Back From The Game: Liverpool

[Ark Royal]

At last mills comes in and shows how much better he
is than pearce. Just need ibu sonko alongside him instead of a poor ingi and we will
be safe in this league.

Sorry but ivar and pearce are shite

Totally agree. Pearce is a Div 2 trundler at best. Mills made Ingi look a better centre half today.

[BenReadingFC]

What was your post match prediction, mine was that we were gonna get raped after the pitiful performance at Plymouth. I heard all the apologies from players etc after the game and hoped for a better display but this outdid what I expected on the night. Made me proud to be a Reading supporter again. Another great game under the floodlights with plenty of action in the Y26 stands as well due to some plastic Scouse making himself known + wearing a shirt. I did lol when the Stewards grabbed him and somebody came down the stairs and twatted him in the head. Saw quite a few flying coins being thrown at him from above as he was man handled down the stairs. Great Performance by a Reading team that looked shockingly poor earlier in the week, Where was this TEAM of players at Plymouth with such urgency. Dont just shine for the TV and plastics, do it for the hardcore.

[Basingstoke Royal]

It was a really good performance today - i hope we
carry it on in the league. Liverpool were shite.

Great to see a nearly full house, wish the 8 thousand rent a fans today could come every week though!

The bloke in front of me was 'a hammer'! Why watch Reading? Weird. Forgot to ask if he was there for the 6-0.

[RG30]

Good performance, but one good cup performance doesn't make ammends for the league shambles. That's our bread and butter and I expect a much improved display next Saturday.

[Wimb]

Back into work, went straight to bed after the game last night. oh and lol at me for betting on Liverpool and also slapping them in my accumalator MURKED

Good performance, though how it would translate into a CCC game remains to be seen. Jem and Mills showed exactly WHY they should have been in the team every week, and Gunnar showed why SJM NEEDS to get a right back even if it involves him selling a statue or two... Gunnar wasn't awful but it was a disaster waiting to happen and he couldn't find the line with a pass all night Similarly I hope the new Gunnar hits the ground running because once again Shane Long looked utterly clueless.

Overall it was just great to be in a full stadium with a big game feeling again. I wasn't able to go to many matches in the Prem years and last night made me wish I had

More of the same next week please.

[SLAMMED]

Overall it was just great to be in a full stadium with a big game feeling again. I wasn't able to go to many matches in the Prem years and last night made me wish I had

More of the same next week please.

One of the main things I miss about playing in the premiership. I miss seeing us sell out week in week out, but unfortunately the kind of fans that were filling the ground were just there for the glory years.

[The whole year inn]

At last mills comes in and shows how much better he
is than pearce. Just need ibu sonko alongside him instead of a poor ingi and we will
be safe in this league.

Sorry but ivar and pearce are shite

Totally agree. Pearce is a Div 2 trundler at best. Mills made Ingi look a better centre half today.

Royalee disagrees

He is our John Terry

[Wimb]

Overall it was just great to be in a full stadium with a big game feeling again. I wasn't able to go to many matches in the Prem years and last night made me wish I had

More of the same next week please.

One of the main things I miss about playing in the premiership. I miss seeing us sell out week in week out, but unfortunately the kind of fans that were filling the ground were just there for the glory years.

As much as I hate the plastics they at least cheer the side on, and it must have an effect on the players, hopefully yesterday's game encourages a few more to turn out next week.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Great performance, Cisse and Karacan were the stars for me.

Same side should start v Newcastle except for Pearce replacing Ingimarsson and Thorvaldsson being on the bench.

Rodgers should have persisted with Mills and O'Dea from the start of the season to let an understanding be built up amongst thye 2 ball playing centre halves who are reasonably mobile. Now they've stupidly got shot of O'Dea and are left with Hobson's choice; an out of form Ingimarsson or a young guy whose confidence must be shot to pieces.

All we need now is someone to offer a shed load of money for Kebe, Long and/or Matejovsky and get a right back from somewhere and we might have the beginnings of survival.

[Ian Royal]

(TV) On the whole an excellent performance. I feared the worst when I saw the line up with Karacan and Cisse in the centre, Sigggurdsson out of position on the left, Gunnarsson still at right back and Ingimarsson still in defence.

But we played very well.

6 Fed was ok, unlucky with the goal, had to wait for Kuyt and then just couldn;t get to it. Brilliant decision by the lino, absolutely spot on and it looked a mile off from the sofa. Thought the handball decision was harsh personally.
6 Gunnar I was expecting him to get destroyed at right back, but Liverpool appear to have no wingers and he actually had a relatively decent game.
6 Ingimarsson played the best I have seen him manage for about a year. Although he's still a shadow of his former self.
6 Mills was ok, touch of the Bikey long balls about him, needs to just play it simples.
6 Bertrand started apallingly but got better. Still don't think he's actually that good, will never make it at Chelsea in a million years.
8 McAnuff encouragingly he looked easily good enough to beat his man and Liverpool had to double or triple up on him. Was he just up for it for the TV?
7 Siggurdsson our best player in my opinion. He kept the ball so well, never made a poor pass because he'd run out of options, instead worked something simple to build again. Very dangerous.
9 Karacan why he has been out of the team I have no idea. He bossed Liverpool's midfield for much of the game. Won tackles, passed the ball well and was strong.
6 Cisse, good game for Cisse, he managed to be average. Tenacious, but not a great tackler, not got good control and can't really pass. Really shown up by Jem.
6 Rasiak ok game. Fantastic pull back for the goal, but other than that a bit quiet.
7 Church he is a brilliant little player, if only he could score more. worked really hard and gave Liverpool's defence a very hard time. Didn't have the finish though.

5 Hamer, looked really, really, really nervous and made Federici look like he dominates his area fantastically. But it must be hard coming on against Liverpool in the FA cup at 1-1.
5 Long did nothing. useless as ever.
6 Howard didn't really seem to get into the game. Too many big balls to the strikers rather than keeping it simple.

Same old problems, same old signs that we should actually be a good championship side but leak silly goals and can't score enough despite all our quality in the middle third.

Karacan has to play against Newcastle. Long must be dropped for Thorvaldsson to sit on the bench. Hope Feds is fit enough to play. Cisse to be dropped for Howard. I'd be tempted to go with Church left wing so Siggurdsson can sit just behind Rasiak, occasionally drifting out to the left to allow Church to go into a more conventional 2 upfront.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Where did that team performance come from against Liverpool in the FA cup?

Karacan and Cisse were superb in midfield.

Mills looked comfortable at Centre Half with Ivar and must start the next game against Newcastle.

I am worried about Hamer for future games if the Fed's is out as he did not look good between the posts.

The standard of the performance that Reading have to perform to for the rest of the season has been set so more like that and we will avoid the drop to League 1.

[OLLIE KEARNS]

Terminal. Normally agree with a lot of what you say, but do you not think the defence was far better than normal today. Bertrand had his best game for a long time and Mills and Ingi seemed to hit it off as a defensive pairing. We probably should have had more shots .. but when you have such limited options up front you can't really expect more. Maybe the extra dosh from a replay might help us in that respect.

I think what looked like a better performance from the back 4 was a lot to do with the excellent combined performance from Karacan and Cisse plus the ever worsening pitch. K & C won the CM battle (most ineffective i've ever seen Gerrard) and so cut off a lot of the Liverpool supply. Any time Liverpool did get room (and a ball that wasn't bobbling about) to play a forward pass from central areas we looked very frail.
If you look back to the 106 team the back four defended in a dead straight line and were always ready to get the cover on the man next to them. Last night saw a jagged line on many ocassions along with the two centre backs getting pulled apart from one another.
I think K&C might well get a run in the side now if they can repeat that performance but we still need to improve our back four considerably. Makes you appreciate what a good defensive coach Wally must have been.
Final thought is just how frightening would Torres be in a good side !!

[Ian Royal]

At last mills comes in and shows how much better he
is than pearce. Just need ibu sonko alongside him instead of a poor ingi and we will
be safe in this league.

Sorry but ivar and pearce are shite

Totally agree. Pearce is a Div 2 trundler at best. Mills made Ingi look a better centre half today.

Pearce is better than Ivar and with someone with a little pace next to him (Mills) would have looked better than shadow Ivar. I can see why McDermott went with Ivar's experience, but Mills and Pearce really are the future for us at centreback.

My fear is that we continue with Cisse and Karacan, which leaves us stronger, but bereft of a lot of creativity that Siggurdsson, Marek or Howard to a lesser degree could bring us in Cisse's place.

[Sarah Star]

Why do I feel I was at a different game? That was easily the best game I've seen at the Mad Stad since 2008 both for atmosphere and effort. We ran rings round them. Didn't know McAnuff could do all that. And Gunnarsson, how did he manage to keep up with Torres? Ingimarsson and Mills looked so much better in defence and Karacan was a little terrier in the middle. I didn't know why Cisse was taken off as he was responsible for a lot of our interceptions. Usual story in front of goal, but we got one in so that's a start.

[OLLIE KEARNS]

And Gunnarsson, how did he manage to keep up with Torres? .

I think it was the 10 yard head start he had

[Handsome Man]

I really enjoyed it all. Good crowd, and the best performance since the last few games under Rodgers.

Federici 5 Not great

Gunnarson 7 Excellent except for the strange inaccurate chipped passes
Bertrand 7 Great linking up with his winger
Mills 8 There is something about him I really like - like Terry Butcher v Sweden
Ingi 7 Past it, but not found out today

Karacan 10 Brilliantly countered their only creative threat
Cisse 9 Superb
McAnuff 8 Nearly up to his form of a few weeks ago
Sig 8 Our most valuable player

Rasiak 7 We attack well with him
Church 8 Scored and ran around all day long

Liverpool: absolutely nothing apart from the two geniuses and Kuyt's guileless effort.

[Row Z Royal]

McDermott, McDermott
Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut.

[Sarah Star]

McDermott, McDermott
Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut.

One for Wizard

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Great performance last night. The players showed real commitment and desire, after the performance on Monday against Plymouth. The team looked a lot better with the introduction of Karacan and Mills. Mills brought the nonsense at the back under control and Karacan worked his socks off in midfield.

My man of the match yesterday was Jobi McAnuff. He gave Insua all sorts of trouble down both flanks. He delivered some cracking balls and is looking a intelligent buy. All the players put in good performances of note.
Church and Raisak looked a danger up front, and they combined well together throughout the game.

My only slight concern was Ivar Ingimarsson. Against Torres for most of the game, he was struggling. In the last few minutes, from my view in the North Stand, he made numerous mistakes which could of cost us the game. In my view, this my be Ivar's last season, as a first-team player here.

Great atmosphere yesterday as well.

[Ian Royal]

Great performance last night. The players showed real commitment and desire, after the performance on Monday against Plymouth. The team looked a lot better with the introduction of Karacan and Mills. Mills brought the nonsense at the back under control and Karacan worked his socks off in midfield.

My man of the match yesterday was Jobi McAnuff. He gave Insua all sorts of trouble down both flanks. He delivered some cracking balls and is looking a intelligent buy. All the players put in good performances of note.
Church and Raisak looked a danger up front, and they combined well together throughout the game.

My only slight concern was Ivar Ingimarsson. Against Torres for most of the game, he was struggling. In the last few minutes, from my view in the North Stand, he made numerous mistakes which could of cost us the game. In my view, this my be Ivar's last season, as a first-team player here.

In my view, that should have been last season.