Blackpool v Reading

[Dazza]

Got to be winning this one tomorrow night.3 points and we will be safe and can start playing a few of the youngsters in our squad.Our recent record at Blackpool is shocking.Lost our last 3 there without scoring a goal.

 

[The Southbank]

 

[Madejski]

Limping over the line would be too kind on our squad.

I'm getting to the point now where it would be easier to list the players I still want at the club next season, rather than the players i'd want out. Only about 6 or 7 of the seniors (which must be about 20 players) even deserve to be here next season based on performances this year.

 

[Dazza]

Shocking game of football which wasn't worth getting home at half 3 in the morning for.Watching that game you would have wondered which side was bottom of the league.

Visible bickering between Pearce and Norwood, after a Blackpool player was allowed to make a decent run forward and get a shot in.Norwood really is an average player.Can see why Huddersfield fans were not too disappointed he left them.Cox, HRK, Blackman, Norwood, Kelly, Pog, Akpan - that lot need to go.Ake had another good performance.

 

[The Southbank]

You're certainly a lot more committed than myself, Daz. I'm not really sure Cox has had a fair crack under Clarke, he seems in the wilderness. I've got a lot of time for him because he's a Reading lad, certainly more time warranted than the likes of Blackman. If I'm right, Kelly is out of contract so I can see him leaving.

 

[Dazza]

Yeah maybe i was a bit harsh on Cox and as you say he hasn't had a lot of playing time under Clarke.Looking at our forums it seems some fans are having doubts about Clarke.Personally i think we need to give him time.

 

[The Southbank]

Yeah maybe i was a bit harsh on Cox and as you say he hasn't had a lot of playing time under Clarke.Looking at our forums it seems some fans are having doubts about Clarke.Personally i think we need to give him time.

'

The best thing about Clarke is that he isn't Nigel Adkins.

 

[Madejski]

Don't get the negativity around Clarke (yet), seems a simple case of fans blaming the manager, when it looks more and more to the day that it's the players who are the problem, and the ones yet to really take the blame. Very few players have even turned up this season, even our supposed best players like McCleary and Williams have been poor. Says a lot when we think our midfield is good and then two Chelsea youngsters can walk straight into it and look better than what we had before.

Hopefully we can really move on the stale players and bring in new enthusiastic ones. That initial push we had at the start of the season with Norwood, Cox, Murray etc joining and wanting to prove themselves was easily the best period of our season, and without that period we would probably be bottom 3 right now.

Only negative I have with Clarke is his team selections, but i'm waiting for next season to see if it's just a case of the fixture pileup of this season and wanting to try out lots of players before the season is over because we shouldn't have either of those problems at the beginning of the new season.

 

[markwwfc1992]

Out of curiosity how is Oliver Norwood getting on an Reading? Used to watch him when he came down on loan at Coventry but I lost contact with him when he went back up north to Huddersfield.

 

[The Southbank]

I agree re: the negativity surrounding Clarke, I don't see it personally. He is doing a reasonable job with a squad that needs some desperate changes. It just needs a bit of freshening up, get rid of some of the deadwood and give a few more of the youngsters a chance.

In the first half of the season Norwood was easily our best player. Under Clarke he has been almost anonymous. Can't see him staying long.

 

[Dazza]

Out of curiosity how is Oliver Norwood getting on an Reading? Used to watch him when he came down on loan at Coventry but I lost contact with him when he went back up north to Huddersfield.

As Southbank has said Norwood was very good the first half of the season.Since Clarke has come in he has been poor.He tries the perfect pass too often which invariably dose not come off.Can see him leaving in the Summer.

 

[Dazza]

Don't get the negativity around Clarke (yet), seems a simple case of fans blaming the manager, when it looks more and more to the day that it's the players who are the problem, and the ones yet to really take the blame. Very few players have even turned up this season, even our supposed best players like McCleary and Williams have been poor. Says a lot when we think our midfield is good and then two Chelsea youngsters can walk straight into it and look better than what we had before.

Hopefully we can really move on the stale players and bring in new enthusiastic ones. That initial push we had at the start of the season with Norwood, Cox, Murray etc joining and wanting to prove themselves was easily the best period of our season, and without that period we would probably be bottom 3 right now.

Only negative I have with Clarke is his team selections, but i'm waiting for next season to see if it's just a case of the fixture pileup of this season and wanting to try out lots of players before the season is over because we shouldn't have either of those problems at the beginning of the new season.

This is the only negative i have with Clarke as well.His team selections as well as his substitutions which are strange at times.Having attended and met Steve Clarke at the Star (Reading's Supporter Trust) forum last month he did mention that he would like to look at some of the youngsters in the squad once we are safe.Just hope he doesn't play too many of them against Bournemouth on Tuesday night or we will be stuffed 5 or 6-0.

I also get the feeling that a fair few players in the squad know that they are going in the Summer.Mcleary was shocking on Tuesday night which is why he was taking off at half time.You can count on one hand the number of good games he has had this season.

 

[The Southbank]

I also get the feeling that a fair few players in the squad know that they are going in the Summer.Mcleary was shocking on Tuesday night which is why he was taking off at half time.You can count on one hand the number of good games he has had this season.

Hopefully McCleary isn't off, big fan of his. Having Robson-Kanu as our only real wide option is quite terrifying to comprehend.

 

[Dazza]

Now that is a scary thought.Would be silly if we got rid of McCleary as poor as he has been in recent weeks.

 

[Madejski]

He's a poor mans Jimmy Kebe, though still our best creative outlet. Says a lot that despite being our most creative player he only has 4 assists this season..

Also mentioned Danny Williams who has underperformed IMO, he has as many goals/assists this season as Jem.