morty
Moderator
Staff member
On the bus on the way home, my God, that was truly awful. Second best for the whole game.
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Yellow Fever
New Member
Agree with that RT. Very flat performance from the players after the good run. Looks like we're battling Brentford, Blackburn and Wolves for the 6th play-off place now.
eatonparkboy
New Member
But to be fair and honest, I would take a play of place and have never been in the camp that says we must go straight back up. I look at clubs in serious trouble and think that its not the end of the world if we remain in this division for a year or two. I watched the Forest game and wondered if Pearce was now on shaky ground. But how ridiculous would that be in reality if the Forest board genuinely believe he can do it eventually.
And if we think we are heading in the right direction, and a ten point haul from December was very acceptable, then we mustn't lose our bottle now.
And if we think we are heading in the right direction, and a ten point haul from December was very acceptable, then we mustn't lose our bottle now.
Surgeryman
New Member
Why change a wining team? I assume Cuellar was injured? Take Jerome off for the useless Grabban? Why take O Neil off? I personally would review Howsons place if anything.
So disappointing after a recent upturn.
We should be doing so much better but still something is not clicking quite right at the moment? Is it the manager?l Players?
Lot to do if we we going to salvage this season with play offs our only real hope.
So disappointing after a recent upturn.
We should be doing so much better but still something is not clicking quite right at the moment? Is it the manager?l Players?
Lot to do if we we going to salvage this season with play offs our only real hope.
Surgeryman
New Member
The thing is a EPB is that we will most lightly be stuck here for more than a season or two.
Surgeryman
New Member
What do you think was the cause of that woeful performance Morty?
Personal Trainer
New Member
Now that automatic promotion is virtually impossible after 7 defeats, should we sell anybody if big money offers are made for them? We could be here for a while!
Yellow Fever
New Member
It did seem to be a very flat performance, which is strange given the recent run. I looked for a MotM, but found none. Johnson scored the goal, but he also conceded the penalty and could well have been sent off. I'm very much feeling that the play-offs are all we can fight for (much like QPR last year).
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Dubai Mark
Active Member
I really thought we had turned the corner and was soooo confident of a win today.....for such an apparently lack lustre performance after a nice run you have to suspect something is not quite right....but what?
Yellow Fever
New Member
Good question, Mark, but football is hardly an exact science. Some of these things will never be fully resolved.
morty
Moderator
Staff member
Combination of too many players having an off day and we have been rumbled tactically a little too. Reading spread their midfield wide, knowing our four central players would tuck in, and the width would come from our overlapping full backs. Whittaker and Olsson spent the game running into brick walls.
And Redmond may as well have not been on the pitch.
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RhythmicTheory
New Member
I'm not sure we can right off the automatics just yet (there are two remember),although granted i think its unlikely seeing as we haven't been consistent all season.
We have most of the top six to play, a lot of them at home, our problem definitely seems to be against lesser teams this year.
One inspirational signing in jan window could be a catalyst, be interesting to see how the squads are after, I still think our squad depth is going to count for a lot when we start to get to the business end.
We have most of the top six to play, a lot of them at home, our problem definitely seems to be against lesser teams this year.
One inspirational signing in jan window could be a catalyst, be interesting to see how the squads are after, I still think our squad depth is going to count for a lot when we start to get to the business end.
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RhythmicTheory
New Member
And if i were to put a finger on what we are missing, I don't see a lot of hungry players, there's plenty of good spirit, but I don't see anyone with a point to prove. We got promoted on the back of hunger last time, carried us all the way to 12th in the prem.
Either we have to sign that or give the youngsters more involvement.
Either we have to sign that or give the youngsters more involvement.
Din
Well-Known Member
It's worth remembering that there is still a long way to go in this season. On this day 6 years ago, we were 8 points behind Leeds United in League 1, but by the end of the season we were 9 points clear of them at the top of the table, and it could've been more as well. If we can put a run together in the second half of the season then we will almost certainly be in contention. Particularly as I'd be surprised if the likes of Ipswich, Bournemouth and Brentford sustain their current form.
At least 4 points from our next 2 league games against Bournemouth and Cardiff are pretty important though I think, and what is absolutely vital is that we keep hold of key players throughout January, and perhaps bring one or two in.
At least 4 points from our next 2 league games against Bournemouth and Cardiff are pretty important though I think, and what is absolutely vital is that we keep hold of key players throughout January, and perhaps bring one or two in.
morty
Moderator
Staff member
Do you know know what though? Our system has all too easily been sussed out again. An average manager with an average team has watched us and completely out foxed us. Just like happened so many times earlier in the season.
I can take defeat, we lose games, it happens, but the first half today was utterly abject, and I would have changed it before half time, as it was obvious how the threat of our overlapping fullbacks was completely snuffed out.
The ref played his part with some awful decisions, but Reading fell foul of some too, so no complaints.
And Redmond's head looks elsewhere.
This weeks team and last weeks bore very little resemblance to each other. Puzzling.
I can take defeat, we lose games, it happens, but the first half today was utterly abject, and I would have changed it before half time, as it was obvious how the threat of our overlapping fullbacks was completely snuffed out.
The ref played his part with some awful decisions, but Reading fell foul of some too, so no complaints.
And Redmond's head looks elsewhere.
This weeks team and last weeks bore very little resemblance to each other. Puzzling.
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Surgeryman
New Member
What's worrying Morty is you can see it and so can other managers, so why can't Neil adapt?It's almost like we won a couple of games so let's stick with it. Now I am all for sticking with a settled team so why change today?
I think that in all likelihood today is more of less a turning point to some extent regarding our chances of going up this year.
morty
Moderator
Staff member
Its odd, as I was confident of doing well today, I am a fan of his 4 central midfielders and overlapping full backs. And every team will basically have a system or two (which we have) that you more or less stick with, we are no different to any other team in the respect, you find a few things that works for you, based on the players you have at your disposal, and you mostly stick with it. Our "difference" player should be Redmond, who made very little difference at all today.
But, like i said, too many players had a very poor half, Neil should have spotted them snuffing out the full backs and directed them through the middle, perhaps putting Howson in a slightly more advanced role?
I'm not sure why Jerome went off, we looked the worse for it, especially from our out ball from goal kicks. Grabben actually looked lively, but there got to a point in the game, with maybe 20 minutes to go, where I just knew it wasn't going to happen.
Would like to see the incident again where Jerome was hauled back, because from what I say, the guy should have been off.
Canaryboy
Well-Known Member
Our chances are looking increasingly slim though aren't they..... look at the 'last 10 games' form chart for the top 3 teams...
We've lost 4 in our last 10 games.
Bournemouth have lost 4 all season, Ipswich have lost 3 all season.
Difficult to see us being able to go on the type of run necessary to gain automatic promotion. It would involve pretty much not losing again this season I think.
I've got a feeling we'll be losing somebody in January too, probably Redmond. Teams who sell their best players half way through a season seldom get promoted, the only example I can think of is Zaha, but he returned on loan to Palace for the remainder of the season. He is a Palace fan though and was their from the age of 9.
I doubt Redmond has the same level of loyalty.
We just don't seem to have what it takes. We were top at one stage and couldn't keep hold of that position for much more than a week. We had the opportunity to reenter the top 6 today but didn't take it.
Unless we can pull off a shock victory away to Bournemouth in our next league fixture, I'm writing off our chances of automatic promotion.
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splutcho
Moderator
It can still be done. We're not out of it yet, but it would need us to start getting consistent results and all evidence points to us being unable to do that. I'm not freaking out, but I'm feeling very deflated after today. I think we'll finish 4th or 5th.
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SussexYellow
Active Member
It was always going to be a bumpy ride.
At the moment it is one bad game after some encouraging performances. But perhaps it provides some perspective. Highlights a bit of over optimism too soon on the back a few games that have gone well, and from what I have read elsewhere a tendency to swing too far back in the other direction on one adverse result.
At face value it's one game possibly against opposition that we do not match up well against, that can happen. It's the poor run in October and November that has done the damage, not today's game. That has put us behind the clock in terms of points accumulation, and so every set back hits us hard, harder than it should. But one set back should not result in sudden doubt about a management team that only hours ago was being lauded.
Time to keep our nerve guys, and be realistic and realise that there will be set backs.
COYY
At the moment it is one bad game after some encouraging performances. But perhaps it provides some perspective. Highlights a bit of over optimism too soon on the back a few games that have gone well, and from what I have read elsewhere a tendency to swing too far back in the other direction on one adverse result.
At face value it's one game possibly against opposition that we do not match up well against, that can happen. It's the poor run in October and November that has done the damage, not today's game. That has put us behind the clock in terms of points accumulation, and so every set back hits us hard, harder than it should. But one set back should not result in sudden doubt about a management team that only hours ago was being lauded.
Time to keep our nerve guys, and be realistic and realise that there will be set backs.
COYY
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