Are Reading the WORST team...

[sparkie]

I am mystified as to how Reading are above Rotherham to be honest

Good point.

I reckon we'll stuff Rotherham at their place, but let's be honest, Reading tonight were way worse than Rotherham were at the Amex.

 

[Buzzer]

There were odd batterings. Peterboro and Charlton away. The St Pats massacre. Blackpool at home. But not many.

At the time I defended the "We are Brighton and we play only one way" thing. It made us have an identity and helped in getting the academy / training ground going if you ask me. But all too often we looked one dimensional and today we showed what can happen when a team with a a very good tactical manager with Championship experience comes up against a manager with a one line philosophy in this division.

Wasn't there a statistic that under Gus we rarely, if ever won, after conceding first? If that doesn't show the limitations of only playing one way then I don't know what does.

To be fair to Jaap Stam, he's trying to introduce his style in a much tougher league than Poyet did in League One. The fact that Reading are in the top 6 after an awful season last year means he is doing something right and I just wonder if this was a bad day at the office for them and a great day for us rather than something more fundamentally wrong with Reading's tactics.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Wasn't there a statistic that under Gus we rarely, if ever won, after conceding first? If that doesn't show the limitations of only playing one way then I don't know what does.

To be fair to Jaap Stam, he's trying to introduce his style in a much tougher league than Poyet did in League One. The fact that Reading are in the top 6 after an awful season last year means he is doing something right and I just wonder if this was a bad day at the office for them and a great day for us rather than something more fundamentally wrong with Reading's tactics.

It'd be interesting to see how many Reading have won after going behind because they looked screwed once we'd scored. Top 6 for a side playing decent possession football isn't a bad bench mark though. Garcia got us to the playoffs with a similar style and a weakening side.

 

[big nuts]

Good point.

I reckon we'll stuff Rotherham at their place, but let's be honest, Reading tonight were way worse than Rotherham were at the Amex.

No they weren't. They weren't great but over egging it by saying Rotherham showed more at the Amex when they barely had a shot on goal.

 

[big nuts]

Tonight should be a wake up call to those on here who still maintain Poyet's AMEX team was a thing of beauty.

I know at the time I couldn't have been happier, but that also came with the caveat of:-

'blimey we're gonna batter a team real soon, I can feel it'.

In all honestly, bar the odd mismatch, we never did.


Scroll forward 5 years, at it's:-

'Oh so we've battered another team, which is nice'.

At times we were brilliant under Poyet. The difference now is the quality of personnel and depth of squad.

Systems and tactics are all well and good but most of all you need good players and we've got about eighteen of them at present.

Barcelona & Spain dominated football for several years with similar tactics but they had the best players.

 

[studio150]

I thought out tactics were a template in how to play a team like Reading.

We sat back and were compact and let Reading pass the ball around in their own half. Then at times we pressed Reading high up the pitch and for most of the time they struggled to get out and into our half. It also seemed that given the amount of short passes that Reading play that they have lost the ability to accurately pass the ball long.

When we had the opportunity we broke from defence with pace on the counter attack and were clinical with our finishing.

Apart from Stockdale's near post save in the 1st half and then Duffy's clearance, Reading didn't pose any great goal threat when they managed to get forward.

Reading's two results this week with two defeats against top six teams without scoring, would suggest that while they may be able turn over lower placed teams, there passing is too slow to seriously trouble top six teams.

 

[drew]

At times we were brilliant under Poyet. The difference now is the quality of personnel and depth of squad.

Systems and tactics are all well and good but most of all you need good players and we've got about eighteen of them at present.

Barcelona & Spain dominated football for several years with similar tactics but they had the best players.

We never had similar tactics to Barcelona and Spain, stop deluding yourself. Poyet played a system that worked against relatively disorganised opposition in league one and it was a success but against better players and better tacticians, it was no where near as successful and the lack of plan B was his ceiling, not the clubs.

 

[sparkie]

No they weren't. They weren't great but over egging it by saying Rotherham showed more at the Amex when they barely had a shot on goal.

Don't agree with you. Rotherham were massively better than Reading at the Amex.

 

[Buzzer]

We never had similar tactics to Barcelona and Spain, stop deluding yourself.

It's not delusional, it's true. The only difference was, as you say, that it turned out that we weren't that good at playing it against decent teams. No-one is trying to say that we played like world-beaters, just that we tried to play the same style as world-beaters.

 

[warmleyseagull]

Pleased to see John Swift was not playing. Not sure why, perhaps being rested. Reading looked disorganised, Murray, Baldock and AK were evidently given the job of harrying defenders on the ball. El Habsi clearly not able to play out from tha back.

 

[dazzer6666]

I thought out tactics were a template in how to play a team like Reading.

We sat back and were compact and let Reading pass the ball around in their own half. Then at times we pressed Reading high up the pitch and for most of the time they struggled to get out and into our half. It also seemed that given the amount of short passes that Reading play that they have lost the ability to accurately pass the ball long.

When we had the opportunity we broke from defence with pace on the counter attack and were clinical with our finishing.

Apart from Stockdale's near post save in the 1st half and then Duffy's clearance, Reading didn't pose any great goal threat when they managed to get forward.

Reading's two results this week with two defeats against top six teams without scoring, would suggest that while they may be able turn over lower placed teams, there passing is too slow to seriously trouble top six teams.

Dead right, let em have the ball where they are no danger then nick it through pressure, or let them hoof it

Pleased to see John Swift was not playing. Not sure why, perhaps being rested. Reading looked disorganised, Murray, Baldock and AK were evidently given the job of harrying defenders on the ball. El Habsi clearly not able to play out from tha back.

Lost count the number of times Duffy and Bruno were pointing at the wingers to block off the full-backs when he had the ball. Basically making him kick it, because his kicking is shite.

 

[lawros left foot]

Poyet's Withdean possession football - was fantastic at the time and opponents didn't know how to play us. They'd normally chase our defence down but couldn't keep up all game, when Murray/Calderon/Barnes/Bennett would eventually take them apart.

Poyet's Amex tactics were the same, but every club in the Championship had better, athletic footballers. Boring much of the time.

Bollox,

Some notable results from the last Gus season.

Albion 5 Barnsley 1,
Burnley 1, Albion 3,
Albion 3, Wednesday 0
Ipswich 0, Albion 3
Albion 4, Huddersfield 1
Albion 3, Palace 0
Albion 6, Blackpool 1



I know that there appears in some quarters to be a trend to fake news and alternative facts at the moment, but this re-writing of history about the Gus era, is a bit beyond a joke.

 

[AWAYDAY]

Don't normally like the 'you're flucking sh£t' chant but the tinpot really deserved it today. Played awful which reflects their club and a large number of their fans.

 

[NooBHA]

...to have that amount of possession at the Amex?

Excluding us under Poyet and Garcia of course.

I think they created one chance? ONE.

haven't read any responses to this so apologise for duplication> They are decent side. They knock the ball around well but they don't have a clue how to penetrate a side who are better than they are and we are better than they are.

We did what I call a semi circle half moon pressing game against them and they had not one clue how to break through that . A cemi circle wall and they had no idea how to play against it. So I wouldn't run them down. I would praise us for having done our homework and having nullified them.

We are a good side with good players. I am mindful of the teams pressing us for a promotion place and many fans think rightly so that they are a serious threat but we are a damned good side and not only can we go and win games but we can also stop others from doing so.

Reading match was EFFICIENCY at its best.

I take nothing for granted in future matches but we showed in this match that the outcome of not promotion is down to how we perform for the remainder of the season and NOT OTHERS

 

[sydney]

Some poor Albion defending gifted then opportunities to create chances. Thankfully they were pony.

our boys need to know when to try and pass it out of our penalty area and when to just get rid.......still if they are top 6 contenders we just owned them today....UTA...!!

 

[big nuts]

We never had similar tactics to Barcelona and Spain, stop deluding yourself. Poyet played a system that worked against relatively disorganised opposition in league one and it was a success but against better players and better tacticians, it was no where near as successful and the lack of plan B was his ceiling, not the clubs.

Our tactics were identikit to Barcelona's we were just nowhere near as good at implementing it.

With better players it would have been more effective but we lacked pace and were nowhere near as effective pressing without the ball.

This season has been better than any Poyet season but that's in the main the quality of the squad rather than tactics.

In previous seasons our midfield has been Bridcutt & Hammond or Navarro, Sparrow & Dicker. Outside of Bridcutt none would have a hope of making our match day squad now.

Outside of Bridge (first eleven) and maybe a bit of Vicente, Buckley and Upson on the bench, none of the Poyet era team would be a regular starter and I'd include Ulloa too.

The beauty of this season and squad is their adaptability, determination and quality. We've got good players all over the pitch and off the bench and you could make a case for at least 8 players being POTS.

Hughton also brings a calmness and a pragmatism that Poyet lacked.

 

[HitchinSeagull]

Good post, the demolitions you felt were on the cards at the Amex never came (bar say 3-0 versus CPFC).

That team/squad had many gifted footballers, but other than Buckley lacked real pace in attack. Opponents simply used to sit back, and counter against us when we eventually gave the ball away.

Hughton's tactics and squad including some players with great pace and/or directness, is light years ahead of Poyet's boring product.

After Poyet squeezed out Murray, we never solved the striker conundrum, getting through so many strikers bought or loanees, including Obika, CMS, COG, Barn Door, etc, etc.

I'd love to have seen what CMS could have done in this team, newly arrived from Peterborough rather than after Poyet and injuries had left him bereft of pace and confidence.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[Pantani]

It'd be interesting to see how many Reading have won after going behind because they looked screwed once we'd scored. Top 6 for a side playing decent possession football isn't a bad bench mark though. Garcia got us to the playoffs with a similar style and a weakening side.

In 13 games where they have conceded first they have won 1, drawn 3.

Twelfth best record in the Championship.

You can probably guess who is the best when conceding first. Newcastle are way down in 22nd! http://www.soccerstats.com/table.asp?league=england2&tid=m

Even better is the table for scoring first. We have won 18 out of 18 when we score first. http://www.soccerstats.com/table.asp?league=england2&tid=l

 

[Stat Brother]

Bollox,

Some notable results from the last Gus season.

Albion 5 Barnsley 1,
Burnley 1, Albion 3,
Albion 3, Wednesday 0
Ipswich 0, Albion 3
Albion 4, Huddersfield 1
Albion 3, Palace 0
Albion 6, Blackpool 1



I know that there appears in some quarters to be a trend to fake news and alternative facts at the moment, but this re-writing of history about the Gus era, is a bit beyond a joke.

I'd be curious to know which of those results would be classed as mis-matched?

The bottom two being the obvious yin and yang.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Reading must have been doing something right all season to earn their league position. But we rendered their tactics totally ineffective.