him this summer.”

Wide Midfielders

Former Forest winger Garath McCleary was taken off with a hamstring injury in the Cup replay against Huddersfield and has not featured since. The 28-year-old “can flatter to deceive. He is great on the ball but his end product is a bit hit-and-miss”, “He was off his game before getting his injury.”

“Ola John hasn’t impressed me when starting games and certainly seems unlikely to last 90 minutes, so I understand the logic of using him to build momentum in the second half.” The 23-year-old left-winger is on loan from Benfica and has been regularly used by McDermott as an impact substitute.

“Let’s see those step-overs”, “John is dynamic with the ball at his feet. He tries flicks and touches that don’t always come off. The best approach for him is getting the ball under control and running at defenders”, “He’s clumsy and loses the ball but is also occasionally capable of a bit of magic.”

Hal Robson-Kanu

“I am a massive critic of Robson-Kanu but he was very good on the right wing against the Owls and can play there again”, “His best game for a long time”, “Frankly this season he is close to his best.” The 26-year-old youth product “linked up well with Gunter but predictably cut inside too often.”

“HRK’s goal against Walsall was excellent. He showed real strength and accuracy”, “The thing that is so frustrating is that he can be brilliant but unfortunately it only happens once or twice a season”, “He was excellent against Walsall on the right”, “He can stay on the right after two good games.”

Strikers

Latvia international Deniss Rakels is newly arrived from Polish side Cracovia. The 20-year-old “sure looks a mean machine and looks quite calm in front of goal”, “He looks comfortable out wide and is right-footed so may find a place on the wing or as part of a front three like Nick Blackman.”

“Lucas Piazon scored a quality freekick against Huddersfield but he could have been substituted immediately after that. The rest of his game was almost decent touches and powder-puff, being muscled off the ball by a crisp packet”, “He took his goal well but was overpowered several times.”

“Why McDermott bothers with Piazon is beyond me”, “Anonymous”, “Ineffective”, “He’s a bit too easy to kick out of the game. He’s your typical luxury player but without much of the creativity you hope to get while carrying them”, “He isn’t a ball-winner and too lightweight for the Championship.”

Yann Kermogant

“Kermogant looks decent and will hopefully partner Vydra well”, “He looks strong and good in the air and played some nice touches. We were much better with him on the pitch”, “He gave us a little something that Piazon has no hope of matching”, “He looked surprisingly sprightly given his age.”

The 34-year-old arrived from Bournemouth on January 20th and has made one substitute appearance against the Owls, missing a great opportunity to win the game with a header late in the game. “Williams told me that the Wednesday defender got a tiny touch on his chance when it came over.”

“At last we have a proper centre forward”, “It looks like he knows how to play football”, “He is precisely what we have been missing. He barely lost a header and seemed to be a step ahead of everyone”, “He could be a near-perfect partner for Vydra. If the two click it could work well for us.”

Matej Vydra

“We lack someone to lead the line and Vydra has been asked to do this when it’s not really his forte. He has worked hard and his link-up play has been very good at times. He came with a pedigree and a reputation and was brought in to score goals. So far he has failed to do that effectively.”

The 23-year-old Czech Republic international is on a season-long loan from Watford. “I was pleased for Vydra and his hat-trick against Huddersfield”, “He has deserved every bit of criticism just as he deserves congratulations for doing well tonight”, “Hopefully the monkey is off his back, as it were.”

Although Vydra has netted six goals in the Cup, his haul of just two league goals has frustrated fans. His penalty miss against Sheffield Wednesday, four days after netting a hat-trick in the Cup, was met with a weary response. “Any confidence he had is now gone, we are now back to the cow’s arse-banjo scenario.”

“Matej missed the penalty but caused loads of problems”, “He put in a right shift but nothing came off”, “I was hoping he would come alive today but it was the same old, same old”, “For the money paid for one year, he should be on 15-plus goals by now”, “In every other way he is a quality player.”

Royals’ Views on ITFC and the Game

“Hopefully we can narrow the gap to Ipswich by beating them in our next league match”, “After the Ipswich game I thought we were ready to make a promotion push”, “Like everyone else my head was turned by the Ipswich result and I thought we had every chance if our players gelled well.”

While there has been little discussion of Tuesday’s game, many Royals have returned to the strange 5-1 game we played out in September in their discussions. There is agreement that the result did not reflect the game and it acted as something of a mirage for a Reading season which has faded since.

“Most of us thought the 5-1 score against Ipswich flattered us”, “Ipswich caused us more problems defensively than any other team I have seen at the Madejski Stadium this season. The 5-1 score totally flattered us. Didn’t we have seven shots and score five goals?”

I will update the forum on Tuesday afternoon if there is sufficient additional comment about the game and I will link this on my Twitter feed.

Websites

The busiest Royals’ message-board is the well-informed HobNob Anyone?. Some additional comment and discussion can also be found at Royals Rendevous.


Photo: Action Images



Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.



TR11BLU added 11:53 - Feb 1
Great read as ever Harry.

I guess most will be citing a nailed on home for this one but we have a shocking recent record against these and they seem to pull out big results against the top teams. I would take any win tomorrow....I fear a draw at best.
3

vanmunt added 11:56 - Feb 1
The game that ruined our season, it was even worse that we didn't play that poorly.
2

ericclacton added 13:11 - Feb 1
Oh dear Harry, this lot again, they always play well against us, still fingers crossed we might give them a good game and get three precious points.
Good stuff mate.
2

WadeyBlue added 13:31 - Feb 1
Of course we will win, its a Tuesday evening...
3

tractorgrl added 13:51 - Feb 1
Thankyou Harry, two things that stood out for me, 1, that their f.a cup game was only a tenner? 2, muscled off the ball by a crisp packet!! Kermorgant uggggh.
2

MaySixth added 13:54 - Feb 1
Thanks Harry, excellent read as ever.
1

LankHenners added 14:08 - Feb 1
Thanks again Harry, the team with a strong claim to be our new bogey team visit us on a Tuesday night! We just don't seem to play very well against them, but as this is a game in hand on Birmingham, it's a real incentive to go and get the three points. Going for a scrappy win.

They're pretty right in their comments - we caused them problems in that freak game but Mick's decision to let Paul Jewell coach the defence was a costly one. Just one of those nights for them, hopefully it will be 'one of those' for us tomorrow.
3

essextractorboy93 added 14:52 - Feb 1
Top work again Harry! Always look forward to these reports. On paper I think Reading have a strong Championship team, plenty of options. We don't have a great recent record against them, certainly at the Madejski!

Vydra will be a real threat, remember him at Watford when he scored a load of goals one season. Always liked Norwood in central midfield, good player.
3

Seasider added 17:43 - Feb 1
Only our 3rd heavy defeat the 5-1 by Reading under MM; the other two being a 5-0 thrashing by Palace and a 6-0 humiliation by Leicester(look where they are now).Both these games were however in his first month in charge.

Have only had one big win,and this was 4-0 against Middlesbrough(my how times change).
This was also in Micks first season in charge;but for that game TC was alone in the dugout,as his boss was ill.

I keep hoping that one day under Mick we will have a comfortable win by 4 clear goals,but have yet to see it.Always go to most games hoping for this but usually draw this season or just scrape a win;but I live in hope that will see another big home win before I die
1

Lukeybluey added 23:31 - Feb 1
Great read as ever!
1

NSL added 12:51 - Feb 2
Nick Blackman and Orlando Sa did all of the damage that day but have both been sold in this window! They shouldn't pose anywhere near the same threat without those two but worrying that Vydra has found some form and Kermogant is quality.
1


You need to login in order to post your comments

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls

About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© TWTD 1995-2024