Why the wingers aren't working

[trooper20]

As a Reading fan I hope you don't mind me making some observations. I've been to the Hudd. home game and the Brighton away game and watched all the matches on TV.

You have brought in 2 out and out wingers but your game play seems to be wrong. These wingers need your defence and midfield to break quickly with high tempo. They need to rec. the ball on the half way line which will allow them to take the ball wide and get in crosses from the dead ball line.

At the moment because there is no tempo by the time they rec. the ball they are already closely marked and there is little room for them to break. Kebe tries to move inside to lose his marker but that doesn't seem to work as noone is spotting his runs. Stewart has the defenders on top of him all the time.

In our successful seasons we have always used wingers ( Kebe) but we have played a high tempo fast breaking game. Without that your wingers will be largely ineffective.

[The Subhuman]

If you're not including the wingers as midfielders then our midfield is Luke Murphy..who as you saw was vastly outnumbered in midfield. Austin can't pick a simple pass and playing 442 doesn't help, in effect it's 424...Kebe had a bad game Saturday but he does show glimpses, I'm not sold on Stewart.

It also didn't help that Byram was sat on the bench the whole game...but maybe that is because he's carrying an injury we don't know about..

[trooper20]

Definitely agree you need a good creative midfielder. But in the high tempo game you need the full backs to act as additional midfielders to allow the wingers to push forward.If you can keep hold of Butland and Wickham as well I reckon you should be challenging next season.

Reading seem to have blown it with their miserable home form

[Martyn]

Just out of interest trooper, how did this work with Ian Harte at full back?

Great servant to both our clubs, legendary for his free kick ability but with all the searing pace of continental drift

[Gurj]

Just out of interest trooper, how did this work with Ian Harte at full back?

Great servant to both our clubs, legendary for his free kick ability but with all the searing pace of continental drift

I could be wrong but wasnt Harte playing as one of the three central defenders there rather than left back ?

[mav]

you don't need to be able to pick a pass, just play the ball into the channels - play the ball in front of the wingers as an out ball and let them run at them, obviously this does not mean hoof it, but playing a ball into a 20 yard space in front of a Leeds player should not be beyond any of our players.

[theleedsmango]

Good point trooper (though just introduce yourself as a Leeds fan from now on!)

I would expect wingers to do a little bit more with the ball when they have it, than just run up the wing into empty space on a breakaway. For 3 years people on here have been crying out for pace. Nothing else mattered but pace. And Stewart has that, but at the minute not much else. I've played as a winger, wide midfielder and full back and whilst all three positions would have different focuses, I was still expected to run up and down the wing when I had the chance, come inside to get the ball, pass it if I had no options, take people on etc. in all three positions... a winger is still a footballer and must do the basics as well.

Kebe and Stewart haven't hit the ground running, possibly because we are operating at a slower pace than what they are used to. But as faaip allueded to, the main reason is the passing from defence and the midfield. We are still hoofing the ball, though the passing game is starting to take root. I'd hope in the not-too-distant future we will get used to passing quickly and getting it out to the wings, but i also hope these two develop their game to suit the team we have.

[weasel]

Part of the trouble we have is the limited composure at the back - hoofball. As such the ball simply gets whacked long leaving the wingers and midfield bypassed. Yes sometimes it will get to the strikers but if it does they are then well adrift as the midfield is still in the positions they have been froom us defending.

It all starts with better distribution from the back. Byram back in will obviously help out as he can bring it out from the back and if he runs with the ball it sucks a player towards him giving his winger more space.

Having Wickham up top could help the wingers and midfield enormously. If he can control the long balls and hold onto the ball long enough for them to get forward we will score a lot more goals from the midfield. The long ball is a key reason as to why RMC has got lots of goals but hardly any goals have come from our midfield. RMC is not a striker who plays with his back to goal so he tries the flick etc when the long ball gets to him and sometimes creates aa shooting opportunity. Wickham though looked like he could get the ball and not feel the urge to simply try to then go forward immediately.

[The Subhuman]

you don't need to be able to pick a pass, just play the ball into the channels - play the ball in front of the wingers as an out ball and let them run at them, obviously this does not mean hoof it, but playing a ball into a 20 yard space in front of a Leeds player should not be beyond any of our players.

ahh, I have picking a pass as hitting a target, whether it be to feet or for a player to run on...Austin can do neither..

[Martyn]

ahh, I have picking a pass as hitting a target, whether it be to feet or for a player to run on...Austin can do neither..

He can do it, just not deliberately.

Sometimes the ball bounces off his shin and ends up with a Leeds player.

[1964white]

He can do it, just not deliberately.

Sometimes the ball bounces off his shin and ends up with a Leeds player.

Now now lads you'll be upsetting fans who reckon he's a cult hero at ER

I've said enough on the Austin debate

[mav]

I don't get why you (64) and others make everything so black and white, he is not the worst footballer ever by a long way, he is not either brilliant.

He is a Championship player that blows hot and cold is all.

[trooper20]

I could be wrong but wasnt Harte playing as one of the three central defenders there rather than left back ?

No always played left back for us. Always worked well with Jobi macanuff. Trouble would occur when he got caught upfield as he couldn't get back. What a dead ball man though. Every time we got a free kick we thought it was a goal!

[paddy parrott]

Well for me winger[`s] should also mean play into ,and in the opposition`s penalty area .
Especially when we are using two of the same i know Brian mc has a game plan but ...one of these should justify attacking and playing in their box area.