Reading vs Newcastle United- Official Build Up / Match Day Thread

Thank Christ we rested our 'best team' midweek for the sake of that performance.

Piss poor doesn't get close to how insipid that effort was – however, largely consistent with ALL showings this season. Lethargic, lazy, zero tempo, no composure, loose and clueless.

The players need to wake up and realise that the season has kicked off for real...

 

i hope every 1s back for the derby

 

That was awful but then again we've been crap all season and aren't getting beaten in the league. That's the only positive I can think of.

 

This. 100%

 

Hi guys, I wasn't there but I think we were a tad unlucky with a draw at least according to the media on the Reading side, but we're still finding our feet in the premier and still have a lot of things to learn yet. Sounds like a great game, perhaps the best match of the season for RFC. Thanks for the chat last few days, and all the very best for you guys from now on!

 

Agree

 

We're hardly getting outplayed Marvo.

The only team that outplayed us was Chelsea. Everton battered us the first half of the game, then we were the better side in the 2nd. We were the better team vs Norwich.

Reading took advantage of our weaknesses in defence, but I think we were the side producing the most quality, and Reading hardly outplayed us.

At least we draw when we're playing ****.

 

I's great to win points when not playing well, but we're scraping draws that rely on controversial decisions and not our own play. This is pure luck.

At some point you have to show some kind of fluency and something of substance. Without the unexpected solo brilliance of certain players papering over the cracks we'd be in trouble.

What bothers me is that in EVERY match we look like the timid, nervous AWAY team – inviting pressure, over playing silly passes in our defense and just lumping the ball upfield to sacrifice possession time and again.

Eventually the luck will run out and the alarming regularity of this approach in our play needs to be addressed...

 

Norwich were much better than us for large parts of the game - We were trying to hang on ever since Cisse missed the pen. Everton battered us as you said. Villa outplayed us for considerable amounts of the game. Spurs battered us for the first half. Atromitos and Maritimo both looked much better than us.

 

The main thing is not that we avoided losing. Nor is it that we can only get better than a performance, which looked more like 10 wannabe models running around trying to get action shots under useless "smile with your eyes" direction of Tyra Banks, than the Newcastle United of last season...

No, the main thing is that one of our number was exactly correct with the prematch prediction... Oh holy mackem, it was me! Run for your lives, the end of the world is nigh!
Or else I can, having used up my one correct prediction this season, simply predict a lot of abysmal performances and losses for the rest of the games, safe in the knowledge that we'll win the league comfortably...

Poor performance was really instigated by poor team selection and positioning. Very weak tactical decisions, meaning we faced up square with them and lost the biggest threat we have in the legs of our forwards, as aimless long ball was punted in their general direction... I bet Fat Sam was having a crafty bit of alone time over it...

Two defensive mids and no attacking support meant our forwards were isolated. Stupid decision. Pardew has made some cracking decisions in the past, but today he cost us big, but the fact the players were pretty guff didn't help matters like...

So, positives? Santon's dribbling was fantastic. Better than Ben Arfa stuck out on that wing having to track back all the time. Harper was ok. Ba was sensationally clinical. And... that's about it.

Basically, the game confirms what we knew already, though. We are too weak in cover in several areas. Perch/Willo was an abomination and conceded two within minutes of Taylor heading off. As soon as Colo and Steve are owt, we let in a hat-full. Tiote is not fit enough to play two games so close to each other as yet, and Cisse isn't going to score if you don't give him any service. Jonas was pretty terrible for me today, bar tracking back (to be honest, a lot of the time that sums up his career with us... His crossing and shooting are a joke and, whilst they have improved a bit, are still woeful). We probably could do with a winger and moving Jonas more central in future.

... Anyhoo... Has Cabaye got herpes?

 

To be honest, I would've hoped Marveaux could displace Jonas as the starting left midfielder. Now Fergie looks even likelier than him, and that in itself isn't saying much.

Also, don't forget, I predicted Obertan to not play and thankfully he didn't!

 

Agreed 100%

To say that Reading didn't outplay us is being harsh on them and very sympathetic on our part. The stats show we had the greater possession (which is amazing) but even if that is true, they did more with it in terms of coherent invention, application, fluidity and purpose than we got anywhere near.

Just take the Hunt goal – it wasn't rocket science but was a proper chance carved out with effective pass, move, cross, goal. That fairly straightforward level of decent build up play just hasn't happened enough by our boys so far...

 

We have changed the tactics to long ball this season and done strange things to Jonas's role and we ****e basically.

 

And the winner of "Understatement of the Week" goes to...

You were more than a tad unlucky. We were awful for 90% of the game IMO

 

NUFC the worst team I've seen in the league this season!!! points have been through bad refereeing and Luck has got us 9 points

 

I totally agree !!! we are absolutely ****e so far and only Ba, Santon and Benny have been any good. We will lose to Man United and then it's the derby so I sense the bubble is finally bursting.

 

We've relied on it yes, but its not the full story. Were it not for Demba Ba and Ben Arfa's individual ability that luck would only have gotten us so far.

As a team and unit I'd agree we've looked amongst the most average in terms of general play...

 

Hi mate, I see you're a newbie... Unless you've heard of Mr Tiote that is... mmmmm

 

Of course I've heard of Tiote ? what the devil are you going on about ?

 

Hmmmmmmm

if you're sure, I'll offer my apologies and you can mark it down as mistaken identity...