Royals v Blackburn Match thread

[The Quiet Man]

Low expectations of the Blackburn trip and little to disappoint.

Bad points - Rosenior - is this guy the new Andy Hughes, running fast in a straight line should surely be complemented by some semblance of football ability. Shorey tough luck mate your with us for a fair while as the Hammers now want Bridge from Chelsea. Murty - time to retire you just haven't got the legs. Bikey what were you doing first half I would of thought you would be protecting the centre backs and letting Harper get forward instead you looked lost (maybe that was not your fault but the role you were given). Collectively we were as soft as sh*te in the first half and very static as man for man we were half a yard slower than Blackburn in thought and execution. At the moment we do not have a single player away from home who I would think has genuine premier league ability (possibly Doyle may get there).

Good points - despite an absolute gubbing in the first half we still came out and kept plugging away taking the game to Blackburn so morale is still there. Sonko came back (although shaky had his moments); Doyle scored 2; Lita looked focussed; Gunnarsson played his first 20 minutes of decent football this season and then rather faded.

Blackburn looked every inch a good premier league side we looked every inch an average championship side. Was it really over two years since we made a transfer that actually improved the side rather than added to the supporting list of very average squad players????

We're going into the transfer market with our wonderful Director of F*ck All to acquire players - pull the other one. Learn from Watford and start building a side for the Championship next year starting at January because the current squad is full of players who would currently struggle to get into championship teams.

[Cookie]

But still, going down may well be the best thing for the club in the long run.

What? Are you crazy??

[Tilehurst Mike]

1. If the money wasn't there for wages Coppell wouldn't have come out and said I had the money and didn't spend it. He's not an idiot. The Chairman's not tricked him into thinking moneys there for transfers and not wages. Coppell looks stupid by saying he was happy with the squad and that's why we didn't sign anyone. If the reason we didn't sign anyone was because of wages limits, Coppell would never have said that. He's been in the game far to long to be made to look stupid by JM.

2. Hammond would have gone to Arsenal if his hands were tied by wage limits. Transfers are all he's got, he wouldn't hang around if he couldn't do the job.

3. JM aim in life is to this summer sell a Premiership club. Why would he hold back on wages when it'll cost him £100m if we get relegated.

4. Coppell and Hammond both say the money was there. They wouldn't say that if it wasn't the case. They'd be screaming from the top of their lungs that JM was holding back on wages if he was.

I think thats a pretty fair assessment. For me, however, the weak link is the DoFs CV which suggests Premiership inadequacy. A succession of poor transfers have gone through the Reading books ever since and including Alan Bennett. If our squad is ageing and slowing, then we need to learn that lesson in a couple of months time. There may be money, but its limited money. Madejski probably feels we will stay up because of his faith in the manager. What his faith in the DoF is, is up for speculation.

Irrrespective of the money situation/lack of squad strengthening at this moment in time despite looking a poor team:

1. we are 12th
2. only three points off where we were at this stage last season
3.there are some pretty bad teams below us and the likes of Middlesborough, birmingham look to be in free fall.
4 we are still looking likely to score goals--defence just needs sorting!!

[Cod]

Trust Coppell. Best manager we have ever had.

Moaners on here- you are the most irritating, dim people with the attention spans of a mayfly.

This is still the greatest side in our history ever to put on a Reading shirt.

A message to the little weasels on here - stop undermining the players and manager, get behind them. If you can't, please fck off and support Man U.

[Big Ern]

I've just skimmed a couple of recent pages and I just want to say that The Whole Year Inn is an utter disgrace to this board.

The club would be better off without the likes of that little oxf*rd in its ranks of so-called supporters.

A really really offensive and utterly ignorant young man.

What makes you think his opinion is worth lany ess than yours. You don't have to agree with it but he is entitled to it.

[Row Z Royal]

I've just skimmed a couple of recent pages and I just want to say that The Whole Year Inn is an utter disgrace to this board.

The club would be better off without the likes of that little oxf*rd in its ranks of so-called supporters.

A really really offensive and utterly ignorant young man.

What makes you think his opinion is worth less than yours.

TWYI > RR

[Ollie Kearns is in Buxton]

Spot on TQM.

The 5 man midfield, which in theory made some kinda sense in terms of a renewed attempt to solidify the team, turned out to have more holes in than your average golf course. Sure the players may not have have been as tactically aware as we wud hope but when the Famous Five put in a performance that even Uncle Quentin would have winced at, we were doomed.

Hunt and Rossenior failed to take up wide positions and were sucked into the middle - Hunt's distribution was woeful - in the 2nd half he gave the ball away 5 times in a short space of time - franklly if he doesn't play his high energy 'chase n harry' game he offers little - unfortunately his batteries look drained. Rossenior was...well...can't cross, won't tackle.

Bikey seemed to be playing as a withdrawn striker in the hole behind Kitson - and was easily by-passed. Fae...as silky as a Caramel bar with a soft centre to match - Nut Clusters were needed on Sat.

Only Harper and Kitson showed meaningful toil in that 1st half.

The 2nd half was better for the changes made, but surely they cud have happened after 30 mins rather than wait till the interval.

Oh, one other thing...Shorey's distribution...ran Hunt a close second in the 2nd half for inaccuracy....no mean feat.

We cud do a lot worse than start with the 11 who ended the game - maybe Bikey in Gunnar's slot (with the latter a very able sub as he proved on Sat) and DLC in for you know who. And Bobby on the left if fit.

"You're so Shit it's Unbeleivable" the Ewood faithful sang at 3-0 - 'twas hard to disagree with their shrewd analysis.

[Stranded]

TWYI,

You are entitled to your opinion but to start questioning a blokes sanity just because we are not doing well at current (for the first time in years really) is frankly disgraceful. To base it on one incident many years ago seems to be like you've almost decided you want to hound the bloke out.

It's a new low for this board as far as I'm concerned.

[Hoop Blah]

Trust Coppell. Best manager we have ever had.

Moaners on here- you are the most irritating, dim people with the attention spans of a mayfly.

This is still the greatest side in our history ever to put on a Reading shirt.

A message to the little weasels on here - stop undermining the players and manager, get behind them. If you can't, please fck off and support Man U.

None of that means we can't be shit in comparison to the sides we're playing or that mistakes haven't been made this season (or at least gambles haven't paid off).

[RoyalBlue]

Spot on TQM.


Hunt and Rossenior failed to take up wide positions and were sucked into the middle - Hunt's distribution was woeful - in the 2nd half he gave the ball away 5 times in a short space of time - franklly if he doesn't play his high energy 'chase n harry' game he offers little - unfortunately his batteries look drained. Rossenior was...well...can't cross, won't tackle.

They said Seol wouldn't tackle but at least he could cross! Still trying to make sense of the idea that Rosenior was expected to be a replacement for Seol/Little on the right wing!

[Royal Rother]

I've just skimmed a couple of recent pages and I just want to say that The Whole Year Inn is an utter disgrace to this board.

The club would be better off without the likes of that little oxf*rd in its ranks of so-called supporters.

A really really offensive and utterly ignorant young man.

What makes you think his opinion is worth lany ess than yours. You don't have to agree with it but he is entitled to it.

TWYI,

You are entitled to your opinion but to start questioning a blokes sanity just because we are not doing well at current (for the first time in years really) is frankly disgraceful. To base it on one incident many years ago seems to be like you've almost decided you want to hound the bloke out.

It's a new low for this board as far as I'm concerned.

I think that answers your question Big Ern.

[Fred Sharpe's Nose]

Oh yes, we're all happy when the success is rolling in, but as soon as we hit a rough patch the moaners have got the knives out for the manager - saying 'he can't handle the bad times' with such unwitting self-irony. Give the guy some slack, for Christ's sake! He's taken this club higher than most of us ever deserved, at least give him HALF A SEASON to make the necessary adjustments! I'll be getting concerned if some serious changes aren't made in the January window, but until then, I will support Steve Coppell's every decision.

When all's said and done, what the hell do we all know about managing a Premiership team?!

[Man Friday]

The Quiet Man and Ollie Kearns is in Buxton - in my opinion you're both absolutely spot-on in terms of your analysis. We may be 12th but the table is most definitely lying. Within 2 weeks (3 max) we're be in the bottom 3...and then stay there. If alarm bells aren't ringing, you must be deaf (Bolton 3-0 says it all).

[Scarface]

Coppell has always been reluctant to change formations and rotate players, so the fact he did that Saturday when half the team had been away smacks of desperation and perhaps suggests he's run out of ideas away from home.

[Royal Rother]

We may be 12th but the table is most definitely lying. Within 2 weeks (3 max) we're be in the bottom 3...and then stay there.

Of course there is a chance you will be right, but so far we have accumulated more points than anyone below us, have won more games than anyone below us and have scored more goals than anyone below us dspite having played our fair share against the Top 7 early-breakaway teams.

We are playing poorly for sure but is there not good reason to believe that Derby, Wigan, Bolton and Fulham are showing no greater sign of recovery than RFC?

To state as fact that the table is lying and that we are going down at this stage of the season is frankly preposterous.

Hard times behind and probably ahead of us but for Reading supporters to come out with this stuff with no thought of a recovery and no awareness of the strength of the management team's record over the last couple of years is really really odd.

[Man Friday]

Only Derby have looked worse than us so far. Wigan were at least as good as us (and playing away), Bolton thrashed us. Both teams have strong squads and when they get their management issues settled should come through strongly. As for Fulham, it will be interesting to see how we fare against them in two weeks' time. As for us, we were actually lucky against Man U (to put it mildly) and also against Wigan and Everton. The only team we have dominated has been Derby who looked every inch a Championship side. No one can say, on the other hand, we've been unlucky away from home!

[Royal Rother]

Last year's hard fought wins are this year's lucky wins? (This season's Wigan and Everton are last season's Bolton and Man City...)

To be fair we rarely dominated anyone last year either - we just kept going for 90 minutes every game and had a great spirit that mostly pulled in the same direction with everyone doing their job for themselves, the team and each other. So far this season that has not been as much in evidence, and age, absences and injuries are catching up with the squad.

This is quite obviously going to be a more difficult season than last but I for one believe there are still more reasons to have faith than not.

[Platypuss]

Scored six away in two games but still nothing

When you concede 11 in two games you deserve nothing.

[Fezza]

Only Derby have looked worse than us so far. Wigan were at least as good as us (and playing away), Bolton thrashed us. Both teams have strong squads and when they get their management issues settled should come through strongly. As for Fulham, it will be interesting to see how we fare against them in two weeks' time. As for us, we were actually lucky against Man U (to put it mildly) and also against Wigan and Everton. The only team we have dominated has been Derby who looked every inch a Championship side. No one can say, on the other hand, we've been unlucky away from home!

To be honest I thought that we were very unlucky not to get at least a point off chelsea!

However for the rest I agree!

[Man Friday]

To be honest I thought that we were very unlucky not to get at least a point off chelsea!

On reflection, I agree.