Royals vs Swans match thread

[79Royal]

No - HTH

I'm saying Royal Rother should restrain from ridiculing other opinions until it's been established whether they are, in fact, correct.

Oh and "people like you"?

But it's not correct because, since your OP we have been the exact opposite of dull and uninspiring. End of.

Come on big man, just admit you are glad to have been proved wrong and let that be the end of it.

a) we've been dull and uninspiring in 50% of our games thus far.

b) the season is 46 games long, not 8.

50% is probably a bit unfair, more like 33% I'd say. Even in the Charlton game, we showed a bit of something to fight back, before dropping a bollock and getting beat 4-2.

Also, the season is as you say, 46 games long. Couldn't you try to look at it another way and say 'we've got 38 games to keep on improving'?

You must feel a little bit positive after yesterday? You can't be that much of a miserable bugger!

[Schards#2]

I'm perfectly happy with the surprising home form.

I'm just responding to the kneejerk responses of those who can't see beyond the last result.

[brendywendy]

i just think its a bit odd to try and find negatives in what was a very good performance, result, and game where there were clearly very few.i just felt that to go on about our away form after such a home game, was a little weird, lets do that when we lose to wolves, today should have been about yet another superb performance

anyway, im in danger of continuing the gay fight thats made this thread a perfect representation of everything bad about this board

instead i accept that everyone has their views, and everyone lives according to their own personal attitude, let people think what they will, and be able to disagree without getting personal and insulting.

defence untroubled, and rocklike, i think the combo of bikey and ivar is probably our best, but it speaks volumes that pearce or duberry can slot in and still look very solid and accomplished
both full backs are looking really good, impressed with both in terms of both attack and defence

the midfield was pretty awesome againts swanseas 5, in the centre it had more bite, pleasure to see brynn on the pitch again, he spotted that run in the 1st half about 5 minutes before the ball was played and made a lungbusting, and pretty swift run when he hit the side netting, was willing him to score. karacan looks very decent for a youngster and can only imporve with time in the team, even cisse looked good when he came on.
and both wingers were so industrious,and creative even kebe tackling and tracking back, and causing so many problems, if kebe could finish hed be a world beater.
and up front those two are looking superb, really good, and for 600K huntys brother is another steal.

if we can just take some of this forward to the wolves game, maybe not being expected to win may take some pressure off?
who lnows, i expect to lose,but a win would really get this season motoring.

and heres to many more home games like weve had so far, it cant get much more entertaining

[Hampshire Royal]

Royal with Cheese - have you been to a game this season? Me neither. I'm going to the Derby game. I'll be flying from International to Gatwick, be picked up by my son and will sleep over in Petersfield. I will return to Belfast on Sunday.

Do you fancy it?

[Royal With Cheese]

Royal with Cheese - have you been to a game this season? Me neither. I'm going to the Derby game. I'll be flying from International to Gatwick, be picked up by my son and will sleep over in Petersfield. I will return to Belfast on Sunday.

Do you fancy it?

I do but I'm not going. Prior commitments. In fact, I don't think I'll make a game before the end of the year.

[Hampshire Royal]

OK then. You'll be missing another storming performance by us, possibly leading to us going top of the league after our victory over Wolves demoralises them so much that they crumble uncontrollably and Birmingham - well Birmingham are just sh!t. I'm getting married in Geneva on the following Saturday and will spend Saturday evening necking a fair bit of real beer. Say what you like about Guiness (and I have got a taste for it, that and Bush) you can't get a pint of decent bitter over here.

Prior commitments?? Unless it's your own funeral there's no excuse.

[Royal With Cheese]

OK then. You'll be missing another storming performance by us, possibly leading to us going top of the league after our victory over Wolves demoralises them so much that they crumble uncontrollably and Birmingham - well Birmingham are just sh!t. I'm getting married in Geneva on the following Saturday and will spend Saturday evening necking a fair bit of real beer. Say what you like about Guiness (and I have got a taste for it, that and Bush) you can't get a pint of decent bitter over here.

Prior commitments?? Unless it's your own funeral there's no excuse.

To be honest, I pick and choose my games - mainly based on away grounds I haven't visited or games near relatives. I fancy a bit of Doncaster and Coventry later on in the season. good luck with the wedding. I take it you're relocating to Belfast afterwards?

[Hampshire Royal]

I'd like to relocate to Belfast, but it's not really practical. The missus-to-be only speaks French and has lots of her family nearby. We have a new baby (born on the day we got relegated) and my work can take me anywhere in the World. If she moves here the chances are that I'll have to work somewhere else. She'd be all alone in a foreign country, not speaking the language particularly well (although she will learn it). Now imagine there's some sort of emefgency with the baby, she certainly wouldn't have the language skills to explain to Doctors etc.

We have thought about it a lot, but on balance we're better off how we are. She will come over from time to time.

Oh yes, and I wouldn't put the child through it. Imagine - she's a half-black child speaking with a Belfast accent. How disadvantaged do you want your child to be?

[Royal With Cheese]

Oh yes, and I wouldn't put the child through it. Imagine - she's a half-black child speaking with a Belfast accent. How disadvantaged do you want your child to be?

She would defianelty get a job in the BBC.

Reminds me of the incident in Belfast when an idiot went up to a Muslim and asked her if she was a Protestant Muslim or a Catholic one.

[Hampshire Royal]

Now there's a thought. If only we could persuade her to become a lesbian, she'd have a career for life.

Now that's just crazy, I mean all they had to do was ask where she lived or which school she went to.

[Victor Meldrew]

Royal with Cheese - have you been to a game this season? Me neither. I'm going to the Derby game. I'll be flying from International to Gatwick, be picked up by my son and will sleep over in Petersfield. I will return to Belfast on Sunday.

Do you fancy it?

HR,
If you knew what he looked like you wouldn't ask if he fancied it.
BTW good luck with this marriage and congrats at your age for producing again.

[Dr Hfuhruhurr]

Vey disappointed to see Pearce dropped from the XV altogether - was he injured?

Im guessing with Harper out - Coppell wanted Ivar on the pitch as captain. And you dont just replace Bikey with Pearce. Not sure, however, how Pearce didnt make the bench.

[Royal With Cheese]

Now there's a thought. If only we could persuade her to become a lesbian, she'd have a career for life.

Now that's just crazy, I mean all they had to do was ask where she lived or which school she went to.

Or wether she paid for a taxi as she got in or just before she got out.

Anyway good luck. What exactly do you do?

[Schards#2]

Vey disappointed to see Pearce dropped from the XV altogether - was he injured?

Im guessing with Harper out - Coppell wanted Ivar on the pitch as captain. And you dont just replace Bikey with Pearce. Not sure, however, how Pearce didnt make the bench.

I would imagine Coppell felt Cisse provided cover at both centre half and centre mid.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Back at the game - can anyone explain to me why Swansea decided in the first half to play short goal kicks all the time?
It was "kick to the edge of the area", "we closed down", "back-pass to keeper", "long clearance" (which most times came back at them anyway).
Was it an attempt to keep the ball?

Because Martinez has them playing football on the deck by passing the ball to each other on the floor. Occassionally we restricted their options and they had to resort to a more direct way of initiating their attacks. I think they started a lot more of their attacks by actually passing it out without the need to whack it and it was refreshing to see

And did you notice our free-kick trick of passing it back 3 yards for it to be lofted, with a lot of backspin (according to Mick Gooding), so if the defender heads it, it doesn't go far? There's science in football you know

We've done this for years when it's a free kick some disctance from goal and straight down the pitch as opposed to being at a good angle for whipping it into the box

I think that the most pleasing thing about yesterday is that we won convincingly without playing particularly brilliantly to be quite honest. Swansea must have had more of the possession and territory in the second half but we showed them how to finish and to be honest for all their pretty passing they only warmed Hahnemann's gloves once, with a tame looping header towards the end.

I liked Noel Hunt again. He is hard working and very decent in the air; several inches shorter than Shane Long but he times his jumps and his positional awareness meant that every flicked header seemed to find a Reading man, and then most importantly he peeled away from his man at a corner to bury a header for the opening goal after a scrappy start to the game. He looks to be the real deal at this level.

The main difference for me between the sides yesterday was the Reading wingers. I still have plenty of misgivings about Kebe (that piece of skill, demonstration of pace and then abysmal second touch taking the ball out of play in the second half was all too typical to be honest - we can laugh it off at 3-0 up but if it had been 0-0 or indeed 0-1 you'd all have been fuming at his lack of technique) but there is no doubt that his unorthodox style gave Swansea plenty to think about all game. Has he got enough for this level? Yeah, perhaps he has. Although he infuriated me again when he failed to run on to S Hunt's clever pass outside of the full back in the first half; lack of awareness and perhaps lack of a footballing brain.

Brings me neatly on to SHunt actually. I have slated him as a player in the past and as a man more recently for his pathetic comments about Reading being obliged to allow him a transfer, but I have to give him the utmost praise for the way he has kicked on in recent times. A bit part player in the 05/06 team, he seized his chance in the Premier League and through sheer bloody-minded honest endeavour and hard work he has become a very important player to us and one we will struggle to replace when he inevitably leaves in January. Leroy Lita, take note.

Vey disappointed to see Pearce dropped from the XV altogether - was he injured? If not, it hardly sends out a very encouraging message from Coppell to his younger players. That said, Karacan continues to impress; he gave the ball away far too much for my liking yesterday but that rarely deters him, he continues to be busy, get involved and try and bring the ball forward. Another good performance from the young man.

So, 4-0 but we're a long way from perfection yet - isn't that nice to see/say. We'll all take that at this stage of the season; now for a point or three at Molineux please.

Most of that is spot on Floyd. I don't think we played that well, we just took our chances pretty well and Swansea were like Arsenal on a bad day, lots of pretty passing but no actual end product at all. That's thanks to a pretty decent defensive display as much as Swansea being a little toothless up tops

I agree on Kebe. A few decent runs here and there, but without the basic skills to back it up he'll be found out a lot quicker than other wingers, and it'll be interesting to see how he copes over the winter when the conditions won't suit him as much (thankfully most pitches dont deteriate like they used to though)

Karacan again played ok, but if Harper had put in that performance he'd get a slating on here. I expect more from Harper than I would Karacan, but there were times when Karacan looked like the youngster he is and I'd expect Harper to come back into the side for the crunch game on Tuesday, more than likely to partner Bryn for at least the first hour depending on the old boys legs

[Sharpy]

got a cracking video of the Swans singing Land of my Fathers!! great tune

[Dr Hfuhruhurr]

Vey disappointed to see Pearce dropped from the XV altogether - was he injured?

Im guessing with Harper out - Coppell wanted Ivar on the pitch as captain. And you dont just replace Bikey with Pearce. Not sure, however, how Pearce didnt make the bench.

I would imagine Coppell felt Cisse provided cover at both centre half and centre mid.

That would seem a fair enough assessment - especially with the Academy well represented on the rest of the bench.
Convey is now officially a has been, isnt he?

[brendywendy]

Convey came on with long and set up a goal vs wednesday.

Henry deserved a place on the bench though

[RG30]

Didn't get a chance to go either Tuesday or yesterday but from all the other games I've seen this season and from what was said about yesterday's game, I am really happy with the progress being made. Home games, we look really dominant with all the qualities needed to suceed (pace, width, goals). Away from home, we're not travelling as well but last Saturday against Watford, we were dominant until that "goal" went in and from there we should have had a bigger margin by half time. Ipswich away, we were in it up until the 1st goal went in and the reaction was dissapointing, while at Charlton we done well to get it back to 2-2 and were on top at that stage before poor defending from Rosenior and some quality finishing ended our afternoon.

Slowly, the league table is taking shape and to be 3rd at this stage and in fine scoring form is a positive for me, Tuesday's game will say a lot about our season but it's still early days, and the signs are encouraging.

[KC Royal]

Another good home performance today. We did the job. Wasn't happy at the start of the game though to see Pearce wasn't playing.

I think Pearce didn't play because Harper didn't play. What i mean by that is that because our captain wasn't playing Coppell wanted Ingi (surely our 3rd choice captain after Murts and Harper) to provide some leadership. Tbh after Ingi im not sure who our captain would be, no-one really stands out!