Match Thread Reading (1 Viewer)

ccfcchris

Well-Known Member
  • Coventry have lost four of their last five matches
  • The hosts have taken seven shots per game at home and faced twice as many
  • Reading have won seven of eight games in the league this season
  • Lucas Joao has scored eight in nine games for Reading
Royals on the Throne
Reading have made an incredible start to the season, with their midweek victory over Blackburn putting them seven points clear at the top of the table after just eight matches.

That impressive start has led to talk of a promotion push for the Royals, while they will look to enhance their chances with a victory in this visit to newly promoted Coventry.

Sky Blues are Falling Down
After a bright start to the season, Coventry are seeing reality set in after arriving from League One. The Sky Blues are struggling for points and have just five to their name, having seen their form take a turn in recent weeks.

The hosts have failed to win in six matches, while they’ve lost four of their last five. Coventry have been beaten twice in the last week, going down 6-0 on aggregate to Blackburn and Middlesbrough.

Their stats are a concern, having averaged just above seven shots per home game so far. They concede double the amount of shots in return, so we’re backing Reading in our predictions here.

Reading Running Away
While Coventry struggle, Reading have been making impressive progress at the top of the table. The hosts have won eight of their 10 games in all competitions this season, while they’ve claimed seven wins from their eight Championship matches.

The Royals gave scored 15 times and conceded only three so far, which should see them deal with a Coventry side who don’t create enough and concede too many chances. As a result, we’re backing Reading to claim a win, while our correct score prediction is a 2-0 win for the Royals.

Meanwhile, Reading have been fired to the top thanks to five strikes from Lucas Joao. The forward has scored in each of his last three games and has hit eight goals across his last nine matches for Reading, so we’re backing him to score anytime here.

Aaron Rogan


 

Grendel

Well-Known Member

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
Ive not even said get rid of him but you’d rather a short term boost manager if it’s needed - we need to stay in this league and that’s that. If he can do it fine - honestly I’m surprised how bad we look and I never would see logic in retaining a manager when relegated

A name would help, I get you’re not saying now but realistically who could we attract to do the sort of job you’re describing?
 

Hobo

Well-Known Member
I don’t know why you put a rather short man who’d jump at a minutes notice if offered a better deal before the club you claim to support - managers are vessels and entirely disposable - whats odd is you seem emotionally invested in a 50 year old man and get very defensive when he’s questioned. Bit silly isn’t it?

You never have any positives do you? You are a sad man who describes human beings as disposable vessels. You obvioisly feel like that about some of our young players? Nobody would play for you, you would lose the dressing room in a month.

You really are a sad individual. As for "claim" to support my team. Laughable from a creature I know doesn't do away games.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
You never have any positives do you? You are a sad man who describes human beings as disposable vessels. You obvioisly feel like that about some of our young players? Nobody would play for you, you would lose the dressing room in a month.

You really are a sad individual. As for "claim" to support my team. Laughable from a creature I know doesn't do away games.

So people who don’t go to away games (which all ours are) doesn’t support the team

Otis admits he’s doesn’t - he’s not a supporter? Wow
 

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
So people who don’t go to away games (which all ours are) doesn’t support the team

Otis admits he’s doesn’t - he’s not a supporter? Wow

Getting away from this, let's suppose we're cut adrift in January and we've flapped the December fixtures. We bin off Robins-who would you replace him with? Taking who's available now as an illustrative example and considering we'd be giving Robins a decent pay out
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Getting away from this, let's suppose we're cut adrift in January and we've flapped the December fixtures. We bin off Robins-who would you replace him with? Taking who's available now as an illustrative example and considering we'd be giving Robins a decent pay out

No one knows what his contract is and no one is saying yet he needs replacing. A name is silly. It’s the type you need. A bounce back ability type as it were for a short term lift. Hobo seems emotionally invested in Mark I hope they both are happy together.
 

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
No one knows what his contract is and no one is saying yet he needs replacing. A name is silly. It’s the type you need. A bounce back ability type as it were for a short term lift. Hobo seems emotionally invested in Mark I hope they both are happy together.

A name is important as if there's nobody in mind who would do a better job then sacking him is meaningless unless you think Viveash would provide the short term boost to results. We do know he signed an extension after the Sunderland approach so it probably wouldn't be cheap. You keep alluding to needing to stay in the league at all costs and referencing Luton's change in fortunes after binning their manager-it's on your mind at least.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
A name is important as if there's nobody in mind who would do a better job then sacking him is meaningless unless you think Viveash would provide the short term boost to results. We do know he signed an extension after the Sunderland approach so it probably wouldn't be cheap. You keep alluding to needing to stay in the league at all costs and referencing Luton's change in fortunes after binning their manager-it's on your mind at least.

No a name isn’t. If it happened there would be scores of applicants and it’s selecting from those. Who’d ever have even heard of the Barnsley guy but he’s hit the ground running
 

cc84cov

Well-Known Member
I don’t think anyone wants robins gone but everyone is seeing the same thing even Joy must know long balls to Godden won’t cut it at the level it’s if he refuses to address things when people will start doubting
 

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
No a name isn’t. If it happened there would be scores of applicants and it’s selecting from those. Who’d ever have even heard of the Barnsley guy but he’s hit the ground running

I must have signed him on every Football Manager game going in the mid-late 2000s. Sacking Robins and hoping for the best doesn't seem prudent
 

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
I fail to see the logic. If he can’t create a survival strategy given our finances are unlikely to change does he just get a free pass?

We’re not even a quarter through the season yet and we’ve had some tough fixtures. Pressing the panic button helps no one.

Contexts may change, but we should probably stick with Robins even if we did get relegated. In a similar vain how Ainsworth should keep his job, regardless.

I have faith Robins will adapt.

If we get relegated, it is what it is. We knew it’d be a tough season.
 

cc84cov

Well-Known Member
We’re not even a quarter through the season yet and we’ve had some tough fixtures. Pressing the panic button helps no one.

Contexts may change, but we should probably stick with Robins even if we did get relegated. In a similar vain how Ainsworth should keep his job, regardless.

I have faith Robins will adapt.

If we get relegated, it is what it is. We knew it’d be a tough season.
Robins knows what it takes,budget is a massive issue
 

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
Ive not even said get rid of him but you’d rather a short term boost manager if it’s needed - we need to stay in this league and that’s that. If he can do it fine - honestly I’m surprised how bad we look and I never would see logic in retaining a manager when relegated

We thought we got that when he hired Slade in 2017...

I get your overall point about mangers being disposable and so on. Familiarity can breed contempt, and in the right circumstances, Robins would have to face the axe. I agree on this.

However, one of the reasons for our success has been continuity. In my time as a supporter, we’ve hired a new manager every other year and with that, we had not identity or even medium term strategy. I’m not sure getting relegated would justify sacking Robins because realistically, we are financially outmatched by most of the teams. Rotherham kept their manger through relegation.

In a scenario where we are relegated and we stick with Robins, the team would have to look like bouncing back at the first time of asking.
 

Hobo

Well-Known Member
So people who don’t go to away games (which all ours are) doesn’t support the team

Otis admits he’s doesn’t - he’s not a supporter? Wow

Hang on, you are the one that questioned my status as a supporter saying "claims" to support the team. Dont drag Otis into your wonky logic.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Hang on, you are the one that questioned my status as a supporter saying "claims" to support the team. Dont drag Otis into your wonky logic.

go and have a lie down - take a poster of Mark with you
 

steve101

Well-Known Member
I am disappointed with most of our performances and results but Robins is the most successful manager since Jimmy Hill. He knows the club and the players and without a change in finances I cannot see anyone coming in and making a positive difference. If they can retain their belief I believe we are capable of staying up.
 

Jamesimus

Well-Known Member
After seeing McFadz running at players and slipping through balls in behind the defence I think we should put him where Allen has been.

There seems to be some posters on here who have him down as an extremely limited footballer, which I don't get.

He defo makes mistakes and has bad games, but I think he is technically more proficient than both Hyam and Rose and can pick a pass better too.

Makes me feel a bit sick when he tries clever little turns when being closed down by opposition forwards mind. 🤮

Basically what I'm saying is, just stick him up front.
 

mark82

Moderator
I am disappointed with most of our performances and results but Robins is the most successful manager since Jimmy Hill. He knows the club and the players and without a change in finances I cannot see anyone coming in and making a positive difference. If they can retain their belief I believe we are capable of staying up.

Quite. Without investment I don't think we'll stay in this league long term. We can maybe do a year or two but not much more.
 

JulianDarbyFTW

Well-Known Member
There seems to be some posters on here who have him down as an extremely limited footballer, which I don't get.

He defo makes mistakes and has bad games, but I think he is technically more proficient than both Hyam and Rose and can pick a pass better too.

Makes me feel a bit sick when he tries clever little turns when being closed down by opposition forwards mind. 🤮

Basically what I'm saying is, just stick him up front.

I miss the days when teams would shove a centre half up top in the last ten minutes. That was proper football.
 

Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Well-Known Member
Statistically I am right

Statistically I've never lost or even drawn a game at that level, or even PL and CL,

I also add that I've won exactly the same number of games as I've managed and given any number divided by itself expressed as a percentage is 100% I can therefore claim a 100% win ratio.

I'm a fucking tactical genius and should be in charge.
 

Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Well-Known Member
Bapaga I think is a great talent has been in squad last two games , so think he will be ahead of a few of these , think jobello will be given a chance too, biamou appears to have taken over from Baka . If Kelly is not selected on Friday we know robins does not see him in first eleven ( I think he should be)

We felt people like O'Hare would be doing well but he's been underwhelming. Shipley and Allen have struggled. All of those played regularly in a L1 winning side.

What we've seen of Bapaga is mainly at academy/U23 level which is an even bigger step up than those above. He started last season In L1 as a fringe squad player and was dropped back into the U23's. So while he is something a bit different and a ball carrier which may help us create more chances the speed, awareness and nous of the players he'd be coming up against is massively above that which he's faced thus far. He could end up trying to pass players and get dispossessed everytime. I don't see why people think Championship level defenders would struggle with him at this moment in time. He's a talent but he needs to develop a lot more to be ready for this level IMO.
 

Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Well-Known Member
No one knows what his contract is and no one is saying yet he needs replacing. A name is silly. It’s the type you need. A bounce back ability type as it were for a short term lift. Hobo seems emotionally invested in Mark I hope they both are happy together.

Those 'short term lifts' aimed solely at staying up are what got us in this mess to start with. Let's get another short term boost guy in so when he gets the job permanently we start to slide away, sack him a year later with a nice payoff and go straight back to square one then repeat ad infinitum. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Great strategy.

Now, in the past we've had these managers in purple patches approached and turned the offers down only and given a new contract just to them sack them six months later and I've often felt we should have taken the money and run before the wheels fell off.

With MR he's been here twice and seems to 'fit'. Even setbacks like big injuries to key players have ended up working in his favour as it's led to formation changes that better suited us. We know we've not got a very competitive budget and the players need to step up more but there's a long way to go yet.

The fact you won't put in a name you think would do better says it all. Take a shit or get off the pot - name the person/people you'd prefer right now who'd do a better job in the circumstances and would be available and affordable.
 

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
My bigger concern with Bapaga is how raw he is outside of his dribbling ability. His final ball, even when a simple pass to team mates seemed way below first team standards in the brief moments I’ve seen him. I’d worry about his positional sense and all the other stuff that comes with coaching and experience.

That said I’d still like to see him given ten mins one game to see how he gets on.
 

PUSB-We_are_going_up

Well-Known Member
Statistically I've never lost or even drawn a game at that level, or even PL and CL,

I also add that I've won exactly the same number of games as I've managed and given any number divided by itself expressed as a percentage is 100% I can therefore claim a 100% win ratio.

I'm a fucking tactical genius and should be in charge.
Soooo 0 games
0 wins???
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Those 'short term lifts' aimed solely at staying up are what got us in this mess to start with. Let's get another short term boost guy in so when he gets the job permanently we start to slide away, sack him a year later with a nice payoff and go straight back to square one then repeat ad infinitum. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Great strategy.

Now, in the past we've had these managers in purple patches approached and turned the offers down only and given a new contract just to them sack them six months later and I've often felt we should have taken the money and run before the wheels fell off.

With MR he's been here twice and seems to 'fit'. Even setbacks like big injuries to key players have ended up working in his favour as it's led to formation changes that better suited us. We know we've not got a very competitive budget and the players need to step up more but there's a long way to go yet.

The fact you won't put in a name you think would do better says it all. Take a shit or get off the pot - name the person/people you'd prefer right now who'd do a better job in the circumstances and would be available and affordable.

It really doesn’t say it all. Managers sometimes just are in the right place at the right time.

No one at the time thought Sillett and Curtis were good appointments at all.Nielsen was another cheap one and he didn’t do badly at all - Slade on the face of it wasn’t bad so it’s stupid to name names

What I don’t get is the argument if we go down to retain him. It rarely works and unless we want to be the next Burton Albion - which I don’t I wouldn’t advocate it as you are basically hoping we get back up again and then accept he can’t keep us up - again
 

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