MATCHWATCH : Fulham (h)

[Pepe the Horseman]

If anyone cba with this, please join us for live text commentary and discussion of the Sudan v Guinea-Bissau game viewtopic.php?f=20&t=189008

[URZZZZ]

The trouble is, is that it’s so often more just 3 CM’s. The starting XI on Saturday had Tetek, Drinkwater, Camara, Osario, TDB and Halilovic (isn’t he supposed to be an attacking midfielder?). That’s 60% of the outfield players who try and clog up the pitch centrally

Is the supposed width meant to come from the fullbacks? How many goal contributions have Yiadom and Rahman made this season? Yiadom and Richards last season?

Camara is a winger, Tetek was playing right back, and Halilovic has spent the vast majority of his time in English football playing on the wing.

Richards did make a lot of goal contributions last season.

The thing you have to keep in mind is that Meite has been injured all season, Hoilett has been injured most of the season, and Azeez has been injured for most of the season. There isn’t a mythical Championship level pacey wide player being overlooked, the options for most of the season have been TDB, Ejaria and Halilovic.

I’m struggling to think of all Richards goal contributions last season. I note you don’t describe them as assists.
We don’t have a single out and out winger at the club and have no pace. We play so narrow with players often too close together and at times getting in each other’s way. Our build ups are usually very slow and predictable.

IIRC I believe he didn’t make a single assist in a Reading shirt. I’m sure there’d have been a fair few goals where he was involved in the build up but that’s not great considering what the role of the fullbacks was supposed to be last season

I agree with you on wingers but it’s been done to death now and it’s clear not many agree, with how the “modern” style is meant to be played

[YorkshireRoyal99]

We haven't had an out and out winger since Mo Barrow really. I still can't quite work out why we didn't keep him as he was electric and would score important goals for us, he was a good player. Must have been wanting to move on and potentially wages as well.

McCleary, Kebe and McAnuff were probably the one's from the past. I know McCleary only left recently but he was on the fringes during his last couple of seasons.

[Millsy]

I liked Osho.

One of the few Reading players with a cross in him.

What happened to him?

Oh.

[URZZZZ]

We haven't had an out and out winger since Mo Barrow really. I still can't quite work out why we didn't keep him as he was electric and would score important goals for us, he was a good player. Must have been wanting to move on and potentially wages as well.

McCleary, Kebe and McAnuff were probably the one's from the past. I know McCleary only left recently but he was on the fringes during his last couple of seasons.

I always thought Barrow was as much a problem as he was an answer. By all accounts, his attitude was really poor and the way he’s jumped from club to club probably supports that. Doesn’t take away how important his goals were in the couple of seasons he was here but he wasn’t the sort of character you’d keep around for long term success. Beerens was another winger too who made a positive contribution until Stam thought he was a ST and he seems mentally shot from then on in. Was a lot of split opinions on him though

And yeah, whilst I’ve repeatedly called for them to be signed, can fully accept we have signed plenty of duds there recently, Popa, Sims, Masika etc etc

[Millsy]

We haven't had an out and out winger since Mo Barrow really. I still can't quite work out why we didn't keep him

100% agree. He often terrorised the crap out of opposition defences with his pace.

I can only imagine he went because of wages/ him not wanting to hang around.

[Zip]

Camara is a winger, Tetek was playing right back, and Halilovic has spent the vast majority of his time in English football playing on the wing.

Richards did make a lot of goal contributions last season.

The thing you have to keep in mind is that Meite has been injured all season, Hoilett has been injured most of the season, and Azeez has been injured for most of the season. There isn’t a mythical Championship level pacey wide player being overlooked, the options for most of the season have been TDB, Ejaria and Halilovic.

I’m struggling to think of all Richards goal contributions last season. I note you don’t describe them as assists.
We don’t have a single out and out winger at the club and have no pace. We play so narrow with players often too close together and at times getting in each other’s way. Our build ups are usually very slow and predictable.

IIRC I believe he didn’t make a single assist in a Reading shirt. I’m sure there’d have been a fair few goals where he was involved in the build up but that’s not great considering what the role of the fullbacks was supposed to be last season

I agree with you on wingers but it’s been done to death now and it’s clear not many agree, with how the “modern” style is meant to be played

I was watching Forest in the Cup and Johnson and I think it was Spence caused Arsenal so many problems with their pace. We just don’t have anything like that in our squad. Fully expecting to watch another game tonight where we lack width. Other teams seem able to get the ball out to the flanks so much easier than we do

[Zip]

We haven't had an out and out winger since Mo Barrow really. I still can't quite work out why we didn't keep him as he was electric and would score important goals for us, he was a good player. Must have been wanting to move on and potentially wages as well.

McCleary, Kebe and McAnuff were probably the one's from the past. I know McCleary only left recently but he was on the fringes during his last couple of seasons.

Have said this on numerous occasions. Barrow was an out an out winger and did well in a poor side. I think he wanted to move on so not a lot we could do about that.

[Royals and Racers]

I liked Osho.

One of the few Reading players with a cross in him.

What happened to him?

Oh.

Luton

[windermereROYAL]

Being loyal I will be there tonight, but`s it`s been a while since I`ve gone to a game in a confident mood, and that won`t change tonight, hope they surprise me but I can see nothing but a defeat again.

[NathStPaul]

Being loyal I will be there tonight, but`s it`s been a while since I`ve gone to a game in a confident mood, and that won`t change tonight, hope they surprise me but I can see nothing but a defeat again.

The club deserve your loyalty? I think the only way things will change at the club is either if the supporters get really angry or if they stay away, even more than they already are. When I say change I don't just mean the manager, I mean the clubs approach as a whole. Literally everything needs to change from the manager to the overall matchday experience.

[Zammo]

I'm only going for a chance to win a Papa Johns pizza.

[Snowflake Royal]

We haven't had an out and out winger since Mo Barrow really. I still can't quite work out why we didn't keep him as he was electric and would score important goals for us, he was a good player. Must have been wanting to move on and potentially wages as well.

McCleary, Kebe and McAnuff were probably the one's from the past. I know McCleary only left recently but he was on the fringes during his last couple of seasons.

I always thought Barrow was as much a problem as he was an answer. By all accounts, his attitude was really poor and the way he’s jumped from club to club probably supports that. Doesn’t take away how important his goals were in the couple of seasons he was here but he wasn’t the sort of character you’d keep around for long term success. Beerens was another winger too who made a positive contribution until Stam thought he was a ST and he seems mentally shot from then on in. Was a lot of split opinions on him though

And yeah, whilst I’ve repeatedly called for them to be signed, can fully accept we have signed plenty of duds there recently, Popa, Sims, Masika etc etc

Now if zip wants a player who REALLY couldn’t tackle there's Mo Barrow.

I still remember Moore having to literally physically drag him into position from an oppo goal kick because he was so utterly clueless about the defensive or teamwork side of the game

[Hound]

Think Barrow moving on was certainly more about his personality than what he did on the pitch. I liked him as a player (particularly in year 1) but didnt seem to be too many tears when he left

[SCIAG]

The trouble is, is that it’s so often more just 3 CM’s. The starting XI on Saturday had Tetek, Drinkwater, Camara, Osario, TDB and Halilovic (isn’t he supposed to be an attacking midfielder?). That’s 60% of the outfield players who try and clog up the pitch centrally

Is the supposed width meant to come from the fullbacks? How many goal contributions have Yiadom and Rahman made this season? Yiadom and Richards last season?

Camara is a winger, Tetek was playing right back, and Halilovic has spent the vast majority of his time in English football playing on the wing.

Richards did make a lot of goal contributions last season.

The thing you have to keep in mind is that Meite has been injured all season, Hoilett has been injured most of the season, and Azeez has been injured for most of the season. There isn’t a mythical Championship level pacey wide player being overlooked, the options for most of the season have been TDB, Ejaria and Halilovic.

I’m struggling to think of all Richards goal contributions last season. I note you don’t describe them as assists.
We don’t have a single out and out winger at the club and have no pace. We play so narrow with players often too close together and at times getting in each other’s way. Our build ups are usually very slow and predictable.

We have three out and out wingers in Meite, Hoilett and Azeez. Hoilett in particular is an extremely traditional hit-the-byline winger, Meite is as much a winger as anyone at the top of the game right now.

I used “goal contributions” because it was the phrasing that URZZZ used. I thought Richards overlapping Ejaria was one of the defining parts of our play last season and I’m surprised it apparently didn’t lead directly to any goals. Richards and Yiadom were the two most offensively aggressive full backs in the league last season: https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-co ... bbling.png

[Zip]

Camara is a winger, Tetek was playing right back, and Halilovic has spent the vast majority of his time in English football playing on the wing.

Richards did make a lot of goal contributions last season.

The thing you have to keep in mind is that Meite has been injured all season, Hoilett has been injured most of the season, and Azeez has been injured for most of the season. There isn’t a mythical Championship level pacey wide player being overlooked, the options for most of the season have been TDB, Ejaria and Halilovic.

I’m struggling to think of all Richards goal contributions last season. I note you don’t describe them as assists.
We don’t have a single out and out winger at the club and have no pace. We play so narrow with players often too close together and at times getting in each other’s way. Our build ups are usually very slow and predictable.

We have three out and out wingers in Meite, Hoilett and Azeez. Hoilett in particular is an extremely traditional hit-the-byline winger, Meite is as much a winger as anyone at the top of the game right now.

I used “goal contributions” because it was the phrasing that URZZZ used. I thought Richards overlapping Ejaria was one of the defining parts of our play last season and I’m surprised it apparently didn’t lead directly to any goals. Richards and Yiadom were the two most offensively aggressive full backs in the league last season: https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-co ... bbling.png

Holiett is a winger but hasn’t often played in that position under Pauno I’m not convinced Meite is an out and out winger. As for Azeez I don’t see him as a winger at all. More an inside right.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

I wouldn't describe Meite as an out and out winger, often a wide target man out on the right and comes inside onto his left and Azeez is similar, just forget the "target man" part as well. Hoilett is the same but on the left, as can be perfectly seen by his goal vs Derby, although a few years back he was more of an "out and out" winger, his game has just changed.

There is nothing wrong with that as they are more common in the modern game these days anyway, but we don't have someone with real electric pace like what Barrow did AND could produce in the final third. Masika was a powerful runner for the few games he played but always looked like a lost puppy. I didn't actually mind Josh Sims when I saw him play live, always looked as if he had some promise. I remember him winning the penalty at our defeat at Leeds when McNulty missed and I believe he came on and got an assist in a 3-2 win at Preston as well. He was quite a direct winger. Pretty inconsistent although I don't doubt in time he would have done pretty well.

[Royals and Racers]

I could be wrong but it looks as if the only way to watch tonight's match live is to be there ! No Royals TV or streams only audio.

[Stranded]

I could be wrong but it looks as if the only way to watch tonight's match is to be there ! No Royals TV or streams only audio.

Because it is a re-arranged game I guess. Seems to be available on Royals TV outside the UK though - at least the test signal is showing on the app. So VPN may do the trick?

[hughsies no.1]

Really hope we all get behind the team tonight.

Focus on 'blue army' chants etc not all that 'pathetic s*x offender' chanting aimed at Mitrovic and others this season from the kids in c1871 (which is still guaranteed to happen unfortunately).

Yes it is rough times, but let's get behind the lads and focus the attention on us.