Back from the Game - 'boro

[redscot]

Although technically it's not back from the game for me - due to financial constraints etc. I wasn't there I did watch it on a dodgy P2P network (http://www.hahasport.com for those interested) after we scored the 1st goal the team did seem to settle, 'boro did have their moments it was a pretty solid performance from all concerned, back four were immense as (what is increasingly becoming) usual.. thoughts peeps?

Edited coz' Ive drunked 2L of Strongbow & can't spell...

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………or avoid drinking 2L of Strongbow.

[Mike Hunt]

Although technically it's not back from the game for me - due to financial constraints etc. I wasn't there I did watch it on a dodgy P2P network (http://www.hahasport.com for those interested) after we scored the 1st goal the team did seem to settle, 'boro did have their moments it was a pretty solid performance from all concerned, back four were immense as (what is increasingly becoming) usual.. thoughts peeps?

Edited coz' Ive drunked 2L of Strongbow & can't spell...

DON'T USE THIS LINK IT WILL ASK YOU TO DOWNLOAD A PLUGIN OR EXTENSION TO VIEW THE CONTENT - TOOK ME 2 HOURS THIS MORNING TO REMOVE THE BROWSER HIJACKER SOFTWARE THAT WAS DOWNLOADED WITH IT - IT'S CALLED SEARCHQU\406 AND ATTACHES ITSELF TO THE BROWSER CONFIG AND RESETS YOUR HOME PAGE TO SEARCHQU, IN SOME CASES IT WILL ALSO REDIRECT YOU CONSTANTLY TO OTHER SITES OF A USUALLY PORNOGRAPHIC NATURE

NB IT ISN'T A VIRUS AS SUCH SO MOST AV SOFTWARE WON'T PICK IT UP - IF YOU HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND REQUIRE ASSISTANCE USE THIS LINK.. http://deletemalware.blogspot.com/2011/ ... guide.html

Problem?

[The Goat was fed]

Not for the first time this season, I despair at some of the cretins on this board. We've just beaten (comfortably) a team that had lost fewer games than any other in the Championship, away from home and without conceding for the fifth game in a row...and there are STILL people bemoaning the performance.

All this "winning without playing well" stuff is completely bollocks. If you don't concede for 5 straight games, I can assure you it is because we are playing well. You don't get 5 clean sheets just because your keeper is top class (look at Wolves) or because you have the best four individual defenders (which I think most of us agree we don't - although right now I wouldn't swap any of them!), it is a team effort.

Our team is setup to absorb pressure and then break. We operate two very distinct banks of four and then we break with our wingers who are both excellent ball carriers. On this, Jobi McAnuff is the unsung hero of this style. A "subplot" of our style is that you also need to be dangerous from set-pieces. When you're playing a counter-attacking game, you are creating fewer, but hopefully more dangerous chances - so a dead ball specialist is vital so you've got the best chance of capitalising on every chance. In Ian Harte, we have such a specialist - but his lack of pace means that if exposed in a one-on-one situation he is a chink in our considerable defensive armour.

Jobi McAnuff's tireless defensive work ensures that Ian Harte is rarely exposed in such a manner and this has to be recognised. It also reemphasises how our clean sheet run is because we are playing well as a team, not "playing badly and winning" and this is without mentioning the work of our two central midfielders. Their primary role is to break up play and feed the widemen - anything else they do is a bonus and they should be judged as such. Even our forwards go beyond the call of duty by hassling the defence and forcing errors.

It's not Arsenal football and sometimes it can be frustrating to watch. For example, last Friday night I was envious that Burnley's full-backs were joining the attack because it was good to watch, but was I envious at the final whistle? Nope. All I would say is read the above and get some satisfaction out of watching the gameplan unfold because I promise you it is very, very deliberate.

[Woodcote Royal]

Spot on. Very well said......................but it may be wasted on those who most need to understand it (some of whom are employed by Radio Berks )

[Rex]

Indeed it's a good post. It's an interesting mindset the support have. How dare we play and nullify a team at home who have only lost twice at home this season. It's effective football that keeps us on the edge of our seat for often the wrong reasons. Perhaps the supporters need to accept how we play and accept it. Virtuoso it isn't effective it is.

[Snowball]

Absolutely!

Barcelona work damn hard to win the ball.

It's not all about being pretty.

[Maguire]

Good post The Goat Was Fed - agree with you entirely.

Winning 2-0 away at Boro without exactly riding our luck is the clearest sign yet that we might actually go up this year IMHO.

[ZacNaloen]

I just wish we could keep the ball for more than 2 passes before giving it away.

I know we are counter attacking and all that but when we do keep the ball and pass it about we show we have good footballers in the side as well and I won't feel as nervous watching us play

[i_kingsley]

What i dont understand is how/why did we in the states get to watch the game on normal TV and everyone else back home in England have to watch it on the web?????????

either way a great win and we are going up

URZZ

[Extended-Phenotype]

People are mistaking not playing attractively for not playing well. We played brilliantly.

There is no point in asking a team full of workhorses to play fancy. Tactics are spot on, especially for an away game to a strong side.

The emphasis here is playing as a unit. It’s not 106 football, but the team are just as together, if not more so.

Keep it coming.

[BR2]

Not for the first time this season, I despair at some of the cretins on this board. We've just beaten (comfortably) a team that had lost fewer games than any other in the Championship, away from home and without conceding for the fifth game in a row...and there are STILL people bemoaning the performance.

All this "winning without playing well" stuff is completely bollocks. If you don't concede for 5 straight games, I can assure you it is because we are playing well. You don't get 5 clean sheets just because your keeper is top class (look at Wolves) or because you have the best four individual defenders (which I think most of us agree we don't - although right now I wouldn't swap any of them!), it is a team effort.

Our team is setup to absorb pressure and then break. We operate two very distinct banks of four and then we break with our wingers who are both excellent ball carriers. On this, Jobi McAnuff is the unsung hero of this style. A "subplot" of our style is that you also need to be dangerous from set-pieces. When you're playing a counter-attacking game, you are creating fewer, but hopefully more dangerous chances - so a dead ball specialist is vital so you've got the best chance of capitalising on every chance. In Ian Harte, we have such a specialist - but his lack of pace means that if exposed in a one-on-one situation he is a chink in our considerable defensive armour.

Jobi McAnuff's tireless defensive work ensures that Ian Harte is rarely exposed in such a manner and this has to be recognised. It also reemphasises how our clean sheet run is because we are playing well as a team, not "playing badly and winning" and this is without mentioning the work of our two central midfielders. Their primary role is to break up play and feed the widemen - anything else they do is a bonus and they should be judged as such. Even our forwards go beyond the call of duty by hassling the defence and forcing errors.

It's not Arsenal football and sometimes it can be frustrating to watch. For example, last Friday night I was envious that Burnley's full-backs were joining the attack because it was good to watch, but was I envious at the final whistle? Nope. All I would say is read the above and get some satisfaction out of watching the gameplan unfold because I promise you it is very, very deliberate.

You make a fair point but I presume you didn't go on Saturday?
Those that did go and reported on here seem not to have been ecstatic over the performance and it is fair comment to say that we were not attractive to watch but still won.
Nobody expects us to do an Arsenal-we just want to see a bit more of Kebe taking players on or a decent through-ball from midfield rather than treating the ball like a hot potato and relying on our supreme fitness and determination to get a result.
The fact that our team is fit and determined is to their credit and every player makes the very best of their limited ability (credit to the players and the manager)but that doesn't mean that we fans all find our style attractive to watch.

We come back to the old question of whether we go to football only to see our team win at any cost or do we go to enjoy the style of football that we play and at the same time hope for success.
There are many on here who see it only as a results business (their prerogative) but don't go lecturing the rest of us that we should be grateful and not want anything else but a win as some of us are entertained differently (our prerogative).

I have said from the start of this season that I felt any 3 from about 10 sides could get promotion with very little between those 10 or so sides whereas last season the 3 that went up were the best 3 in terms of success and attractive football and this season they have carried on,with some success,where they left off.
I feel that whoever goes up will need to make massive changes if they are going to stay up-West Ham have Noble and Green,Southampton Lalana and Lambert and we have Kebe and Frederici but beyond those players these 3 teams don't have much more and don't forget that West Ham got relegated with Ba and Parker in their side and are much inferior to that relegated side yet are vying for top spot in this division.

I suppose it could be argued that it doesn't matter as long as we get promoted because our new sugar daddy will splash out loads of dough,Brian will be able to buy better quality players who in turn are capable of playing a better standard of football.
That is what I hope will happen but I would sooner that we were already developing different ways of playing along the way in readiness for a Premier League season.
Unfortunately you can't have everything so I shall have to do what the Goat has said and try to enjoy what we are watching and forget about why I have enjoyed watching football (generally and not just RFC) in the hope that it will change again when our new owner comes up trumps and we have a team ready to compete in the Premier League just like Swansea and Norwich have done this season and the 106 side did in that first year.
Bring on the Millwall for another scrappy typical Championship game with few chances,not much passing football but 3 more points for us.

[Z175]

What i dont understand is how/why did we in the states get to watch the game on normal TV and everyone else back home in England have to watch it on the web?????????

either way a great win and we are going up

URZZ

The football TV deals for the rights to show in the UK do not include rights to the traditional kick off time of a Saturday at 3pm. This is because the clubs/league worry that it would damage fans actually paying to go to a match. Thats why the big games like Arsenal Spurs this weekend are moved to Sunday or Saturday lunchtime/teatime (in the UK) etc.

Clearly for foreign channels theres no problem including these in the tv rights as fans are unlikely to have the option of actually going.

Our midweek attendances seem to remain unaffected by say Man utd or Arsenal playing Barcelona at the same time on tv, so I'm not sure how true it is. Certainly FA Cup games, most of which are shown on free to air tv, often have terrible attendances, but this might just be apathy.

[melonhead]

We come back to the old question of whether we go to football only to see our team win at any cost or do we go to enjoy the style of football that we play and at the same time hope for success.

im sorry- but i fail to see how anyone who supports reading does so because they hoped for any success, apart from if they started supporting under steve coppell, & under coppell the football was exciting, mostly because we were successful, but it wasnt really beautiful.

i also fail to see how they could possibly do it for the amazingly beautiful team football(possibly unless they did it under mcgee)

for most of our history, we have been neither successful nor beautiful.
so it seems churlish to begin demanding either, now.

[tee peg]

People are mistaking not playing attractively for not playing well. We played brilliantly.

There is no point in asking a team full of workhorses to play fancy. Tactics are spot on, especially for an away game to a strong side.

The emphasis here is playing as a unit. It’s not 106 football, but the team are just as together, if not more so.

Keep it coming.

I seem to remember some games during the 106 year where we came away asking how the hell we had one the game.
Its about the 3 points at the end of the day.I have seen too many games over the years where we have played well
and ended up with nothing.

[Royal With Cheese]

People are mistaking not playing attractively for not playing well. We played brilliantly.

There is no point in asking a team full of workhorses to play fancy. Tactics are spot on, especially for an away game to a strong side.

The emphasis here is playing as a unit. It’s not 106 football, but the team are just as together, if not more so.

Keep it coming.

Exactly. We're not capable of playing 106 football - that's clear. However, McDermott's got the players playing in a formation and structure that not only works but that suits the players he's bringing in. I'm actually getting quite excited of the capabilities of the current squad.

[melonhead]

106 football wasnt that beautiful.

stick two FB more able to bomb on in this team, and wed be quite close

[Maguire]

106 football wasnt that beautiful.

stick two FB more able to bomb on in this team, and wed be quite close

Give over - Kitson, Doyle, Lita, and Long >>>>>>>>>> the shower we've got at the moment

We scored what, 99 goals and you didn't think it was good to watch?

[BR2]

We come back to the old question of whether we go to football only to see our team win at any cost or do we go to enjoy the style of football that we play and at the same time hope for success.

im sorry- but i fail to see how anyone who supports reading does so because they hoped for any success, apart from if they started supporting under steve coppell, & under coppell the football was exciting, mostly because we were successful, but it wasnt really beautiful.

i also fail to see how they could possibly do it for the amazingly beautiful team football(possibly unless they did it under mcgee)

for most of our history, we have been neither successful nor beautiful.
so it seems churlish to begin demanding either, now.

You never saw the Mansell team then.
Just one season of fantastic attacking football with loads of goals,that was indeed beautiful and successful if only judged on giving Man Utd a real game in the Watney cup final.
Churlish maybe but football surely is all about dreams isn't it rather than just accepting what you are given?

[melonhead]

i didnt say that you gobshite

im saying it was pretty much the same formation and tactics we have now, but with two FBs who could bomb on more.
my point was it was only really percentage football, get it out to the wings, whip in a cross.
hardly bloody barcelona, or anything tacticaly amazing, just quick, effective football.

obviously the 106 team had better players, goes without saying.
at least it should have done

[BR2]

106 football wasnt that beautiful.

stick two FB more able to bomb on in this team, and wed be quite close

If we had two bombing forward would our defence be so good?
There you go,even you (the diehard whatever Reading do is fine by me and I will never criticise because I humbly accept whatever is given to me in a kinda Baldrick way) want us to be more attractive.