Back from the Burnley game

[rotherwick_royal]

Things I remember about the game:

Doyle getting taken out by one of the Burnley guys who got let off with a warning.
Shane Long making some lovely neat passes and getting one back to score a goal.
Armstrong struggling to contain their numbers 10 & 11, who seemed to be mouthing off to each other and the referee, but managing it. Their no.23 seemed to get away with a lot too...until he got his yellow and red cards.
Bikey having a good all-round game.
The two Burnley players running into each other to give Bikey the ball.
I'm sure there were two more goals in there too. Didn't both Hunts score with headers?

There were probably more things, and these might not have been in this order.

Actually summed up the game quite nicely for me. I thought Burnley were very negative, just focussed on disrupting the game in any way they could, reminded me of Bolton. They seemed to come with the approach of just keeping the score down, which is a huge compliment to Reading.

just having a little joke that she couldn`t seem to recall some of the things that happened

I was having the same problem. Weird game, no flow at all. Or maybe it was just because my head hurt!

[Maguire]

Armstrong - 8 (Who needs shorey, very good display)

totally agree, he is a much better player than shorey and i think he's going to get alot better.

lolz

How quickly they forget.

[Victor Meldrew]

I read the first page of coments and apart from pie eater who was spot on, I do wonder if you guys actually watch the same matches as me. We were second best to most things, energy levels were not as high as they should have been,very few passing moves. If Burnley had a bit of luck we could have been struggling, a combination of bad finishing too. SC is right when he said whomever scores first in these games it is crutial. Hunt was really poor apart from set pieces and he missed a carbon copy header 5 mins before his goal (which was laid on a plate). That said, Doyle was outstanding as was Bikey and we have had 3 really hard games in a week which probably effected the players. If you can play like that and win I shouldn't really complain.

We were talking at half-time about how Burnley had made a number of probably quarter chances rather than even half chances but would pay for the misses (Marcus made his customary good first-half save which as usual is taken for granted and never mentioned) because we are a good finishing side.
Nobody has mentioned our comic clash when Hunt and Long bumped into each other but when the Burnley players have done the same in about the same position it is hilarious.
Like you jonboy I thought we looked heavylegged but if we can keep on capitalising on chances as we have done recently then who nows where we might finish.

I still feel after every game though if Doyle and Bikey were to leave in January we might struggle to replace them- I felt the same with Kitson and Shorey leaving but at this level Armstrong and N Hunt have done well and long may that continue.
BTW most fans from my experience only ever see what their team does and take in very little about what the opposition does-I blame the drink.

[glass half full]

Armstrong - 8 (Who needs shorey, very good display)

totally agree, he is a much better player than shorey and i think he's going to get alot better.

lolz

How quickly they forget.

Armstrong for England!

[rg6royal]

Armstrong for England!

'greed!!!

[Franchise FC]

Armstrong for England!

'greed!!!

Depends what you want from your defenders.

Shoery was fantastic going forward and the hub of zillions of attacks in 05/06 and 06/07.

Armstrong strikes me as a better defender.

You pays your money - you takes your choice.

[Victor Meldrew]

Armstrong for England!

'greed!!!

Depends what you want from your defenders.

Shoery was fantastic going forward and the hub of zillions of attacks in 05/06 and 06/07.

Armstrong strikes me as a better defender.

You pays your money - you takes your choice.

Thank goodness we paid the money.

[Franchise FC]

quote="rg6royal"

Armstrong for England!

'greed!!!

Depends what you want from your defenders.

Shoery was fantastic going forward and the hub of zillions of attacks in 05/06 and 06/07.

Armstrong strikes me as a better defender.

You pays your money - you takes your choice.

Thank goodness we paid the money. [/quote]

Afternoon Victor

you'll need to add a Y if things keep going this well.

[Irvinchangeyaname]

Can I maybe put in a positive word for Cisse when he came on. OK, he gave the ball away once but I thought he looked a touch of quality at this level. Tough in the tackle and some thoughtful forward passing. I think there's more to come from this boy.

[juanpablo]

Can I maybe put in a positive word for Cisse when he came on. OK, he gave the ball away once but I thought he looked a touch of quality at this level. Tough in the tackle and some thoughtful forward passing. I think there's more to come from this boy.

agreed made an impact...


same at wolves

[Dirk Gently]

Can I maybe put in a positive word for Cisse when he came on. OK, he gave the ball away once but I thought he looked a touch of quality at this level. Tough in the tackle and some thoughtful forward passing. I think there's more to come from this boy.

I did wonder if it was the same Cisse as he was getting stuck in and winning tackles. There are a lot of Cisses about and I wondered if somehow we'd got him mixed up and were playing someone else's Cisse.

[Franchise FC]

Can I maybe put in a positive word for Cisse when he came on. OK, he gave the ball away once but I thought he looked a touch of quality at this level. Tough in the tackle and some thoughtful forward passing. I think there's more to come from this boy.

I did wonder if it was the same Cisse as he was getting stuck in and winning tackles. There are a lot of Cisses about and I wondered if somehow we'd got him mixed up and were playing someone else's Cisse.

Maybe he's not such a sissy after all.

[loyalroyal4life]

Can I maybe put in a positive word for Cisse when he came on. OK, he gave the ball away once but I thought he looked a touch of quality at this level. Tough in the tackle and some thoughtful forward passing. I think there's more to come from this boy.

agreed made an impact...


same at wolves

he's getting more stuck in when he does come on, he looks a different player to the one at Forest on the opening day where he just looked lost. Maybe he has now realised he can actually tackle.

[PlasticRoyale]

Who put in the mazy run into the box. Good last ditch challenge was put in before a shot was got off.

[howser]

I look at Cisse the same as Jimy kebe, these are players with a lot of potential, who, when bought were put into a Premiership side and they were both nowhere near ready for it. Kebe is now playing at the level he is comfortable with and will progress, he is a young lad with terrific speed, who does have the potential to be a top league player his delivery seems to be pretty good and he is gaining confidence all the time, I am sure that Cisse also falls into this category he had a couple of reasonable matches last season but was very much a "duck out of water last year". The ability of the management team at Reading to get average players to raise thier game to another level is well known and I fully expect Cisse to rise to the challenge as long as he is given the time and patience of the fans to allow him to do so.

[juanpablo]

I look at Cisse the same as Jimy kebe, these are players with a lot of potential, who, when bought were put into a Premiership side and they were both nowhere near ready for it. Kebe is now playing at the level he is comfortable with and will progress, he is a young lad with terrific speed, who does have the potential to be a top league player his delivery seems to be pretty good and he is gaining confidence all the time, I am sure that Cisse also falls into this category he had a couple of reasonable matches last season but was very much a "duck out of water last year". The ability of the management team at Reading to get average players to raise thier game to another level is well known and I fully expect Cisse to rise to the challenge as long as he is given the time and patience of the fans to allow him to do so.

not sure mate kebe never had a run out in prem and cisse had some great games vs united etc

[Platypuss]

Surely you remember Kebe against Arsenal?

[papereyes]

Surely you remember Kebe against Arsenal?

[rabidbee]

not knocking him in the slightest, great player......

just didnt have one of his best games.... and he scored because a ball was given to him 4 yards out on a plate but that guy gets a 6.......

Hunt did seem to have three men closing him down when he got the ball today. He might have done more to recognise this, by off-loading it a bit quicker rather than trying to always take them on, but it's going to be hard to create loads when you're being closed down. Meanwhile, Kébé was pretty anonymous, I thought, after setting up Noel's goal. We should have done more to get him involved, as we're always looking to go down the left at the moment. Alternatively, he and Hunty should have swapped sides for a bit, see if that would have caused Burnley's defence any problems. We need a Plan B, in case Hunty is closed down.

Mind you, scoring three at a canter when your most creative player is being stiffled out of the game does suggest that it's not *too* much of a priority...

[rabidbee]

Who put in the mazy run into the box. Good last ditch challenge was put in before a shot was got off.

Armstrong, and the look of panic on his face as he got closer and closer to the goal was hilarious. You could see him think "WTF do I do now?!"