Reading V River plate...Match thread

[SpaceCruiser]

Have you ever played wing back?? It is a much harder position to play, especially if you are poor at getting back, and you need to be a hell of a lot fitter!!! If he can't play right back, which along with left back is the easiest position on the pitch, then there is little hope at wing back!

Wing backs are indeed a difficult position to play in as you'd need the player to get back after wandering up the field. Hence probably the reason why 3-5-2 isn't used much these days.

[papereyes]

Have you ever played wing back?? It is a much harder position to play, especially if you are poor at getting back, and you need to be a hell of a lot fitter!!! If he can't play right back, which along with left back is the easiest position on the pitch, then there is little hope at wing back!

Wing backs are indeed a difficult position to play in as you'd need the player to get back after wandering up the field. Hence probably the reason why 3-5-2 isn't used much these days.

I read that the 'invention'/popularity of the defensive midfielder is what did for it.

That, and the fact that when 3-5-2 is pushed back to 5-3-2, the team starts getting outnumbered all over the shop. It lacks a certain flexibility. I think you also need a certain type of defender who is comfortable in a number of positions and on the ball more than a straight 4-4-2.

Shame.

[brendywendy]

Have you ever played wing back?? It is a much harder position to play, especially if you are poor at getting back, and you need to be a hell of a lot fitter!!! If he can't play right back, which along with left back is the easiest position on the pitch, then there is little hope at wing back!

Wing backs are indeed a difficult position to play in as you'd need the player to get back after wandering up the field. Hence probably the reason why 3-5-2 isn't used much these days.

I read that the 'invention'/popularity of the defensive midfielder is what did for it.

That, and the fact that when 3-5-2 is pushed back to 5-3-2, the team starts getting outnumbered all over the shop. It lacks a certain flexibility. I think you also need a certain type of defender who is comfortable in a number of positions and on the ball more than a straight 4-4-2.

Shame.

would the 3-5-2 not cope with that if one of the 5 in midfield were a defensive midfielder, then the wide players could just be wingers with little defensive work to do?

[papereyes]

Have you ever played wing back?? It is a much harder position to play, especially if you are poor at getting back, and you need to be a hell of a lot fitter!!! If he can't play right back, which along with left back is the easiest position on the pitch, then there is little hope at wing back!

Wing backs are indeed a difficult position to play in as you'd need the player to get back after wandering up the field. Hence probably the reason why 3-5-2 isn't used much these days.

I read that the 'invention'/popularity of the defensive midfielder is what did for it.

That, and the fact that when 3-5-2 is pushed back to 5-3-2, the team starts getting outnumbered all over the shop. It lacks a certain flexibility. I think you also need a certain type of defender who is comfortable in a number of positions and on the ball more than a straight 4-4-2.

Shame.

would the 3-5-2 not cope with that if one of the 5 in midfield were a defensive midfielder, then the wide players could just be wingers with little defensive work to do?

No idea. Look at a 3-5-2 with a defender pushed up and slightly withdrawn wingbacks and you've almost got a narrow 4-4-2.

[Woodcote Royal]

We really need someone who can put their foot on it and make something happen in our midfield.

Can't you see that now greedy bollocks has gone that Gunnarsson deserves his chance and is actually a better player than Sidwell. He should be stripping these South Americans and if you can't see that he is the future then you shouldn't be doing anything other than kissing my arse

When you can't find the quote you're looking for, why not just invent one...................clever

One assumes that you ran out of threads to block.

[Woodcote Royal]

If my darling little Siddie had been out there we'd have thrashed 'em

Wise words indeed, Mr Moderator.

[MattRFC]

How to watch football, beer in hand.

Matching shirts and shorts, how sweet.

GIMPS

haha i know those guys, they're all legends even if they do look a tad gay in the matching shorts and shirts!

[Top Flight]

I liked the look of the River Plate left winger who scored from the free kick. He was a very creative player and some of his deliveries were exquisite........

I wonder how much he would cost?

He's probably more likely to join Villareal, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla than he is to come to our place though!

[Top Flight]

I only watched the 2nd half so allegedly missed most of the bad stuff but if you can learn anything form the firs tgame of preseason I guess we learnt that

A-Fed is a very good keeper, even though he appears to be on the Marcus diet.

the ostentatiously named Robson-Kanu showed some good touches, one run into the box where only Kitto's return was lacking was very good, but he needs experience

Cisse made one quite nice run

Bikey looked very good, strong, pacey, he's developin in the exact same way Sonks did

Not a lot else really, although I'm slightly concerned as a TV watcher that this is the commentary standard that Setanta are lloking to set, I'd have thought paul Parker would be one of the last people to think they all look the same

Final thought, even if people disagree with the above and think we were absolute gash, don't worry about it, it's the first game of preseason

Setanta's commentry was very poor...... If this is what its gonna be like on Setanta I might just have to stick with Sky....

At one point in the 85th minute when it was Duberry and Bikey at the back for us, the Argies played a ball that split the pair of them open. Parker said Sonko and Ingimarsson have been falling asleep when that pass was played. Neither bloody player was even on the pitch. Sonko wasn't even part of our squad!

[Hyundai Coupe]

How to watch football, beer in hand.

Matching shirts and shorts, how sweet.

GIMPS

haha i know those guys, they're all legends even if they do look a tad gay in the matching shorts and shirts!

gone all that way and they're not even watching the game. Andy Hughes has also put on abit of weight since leaving reading.

[Sharpy]

watched the game in the walkabout, of the game i saw when i wasnt eating my chicken gouigons and chips...in the 2nd half we were greatly improved. however when cisse came on he looked poo

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

How to watch football, beer in hand.

Matching shirts and shorts, how sweet.

GIMPS

haha i know those guys, they're all legends even if they do look a tad gay in the matching shorts and shirts!

i am missing something here?

Three guys wearing two types of shirt isn't exactly matching.

Only one of the guys, as far as you can tell from the picture, is wearing shorts, and those shorts don't look the same as the trousers that either of the other guys is wearing, other than in colour.


Have we entered a world where wearing a club's shirt is in itself "gimpy"? I thought that only applied to fans of clubs with legions of gloryhunting fans who need to go out of their way to show they are proper fans, not gloryhunters from 200 miles away.

And, gosh, heaven forbid fans turn up wearing similar coloured trousers. I guess real fans meet up in advance and discuss what each other will be wearing to avoid such embarrassing clashes.

Mind you, the guy in the middle does seem to have something of a bulge in his trousers, and that is disturbing.

[floyd__streete]

Have we entered a world where wearing a club's shirt is in itself "gimpy"? I thought that only applied to fans of clubs with legions of gloryhunting fans who need to go out of their way to show they are proper fans, not gloryhunters from 200 miles away.

I find it rather peculiar that people feel the need to comment on what other people choose to wear generally, let alone to a football match. I just don't care enough these days about such important issues perhaps, but personally I am not at all fussed if folks choose to wear a Donald Duck t-shirt, dungarees and a gimp mask to a game because I am there - believe it or not - to watch a football match, not to play Jeff Banks.

That said - I can't really tolerate anyone over the age of 6 years old wearing facepaint at a football match.

[Behindu]

watched the game in the walkabout, of the game i saw when i wasnt eating my chicken gouigons and chips...

How's the diet going ?

[Gordons Cumming]

watched the game in the walkabout, of the game i saw when i wasnt eating my chicken gouigons and chips...in the 2nd half we were greatly improved. however when cisse came on he looked poo

I had chicken burger and chips and left after 79 minutes.................after I had a poo.

HTH

[Mr Barlow]

How to watch football, beer in hand.

Matching shirts and shorts, how sweet.

GIMPS

You ain't too good at spot the difference then?

[Compo's Hat]

By the looks of it from today (the bits i saw anyway) it was ok against a class team in our first game of pre season. I'm guessing that Coppell isn't going to experiment with the formation much.

Interesting when Reading were chasing the game towards the end that we let a few balls get behind the back line (although some were well read), that is certainly something to work on.

Obviously in actual games we won't allow teams the space that we allowed River in the first half.

[Irvinchangeyaname]

How to watch football, beer in hand.

Matching shirts and shorts, how sweet.

GIMPS

Indeed, they should feel ashamed of themselves. Drinking beer whilst watching RFC in Korea. And then to further embarrass themselves by all wearing blue and white hoops and light coloured shorts. What's the chances of that heh?? I pity them