Swansea V Reading Official Match Thread

[Woodcote Royal]

I totally agree about Church.

He must be a decent player to get in the full Welsh squad but so far he has done nothing for us up front or out wide.

Long has his faults but has been far more threatening than Church.

We have to find an offensive threat between now and Saturday.

Yes, this was one of the least experienced sides we've ever fielded at this level yet Coppell's team last season lost 2-0..........................it comes as know surprise that this point is lost on the usual suspects.

[cmonurz]

Last season's result isn't particularly relevant - this Swansea side isn't a patch on last season's.

[Alan Partridge]

I totally agree about Church.

He must be a decent player to get in the full Welsh squad but so far he has done nothing for us up front or out wide.

Long has his faults but has been far more threatening than Church.

We have to find an offensive threat between now and Saturday.

Yes, this was one of the least experienced sides we've ever fielded at this level yet Coppell's team last season lost 2-0..........................it comes as know surprise that this point is lost on the usual suspects.

Just like reading though Woodcote, Swansea aren't the same team.

No Scotland
No Gomez
No Martinez.

Missing a few midfielders through injury as well like Bodde, Joe Allan.

The thought is the same but they aren't the same attacking threat. The Swansea team of 6 months ago really would have cleaned up tonight you feel.

Again not a fan of Long but a straight choice of him or Church and it's hurrry up and get changed Shane and bring your guitar.

[Deathy]

I totally agree about Church.

He must be a decent player to get in the full Welsh squad

Really?

[The whole year inn]

None of our strikers are anywhere near good enough to lead a decent Championship side frontline. Not even remotely close

Simon Church monitored by Liverpool - LOL

Tommy smith looks like he is coming but another striker, preferably one that weighs more than 8 stone and is able to hold up/head the ball, is an absolute must.

[PEARCEY]

Nonoe of our strikers are anywhere near good enough tlead a decent Championship side frontline. Not even remotely close

Simon Church monitored by Liverpool - LOL

Tommy smith looks like he is coming but another striker, preferably one that weighs more than 8 stone and is able to hold up/head the ball, is an absolute must.

Yeah but Tommy Smith wont make much difference if he isn't getting any service.
How many gilt-edged chances have either Church or Long missed this season? Its not just down to them. Wheres the creativity?

[Woodcote Royal]

I totally agree about Church.

He must be a decent player to get in the full Welsh squad

Really?

Getting in the Welsh squad should make him good enough for this level.

[Royalwaster]

None of our strikers are anywhere near good enough to lead a decent Championship side frontline. Not even remotely close

Simon Church monitored by Liverpool - LOL

Tommy smith looks like he is coming but another striker, preferably one that weighs more than 8 stone and is able to hold up/head the ball, is an absolute must.

Does TS really look like he's coming? A player who looks like he's coming doesn't start a game - but has a sudden mysterious injury. I am starting to think he's not coming - this has been the most drawn out non-event in recent years. And what's so special about TS that we can't find someone else who would fit the bill instead?

[cmonurz]

Nonoe of our strikers are anywhere near good enough tlead a decent Championship side frontline. Not even remotely close

Simon Church monitored by Liverpool - LOL

Tommy smith looks like he is coming but another striker, preferably one that weighs more than 8 stone and is able to hold up/head the ball, is an absolute must.

Yeah but Tommy Smith wont make much difference if he isn't getting any service.
How many gilt-edged chances have either Church or Long missed this season? Its not just down to them. Wheres the creativity?

Indeed, and as I have posted a million times on here this past week, they may be inconsistent, but Hunt & Harper >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> our other midfielders.

[Alan Partridge]

Nonoe of our strikers are anywhere near good enough tlead a decent Championship side frontline. Not even remotely close

Simon Church monitored by Liverpool - LOL

Tommy smith looks like he is coming but another striker, preferably one that weighs more than 8 stone and is able to hold up/head the ball, is an absolute must.

Yeah but Tommy Smith wont make much difference if he isn't getting any service.
How many gilt-edged chances have either Church or Long missed this season? Its not just down to them. Wheres the creativity?

Smith is the service Pearcey, make no mistake if and when he signs he will be playing wide right not up top.

[Woodcote Royal]

Isn't Harper injured

[79Royal]

In fairness to to Rodgers, he's got a new group of players and is probably still working out his best team. I don't think that our preparation for this season was anywhere near good enough, but I doubt Brendan had much to do with that.

We've also got a few injuries, so Rodgers wont know how the team will work once he's got some fully fit, experienced players in there. And he also knows he needs a couple of signings and I'm sure that is being worked on very hard by Squeaky.

We've had some encouraging signs from this very inexperienced side and we are only three league games in - I know that infuriates some people, but it is a fact! We should judge Rodgers and his values once the transfer window has closed and he's had a chance to try his new side for a time.

Give Rodgers a fair crack of the whip, he's got some very admirable values and no-one knows at the moment how it will work out. Madejski has made a decision to bring in a manager who sold him a vision based on utilising the academy players. This is BR's side, his decisions, his system, his vision, his to live and die by. He knows it, Madejski knows it, the players know it. Give him a chance.

[wolsey]

Isn't Harper injured

No just under used by a manager who hasn't really set any houses on fire (so far) with his tactical awareness or his ability to spot a problem and put it right

[Royalwaster]

Isn't Harper injured

No just under used by a manager who hasn't really set any houses on fire (so far) with his tactical awareness or his ability to spot a problem and put it right

That's a bit harsh surely after three games .... and anyway when Harper came on today if anything Swansea looked more like scoring than before.

[andrew1957]

I am all for giving BR every chance. We do need to strengthen though.

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

I totally agree about Church.

He must be a decent player to get in the full Welsh squad but so far he has done nothing for us up front or out wide.

Long has his faults but has been far more threatening than Church.

We have to find an offensive threat between now and Saturday.

Yes, this was one of the least experienced sides we've ever fielded at this level yet Coppell's team last season lost 2-0..........................it comes as know surprise that this point is lost on the usual suspects.

Just like reading though Woodcote, Swansea aren't the same team.

No Scotland
No Gomez
No Martinez.

Missing a few midfielders through injury as well like Bodde, Joe Allan.

The thought is the same but they aren't the same attacking threat. The Swansea team of 6 months ago really would have cleaned up tonight you feel.

Again not a fan of Long but a straight choice of him or Church and it's hurrry up and get changed Shane and bring your guitar.

lol

[RoyalBird]

I am all for giving BR every chance. We do need to strengthen though.

Agreed, but with experienced players! I haven't been able to hear how the match went etc, having been unable to listen to radio or watch it, but from the looks of things, it seems like our young attack hasn't been able to create chances or score goals. Now as I said in the Perspective thread, I'm all for using academy products, but they've got to be used right. First away game wasn't one to let some of them loose, when we had Matejovsky, Harper and Hunt on the bench, but to keep those youngsters and replace Long and Kebe (not our best players admittedly) with more youngsters is a big risk. I just think they need to be blooded into our first team, given the odd start or brought on from the bench, rather than being thrown into the deep end and told to compete with clubs right from the start.

[The whole year inn]

Nonoe of our strikers are anywhere near good enough tlead a decent Championship side frontline. Not even remotely close

Simon Church monitored by Liverpool - LOL

Tommy smith looks like he is coming but another striker, preferably one that weighs more than 8 stone and is able to hold up/head the ball, is an absolute must.

Yeah but Tommy Smith wont make much difference if he isn't getting any service.
How many gilt-edged chances have either Church or Long missed this season? Its not just down to them. Wheres the creativity?

Smith is the service Pearcey, make no mistake if and when he signs he will be playing wide right not up top.

Yep. Smith is not the target man that we so desperately need. He will be playing wide up top.

A centre forward is a must before the end of August. Surely?

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

Nonoe of our strikers are anywhere near good enough tlead a decent Championship side frontline. Not even remotely close

Simon Church monitored by Liverpool - LOL

Tommy smith looks like he is coming but another striker, preferably one that weighs more than 8 stone and is able to hold up/head the ball, is an absolute must.

Yeah but Tommy Smith wont make much difference if he isn't getting any service.
How many gilt-edged chances have either Church or Long missed this season? Its not just down to them. Wheres the creativity?

Smith is the service Pearcey, make no mistake if and when he signs he will be playing wide right not up top.

I agree AP this is one thing that quite a few fans arent grasping. If he can bring into play the likes of Long, Church or Hunt all the better but if the aforementioned cant' get their heads round the lone central role we will be having to look for a new target man or perhaps have a striker play just behing the central one. The one thing that BR will have to do and fairly quickly is decide who is the key central striker given that his system is not built for two strikers in the middle and i assume he will stick with his principles on this

[Alan Partridge]

That's it, and also the future of this system is almost now in the hands of someone who isn't even at the football club at the minute!

The current players are simply not suited to it from an attacking sense. We don't have a forward who can play on his own, and we don't have the two guys playing wide that can get in the box and give us a goal threat. Smith would. Smith would play on the right but still add the goal threat desperately lacking. The lads we have Henry, Church, Kebe and HRK don't. Too inconsistant, none of them really suited to it.

Noel Hunt is the only one of the current crop who could possibly play up there with Smith on the right, God knows on the left?!!!!!!

Having said that Noel Hunt isn't fit enough and no way will play every game between now and May.

At least 2 players, whether he signs Smith will determine if he carries on with this 4-5-1/4-3-3 or not. Then he has to buy a proper centre forward. Either someone with blistering pace with a goalscoring knack, or someone who can hold it up, win headers and again get his fair share of 15-20.