Shane Long

[Hoop Blah]

Henry has a degree of arrogance about him.

Most players have to a certain extent as you have to have a lot of confidence in your own ability to get anywhere. Does that go too far in his case? I'm not sure to be honest, I don't think it does from what I've seen of him, but I'm sure he can rub a few people up the wrong way in the same way that penty of our other players past, present and future do.

Will it hold him back? It depends if it stops him listening, learning and doing what his manager wants from him.

[boy1985]

In my limited experience of watching Henry play, I've certainly never seen anything of an "attitude" about him. Lita and Long however, allow their "attitude" off the pitch to also show on or around the pitch at times. HTH.

I'm not talking about on the pitch. He is one of these players who think they have right to play and lets everyone know it. Some managers call this confidence and don't see it as a problem, Coppell obviously isn't one of them. Hopefully he can grow up and force his way in but I have a feeling he'll be offski in the summer.

[papereyes]

I want Long to do well.

I want the club to be able to do what most fans can't and make a balanced, unemotional judgement as to whether he's good enough to play for us and if the answer is no, then we have to start looking for a replacement - whether a talented player from the academy or from elsewhere.

[boy1985]

I want Long to do well.

I want the club to be able to do what most fans can't and make a balanced, unemotional judgement as to whether he's good enough to play for us and if the answer is no, then we have to start looking for a replacement - whether a talented player from the academy or from elsewhere.

I don't rate him much either, but the fact is Coppell isn't stupid so Long must be doing something right or he wouldn't keep getting in the squads.

[brendywendy]

i dont think wed find a better 4th choice striker who would be "happy" to be in that position
and i think thats the main reason hes still here, at least while he should still be improving.
but if we go up, that needs rethinking, barring a superb second half of the season from long

[Hoop Blah]

i dont think wed find a better 4th choice striker who would be "happy" to be in that position
and i think thats the main reason hes still here, at least while he should still be improving.
but if we go up, that needs rethinking, barring a superb second half of the season from long

I think thats the problem we have.

We're not 'big enough' or likely to pay enough to keep a player of the right quality sitting on the bench or coming for here and there.

Our problem earlier this season (and still now to an extent) is that Long is/has been our third choice forward and Lita had got to the point where he considered not being an automatic selection a bit below him.

[Sarah Star]

I'm beginning to wonder whether Long has more value behind the scenes as he never seems to go on loan and never makes it into the first team apart from occasionally coming off the bench. Is he one of these players that is good to have in the dressing room? I see Doyle said Long was one of his best friends yesterday and Noel Hunt stayed at his house after he'd been knocked unconscious and couldn't be left alone.

[Alan Partridge]

I'm beginning to wonder whether Long has more value behind the scenes as he never seems to go on loan and never makes it into the first team apart from occasionally coming off the bench. Is he one of these players that is good to have in the dressing room? I see Doyle said Long was one of his best friends yesterday and Noel Hunt stayed at his house after he'd been knocked unconscious and couldn't be left alone.

Maybe he's a taker.

[Sarah Star]

A taker of what?

[brendywendy]

A taker of what?

dont ask sarah

honestly

[sam1]

'Tis better to be a giver than receiver.

[Sarah Star]

I originally thought drug or the piss, but you've opened my eyes. You mean Long and Doyle and Noel are...you know...

[Skyline]

Irish?

[papereyes]

I originally thought drug or the piss, but you've opened my eyes. You mean Long and Doyle and Noel are...you know...

A big ol' irish daisy chain.

[Snowball]

Way back in this thread it was being argued that Shane's goal-scoring was a lot easier
because Reading scored a very high proportion of their goals in the last 15 minutes

There is a small difference of 3-4 goals for the 15-minute segment (in 31 games)
so that's .1 of a goal difference PER game, hardly a big difference, is it?


00-15 11 goals 16.7%
16-30 11 goals 16.7%
30-45 07 goals 10.6%

46-60 10 goals 15.2%
61-75 13 goals 19.7%
76-90 14 goals 21.2%

First half 44% of goals, Second half 56%

Curiously, earlier in the season the second half was absolutely even at 8-8-8 goals

[SteveRoyal]

I originally thought drug or the piss, but you've opened my eyes. You mean Long and Doyle and Noel are...you know...

Irish?

A big ol' irish daisy chain.

HNA? can be full of nobs one day, and full of jokers the next.
I love it.


Sometimes.

[cmonurz]

Way back in this thread it was being argued that Shane's goal-scoring was a lot easier
because Reading scored a very high proportion of their goals in the last 15 minutes

There is a small difference of 3-4 goals for the 15-minute segment (in 31 games)
so that's .1 of a goal difference PER game, hardly a big difference, is it?


00-15 11 goals 16.7%
16-30 11 goals 16.7%
30-45 07 goals 10.6%

46-60 10 goals 15.2%
61-75 13 goals 19.7%
76-90 14 goals 21.2%

First half 44% of goals, Second half 56%

Curiously, earlier in the season the second half was absolutely even at 8-8-8 goals

Whatever that quite bizarre analysis means, Long's record in front of goal still pales in comparison to Henry's.

[Snowball]

Way back in this thread it was being argued that Shane's goal-scoring was a lot easier
because Reading scored a very high proportion of their goals in the last 15 minutes

There is a small difference of 3-4 goals for the 15-minute segment (in 31 games)
so that's .1 of a goal difference PER game, hardly a big difference, is it?


00-15 11 goals 16.7%
16-30 11 goals 16.7%
30-45 07 goals 10.6%

46-60 10 goals 15.2%
61-75 13 goals 19.7%
76-90 14 goals 21.2%

First half 44% of goals, Second half 56%

Curiously, earlier in the season the second half was absolutely even at 8-8-8 goals

Whatever that quite bizarre analysis means, Long's record in front of goal still pales in comparison to Henry's.

So you have decided not to engage me on the 89 points thread, so come onto this one instead...

Long's league goals per league minutes played is excellent. BUT the majority of his minutes played are in the last 15, sometimes 25
so some on this thread argued it was because "it's much easier to score in the last 15"

Fairy Nuff, except it ISN'T "MUCH" easier to score in the last 15, despite unsubstantiated subjective, "gut" opinion.

I admit, I thought we got more goals at the end of games, but the stats, for READING FC, produced by Reading FC tell a different story.

When you consider that the last 15 is usually 16-17-18-19 even 20 minutes, meaning the last 15 is extended by 20% (3 minutes) then we should expect

11 x 120% = 13.2 goals

The highest scoring period in goals-per-minute is actually 60-75 minutes

[Gordons Cumming]

Whatever................

If we get promoted Shane will be gone.

[Snowball]

Whatever that quite bizarre analysis means, Long's record in front of goal still pales in comparison to Henry's.


You know very well that I ignore all cup games.
I'm not interested in that Mickey-Mouse stuff and won't be until SSC decides to treat the cups seriously

LEAGUE

03 Starts 04 Sub 0 goals Henry
03 Starts 22 Sub 3 goals Long

Adding together all Long's league minutes this season totals 8 90-minute games for 3 goals

He turned a 0-0 at 82 minutes v Norwich into a 2-0 win by winning a penalty in the 84th, then scoring a few minutes later

He earned RFC a valuable point at Southampton

Henry is a tidy player with a good future but we still await his first league goal