Just what did we all expect? Another home game and another defeat....been like it all season can't see it changing overnight. IF we stay up and it's a big IF it will our away form that does it. Forget just how many square and back passes made today (and all season really)....Church? Awful!! Think we had ONE shot on target in the whole game...just not good enough
As I said to Fanny pre match we are going to score a shed loads against someone this season, it just was not going to be Reading.
There is a reason why Burnley, Derby and Reading are promotion hopefuls and we are not so I'm not fussed about the results we have against them, never expected much to day, Tuesday and 22nd are must win games and the are the ones to focus on.
Yeovil got points recently against Leicester & Reading, Barnsely won at Reading last week, Millwall won at Derby a few weeks ago - not sure I would write off these defeats so calmly Kap. Agree with the importance of the upcoming games but disappointing that we are so regularly comprehensively beaten by the top teams (QPR excepting) that our relegation rivals are taking points off...
Felt that we passed the ball really well first half but reflecting during the second and too often they're pretty passes that dont go anywhere Church did his usual job of being a nuisance but wasted a good chance in the first half before fouling the 'keeper Harriott did some good running but his crossing / passing was terrible surprised he wasnt taken off Taking Ajdarevic off each game we lose our creativity Why are creative players so slow... Both Ajdarevic and Petrucci are snails Referee was a little bit questionable... First-Half he gave a free-kick for a foul on their Goalkeeper... Second Half Hamer was fouled whilst punching the ball and he gave a corner
Thought the ref and linesman on the East Stand side were terrible. Ref gave fouls way after they happened, allowed Charlton to take a throw on get in a good position then pull it back for a Reading player player on the floor (who then up and the ref patted him on the back), gave fouls wrongly all game for both sides, allowed Williams to fall over his own feet and give a free kick, and worst of all left the Reading centre half off the pitch for a good few minutes when ready to come back on after injury? shocking. The linesman gave a goal kick and numerous offsides at least 4 to 5 yards behind play, he did not have a clue.
Scuffed goal seperated the teams, but Charlton could only have hoped for a 0-0. Church and Harriot were poor, no proper right winger all game was a terrible decision.
Wrong team selection, wrong tactics, wrong game plan and wrong substitutions. That takes some doing.
Church up front on his own and Harriott on the right was never gonna work. Unbalanced 4-5-1, easily contained
Short passing football across the back and into midfield....on that pitch and at such a slow tempo. Easily broken up.
Long high balls at Church against Gorkss or Pearce, no chance.
Ajdarevic our only midfielder capable of scoring from distance withdrawn early and Obika given only 12 mins to score a goal. How did Church stay on the pitch for the full ninety?
From an improved league position, we are under pressure again going into the Yeovil game. A great opportunity missed. Reading were no more than functional and well organised.
A disappointing and somewhat sobering afternoon. I arrived at the Ground thinking that a point per game will see us safe and hoping that we might just manage to frustrate a decent Reading side, secure a par result and consolidate our position outside the bottom three.
I was still in a positive frame of mind at half-time. During that first forty five minutes we'd looked measured, composed and patient and whilst we hadn't really looked like scoring neither had Reading. However, during the half-time interval Nigel Adkins clearly told his players to be more positive and aggressive and to press much harder when we were in possession. It worked. Reading dominated and the controlled football we'd played at times during the first half escaped us. Sins of old returned and we began to give the ball away too cheaply.
What was most worrying is that we were easily outmuscled and made to look very lightweight. What was most disappointing was that time and again a lack of quality saw us we give the ball away cheaply in the top third, failing to capitalise on promising situations. One such occasion led to the winning goal. Petrucci dithered, lost possession, Reading broke and the impressive Williams scored the winner.
Talk of Petrucci brings me to Riga's substitutes. I'm not at all clear what Riga's thinking was (perhaps he was trying to rest tired legs), but the changes really did not help. Ajdarevic was the first to leave the fray. He'd lasted less than an hour and was clearly disappointed to come off. The quality we'd shown at times during the first half left the field with him. Ghoochannejhad was always going to find Reading's physicality a real challenge, but it was his decision making and lack of quality that let him down. At times he looked like a kid who isn't equipped to play at this level. When Jackson was replaced by Petrucci in the 66th minute the game was up. The loanee never looked comfortable. Whilst at 0-0 there was hope of another late winner, once his mistake gave Reading their lead defeat was inevitable. We simply never looked remotely like scoring.
Dervite and Morrison were excellent once again, Wilson and Wiggins steady without ever threatening and Poyet confident and assured. Church was completely dominated by Gorks and Pearce, and Harriott, whilst lively at times, was typically frustrating.
The memory of the win at Leeds and the euphoria that went with it has been replaced in my mind by a returning anxiety. In the second half today we did not look equipped for the battle ahead. It is to be hoped that against weaker sides than Reading we are better able to cope when the going gets tough.
If he'd busted a gut and had a lunge he may have got some contact but as he didn't we'll never know, I hold him accountable for flaffing around and losing possession in the first place. Wiggins doesn't slip for me he is trying to slide tackle the ball.
It's difficult not to over react, but I agree today's result is not the end of the would. I thought we would lose, we did, sadly other results were not kind, the pressure is now well and truly on for Tuesday, a game we must not lose. What happens if we go behind Tuesday? It happens, teams pick themselves up get back into games and go on to take all three points. Can anyone on hear confidently say that if this team, for all their effort, could achieve this?
Predictable enough for the binary bores and as per usual we don't catch anyone above us and drag them in and 3 from the bottom 4 will be making up the relegated teams.... Need to not lose on Tuesday or I will fear for our safety (I do anyway lol) The lack of goals is a massive worry but apparently the football is easier on the eye Oh and the substitutes were early and attacking
Tutt-Tutt has it spot on. Selecting Church was bad enough but he then 'played' the entire game!!! Our first half was quite good but the second got worse and worse. Cousins moved to the wing? How many times does that have to happen before the coaching staff realise that he isn't a winger? The subs seemed a bit irrational and resulted in too many positional changes so we lost any cohesion. I assume Astrit was injured because after a few good touches in the first half he 'disappeared' before being subbed. Williams scored on 73 but Obika isn't introduced until 81. And people questioned Powell's substitutions!! With other results today we are deep, deep in the sh** and both Yeovil's and Barnsley's goal differences are coming perilously close to ours. I'm already dreading the Yeovil and Barnsley games with our inability to score.
As I said to Fanny pre match we are going to score a shed loads against someone this season, it just was not going to be Reading.
There is a reason why Burnley, Derby and Reading are promotion hopefuls and we are not so I'm not fussed about the results we have against them, never expected much to day, Tuesday and 22nd are must win games and the are the ones to focus on.
Yeovil got points recently against Leicester & Reading, Barnsely won at Reading last week, Millwall won at Derby a few weeks ago - not sure I would write off these defeats so calmly Kap. Agree with the importance of the upcoming games but disappointing that we are so regularly comprehensively beaten by the top teams (QPR excepting) that our relegation rivals are taking points off...
If I did not take them calmly then I would be a quivering wreck!!!!
Haven't read other posts so going straight to keyboard on this.
We were good first half - thought we played some of our best football in ages. We were confident that if we carried on like that in second half we would get three points.
Second half was total toilet. We lost all shape, passing was all over the show and often to the opposition. Reading came out after a half time hairdryer from their manager and we just folded, laid down and died.
Referee and linesmen were atrocious.
Poyet was the star of the show (as he always is). Hamer player with his heart on his sleeve again. The rest was 50/50.
I think we matched them first half. Neither team looked threatening. Reading picked it up in the 2nd half though and I could see their goal coming. They were just coming through the midfield with minimal resistance for the first 20 minutes or so of the 2nd half. Overall we didn't look good. It wasn't quite like men v boys like Derby or Burnley but they just picked it up a gear and did what they needed to do.
I couldn't understand why Church played. He offers nothing up front so doesn't give them things to think about. I don't think it's a coincidence that we have been playing better since he's not been in the squad.
I think Jose saw this as one of those games that he wasn't pushing for and a drawer would have been good. After they scored we never looked like nicking one back.
Overall, a blah performance. On to Tuesday which IS one of those games we need to win. Get 'em going Jose!
We failed to capitalise on our possession of the first half. Reading were poor then and we looked confident and threatening. Cousins wasted an excellent chance and should have put his foot through it at the near post rather than try and place it.
They all played well in the first half except for Astrit who was just awful and a passenger really. Riga should have subbed him at half time.
We never look like scoring once we go a goal down. Taking Jackson off with 30 minutes to go killed any hope of an equaliser - and also removed any threat from set pieces as there is no adequate replacement on that front. We also missed his leadership in the middle.
Petrucci should have passed or shot and instead fell over. Reading broke away and scored. Game over.
What has happened to Wiggins? So inconsistent at the moment.
Reza was back to his usual self. Shocking.
Shout out for Morrison who was a rock today and kept calm at all times and always tried to play the ball out when he could. Cousins slowly getting back to his best as well.
Diego Poyet. Just wow. Please stay! What a cool customer he is. So good on the ball and a very intelligent player. He just gets better and better. I'm not exaggerating when I say that some if his passing is world clasd. He's Charlton's Pirlo. Pure class. Would love to see him in a number ten role.
4 - 1 - 4 - 1 makes you solid but you need a particular type of player up top on there on and that's not Church.
I don't think it is any of our strikers so not just Church to blame but he just doesn't look good enough. Maybe because he is an ex-Reading player or the coach wanted to rest others for Tuesday, who knows but it didn't work.
The rest of the formation seemed unbalenced. Harriot on the wrong side, AA out wide. Looked even more unbalanced when JJ went off.
Reading might be dismissed as ordinary but they barely allowed us a chance and did what they set out to.
They are a counter-attacking side and that is how they scored. They are a step up from us all over the pitch. Bigger, faster, stronger, more of a cutting edge, better organised. Not a huge step up but a step all the same.
It's good we keep possesion well at the back but so we should playing 4141 against a team that sits back. Reading were happy to let us do that as we had no threat.
Seasons not over yet just as it wasn't over when we beat Leeds.
Going to go down to the wire. See you at Blackpool
Adaravic how can he be so unfit, absolutely fucked even in first half.
That's the truth. Looked our only creative player for 35 minutes, then puffing like an old man. Is he carrying an injury?
Managed to get 60 minutes out of him on Tuesday after missing Derby game with illness classiest outfield player that night. May well not be 100% fit certainly not for two full games in 4 days.
Reading stepped it up in the second half and deserved the win, while our substitutions did seem to be more about resting players for Tuesday rather than winning the game...
As we only win on Tuesdays, maybe that's our plan for the rest of the season, to play Church for the full 90 on Saturdays, then play someone who might score on Tuesdays...
Incidentally, what's happened to Pritchard, is he injured or just out of favour, as he would be a better replacement for the midfield 3 than Petrucci who looks a bit lightweight and slow there.
I think some of you have you man up - thought we played some decent football & didn't look like a team facing relegation. Came away pretty pleased seeing as we lost and 2 teams below us won but we are still 4th from bottom with 2 games in hand & having to play 2 of the teams below us. Its all in our hands now & just need a bit of luck (a soft pen would help) or a piece of magic (ala Reza on tues) and if we can pick up another 10 points we will be safe.
POTM - Poyet by a mile. I don't know why spongefoot played the whole game but hoped is was either a) to rest the other strikers for a more important match on tues or b) to show RD just how bad Church really is.
PS - why was the pitch watered ?? Made it too slippery & players were going over like ninepins. Best just to leave it as it is & play on it dry.
Haven't read other posts so going straight to keyboard on this.
We were good first half - thought we played some of our best football in ages. We were confident that if we carried on like that in second half we would get three points.
Second half was total toilet. We lost all shape, passing was all over the show and often to the opposition. Reading came out after a half time hairdryer from their manager and we just folded, laid down and died.
Referee and linesmen were atrocious.
Poyet was the star of the show (as he always is). Hamer player with his heart on his sleeve again. The rest was 50/50.
About even in a poor first half but Reading upped a gear in the second half and a goal was coming. Hamer saved well. We really ran out of ideas and could easily have lost another goal. Church should have been off at half time. Maybe Sordell is carrying an injury? No Piggot on the bench. The new guy Petrucci has silky skills but we discover he cannot run so his man gets away and they score a good goal. I don't think we tested their goalie. A grim ride back home on the train.
while a team does not start a game so as to loose could it be possible that JR picked a weakened team so he could put out his strongest next Tuesday and so risk loosing against Reading and give a better chance of beating Yeovil?
I thought we were awful today, one shot at goal, technically poor in a number of areas. I note the criticism Church attracts but there were times on more than one occasion where he made good runs but there was no delivery. He cant do anything without the ball. We had such an opportunity to build on Tuesdays result-we did not and never looked likely to. This has nothing to do with Riga-Powell-RD-put simply we are not very good-END OF.
while a team does not start a game so as to loose could it be possible that JR picked a weakened team so he could put out his strongest next Tuesday and so risk loosing against Reading and give a better chance of beating Yeovil?
If true then that's stupid. There's no guarantee we will beat Yeovil. Wasn't really a weakened team either. I think Riga rates Church.
Whilst accepting it is very easy in hindsight to set out formation mistakes, Church a lone striker was never ever going to work, whilst Harriott on right and AA having to cover yards were both hard to understand.
The real clincher is we have so little creative quality in the squad, our only real chance at 0-0 with half hour to go would have been to bring on a fresh AA. Until he sorts out his fitness, he's a last half hour player for me.
Whilst accepting it is very easy in hindsight to set out formation mistakes, Church a lone striker was never ever going to work, whilst Harriott on right and AA having to cover yards were both hard to understand.
The real clincher is we have so little creative quality in the squad, our only real chance at 0-0 with half hour to go would have been to bring on a fresh AA. Until he sorts out his fitness, he's a last half hour player for me.
Agree on Church never working as a lone forward. Harriott didn't get the support and overlaps from anyone today. I thought Astrit was poor.
Comments
Scuffed goal seperated the teams, but Charlton could only have hoped for a 0-0. Church and Harriot were poor, no proper right winger all game was a terrible decision.
Church up front on his own and Harriott on the right was never gonna work. Unbalanced 4-5-1, easily contained
Short passing football across the back and into midfield....on that pitch and at such a slow tempo. Easily broken up.
Long high balls at Church against Gorkss or Pearce, no chance.
Ajdarevic our only midfielder capable of scoring from distance withdrawn early and Obika given only 12 mins to score a goal. How did Church stay on the pitch for the full ninety?
From an improved league position, we are under pressure again going into the Yeovil game. A great opportunity missed. Reading were no more than functional and well organised.
I was still in a positive frame of mind at half-time. During that first forty five minutes we'd looked measured, composed and patient and whilst we hadn't really looked like scoring neither had Reading. However, during the half-time interval Nigel Adkins clearly told his players to be more positive and aggressive and to press much harder when we were in possession. It worked. Reading dominated and the controlled football we'd played at times during the first half escaped us. Sins of old returned and we began to give the ball away too cheaply.
What was most worrying is that we were easily outmuscled and made to look very lightweight. What was most disappointing was that time and again a lack of quality saw us we give the ball away cheaply in the top third, failing to capitalise on promising situations. One such occasion led to the winning goal. Petrucci dithered, lost possession, Reading broke and the impressive Williams scored the winner.
Talk of Petrucci brings me to Riga's substitutes. I'm not at all clear what Riga's thinking was (perhaps he was trying to rest tired legs), but the changes really did not help. Ajdarevic was the first to leave the fray. He'd lasted less than an hour and was clearly disappointed to come off. The quality we'd shown at times during the first half left the field with him. Ghoochannejhad was always going to find Reading's physicality a real challenge, but it was his decision making and lack of quality that let him down. At times he looked like a kid who isn't equipped to play at this level. When Jackson was replaced by Petrucci in the 66th minute the game was up. The loanee never looked comfortable. Whilst at 0-0 there was hope of another late winner, once his mistake gave Reading their lead defeat was inevitable. We simply never looked remotely like scoring.
Dervite and Morrison were excellent once again, Wilson and Wiggins steady without ever threatening and Poyet confident and assured. Church was completely dominated by Gorks and Pearce, and Harriott, whilst lively at times, was typically frustrating.
The memory of the win at Leeds and the euphoria that went with it has been replaced in my mind by a returning anxiety. In the second half today we did not look equipped for the battle ahead. It is to be hoped that against weaker sides than Reading we are better able to cope when the going gets tough.
What happens if we go behind Tuesday? It happens, teams pick themselves up get back into games and go on to take all three points. Can anyone on hear confidently say that if this team, for all their effort, could achieve this?
Nobody wants to shoot, the new bloke loses the ball (rather than shoot) and we concede.
Tuesday night is going to be the crunch. Yeovil are not lying down and we need the top teams to do the business for us elsewhere.
BUT WE CANNOT SCORE GOALS !
Need to not lose on Tuesday or I will fear for our safety (I do anyway lol)
The lack of goals is a massive worry but apparently the football is easier on the eye
Oh and the substitutes were early and attacking
45% Championship survival 55% League One c'huh'ff
We were good first half - thought we played some of our best football in ages. We were confident that if we carried on like that in second half we would get three points.
Second half was total toilet. We lost all shape, passing was all over the show and often to the opposition. Reading came out after a half time hairdryer from their manager and we just folded, laid down and died.
Referee and linesmen were atrocious.
Poyet was the star of the show (as he always is). Hamer player with his heart on his sleeve again. The rest was 50/50.
I couldn't understand why Church played. He offers nothing up front so doesn't give them things to think about. I don't think it's a coincidence that we have been playing better since he's not been in the squad.
I think Jose saw this as one of those games that he wasn't pushing for and a drawer would have been good. After they scored we never looked like nicking one back.
Overall, a blah performance. On to Tuesday which IS one of those games we need to win. Get 'em going Jose!
They all played well in the first half except for Astrit who was just awful and a passenger really. Riga should have subbed him at half time.
We never look like scoring once we go a goal down. Taking Jackson off with 30 minutes to go killed any hope of an equaliser - and also removed any threat from set pieces as there is no adequate replacement on that front. We also missed his leadership in the middle.
Petrucci should have passed or shot and instead fell over. Reading broke away and scored. Game over.
What has happened to Wiggins? So inconsistent at the moment.
Reza was back to his usual self. Shocking.
Shout out for Morrison who was a rock today and kept calm at all times and always tried to play the ball out when he could. Cousins slowly getting back to his best as well.
Diego Poyet. Just wow. Please stay! What a cool customer he is. So good on the ball and a very intelligent player. He just gets better and better. I'm not exaggerating when I say that some if his passing is world clasd. He's Charlton's Pirlo. Pure class. Would love to see him in a number ten role.
4 - 1 - 4 - 1 makes you solid but you need a particular type of player up top on there on and that's not Church.
I don't think it is any of our strikers so not just Church to blame but he just doesn't look good enough. Maybe because he is an ex-Reading player or the coach wanted to rest others for Tuesday, who knows but it didn't work.
The rest of the formation seemed unbalenced. Harriot on the wrong side, AA out wide. Looked even more unbalanced when JJ went off.
Reading might be dismissed as ordinary but they barely allowed us a chance and did what they set out to.
They are a counter-attacking side and that is how they scored. They are a step up from us all over the pitch. Bigger, faster, stronger, more of a cutting edge, better organised. Not a huge step up but a step all the same.
It's good we keep possesion well at the back but so we should playing 4141 against a team that sits back. Reading were happy to let us do that as we had no threat.
Seasons not over yet just as it wasn't over when we beat Leeds.
Going to go down to the wire. See you at Blackpool
As we only win on Tuesdays, maybe that's our plan for the rest of the season, to play Church for the full 90 on Saturdays, then play someone who might score on Tuesdays...
Incidentally, what's happened to Pritchard, is he injured or just out of favour, as he would be a better replacement for the midfield 3 than Petrucci who looks a bit lightweight and slow there.
I think some of you have you man up - thought we played some decent football & didn't look like a team facing relegation. Came away pretty pleased seeing as we lost and 2 teams below us won but we are still 4th from bottom with 2 games in hand & having to play 2 of the teams below us. Its all in our hands now & just need a bit of luck (a soft pen would help) or a piece of magic (ala Reza on tues) and if we can pick up another 10 points we will be safe.
POTM - Poyet by a mile. I don't know why spongefoot played the whole game but hoped is was either a) to rest the other strikers for a more important match on tues or b) to show RD just how bad Church really is.
PS - why was the pitch watered ?? Made it too slippery & players were going over like ninepins. Best just to leave it as it is & play on it dry.
while a team does not start a game so as to loose could it be possible that JR picked a weakened team so he could put out his strongest next Tuesday and so risk loosing against Reading and give a better chance of beating Yeovil?
The real clincher is we have so little creative quality in the squad, our only real chance at 0-0 with half hour to go would have been to bring on a fresh AA. Until he sorts out his fitness, he's a last half hour player for me.