[Football] Reading Fan Chat – Brighton v Reading

As always, friendly greetings from daib0.

So onto our game together on Boxing Day, with us before we know it – and I wondered if I could have a few views ONCE AGAIN (!) from yourselves to inform the members on Reading’s “Royals Rendezvous” . Guaranteed absolutely no ‘wind ups’ on our forum, to the contrary, our highest respect.


Whilst I’d be grateful for anyone contributing with anything on this thread I’d just like to point you all towards a few ideas. These will really help us. Any snippet reproduced will always be fully credited by showing your forum (I've occasionally written on here during a few seasons now, you've treated me pretty good to be honest!) and member name.

Just a few basic easy things – here goes:


A] ** Brighton pipped the Royals to the play-offs last season (but no whinging here, we weren’t quite good enough!) but as we speak Brighton are having a disappointing season. What’s upset, temporarily at least, your upward progress of the past few seasons?


B] ** Anyway, who are your most dangerous players to face us, and any really promising youngsters bursting through or about to arrive on the scene?


C] ** How strong do you see the general level of the Championship this season? Where do you see yourselves finishing – both head and heart?


D] ** Our current situation in Reading has been turbulent as you’ll know. We’ve been on a very nasty downward spiral, culminating in Nigel Adkins being fired. Royals Co-chairwoman, Lady Sasima Srivikorn, explained: “We have appointed Steve because of his proven history as a manager and coach. We look forward to moving up the league and the board share the view that we have found the right man in Steve.”
So how would you rate the new manager Steve Clarke? Answers to this I’d especially like to relay over to my forum!


E] ** So on to the Boxing Day game? How do you see the match going? By all means leave a prediction here even if you’ve given it or will give it in another thread!



Cheers,

daib0

A] ** Brighton pipped the Royals to the play-offs last season (but no whinging here, we weren’t quite good enough!) but as we speak Brighton are having a disappointing season. What’s upset, temporarily at least, your upward progress of the past few seasons?

Sammi Hyypia, clueless Finnish Buffoon

B] ** Anyway, who are your most dangerous players to face us, and any really promising youngsters bursting through or about to arrive on the scene?

If he plays, Kemmy Agustein could be dangerous to your players should he fall on them.

C] ** How strong do you see the general level of the Championship this season? Where do you see yourselves finishing – both head and heart?

Same as last year. Only Blackpool will stop us claiming 24th.

D] ** Our current situation in Reading has been turbulent as you’ll know. We’ve been on a very nasty downward spiral, culminating in Nigel Adkins being fired. Royals Co-chairwoman, Lady Sasima Srivikorn, explained: “We have appointed Steve because of his proven history as a manager and coach. We look forward to moving up the league and the board share the view that we have found the right man in Steve.”
So how would you rate the new manager Steve Clarke? Answers to this I’d especially like to relay over to my forum!

Clarke seems decent, I suspect he'll get off and running on Boxing day.



E] ** So on to the Boxing Day game? How do you see the match going? By all means leave a prediction here even if you’ve given it or will give it in another thread!

Pain, 1-3, Murray Hat Trick.

daib0 said:

As always, friendly greetings from daib0.

So onto our game together on Boxing Day, with us before we know it – and I wondered if I could have a few views ONCE AGAIN (!) from yourselves to inform the members on Reading’s “Royals Rendezvous” . Guaranteed absolutely no ‘wind ups’ on our forum, to the contrary, our highest respect.


Whilst I’d be grateful for anyone contributing with anything on this thread I’d just like to point you all towards a few ideas. These will really help us. Any snippet reproduced will always be fully credited by showing your forum (I've occasionally written on here during a few seasons now, you've treated me pretty good to be honest!) and member name.

Just a few basic easy things – here goes:


A] ** Brighton pipped the Royals to the play-offs last season (but no whinging here, we weren’t quite good enough!) but as we speak Brighton are having a disappointing season. What’s upset, temporarily at least, your upward progress of the past few seasons?
Burke, Barber, and the Finn

B] ** Anyway, who are your most dangerous players to face us, and any really promising youngsters bursting through or about to arrive on the scene?
Darren Bent, Christian Walton

C] ** How strong do you see the general level of the Championship this season? Where do you see yourselves finishing – both head and heart?
Head: 22nd
Heart 14th

D] ** Our current situation in Reading has been turbulent as you’ll know. We’ve been on a very nasty downward spiral, culminating in Nigel Adkins being fired. Royals Co-chairwoman, Lady Sasima Srivikorn, explained: “We have appointed Steve because of his proven history as a manager and coach. We look forward to moving up the league and the board share the view that we have found the right man in Steve.”
So how would you rate the new manager Steve Clarke? Answers to this I’d especially like to relay over to my forum!
I don't know

E] ** So on to the Boxing Day game? How do you see the match going? By all means leave a prediction here even if you’ve given it or will give it in another thread!
Brighton 1-2 Reading


Cheers,

daib0

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A/ we bought our xmas turkey early this year....then made it head coach. Selling off our playing assets and failure to find adequate replacements

B/Darren Bent, if he isn't damaged. Jake Forster-Caskey if played in his correct position and Rohan Ince if he's played

C/ Personally I don't think the championship is as strong as last year, or teams aren't generally playing to their own standards

D/ A few on here would have taken Steve Clarke over Sami Hyypia in a heartbeat as he's a steady, if uninspiring appointment. Might be a good choice for you to get your season going.

E/ Toss a coin. Depends how our 'manager' rotates the players but a feeling of impending doom has settled over the Amex in recent months. It could be a good time for you to play us. Glen Murray is sorely missed by some so a mixed reception due to his association with them up the road

Come and collect your free 3 points ..............you're welcome

I can assure you there's little optimism among the faithful on Reading's "Royals Rendezvous", many won't predict an away victory, there's little confidence. Why?
We've seen a gritty hard-working side under McDermott get up into the Premier league, only to suffer badly there (no money became available to bolster the side!) with McDermott going and Adkins coming in. But he couldn't save the team from relegation - though few expected him to - but hopes were placed on being a solid championship side once again. Being being top six last season for the majority of the time, we dithered and wobbled at the end - and fair enough, you boys caught us.
So to this season, and top six in mid-September had us believe we might be there or thereabouts once again. But a disaster slide leaves us not far from the relegation places, which would in fact be our lowest finsh in over a decade. We have FIFTEEN full internationals, including three from that Welsh side which admirably drew in Belguim the other week - but they DON'T click at club level!! I don't doubt that Adkins is a nice guy but unfortunately he couldn't get it sorted out, for whatever reason, so the team now faces a new era.
So very hard indeed to predict what might happen ...

daib0 said:

I don't doubt that Adkins is a nice guy but unfortunately he couldn't get it sorted out, for whatever reason, so the team now faces a new era.

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We doubt very much that Adkins is a nice man. However, though it pains me to say it, he is a decent manager. I think the problem at Reading is that Adkins has tried to play the football he played at Southampton with a team who's strengths lay in playing McDermott's style and little money for wholesale replacements. Many on here would like to see McDermott replace Hyppia, but I fear that this would be the same problem in reverse. Our squad is more set up to play technical possession football and is struggling with the athleticism required to play Hyppia's way, let alone McDermott's. I think Reading's problem may be that Steve Clarke is another manager who will want to play possession football and he will need new players to do so effectively.

I would never try to predict Boxing Day results as a lot of the time results are dependent upon player attitude over Xmas. We seemed to show some determination yesterday, but we are quickly getting used to false dawns. One thing that would surprise me would be us being any good in the second half. In virtually every game at the Amex this year we seem to have started at our strongest level and competed up to half time and gone downhill swiftly after the break.