Back from the game - Ipswich

[Plymouth_Royal]

Steve Coppell sounds suicidal on BBCRB.

With the performance he masterminded today, he'll probably be strapping bombs of despair and no hope to himself and setting them off before out next games.

We were woeful and there is nobody to blame but the players today. I seriously question, why start with Shane Long, he was useless - what about Noel Hunt?

For the first time in my life, I might be wrong with my prediction that we're going to go up.

i heard on the radio long had a good game and was unlucky to be substituted. anyone going to post player ratings....not that im expecting anything higher than a 6.

[Rex]

Why is it now we go full on for 10-15 minutes, fail to score and then fall off and run out of ideas.
Kits and Little came close. Little flashed on straight to the keeper. Thay says it all.

Hoof ball, head ball and dire football.

[PEARCEY]

Brum just gone 1-0 up

[Skin]

I would like to think the players and management are still in the dressing room discussing where we keep going wrong and what we are going to do about it. Naturally a meeting of this importance and nature should take them at least another 5 hours, if anyone has seen any of the players or team leave the ground before midnight please report it on here, it would be a disgrace.

[Harry Carry]

LOL! Cameron Jerome - GET iN

[RoyalBlue]

Sorry Steve but that was absolutely clueless!!

Bring back the old boys, shuffle the team again with apparently no real purpose/tactics and even play sodding Sweet Caroline. Then after the game give an interview saying you haven't got a clue who you will pick on Tuesday. No wonder the sodding team and fans lack confidence when their manager doesn't give off one hint of positivity and forward thinking!

'We had to chase the game again and that's not our strength' !!! Even great teams fall behind but the reason they are great is because they are able to chase games, get back into them and win. If that's not a strength of our current team then the team isn't good enough.

As for the substitutions!! Bryn absolutely dead on his feet but Marek is brought on, Rosenior taken off and Bryn asked to stay on, play right back and get up and down the pitch

And where the hell was Tabb? Another great transfer window from Mr Coppell. Sure, we can get some loan players but the one past player we really need back on loan (but have absolutely no chance of getting) is Steve Sidwell. He was never properly replaced and it's costing us dear for a second season running.

What a shame that our great memories of Steve Coppell are fading into history, as we are subjected to week after week of clueless crap and 'I don't know what to do' from our past great. Maybe it's time to call it a day at 1,000 matches and for us to pinch Rodgers off Watford.

[Ozymandias]

We criticise Coppell for not making changes, now we are criticising him for not making the right changes. He really can't win.

Read my posts for team selection for the last 18 months or so - I've not changed my demands but Coppell still can't suss the most effective team selection.

Idiot.


Steve Coppel is a football manager, I would probably bet that you are not. Leave him to do his job. If he doesn't get us up, then assess the situation then.

http://hobnob.royals.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=85391

+1

Bigger Idiot.

He makes the selection, we may agree with them, we may not. The players kick the ball, not Steve Coppell.

Rubbish result, and rubbish performance, but move on.

Stop looking for a scapegoat.

[Royalee]

Yes, I'm an idiot for daring to challenge him like I did last year before morons like you were proven wrong and we went down.

[chilipepper91]

First half was ok. We made a few chances.

Second half - dire. No direction.

DROP DUBERRY. Every time he got the bloody ball he just hoofed it up field. The guy who said he was MOTM on BBCRB - I laughed out loud in the car.

DROP ROSENIOR. He can't do anything other than hoof down the wing and try to run past his man (and generally fail).

DROP S. HUNT. All he does is run.

The rest of them weren't quite as bad.

Kitson was lazy, as we remembered. Little was alright, a few good crosses. Long's control was as usual atrocious. Harper was anonymous.

Oh dear.

And what a reward for Tabb, putting in the corner for the goal only to get dropped. And what does Bikey have to do to get a game/even just on the bench?

[FiNeRaIn]

Give it a rest ozy, move on?... an hour after the game?

You need a reality check, this is a football forum where people have opinions. If you want to lick up the crap thats fed to you at the moment, then you can do so, others may wish to vent their furstrations.

Relegation form at home, unacceptable.

[Wimb]

I'm exiled in Cornwall so I've only seen two games this year, including Plymouth last week. I know some people feel those who weren't there shouldn't comment but I need to find some outlet for the sheer frustration as a Reading fan.

I'm sorry but we all try hard to back the team whether you are at home clicking refresh on the BBC feed or at the game. As long as whenever you get the chance sing/clap/stand/bang a drum with your heart out for the lads that's all that matters and we do need people to keep doing that till the bitter end.

However, our run of form right now is pathetic and something fundamental has clearly gone wrong.

As for today, why Harper was back in the team SSC only knows.

I only HOPE Hunt was there because Kebe and Tabb weren't fit enough to start.

As for the defence. I won't waste my breath repeating the hundreds of comments on why we need to make changes.

At least we've hit (a relative to us..) rock bottom. We can't be any worse. I really hope Brum win tonight just to send a rocket up the arse of the dressing room.

Short of that we need to get a grip and discover a formula to at least give us a chance of sneaking in the top two or competing in the play offs.

Otherwise im just gutted, absolutly gutted to see the team so spineless and drifting.

Some of the older guys on here have been reminding people where we came from and to think how lucky we are to be in 3rd place in the second tier.

For me that argument doesn't hold any value as you should be happy/sad based on the teams potential NOW. This season we've shown how good we can be and for whatever reason we are failing to hit those levels right now. Whether it's the manager/players/backroom staff I don't know.

PANTS day anyone?

[RoyalBlue]

Kitson was lazy, as we remembered. Little was alright, a few good crosses. Long's control was as usual atrocious. Harper was anonymous.

Oh dear.

And what a reward for Tabb, putting in the corner for the goal only to get dropped. And what does Bikey have to do to get a game/even just on the bench?

Disagree about Kitson. Thought he worked really hard and looked really commited to the task. Linked up well with the other players, particularly Harper who I thought looked a lot happier with Kitson in the team and played a lot better. Only thing I'd criticise him for was wasting the chance when Little put him in on the right late in the game and he wasted the opportunity by trying to get the ball onto his left foot, rather than hitting it earlier and across the keeper with his right.

I'm sure Ill get flamed for this but I thought Harper played damn well today. And for those people about to reach for the flame throwers - who was it that saved us when Ipswich were breaking forward three on one by racing back and somehow managing to slide in with a challenge just as Stead was about to shoot, doing enough to put him off so that he shot weekly at Marcus?

[Royal Lady]

Well, I wish I'd left at half time to be fair. First 15-20 minutes we showed a bit of promise - but as always, we just seemed lack ideas, play hoofball and generally be inept. I wouldn't like to say who I would put in the team because I can think of no-one who came out with much credit in that game and in past games. Kitson isn't match fit, but he got about a bit, not sure if he really was being pulled down or whether he was looking for free kicks all the time - shades of Lita there. Long has actually improved this season imo. He can hold a ball up, if he gets one, and has a bit more muscle to hustle for a ball in the first place. Glen's done well in his two games, but he's slower. Rosenior shouldn't be on the sodding pitch, same for SHunt and to a great extend Doobs. USA was ok, made a good save, not particularly troubled to be fair. Marek - another few stray balls, but no-one gets themselves into space enough. Harper put himself about a bit more, but he's still not the Harper of 05/06. Armstrong and Pearce looked pretty solid I suppose. I'd love to go in that dressing room at some point and ask the players what goes through their mind before and during a game. Do they go out there to win, because they certainly don't look much like they do. Do they talk to each other much on the pitch? Do half of them want away at the end of the season and couldn't really give a shite about the result or us, the fans?

We don't deserve to go up on lastest showings, if we did and we didn't considerably strengthen the team, we'd be thrashed week in, week out. If we don't go up, we'll slide to obscurity because we won't spend the money needed to get another Sidwell, another Shorey in his hey day, another (younger) combo of Murty and Little which worked so well previously. Still, STs are frozen, not that we'll be renewing ours if we don't start pulling something out of the bag.

Time and again I've said this over past seasons, but if you thought a team were giving 100% but still losing, you can't complain, but we've drawn and lost to woeful, woeful teams this season and certainly not all the players are giving 100% and if they think they are, then they need replacing because they're really not good enough. I've lost the will to get annoyed anymore, but if the woman behind me with her stupid whiny drony voice doesn't stop wetting herself everytime the other team get the ball and look like they might score, whilst simultaneously giving everyone around her a fukking running commentary on the game, I am going to hit her. Hard. Then I'll get banned from the stadium and I won't have to watch dross like that ever again.

[Alivey]

ouch RL i share your pain good analysis

[LoyalRoyalFan]

A dreadful performance.

All we do now is hoof it up the pitch. What does Coppell see in it? We never get anywhere.
Dubbery is a big culprit of this 'hoof ball' stuff. Instead of controlling the ball and picking out a pass,he just whacks it upfield. It is time to bring in Bikey. Rosenior had a shocker as well.

Do we even have a midfield. We miss it completely during the match. We either hoof it up to the strikers or play so wide down the wings. Why don't we try and go through the centre?

Kitson was quiet all game. To be honest we didn't really need him back. It still baffles me why Coppell ( presuming he wanted to win the game or get something out of it ) didn't put on three strikers rather than taking Long off?

Stephen Hunt was taken off. Finally Coppell realises that his set pieces are awful.

[a royal called morty]

At least we've hit (a relative to us..) rock bottom. We can't be any worse. I really hope Brum win tonight just to send a rocket up the arse of the dressing room.

You may just get your wish, 2-0 up now Bouzza

[PEARCEY]

A dreadful performance.

All we do now is hoof it up the pitch. What does Coppell see in it? We never get anywhere.
Dubbery is a big culprit of this 'hoof ball' stuff. Instead of controlling the ball and picking out a pass,he just whacks it upfield. It is time to bring in Bikey. Rosenior had a shocker as well.

Do we even have a midfield. We miss it completely during the match. We either hoof it up to the strikers or play so wide down the wings. Why don't we try and go through the centre?

Kitson was quiet all game. To be honest we didn't really need him back. It still baffles me why Coppell ( presuming he wanted to win the game or get something out of it ) didn't put on three strikers rather than taking Long off?

Stephen Hunt was taken off. Finally Coppell realises that his set pieces are awful.

Time to bring in Bikey. You'll be lucky. Coppell doesn't reckon he's good enough to make the squad even though the team is going through an abysmal run. Bikey's best off out of it really.

[starbug]

First half was ok. We made a few chances.

Second half - dire. No direction.

DROP DUBERRY. Every time he got the bloody ball he just hoofed it up field. The guy who said he was MOTM on BBCRB - I laughed out loud in the car.

DROP ROSENIOR. He can't do anything other than hoof down the wing and try to run past his man (and generally fail).

DROP S. HUNT. All he does is run.

The rest of them weren't quite as bad.

Kitson was lazy, as we remembered. Little was alright, a few good crosses. Long's control was as usual atrocious. Harper was anonymous.

Oh dear.

And what a reward for Tabb, putting in the corner for the goal only to get dropped. And what does Bikey have to do to get a game/even just on the bench?

You read my mind - agree 100%

[SteveRoyal]

Stop looking for a scapegoat.

How is the manager a scapegoat? When push comes to shove, it's down to the manager to get the results.
He picks the team, he chooses the tactics, he signs the players, he gives confidence to the players, he advises players... need I go on?
He is the reason we have not been getting the results we need. I don't want him out just yet, but this horrific run is crippling my faith in Reading Football Club.

[PistolPete]

We criticise Coppell for not making changes, now we are criticising him for not making the right changes. He really can't win, the only thing that matters is results at this moment and those aren't coming. Back to the drawing board, for me getting Bikey back in for Doobs, starting Matejovsky and Cisse in the midfield and giving Doyle and Kitson the strike partnership is an answer. It might not be THE answer, but it is worth a punt.

Absolutely 100% on the money.

We can go up, we are still on of the favourites to go up, but we need to start NOW.

BIkey is important for the team not only because of his defensive capabilities, but because he's a great asset at set pieces.
Kitson and Doyle are far and away the classiest strikers at the club AND they're hard working - what more could you want?!
Matejovskey is the creative spark we need, Cisse is (or could be) the box to box player we've missed since Sidwell left.

The team Seahawk speaks of needs to play together. We also need the wingers to up their game BIG TIME.

I for one am proud to have Coppell as manager and hope he can turn things around - I expect he will.