The Wild Lower West: Poor Management

Dixey reflects on the collapse of both Rob Couhig’s takeover and Reading’s 1-0 lead at Rotherham United.

I was hoping that a couple of weeks of sun, sand and sangria would be the ideal way to relax and forget about the trials and tribulations of Reading FC, but as we all know, supporting this club is stressful, and at times seriously hard work.

Constant checking of Twitter/X, the club website and WhatsApp messages meant I was somewhat distracted from the sights of Malaga and Seville, and I thank my mobile network provider for including European data roaming within my monthly plan, otherwise I would now be owing nearly as much money as a certain football club owner.

So it came as no surprise that, while wandering around Catedral de Sevilla (which is well worth a visit by the way), the news broke that yet another takeover had failed, and we were effectively back to square one with our battle to be owned by someone with an ounce of care for someone other than themselves.

While it still isn’t clear why the deal fell through, I can’t help feeling that the bravado displayed by the prospective new owners may well have pushed buttons that they shouldn’t have pushed.

That said, we are still being dragged under by an owner who simply doesn’t care, a CEO who I am convinced doesn’t exist, and a consultant who is now banned from all football activities for the foreseeable future, and therefore less reliable than a Tottenham 2-0 half-time lead.

If recent press reports are to be believed and there are financial issues involving Dai Yongge, you can’t help but be curious about how the man has amassed such wealth in the first place. An inability (and refusal) to communicate, a negotiation style that I am led to believe is insane, and a complete lack of care for any of your employees are not (in my opinion) the traits of an ethical, honest or successful businessman.

Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images

Away from our disastrous ownership, I can’t ignore the fact that our away form has also fallen into the disastrous category, with yet another defeat on the road at Rotherham United.

Going down to 10 men is never ideal against any team, but the fact that we conceded two goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half with 11 men smacks of poor game management. Despite seeing the red card from various angles, I am still unsure as to who committed an offence worthy of a sending-off, although there were a couple of Rotherham players involved who have since been nominated for Oscars.

Given the circumstances that Ruben Selles has been working under since joining the club, I am full of admiration for the fantastic job he has done in uniting the team and fanbase, and our home form is up there with the best in the division.

However (unpopular opinion alert), Ruben is still not convincing me that he is learning from mistakes made. We seem to make the same ones repeatedly away from home, and much of that is down to the way that we set up.

It is somewhat inevitable that the home side will have spells of possession, and it is up to us to frustrate the crowd and not allow the opposition to play, yet our formation allows the home side wide-open spaces in which to attack us and get the crowd behind them. Games need to be managed differently within certain periods, with the opening 10-15 minutes of the second half a crucial time to frustrate the opposition and ensure that the home crowd are silenced.

I’m certainly not an advocate for going 1-0 up and then parking the bus, but sometimes you must adjust to periods of the game when pressure will be applied. Against Rotherham we were far too expansive at crucial times and allowed them the space and time to score two goals that could have been avoided with simple adjustments.

Dropping Sam Smith 10-20 yards deeper during that period would have reduced the threat of Rotherham’s midfield (who had far too much time all afternoon) and providing cover in front of Andre Garcia and Michael Craig would have helped to prevent the inevitable avalanche of crosses.

Photo by Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images

I fully appreciate that we do not have the luxury of squad rotation, but we must start to manage away games and be more adaptable with the players that we have.

I know we are talking different worlds with any comparison or reference to Manchester City, but if you watch any of their games closely you will see them change shape and formation numerous times during a game, but by still utilising the same players. I know we are talking world-class players who can play in numerous positions, but the concept should be the same across the board: you manage different periods of the game, rather than managing the whole 90 minutes in the same way and hoping for a different result.

Following the glorified international friendly league break we will again be back at SCL for the visit of Crawley Town, and a chance to secure another home three points against a side who have struggled to win games in League One following their promotion last season.

Crawley have recently appointed former Gateshead boss Rob Elliot, and he will be hoping he can arrest the decline in results, which shows just one point picked up from the last seven league games.

Thanks to the wonders of Sky, we are once again subjected to the second of three consecutive 12:30pm home kick-offs. I know the TV deal brings in much-needed revenue, but I wonder whether anyone has compared the money received to lost revenue over the three-game period that we kick off at 12:30pm and are live on TV.

My prediction v Crawley Town

Reading 3-0 Crawley Town

(Knibbs, Knibbs, Bindon)

Attendance: 10,065

Dixey’s Dilemma

My dilemma this week involves our home game vs Northampton Town on Boxing Day. My journey to SCL on matchdays involves a return train journey, and with no trains on December 26, I am left with limited options to get to the game. My options are:

1. Drive to the game and forgo the usual pub routine before the game, which throws out my whole day
2. Catch four buses (with a change at Oxford!) and a five-hour round trip
3. See if I can persuade someone willing to drive that they would have a lovely afternoon shopping in Reading, particularly with many of the sales starting (winking emoji)

Much love and c’mon urzzzz!

Dixey