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Conclusions against Reading

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Written by kirsikka

Reading v AFC Bournemouth – Match Report – Click here.

– Stats will tell you we had lots of possession and shots. Don’t be misled, one five minute spell apart this was about as comfortable a win as Reading will have all season.

– We’ve seen too many halves since Jason Tindall took charge that has been utterly devoid of organisation, leadership, cohesion and even ability on the ball. In matches where he was able to turn it around earlier in the season, it was a worry but he seems to have lost that knack. Time to start getting it right from kick-off.

– It was the right move to drop Brooks after his recent performances so I applaud that but the guys coming in didn’t seem all that bothered.

– Tactics, tactics, tactics. It’s fine being a Tinkerman when you get the results but when the wheels start coming off it makes it look like you don’t know what you’re doing. I’m much happier with the 4-3-3 than the 3 at the back but we need to decide on a system and stick with it for a while. Let some partnerships develop.

Tactical flexibility is great when you have a stock formation that the players can revert to if needed and know inside out. At the moment we seem to be failing to gel in about five different systems.

– Where was the hunting in packs? The team spirit? Driving each other on and supporting each other? On a team level, the defensive work was woeful.

– Remember all those other weeks where I mentioned we need to find a left-back from somewhere? Well, I do anyway. And we still do.

Man of the match against Reading

Err

Err

Umm

Umm

Stanislas?

Stanislas?

No one

No one

—– Player Ratings —–

Begovic – 6
Very poor on the second goal but he deserves to be bailed out by his team mates sometimes after his heroics this season. I get the feeling if it had gone in the corner he would have saved it, the problem was it being straight at him when he was set for the dive. A series of fairly routine saves kept it at three and pushes him back up to six.

Stacey – 5
Let’s be honest, he was poor. Not much threat going forward and very suspect defensively.

Mepham – 5
Witness the live installation artwork that was the footballing equivalent of a facepalm.

S Cook – 6
A few interceptions to save other players but where was his leadership?

Rico (off on 45) – 4
Awful.

Lerma (off on 45) – 5
Surely the man in line to lose his place to Pearson.

L Cook – 6
A long way from his good form not so far back. What happened to that?

Billing (off on 81) – 5
Sometimes you get good Billing, sometimes you get bad Billing. This was bad Billing.

King – 6
He wasn’t very good but there were a few moments when he did try. Probably a kind six.

Solanke – 5
A poor outing by his standards this season. The second game in a row he’s air shotted a good chance, I hope his touch hasn’t disappeared!

Danjuma (off on 45) – 5
Started brightly but then disappeared into the ether.

— Subs —

A Smith (on from 45) – 6
We needed the Smith that came on against Everton all those years ago and changed the game. Instead, we got a mostly standard performance.

Wilshere (on from 45) – 6
A few nice touches, a few weak moments on the ball, a few decent passes. Not enough as yet but just about gets away with it as it’s still early for him.

Brooks (on from 45) – 6
A massive step up from his recent showings. Still not perfect but started to look dangerous at times. I hope being dropped has got through to him that the way to get around nobody wanting to pay £40 million for him isn’t to play like a £40k player.

Stanislas (on from 81) – 7 and Man of the Match
I’m struggling to find anybody that really merited MotM that was on the pitch for longer so for scoring in his brief appearance JS can have it.

Overall Grade: F
A bad result allied to an extremely poor performance after a month of shoddy play in the league puts this, in my eyes, as our nadir so far this season.

Tindall is failing here. His predecessor was famous for having poor runs in a season but at least you could see what he was trying to do and there was an identity to the play and partnerships on the pitch. The team always then turned that form around, until last season. Now we’re on a bad run and I’m still none the wiser as to what system it is JT actually wants to play or how he intends to turn it around.

It’s like he’s flailing around at the moment and it doesn’t inspire confidence.

Max has a big decision to make as he’s backed Tindall to sign Pearson and Wilshere but the reality is we’re desperate for a LB as well. Will MD give him more money after the way this last month has gone? The next few days could be very telling.

Your say…

Jimmy 306  wrote…

Another honest appraisal, we had a five-minute start then back to same old same old. Players are not doing their job, a full-back first job is to defend. they seem to wander where ever they like. The second half with a few changes after 3 goals we started to play. I think a change is needed sooner rather than later. – Join the conversation, click here.

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Up The Cherries!

1 comment

  • stephen glintenkamp says:

    King should have gone! We were playing better football and scoring goals without him, he made it plain and obvious he does not want to be here anymore so let him go and lets get our team spirit back and start scoring again!! He has made 12 starts and scored no goals in the league, in the cup he has scored against Crawley and Oldham, whoopee !!!!

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