Long - time for a change?

[Snowball]

Shane Long now has 49 senior goals, 44 for RFC, 5 for Ireland

So his next senior goal is a landmark.


Shane's goal at Sheffield was his 44th for the club in 9606 minutes play
bringing his career (domestic) average to a goal every 218 minutes.

Long's championship-only minutes per goal is 201

For comparison, Doyle's minutes/goal at Reading was 230 minutes but that
included the Premiership seasons. His championship-only minutes per goal is 197

Doyle, had 55 or 56 goals for RFC all told in 12,663 minutes (230 minutes per goal)
so Shane is closing in on that total.

Shane has another 3,057 minutes (34 games) to get the 11/12 goals to match Doyle



This season Shane is 15 domestic goals from 2721 = a goal every 181 minutes

If you include his international appearances he is 17 goals in 2,982 minutes,
a goal every 175 minutes, better than a goal every 2 games

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

What is sort of odd is that had SL made 90 mins each time, then his figures could be even better, and a true every other game figure could well be in his stats.

[Snowball]

What is sort of odd is that had SL made 90 mins each time, then his figures could be even better, and a true every other game figure could well be in his stats.

Could you do that in English?

This season 30 (1) domestic games plus one start where he was injured and played just 18 minutes, another subbed on 55 minutes. Total played 2,721 minutes

30 (2) 2,721 minutes 15 goals or 31 (1) 15 goals 2,721 minutes for pedants

His international games this season 1 (2) 180 minutes for 2 more goals

That's

31 (4) 17 Goals 2,901 minutes
or
32 (3) 17 Goals 2,901 minutes *

if you wish to be pedantic and call 18 minutes a full game because it was a start


That IS (this season) his first real, full season, 17 Goals in 32 (3) Starts

[Snowball]

Shane to get his fiftieth senior goal v Watford this weekend

[readingbedding]

Would have added this to the original thread but it appears to have been locked.

Another game, another two points spaffed away due to Long's inability to hit the target. His workrate up to the 18 yard line is unquestionable and often is performing a thankless task, however he is first a foremost a striker and a striker's ultimate role is to score goals.

It appears the cliched nickname of "Jigsaw" is currently the most accurate summation of his efforts this season in front of goal - 4 goals in 19 league games is atrocious (especially when 3 of those goals were from the penalty spot) for the "number one striker" at any football club.

No doubt Snowball will be all over this thread like a rash stating how Long is actually not going through a bad patch and that he's actually in good form, but the biggest thing for me is the number of points we have failed to pick up recently due to Long's poor finishing. He's missed glorious chances against Cardiff, Norwich, Watford and now Coventry and, as 2-0 alludes to on another thread, it looks more and more like we are going to have to settle for a season of mid table mediocrity.

Time for a change? Well, I certainly think so and I'd venture I'm not in the minority. Whether Brian McDermott agrees remains to be seen but I'm sure there's many a Reading fan that is hoping that Santa brings them an early Christmas present - that being Shane Long being dropped to the bench at Pride Park next Saturday.

Still wrong.

[Snowball]

This Season's Goal-Scorers

Goals/Minutes/Minutes per Goal


15 2,721 181 Long

5 1,357 270 Hunt [/u] EDIT
5 2,536 507 Harte
5 2,428 486 Kebe
4 2,730 683 Mills
[u]4 1,387 347 Church
3 2,762 921 McAnuff
2 2,717 999 Karacan (Actually 1,358)
2 0,972 486 Elwood
2 0,868 434 HRK
1 2,061 999 Pearce (Actually 2,061)
1 0,411 411 Antonio
1 0,085 085 Mansett

[Snowball]

Graham Watford 16
Bothroyd Cardiff 15
Becchio Leeds 14
Sinclair Swansea 14
Taarabt QPR 14
King Leicester 13
Long Reading 13
Holt Norwich 12
Sharp Doncaster 12
Iwelumo Burnley 11
McGugan Nott'm Forest 11
Morison Millwall 11
Somma Leeds 11
Gradel Leeds 10
Sordell Watford 10

League goals only.

[muddyfeet]

will they do it on match day or is it too busy?

be a nightmare on matchday I'd have thought.

I decided to do this the other weekend, when we were playing away, unfortunately I forgot that London Irish were at home

[Snowball]

16 Graham Watford
15 Becchio Leeds
15 Bothroyd Cardiff
14 Long Reading <<<<<<<<<<<
14 Sinclair Swansea
14 Taarabt QPR
13 Holt Norwich
13 King Leicester
12 Gradel Leeds
12 Sharp Doncaster
11 Iwelumo Burnley
11 McGugan Nott'm Forest
11 Morison Millwall
11 Somma Leeds
10 Pitman Bristol City

League goals only. Totals can include goals scored for other teams in the same division.

[No Fixed Abode]

Wonder how many more assists Sinclair and Taarabt have over long though....?

[SLAMMED]

16 Graham Watford
15 Becchio Leeds
15 Bothroyd Cardiff
14 Long Reading <<<<<<<<<<<
14 Sinclair Swansea
14 Taarabt QPR
13 Holt Norwich
13 King Leicester
12 Gradel Leeds
12 Sharp Doncaster
11 Iwelumo Burnley
11 McGugan Nott'm Forest
11 Morison Millwall
11 Somma Leeds
10 Pitman Bristol City

League goals only. Totals can include goals scored for other teams in the same division.

What's wrong with the normal font size Snowpenis?

[Snowball]

Scorers this Season


Minutes Played/Goals/Minutes per Goal

2,901 16 181 Long

1,444 06 241 Hunt

2,626 05 525 Harte
2,608 05 522 Kebe

1,420 04 355 Church
2,910 04 728 Mills

2,942 03 981 McAnuff

0,360 02 180 Gylfi
0,876 02 438 HRK
2,717 02 999 Karacan 1359
1,152 02 576 Elwood

0,411 01 411 Antonio
0,085 01 085 Manset
0,120 01 120 Rasiak
2,061 01 999 Pearce 2061




55 Total Goals

[SLAMMED]

Well done.

Have a gold star.

[Snowball]

Thank-You. Do you have any six-pointed ones?

They are prettier.

[SLAMMED]

No

[RoyalBlue]

Sadly it will now be a case of 'Long - time for a change'. Plenty of interest in him from PL clubs come the summer and sold to the highest bidder!

He's now too good for us (a reflection of how the club has gone backwards) and deserves to be playing at a higher level. Sadly he has very little chance of achieving that the way that RFC is currently being managed and his ambitions will no doubt suit the financial plan of the chairman.

If we are lucky we might just get Leigertwood as a 'replacement' but god help our attacking options come next season.

[Snowball]

Seriously, we are getting the team right.

Long-Hunt as the strike partnership, with Manset, Church, Williams et al backing up is pretty damn good for this league. Elwood to hold together the midfield and Karacan or Tabb with him, the FB pairing from last night looks good for at least one more season, (thinking of Griffin), and Pearce-Mills-Morrison/A N Other at centre-back doesn't look shabby.

If we can keep this squad together for next season, and sign Elwood, I'd say we have a real chance of challenging for the automatic places. If I was McD I'd be busting a gut to pin down Shane for the extra year on better wages and try to persuade Kebe to stay.

The most important bits of the jigsaw tho' are Elwood and Shane. If Shane goes, and we don't manage to get Elwood (looking tougher every game) then it's start-again time IMO

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Who is going to pay for your dreams tho, Long is well paid as it is, and has been pointed out L/wood was not in the QPR plans after his previous performances, but as we did not sign him originally, his success here may well mean we now cannot afford him.

[Scarface]

Seriously, we are getting the team right.

Long-Hunt as the strike partnership, with Manset, Church, Williams et al backing up is pretty damn good for this league.

I find this quote astonishing. Church isn't Championship standard and has a shocking career goals per game record, Manset looks like a cart horse and Williams has only ever played non-league and reserve football, so how can you say "pretty damn good"?

We are weak upfront, FACT!!

[Hoop Blah]

Which way is the perspective thread?

Long and Hunt, on last nights performances, are a decent pair at this level. Last night was probably their best game as a pair this season, if not ever (pretty much the same thing I guess).

Unfortunately we know all to well that Hunt is fragile and struggles with his fitness which prevents him playing week-in week-out or for 90 minutes of sustained effort and quality.

The backup players aren't good enough. That's pretty clear to see in Church's case and to expect too much from Manset let alone Williams is a bit naive. On top of that none of them appear to have that bit of guile or 'something different' which we'll need to call on at times when things aren't going our way.

We're short on quality and quantity up front for this season, we always have been. Next season we'll likely be in the same position once Long leaves.