v Reading (a) - 17/8/22 - Mark 1

[Sweaty Gussets]

JDT quotes ^

[Sweaty Gussets]

[Sweaty Gussets]

[Sweaty Gussets]

[WacoRover]

Just now, Sweaty Gussets said:

JDT quotes ^

He’s right. This could very well be our worst effort of the year. Even the best stink up the joint occasionally. Liverpool has had two of ‘em, back to back. 

It’s only August, let’s forget it, and move on. Big game awaits us at ShefU. I dare say our lads will play much better.  

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

To paraphrase someone else - keep signing lower league players and eventually you get lower league levels of play.

[Sweaty Gussets]

[Andy]

Whilst I like BBD and 2 goals in 4 isn't a bad return so far, if any scouts were watching him tonight, we'll be lucky to get £3m never mind £30m.

[Spankus Munky]

5 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Well if Venkys Broughton & Waggot agree with that valuation he wont be going anywhere this window

[Bethnal]

12 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

JDT quotes ^

Pretty much exactly what you want to hear from him in this position.

[jones_rover]

With a glass half full perspective, hopefully tonight can end up being a positive in a way.

9 points on the board and top of the league after 4 games - would have snapped your hand off.

With one dreadful performance, hopefully it makes it super clear that we still need reinforcements in a number of areas bringing in.

If we'd papered over the cracks and even grabbed a draw or lost a tight game tonight, maybe there would have been less urgency to press ahead in the transfer market.

[Exiled_Rover]

52 minutes ago, Rochdale_rover said:

As an absolute minimum from that 

Dolan shouldn't ever start.

Vale should be in league 2

Give Edun a go at lb

 

You've just listed three players that aren't good enough for this team.

Dolan is the closest, but at best he's energy to bring off the bench for 10 minutes.

Gallagher was out on his feet against WBA and Hedges looked jaded too - Dolan and Vale might as well not have played tonight. That's why the midfield looked poor - nothing stuck up front, no runs were made and the ball just kept coming back at us. 

[riverholmes]

1 hour ago, Bethnal said:

Honest assessment with time to digest how shit we were in that final ten minutes:

beaten in midfield, two on their three was never gonna go.

major mistakes in starting Vale and Dolan, I don’t think we’ll see that again for a while, although you can forgive it based on how knackered players will have been.

Trav worked very hard but was fighting a losing battle. Same goes for Ayala and it could have been far worse without him.

Phillips isn’t the second coming, as it happens.

If we’ve been sussed in the fourth game by Paul ‘Shoot’ Ince then we’re gonna need quite a few plans.

It’s a learning experience and it gives JDT a lot of leverage in terms of getting Broughton to hurry up with signings. Not one to place blame with him as yet but if he doesn’t close deals this week, I will wonder what exactly he’s currently up to.

A shocker, abject, embarrassing to some extent, but not by any stretch the end of the world. It only matters what we do on Saturday as a response.

The 5 man vs 4 man midfield is an interesting contest. The 4 man midfield is outnumbered centrally but, potentially, has the advantage out wide, if full back and winger face the single wing-back on either flank. My less than qualified tactical advice would be for the 4 man midfield team to play direct diagonals and line balls to catch the opposition wing back out of positions, rather than too much of a slow build-up game which would invariably be crowded out in the middle. Match stats say Rovers 65% possession which could indicate that we were playing into Reading's hands - though I didn't see the game, so just guessing.

Another problem that Tomasson isn't directly addressing is that Phillips needs protection and is being taken off before the 90 mins. In which case, we really should have a CB on the bench, even if it's an inexperienced one. As mentioned before, I would be really interested to see Jake Garrett in the utility role, having at times played CB for the U23s/U21s. He might also offer better defensive protection in the middle than Morton, though, it's hard to judge until we see more of Morton.

Edit: Just looking at Garrett's height and a few sites have him as under 6 ft, so perhaps, that might rule him out of CB.

On a different point, I definitely agree about the need for pace in the full back area. Nyambe and Bell had deficiencies but their pace could be useful and that's still not been fully addressed, I think. If Edun could play LB regularly, it would add a something but it's still not clear if he's capable, with the Fulham defeat still haunting many of us. But, it might be worth a try.

 

Edited August 17, 2022 by riverholmes

[Exiled_Rover]

54 minutes ago, Armchair supporter supremo said:

Tbf dolan has been excellent when he's come on later in the game to ruffle a few feathers! Definitely not one I'd even be considering letting go anywhere

I'm not sure he'll ever learn - the one thing he did all first half (I think we was released down the right by Szmodics?) he still messed up. That was dying for an early ball across the box to Brereton. Instead he stopped, tried a little trick and killed the move. 

His decision making is terrible. 

[garnersfags]

We were poor on Sunday, in terms of ball retention, so I assumed that he would play 3 midfielders tonight, adding Morton or Dack to Trav & Buck.

JDT got it badly wrong, but the lack of quality and strength in the squad is partly to blame. 

We only need 2 forward players away from home, as long as we retain some midfield possession, as Diaz & Hedges or Gally will gladly run onto & chase the increased number of more accurate through balls that a 3 man midfield would provide. I think it was decided that Gally didn't have the strength to play 90 min after his heat exhaustion on Sunday, and Btittain was prob in the same condition. 

Reading are decimated by injuries, transfer embargo, and having Ince as manager, and JDT managed to make them look like world beaters. 

I really fear for us on Saturday, as much of the already thin squad is showing signs of mental fatigue. 

Time for our manager to step up, in acutely challenging circumstances. Not easy. 

[Bethnal]

2 minutes ago, riverholmes said:

The 5 man vs 4 man midfield is an interesting contest. The 4 man midfield is outnumbered centrally but, potentially, has the advantage out wide, if full back and winger face the single wing-back on either flank. My less than qualified tactical advice would be for the 4 man midfield team to play direct diagonals and line balls to catch the opposition wing back out of positions, rather than too much of a slow build-up game which would invariably be crowded out in the middle. Match stats say Rovers 65% possession which could indicate that we were playing into Reading's hands - though I didn't see the game, so just guessing.

 

Yeah, you’re right here. The problem we had was compounded by an effective and high press, so there were very few out balls at any point. Lots of passing around the back, then stretching the play before being pressed and losing the battles.
 

The diagonals weren’t plausible for us because there was no height and little accuracy in the first place so nothing came off. . Ben’s tall-ish but not that aerial. Szmodics, Dolan and Vale cannot do anything aerially. I’m not sure if Vale can do much at all at this level, which is a shame.

As a result we did play into their hands, lost the ball a lot in the middle and we’re constantly playing catch-up.

[A Northern Horde...]

1 hour ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Time for Broughton Venkys to do his their  job and get the players in that squad desperately lacks. 

 

[tomphil]

Despite some of the pathetic stick hes had on here after being a decent player for us we clearly missed Lenihen tonight. His leadership and voice as much as the balance he brought to defence.

[Exiled_Rover]

25 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

To paraphrase someone else - keep signing lower league players and eventually you get lower league levels of play.

Signing players would be a start. 

[Sparks Rover]

43 minutes ago, BigBar said:

Well it's about time he got called out on it by more than myself and a handful of others. Alwsys stress it's not personal and it isn't, not sure Morton is the answer either, need a man in there. 

Should have bought Whiteman when we bad chance.  First name on the nobbers team sheet, links the whole team together and takes no fuckin shit like our soft shites....had to be said.

[Exiled_Rover]

13 minutes ago, riverholmes said:

The 5 man vs 4 man midfield is an interesting contest. The 4 man midfield is outnumbered centrally but, potentially, has the advantage out wide, if full back and winger face the single wing-back on either flank. My less than qualified tactical advice would be for the 4 man midfield team to play direct diagonals and line balls to catch the opposition wing back out of positions, rather than too much of a slow build-up game which would invariably be crowded out in the middle. Match stats say Rovers 65% possession which could indicate that we were playing into Reading's hands - though I didn't see the game, so just guessing.

Another problem that Tomasson isn't directly addressing is that Phillips needs protection and is being taken off before the 90 mins. In which case, we really should have a CB on the bench, even if it's an inexperienced one. As mentioned before, I would be really interested to see Jake Garrett in the utility role, having at times played CB for the U23s/U21s. He might also offer better defensive protection in the middle than Morton, though, it's hard to judge until we see more of Morton.

 

We don't play with a 4 man midfield. 

[Sparks Rover]

33 minutes ago, Madon said:

 We go again on Saturday 🔵⚪

If their little legs have recovered.  Come on Greggy boy get some proper men in the building sharpish 

[yankfan]

13 minutes ago, riverholmes said:

The 5 man vs 4 man midfield is an interesting contest. The 4 man midfield is outnumbered centrally but, potentially, has the advantage out wide, if full back and winger face the single wing-back on either flank. My less than qualified tactical advice would be for the 4 man midfield team to play direct diagonals and line balls to catch the opposition wing back out of positions, rather than too much of a slow build-up game which would invariably be crowded out in the middle. Match stats say Rovers 65% possession which could indicate that we were playing into Reading's hands - though I didn't see the game, so just guessing.

Another problem that Tomasson isn't directly addressing is that Phillips needs protection and is being taken off before the 90 mins. In which case, we really should have a CB on the bench, even if it's an inexperienced one. As mentioned before, I would be really interested to see Jake Garrett in the utility role, having at times played CB for the U23s/U21s. He might also offer better defensive protection in the middle than Morton, though, it's hard to judge until we see more of Morton.

 

None of it matters if your front 4 cant hold the ball up for the first 45 min.  We couldn't get out (wide or in the middle) because everytime the ball went forward it came right back at us. 

[bluebruce]

35 minutes ago, Madon said:

Reading this thread is bloody well depressing. We are top of the league ffs. We go again on Saturday 🔵⚪

Yeh I can't imagine why people would feel down tonight...

[Exiled_Rover]

1 minute ago, yankfan said:

None of it matters if your front 4 cant hold the ball up for the first 45 min.  We couldn't get out (wide or in the middle) because everytime the ball went forward it came right back at us. 

No wonder they're trying to loan that Leicester lad in. Vale is miles off this standard. Absolutely miles off.