Shane Long Vs Simon Church SEASON WATCH

[Ian Royal]

Of course most people don't want to see our players fail.

But when they don't think they can succeed well enough, they don't want to see them proving it. They want to see someone they think WILL succeed, doing so.

[Muskrat]

I like Church too but he is a lot younger and may have to make do with sub appearances for now.

Less than 2 years - not that much younger...

[Snowball]

I like Church too but he is a lot younger and may have to make do with sub appearances for now.

Less than 2 years - not that much younger...

But LONG is a kid!!! So Long -2 years is kiddier

[CMRoyal]

I like Church too but he is a lot younger and may have to make do with sub appearances for now.

Less than 2 years - not that much younger...

Just checked the birthdates - it's about 23 months, so as near as dammit to two years, which can be quite a gap at that age. Early 20s must be an age when players are expected to kick on a bit. There are signs that Long is starting to do that, but there are also signs that Churchy is farther along than Long was at his age.

[Snowball]

Simon Church has had games on loan and been "brought on" nicely, though at a lower level
something many on this list believe should have been done with Shane Long

32 starts and 9 sub appearances in the league

MORES STARTS THAN SHANE!

30 starts and 70 sub appearances

If you say 61 sub appearances (average 15 minutes) = approx 10 games the comparison is:

33.5 games Church
36.1 games Long

Their U-21 and National team apparances are near-identical

Obviously Shane is now benefiting from being older, stronger, a little wiser
and has had experience in the Premiership and Championship

[LoyalRoyalFan]

I don't know why some people slag off Long. He's not even that bad. He's along the lines of the young Henderson's,Tyson's,Butler's and McIntyre's of past Reading squads. All of these players have developed into decent players and i can see Long going the same way.

[cmonurz]

I don't know why some people slag off Long. He's not even that bad. He's along the lines of the young Henderson's,Tyson's,Butler's and McIntyre's of past Reading squads. All of these players have developed into decent players and i can see Long going the same way.

But during this time, the Reading team has not been of the level in which those players played.

[Mike Hunt]

Simon Church has had games on loan and been "brought on" nicely, though at a lower level
something many on this list believe should have been done with Shane Long

32 starts and 9 sub appearances in the league

MORES STARTS THAN SHANE!

30 starts and 70 sub appearances

If you say 61 sub appearances (average 15 minutes) = approx 10 games the comparison is:

33.5 games Church
36.1 games Long

Their U-21 and National team apparances are near-identical

Obviously Shane is now benefiting from being older, stronger, a little wiser
and has had experience in the Premiership and Championship

Snowball - this is a Forum. Please call it a Forum.

[Mike Hunt]

9 Goals from 13(26) appearances is pretty good in my books.

[Snowball]

Shane bascially has to score 50% of the club's goals (with a broken leg)
to get grudging comments like "He's a bit lucky"


I say we drive him out and watch him score 25-30 goals for a promotion side

[Snowball]

This list, what a list, now going literary, and even using Latinate and Greek derived words.


Listus Crackingus

[Vision]

Shane bascially has to score 50% of the club's goals (with a broken leg)
to get grudging comments like "He's a bit lucky"


I say we drive him out and watch him score 25-30 goals for a promotion side

See now you're getting the hang of it. Forget all that statistical nonsense and just make outlandish statements.

[Snowball]

Shane bascially has to score 50% of the club's goals (with a broken leg)
to get grudging comments like "He's a bit lucky"


I say we drive him out and watch him score 25-30 goals for a promotion side

See now you're getting the hang of it. Forget all that statistical nonsense and just make outlandish statements.

Oh I dunno, there's a percentage and two numbers in there...

[Vision]

Shane bascially has to score 50% of the club's goals (with a broken leg)
to get grudging comments like "He's a bit lucky"


I say we drive him out and watch him score 25-30 goals for a promotion side

See now you're getting the hang of it. Forget all that statistical nonsense and just make outlandish statements.

Oh I dunno, there's a percentage and two numbers in there...

Pretty random numbers though.

[Alan Partridge]

FGS v Spacey >>>>>>>>> Shane Long v Simon Church aka Dump and Dumper

[Snowball]

It's been said before that Long is an unusual case not having played football
as a kid, been through academies etc. He's still relatively raw and he is
(if he has the raw, innate ability) still train-up-able, coachable and might yet
become very special indeed.

Although he's 2 years older than Church, he will have had LESS footballing time,
and, as shown, he has had less competitive starts, but he's already shown us he can
score 1 in two games, passes if someone else has a better position, is lethal when he
does shoot on target, and has a knack of important goals.


I remember seeing people on this list saying Mooney was a Sunday Pub player
and would never play in the Championship, ow way. Well, 3 goals in 8 starts
for a struggling Championship side is an awful lot better than "he will never
play in the Championship."


I'm curious, how much was the ridiculous signing of the rubbish Kevin Doyle talked about on this list back in the days?

[CMRoyal]

Not sure where comparing PL/Championship appearances versus League One appearances gets you, to be honest snowball. Longy's experience vastly outweighs Charlotte's even if the game-time is slightly less. Same for Wayne Rooney and his paltry Champions' League experience compared to my extensive 'career' in the Berks and Bucks Cup.

Anyway, Shlong and Church to spearhead attack tonight according to EP*, with a 'probable' line-up out of which I cannot contrive a 4-3-3 (ie no Marek, Gylfi or Davies). Not sure what to make of that.


* http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/footb ... ing_attack

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

I'd love shane Long to progress and prove the doubters wrong, but just ask yourself how often over the last couple of years or so have you watched Shane Long and thought "I wish he was first choice for us".

He is a raw player with promise, but he's been a raw player with promise for 4 years. He hasn't progressed. Part of that is because we should have loaned him out to gain experience, and although he'll undoubted get that experience playing for us if he starts, if he's up there alongside Church (if Hunt isn't fit), we'll have two players learning the game.

[Snowball]

I'd love shane Long to progress and prove the doubters wrong, but just ask yourself how often over the last couple of years or so have you watched Shane Long and thought "I wish he was first choice for us".

He is a raw player with promise, but he's been a raw player with promise for 4 years. He hasn't progressed. Part of that is because we should have loaned him out to gain experience, and although he'll undoubted get that experience playing for us if he starts, if he's up there alongside Church (if Hunt isn't fit), we'll have two players learning the game.

"I wish he was first choice for us".

That might be a bit strong, but his winner and clearance at Sheffield, his two goals v Charlton, his excellent goals at Norwich,
frankly it was him, Shane Long and virtually nobody else who kept us in the shout.

As for the Charlton game which he should have "won single-handedly" but for stupid errors at the back, we would then have
gone into the Birmingham game feeling far more confident... we'd also have won at Blackpool

[weybridgewanderer]

for a "season watch" there's not a lot of actoin on this thread

0 goals, 0 assists between them, unless shane gets an assist for his hand in the penalty last week?