Back From The Game - Leeds

[phil in cornwall]

Long, though his usual hard-working self, just doesn't seem able to control a ball when it matters, the chance where he was in the box in the first half and wasted the chance thanks to a horrendous chance.

Wot exactly does this mean?

[handbags_harris]

Ref 7 - Don't quite see why he's getting a slating from some. I thought he was even-handed and let a lot of strong challenges go, from both sides. Much prefer that to refs who blow up for the slightest thing. Should have given Gradel a second yellow though for a blatant off the ball dive to try to win a free kick on the edge of the area just before the half.

Obvious bottling of a handball after 40 minutes, penalty and red card if he gives it. Pats his chest as if to state the ball didn't hit his arm. Afterwards comes out for his warm down, gets a bit of jip from Reading fans in the East, shouts out that it was ball to hand. Make your frikkin mind up

That goal kick at the end, quite incredible that it wasn't given as a corner. Basics.

Obvious red card for Gradel for kicking out at Griffin.

Some very strange decisions all game, probably the most infuriating being Leigertwood simply getting his body between man (Becchio) and ball, Becchio falling over like an '82 Argie on the Falklands, free kick.

This bloke who refereed by the way, Fred Graham, was the same bloke who let Kevin Nolan run the game last season, and who had a very strange game against Scunthorpe first game of the season.

[West Stand Man]

Well, where do I start.

How Grandel get sent off I'll never know.

Oh and the ref, absolute homer, East stand Lino not much better either.

If the ref was a homer then surely he would have dismissed Gradel?

[Row Z Royal]

Thought Leigertwood was pretty good considering he hadn't started a game since April. Looks as if he can put his fut in. Promising start IMO.

Forget April, he looked like he'd never played football before.

[strap]

McAnuff.......

Blimey - where did that come from?? Could think of at least 4 others better qualified!!

Who and why?

Well any of the back four for starters. 3 are solid exprienced pros and Pearce is RFC through and through and has done it before. Not a proponent of "flair" players as captain, only because the added pressure might impact their ability to exhibit their flair. A back four leader has more of an opportunity of reading the game as it unfolds in front of him, whereas a winger is by definition, (well hopefully), flying up and down the wing putting over crosses etc, concentrating on his own game.

Be interesting to go back through the archives and do a summary of the positions our most successful captains occupied. A few spring to mind, Murty (tight-back), Adie Williams, (central defence), Parky (central midfield), Stewart Henderson (right back), Steve Hetzke (central defence). Can't immediately recall a winger holding down the role long-term for us, but will have a look back through the records.

2008 was generally Harper (central midfield) and Ingimarsson (central defence), with Doyle and Duberry getting a few chances, (both central players)
2006, 2007 generally Murty and Ingimarsson
2005 generaly Murty with INgimarsson and Sidwell occasionally (both central)
2004 mainly Murty with occasional capt starts from Sidwell, Ingimarsson, Gunnarsson and Williams (all central)

So struggling a bit to find a wide man as capt. Anyone got any names?


Checking this year, McAnunff was capt at Preston when both Griffin and Mills were out, but that's the only time this season, and he wasn't named capt once last season. Would have thought Griffin was more likely today, hence my comment. Pearce was capt for the first 10 games last season as well a few more over that season.

[Kitson12]

Well, where do I start.

How Grandel get sent off I'll never know.

Oh and the ref, absolute homer, East stand Lino not much better either.

If the ref was a homer then surely he would have dismissed Gradel?

Why?

[Kitson12]

Long, though his usual hard-working self, just doesn't seem able to control a ball when it matters, the chance where he was in the box in the first half and wasted the chance thanks to a horrendous chance.

Wot exactly does this mean?

It's "what" last time I checked. And it should say touch rather than chance: "... wasted the chance thanks to a horrendous touch."

[Ian Royal]

Well, where do I start.

How Grandel get sent off I'll never know.

Oh and the ref, absolute homer, East stand Lino not much better either.

If the ref was a homer then surely he would have dismissed Gradel?

Why?

Because homer means he gives decisions to the home side, so given Gradel apparently had a kick at Griffin, you'd expect a homer ref to have sent him off.

[Elmer Park]

Fed - 7 - Well protected for once by his defence but vital save at the end.
Griff - 8 - Strong performance reminiscent of the ones he used to produce when we had him on loan.
Zurab - 9 - Strong performance reminiscent of the ones he used to produce last season.
Pearce - 7 - Solid and steady.
Harte - 6 - Had his good and bad moments as always.
McAnuff - 5 - Started as if he was inspired by the armband but faded very badly and very weak on the ball.
Leigertwood - 5 - Shocked by his lack of fitness and therefore mobility but broke up a few attacks.
Karacan - 6 - Just steady today but had to do the work of two men.
Church - 6 - Worked hard but out of position on the wing.
Hunt - 6 - Worked hard but missed the chances that came his way.
Long - 7 - Worked hard but missed the chances that came his way (Will cut and paste onto next week's comments)

Subs -

Kebe - 8 - Need to get him fit asap. Would have won today if he could have started.
Antonio - 6 - Much more threatening than McAnuff. Best as a sub at the moment.
Tabb - 6 - Still think he isn't back to full match fitness but looked much fitter than Leigertwood

[Millsy]

Kish - man of the match by twenty miles.

Long - I can only conclude he is sleeping with Brian.

YET AGAIN we create many chances, are by far the better team who deserved to win, except for having a strikeforce who despite having a good finisher in Hunt, was totally and utterly toothless thus putting HUGE strain on our defence and Feds having to make a phenomenal save to keep us in the game.

Mr Madejski, if you do not get a striker as a matter of urgency I for one will be protesting that you leave the club.

[floyd__streete]

I got so excited by Kish's defensive masterclass today I almost soiled myself. A drop of the shoulder here, a crafty backheel there. Smashing. At the other end NHunt and Long's first touch as usual was rancid and cost us the game ultimately, we had plenty of decent half chances. Fair play Leeds for putting 10 men behind the ball for the entire second half as if we're f*cking Arsenal . One of the poorer teams I have seen us play this season. Still, clean sheet. Clean sheet achieved without the services of Captain Chav, natch.

[West Stand Man]

Well, where do I start.

How Grandel get sent off I'll never know.

Oh and the ref, absolute homer, East stand Lino not much better either.

If the ref was a homer then surely he would have dismissed Gradel?

Why?

Because a homer referee would have taken any decent opportunity to send off an away player - clearly !!

[West Stand Man]

Kish - man of the match by twenty miles.

Long - I can only conclude he is sleeping with Brian.

YET AGAIN we create many chances, are by far the better team who deserved to win, except for having a strikeforce who despite having a good finisher in Hunt, was totally and utterly toothless thus putting HUGE strain on our defence and Feds having to make a phenomenal save to keep us in the game.

Mr Madejski, if you do not get a striker as a matter of urgency I for one will be protesting that you leave the club.

Were you watching from the toilets or ...? Long ran the front line very well yesterday. Some of his touches were sublime (and some less so). Why all this negativity, we played well and failed to convert chances but no-one (in a RFC shirt) on the pitch today could be accused of being useless or not putting in the effort.

[Snowball]

Were you watching from the toilets or ...? Long ran the front line very well yesterday. Some of his touches were sublime (and some less so). Why all this negativity, we played well and failed to convert chances but no-one (in a RFC shirt) on the pitch today could be accused of being useless or not putting in the effort.

Well said.

When Kebe and Tabb came on I found the game absolutely thrilling
and the only "miss' was Hunt making it too easy for their keeper


We'll win big in Sheffield and be back on track


Understand that on this list a decision gets made that X or Y is gash and nothing will change that opinion until X or Y dies for the club or scores 17 goals in consecutive matches, or becomes a multi-million pound transfer target like Kebe.

[Royal Lady]

First half was pretty boring tbh but second half was much more exciting, particularly when Kebe came on. Kebe is now the player we seem to put all our expectations on. Wasn't impressed with Leigertwood at all I'm afraid - which is probably why he can't get in the QPR team. And as for "he's not match fit" - we normally don't play new players for weeks "because they're not match fit" so how come we put him straight into the team?

Tabb was good when he came on and Zurab was defo my MOM. Best game he's had for us this season.

Dellor said on BBCRB that if the powers that be sell Kebe there will probably be mutiny from the supporters - how right he would be. As he said, we should be doing everything we can to extend his contract and build a team around him. But I won't hold my breath.

[Wycombe Royal]

and the only "miss' was Hunt making it too easy for their keeper

Was it? So what about Khizanishvili's free header in the first half?

[pea]

Sounds like the QPR game last season to be honest. Referee performance sounds like Newcastle too with the paralels between him bottling a red for gradel like he did when some lashed out at Pearce off the ball last April. Didn't really see it but gave a sloppy yellow card so someone doesn't overrule him later on the basis of him not seeing it.

[Kitson12]

Because homer means he gives decisions to the home side, so given Gradel apparently had a kick at Griffin, you'd expect a homer ref to have sent him off.

Oh really? I must say I didn't realise, change it to oxf*rd useless then! Woops :p

[Wimb]

And my run of not seeing a Reading win continues this season, Scunny, Forest, Swansea, QPR, Cardiff & Leeds, clearly I shouldn't turn up anymore....

But having been to all the above, yesterday followed a very familiar pattern of having lots of territorial advantage while actually creating very little in terms of clear cut chances ,shots or forcing the opposition keeper into making saves.

Still, after Kebe came on and Leeds officially 'settled for a point' we did have a couple of chances to win the game but just didn't take them, again something I swear we've all been writing for the majority of the season.

The biggest positive was arguably the back 5/6 who were excellent throughout and never seemed to be in too much trouble. I though Griffin in particular had his best game of the season and the booking seemed to motivate him that bit more. Pearce and Kizi were excellent and there's no reason to bring Mills back right now. The only slight negative was Ian Harte who was caught up the pitch once or twice and didn't offer much going forward either. While it's hard to justify dropping a player who's got 4 goals and kept a clean sheet in my own opinion Armstrong is going to offer you more and will let Kebe/McAnuff/Church/Hunt whoever plays on the left, that much more freedom to take on players and stay in attacking positions.

I'm also a bit miffed at all the criticisms of Leigertwood. I don't think he had a great game but I think he did what was advertised, played the simple ball, got up and down the pitch and helped break up the play. He misplaced one or two passes and did tire as the game went on but then I think you have to give the benefit of the doubt to a new signing who's had less then a week to train with a new team. While Tabb did well when he came on I don't think he was THAT much better and bear in mind that Leeds had all but shut up shop by the time he was introduced.

Up front, Kebe changed the game immediately when he replaced Church who just seemed wasted out on the left. Why Church got the start and not Antonio I'm unsure.....
Long once again plugged away winning headers and running down the channels but the bloke seems utterly utterly petrified of shooting. His strengths as a player have improved significantly this season but it's now 1 goal from open play in over a third of a season and that's just not acceptable from a man who's led the line in almost every single game often playing 90 minutes. In saying that Hunt wasn't that much better and did a lot of the same work Long usually does.

Overall it summed up why with the present squad we're an outside bet for the playoffs rather then being a team in that top six trying to build momentum for a top 2 finish. We're literally one quality player away from being a top six side and nobody aside from Cardiff has scared me in this division so far. Here's hoping that striker is delivered to Brian as a late Christmas present...

[RoyalBlue]

Kish - man of the match by twenty miles.

Long - I can only conclude he is sleeping with Brian.

YET AGAIN we create many chances, are by far the better team who deserved to win, except for having a strikeforce who despite having a good finisher in Hunt, was totally and utterly toothless thus putting HUGE strain on our defence and Feds having to make a phenomenal save to keep us in the game.

Mr Madejski, if you do not get a striker as a matter of urgency I for one will be protesting that you leave the club.

Were you watching from the toilets or ...? Long ran the front line very well yesterday. Some of his touches were sublime (and some less so). Why all this negativity, we played well and failed to convert chances but no-one (in a RFC shirt) on the pitch today could be accused of being useless or not putting in the effort.

Your 'argument' actually supports everything 2WW1WC is saying. Despite every player giving his all, despite sublime touches, we once again (as you acknowledge) failed to convert our chances!! And converting chances is what wins you points.

We have now blown 8 points from our last 12 through failing to convert the numerous chances we created through our efforts. Those 8 points would have put us clear in 3rd, just two points off the automatic promotion places.

Had Madesjki released just some of the windfall he got from forcing through the sale of The Sig, in order to allow McDermott to sign a decent goalscorer, that is where this club could have been. Genuine ambition for a speedy return to the PL from Madejski, my *rse!

Meanwhile yet another club is very close to being bought. Clearly Madejski is as committed to and effective in selling RFC as he is to getting us promoted. Why can't he sell the club? He only has to look in the mirror.

and the only "miss' was Hunt making it too easy for their keeper

Was it? So what about Khizanishvili's free header in the first half?

And when right at the death Long missed when the ball came through to him unmarked on the far post?