How To Win Games And Infuriate People...

[mozo]

There seems to be a lot of hysteria after the thrashing we were dealt by Reading, so I thought I should get debate back to the important stuff.

Reading were the best team I've seen this season and these are the reasons why:

They are a big strong side; a lot of muscle and athleticism.

They defend from the front, and gave our lads no time to pass the ball or build momentum.

Full-backs and wingers link up well in both defence and attack.

Cisse was clearly given instructions to man-mark Elliott out of the game. He never left Marv's side and completely outplayed him.

Chances were taken. Doyle missed an early chance but after that the finishing was cool and calculated against a very decent 'keeper in Basso. Maynard had a similar chance, but he missed it.

They have many Premier League standard players. Only Basso, Elliott and Fonts look like they have any chance to go on to acheive that in our side.

Like us, they have a shrewd manager, but Coppell has more experience of big games than our Gary.

Finally, they were up for it, whilst we were weak, lethargic and clumsy.

Good sportsmen learn from defeat, and I hope many of our players realise that they have a responsibility to themselves to aim to match that level of athleticism, intelligence and killer instinct.

[Mr Mosquito]

There seems to be a lot of hysteria after the thrashing we were dealt by Reading, so I thought I should get debate back to the important stuff.

Reading were the best team I've seen this season and these are the reasons why:

They are a big strong side; a lot of muscle and athleticism.

They defend from the front, and gave our lads no time to pass the ball or build momentum.

Full-backs and wingers link up well in both defence and attack.

Cisse was clearly given instructions to man-mark Elliott out of the game. He never left Marv's side and completely outplayed him.

Chances were taken. Doyle missed an early chance but after that the finishing was cool and calculated against a very decent 'keeper in Basso. Maynard had a similar chance, but he missed it.

They have many Premier League standard players. Only Basso, Elliott and Fonts look like they have any chance to go on to acheive that in our side.

Like us, they have a shrewd manager, but Coppell has more experience of big games than our Gary.

Finally, they were up for it, whilst we were weak, lethargic and clumsy.

Good sportsmen learn from defeat, and I hope many of our players realise that they have a responsibility to themselves to aim to match that level of athleticism, intelligence and killer instinct.

Excellent post mozo barring one very important fact you overlooked - until Reading played us at Ashton Gate they had lost 4 and only won 1 away game. They were/are beatable. They played us off the park yesterday and that's worrying, very worrying.

[Spiderman]

Excellent post mozo barring one very important fact you overlooked - until Reading played us at Ashton Gate they had lost 4 and only won 1 away game. They were/are beatable. They played us off the park yesterday and that's worrying, very worrying.

Maybe they are inconsistent - that win was 3-0 at Wolves. Just shows what they are capable of and if it coincides with playing a team on a bad day, well, that's what can happen.

All four goals came from down their right (OK, Brad gave the ball away for #2 in the middle) and, much as I don't love the guy, that probably wouldn't have happened if McAllister was playing. Couple that with Ivan being on the park and they were virtually playing ten men. Then we have LJ having a 'mare ... McIndoe and Maynard being completely ineffective (although occasional signs that he and Stern John could get along well) ... Marvin a long way from his best still ... Reading being super-clinical in front of goal. Just a bad day for the club and can be forgiven in my opinion.

Only one long-term conclusion from the game: Ivan should be shipped out ASAP in my opinion, anything over £500 and we should snap their hand off. Yes, that's £500 and not the ridiculous £500k that GJ deemed he was worth. You cannot be worth half a mill if you do not have any semblance of a footballing brain.

[Robbored]

Reading showed us what level we have to reach if City are to be serious contenders this season. No point looking for excuses. Reading were/are simply better than City and sooner we accept that the better.

The bottom line is that they have better quality players - end of.

[bh_red]

As Already stated by others, Reading were better than us in every single department, prior to the game, I really was dreading it and was only slighty optimistic about us even getting a point. (something that many friends gave me plenty of stick about)

However as much as they were EXCELLENT, we were much worse than we could have possible expected and most of the goals conceeded were due to basic defensive errors which we don't normally make

That said, Reading were the best team seen at the gate for as long as I can remember, probably since Newcastle battered us 5-0 10 years or so back.

The only thing that will stop Reading for Auto Promotion is Reading, if they can keep focused and motivated, no one can stop them.

[greenun]

Reading showed us what level we have to reach if City are to be serious contenders this season. No point looking for excuses. Reading were/are simply better than City and sooner we accept that the better.

The bottom line is that they have better quality players - end of.

Although I can accept Reading's quality, if City had started where they left off against Sheffield United, then the Royals would have faced a far sterner test.

Our meek surrender in the first 16 minutes killed the game and Gary should have made substitutions then rather than at 4-0 down after an hour. David Noble must wonder how badly we have to perform before he's allowed to set foot on the pitch. Remember when Noble rescued a point for City against Plymouth on 30th September? His 'reward' was to warm the bench at Bramall Lane four days later, despite a 3-0 mauling when we only used two replacements and the final substitution of Maynard for Akinde took place on 65, which was four minutes before James Beattie scored United's third.

Now, I've always been concerned about Noble's inability to play at a high-tempo for ninety minutes, but those two examples are a little mystifying.

In summary, I'm a little worried about the relationship between our players and management right now.

[mozo]

Reading showed us what level we have to reach if City are to be serious contenders this season. No point looking for excuses. Reading were/are simply better than City and sooner we accept that the better.

The bottom line is that they have better quality players - end of.

No, not 'end of'.

As we saw last season, it's not the quality of players that gets you in the play-offs, it's the way you use them, and the way they perform.

The point of this thread is that there are ways to win and we need to get into good habits again, because largely this season we haven't performed.

To start with, our lads are trained hard, and so should have the fitness and stamina to close down the opposition all game, and to mark tight with tenacity. Annoyingly, Reading did this and we didn't.

We also need the full-backs to perform better at both ends of the pitch.

The better players in our side need to win their personal battles for us to have a chance, but sadly Elliott and Fontaine didn't, whilst Stern John was the only player who actually did a shift.

Football is about details, and there are plenty more factors that saw us soundly thrashed, so I thought I'd canvass for more. Any ideas?

[WTFiGO!?!]

Go watch even an average Premier League game, obviously a higher quality of player technique is patent to see but it's the speed of mind that always gets me. Players seem to know instinctively where the ball's headed before its reached them.

Some one said on here the other week every time City broke (think it was Barnsley) we'd pause mid-attack allowing opponents to get back into shape, I knew what they meant; almost as though we were having to stop and calculate each move as we were going along.

I s'pose to cliche it it's 'pass & move' but you need intelligent Footballers to do it, effectively or otherwise. These cost money. Most teams at this levels show glimses of it, McSheffry and McFadden at Brum had 'it' in abundance for example, Reading also and if you were at West Brom last year you'll know exactly what I mean.

S'pose it's reading the game really, Tinnion always seemed to be a step ahead of play.

It can't be taught and if you come up against an on-song Footballing intelligently superior opponent then I personally don't know what the answers are. Funilly enough, Reading's 0-0 at Old Trafford last season springs to mind, think they did a proper man-marking job for 90 mins, remember players saying they'd never worked harder an Hahnamann (GK) getting MOM.

Hope this makes some sense.

ps/didn't help we gifted them three goals an it makes my arse sore just thinking about what Man Utd would've done to us.

[greenun]

The point of this thread is that there are ways to win and we need to get into good habits again, because largely this season we haven't performed.

Football is about details, and there are plenty more factors that saw us soundly thrashed, so I thought I'd canvass for more. Any ideas?

These two points really concern me, especially regarding central midfield. Johnson and Elliott are off form and Noble is only deemed good enough for a cameo role, even when we're being hammered. Skuse is only a capable holding midfielder who is currently injured (?) and Gavin Williams is prone to missing games.

So Gary doesn't have much to play with in that area unless we recruit and I'd suggest two loanees this week, if possible.