BFTG - The miracle of Carrow Road.

[URZZZZ]

Well I'll clarify what I meant because I think a lot of people were saying that Barrow was shite and not just in shite form. I was often choosing Barrow in either my preferred starting 11 or even on the bench and people were saying he wasn't good enough to be involved in the game in any capacity.

I fully recognised he was out of form and agree with the above opinion that he wasn't happy under Clement and it showed on the pitch but my defence for having him involved in the team was that he had the unique (in our team at least) ability to offer a different outlet to all of our other players and that that was worth pursuing. That was met with ridicule by some.

When Baldock was doing a good job on the left flank Barrow was understandably out of the team but the mere suggestion by me that he would be a good impact sub due to his speed was also laughed at.

Here's a few quotes from the January Barrow off rumour thread.

"If we can't find someone better than Barrow, then we're obviously not looking far, he's criminally overrated and absolutely atrocious 90% of the time. Started 15 games this season and scored 0 goals, with 1 goal off the bench, barely scored any at all in the whole of 2018 yet people treat him like he's untouchable. Baffling"

"I go to watch Reading win preferably in an entertaining way. Not watch Mo produce no goals and do oxf*rd all hard work"

"Would have no problem with him going. We are pretty well stocked in his position and don't think we'd be weaker if he went but no major concern with him staying either."

"I think Barrow is a perfect example of why we're shit. On his day he's electric. But those days are rare. And he's a total liability for the team defensive shape."

"Ability to put decent ball in the box is a far greater weapon than pace out on the wing. Getting to the by line and not being able to put a ball in is quite useless tbh. All Barrow does is give us an out ball option on the counter. I wont be sad if he goes and I dont think we will miss him one bit."

They don't really read to me like people who recognise a players ability. They read to me like people who think a player is worthless and his not being here wouldn't impact the team at all. This was after a lot of the same posters recognised in match threads that he had improved under Gomes, even in his defensive contributions. So he was improving, they remember him scoring 10 goals last season yet thought he wasn't worth keeping around. That's poor judgement imo.

None of them actually say he's shit though. One of them even says "One his day he's electric".

Cop on now Ian. This doesnt even require reading in between the lines. One of them says hes atrocious. Atrocious.

Actually I said he’s atrocious 90% of the time

He’s now upgraded to playing well 1 every 2 games and poor the other. Still not good enough, I know wingers aren’t known for their consistency but going through his last few games

Ipswich - cost a goal, scored the winner. OK
Wigan - played poor but scored
Leeds - poor
Preston - well
Hull - poor
Norwich - well

Doesn’t exactly scream “excellent does it”. But his effort is much improved and hes starting to grow more of a brain. If he can cut out the poor performances, there’s a player there

Ftr even though I called him atrocious, I did maintain on many occasions his pace could be used well as an impact sub as he is the most direct player at the club

[Stranded]

Of course Barrow is inconsistant, that's why he plays in the Championship. If he was a consistant 7 out of 10 player, who could turn in an 8 or 9 performance every few games, he'd be an established player at a lower PL club at worst.

The fact is he is the sort of player that, when happy, will give you a 9/10 performance one week, follow that with a 4/10, a couple of 6 or 7s and then hit you with an 8 out of 10. You just have to accept that the poor performances beget the good ones and hope that the impact in his 9/10 performances is bigger than the impact of his 4/10s.

[Zip]

I’ve never had a problem with Barrow. In his two seasons at the club he has scored a good number of goals with a reasonable number of assists.

[Maneki Neko]

looked good then struggled with injury and form and relationship with clement, now looks good again.

HTH

[Maneki Neko]

He definitely wasn’t happy under Clement. He really didn’t perform for him at all. Whether that was an attitude issue, or PCs tactics/set up, it’s difficult to say. I’d have happily seen him sold in Jan tbh

He has been a real asset in the last 10 games or so. Massively improved, and a lot of credit to Gomes for that

Spot on.

A lot of credit to Gomes for a lot.

Whether we stay up or go down, noone can deny Gomes has really done wonders with the morale of the squad. He had to be cruel by splitting the first team from the deadwood etc, but he's really done a good job there and Barrow I think is one example. He even got one amazing game out of the biggest flop in our history!

this this this


add in his sexy latin good looks and I'm falling quite deeply in love with the man

[Hound]

love the pic from the Norwich game of Walker and Gunter. Two fringe players who could feel aggrieved but instead wildly celebrating. Barrow, Baker on the pitch as well.

Dunno how he has done it but he has certainly created a great spirit, while also managing to get rid of a number of seemingly popular or established players

[Norfolk Royal]

love the pic from the Norwich game of Walker and Gunter. Two fringe players who could feel aggrieved but instead wildly celebrating. Barrow, Baker on the pitch as well.

Dunno how he has done it but he has certainly created a great spirit, while also managing to get rid of a number of seemingly popular or established players

Yes I agree there seems to be a completely different feeling about the place and in the final analysis it will probably be that that keeps us up in terms of boosting the number of points we will end up with.

[SWLR]

Just to say Meite's goal was superb, the build -up and (for a player much criticised for it - especially embarrassingly in front of his brother... DHHDo!!) his technique to score from that position under pressure. Can't recall a better one all season.

[Snowball]

Just to say Meite's goal was superb, the build -up and (for a player much criticised for it - especially embarrassingly in front of his brother... DHHDo!!) his technique to score from that position under pressure. Can't recall a better one all season.

Yes

Meite is a very interesting case.

He is both horribly raw at times (six months ago he might have been called a carthorse) but, if everything goes right for him and he keeps progressing, he could become a top player.

I would never have thought that when I first watched him, and there are plenty who said he was League 2 quality.

I thought his goal at Norwich was immense, his goal v Preston also excellent. I was surprised to read in one place that he "bundled it in", v Preston, in another that he had a tap-in. He had to bust a gut to get on the end of Barrow's cut-back and was under-pressure by the defender. Had the goal been scored by a big name it would have got more praise.

He is still raw (but occasionally shows good control) and should improve a lot if he can get a significant run.

Whoever gave him that four year contract was sharp.

I hope, if Olly comes back in they play Meite theoretically RW with Barrow LW. That front three could become awesome if it plays together and is relatively injury-free

[Snowball]

I’ve never had a problem with Barrow. In his two seasons at the club he has scored a good number of goals with a reasonable number of assists.

Reading Career


14 Goals and 10 assists at a goal-or-assist every 222 minutes

That is more than decent for a winger

Also some of his goals/assists have been big, important ones

[Stranded]

I’ve never had a problem with Barrow. In his two seasons at the club he has scored a good number of goals with a reasonable number of assists.

Reading Career


14 Goals and 10 assists at a goal-or-assist every 222 minutes

That is more than decent for a winger

Also some of his goals/assists have been big, important ones

Just checking Transfermarkt and they have an interesting breakdown of his apps by position:

Left Wing P 62 Goals 11 Assists 5
Right Wing P 7 G 1 A 3
Centre Forward P 5 G 2 A 2
Other P2 G 0 A 0

Very good record from an admittedly small sample when he plays up top.

[Snowball]

I’ve never had a problem with Barrow. In his two seasons at the club he has scored a good number of goals with a reasonable number of assists.

Reading Career


14 Goals and 10 assists at a goal-or-assist every 222 minutes

That is more than decent for a winger

Also some of his goals/assists have been big, important ones

Just checking Transfermarkt and they have an interesting breakdown of his apps by position:

Left Wing P 62 Goals 11 Assists 5
Right Wing P 7 G 1 A 3
Centre Forward P 5 G 2 A 2
Other P2 G 0 A 0

Very good record from an admittedly small sample when he plays up top.

They haven't added the Norwich game yet

[John Smith]

Actually I said he’s atrocious 90% of the time

He’s now upgraded to playing well 1 every 2 games and poor the other. Still not good enough, I know wingers aren’t known for their consistency but going through his last few games

You are like the Mo Barrow of this forum: you've started posting really well but you certainly know how to put up utter drivel too.

[Zip]

I’ve never had a problem with Barrow. In his two seasons at the club he has scored a good number of goals with a reasonable number of assists.

Reading Career


14 Goals and 10 assists at a goal-or-assist every 222 minutes

That is more than decent for a winger

Also some of his goals/assists have been big, important ones

Fully agreed.

[Tilehurstsouthbank]

Actually I said he’s atrocious 90% of the time

He’s now upgraded to playing well 1 every 2 games and poor the other. Still not good enough, I know wingers aren’t known for their consistency but going through his last few games

You are like the Mo Barrow of this forum: you've started posting really well but you certainly know how to put up utter drivel too.

Nailed it.

[Snowflake Royal]

I’ve never had a problem with Barrow. In his two seasons at the club he has scored a good number of goals with a reasonable number of assists.

Reading Career


14 Goals and 10 assists at a goal-or-assist every 222 minutes

That is more than decent for a winger

Also some of his goals/assists have been big, important ones

Fully agreed.

His recent run of producing goals has certainly turned things around nicely for him, having started very well last season and then go on a rather barren patch.

[Snowball]

Reading Career


14 Goals and 10 assists at a goal-or-assist every 222 minutes

That is more than decent for a winger

Also some of his goals/assists have been big, important ones

Fully agreed.

His recent run of producing goals has certainly turned things around nicely for him, having started very well last season and then go on a rather barren patch.

I think he took a long time to get over his injury.

When he came back he had lost his turn of pace and a lot of his confidence

[RoyalBlue]

Contrary to the thoughts of some, I thought our fantastic manager got tactics and subs pretty much spot on.

I think that if we had tried to defend our lead by attacking and taking the game to Norwich they would have exploited the spaces that created and ripped us apart, resulting in a heavy defeat. Far better to park a bus or two and then look to hurt them with our pace on a break. Indeed, had Meite done better with his second, much clearer opportunity, that would have worked to perfection and I think we would have come away with three points.

As for the subs, I didn't actually hear Ady Williams say it but he was spot on. Our 8 defenders were working perfectly together and it would have disrupted that had Gomes replaced one or more of them earlier in the game. That really left the front men and Meite was needed to help defend set pieces.

[Victor Meldrew]

Norfolk Royal would know better as he was at the game but it looked to me as though the two right full-backs actually both played at right-back, presumably to negate the known attacking ability of Norwich from left-back.
At times Yiadom seemed to move further across to between what would have been a right-sided centre-back and a designated full-back.

The great thing is that the system worked, even if we rode our luck and although this team is low on ability they really do generally try and that is why we will probably stay up.......just.
Credit to Gunter ,with that extra bit of cover for him, for actually performing and once again well done to the loan players who are fully playing their part.

[Norfolk Royal]

Norfolk Royal would know better as he was at the game but it looked to me as though the two right full-backs actually both played at right-back, presumably to negate the known attacking ability of Norwich from left-back.
At times Yiadom seemed to move further across to between what would have been a right-sided centre-back and a designated full-back.

The great thing is that the system worked, even if we rode our luck and although this team is low on ability they really do generally try and that is why we will probably stay up.......just.
Credit to Gunter ,with that extra bit of cover for him, for actually performing and once again well done to the loan players who are fully playing their part.

Well, Gunter generally played much further forward than Yiadom, particularly in the first half. They were closer together in the second but that may have been because Gunter was running out of steam. Don’t really think they would have deliberately have doubled up on Jamal Lewis as Max Arrons, the right back, is the more dangerous of the two in an attacking sense.