BFTG - Wembley

[Stranded]

04/05 last day disappointment
05/06 promoted as champions

10/11 last day disappointment
11/12 promoted as champions

16/17 last day disappointment
17/18 ???????????????

Fingers crossed.

Everyone chooses to forget though:

94/95 last day disappointment
95/96 19th

but guess that was pre-Madjeski Stadium

[Hoop Blah]

Much like other comments I was really disappointed yesterday, not by the result, but by the lackluster performance and the apparent lack of giving it a real go to win the game.

[Cureton's Volley]

Don't assume we'll challenge for promotion next season.

We overachieved this season, no guarantees we'll do it again.

[Zammo]

Never once looked like we wanted to win it. No enterprise and no flair. Huddersfield deserved it even though they too had no clear sight of goal.

Stam has done a great job even though it's dull as oxf*rd to watch. We let our selves down today though. We should have had a go at them. We played not to lose in a play off final.

^this

Last 30 minutes, Huddersfield were dropping like flies. We continued to play possession football. FFS. Think I'm more annoyed with this play-off final than any ever. They were there for the taking in extra-time.

[PieEater]

I'd like to add that Danny from Huddersfield should seek medical attention for his heart rate, I'm not sure it dropped below 140.

[Zammo]

I'd like to add that Danny from Huddersfield should seek medical attention for his heart rate, I'm not sure it dropped below 140.

lol

Big shout out to the blonde ball girl. Spent most of the first half flapping around.

[Sanguine]

I'd like to add that Danny from Huddersfield should seek medical attention for his heart rate, I'm not sure it dropped below 140.

And their owner Dean Hoyle too. From the TV footage he resembled a corpse for most of extra time.

[BraisingsteakRoyal]

I'd like to add that Danny from Huddersfield should seek medical attention for his heart rate, I'm not sure it dropped below 140.

I was more concerned about Steve from Reading and his 70bpm when it was end-to-end. If i didn't know any better I'd have thought he'd lent his heart rate monitor to John Swift.

[paultheroyal]

Genuinely did not enjoy one minute of that match...tension, frustration, heartbreak.

As many others have said we tactically got that so wrong. We were playing Huddersfield not Fulham. They had scored 4 goals in their last 8 matches ffs. 1 goal to get the Premier League in the whole of the Play Off's.

An effective home setup with 2 wingers would of won us that match - so annoying!

Atmosphere was strained at times and pick up on another members comments that I think the tension and expectation of defeat got to a few of our fans. Worst part was having to deal with the tears of my son....

I really hope we can push on from this and be competitive again next season. All loan players will go back. Williams (MOM) will move on probably hence the tears last night, offers will come in for Obita, Kelly but hopefully rejected. Rakels, Quinn, will be noticeable releases and I just hope we get that attacking flair player and striker that this team needs.

[Sanguine]

All loan players will go back.

One positive is that (unlike last season) we aren't losing half our first-team as loan deals expire. I might have it wrong, but isn't it only Mutch (hasn't played much part), Oxford (same, although clear potential) and Grabban (disappointing)?

Agreed that Williams may likely leave. I hope he gives us one more season.

[Royal Ginger]

Nope, not feeling any better about it this morning. I think I might keep my strop all day.

[No Fixed Abode]

I'd like to add that Danny from Huddersfield should seek medical attention for his heart rate, I'm not sure it dropped below 140.

And their owner Dean Hoyle too. From the TV footage he resembled a corpse for most of extra time.

I thought he was going to need medical treatment at one point. He really didn't look well.

[Zammo]

Nope, not feeling any better about it this morning. I think I might keep my strop all day.

Work colleagues keep coming over and giving their experience of the match.........either from a pub or their living room Armchair fans really are the worst kind of people.

[Royal Tezza]

Not sure what can be said about that really. Probably more to say about the actual day

I was actually not particularly "buzzing" for the match having consumed copious amounts of alcohol Saturday and Sunday.

When I got to Wembley the first thing I saw/heard was some Udders fan abusing a bouncer for not letting him into a Reading designated pub "you're not even English"

Watkins Folly (awful name) was a decent laugh and not absolutely mobbed. Good rendition of Sweet Caroline

Was exiled up in 520 as didn't get tickets in time to get lower tier. oxf*rd me. Never seen such a disinterested group of people. Yes I know the game was crap but why even bother coming.

Firstly, I'm not some teenage "ultra" so I don't particularly mind or expect to be able to stand up during the game, particularly up there in the gods. However today marks the first time I've ever been asked to sit down WHILE THE oxf*rd TEAMS COME OUT. Three older people, who actually seemed very nice (and apologies if it's anyone on here) saying they couldn't see bla bla... this was when we were trying to do the mosaic too. If you can't stand for the five or ten minutes before kickoff, please either find disabled friendly seats or don't bother coming. An absolute farce and I'm glad it was me that was in front of them rather than some oik because they definitely would have been told to oxf*rd off. How did they manage to get to Wembley if standing is such an issue?

In front of me were four lads who looked like they were on day release who were all on their phones throughout. I suspect one of them was a fan and he'd brought along four mates. To my left, two gentleman who looked like they'd decided to come on the way home from golf. Another first for me - they left 125 minutes into ET. Yep, they left five minutes before the penalty shootout began. No idea. One of them left his wallet on the floor behind him got handed in but he was probably halfway home by that point.

The football was dire. HT were poor. We were worse. It was better than being thumped by Swansea in 2011, and I had no expectations about winning the game, but it would have been good to put up a bit more fight and take the game to them. Lots of people concerned about losing Williams, he played well but I don't think he would be a massive loss. We have other players that can step up. Compared to losing Shane Long after Wembley 2011 this is nothing really.

Finally, shoutout to the RFC kids having a wobbly at some HTAFC lot at Waterloo. "Enjoy next season" met with "oxf*rd off you oxf*rd " I'm only late 20s but the younger generation have so much to learn about the disappointments of supporting a club like Reading and how to lose with dignity

Roll on next season - this year has been class. Looking forward to Fulham, Milwall and Brentford already

[BR2]

5 pages and nobody has said much about Joey.
Seeing the line-up I thought that Joey would play as a holding midfielder along with Evans but he actually played as a left-sided sweeper and didn't do very well at that either.
Having him there should have meant the wing-backs could safely bomb forward but they didn't.
Like others, I left with the feeling that we didn't give it a go .
All of my group felt that at least one of our wingers should have started at the expense of Joey-I know McCleary has to be used sparingly but surely better to take him off after 60 minutes , after all it was the last game of the season, rather than wait and hope that Huddersfield wouldn't score from the many crosses that flashed across our goal mouth (you are allowed to try to block these, Gunter and Blackett).

If you are not going to use pace out wide then pace has to come through the middle and whereas Danny Williams was dynamic neither Evans nor Swift showed any semblance of pace.
With Yann also being slow (credit for maximum effort once more) and Grabban failing so often to control the ball played up to him we were, in an era when pace is everything, just so painfully ponderous and an exaggeration of how we have played all season..


Apart from the Joey selection (in hindsight surely Stam now regrets starting him) what was Moore doing taking a penalty?
McCleary has taken penalties before (and admittedly missing now and again) and Evans should surely be ahead of our centre-back-I suppose Stam chose him because he appears mentally strong and on the pitch is really our captain.

As this topic is only to do with yesterday's game I think we can be critical and disappointed but we surely all feel that this squad has massively overachieved and the manager has worked wonders to get us into a top 6 place.

[CountryRoyal]

The Ruddersfield love in continues.

http://downatthemac.proboards.com/threa ... ading-fans

#teamtinpot

[stealthpapes]

I'd like to add that Danny from Huddersfield should seek medical attention for his heart rate, I'm not sure it dropped below 140.

I was more concerned about Steve from Reading and his 70bpm when it was end-to-end. If i didn't know any better I'd have thought he'd lent his heart rate monitor to John Swift.

Steve from Reading -



chilled.

It feels like the Palace QF - great opportunity, not taken. Probably won't hurt in the long run.

Peanlties though, are great entertainment. Fuck this 'they're a lottery' BS. It's skill and nerves.

[stealthpapes]

We lacked width. We've played well all year with two wide wingers and today struggled to do anything with the ball untik G Mac came on and we pushed Obita in to more of a LW position.

The ref completely bottled sending their number 6 off (Hogg I think?). He had been booked in the first half, bought down Williams as he was breaking through on the centre circle and then G mac down in the corner. Either challenge would have normally been a yellow.

Swift had a shocker and needs to do some serious gym work over the summer to get stronger as he's pushed off the ball far to easily.

As always at Wembley a disappointing atmosphere. It's hard to get it going when the usual singers are split and all over the place and day trippers not knowing the words.

I would agree with this.

[bobby1413]

04/05 last day disappointment
05/06 promoted as champions

10/11 last day disappointment
11/12 promoted as champions

16/17 last day disappointment
17/18 ???????????????

I said before the game that if we didn't win, and we kept Stam we had a good opportunity to possibly nail next season.

Newcastle out the way, Brighton too.

Who are next years threats going to be? Knowing the Championship and how hard it is to predict it's very hard to guess.

[RG7Fan]

More like two. 9 weeks I think.

It depends on how you view it, 3 months until competitive fixtures start, maybe 9 weeks or so when pre-season starts.

Season starts August 5th - just over 9 weeks away.

So thats 9 weeks of feverish speculation about who we wont be buying in the transfer window, and whether Jaap will stay ...