Oh Brad.....

[drgoodspeak]

What is going on?

When he first joined he was immense. As well as the much needed muscle he brought, in the first few games I remember thinking how well he used the ball and that he looked £6m worth. Now, he seems to be deteriorating with each game. He looks off the pace and often gives the ball away by overplaying. Where is his goal threat? I know it's not his position, but he's never a holding midfielder in a month of Sundays. Does he need Thorne to be effective? Is Bryson more of a goal threat? Won't Clement always find a space in the team for the record signing?

He was my favourite player for about three matches and now I'd say he's had the greatest loss of form, although Martin's has been the most costly.

Thoughts?

[Philmycock]

Thoughts? We'll hammer Brum 4-0 and all will be great again! Bradley to bang in 2 stunners.

[drgoodspeak]

I hope so, Brad. I hope so.

[barnsley ram]

i think we are all underestimating what a good side reading are it is packed with pace and  and skill when you get fast ball coming through the middle like that it is very hard to defend against you can understand how blackman has scored 13 goals in that side that is the most pressure i have seen our defense under all season we need to go back to plan a keep it tight and grind out some results

[Rammy1]

We just didn't click in anyway last night. Hope it's a blip. I just hope they don't lose there bottle. 2-2 Birmingham last year. They are all creeping up behind aswell

cmon derby. 

[tomsdubs]

1 hour ago, barnsley ram said:

i think we are all underestimating what a good side reading are it is packed with pace and  and skill when you get fast ball coming through the middle like that it is very hard to defend against you can understand how blackman has scored 13 goals in that side that is the most pressure i have seen our defense under all season we need to go back to plan a keep it tight and grind out some results

Any team would look great against us the way we played last night, we should have rolled them over easy if we actually turned up.

[t'oldu]

They played like a bunch of players with their eye on a BIG GAME COMING UP.   No desire for the cause last night. No giving their all in case they got injured and couldn't play in the Man. U game.  No application to the game in hand. Thoughts elsewhere.   It happens........... .

[G STAR RAM]

7 minutes ago, tomsdubs said:

Any team would look great against us the way we played last night, we should have rolled them over easy if we actually turned up.

Why should we?

Their midfield and forward line were very good.

[eddie]

6 hours ago, drgoodspeak said:

What is going on?

When he first joined he was immense. As well as the much needed muscle he brought, in the first few games I remember thinking how well he used the ball and that he looked £6m worth. Now, he seems to be deteriorating with each game. He looks off the pace and often gives the ball away by overplaying. Where is his goal threat? I know it's not his position, but he's never a holding midfielder in a month of Sundays. Does he need Thorne to be effective? Is Bryson more of a goal threat? Won't Clement always find a space in the team for the record signing?

He was my favourite player for about three matches and now I'd say he's had the greatest loss of form, although Martin's has been the most costly.

Thoughts?

Needs Thorne.

[tomsdubs]

6 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

Why should we?

Their midfield and forward line were very good.

The same players we beat playing averagely at their place? If we are as good as we think with all the money spent then playing well we should be beating them. Hardly a ******* stretch is it? We made them look good, Clement's comments should be a hint.

[G STAR RAM]

2 minutes ago, tomsdubs said:

The same players we beat playing averagely at their place? If we are as good as we think with all the money spent then playing well we should be beating them. Hardly a ******* stretch is it? We made them look good, Clement's comments should be a hint.

Their starting line up had 7 different players to the first time we played them this season.

Are you expecting us to win every game this season then now we have splashed some cash? You will be very disappointed.

I don't need to listen to PCs interview to make an assessment on our opponents. We played poorly but take nothing away from them, they looked a very good attacking team. With McDermott back they will be challenging for play offs. 

[tomsdubs]

3 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

Their starting line up had 7 different players to the first time we played them this season.

Are you expecting us to win every game this season then now we have splashed some cash? You will be very disappointed.

I don't need to listen to PCs interview to make an assessment on our opponents. We played poorly but take nothing away from them, they looked a very good attacking team. With McDermott back they will be challenging for play offs. 

Where did I expect to win every game? Don't really care about Reading and I don't agree they'll make the playoffs. They had space all over the park, we were dire. I want to get promoted simple as and our performances collectively and individually are very worrying in recent weeks. Buried my head in the sand last season and how did that end.

One of those differences was us signing their star play wasn't it? And the striker Sa who at the time was scoring for fun, plus they had Hector fit as well plus some others. So basically we played worse against an injury hit Reading. You've inadvertently gone against yourself there.

[Russell Ram]

7 hours ago, drgoodspeak said:

What is going on?

When he first joined he was immense. As well as the much needed muscle he brought, in the first few games I remember thinking how well he used the ball and that he looked £6m worth. Now, he seems to be deteriorating with each game. He looks off the pace and often gives the ball away by overplaying. Where is his goal threat? I know it's not his position, but he's never a holding midfielder in a month of Sundays. Does he need Thorne to be effective? Is Bryson more of a goal threat? Won't Clement always find a space in the team for the record signing?

He was my favourite player for about three matches and now I'd say he's had the greatest loss of form, although Martin's has been the most costly.

Thoughts?

Johnson hasn't played well for 2-3 months now. Nor has Martin. Yet both keep starting, I would drop both for Saturday. Give Bent a run, he is a goalscorer and cannot do worse up front. As for Johnson, Hendrick is a better option and believe me, it takes a lot for me to say that...

[TheDeadlySaul]

Johnson plays to deep with Thorne and is constantly out of position without Thorne. He should be dropped against Birmingham for Hendrick. 

[G STAR RAM]

3 minutes ago, tomsdubs said:

Where did I expect to win every game? Don't really care about Reading and I don't agree they'll make the playoffs. They had space all over the park, we were dire. I want to get promoted simple as and our performances collectively and individually are very worrying in recent weeks. Buried my head in the sand last season and how did that end.

One of those differences was us signing their star play wasn't it? And the striker Sa who at the time was scoring for fun, plus they had Hector fit as well plus some others. So basically we played worse against an injury hit Reading. You've inadvertently gone against yourself there.

Well you was suggesting we should need them because of the money we have spent, based on the fact we are too spenders we should win every game using that logic.

You then go on to say you don't care about Reading, so you are suggesting that we should be beating them without even considering if they played well or not.

3 of their best players last night Williams, Kanu and McCleary all started on the bench in the first game.

[tomsdubs]

I now fully understand why Norwich offloaded him. Not saying he can't be good at this level but it's clear why they took the cash.

[Ninos]

He is a very good player but he's got his weaknesses like all championship players do but perhaps it's the changing of roles. Noticed in the first half a beautiful cross field run that he made that the player with the ball never saw. It was a run that an attacker /attacking mid makes but it took him way out of position. Reading then win the ball and we have a gaping hole in the middle and a defensive midfielder missing in action! Great run but not from the position he was playing. He can play the holding role but perhaps that's not his mindset.  

[tomsdubs]

5 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

Well you was suggesting we should need them because of the money we have spent, based on the fact we are too spenders we should win every game using that logic.

You then go on to say you don't care about Reading, so you are suggesting that we should be beating them without even considering if they played well or not.

3 of their best players last night Williams, Kanu and McCleary all started on the bench in the first game.

Yeah they were on the bench because they were second choice. If you spend money and don't think we should perform better then what's the point? They only played well because we allowed it, there was no fight last night. Players didn't play to a game plan at all, standing off them all over the pitch. If you want to believe that it's because they played well then carry on, I know what I saw and everyone around me saw last night.

[YouRams]

16 minutes ago, TheDeadlySaul said:

Johnson plays to deep with Thorne and is constantly out of position without Thorne. He should be dropped against Birmingham for Hendrick. 

Hendrick hasn't done any better to warrant a place, forgot he was even on the pitch last night. Other than that goal against Leeds he's been as poor. 

[duncanjwitham]

7 minutes ago, YouRams said:

Hendrick hasn't done any better to warrant a place, forgot he was even on the pitch last night. Other than that goal against Leeds he's been as poor. 

Hendrick has played well this season, when he's been allowed to play his natural game.  And some of our best performances have come with Hendrick being allowed to make runs from midfield.

There's no way Johnson should be anywhere near the team at the moment.  For a supposed midfield hard-man, he barely wins a tackle, mostly because he's so slow that he never gets near the player to actually make a tackle in the first place.  If he was imposing himself on the game physically, then I could forgive some of his deficiencies on the ball, but he doesn't.  He just labours around, not affecting the game, and getting caught in possession when we do get on the ball.

And whether Hendrick is actually playing well or not, the whole team functions better with a midfield runner in there.  With Johnson and Butterfield, we sit far too deep, the forwards get isolated and the whole thing breaks down.  Thorne, Butterfield and Hendrick for me, at least until Hughes is fit.