Shane Long

[old woman]

If Shunt had been so great he would have buried the chance against Blackburn that Shane set up for him and we would still be in the premiership! Even Sandra Redknapp would have scored that!!!!

I like Shane as a player-he seems content to be on the bench and is more inclined to pass the ball to a better positioned player than someone we all know.

[West Stand Man]

Long's problem his he should have been sent out on loan the season we went up.

He's stagnated, lost his confidence and isn't going to improve as 4th choice striker.

Get another striker in, put Long out on loan for the rest of the season. We know Lita's going in the summer, maybe given some games, Long could return as more of a threat to NHunt and Doyle.

Go on then, Expand.

What evidence is there that he has 'lost his confidence'? He certainly seems to be oozing in that commodity whenever I see him.

This thread started with some facts and has degenerated (as ever) into opinion dressed as fact.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Long's problem his he should have been sent out on loan the season we went up.

He's stagnated, lost his confidence and isn't going to improve as 4th choice striker.

Get another striker in, put Long out on loan for the rest of the season. We know Lita's going in the summer, maybe given some games, Long could return as more of a threat to NHunt and Doyle.

Go on then, Expand.

What evidence is there that he has 'lost his confidence'? He certainly seems to be oozing in that commodity whenever I see him.

This thread started with some facts and has degenerated (as ever) into opinion dressed as fact.

How many times have we had this thread? I know I started one after the Derby game away, the season we went up. He hasn't kicked on since then, we keep having false dawns. He's been 3rd/4th choice striker all this time, put in some terrible performances when he has started games and never established himself. He's been playing a terrible standard of football in the reserves, against kids mainly. Saying his confidence has gone is an excuse I know. Maybe he plain isn't good enough. He's had so many chances, how many more does he get?

[westongeezer]

Shane doesn't get to play many full 90 minute games, and coming on as sub for 5-15 minutes is never easy.


[/b]

You have to remember, Shanes only 3ft 1 and that pitch is like huge for his little legs to cover , my god like a mile end to end no wonder he can only play 5/10 mins of a game

[Gordons Cumming]

Trappatoni seems to disagree with many on here.

Strange that.....................

[Hoop Blah]

It's hard to judge Shane in the same way as other players as he's just not had the coaching at the right age.

You can still judge his contribution to games though. Personally I don't think he does enough and his basic skills just aren't up to it when it really matters.

He's a fine Championship squad player though, especially if he's happy to be around the squad but not really playing or threatening to break into the side.

He's no Doyle, but he's made a contribution to games. He'd be a regular in most Reading teams of the last 40 years.

I really think that's stretching it a bit, at least for the last 20 years anyway.

[West Stand Man]

Go on then, Expand.

What evidence is there that he has 'lost his confidence'? He certainly seems to be oozing in that commodity whenever I see him.

This thread started with some facts and has degenerated (as ever) into opinion dressed as fact.

How many times have we had this thread? I know I started one after the Derby game away, the season we went up. He hasn't kicked on since then, we keep having false dawns. He's been 3rd/4th choice striker all this time, put in some terrible performances when he has started games and never established himself. He's been playing a terrible standard of football in the reserves, against kids mainly. Saying his confidence has gone is an excuse I know. Maybe he plain isn't good enough. He's had so many chances, how many more does he get?

Which still doesn't answer my question. What evidence is there of a drop in confidence?

You are fully entitled to your opinion on his quality, I simply ask you to justify a statement that you have made.

[Snowball]

Where do people get the idea that Shane has been given "loads of chances?

Not this year

How about last season?

In 2007-8, he played a total of 673 minutes (7.5 games) and yet he managed 3 goals and 3 assists

That's 20% of the time had he played every game for 90 minutes

so x 5 that's 15 goals and 15 assists in a full playing season!!



00 0-0 Man Utd
74 1-2 CHELSEA
90 1-0 EVERTON
00 0-3 West Ham
24 1-2 Sunderland 1-0
00 2-1 WIGAN
14 4-7 Portsmouth SCORED
00 1-0 DERBY
00 2-4 Blackburn
07 2-1 NEWCASTLE SCORED WINNER
03 1-3 Fulham
06 1-3 ARSENAL
06 1-2 Man City
06 1-1 Middlesbro
00 3-1 LIVERPOOL
06 1-1 Birmingham
07 2-1 SUNDERLAND Long, brilliant run, made Hunt's winning goal
06 1-1 West Ham

06 4-6 SPURS
07 0-2 PORTSMOUTH (10 Men)
01 1-3 Villa Nice play from Long, makes Harper goal
07 0-2 MAN UTD
00 0-1 Chelsea
14 0-2 BOLTON
15 0-1 Everton
19 1-2 VILLA


He played just 69 minutes total in our run of eight consecutive defeats, then got a couple of games...

90 1-0 Middlesboro Reading's first Win after 8 straight defeats
82 2-0 MAN CITY SCORED. Two wins on the trot!

Hmmmm...

63 1-2 Liverpool (the short incident... Long ran his heart out that day...)
13 2-1 BIRMINGHAM
14 0-0 BLACKBURN Hunt missed absolute sitter after brilliant work from Long
18 0-3 Newcastle (Comes on where we are already 3-0 down!)
61 0-2 FULHAM
00 0-2 Arsenal
04 0-0 Wigan
10 0-1 SPURS
00 4-0 Derby


673 Total Minutes (7.5 games)

18 minutes Average

[bcubed]

Trappatoni seems to disagree with many on here.

Strange that.....................

What is he seeing that others on here don't?

It seems our Shane must have some good points after all

[readingbedding]

Indeed, even the resident blind man on this forum may have something that Trappatoni has missed.

[SteveRoyal]

You can't get rid of Shane Long, he's Readings 'pretty boy'!
I think Long is good enough for the Championship. He has the pace and he has the enthusiasm.
I wonder if anyone could find out how many of Shane Long's appearances in the past 4 years he has started?

Oh, and since Long has been here we've had better strikers. Kitson, Lita, Doyle, and Noel have all joined and been ahead of him - simply because he's never had a decent run of games.

[Snowball]

I think he has the potential to be a very good player indeed. AS GOOD AS DOYLE

If you look at what he manages with a lot less time on the pitch, if you look at actual facts,
genuine statistics, and then remember he has three years of improvement, to catch Kevin as he is now,
he is going to be as good as Kevin Doyle, barring serious injury.

He has power and pace, he runs forever, has a good shot and can head the ball, and he's brave as hell

He also gets more on target, percentage wise than Doyle and Lita is miles away


Last season playing 20% of the time his league record was

Premier League

15 Shots
10 On Target
04 Off Target
01 Hit the Woodwork
03 Goals

That is in just 675 minutes play, often just 5-10 minutes at the rag-end of a game.

Multiply those totals by 5 for 100% play and you get

Premier League

75 Shots
50 On Target
20 Off Target
05 Hit the Woodwork
15 goals


Doyle played almost a full season, say 90%

Premier League

67 Shots
26 On Target
41 Off Target
00 Hit Woodwork
06 Goals

Round that up to 100% (add 10% to his shots etc)

75 Shots
30 On Target
45 Off target
00 Hit the Woodwork
07 Goals

So like for like Long and Doyle would have had the same number of shots
but Long would have been far more accurate and scored twice as many goals

[Hoop Blah]

Trappatoni seems to disagree with many on here.

Strange that.....................

What is he seeing that others on here don't?

It seems our Shane must have some good points after all

What alternatives does he have that are better?

Those alternatives have to show some ability over time and not just a flash in the pan run of form, that they'd probably fit in with the squad and also potentially be a good prospect for the future too as Long could be in the squad more for his long term international development than just his contibution right now.

[Rex]

Shane is probably too nice a person to really fight for a place higher up in the pecking order. It is either that or he has / is not being stretched in his current third (now possibly fourth) position in the partnership up front. Not is this :

lacking ambition
in his comfort zone
winging it as a player.

The only times i've seen him show a real passion (other than scoring) was when he threw his shirt down after being subbed, also handbags after winning the pen only for Shunt to stuff it up. Both times were a tad embarassing for the guy.

[Woodcote Royal]

Snowball, please refrain from confronting Lita's fan club with cold hard facts suggesting their claims that Lita>Long is questionable at best...............as one old duffer used to say "They don't like it up 'em!"

[Thaumagurist*]

This season:

Long = 3 goals
Lita =8 goals.

[dean horrix legend]

This season:

Long = 3 goals
Lita =8 goals.

How many minutes played?

[Alan Partridge]

This season:

Long = 3 goals
Lita =8 goals.

How many minutes played?

Also considering Norwich are 4th bottom so the chances are hardly flowing.

[East Stand Royal 500]

When Shane Long first came to Reading he was very immature. He was easily bundled off the ball, and often fell over and allowed the tackler to get away while he feebly appealed for a free kick.
In one way his performance has improved - he now makes a bigger exhibition of himself when he is dispossessed and is a bit more successful in drawing fouls and the occasional penalty.

I think he has the skill to go much further but until he grows up a bit he will always be a whipping boy on these pages.

[Woodcote Royal]

This season:

Long = 3 goals
Lita =8 goals.

So now Lita's sad little fan club want to bump up his goals for column with 7 he scored at Norwich after demanding to out on loan because he didn't want to sit on our bench

The cold hard facts listed on this thread illustrate why many of us prefer a young Irishman who has decided to stay put, toughing it out with few starts and scores of 10 minute cameos, doing far more for this club in the last 2 years than Lita's pathetic 2 league goals................................one of which was scored in the dieing embers of last season when we were already relegated