Our weak link is........THE CAPTAIN!!!!

[loyalroyal4life]

I am sorry to say but it is so true that this season this has been the case. Some will agree, others wont but if you look at the options we have and the way others have played it certainly bodes with the fact that the team could perform much stronger.

The problem with this scenario is dropping a captain not only from being captain but from out the team, obviously very rarely happens and with SSC at the helm this is even rarer!!

Harper makes me cringe with some of his performances he just has not been the same for us. Think he should of just been sold to boro. I know people will say it is easy to say that now but his performances do sway towards the fact that maybe a move which he so desparately wanted was on the table but for RFC bluntly refusing

[The Goat was fed]

I guarantee you if Harper left we would miss him big time.

[loyalroyal4life]

I guarantee you if Harper left we would miss him big time.

In what way do you think? marek is more creative and cisse/gunnar tackle better and tackle more.

[The Goat was fed]

I don't know - I can't stand him - but he would be sorely missed. One argument is that he does a lot of work that goes unnoticed and without somebody doing that work our system would crumble.

[AlexY25]

In what way do you think? marek is more reative and cisse/gunnar tackle better and more.

I agree with that. Completely.

[Royalee]

I guarantee you if Harper left we would miss him big time.

Always Oasis and Stone Roses videos if you fancy watching someone prancing about with their arms outstretched around their ankles. Nothing football-related to miss though.

[Archie's penalty]

Harper had a good game today. HTH.

[The 17 Bus]

Sad that many do not realise that we are 3rd in the table, and could be second or even top by Xmas, cant be anything to do with Harper though, as according to some we seem to be playing with a man short at times!! Or 2 when we have someone sent off.

[79Royal]

I agree that Harper cannot tackle and his outstretched arms are very odd. I don't know anyone else who plays football like that.

BUT!

What he does do, he does well. He organises our midfield extremely well. Watch any games without Harper in and you'll see that our defence is a solid bank of four, but our midfield are all over the place. Now watch a game that Harps is playing in and you'll see two very well organised banks of four, closed up tight. There aren't too many teams in the Championship that have the abilty to pass their way around us - Southampton aside.

Secondly, he's intelligent enough to know when to sit deep. If Cisse, Bryn or Marek are alongside him and go bombing forward, Harps drops back. Bryn is probably the only other CM in our squad who will do that as a matter of course.

Lastly, give him the ball to his feet and a little bit of time and he'll spread the play, keep the ball moving and the tempo high. That is very important to Reading, even if it does mean passing the ball 6 feet to his left or right. Harps is extremely fit and can run for 90+ minutes, for 46 games of the season if he has to. Bryn cant.

Yes, there are things that Harper does that infuriates me at times, but it's so easy for me to moan when I'm sat in row EE, where I can see the play unfold from a high position. And no, Harps couldn't tackle his way out of a paper bag. But take him out of our side and we lose a lot of the things that make us so good. Boro wanted him for a reason, so he cant be that bad! Not sure he was desperate to go there though, as someone else has posted...

[readingbedding]

Sad that many do not realise that we are 3rd in the table, and could be second or even top by Xmas, cant be anything to do with Harper though, as according to some we seem to be playing with a man short at times!! Or 2 when we have someone sent off.

I agree, should Harper score a couple against Blackpool and Norwich, there's always someone else these types of enlightened people can latch onto.

[bottom left hand corner]

I don't know - I can't stand him - but he would be sorely missed. One argument is that he does a lot of work that goes unnoticed and without somebody doing that work our system would crumble.

I agree

I thought Sidwell wouldn't be missed to an exstent but it showed!

Sonko, Shorey and Kitson i knew they wouldnt be missed much because they dont play the drving force of our team.

[bishbosh92]

Deffiantly agree with this

yday every1 played well via him

he gave the ball away to often, and when he was moved to the wing was beaten by his man nearly every time.

coppel needs to bench him so he relises it though and get marek in the midfield for a game until then i oanic when he gets the ball.

[chilipepper91]

Oh good, another Harper-bashing thread.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

The problem with this scenario is dropping a captain not only from being captain but from out the team, obviously very rarely happens and with SSC at the helm this is even rarer!!

I disagree with this part.

Coppell got rid of Adie Williams when he couldnt cut the mustard any more, despite him being a favourite. He obviously see's something in Harps and we should trust Coppell now after all that we've achieved.

[bishbosh92]

The problem with this scenario is dropping a captain not only from being captain but from out the team, obviously very rarely happens and with SSC at the helm this is even rarer!!

I disagree with this part.

Coppell got rid of Adie Williams when he couldnt cut the mustard any more, despite him being a favourite. He obviously see's something in Harps and we should trust Coppell now after all that we've achieved.

Im not disagreeing with you bcoz i think harps is a good player hes just been poor the last few games. i think maybe dropping him to the bench for a few games may make him relises hes not at his best, and hopefully hell pick hes game up. it also givs marek a shot to prove himself.

[reading fc rock leroylero]

I don't know - I can't stand him - but he would be sorely missed. One argument is that he does a lot of work that goes unnoticed and without somebody doing that work our system would crumble.

I agree

I thought Sidwell wouldn't be missed to an exstent but it showed!

Sonko, Shorey and Kitson i knew they wouldnt be missed much because they dont play the drving force of our team.

Disagree with this. Shorey was a key in driving our team. The link up play down the wing was crucial in our promotion season, and even when we were in the Premiership.

[Handsome Man]

Oh good, another Harper-bashing thread.

It's just the Junior School though. Give them some crayons and they'll shut up.

[rg6royal]

Next captain = Liam Rosenier

[bishbosh92]

Next captain = Liam Rosenier

Nah disagree there

hes a good attackive fullback byt defensively hes not brill.

he didnt have the greatest of games yday

when we needed to hoof the ball up field

he always found a barnsley player.

[loyalroyal4life]

The problem with this scenario is dropping a captain not only from being captain but from out the team, obviously very rarely happens and with SSC at the helm this is even rarer!!

I disagree with this part.

Coppell got rid of Adie Williams when he couldnt cut the mustard any more, despite him being a favourite. He obviously see's something in Harps and we should trust Coppell now after all that we've achieved.

Im not disagreeing with you bcoz i think harps is a good player hes just been poor the last few games. i think maybe dropping him to the bench for a few games may make him relises hes not at his best, and hopefully hell pick hes game up. it also givs marek a shot to prove himself.

Yes ok even if he were to be dropped for a couple of games and SSC said it was purely to 'freshen up' the team then that would be nice. I just have a strong feeling the team would perform alot better. Marek must be clucking to get bak into the team and i just feel there are players who seem to want to play more for the team than he does. Just compare his captaincy ways vs murty's both are vocal people in and around the lub but it seems he is quieter in comparison on the field.