Karabukspor game on Tuesday

[No Hoops]

Every mention on twitter refers to their number 17! Anyone know who it is??

Yasin Avki.

Not

Sinan Kaloglu

Not sure he's Turkish

[Victor Meldrew]

3-1 and that's the half

Harte at centre-half?
As it is a friendly let us hope that particular experiment has failed and we hear no more about the idiocy of him playing there.

[Ian Royal]

3-1 and that's the half

Harte at centre-half?
As it is a friendly let us hope that particular experiment has failed and we hear no more about the idiocy of him playing there.

It's just a friendly and therefore essentially a fitness exercise. One half in a friendly is hardly going to be all it takes to decide anything.


HRK is a winger who can play up front, so seeing as Hunt apparently tweeked something pissing about the other day it makes perfect sense to try him out up there. Or alternatively depending on how reliable the information that he's upfront is, he may be sitting in the hole behind a single striker.

[Royalwaster]

Hope we lose 10:1 - might force the club to sign some players. Remember the season when we played Chelsea and drew 1:1 and everyone thought that was a great result - it was a crap result as it meant BR could keep on dreaming that the players he had were good enough to do well in the league.

[rfc2001]

Obita is playing at lot pre season, wonder if he'll feature a lot this season. Wickham was playing at his age. Maybe he's shit hot!!! So oxf*rd any new signings

[Royalwaster]

Obita is playing at lot pre season, wonder if he'll feature a lot this season. Wickham was playing at his age. Maybe he's shit hot!!! So oxf*rd any new signings

You think Obita is that good he can stand in as centreback? If Harte can do it, surely he can do it too?

[rfc2001]

Obita is playing at lot pre season, wonder if he'll feature a lot this season. Wickham was playing at his age. Maybe he's shit hot!!! So oxf*rd any new signings

You think Obita is that good he can stand in as centreback? If Harte can do it, surely he can do it too?

I'm not on about centre backs, I'm talking from an attacking sense.

Yes we 100% need two new centre backs.

[1871 Royal]

Hope we lose 10:1 - might force the club to sign some players. Remember the season when we played Chelsea and drew 1:1 and everyone thought that was a great result - it was a crap result as it meant BR could keep on dreaming that the players he had were good enough to do well in the league.

It was 2-2 AND we were 2-0 up.

Crap result against this line up ....

Cech (Turnbull 77); Ivanovic (Bosingwa HT), A. Cole, Terry (c), Carvalho (Alex HT); Mikel, Lampard, Essien (Belletti 65), Deco (Kalou HT); Drogba (Sturridge 65), Anelka (Malouda 65)

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Hope we lose 10:1 - might force the club to sign some players. Remember the season when we played Chelsea and drew 1:1 and everyone thought that was a great result - it was a crap result as it meant BR could keep on dreaming that the players he had were good enough to do well in the league.

It was 2-2 AND we were 2-0 up.

Crap result against this line up ....

Cech (Turnbull 77); Ivanovic (Bosingwa HT), A. Cole, Terry (c), Carvalho (Alex HT); Mikel, Lampard, Essien (Belletti 65), Deco (Kalou HT); Drogba (Sturridge 65), Anelka (Malouda 65)

He's not saying getting a 2-2 draw agains that team was a "crap result". He meant that it was it was a bad thing to have happened because it papered over some huge cracks.

[1871 Royal]

Hope we lose 10:1 - might force the club to sign some players. Remember the season when we played Chelsea and drew 1:1 and everyone thought that was a great result - it was a crap result as it meant BR could keep on dreaming that the players he had were good enough to do well in the league.

It was 2-2 AND we were 2-0 up.

Crap result against this line up ....

Cech (Turnbull 77); Ivanovic (Bosingwa HT), A. Cole, Terry (c), Carvalho (Alex HT); Mikel, Lampard, Essien (Belletti 65), Deco (Kalou HT); Drogba (Sturridge 65), Anelka (Malouda 65)

He's not saying getting a 2-2 draw agains that team was a "crap result". He meant that it was it was a bad thing to have happened because it papered over some huge cracks.

Ahhh I see, apologies.

[Z175]

Well at least we have scouted Longs replacement. Welcome to Berkshire Sinan Kaloğlu.

30 years old, shouldn't cost much. If we pretend we are Slovenian and that was our stadium they will understand our small budget!

[ankeny]

3-1 and that's the half

Harte at centre-half?
As it is a friendly let us hope that particular experiment has failed and we hear no more about the idiocy of him playing there.

It's just a friendly and therefore essentially a fitness exercise. One half in a friendly is hardly going to be all it takes to decide anything.


HRK is a winger who can play up front, so seeing as Hunt apparently tweeked something pissing about the other day it makes perfect sense to try him out up there. Or alternatively depending on how reliable the information that he's upfront is, he may be sitting in the hole behind a single striker.

Great when we win but only a fitness exercise when we lose

[Ian Royal]

I'm pretty sure I said it's only a fitness exercise when we won 7-0 but it was always good to see the strikers finding the net.

[Z175]

Normally I wouldn't be bothered but post playoff final it becomes more important. I'm slightly anxious the squad will get a sense of everything going wrong, losing games players leaving. Form is a habit and we more than ever need our chins up. Preseason can affect the start of the season. Remember Coppells losing streak at brizzle carried on into the league from preseason.

I say this as s RTG, imho a bad start could cost us promotion, which it has done in the last two seasons, despite the heroics at the end.

They may be top flight but would probably be championship at best, and we were 3-1,down before the changes. Brian won't pass it off, no doubt.

[urz13]

Hope we lose 10:1 - might force the club to sign some players. Remember the season when we played Chelsea and drew 1:1 and everyone thought that was a great result - it was a crap result as it meant BR could keep on dreaming that the players he had were good enough to do well in the league.

Also we played a fringe team, which was how BR saw the sig play properly. So not that bad a result considering it helped get the club £7m.

[CayeneMatt]

It'll be interesting to get some 3rd party thoughts on this game (Fordham again?).

I know some don't like it, but Harte's played 2 games (in part) at CB and Tabb was LB. BM having a look I would think.

[Maguire]

Friendly results mean absolutely nothing whatsoever.

[urz13]

It'll be interesting to get some 3rd party thoughts on this game (Fordham again?).

I know some don't like it, but Harte's played 2 games (in part) at CB and Tabb was LB. BM having a look I would think.

He's only 'having a look' in case we don't sign any defenders (unlikely) or two get injured. It's nothing more than preparing a last resort.

[RoyalBlue]

It'll be interesting to get some 3rd party thoughts on this game (Fordham again?).

I know some don't like it, but Harte's played 2 games (in part) at CB and Tabb was LB. BM having a look I would think.

He's only 'having a look' in case we don't sign any defenders (unlikely) or two get injured. It's nothing more than preparing a last resort.

One injured and one suspended - quite likely! And how many positions can Harte play in at once? Is Williams once again a good left back?

Going into a season with just two 'experienced' specialist centre backs would be farcical. Just like you need 3-4 good specialist strikers you need the same number of good specialist centre backs. Expecting McD to compete without that would be a joke.

And god do I hope Fordham is wrong when he said during today's game that if Long is sold he expects McD to make do with what he's got.

[Elmer Park]

It'll be interesting to get some 3rd party thoughts on this game (Fordham again?).

I know some don't like it, but Harte's played 2 games (in part) at CB and Tabb was LB. BM having a look I would think.

He's only 'having a look' in case we don't sign any defenders (unlikely) or two get injured. It's nothing more than preparing a last resort.

Not even 'having a look' at Harte at CB if we are to believe McDermott's interview after the first friendly. He categorically stated that Harte was only playing there during these friendlies and that he would be playing at left back again this season. He wasn't quite so definitive about Bryn but still said he was playing at CB as a temporary measure and he knows he wouldn't let us down in an emergency or some very similar phrase.

The side that beat us today were a Turkish top flight Club so it was always going to be a hard game. I assume therefore that the lad who knocked in a hat trick will be receiving a wage far in excess of that which he could earn with Reading otherwise I was thinking he might have been an option as/when Long goes.