Back from the game - Watford (h)

[RoyalBlue]

Cant beat Watford, laughable.
Two awfully bad sides and we have a manager who really is losing the plot second on second.
Gaurenteed defeats for next 2 games. Bottom 3 in 7 days. Exciting times.

It's ok though, he is friends with Mourinho. F*ck off cnut.

As Mick Gooding pointed out after the game, any manager would have a real struggle on their hands after having had to start with virtually a completely new team, full of inexperienced youngsters. Why are we in that position? Because JM was so keen to 'balance the books' and pay off the debt (I wonder to whom).

He did the same after the Wembley playoff defeat with similar consequences.

So your last comment would be better addressed at the chairman.

Of course, the irony is that when JM goes, Rodgers is also likely to get the boot as most new owners are likely to conclude that they have little to lose by putting in a new management team.

Not sure why Kebe's getting so much stick, he looked good yesterday... Admittedly not as good as McAnuff down the other wing, but a lot better than most of our other players

Looked good? Perhaps for patches in the first half but in the second he was back to his usual dire self, typified by smashing an attempted cross straight forwards into the North Stand! They only won possession for their goal because Kebe lazily allowed a pass down our right touchline when he could easily have stuck out his leg and knocked it out for a throw. As he seems so keen on being a passenger, why don't we buy him a plane ticket and send him back to the crap French league he came from.

Good first half. Terrible second. Carbon copy of last weekend.

Ratings :

Federici - 6 - Could of done more for the goal. Maybe it is time for Hamer to be given a chance.

Frequently appeared to get caught in two minds, starting to go backwards and then coming out or vice versa. As a consequence, made Marcus look quick out of the blocks!! Maybe due to him lacking familiarity with/confidence in his defence. However, in such situations a good keeper takes control.

[Pablo]

I understand McAnuff will have been tired, but even knackered he still looked much better than Kebe, Howard and Rasiak.

I thought Siggurdsson found his role today. He's been average when played wide and I simply can't understand the person posting earlier saying he should be kept out there. He's the one player we've got in midfield who has actually got forward and joined the striker in attacks. He's very creative and skillful, but athletic and hard working too. He's got a good shot and he's excellent at set pieces.

Unlike Matejovsky he looks like the complete package to me. Just lacking a little of experience.

Another reason subbing him was idiocy, we then had no one to take our set pieces, as demonstrated by the awful freekick and corner late on, that couldn't have been more accurately passed to a Watford player if the taker had tried to.

The first signs today that I've seen that with a bit more work and some confidence that formation could work. I'd still rather play a 4-4-2 with wide players, if not two genuine wingers. I think someone like Davies could do a job on the right in those circumstances. Then we get to play two of Hunt, Long and Church upfront.

I think he subbed Sigurdsson because he wasn't in the game and looked shagged, like a little boy running around hoping something happened. Said at half-time he'd get taken off sooner rather than later and so it proved. So in short, i've got no idea why you think he was so good, nor why you were shocked he went off.

But Siggurdsson set up the goal and also hit the post just before that. Was taken off at 1-0 and how did the game finish?

[Maguire]

I understand McAnuff will have been tired, but even knackered he still looked much better than Kebe, Howard and Rasiak.

I thought Siggurdsson found his role today. He's been average when played wide and I simply can't understand the person posting earlier saying he should be kept out there. He's the one player we've got in midfield who has actually got forward and joined the striker in attacks. He's very creative and skillful, but athletic and hard working too. He's got a good shot and he's excellent at set pieces.

Unlike Matejovsky he looks like the complete package to me. Just lacking a little of experience.

Another reason subbing him was idiocy, we then had no one to take our set pieces, as demonstrated by the awful freekick and corner late on, that couldn't have been more accurately passed to a Watford player if the taker had tried to.

The first signs today that I've seen that with a bit more work and some confidence that formation could work. I'd still rather play a 4-4-2 with wide players, if not two genuine wingers. I think someone like Davies could do a job on the right in those circumstances. Then we get to play two of Hunt, Long and Church upfront.

I think he subbed Sigurdsson because he wasn't in the game and looked shagged, like a little boy running around hoping something happened. Said at half-time he'd get taken off sooner rather than later and so it proved. So in short, i've got no idea why you think he was so good, nor why you were shocked he went off.

But Siggurdsson set up the goal and also hit the post just before that. Was taken off at 1-0 and how did the game finish?

Thought McAnuff crossed for the goal.

Do you really think we only drew because he went off? He was physically just not strong enough again, and it would've been worse if he'd stayed on.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Cant beat Watford, laughable.
Two awfully bad sides and we have a manager who really is losing the plot second on second.
Gaurenteed defeats for next 2 games. Bottom 3 in 7 days. Exciting times.

It's ok though, he is friends with Mourinho. F*ck off cnut.

As Mick Gooding pointed out after the game, any manager would have a real struggle on their hands after having had to start with virtually a completely new team, full of inexperienced youngsters. Why are we in that position? Because JM was so keen to 'balance the books' and pay off the debt (I wonder to whom).

He did the same after the Wembley playoff defeat with similar consequences.

So your last comment would be better addressed at the chairman.

Of course, the irony is that when JM goes, Rodgers is also likely to get the boot as most new owners are likely to conclude that they have little to lose by putting in a new management team.

Not sure why Kebe's getting so much stick, he looked good yesterday... Admittedly not as good as McAnuff down the other wing, but a lot better than most of our other players

Looked good? Perhaps for patches in the first half but in the second he was back to his usual dire self, typified by smashing an attempted cross straight forwards into the North Stand! They only won possession for their goal because Kebe lazily allowed a pass down our right touchline when he could easily have stuck out his leg and knocked it out for a throw. As he seems so keen on being a passenger, why don't we buy him a plane ticket and send him back to the crap French league he came from.

Good first half. Terrible second. Carbon copy of last weekend.

Ratings :

Federici - 6 - Could of done more for the goal. Maybe it is time for Hamer to be given a chance.

Frequently appeared to get caught in two minds, starting to go backwards and then coming out or vice versa. As a consequence, made Marcus look quick out of the blocks!! Maybe due to him lacking familiarity with/confidence in his defence. However, in such situations a good keeper takes control.

He doesn't have to best positioning for me.

[Focher]

i really didnt think it was that bad, boring, but not bad. If it was not for one massive defensive f up the comments would have been 'not great but good enough'.

Apart from Kebe i thought most played reasonably well, picking out Karacan as by far and away the best player on the field.

[Pablo]

I think he subbed Sigurdsson because he wasn't in the game and looked shagged, like a little boy running around hoping something happened. Said at half-time he'd get taken off sooner rather than later and so it proved. So in short, i've got no idea why you think he was so good, nor why you were shocked he went off.

But Siggurdsson set up the goal and also hit the post just before that. Was taken off at 1-0 and how did the game finish?

Thought McAnuff crossed for the goal.

Do you really think we only drew because he went off? He was physically just not strong enough again, and it would've been worse if he'd stayed on.

The Sig crossed it after a good run from McAnuff:
http://www.readingfc.co.uk/page/NewsDet ... 23,00.html

No I don´t think we drew because of that. You just said he wasn´t in the game and was running around hoping something happened.

Then you say he´s just not strong enough again. Well he is strong enough to have 2 goals and few assists in 7 games.

[SLAMMED]

The Sig crossed it after a good run from McAnuff

[winchester_royal]

Said it yesterday, but I'll repeat for emphasis......

McAnuff is a class player. We keep him fit and motivated for the rest of the season and we'll be absolutely fine.

Yesterday was disappointing but at times encouraging.

Bring on Preston.

[ZacNaloen]

They relaxed too much after going ahead which was stupid and the defending for the conceeded goal was poor.

I can't see much wrong other than that.

Frustrated we didn't win and bemused by the watford fans who seem to think a point at home against us was a good result.

[Ian Royal]

I think he subbed Sigurdsson because he wasn't in the game and looked shagged, like a little boy running around hoping something happened. Said at half-time he'd get taken off sooner rather than later and so it proved. So in short, i've got no idea why you think he was so good, nor why you were shocked he went off.

I was at the wrong end to see as clearly as I'd like in the second half but Siggy was excellent in the first half. Not sure if it was him with the assist or not. I'd like to see it again. I thought McAnuff was the one who made the pass that set the crosser away. But not positive.

The whole subsitution was awful for a number of reasons. Even if the motivation behind the change was sensible. We'd obviously started to lose control and had let Watford try and get back into it, Rodgers was trying to sure us up. BUT.

Siggurdsson = creative attacking player, the only midfielder who had been getting into the box to support Rasiak.
Gunnarsson = defensive, holding player who was likely to be sitting deep.

So immediately all empahises goes from killing the game off to clinging on for dear life.

Howard had been playing abysmally and contributed virtually nothing. If anyone was coming off it should have been him. That would have given us more bite in midfield, but not removed the link between midfield and attack.

Losing Siggurdsson then meant we no longer had a good set piece taker on the pitch. Something we could have done with once we conceeded and then got that late corner and freekick which were so pathetically wasted. Hell, no one even knew who was going to take the corner.

Siggurdsson may have looked poor in the second half, although I'm inclined to disagree, but that would have much more to do with the lack of support from Howard, the uselessness of Kebe and the general surrender of initative to Watford from the whole team.

As for the next substition, McAnuff may have been knackered, but he was still causig a few problems unlike Kebe.

It's amazing how different people sat in different places see the game so differently isn't it..

[Ian Royal]

They relaxed too much after going ahead which was stupid and the defending for the conceeded goal was poor.

I can't see much wrong other than that.

Frustrated we didn't win and bemused by the watford fans who seem to think a point at home against us was a good result.

Thing is we were given a wake up call immediately before the goal when Fed pulled off a world class save and then there was a fantastic diving tackle in the six yard box to save us. Problem is we turned off the alarm and rolled over going back to sleep.

First thing O'Dea has done wrong. Although he could have expected Federici to come claim the ball, rather than start and then stop half way.

[loyalroyal4life]

I didn't think there was a single Reading player that had a bad game however I feel the subs by Rodgers were appaling

Jimmy Kebe.

Brian Howard!!! Pace of a snail, no right foot didnt get stuck in with tackles, marek should play there or even gylfi

[ZacNaloen]

They relaxed too much after going ahead which was stupid and the defending for the conceeded goal was poor.

I can't see much wrong other than that.

Frustrated we didn't win and bemused by the watford fans who seem to think a point at home against us was a good result.

Thing is we were given a wake up call immediately before the goal when Fed pulled off a world class save and then there was a fantastic diving tackle in the six yard box to save us. Problem is we turned off the alarm and rolled over going back to sleep.

First thing O'Dea has done wrong. Although he could have expected Federici to come claim the ball, rather than start and then stop half way.

He looked, saw federici coming stopped, then federici stopped.

lack of communication. Poor goal keeping.

[The Quiet Man]

Surely its the midfield balance that is wrong - you can't play Siggy and Howard in the same side as they get in each others way and they don't pick up opposition runners from midfield - one of the them needs to be on the bench and we need to use someone, Tabb is the only one I can think of in the current squad, to pick up their playmaker and get his foot in and stop him playing. Our midfield is too nice at the moment and teams are running through it and it is also taking teams less and less time to realise how easy this is (Peterborough took 45 minutes, Watford 30 minutes) and that our only answer is to punt to Rasiak.

At Preston I would hope to see Howard on the bench and hopefully Shane Long on for Kebe.

[Ian Royal]

They relaxed too much after going ahead which was stupid and the defending for the conceeded goal was poor.

I can't see much wrong other than that.

Frustrated we didn't win and bemused by the watford fans who seem to think a point at home against us was a good result.

Thing is we were given a wake up call immediately before the goal when Fed pulled off a world class save and then there was a fantastic diving tackle in the six yard box to save us. Problem is we turned off the alarm and rolled over going back to sleep.

First thing O'Dea has done wrong. Although he could have expected Federici to come claim the ball, rather than start and then stop half way.

He looked, saw federici coming stopped, then federici stopped.

lack of communication. Poor goal keeping.

I know what happened and that it was poor goalkeeping thank you. It was equally poor defending to just stop. There was no guarantee Fed would get there first and he needed to be following up in case of a loose ball and putting a challenge in to make it harder for Graham.

Instead, he stopped and watched. Poor defending. No excuse.

[ZacNaloen]

I don't think anyone is making excuses Ian

[Ian Royal]

I don't think anyone is making excuses Ian

Except you saying O'Dea didn't do anything wrong. At least that's what it appears you're doing, by justifying why he stopped and blaming it on Federici. Each as to blame as the other.

[ZacNaloen]

Where did I say that?


I was retellin the event as I saw it and agreeing with you. I'd already said in the post you replied to the defending was poor.

You feeling at little persecuted at the moment Ian?

[Ian Royal]

Where did I say that?


I was retellin the event as I saw it and agreeing with you. I'd already said in the post you replied to the defending was poor.

You feeling at little persecuted at the moment Ian?

Looked like you were disagreeing to me.

I most humbly apologise if that is not the case. Although a "'greed", "+1", or "yeah" would be appreciated next time.

[West Stand Flash]

Does anyone else have the slightest idea why Howard is in the team? He makes Andy Reid look slim & Keith Scott look quick. He is awfully bad & contributes absolute ziltch to the game. How Brenda the clown see's him as a better player than Matejovsky is beyond me.

In each press conference he is sounding more & more clueless & the sulking/not answering Tim Dellor's questions was so petty and sad. Bitter dwarf.

Lose next 2 for sure.