Back from the game......and really angry!

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Seriously I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again. What is Cisse doing play centre mid for a Premiership football club? I've not seen passing like his since the dark old days. Every time he has the ball it goes either to no one or straight to the opposition. Every bloody time. We better have something lined up, cause it's that bad that I'm really looking forward to Bryn being back.

Totally agree.

God knows what Fae's done.

Knocked up one of JM's daughters?!

[seahawk10]

Until we sign another GK there's no point even debating Marcus. What we gonna do, get Stack back from Wolves reserves? Play Fed?

Is there any other team in the Prem with no competition at all for it's GK place?

I agree. As much as I like Marcus having an alternative to him will do two things. It will raise his performance as he knows that a run of poor play will see him sit. It will give us the ability to ride the hot hand if the backup comes in and gets results we stick with him until he has a run of bad games.

[AthleticoSpizz]

If I were one of the 10 players to have finished the game today, I would have been hurt (and pissed off) with some of the comments on here.


The game was dead as a competition..............and lost in the 3rd minute, I thought we did bloody well to compete (at all) until Utaka's game killer.

The ref/eaststand lino were the worst that I have ever seen in 35 years of watching Reading (even worse than Durkin).


For those that criticised todays' team performance, you obviously haven't been watching Reading long enough

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Yeah we're just little old Reading, think where we've come from.

Why is our past an excuse?

We're not as good as we were last season, that's the only thing that matters.

Even to us that were there when it was shite.

[Gordons Cumming]

If I were one of the 10 players to have finished the game today, I would have been hurt (and pissed off) with some of the comments on here.


The game was dead as a competition..............and lost in the 3rd minute, I thought we did bloody well to compete (at all) until Utaka's game killer.

The ref/eaststand lino were the worst that I have ever seen in 35 years of watching Reading (even worse than Durkin).


For those that criticised todays' team performance, you obviously haven't been watching Reading long enough

Exactly

Platypuss has been watching for about 3 minutes.

[Royal Rother]

It was a pretty uninspiring performance but I felt sorry for the outfield 9 who were left on the pitch.

This is the 2nd game over Christmas where we have played with 10 men for the majority of the match, and we have no squad rotation policy whatsoever, and we don't make substitutions until the 83rd minute.

So I think any criticism of the team would be very misplaced today. (Well, Sonko and Hahnemann apart...) On the whole we held our own pretty well, and seemed to be carrying a rather unwell Shorey as well... I've never seen a full back outpaced as easily as Utaka kippered him for his goal. Again, why no early substitution?!!!

[Southbank Old Boy]

It was a pretty uninspiring performance but I felt sorry for the outfield 9 who were left on the pitch.

This is the 2nd game over Christmas where we have played with 10 men for the majority of the match, and we have no squad rotation policy whatsoever, and we don't make substitutions until the 83rd minute.

So I think any criticism of the team would be very misplaced today. (Well, Sonko and Hahnemann apart...) On the whole we held our own pretty well, and seemed to be carrying a rather unwell Shorey as well... I've never seen a full back outpaced as easily as Utaka kippered him for his goal. Again, why no early substitution?!!!

I don't often agree with you RR but I do agree with these sentiments.

Coppell and the club made a mistake not strenthening the squad over the summer and we're paying the price right now.

[peckhamwolf]

Funny how much difference 6 days makes.

[M Brook]

Seriously I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again. What is Cisse doing play centre mid for a Premiership football club? I've not seen passing like his since the dark old days. Every time he has the ball it goes either to no one or straight to the opposition. Every bloody time. We better have something lined up, cause it's that bad that I'm really looking forward to Bryn being back.

Totally agree.

God knows what Fae's done.

Knocked up one of JM's daughters?!

Is this the Fae that was seen driving AWAY from the MadStad at 1 50pm today?

[RoyalBlue]

Please explain how it was a cynical/professional foul

Dear god whats wrong with you.... Sonko was behind the player and had no chance of getting the ball , he just smothered the player to stop his run on goal

I'll reserve a full response until I've seen the replay (including the possible offside). However, it's not the way I saw it from where we were sat. I felt he made an honest attempt to get to the ball and it was not the cynical 'professional foul' that the ruling was introduced to deal with.

If all referees dealt with it in the moronic letter of the law 'rules are rules' way that Dean did, most games would be turned into a complete farce. Just think back to all of the similar instances we have seen, particulary those where the keeper brings down an attacking player, that haven't be dealt with by red cards. Have I missed something, does the ruling not apply to keepers or have Dean's colleagues realised what would happen to the game if they kept sending the keepers off?

Please drop the faux umbrage, it's increasingly tiresome.

Simply apply the common sense approach of considering what decision you would want the ref to make if the roles had been reversed and it had been Doyle brought down by Campell in an identical sutuation.

You'd have been frothing at the mouth with self-righteous indignation if Campbell hadn't been sent off. And you know it.

Sorry I tire you (not really) but I'm going to keep banging away at that drum. It's because we have so rarely seen opponents sent off in similar and far worse situations that I am so peed off with today's decision. Incidentally had Doyle decided to go to ground rather than get a shot in when fouled in the area in the first half, would Dean have dished out the red again (the defender was the last man and it was a clear goalscoring opportunity)? It's the inconsistency amongst officials that is so annoying and that comes because some act as wise men using the rules for guidance whilst the fools like Dean blindly follow the rules.

However, the biggest problem, as I mentioned previously, is that the rules are stupid in the first place. The red card should only apply where there has been a cynical professional foul and we should have competent referees who can call that right in the significant majority of cases.

[Daniella]

Why wasn't murty sent off when he pulled benjani or whoever it was back on the break, should have been a second bookable offence. Poor refereeing, he should have walked.

[BLUES & ROYAL]

I thought the game as a contest was over after five minutes today as the numpty in the middle and is compatriots (especially the one in the first half by the east stand) totally ruined the match.
Perhaps it was me, but I thought Portsmouth looked awful, even with 14 men, they appeared to have a lack of confidence and had the roles been reversed we would have had a hatfull! (Although that Dustbin chappie looked quite good!)

I think the fact that there fans sat there in total silence for long periods spoke volumes.
Had we had a full team they were there for the taking, so being the ever eternal optimist I am not so down as some of you appear to be.

Still they are still officially our Bogey team as we yet again fail to score a goal at home against them.

Looking on the bright side, who would you sooner have running your club?
A dodgy bent geezer with a twitch or Sir Steve.

I rest my case!

[Tilehurst Mike]

I have not been so angry at a game for a long time.

Why or why was Sonko sent off for that challenge? Don't give me any of the "last man" nonsense either!!!

The referee was a complete joke as was is partners in crime. Mr & Mrs Lino.

Didn't the referee know it was New Years Day?

I hate referees...................

Totally disagree and the ref was spot on with this decision. Just how many more penalties is sonko going to give away and our defence leak!!

[AthleticoSpizz]

Why wasn't murty sent off when he pulled benjani or whoever it was back on the break, should have been a second bookable offence. Poor refereeing, he should have walked.

oddly enough, that did cross my "shot-away" mind at the time

[peckhamwolf]

The ref went for his yellow card then realised (as they often do) he had booked him already so put it back.

Would have made it a better game if he had gone.

[Forest Gump]

[quote="Diddyroyal"]sonks shouldn't have playing anyway, thats what annoys me most.

SC got it wrong today.[/quote

I am very inclined to agree. Sonko has been playing below par since his return from injury and getting worse in his last couple of matches. I admire the loyalty SC shows his players but points are now more important than that and I think with hindsight he will regret his decision to play on with Sonko.

Worryingly enough Sonko is not the only player who has all but totally lost form. I am afraid that we must admit Murty is no longer able to compete at this level and I also don't think that Hahnemann is exactly covering himself in glory at the moment.

Still, the widow is now open and I fully expect that all three affected positions will see some movement.

I don't expect SC will make the same mistake of thinking he hes a strong enough squad as it is. It is glaringly obviouse that we cannot survive much longer this season with the current personnel.

Also, Nugent for Lita would ssem to be a bit of a "no-brainer".

[Victor Meldrew]

I thought the game as a contest was over after five minutes today as the numpty in the middle and is compatriots (especially the one in the first half by the east stand) totally ruined the match.
Perhaps it was me, but I thought Portsmouth looked awful, even with 14 men, they appeared to have a lack of confidence and had the roles been reversed we would have had a hatfull! (Although that Dustbin chappie looked quite good!)

I think the fact that there fans sat there in total silence for long periods spoke volumes.
Had we had a full team they were there for the taking, so being the ever eternal optimist I am not so down as some of you appear to be.

Still they are still officially our Bogey team as we yet again fail to score a goal at home against them.

Looking on the bright side, who would you sooner have running your club?
A dodgy bent geezer with a twitch or Sir Steve.

I rest my case!

Funny how we all see things differently.
As I saw it Pompey strolled through the game like a practice match and I felt that if they needed to they could have stepped up another gear.

Glad to see that not many are blaming the ref for the big decision-we came away hoping that our inadequacies wouldn't be coloured too much by the ref's performance.
I agree with RR that it is difficult to give ratings when it's 10 v11 but one point-one day hopefully we will not top The Premiership stats for giving the ball away and will learn from the way Pompey played today and in the earlier game against them.
Football is meant to be a passing game so until we learn to play with some composure all around the pitch we will struggle at this level.

Whether the players that we have can play with composure,craft and pace is debatable-we rely so much on hopeful balls forward and often waste the talents of the front two by running them into the ground chasing lost causes.
At least after these two defeats the club might accept that we do need more and better players otherwise IMHO we will flirt with relegation and run the risk of undoing the great works of last season and the fair effort so far this season.

[paultheroyal]

There is no last man rule, the sending off was for denying a goalscoring opportunity. If he got the man before the ball then he should have gone.

What a stupid rule!!!!

Why should the team be punished twice then?????..........and the home fans for that matter..........and the game as a spectacle?



Idiots.

He applied the laws - we lost.

End of.

[Gordons Cumming]

There is no last man rule, the sending off was for denying a goalscoring opportunity. If he got the man before the ball then he should have gone.

What a stupid rule!!!!

Why should the team be punished twice then?????..........and the home fans for that matter..........and the game as a spectacle?



Idiots.

He applied the laws - we lost.

End of.

The law's an arse.

End of.

[paultheroyal]

There is no last man rule, the sending off was for denying a goalscoring opportunity. If he got the man before the ball then he should have gone.

What a stupid rule!!!!

Why should the team be punished twice then?????..........and the home fans for that matter..........and the game as a spectacle?



Idiots.

He applied the laws - we lost.

End of.

The law's an arse.

End of.

Its why we watch football.

End of.