Steve Clarke Approval Rating - November 2015

It's been a few months since we last asked you to tell us how you're feeling about Steve Clarke's reign, so without further ado, let's get into it...

Positives

Over the last three months we have seen plenty of highs and lows, so let's start with the moments that had us all believing again. A 5-1 victory over Ipswich was the first result after voting closed on the last poll, finally all of the pieces coming together in one of the most complete team performances we've seen in a long time. Good results kept coming - a comfortable away victory over Bristol City followed by two wins over promotion chasing Burnley and Middlesbrough show that this team - on its day - can compete with the very best. Had Orlando Sa not experienced his moment of madness at home to Derby County, it could and probably should have been three more points.

As well as picking up points, Reading have found their form in front of goal once again. Just four times in all competitions have the Royals been shut out, and only twice since a 0-0 draw at home to MK Dons in mid-August. That's helped by the form of Nick Blackman, our three-time Player Of The Month, scoring for fun, but also the supporting cast around him, including the likes of Sa and Matej Vydra. It'll be a constant theme this year - "on its day" - but this team have proven to be clinical and deadly when it all comes together.

And taking a positive from a later negative, Reading have shown finally that they have the ability to break teams down when they sit in and challenge us to score. Two home games in a row, against Brighton and Huddersfield, have seen late equalisers to steal a point and perhaps proven that teams have to be more careful when trying to protect a lead against the Royals. The relentless late attacks we've seen against those two opponents eventually bore fruit, whereas you get the feeling this side twelve months ago wouldn't have found a way through.

Negatives

The highs and lows of being a football fan, eh... Just when you think this team is marching towards the Premier League, three Fulham goals in six minutes derail that notion, and possibly even our whole season, judging by results and performances after that. A massive turning point in the campaign, a 2-0 lead to a 3-2 deficit in just over five minutes and no victory - indeed, no lead in a match - since that fateful day at Craven Cottage. Teams go through good and bad spells, no doubt, but consistency is the key to escaping the Championship and Reading haven't shown that quality yet, for all their earlier positive results.

And for a side that was almost unreally good at stopping opponents getting shots away... well, we've reverted to the mean - though many of the recent goals conceded have been self-inflicted, with mistakes at the back and poor marking meaning Reading have often had to recover from problems of their own making. After such a solid start at the back, it's concerning to see that suddenly this team seems to make key errors at the back, and effectively put games out of their own reach.

It's also concerning to see that the summer signings have generally failed to impress so far. Lucas Piazon is prominent on the stats sheet but hasn't passed the eye test. Matej Vydra has shown glimpses of quality but, at the moment, doesn't look on the same page as the rest of the team. Ola John, Paolo Hurtado and Alex Fernandez haven't had much time to impress but equally haven't looked the solution to any of our problems. The only consistent performer so far has been Andrew Taylor, who looks steady if unspectacular. With six loanees in the squad Clarke is having to juggle his resources and keep everybody happy, but does he know his best team yet?

Are you confident with Steve Clarke at the helm as we head forward into September and beyond? Vote below (5 is highest, 1 is lowest) and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

You can see the results of previous editions below (click for a larger version), to guide you for your vote.