MATCHWATCH : Aston Villa (h) sponsored by a Terry Bell own goal

[SCIAG]

I actually thought that Villa pressed quite high and exploiting that was how we created our best chances (balls around the back for McCleary to chase).

The lack of substitutes did it for us. By the end, Villa were much fresher. It was utterly bizarre to see Stam bring on a centre back when we were chasing the game. He should have brought on Samuel at 1-1 and tried to win the match. We had two points to gain. 4-3-3/3-4-3 is probably the best formation for this team but last night we were crying out for someone with pace to feed off Kermie.

We were weak defensively in the first half, but that improved when we went with five at the back for a spell. Blackett didn't offer enough to justify selection ahead of Obita. Beerens was poor and should have come off.

Page 3 is embarrassing It was an ordinary game of football between two ordinary sides and we lost. We've had a dozen worse/less entertaining matches in the last year, and a dozen more in the year before that. We can't have the worst match ever every week. The possession has improved a lot in the past few months and despite our nervousness whenever Al-Habsi gets the ball, he shows remarkable composure and good decision making.

[genome]

I’m not going again until Stam changes his ways or he goes* What a joke of a second half. LOL at ALL the passing back to Al-Habsi EVERY.SINGLE.TIME…PANIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!….crowd getting frustrated and not making any changes…yet we had run out of ideas AGAIN. Same against Derby. Bored shi!tless of the all THE PASSING. You've got to have a plan B, if you can't bore the opposition to death with ALL THE PASSING. YET.....we just carried on.....PASSING.....until the end of the game. PASSING.



*see you at Forest

[chrisp]

I'm not a Reading 'fan', but attend lots of games as the Mad Stad is pretty close to where I work. I watch a hell of a lot of football across the country, at all levels (from Prem down to non league), but was really baffled last night!

Over the 15 times I've seen Reading in the last two years, last night was by far the most disciplined Reading have looked - and it's certainly the best football I've seen them try to play. The passing was measured, players were making space, and most were happy to be on the ball. It was your stereotypical smash and grab from an away side, who sit deep and counter sporadically. It's very hard to play against as a home side.

Reading were definitely missing a '10'. Someone who could provide that bit of class in the opposition third, but like I said, a vast improvement on what I've seen in recent years.

What did confuse me was how restless fans became when Al Habsi had the ball. In the modern game, teams build from the back - and against a disciplined defensive side like Villa, you sometimes have to go backwards to go forwards. It doesn't always work, but it's better than running into dead ends. Keep the ball, and build again. If not, the keeper invariably lumps it back to the opposition team.

I haven't seen/heard a reaction like that to a keeper trying to play the ball for a very long time. It's common even in the lower leagues these days... It must be new to Reading! You'll get used to it.

Positive signs, but missing a cutting edge.

[andrew1957]

I left feeling angry and frustrated after that and Stam was 100% to blame for that loss.

I cannot fault most of the players - who mainly gave 100% but only one manager wanted to win the game and it was not Stam. Three positive substitutions for Villa won the day.

Beerens was totally anonymous for the last 30 minutes. Why on earth did he not bring Harriott on - who has played well each time I have seen him. And why not give Samuel a chance? I can only think that Stam must think he is completely crap and his career at RFC must be over. Although again I have always been reasonably impressed when I have seen him. And so why not give him 15 minutes when Villa were frankly there for the taking.

At the end of last season I felt like never attending a game again. Then you try to get enthused but this entirely negative management of playing for a draw against a poor side makes my blood boil and then I wonder again what is the point of attending games at RFC. All we as fans want to see is the player and manager giving 100% to win a game. Last night the players huffed and puffed but Stam let us all down.

[genome]

Watch til the end...

https://twitter.com/paddypower/status/7 ... 3351336960

[Jano]

That was one of the most inept managerial displays I have ever seen in my life. As I said on twitter last night, the only thing Stam could have done to help Villa win that game more was to take off Al Habsi and put Samuel in goal - to be honest there must be more chance of him getting a run out there than actually playing him up front. Anyone with half a brain cell could see several players were dead on their feet from around the 75th minute.

[Glory Boy]

Congratulations to Villa for winning the league, the cup final and the eurovision song conttest tonight. the way they celebrated it cetainly seemed like it.

Who would want passionate fans like that.

[LoyalRoyal22]

Nothing new learnt last night. Performances have been pretty consistent so far, & last night was no different

5-4-4 in the league I would say is a fair reflection, and so far is setting us up to meet expectations ( mid table )

For the tactically inept group of supporters that do not understand the backwards passing, please take note... Our game plan is to keep the ball on the floor and prioritize possession. If we want to pass the ball out from the back into space, we require the opposition to press the defenders and the goal keeper to open up the space in behind. The reason for the exchanges between the central defenders and the keeper is to the suck the opposition in so we can exploit the space they leave. If the opposition keep all players behind the ball we will find it difficult to create effective attacking situations on the pitch

For those that demand a different way of playing, whichever way we go with this group of players we are extremely unlikely to break into the top six regardless

Jaap is doing a great so far with the tools at his disposal, another competent forward to compete with Yann would make all the difference

Fully expect us to win on Saturday, which would leave our league position looking very promising

[MoorgateRoyal]

For the tactically inept group of supporters that do not understand the backwards passing, please take note... Our game plan is to keep the ball on the floor and prioritize possession. If we want to pass the ball out from the back into space, we require the opposition to press the defenders and the goal keeper to open up the space in behind. The reason for the exchanges between the central defenders and the keeper is to the suck the opposition in so we can exploit the space they leave. If the opposition keep all players behind the ball we will find it difficult to create effective attacking situations on the pitch

I don't understand how people who claim to know so much about the game can't see this.

There was a moment last night when we were moving the ball about at the back, and McCleary got into some space so Moore pinged it out to him. A guy behind me almost had a stroke going mental when the ball was being passed at the back, then really exaggeratedly cheered the pass when it was made.

I just wanted to turn to him and explain that the whole point of the initial passing was to create the space for that pass but I don't think it was worth it.

[Maguire]

This is the delayed 1100 relegation service to League 1 calling at Broken Dreams Parkway.

TICKETS PLEASE

[LoyalRoyal22]

For the tactically inept group of supporters that do not understand the backwards passing, please take note... Our game plan is to keep the ball on the floor and prioritize possession. If we want to pass the ball out from the back into space, we require the opposition to press the defenders and the goal keeper to open up the space in behind. The reason for the exchanges between the central defenders and the keeper is to the suck the opposition in so we can exploit the space they leave. If the opposition keep all players behind the ball we will find it difficult to create effective attacking situations on the pitch

I don't understand how people who claim to know so much about the game can't see this.

There was a moment last night when we were moving the ball about at the back, and McCleary got into some space so Moore pinged it out to him. A guy behind me almost had a stroke going mental when the ball was being passed at the back, then really exaggeratedly cheered the pass when it was made.

I just wanted to turn to him and explain that the whole point of the initial passing was to create the space for that pass but I don't think it was worth it.

I just hope Stam remains stubborn, which I believe he will. Seems a strong character

[Top Flight]

For the tactically inept group of supporters that do not understand the backwards passing, please take note... Our game plan is to keep the ball on the floor and prioritize possession. If we want to pass the ball out from the back into space, we require the opposition to press the defenders and the goal keeper to open up the space in behind. The reason for the exchanges between the central defenders and the keeper is to the suck the opposition in so we can exploit the space they leave. If the opposition keep all players behind the ball we will find it difficult to create effective attacking situations on the pitch

I don't understand how people who claim to know so much about the game can't see this.

There was a moment last night when we were moving the ball about at the back, and McCleary got into some space so Moore pinged it out to him. A guy behind me almost had a stroke going mental when the ball was being passed at the back, then really exaggeratedly cheered the pass when it was made.

I just wanted to turn to him and explain that the whole point of the initial passing was to create the space for that pass but I don't think it was worth it.

The problem I'm feeling with this style of football at the moment is that those moments where we do find a bit of space to attack because we have passed the ball around alot and drawn out the opposition are too rare. We are not getting forward anything like the Coppell side used to do or with any of the bodies in the box. Before the game, on the big screen they were showing highlights of when we beat Villa 2-0 in the Premier League. It was striking the numbers we got forward and bodies that were in the box. We outnumbered our opponents in the box, goals were always looking likely. That side played football, they didn't just give the ball away to the opposition.

I think we just need to up the tempo and get forward faster. Passing around is pointless. We don't create anything. The focus should be on creating chances and converting chances. Football is about goals in the end. We should be good at scoring goals from many different situations. Free kicks, corners, crosses. We pass around for half an hour to work ourselves in to a crossing position, the ball comes in to the box and Yann is by himself outnumbered by 5 defenders. We have just had half an hour to create the crossing opportunity and we only have 1 man in the box. Coppell's side was much quicker in tempo. It was still a passing side. Hahnemann wouldn't just kick the ball out to nobody. He would also play out from the back, but it was faster and no nonsense. He would throw the ball to the half way line and get Little or Convey on a run or Murty. We would play out from wide areas and move rapidly up the pitch. If the route was blocked the ball would come into Sidwell and get switched to the other side. There was a real purpose to our attacking play. To get up the pitch, get in to positions where you can hurt the opposition put in dangerous balls and have bodies in the box ready to strike.

[savage 4 england]

Think Stam is doing a decent job.

No idea why Samuel can't at least get 15 minutes.

[biff]

Ins and outs already been covered. Blackett and Gunter were a shambles tonight.

What worries me is that Villa haven't been able to beat a home team in 24 matches. Every other team has had the wear with all to muster at least a draw. Why should we be any different? The manager lost us that. McCleary was dead on his feet from 80 mins. Harriott would've tracked the run and rescued a point. Not exactly entertainment is it.

[OLLIE KEARNS]

Whilst I share in the current boredom / frustration to a degree I fully understand how we're playing and why and it has been well explained in earlier posts above. The positives I'd take are that we are tweaking it slightly (a much better mix of long passing last night, both diagonals and in behind) and that Stam has only had one transfer window to develop a team to fit the style. Just a couple of better players could make quite a difference to end results.
With regard to two other points. 1. The crowd were panicking far more than the players when we played from the back in the second half. 2. I'd also have brought subs on more for fresh legs as I see our bench as being fairly weak at present. He clearly doesn't rate Samuel either which is obvious.
The team are currently above where I thought they'd be and, as Mick Gooding said last night, they've been in every game that they've played perhaps bar Brentford.
I'll remain patient for now albeit slightly bored at the same time !

[Pandoras Box]

'Our game plan is to keep the ball on the floor and prioritize possession. If we want to pass the ball out from the back into space, we require the opposition to press the defenders and the goal keeper to open up the space in behind'.

Yes, but what happens when the opposition know this, don't press, remain in and cover their own half and just stand watching a display of passing in the other half that has only Reading players in it? There won't be any gifted spaces.

Let's be honest - if we all know the game plan, don't you think they do too?

[tidus_mi2]

We weren't horrible yesterday but there was something off about the performance yesterday, notably there was a spell where Villa were camping right outside our area and we were just being closed down every time we tried to pass it out from the back. I've seen enough this season to suggest we can get this style of play right but it does feel like we're occasionally just going to have moments where we look uncomfortable at the back.

[Maneki Neko]

negative management of playing for a draw

this is nonsense.
both teams went all out to win that game in the 2nd half, and it was a pretty exciting, end to end game.


people shouldn't confuse the frustration of losing with it being an awful game.



as it is, we look well on course for midtable, & with continued improvement, or a shrewd January buy or two maybe seeing us push for th e play offs. we'd all have taken that at the start of the season

[Nameless]

Ins and outs already been covered. Blackett and Gunter were a shambles tonight.

What worries me is that Villa haven't been able to beat a home team in 24 matches. Every other team has had the wear with all to muster at least a draw. Why should we be any different? The manager lost us that. McCleary was dead on his feet from 80 mins. Harriott would've tracked the run and rescued a point. Not exactly entertainment is it.

1. Most of us those games were in the Premiership
2. Almost all were under managers much less competent than Bruce
3. Most involved a very different set of players
4. They got their goals due to a very lucky deflection and following a very poor refereeing decision

What does your last sentence mean ? This season is about a million times more entertaining than most of the last 2 seasons (the freak 10 game spell under Clark being the exception...)

[LWJ]

Been to over 500 Reading games and today was the first time I've left before the final whistle.

I find this hard to believe. Aren't you early 20s?