On the way back from the game - City.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Just got home. We can all be very proud tonight, the players and ourselves the fans were magnificent. We will get to Wembley this season!

[prostak]

We'll always have Goodison eh Prostak?

Myself and Ms P were just discussing exactly that...

[Rex]

First in the services, last out. 40 minute stop Coach heating broken and iPhone battery about to die. Worst.

Some of those coaches looked a little ropey!!

It was a little remote being up in the upper tier. I was sat next to four blokes who at least tried to sing. The lower tier looked the place to be. The only person i recognized in the upper was Ratty who was getting some dodgy looks from the old bill. His repeated 'Get into them' probably did it. Overall the lads looked like they had the finger stuck in the dyke and eventually the pressure burst. I so hoped we could hold off for a replay or nick one on the break. We gave them a glimmer of pressure but never consistently pressured City. Kebe looked like our only outlet for Shane but Kebe was smothered, took the ball out of play or simply couldn't get past the third man. They had him sussed pretty much. I thought Probert wasn't overly fussy and allowed the match to flow. What was it - one yellow? McCarthy one again kept us in it when a shot was actually on target but despite some effective through balls (missing midfield getting sucked in) the finishing was often woeful. So close for us but so far. Even with 17 mins on the clock i thought it was game over for us unless we had a massive chunk of luck. That never happened - the upset never came and though i'm disappointed, i thought the lads did themselves proud and had a great FAC run. United at Wembley looked so enticing!

Good to have a chant for Chris Armstrong so well supported.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Defensive organisation - 11
Attacking threat - 1

Brilliantly well organised, made the supposed richest club side in the world look very ordinary, sadly though going forward we were poor and created virtually nothing.

[Mr Angry]

Got back way to late last night to post!

Some impressions; if thats a top 3 Prem side at home against a mid-table championship side, then the PL is totally over-hyped; for all the £Millions on the pitch, City were awful. Nice movement up front, but lacked anyone with the guile to effectively breach our make-shift back four. To be beaten by a set piece (and from a header scored by the woeful Micah Richards - what has happened to him over the last few years??) was galling. Other - Shaun Wright-Phillips; utter gash, who only had the confidence to take on Harte twice in the game!

Unfortunately, we simply didn't create enough chances to threaten them and as has been posted, why on Earth didn't Harte have a shot with the free-kick??

Highlights included the fact that Bryn had Tevez in his pocket the whole game, Silva's wonderful air-shot, the palpable panic you could sense in the City fans each time Kebe got the ball, and the how McCarthy is already looking as solid a keeper as either Feds or Hahneman.

One final thing: I came in by train, walking the 15 mins or so from Ashburys station - Jeez!! As I said to TROLI before the game, it reminded me of places like Armagh and parts of West Belfast in the mid-80's.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

TBF having TROLI there would make it seem just like those places

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

A tough result to take considering we were 15 minutes from a replay, I thought it was heading for a 0-0 draw with our organizational tactics.

When we got the ball back we gave away it away too often McAnuff the main culprit, seven on the trot I counted before he was replaced

Gunnarsson at centre half did a fantastic job what a pro he is with McCarthy looking like an excellent academy product with a great future ahead of him. If Reading FC need some cash in the summer to balance the books they should sell Federici and give McCarthy the number 1 jersey for next season.

I was in the upper stand and have to say the quote of the day from a fan for me was when Tevez went down to a shout of " You went down quicker than the Belgrano".

[SHORT AND CURLY]

A good day out, shame about the result.

Man City are poor, their forwards are utter poo. When I saw the sides announced, (Tevez, Toure, Silva, etc.etc). I and many others thought we would be in for a bit of a drubbing!
Not so, our defence and keeper were superb.
Ok we were limited in attack but as the game went on the City fans were becoming more and more frustrated, which was quite amusing to be honest!
Eventually they broke through and that was that.

Well done Reading fans, great atmosphere in the lower tier. We can come away holding our heads high as a club.
As for old money bags City, I fear that's as far as they go. They have world class players, but play like a bunch of strangers. They will be lucky to get a champions league spot on that performance and the other Manchester club will probably stuff them in the Semis.

Coaches were well organised and appeared to go smoothly, took an age to get out of the place though.
I just want to go though to our coach driver playing the movie Mama Mia on the way up

[Royal With Cheese]

What does Ally McCoist have against Reading? He didn't have a good word to say about us all game

Scottish twat.

What was he on then because didn't Rangers play themselves.

Bad luck anyway.

Reckon Slammed is on about Craig Burley? Rangers beat Kilmarnock 2-1 earlier this afternoon so McCoist wouldn't have been anywhere near the Reading game.

Burley, for some reason, absoulutely loathes us.

[Mr Angry]

I was in the upper stand and have to say the quote of the day from a fan for me was when Tevez went down to a shout of " You went down quicker than the Belgrano".

Sadly, that was me.

[The Prisoner]

Burley is getting an absolute pasting on the City sites too, and even got a mention on the BBC page for being a miserable gimp! People talking about cancelling their ESPN subs as he is such a tosser! Maybe it's his time of the month........

Still gutted that we didn't offer more in attack.......couldn't sleep last night as I recalled Hal Robson-Kanu skin Richards and then smash his cross into the stand.....summed it up and don't feel we did ourselves (attacking) justice.

To the poster above Eastlands is easily the joint worst part of Manchester (along with Moss side, which is ironically home to City's old stadium). As a city Manchester is decent (a great night out!), but as for all the Liam Gallagher-a-like Johnny-come-lately look-at-as-we-have-money fans? They can do one. Jeez I'm off again ranting about Citeh fans......bunch of tossers!!!!

[Mr Angry]

[quote="The Prisoner"]To the poster above Eastlands is easily the joint worst part of Manchester (along with Moss side, which is ironically home to City's old stadium). As a city Manchester is decent (a great night out!)[quote]

I really like Manchester; I work for a company beased there and spent a lot of time there before Christmas. The Christmas market was fantastic, whilst the range of restaurants etc is second to none. Even Canal Street was worth a visit!!

But the area near the stadium really was shockingly bad. And as for the Eastlands Bar......mmmmmmmm......shame it was home fans only, becasue it really looked like the sort of warm and welcoming place for a pint of real ale served by a be-whiskered mine host that a thirsty guest in the City would relish.

Or not.

[The Prisoner]

To the poster above Eastlands is easily the joint worst part of Manchester (along with Moss side, which is ironically home to City's old stadium). As a city Manchester is decent (a great night out!)

I really like Manchester; I work for a company beased there and spent a lot of time there before Christmas. The Christmas market was fantastic, whilst the range of restaurants etc is second to none. Even Canal Street was worth a visit!!

But the area near the stadium really was shockingly bad. And as for the Eastlands Bar......mmmmmmmm......shame it was home fans only, becasue it really looked like the sort of warm and welcoming place for a pint of real ale served by a be-whiskered mine host that a thirsty guest in the City would relish.

Or not.

I walked past there too on the way from my "secure car park" which turned out to be a street in an industrial park off Ashton Old Road with some heavies at each end. The Eastlands Bar wouldn't have looked out of place in the wild west with half of the extras from Shameless drinking in there....

You do know that Canal Street is the gay bit?!

[Royal Lady]

Just LOL @ City fans chanting "You've had your day out, now f off home!" - they were scared - the relief when they scored and when the final whistle went was palpable!

We could have had them - I just don't think we took enough chances. but we were great - and I thoroughly enjoyed my "day out" - couldn't single out a MOTM either.

Nice to meet TFF and see BDC and Mrs BDC again after so long.

[Upper West Ginger]

I was in the east stand, and was probably the only person who didn't join in the backs-to-the-pitch jig thing (it's called the Poznan http://www.mcfc.co.uk/Video/Features/Do-the-Poznan) when they scored. Was in the section nearest to our fans (albeit up in the gods).

You were not alone. I was lurking up there too, with No 2 son, way up in the Gods. Being that high, and so far from the pitch, we seemed quite detached from the game. It reminded me of both the good and the bad of our brief Premiership period. Reading fans were good and loud in the first half, but seemed strangely quiet after half time. Too many pies?

[Plymouth_Royal]

Well, we did ourselves proud but ultimately didnt take those very few chances we had and were clearly playing for a replay. Man city were very below par and only won because of a bit of indecision by Gunnarsson. I say this because i was sitting with the citeh fans and had a perfect view of the corner given away for the goal....There fans are arrogant tossers btw.

Ratings.

McCarthy 8 - great performance, commanded his area well and looked very assured. MOTM

Harte 7- can't complain. Looked composed, defended well but one or two of his deliveries were a bit, meh.
Khiz 7 - solid at the back. 1 lapse in the first half nearly cost us a goal but apart from that though he and Gunnar were solid.
Gunnar 7 - Again same as above. If is was going to be picky I would say his indecision led to the goal. When he was running back all he had to do was kick the ball out. Instead he tried to control it and fluffed it out for a corner after pressure from Balotelli. I was sitting right in line with gunnar so I had a much better view than the fans in the away end.
Karacan 7 - not a RB. But he acquitted himself well and made 2 great interceptions that would have led to citeh having 2 clear attempts on goal. Also.....he won a fair few headers, which was surprising!!

McAnuff 5- He didnt have a great game and he knew it when he came off. I won't fault his effort, nothing came off and made some silly errors.
Tabb 6.5 - Full of energy, kept it simple. I still prefer Karacan in the middle. Bossed by de jong a bit though!
Leigertwood 7- He's a rock! composed on the ball, strong and reliable.
Kebe 7 - Our most dangerous player with some good skills on showcase. Although I wouldnt want to repeat that breakdancing he did in the second half that ended up with him on the floor

Long 6 - won a lot of headers held the ball up well. That was about it. He should have had the day off to recover from his injuries IMO.
Hunt 6 - full of energy and effort but that was about it.

Subs
HRK 6 - Didn't do alot when he came on but tbf we were using kebe a lot in the second half. Looked ok though.
Church 6 - played in a deeper role just behind long. Not his best position but he put himself about.
Howard - not enough time to make an impact.

[Norfolk Royal]

Just LOL @ City fans chanting "You've had your day out, now f off home!" - they were scared.

We could have had them.

Don't think we want these sort of hooligan postings on the board. You should know better really.

[Nick Shorey my Lord!]

From the pub chair it was a pretty flat performance. It didn't have the same zeal as the Everton game.

Apart from McCarthy, Zurab had another composed game (minus that one clanger), I'd really like to see us sign him full time. Kebe has his usual tricks but his delivery was off this time.

I know Jem isn't a right back, but he didn't have a good game and gave the ball away cheaply too frequently.

Was Jobi crocked because Robson did very little when he came on and we lost our threat that side.

Citeh were very, very, very average indeed which I found surprisingly since they had the perfect incentive to go-out guns blazing knowing they'd have Utd next.

What on earth was the "Rising" shit all about? Tragic.

[ZacNaloen]

"Blue Moon Rising" or something like that.

[Kitson12]

One big beef from yesterday was the chant "there's only one Chrissie Armstrong!" I mean come on! It's Chris Armstrong. Really pissed me off.