BFTG - Burnley

[Maneki Neko]

Well that was rubbish! Such a dire game of 'football'. The ball spent most of the time in the air and aside from a decent early move from Burnley there was zero football played today. So many errors and not much in the way of dynamic forward play. Burnley's tactic was to hit the ball into the channels for Gray to run into and ours was to hit it long to Kermogant's head. Anytime either team tried a forward pass it was overhit/underhit/straight to the opposition. I can only hope we can sweep that crap under the carpet and forget about it as just 'one of those games'

No way we played long ball today

[Caversham Royal]

Special mention for Jake Coopers backwards header through the attacker's legs whilst flat on the floor in the North East corner in the first half.

Think it's best to forget the attempted dribble in the second half................

I second this. Pearce doing this against Bristol was the exception to the rule, most of the time when a CB attempts a mazy run sphincters clench as they did on this occasion. He's got the tools but needs some direction.

Speaking of giving direction, anyone else see Quinn blowing his top at Piazon in the first half on the half way line? He was not a happy ginger.

Yep, happened right in front of us. Most amusing & Piazon fully deserved the wrath of the Irish.

[sandman]

Fair enough. In hindsight though having seen McCleary amble about it's easy to choose John over him and you're right, possibly John would have done better than Garath today. However, in that kind of game, when you're planning your subs, you know that McCleary generally does defend well and helps keep us solid and Ola John doesn't. So McDermott had to go with McCleary really. In hindsight though perhaps you were right, maybe Ola would have been better today.

Should have brought them both on

Not sure why not switch so that Mcleary played on the right and HRK on the left

Modern football. most teams now play wingers/wide forwards on the opposite side. It allows more shooting opportunities and makes the crosses less likely to go behind the strikers so they don't have generate power on their headers.

We're spaffing way too many crosses into the first defender with the wing players playing on their 'correct' side, and McCleary is chief culprit. So perhaps it's a good idea to let them think about their crossing a bit more. HRK in particular put in a couple of good crosses playing on the 'wrong' side.

[Jackson Corner]

We tried to plat football today but it's difficult on that pitch. As bad as I can remember and more rain this week won't improve things.

[P!ssed Off]

Just as well the Reading team isn't full of total wet wipes like Ian Royal and Royal Ginger who would just sit back and accept being blatantly cheated out of a point.

Hats off to HRK and others; two wrongs most certainly did make a right.

[Super Kevin Bremner!]

Coming away from that game today, listening to Radio Berks and reading what the local hack had to say about the performance, you could have been easily forgiven for thinking that was a really entertaining nil nil, played with a high tempo and with a demonstrable increase in the standard we've been used to of late.

Wow! Is this really where we've ended up this season? In August and September we had a slick, stylish attacking side that played beautiful football in the opposition's half. We had two centre backs that whilst not infallible, were oozing the kind of class and confidence that we've not seen in the Reading back four since the days of Wdowczyck and Williams.

We had a striker that had a lovely touch, held the ball up well and was a constant outlet for the defensive players. He had an eye for goal too. We had probably the best 'number 10/attacking midfielder' I've seen at this club since Simon Osborn was doing his thing, in Lucas Piazon, and quite frankly we were tearing this league a new arsehole.

Yesterday, he was stuck on the left wing whilst Stephen Quinn sat in his 'off the striker' role. Both did excellent at the start of the season in the exact opposite positions, so it just seemed like madness to me that they were where they were.

Then you had Kermorgant. Now I like to think I give players a good chance before I judge them, and I don't think I've done that here yet, but the early signs are that he just doesn't look anywhere near good enough to help us challenge for play off places this year, let alone next year when he's gotten even older. A very typical McDermott kind of player. Slow and steady.

That's the crux of this for me. Our expectations now Brian's back in charge are at ground level. The only thing that came out of yesterday's game was that there was some passion and spirit. But was there really any until Barton and his mates started winding things up? We reacted by simply getting stuck in too. Jesus, is that all we can be excited about now? External drivers of w@nkers on the opposition being needed to give us a bit of a pointless spark?

Those who remember the last promotion season properly will remember the first half that season being absolutely woeful, and the team being relentlessly booed off the pitch after most home games. We're back there right now, and I can't see the wood for the trees this time around.

I went through the roller coaster of thinking 'NO!' when they appointed McD, then getting genuinely excited on his first couple of games back, and now back to earth with a bump.

Yesterday was nothing short of dire in a footballing respect. We need to win games, not play centre backs in front of the back four to congest the hell out of the midfield. When we lost the ball yesterday, you could have chucked a large bed sheet over 6 or 7 Reading players at any one time. It was clueless and like watching kids' football.

Maybe I expect too much, hoping to see us string more than 3 passes together, but ask anyone who has a genuine idea about football and they'll agree that anyone who fails to get a run together with this current squad has massively underperformed.

Was Steve Clarke a twat for talking to Fulham? Yes. Should he have been given longer to put this right? Definitely. Was he getting more out of these players? I think so.

Suppose that's pretty irrelevant now, but it's just such a shame that we now see a battling performance as such a big win for us.

[sandman]

Coming away from that game today, listening to Radio Berks and reading what the local hack had to say about the performance, you could have been easily forgiven for thinking that was a really entertaining nil nil, played with a high tempo and with a demonstrable increase in the standard we've been used to of late.

Wow! Is this really where we've ended up this season? In August and September we had a slick, stylish attacking side that played beautiful football in the opposition's half. We had two centre backs that whilst not infallible, were oozing the kind of class and confidence that we've not seen in the Reading back four since the days of Wdowczyck and Williams.

We had a striker that had a lovely touch, held the ball up well and was a constant outlet for the defensive players. He had an eye for goal too. We had probably the best 'number 10/attacking midfielder' I've seen at this club since Simon Osborn was doing his thing, in Lucas Piazon, and quite frankly we were tearing this league a new asshole.

Yesterday, he was stuck on the left wing whilst Stephen Quinn sat in his 'off the striker' role. Both did excellent at the start of the season in the exact opposite positions, so it just seemed like madness to me that they were where they were.

Then you had Kermorgant. Now I like to think I give players a good chance before I judge them, and I don't think I've done that here yet, but the early signs are that he just doesn't look anywhere near good enough to help us challenge for play off places this year, let alone next year when he's gotten even older. A very typical McDermott kind of player. Slow and steady.

That's the crux of this for me. Our expectations now Brian's back in charge are at ground level. The only thing that came out of yesterday's game was that there was some passion and spirit. But was there really any until Barton and his mates started winding things up? We reacted by simply getting stuck in too. Jesus, is that all we can be excited about now? External drivers of walkers on the opposition being needed to give us a bit of a pointless spark?

Those who remember the last promotion season properly will remember the first half that season being absolutely woeful, and the team being relentlessly booed off the pitch after most home games. We're back there right now, and I can't see the wood for the trees this time around.

I went through the roller coaster of thinking 'NO!' when they appointed McD, then getting genuinely excited on his first couple of games back, and now back to earth with a bump.

Yesterday was nothing short of dire in a footballing respect. We need to win games, not play centre backs in front of the back four to congest the hell out of the midfield. When we lost the ball yesterday, you could had chucked a large bed sheet over 6 or 7 Reading players at any one time. It was clueless and like watching kids' football.

Maybe I expect to much, hoping to see us string more than 3 passes together, but ask anyone who has a genuine idea about football and they'll agree that anyone who fails to get a run together with this current squad has massively underperformed.

Was Steve Clarke a twat for talking to Fulham? Yes. Should he have been given longer to put this right? Definitely. Was he getting more out of these players? I think so.

Suppose that's pretty irrelevant now, but it's just such a shame that we now see a battling performance as such a big win for us.

Stopped reading when you said Piazon was our best attacking midfielder/number 10 you've seen since Osborn. Presumably you had your eyes shut when Gylfi was here.

[Super Kevin Bremner!]

Blink and you missed him. Point taken though, but how does that change the argument? I could have said the best since sliced bread, but he never played for Reading.

[sandman]

I'd say missing very possibly the best player this club has produced is a pretty major oversight and makes it a struggle to take your post seriously.

"Centre back in front of the back four". Clearly Tshibola's role but sadly he's injured so Hector had to play there. Nothing wrong with that set up and the right thing to do against the league's top scorers who have one of, if not the, most creative midfields in the division.

[Super Kevin Bremner!]

Have you missed the 20 odd games that Norwood's played just fine there?

[sandman]

Have you missed the 20 odd games that Norwood's played just fine there?

Clearly you're lashing out due to embarrassment at forgetting Sig. And clearly Norwood is a deep lying playmaker and not a defensive midfielder who breaks up play. Which is the job Tshibola does and Hector was asked to play yesterday.

If your previous post made it hard to take you seriously before then the quoted post above pretty much destroys any credibility you had left.

But go on, make a response and lash out again, it's funny watching you flail.

[Super Kevin Bremner!]

Who played in your 'Tish' role after he got injured again please?

Who's been the deepest lying midfielder since he go injured?

Who lashing out at who?

Who lives for these kind of 'beefs' on Hobnob thinking a large post count makes them really important?

And you think I'm embarrassed sweetheart x

[Royal Ginger]

I think that's a good shout in hindsight, but at the time of the call i didn't disagree.

Watched Rakels closely again. Hes good a very good idea of where everyone is and is very accurate and precise. Hope he can replicate that over 90 minutes.

Brian should have put Rakels on as soon as Barton was booked with the express instruction to get in his face and wind him up. Cant imagine Barton would have been on the pitch for long, and it would have been good to see the two of them squaring up to each other - i know where i'd put my money.

I like the look of Rakels, pretty nippy and a good touch. Get him match fit and scoring and it will be Matej who?

As was pointed out earlier - only one loanee, and Cooper instead of Ferdinand. Gives a bit of a view as to what next year could be like.

Two loanees, Hetor and Piazon.

[Wycombe Royal]

Blink and you missed him. Point taken though, but how does that change the argument? I could have said the best since sliced bread, but he never played for Reading.

This would be the Gylfi Sigurdsson who made over 50 appearances versus the Simon Osborn who made under 40?

And Piazon had a couple of decent games, no more than that. Even Brian Howard managed that.

[Glory Boy]

Well that was rubbish! Such a dire game of 'football'. The ball spent most of the time in the air and aside from a decent early move from Burnley there was zero football played today. So many errors and not much in the way of dynamic forward play. Burnley's tactic was to hit the ball into the channels for Gray to run into and ours was to hit it long to Kermogant's head. Anytime either team tried a forward pass it was overhit/underhit/straight to the opposition. I can only hope we can sweep that crap under the carpet and forget about it as just 'one of those games'

Dire?? Rubbish?? You were definitely at a different game from me.

I found the game very entertaining from start till finish. Never a boring spell for me. Both teams going for the win. Best performance since Ipswich and Boro games against a decent side. Good to see an away club in traditional home kit rather than all too frequent all yellow shite.

[Maguire]

That was much better than the Wolves game, pretty entertaining 0-0 as things go.

Can't believe there are still people claiming that we just play long ball football. That's demonstrably not the case with our defenders looking to pass wherever possible.

The penalty would have been an injustice but Burnley really should have scored one of their other chances. Not sure how Gray (who looked dangerous) managed to put that early chance over the bar.

Reading are good in parts but obviously not threatening enough at the top end of the pitch. Personally I'd put this down to limited wing play and a stolid midfield rather than having poor forwards. We never, ever put in decent crosses.

[ZacNaloen]

A better performance, the pitch is a oxf*rd mess when are Irish leaving?

Mcdermotts getting closer to cracking what is needed, our midfield is poor without a proper DM as Norwood thinks sideways and Williams think forwards so there's not much protection of the defense (Hec is definitely a CB not a DM, but it made us more solid at least).

[Sutekh]

Performance a big improvement on last week.

Game entertaining, Reading a lot more lively and a much more entertaining and even looked threatening from time to time. The problem though was the fact as soon as they got to the opponents penalty box they fell apart and struggled.

And Rakels is the best player I've seen for coming on for 10 minutes and running about looking handy.

Finally, after the many games I've seen of Burnley down the years that is not a team of I would be proud if I was one of their supporters. Petulant, niggly and just what you call "professional" meaning dirty.

Oh and Barton is just...... (fill in your own description)

[3points]

Wouldn't mind seeing Williams swapped for Piazon in yesterday's line up, with Quinn a little more to the left.

Going back to an earlier post about our earlier season form, there is a little merit in some of the comments. The HRK chance was typically falling to Blackman who often scored from that type of position, whereas HRK never looked like scoring yesterday.

[taipairoyal]

Now we really could do with a Joey Barton type of player in the Reading squad, someone with so much passion and bite, someone who wears his heart on his sleeve and always gives 100% combined with no lack of skill or commitment. Very much in the mould of a Mick Gooding, Trevor Hurlock or even a "Punch up Price" type of player. Barton Definitely MOM.