Holmes_and_Watson

Another left back walked past. Good to see Martin instilling the same regime right across the club.

The last set of mindfulness things I listened to, all began with "As long as you are breathing, there's more right with you than wrong with you." Which I took issue with, my mild grumpiness ruining the start of every session. 🙂

An ex-plyaer rather than an ex-manager, but that's another connection running a club in League 1, with him being hired as Cambridge manager. Reading - 16th Charlton - 18th Cambridge - 19th

Board

Whether there was a shout was what crossed my mind when I saw it. I didn't think Bednarek was going to get near it, so Manning positioned himself to cover. Perhaps Bednarek going for it, let alone getting to it, it took Manning by surprise, and he didn't shout as a result. If he didn't, it's a lesson in being more vocal. If he did shout then either Bedders didn't hear, or thought he was in control of it. An odd goal to give away, so one to learn quickly from and move on. Manning has some serious competition from Bree to get into the side. But it's not a traditional system, he is also doing other things in it, and other players right across the side can be made to look vulnerable. One of the biggest weaknesses, and has been right from the start, has been the exposed full back positions. Martin wants those numbers in midfield, supporting to create passing angles and passes for chances. Martin is counting on opponents not being able to exploit it, or finish their chances when they do. He also supports the players who have been well drilled in getting back into position. Running back to defend adds to the difficulty of it. So with that, and the narrowness, Manning is going to be open to attack. KWP doesn't have the same issues because simply he's a much better player, we have games where he's even further forward and we compensate for it, and opponents know to go after the gap where they are more likely to get an outcome. Someone a while back made the point that, at Swansea, Manning wouldn't be the one compensating for a KWP. The team would be supporting Manning to be getting into those advanced positions. So, like everyone else in the side, Manning is having to pick up new responsibilities and develop his game.

Orsic too... what a mess...

Noes! I noticed it and went to edit....but too late!!!! Lawton, as those who take an interest in football history will know, received a 3 year ban after it was revealed he wasn't overweight. He was concealing a man named Brian under his shirt, who he would raise above him for high crosses. 🙂

I still treasure the old Charles Buchan Football Monthlies. Stanley Matthews talking about health tips that have provided him with such a long career. "I felt that passing out blind drunk after snorting a nosebag of coke might impede my performance." Or Tommy Lawton on the secrets of his striking prowess. "Confidence is vital. I'd fancy my chances of scoring against any defence. People see the centre forward as being physical. But there's more to it than that. The use of xG has shown me how to use my brains to pick out where the best chances are."

With their owner defaulting to HMRC, everyone connected to the club will be hoping that there are no further points deducitons to drag them back into it. With us, he had been part of two failed regimes. To varying degrees, but still at the club. He did try his tactic, but it wasn't working and he was reduced to making sure all his post match interviews sounded the same ahead of his next job. It needed an overhaul and there was no time left to do that. Ironically, the consistency in his approach to disaster is a plus point at Reading, where disaster coems form many sources. His background should make them a bit tighter at the back. He's got a decent coaching background so no reason why he can't do well at that level, and maybe higher.

On the one hand you’ve a guy who has worked hard since he was a kid to fulfil his dream of playing football to the highest level he can. He’s committed to his club. Where there have been low points, he’s continued to work as hard as he can. The result is that he’s been a key part of Martin’s system all season, and the manager probably couldn’t believe his luck to have the likes of Will, AA and Baz already at the club, to fit his system. On the other hand, you’ve an emotionally stunted irrelevance typing any old uninformed rubbish. That’ll show those professional footballers! Well done, there. There have been games where Smallbone has been absolutely everywhere. Available for the pass out from the CBs, helping to build up our attack, covering for our inverted full backs, being available at the edge of the box for cutbacks. He’s been asked to learn Martin’s systems for a number of positions. While, he’s going to be better in some than others, you can see his improvement across them all throughout this season. It’s been lovely to watch. He, and we as a team, struggle without a strong enough midfield. Smallbone is asked to pick up different duties when we don’t have a JWP or a Downes, and that’s when he looked weakest. He’s also had to adapt when Stephens has come into the team, and looks to push past Smallbone’s usual positions. Martin is well aware of this, and really values the contribution Will makes under those circumstances, knowing those games don’t suit his strengths. Would he be as good in other systems? Perhaps not. Is he a really good fit for Martin’s? Yes he is. It’s a shame that the worst of social media has had an impact. If you stand out in your chosen field, there will never be a shortage of people, with so few positives in their own lives, with nothing to offer but hate. Hopefully our, and all other players, are trained and supported in this area.

Leicester lose. Leeds get a point. We get an away win. Yay!

Good for Aribo too. What an improved player under Martin and the team.

I come back in. We score. You are welcome. 🙂

Wrong thread

Oh, come on. Just where are a top level scouting department supposed to find this fantasy player with 2 working legs who can do his job half decently? And that's before SR's left field hiring smugness gets applied. I hope you guys don't hold your unrealistic expectations against SR rolling out our recently deceased, uniped zonal attacker next season. 🙂

Plague

Martin: Good news! We've got in a specialist to show us how to maximise the advantage you get with a big break between games. Consultant: Hello, my name's Nathan. This PowerPoint presentation will show you why I'm pound for pound the best in Europe at maximising things! Especially changing things up given plenty of time before the next game. After another session about me in the afternoon, filmed for you tube, we can have 5 minutes to focus on you.

Ben Stiller! That's who it reminded me of. Thanks Whelk!

It's a lot easier to get it right in a studio. Oops nearly didn't put a smiley in there. 🙂 Sorry Mr Kubrick, they didn't catch on... Beside Whitey, a relative says "Bloody Earthlings, parking their Landers in our craters! Oi! You there! In the stupid outfit! Get off our land!" 🙂 - There have been a number of split second decisions made, right up to landing, made by humans on whatever data they had available. Judgement calls that unmanned craft can't get. - Shedloads of money went into the quality control of earlier parts. IIRC sometimes due to previously disastrous outcomes. We have the engineering. The computing capacity and the maths. We also ended up with the usual suspects out to get their bit of the pie, and make as many bucks as possible from it. - And it's tricky to get right. 🙂

He should come back for treatment, where we'd soon realise that even while only being able to hop, he's still our most clinical finisher. 🙂

The post I was replying to was making the joke about breaking news, well after the event. My comment was that, since we haven't seen him for a while, that belated breaking news is quite useful. I'm not getting the point about one for the future? Did we panic buy him? I had it down as one of those SR being cleverer than the rest of us mortals with a cunning signing.

Well, that was a lesson. Yet, we were by far the best in the opening spell. But we seemed to burn through all our energy in that period. Liverpool came into it more. We'd still get the odd chance, but it was a more even game. Second half, we didn't regain much of that early energy either. Liverpool looked sharper, stronger and much more confident. We offered less and less. I'd have fancied any of their players ( except Gomez) to bury the chances we created in that first half hour. Martin can look to the same issue. Liverpool even set themselves up to allow us to attack in behind. Martin planned to make more use of Sule that way too. But we simply couldn't take a chance. After we'd failed to do that often enough, the game changed. Ahead (from quite the deflection), Liverpool still attacked. But we lacked the composure, structure and personnel to shift our own game to get past them. We've a fair number of youngsters, from top clubs, all getting lots of first team minutes. I'd not expect their decision making to be great. Hopefully, they can look at their counterparts tonight and push on a bit, knowing how much they can improve. We've lost confidence in what made some of our unbeaten run so good. It still seems that Downed is key to it, as JWP was to our opening results. Charles had a mixed game, and is struggling. He doesn't have anyone around him who can support him out there. Rothwell looks suspect in a lot of areas, while Will came on and offered nothing but a guilt edged chance for them to get a second. With our midfield struggling, we had no decent passing angles. Martin's system depends on it. Yes, Liverpool set up to catch us. But we didn't help ourselves much. At least Sule offered a genuine target for a while. Aribo offered another, but wasn't used as much. Adams barely got a touch while Mara vanished. Passes went astray, posession was lost cheaply as we rushed or overhit. Whether direct or when trying to pass, it became disjointed. Like our previous managers, Martin will look to that opening spell and wonder what if. Meanwhile, we still have well known gaps up front and in midfield. We might now be missing KWP who, earlier in the season, was the player most likely to turn a game for us. Joining the other player, Fraser, on the injury list.

Worst throw in ever by adams.

Extra sod. Good stop from Lumley. Aribo caught. We're static and our full back posted missing.

Mara is going tonhurt himself trying to draw attention to his hobble.