Overthehills
Long term sufferer - Ever optimist
Those well drilled, solid banks of Reading defensive lines had us in their pocket today. But to be fair, we made it very easy for them didn't we?
This isn't anything new.... it was apparent in our second Premier League season and unfortunately it is something that has continued to linger like dead vermin.
We are so one dimensional, so singular planned, so very predictable and to be honest... being a very thin squad only makes it simpler for the opposition.
MGW came in and became an unknown quantity...for a while this worked. But the opposition know what he is all about now and they simply stifle him out of the game by double man marking.
We can dominate possession, we can throw a few bodies forward...but the majority of the time, it simply fizzles out to nothing.
We don't even have an effective plan A, never mind a B or C......
Tactically we are very much the same week in, week out......
The reason that we equalised today.... suddenly Egan was in the mix and that extra body, that difference..... it was enough to throw the opposition and catch them off guard. I think this is why part of me longed for Basham on the pitch as well, because his marauding runs into the opposition side of the pitch might have just changed the dimension a little bit. It might have given Reading something a bit different to think about.
Berge came into the game and he wasn't effective, because Reading had done their research. They sat solid with discipline and double man marked.
Jebbison isn't the answer.... a few cried out for him and asked why he wasn't playing a while back. He isn't ready for this yet! He did okay at Burton, but this is a gulf above. He's naive, he lacks the instinct and experience.
Ndiaye is a bit more raw maybe and he does seem the more clever out of the two. But he isn't an out an out striker, more an attacking midfielder.
Stevens and Baldock don't get into the advance positions that we would like them to, the ones that they used to do.. having their presence would even give us thay little bit of difference in dimension and threat.
Unfortunately for us, the only players that hold the experience and creativity are injured. Sharp may be old, but he's still a sly fox and makes the right runs... he puts himself about and drags players out of position.... Bogle was a revelation for us, he was attacking minded and gave us a real alternate threat..... Brewster was just slowly starting to get it maybe as well...
In conclusion.....this team isn't quite good enough and it isn't quite working. Do we simply blame the players ? Are they just too basic and / or leggy now?
Hecky, McCall and Lester have a bit of a smokescreen that they can hide behind.... so we can't conclusively blame the management and tactics. They inherited a limited squad and thay has become a great deal worse through mass injury.....the team has pretty much picked itself most weeks in certain areas.
But other than instilling a bit of confidence in the lads, where have they truly put their stamp? What have they introduced or changed, in order to make us more industrious?
When it comes to predictability....I think we can place a bit of blame in the managerial department. If we can see weaknesses from the stands... if we can see it isn't working.....if we can see we are ineffective and need to change it up...... then why can't they??
What it with the reluctance to roll the dice??..... Today's half time introduction of Berge being a very rare occurrence.
It simply isn't good enough..... we play into the hands of our opposition and make pre match preparation far too easy for them.
This isn't anything new.... it was apparent in our second Premier League season and unfortunately it is something that has continued to linger like dead vermin.
We are so one dimensional, so singular planned, so very predictable and to be honest... being a very thin squad only makes it simpler for the opposition.
MGW came in and became an unknown quantity...for a while this worked. But the opposition know what he is all about now and they simply stifle him out of the game by double man marking.
We can dominate possession, we can throw a few bodies forward...but the majority of the time, it simply fizzles out to nothing.
We don't even have an effective plan A, never mind a B or C......
Tactically we are very much the same week in, week out......
The reason that we equalised today.... suddenly Egan was in the mix and that extra body, that difference..... it was enough to throw the opposition and catch them off guard. I think this is why part of me longed for Basham on the pitch as well, because his marauding runs into the opposition side of the pitch might have just changed the dimension a little bit. It might have given Reading something a bit different to think about.
Berge came into the game and he wasn't effective, because Reading had done their research. They sat solid with discipline and double man marked.
Jebbison isn't the answer.... a few cried out for him and asked why he wasn't playing a while back. He isn't ready for this yet! He did okay at Burton, but this is a gulf above. He's naive, he lacks the instinct and experience.
Ndiaye is a bit more raw maybe and he does seem the more clever out of the two. But he isn't an out an out striker, more an attacking midfielder.
Stevens and Baldock don't get into the advance positions that we would like them to, the ones that they used to do.. having their presence would even give us thay little bit of difference in dimension and threat.
Unfortunately for us, the only players that hold the experience and creativity are injured. Sharp may be old, but he's still a sly fox and makes the right runs... he puts himself about and drags players out of position.... Bogle was a revelation for us, he was attacking minded and gave us a real alternate threat..... Brewster was just slowly starting to get it maybe as well...
In conclusion.....this team isn't quite good enough and it isn't quite working. Do we simply blame the players ? Are they just too basic and / or leggy now?
Hecky, McCall and Lester have a bit of a smokescreen that they can hide behind.... so we can't conclusively blame the management and tactics. They inherited a limited squad and thay has become a great deal worse through mass injury.....the team has pretty much picked itself most weeks in certain areas.
But other than instilling a bit of confidence in the lads, where have they truly put their stamp? What have they introduced or changed, in order to make us more industrious?
When it comes to predictability....I think we can place a bit of blame in the managerial department. If we can see weaknesses from the stands... if we can see it isn't working.....if we can see we are ineffective and need to change it up...... then why can't they??
What it with the reluctance to roll the dice??..... Today's half time introduction of Berge being a very rare occurrence.
It simply isn't good enough..... we play into the hands of our opposition and make pre match preparation far too easy for them.
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