Long - time for a change?

[Man Friday]

It makes no real difference no, but I'd rather not see our players go to ground so easily, and blatantly dive in some instances (Mills I'm looking at you here), because it's crap.

Obviously being a professional and with referee's and defenders both falling for his (and others) diving and at times clever play to draw a foul we'll keep seeing it week-in week-out. Doesn't make it any less surprising to me that we haven't seen more of opposition fans calling him a diver though.

Diving and cheating are just one of the many things more prevalent in the game these days that just make it less appealing if you ask me.

So you didn't see Franny Lee, Allan Clarke, etc? Diving's been around for at least 40 years if not forever. Most of it is not diving but ensuring that the referee, etc, has seen that a foul has been committed. As Snowball says, more fool the defenders.

[Man Friday]

'greed with that Hoop.

I'd also add that I'm not a hypocrite, so I see no difference between our players doing it and another team's and I would criticse another team's player.

I wouldn't. I'd criticise the referee for falling for it or our defender for, well, the same thing.

[Snowball]

Opposition managers know exactly how Shane Long plays. He is very quick and because of this defenders struggle to contain him. They lean on him and try to make it difficult.

It takes very little at those speeds to be knocked over.

It is a centre-forward's JOB to score goals or win penalties
and we stopped being "Corinthians" over a hundred years ago.

REFEREES know what goes on. Has Shane ever been booked for simulation? Not that I can recall.

Some time Shane is clearly brought down. He has been clearly brought down and NOT been awarded a penalty. But if he got the touch and stayed on his feet and the ball went for a goal-kick he would be bollocked by his manager and criticised by fans (of whom, some, like IR are "holier-than-thou")

It is Shane's manner of running, his speed, his dangerous-ness that causes defenders to give away penalties. That isn't "diving" just as keepers get away with fouls against them that in the old days would not have been given as fouls and the keeper would have been told to man-up.

Contact with the body, and not the ball, except shoulder to shoulder is illegal. END.

[Hoop Blah]

It makes no real difference no, but I'd rather not see our players go to ground so easily, and blatantly dive in some instances (Mills I'm looking at you here), because it's crap.

Obviously being a professional and with referee's and defenders both falling for his (and others) diving and at times clever play to draw a foul we'll keep seeing it week-in week-out. Doesn't make it any less surprising to me that we haven't seen more of opposition fans calling him a diver though.

Diving and cheating are just one of the many things more prevalent in the game these days that just make it less appealing if you ask me.

So you didn't see Franny Lee, Allan Clarke, etc? Diving's been around for at least 40 years if not forever. Most of it is not diving but ensuring that the referee, etc, has seen that a foul has been committed. As Snowball says, more fool the defenders.

I've bolded the bit you seemed to be unable to read.

I too blame refs to a certain degree, but there is so much of it now, and the game is played at such a pace there is no way they can get it right every time.

Players will always try it on, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Without wanting pick on mummy's little soldier before a big game, it was quite frankly embarassing to see our strapping centre half jump up in the air, do a double pike with twist before hitting the deck after 5ft nothing Wayne Routledge tapped him in a tackle against QPR.

[brendywendy]

except that never happened

[Hoop Blah]

except that never happened

Yes it did (unless your referring to my technical description of the dive which might be slightly out). Mills got a nothing tap and dived as badly as Ronaldo or Drogba at their best/worst.

The ref fell for it and we were awarded a free kick. I was embarrassed.

This was the same player who two or three times recently has reacted with over the top anger to opponents doing exactly the same thing.

[brendywendy]

except that never happened

Yes it did (unless your referring to my technical description of the dive which might be slightly out). Mills got a nothing tap and dived as badly as Ronaldo or Drogba at their best/worst.

The ref fell for it and we were awarded a free kick. I was embarrassed.

This was the same player who two or three times recently has reacted with over the top anger to opponents doing exactly the same thing.

just the description really!

[Man Friday]

Opposition managers know exactly how Shane Long plays. He is very quick and because of this defenders struggle to contain him. They lean on him and try to make it difficult.

It takes very little at those speeds to be knocked over.

It is a centre-forward's JOB to score goals or win penalties
and we stopped being "Corinthians" over a hundred years ago.

REFEREES know what goes on. Has Shane ever been booked for simulation? Not that I can recall.

Some time Shane is clearly brought down. He has been clearly brought down and NOT been awarded a penalty. But if he got the touch and stayed on his feet and the ball went for a goal-kick he would be bollocked by his manager and criticised by fans (of whom, some, like IR are "holier-than-thou")

It is Shane's manner of running, his speed, his dangerous-ness that causes defenders to give away penalties. That isn't "diving" just as keepers get away with fouls against them that in the old days would not have been given as fouls and the keeper would have been told to man-up.

Contact with the body, and not the ball, except shoulder to shoulder is illegal. END.

Spot on. All of it.

[Ian Royal]

'greed with that Hoop.

I'd also add that I'm not a hypocrite, so I see no difference between our players doing it and another team's and I would criticse another team's player.

I wouldn't. I'd criticise the referee for falling for it or our defender for, well, the same thing.

I like having my cake and eating it. I'd criticise the whole bally lot of them - player doing the cheating mainly though.

[Snowball]

I too blame refs to a certain degree, but there is so much of it now, and the game is played at such a pace there is no way they can get it right every time.

I think that the faster you're moving, the less contact required to make you go over. Genuinely

[Snowball]

Poor Old Shane will have bits hanging off him by the season-end,

but brilliant again today and two goals, now second in the top-scorers table and already scored 21 goals this season

17 League
02 Cup
02 International.


Looks like he might just make a 20-goal a season-player after all

[loyalroyaldaz]

Great game again today from Shane. Hiis effort and commitment is truly outstanding. My only concern is his fitness, he does seem to be having constant knocks and niggles. I hope he isnt being filled up with pain killers etc before games because god only knows what he could be doing to himself.
A real favorite in my house and i was lucky enough to meet him at of all places the Hospital on thursday, he was great and happy to pose for a photo, which was taken by his lovely partner.
IMO he is pretty much at the Level Kevin Doyle was when he left but still improving.
I can see many a club coming in for him in the summer, if its any less than 10 Million, they tell them to shove it !!!

[zummerset]

lols 10 million.. ha ha. What drugs did you get at the RBH?

[Snowball]

Shane this season is now 3,151 Minutes played for 19 goals (17+2)

A goal every 166 Minutes. That's a lot better than Doyle ever managed.

He has now also matched Doyle's two highest scoring Championship seasons with at least 12 games still to play.

48 RFC goals now compared to Doyle's 55

[Ian Royal]

In case I haven't actually done it yet....

LOLLY @ me.

Well done Shane, you've been fantastic and look to me to be on a totally different level with a bit of confidence and a decent run of scoring behind you. Sorry for doubting you.

[Wimb]

In case I haven't actually done it yet....

LOLLY @ me.

Well done Shane, you've been fantastic and look to me to be on a totally different level with a bit of confidence and a decent run of scoring behind you. Sorry for doubting you.

+1 and I'm happy to eat humble pie for questioning if he could produce on a consistant basis.

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Mea culpa... It's a cliche, but it's amazing what confidence can do to touch...


This is more than a 'Colin Gordon' style purple patch...

[Snowball]

I'd like to see him continue, win me £650 but more importantly
get RFC into the Play-Offs and the FA Cup Semi-Finals, because,
sadly, I can't see any way of hanging on to him if we stay down.

He is now competing with the top RFC goal-scorers since 2002-03

2005-06 22 Dave Kitson
2009-10 20 Gylfi Siggurdson
2010-11 19 Shane Long (at least 12 more games to play)
2005-06 19 Kevin Doyle
2004-05 19 Dave Kitson
2008-09 18 Kevin Doyle
2002-03 16 Nicky Forster
2005-06 15 Leroy Lita
2003-04 14 Shaun Goater
2006-07 14 Leroy Lita
2006-07 13 Kevin Doyle
2003-04 11 Nicky Forster
2007-08 10 Dave Kitson

[Snowball]

Shane is now on 48 senior Goals for Reading FC.

Maybe he will get his 49th and 50th v Ipswich/Man City

[Wimb]

It's strange though because despite his success, his fantastic form and what not, I still have a hard time considering him as a 'Reading legend' or imagine I'll be sat here in 5 years talking about him in the same way as Kitson, Doyle, Quinn, Cureton, Butler, Forster etc.

Maybe because it's taken 6 years for him to hit these heights, or because the bulk of his goals have come during a rebuilding phase but for some reason he's not creeping into my mind as one of our best ever strikers.

The only comparison I can think of is Archie, in that he scored 20 goals in a season once and got 10 or so a couple of other times but was never really super consistent or dominant over his entire career here.

Not saying that Long doesn't deserve to be up there and maybe it's just my previous reservations clouding my mind coupled with a knowledge that he'll probably be off soon but that's just how I feel.