Back from the Blackpool game...

[Schards#2]

Very Very Cold

Very Very Dull

A fourth successive poor home performance.

Another quality impact performance from the bench by Long. I suggest will offer the spot of third striker to the highest bidder on a game by game basis much like the match mascot. It would raise some decent revenue without impacting on the performance of the team.

[londinium]

Very Very Cold

Very Very Dull

A fourth successive poor home performance.

Another quality impact performance from the bench by Long. I suggest will offer the spot of third striker to the highest bidder on a game by game basis much like the match mascot. It would raise some decent revenue without impacting on the performance of the team.

Another victory and we are still third and pulling away from the chasing pack... you must be gutted Schards

If you hadn't noticed, more than a third of the team were changed last night from our normal line up of which one of those was a youngster having his first league start and another his first start back from injury in 4 months.

All in all poo game but 3 points (just like Brum have done all season).

[readingbedding]

Results are better than performances, ideally you'd want both, and it's happened plenty this season already.
It doesn't always happen like that, that's football!
3 points, beat Norwich, another 3 points.

[Royalwaster]

Won't repeat the obvious (cold/boring), just comment on Marek and Henry. Thought the latter did well for the first 20 minutes and then completely disappeared - along with the rest of the team. Tough one to play in for the lad with the whole team playing so badly. Still I do agree that we really missed Kebe especially in second half. Some people on here do seem to lack an understanding of the game - Blackpool were playing very, very deep all the game even before the sending off. Once they were down to ten men their back four hardly left their own half - Reading always struggle against such teams because we are mainly a team that score goals via fast breaks; you can't do that against a team that is sitting back all the time. OK, so back to Henry - as I said I thought he looked very lively for the first 20 minutes. Some good running, coming inside when the defence expected him to go outside to Rosenior etc. but just completely faded in 2nd half.

Marek - love his skill on the ball although we look more vulnerable with him in the side. Still, some beautiful 'blind' balls into the space in first half - once Hunt and Doyle start to run into space before he passes, we'll have some end product soon.

Finally, I also agree with some that Doyle really showed his class today and would have benefited from a tall striker alongside him to take advantage of some of the good balls he put into the box - sadly, we had absolutely no-one in there most of the time and NHunt had a very poor game. I'd say if Lita is sold in January, as is widely expected, we really need to try and bring in someone tall who can hold up the ball and make use of our normally excellent wing play and crosses into the box.

[bishbosh92]

Yes we deffiantly missed Kebe tonight, and that could cost us when it comes to the Birmingham game i think, But Henry didnt do to Badly.

Bikey is back for the Norwich Game

Think hell come straight back in or on the bench for a few games.

[Wycombe Royal]

Seeing as Henry and Marek seem to be the topics of converation here are my views on them:

Henry - has pace and skill to beat a man and can whip in a decent cross, if a little too deep at times. But when he loses the ball or hasn't got the ball he does absolutely nothing. If a player challenges him he just lets them have the ball. He makes Kebe look like the hardest worker on our team....... Increase the workrate and strength and he will have a good future ahead of him.

Marek - he played well, but he needs two other central midfielders there with him so that he can just concentrate on playing his passes. In a two man central midfield he will never work and we will always look weak and unbalanced. Seeing as Coppell is a strict 442 man I wouldn't be surprised to see him move on as he just deosn't "fit" in our team. It's a shame because he is so talented, but we need a team and not individuals.

[CMRoyal]

I didn't think this game was so bad, but then I expected a tough game against Blackpool - I even won thirty quid betting on 1-0 – thanks Shunt! They are no mugs, they’ve got (or had) the second best away record in the league and are tough and well-organised. Even going to 10 men seemed to suit them, as they might have opened up otherwise, and the space Marek was getting early on would have really helped us create more. Instead, they tightened up after the sending off and were happy to live in the vague hope of stealing something from a set-piece or half-chance.

No complaints at the effort the boys put in attempting to break them down, we just lacked a bit of cohesion, maybe due to the (unprecedented?) Coppell rotation – who’s accusing him of caution or sticking with favourites now? It was a bit of a gamble but it just about paid off.

I’d put this performance somewhere between the Plymouth and QPR games, a tough game against a well-organised team that we just about edged. Par for the course at this level, there’ll be better and worse days, but the points keep accumulating during this the stickiest, darkest, coldest and injury-and-suspension-heaviest part of the season. Roll on Norwich and a more fluent performance with a similar outcome.

[loyalroyal4life]

we were comfortable at times and shit at times

they were comfortably shit.

Move on to the next one on saturday!

[Dirk Gently]

As an aside, did anyone else notice what happened at the "offside" goal? I know the Blackpool fans were incensed by how late the lino's flag was. But it wasn't late - he tried to put his flag us as soon as the ball was played but it fell apart in his hands! He had to put the flag back on the stick before he could flag - otherwise he'd just have "sticked"

[rabidbee]

As an aside, did anyone else notice what happened at the "offside" goal? I know the Blackpool fans were incensed by how late the lino's flag was. But it wasn't late - he tried to put his flag us as soon as the ball was played but it fell apart in his hands! He had to put the flag back on the stick before he could flag - otherwise he'd just have "sticked"

I saw him fiddling with it, but I hadn't realised it had actually fallen apart!

[rabidbee]

I think people are being a bit harsh on Blackpool. I didn't see much evidence of them sitting back and acepting a 1-0 defeat; the offside "goal" didn't come against the run of play, and they looked quite attacking at times yesterday, despite lacking a man. We had to scramble the ball clear from the box a few times, and could have conceded a penalty ourselves.

[Alan Partridge]

I think people are being a bit harsh on Blackpool. I didn't see much evidence of them sitting back and acepting a 1-0 defeat; the offside "goal" didn't come against the run of play, and they looked quite attacking at times yesterday, despite lacking a man. We had to scramble the ball clear from the box a few times, and could have conceded a penalty ourselves.

I thought they were one of the better teams here this season. Defended resolutely, they kept Noel Hunt completely anonymous, I thought they dealt with our wingers well and once they got to the last 20mins they had a go. Reading were rubbish but that was a lot down to how well Blackpool did in breaking up moves and defending well in numbers.

[Wycombe Royal]

I would describe Blackpool in one word - "organised".

[PlasticRoyale]

I didn't jump on the bandwagon to watch a 1-0 victory over lowly Blackpool...

[Barry the bird boggler]

Let's not forget that Blackpool have the second best away record in the division and have pulled off one thing we'd love to do - getting 3 points at St. Andrews. They were organised although limited (thankfully even more so by the red card).

Reading were awful performance wise but as long as they win I don't care about that, as the points are far more important at this moment in time.

We saw an OK debut from Henry who must have had some nerves on the night. He supplied several excellent crosses and looks to be able to deliver a good set piece. As with Matejovsky though he needs to have a run in the team to build up the understanding necessary to move forward.

Shame that we lost Marcus and that means yet another understanding has to be developed between Federici and his defenders so I think overall that the games over the christmas and new year period are going to be particuarly hard from all aspects.

[winchester_royal]

One thing is for certain. We need a new striker in January.

[Ian Royal]

Interesting reading chaps and chapesses.

Looks like Marek continues to flatter without producing anything much. We know he's excellent, but is he an excellent fit in our system of 4-4-2? I have my doubts. But then I think we're short enough on strikers and blessed enough with good midfielders that we should be changing our formation anyway.

Sounds like Henry put in a typical wingers performance for a cold hard game in december where the team don't play well. For me he's shown much more than Convey this season so I'd give him another go against Norwich to settle him and build confidence (if we were playing 4-4-2. I'd drop him if I got my formation change).

[winchester_royal]

Looks like Marek continues to flatter without producing anything much.

Once again IR, LOL. Not only did he instigate the move that brought about the goal, and play in Armo for the penalty, he also looked the only player on the pitch who could create anything in terms of chances against a very stubborn and resolute Blackpool side.

[dean horrix legend]

Game was poor but what got me was how I heard a lot of people saying we should have slaughtered them once they went down to ten men.It's never that easy,as previous results show.

Reading v 10 man Blackpool = 3 points Reading
Cardiff v 10 man Reading = 1 point Reading
Barnsley v 10 man Reading = 3 points Reading

Try telling Cardiff and Barnsley fans how easy it is!

[Hoop Blah]

Seeing as Henry and Marek seem to be the topics of converation here are my views on them:

Henry - has pace and skill to beat a man and can whip in a decent cross, if a little too deep at times. But when he loses the ball or hasn't got the ball he does absolutely nothing. If a player challenges him he just lets them have the ball. He makes Kebe look like the hardest worker on our team....... Increase the workrate and strength and he will have a good future ahead of him.

Marek - he played well, but he needs two other central midfielders there with him so that he can just concentrate on playing his passes. In a two man central midfield he will never work and we will always look weak and unbalanced. Seeing as Coppell is a strict 442 man I wouldn't be surprised to see him move on as he just deosn't "fit" in our team. It's a shame because he is so talented, but we need a team and not individuals.

I'd agree with most of that.

I thought Henry showed he has the touch and technique to compete at this level. He sometimes appeared a little off the pace though, which is understandable when coming into the team (Marek did the same at times). His crossing is pretty good but he did seem to over hit a few too many last night, but considering the size of our left winger and centre forwards that might just be because he was looking to pick out a missing 'big man' at the back stick.

It'd be interesting to see how Henry will train on as and when he gets the chance to play a few games with Murty behind him (either in the ressies or the first team).

Marek showed glimpses of real quality. We just need to harness that and give him a platform to go out and express himself. I can't see that happening much in a 4-4-2.