Back from the game - Hull

[Svlad Cjelli]

He's atrocious.

Obita must be failing to make the grade big time based on how bad antonio is and gets in the team. Another castle/darren campbell

Could well be the same sort of seniority thing as Federici/McCarthy - oldest player gets the chances first, until they fail to make the grade.

Would be a clear message for Antonio's career here if Obita was brought in ahead of him.

[RoyalBlue]

I must have been at a different game!

I thought Antonio did pretty well. Got around the back of their defence loads of times and put in far more decent crosses than people are strangely giving him credit for. His control is also considerably better than it used to be.

But, if we are going to try to rely on his long throw, why the hell did they water the pitch at half-time so that the ball was always soaking wet and difficult to grip?!

[grey_squirrel]

Creative options on the bench = zero.

Not saying it would have made a difference and whoosh me if I have missed something, but what has happened to Howard?

[MmmMonsterMunch]

I must have been at a different game!

I thought Antonio did pretty well. Got around the back of their defence loads of times and put in far more decent crosses than people are strangely giving him credit for. His control is also considerably better than it used to be.

But, if we are going to try to rely on his long throw, why the hell did they water the pitch at half-time so that the ball was always soaking wet and difficult to grip?!

Same as me Royal Blue. I am surprised at the reaction on here.

[SCIAG]

As usual, we lose, so there are absolutely no positives to take from the game.

Antonio wasn't as bad as I expected based on his last few appearances, a few times his touch let him down and he nearly cost us a goal when he dwelled on the ball with the centre backs forward, but he also played a few very inventive passes. There was one backheel to Church or Hunt that caught the defence totally off guard. He also kept the ball under reasonable control most of the time. He's nowhere near Kebe or McAnuff standard, but he'll do.

The goal was dreadful, we should have played to the whistle. Add that to the numerous chances Pearce and Gorkss squandered at set pieces and it is a bad afternoon for the defence.

Karacan harried well, but at the end he was crying out for D'Ath to come on and inject some creativity next to him. He's good on the ball, as is Tabb (and Legs for that matter), but they both need some end product to go with that because neither of them are about to dribble the ball into the goal. Don't see the point in naming D'Ath on the bench if you aren't going to bring him on when you need to.

[Pandoras Box]

Hull were there for the taking and we just can't come up with the goods. I don't care if Church 'runs his socks off and had a high work rate' - we need a natural striker who can simply put the ball in the back of the net when required - you don't need to run around pointlessly all game. Until we face up to that fact it'll be the same old, same old. Newsflash!! McDermott says that we have learnt something from today.

[Norfolk Royal]

What's the point of talking about the likes of Antonio when next week we'll be signing Pavluchenko or whatever his name is?

[URZZ]

Where to begin really, I genuinely found the first half quite exciting in patches. There was a chance in the early stages where Antonio whipped a ball across their defence which just needed to be finished... I thought if we were ever going to score it was going to be in the first half - we never looked to threaten in the second.

Kudos to Federici for tipping over a smashing free-kick btw, not sure from who? But it was certainly flying in [first half].

Found Karacan as bleak as fcuk today, I love the boy but he gave the ball away today, so, many, effing times, it was terrible. Today really displayed to me how much we rely on Kebe, apologies for stating the obvious; it however hasn't been mentioned as of yet. Antonio had a go at them and tbf to the lad, will come on heaps and bounds and will become a great footballer but we missed Kebe's invention and pace so much today on the flank. Which signals that we lack depth, we have a lovely starting XI, but don't quite have the depth of a promotion chasing team.

Don't particularly wanna moan about the goal because the game is done and dusted now but; having seen it on SSN, it just confirms what I first felt... Brady is indeed onside, but whoever that bloke is who was offside interferes with the play so much, talk about distracting.

Found Hull disgustingly time-wasting. Not even in the dying stages, with 15 minutes to go plus added time whenever their keeper had the ball in his hands it took him 2 minutes to release it a go.

[Handsome Man]

I must have been at a different game!

I thought Antonio did pretty well. Got around the back of their defence loads of times and put in far more decent crosses than people are strangely giving him credit for. His control is also considerably better than it used to be.

But, if we are going to try to rely on his long throw, why the hell did they water the pitch at half-time so that the ball was always soaking wet and difficult to grip?!

Thank god for that. I thought I had been at a different game. He didn't set up a goal, but he did everything but. Tabb was off form, but it wasn't bad for a make-shift midfield. You can forgive a bit of the hoof-ball because we were bigger and stronger than them.

Hull got a battering, but as long as it was goalless, they always had a chance of getting a breakaway goal. It was the perfect away win.

The great thing about the new money is that we don't have to worry about Karacan leaving this month - he was immese today - the best player on the pitch by miles.

[paultheroyal]

Found Hull disgustingly time-wasting. Not even in the dying stages, with 15 minutes to go plus added time whenever their keeper had the ball in his hands it took him 2 minutes to release it a go.

Possible slight exaggeration?

[paultheroyal]

I must have been at a different game!

I thought Antonio did pretty well. Got around the back of their defence loads of times and put in far more decent crosses than people are strangely giving him credit for. His control is also considerably better than it used to be.

But, if we are going to try to rely on his long throw, why the hell did they water the pitch at half-time so that the ball was always soaking wet and difficult to grip?!

Thank god for that. I thought I had been at a different game. He didn't set up a goal, but he did everything but. Tabb was off form, but it wasn't bad for a make-shift midfield. You can forgive a bit of the hoof-ball because we were bigger and stronger than them.

Hull got a battering, but as long as it was goalless, they always had a chance of getting a breakaway goal. It was the perfect away win.

The great thing about the new money is that we don't have to worry about Karacan leaving this month - he was immese today - the best player on the pitch by miles.

I too thought Karacan had a decent game. Antonio was also promising first half, pace, getting at defenders etc but faded badly second half. I do wonder what game I have been to after reading comments on here.

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

Urrrgghh, Reading's inconsistent performances at home strike again - we really struggle to fashion decent chances at the Madjeski. I actually thought that for a decent period of the game (well the 1st half) we actually provided decent service out wide and our set pieces looked dangerous but our front two were very poor throughout and never looked likely to capitalise on anything coming their way. Antonio showed willing in the 1st half,chased lost causes and got in behind Hulls defense but had a horror show in the 2nd half. Whilst Antonio may have had a dire 2nd half i cant help but think that HRK cruised through yet another game without scepticism, another game where he went missing for 70 odd minutes - is he the new Mcanuff??.

The midfield 4 today were never likely to really get in amongst the goals today, so to start with Church again is very frustrating - i just cant see him as a dangerman in front of goal at this level, at least with Alfie there is the promise that he will be on the end of things. Whatever 'limited funds' we have should be spent on a strong finisher that holds the ball up well... up steps Jordan Rhodes, as well as a new winger to cover for the potential loss of Kebe and a decent CB as cover. We are still weak in numbers at centre midfield but i very much doubt we will address this in the Jan window. Lets hope there isnt a sudden shortage of forestry in the Urals this winter!

[Mr Cinema]

Karacan harried well, but at the end he was crying out for D'Ath to come on and inject some creativity next to him. He's good on the ball, as is Tabb (and Legs for that matter), but they both need some end product to go with that because neither of them are about to dribble the ball into the goal. Don't see the point in naming D'Ath on the bench if you aren't going to bring him on when you need to.

This. He's got into the squad as a goalscoring midfielder from youth/reserve football so in need of a goal there was little point in having both Tabb and karacan on the pitch.

[Tilehurst End]

3 home games, one goal from a centre half and another visiting keeper who won't need to wash his kit. For a team that prides itself on it's attacking intent we are really poor in the final third.

If a side comes to attack and plays an open game we have a chance but against those who come and get men behind the ball we are simply not clever enough.

[Jobbo no.11]

What a totally boring game! The first half was just a hoofing contest and the second was just.. well nothing.

The only thing i took from this game is that due to my total boredom i tried to work out if it was our midfield or strikers causing our problems. Watching Le fondre closely proved that there is absoloutly nothing wrong with him, some of his movement was brilliant, made some lovely runs just waiting for that through ball to be threaded through. So frustrating that one midfielder with a bit of vision would give us some many more scoring opportunitys!

[URZZ]

I by all means wasn't slating RFC, don't think Hull were anything spectacular either. Boring game, 0-0 would have been just fine.

[URZZ]

My dad made a valid suggestion at FT btw, he was only merely suggesting it mind. Did some of the players have the TSI deal on their mind and how their time could be up soon.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Why are people having a go at Cummings and Karacan? They both played well. Ian Harte was dreadful as usual. How Mills is on the bench is beyond me.

[Kitson12]

Seriously poor set pieces from Harte again today. He seems to go through periods where his deliveries are rubbish and others where they're good. Hal's corners were pretty decent mind.

[FiNeRaIn]

Why are people having a go at Cummings and Karacan? They both played well.

No. They didn't.

As predicted...plebs on here coming on claiming karacan played well as he's the new love child. It amazes me that someone is immune from criticism because they are from the youth academy and run around a lot. He lost the ball twice in the first 8 mins alone with some awful passing into touch and this continued throughout the game. He gave away 2/3 silly free kicks including a push right in front of the referee, messed up two of our better attacking moves, lost posession about 7/8 times in total including the phase of play that hull scored from. Had he actually been able to complete a simple pass into space we were in a good position to create a clear cut chance. Instead he lost the ball and 20 seconds later it was in the back of our net. He did nothing all game and for people to claim he was even average is plain wrong...let alone " played well" simply beggars belief.