Back from the Game

[Royal Boil]

I am surprised that we have signed such a good left back in this current market without looking to the future.

Erm, what does that mean?

[Woodcote Royal]

Re Kebe. It's amazing how short people's memories are around here. I can remember Sonko during his first season with RFC and what a donkey he was. Waste of space doesn't even begin to describe it. He couldn't head the ball, couldn't distribute the ball, but by God he could hoof it up into row Z, which is what he spent most of his time doing. Fast forward a while and he's turned into Superman and is a crowd favourite. To me, Kebe shows the same sort of latent promise. There's something there, certainly in the way that he goes past opposition players, but the final ingredient, with that telling final ball or that instinctive football brain, is still missing. Be a bit patient and I think he'll eventually get it, just like Eliza Doolittle, by George. And as BBCRB keep saying, if he wasn't so inconsistent we wouldn't have landed him!

I think he'll turn into a great player for us

+1

Remembering all those accusations of "no ambition" from some of the same sources when we signed players like Kitson................................... +3

[LoyalRoyal22]

Strap - Kebe wasn't crap. Far from it. He's just a bit rough around the edges.

Thanks for your update. I know how he feels!

However, based on what little commentaries filtered through to my PC today, he was cr@p. Three "good" runs I believe, with NO end product. Quite how a run can be considered "good" if nothing comes of it is quite beyond me. How many crosses did he put over? How many times did he get to the bye-line? How many tackles did he make? Against Ipswich he was a complete joke of a "player". Utter waste of space. Presumably his miss of an open goal in the first 10 minutes so dented his confidence, he quite forgot there were another 80 mins to play?!? I won't bother to mention passes to him bouncing off his heals, his leisurely jogs around the half-way line when there were often 2 or 3 ipswich players careering into empty space he should have been patrolling. At least the ImpOSTER gave the impression of knowing what he should be doing, despite not having the abilty to do it. Kebe is simply a clown.

If that is the generally accepted RTG definition of a good player, we are in serious trouble. Even more so if it what the RFC staff define as a good player! There is a very good reason he was playing bit part football for Bologne in the French 2nd division last year. And yet he was bought to help save our Premiership status? Oh please!

Shut up. Kebe was probably our best player yesterday. You dont no what your talking about? was you even there?

Actually, I'm being unfair on Kebe. It's not his fault he's out of his depth. It's the weird "parallel universe" our transfer "policy" resides in that really riles me. He is just the physical manifestation of this "policy", so perhaps I should give it a rest? On second thoughts, perhaps not! Someone has to point out the elephant in the room!!

Shut up. Kebe was probably our best player yesterday. what are you talking about

[LoyalRoyal22]

Really dissapointed that we didnt win to be quite honest, it should have been 3-0 at half time. The referee was a joke.
My ratings...

Marcus- 7- Made a top save
Rosenior- 7- Had a good game today, some of his wing play was excellent.
Armstrong- 7- Solid game, nothing fancy.
Pearce- - 7- Brilliant in the air
Bikey- 7- Had a good game, Why was goal ruled out? shocking
Kebe- 8- Made not have scored or set one up, but he was so dangourus, great peformance.
Hunt- 7- Good game, made some brilliant crosses.
Harper- 6- Gave the ball away to many times today
Karacan- 6- Same as Harper, and they both lack a little physical presence
Doyle- 6- Had a quiet game
Hunt- 6- Played well but missed a sitter

[SCIAG]

I am fed up with the negative vibes regarding Armstrong, to me he has been one of best signings in years. He has fitted in straight away and does his job. 90% he is in the correct position & makes many interceptions.

As the goals were at the other end of the pitch i cant be 100% if he was at fault but he was one of better players, i have him down as Mr consistent & i am surprised that we have signed such a good left back in this current market without looking to the future.

The problem is, he's replacing our best ever left back. Therefore, he will constantly be (subconsciously) compared to Shorey, and he's no where near Shorey's level.

[66DD]

I don't think that we played well yesterday, but had the opportunities to be out of sight while Watford were on the ropes after losing Poom early on. The Officials' performance from the first "goal" onwards really made a mockery of the whole game and spoilt it as a contest. At the end of it I was satisfied that we had managed a draw.

I think that the ramifications of that "goal" will haunt us for a long time as every referee will try to even things up, albeit subconciously perhaps. I do not exect a debatable decision going our way in the forseeable future. I think that we can look forward to legitimate goals being chalked off, offside decisions going against us at both ends of the park and a procession of players in hooped shirts being red carded for innocuous offences. I hope that I'm wrong , but I just can't see officialdom letting us get away with it.

[Royal Lady]

^^^ the game was "evened" up by the ref disallowing Bikey's goal and not giving us a penalty when it looked a dead cert to me.

Therefore, I hardly think future refs are going to be trying to penalise us in future games for a decision made in another game and which didn't benefit us in the end anyway.

[earleyroyal]

Staggering incompetence from the officials, I've seen better referees in park matches. In particular the linesman who gave the goal, and missed some of the most obvious fouls you could ever see in the second half, should be sacked or at least demoted to about Step 9 of the League. He was comfortably the worst official ever. I thought the ref played advantages well but, as you'd expect, was subconsciously trying to even things up after that awful decision.

Watford were/are shit and if we were ever going to win away, that was the day. Should've been about 3-0 up after 20 minutes without the goal, Kebe played like Ronaldo to start with. A vintage Kebe moment when he ran from the edge of his own area, beat about 3 players then went to cut it back and fell over if he can find an end product then he'll be fine for this league, if not then I'm not sure. When we knocked the ball around in the first quarter of the match we looked better than Watford. When we decided to hoof it, we didn't, simple as that. These footballers are not stupid, I'm sure they don't try to hoof it, but again the lack of a central midfield ballwinner (Karacan might just about be up to it but Harper was missing for about the 85th away game in succession) meant that we lost the midfield and nearly the game. Not sure about our penalty, Bikey's goal was a blatant push.

The defence looked fairly solid from what I could see, Watford only had about 3 or 4 real chances. The goals didn't look too clever but we couldn't see much from the other end, apart from that I feel happy with our backline. Unfortunately that means no Bikey in midfield which is still our weakest area, and has been since May 2007.

'Taking the positives' we didn't lose (should've done), and showed we can out-pass teams rather than out-hoofing them. Rosenior/Kebe looks promising and the desire of the players can't be faulted. Still doesn't look like a promotion team though.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Officials - enough said, totally ruined the game by making it a complete farce

Looking at the playing side of things not particularly brilliant but at least a point away from home which possibly was deserved

Perhaps things might have been better had N Hunt not had the squits!

[Humanistic]

A hugely frustrating experience- the sort of game we would have won 2 or 3 - nil three years ago.

Seeing the goals on the Championship again, Pearce was the fault for the second goal- lost the header and then too slow to respond meant that their guy was free to run in on goal. Personally I'd put Ivar back in next league game.

Another thing was the lack of options from the bench once Long had come on- two defenders and an off-form left winger to chose from. Surely just to have the option of using Mooney or even Lita would be a better bet. Can't understand why Kelly is there every game- both times he come on he's played right wing- so we might as well have Henry surely?

[moo]

Watford fans could be the worst in the league.

Apparently they thought "shit on the floor" was a racist jibe.


This whole day has got me mighty angry, i think i need sleep.

It was a racist jibe.

[Negative_Jeff]

Reading were superior all over the pitch yesterday but once again we were let down by Coppell`s tactics and could easily have ended up losing the game.
Kebe`s pace and his ability to beat players on either side frightens defenders and they are forced to retreat ten yards and occasionally double up to counter him. Unfortunatly we do not get him on the ball often enough due to our back four constantly looking for out balls to the strikers. To bring wide players into the game there needs to be some linkup play and movement in our own half, something that used to happen with Little in the team but not now.
A number of excellent individual performances against some inept opposition at home should not disguise the fact that our passing and teamwork has not yet been given the chance to flourish.

[Far Canal]

Watford fans could be the worst in the league.

Apparently they thought "shit on the floor" was a racist jibe.


This whole day has got me mighty angry, i think i need sleep.

It was a racist jibe.

How is it racist?
It's not very nice and I do not join in with it, but I've heard it used for players of any colour.

[Rex]

The player not the skin colour. How can that possibly be seen to be racist. Such sensitive souls are amongst us.

[strap]

Shut up. Kebe was probably our best player yesterday. what are you talking about

Oh, OK. That wins the arguement does it? Bizarre.

If he was our best player yesterday, it says very little for the others. We're doomed .... doomed I tell you!

Next you'll be telling me Paul Holsgrove was a legend of yesteryear, and the ImpOSTER was also an RFC great!

Do behave. Roll on Saturday for the next instalment of the "Kebe is a legend" show.

(Apologies, typed Leg when I meant Bell).

[From Despair To Where?]

Shut up. Kebe was probably our best player yesterday. what are you talking about

Oh, OK. That wins the arguement does it? Bizarre.

If he was our best player yesterday, it says very little for the others. We're doomed .... doomed I tell you!Next you'll be telling me Paul Holsgrove was a legend of yesteryear, and the ImpOSTER was also an RFC great!

Do behave. Roll on Saturday for the next instalment of the "Kebe is a legend" show.

(Apologies, typed Leg when I meant Bell).

But strap, you've already said you weren't at the game so how on earth can you make a statement like that and expect to be taken even slightly seriously?

[Archie's penalty]

To Victor. I think there was a vast improvement in determination and grit yesterday. Hunt, Karacan and others felt that a win for Watford would have been undeserved and they worked to right that wrong. It was good to see that desire from the players. Since the beginning of last season there hasn't been enough of it at the club. I think Karacan gives us more bite in the middle. I would consider replacing Harper with Matejovsky to give us a great passer out there. He would be able to release players like Kebe, Nhunt, his brother and Doyle who are our key attacking players. Harper gave the ball away too much with bad passes at crucial moments. If Karacan's level falls we can replace him with a fit Gunnarsson.

Someone suggested replacing Pearce with Ingi. I'd give Pearce a couple more games. If he makes the mistakes that he made yesterday regularly we have Ingimarrson ready to step in.

And Earley Watford are far from poor. They played with spirit and determination at times yesterday and I find posters' belittlement of them a bit galling.

As for Kebe + 4 to him being a great player. I also am very happy with the signing of Armstrong. He's big enough to win headers and he fights. Finally I would not blame Coppell for tactical issues yesterday. I initially did so when Nhunt came off but it's not Coppell's fault that Noel had the sh*ts...

[Super_horns]

And Earley Watford are far from poor. They played with spirit and determination at times yesterday and I find posters' belittlement of them a bit galling.
*ts...

I thought we did try to pass it more than in our last 2 games but your defence was pretty solid and I was surprised we managed to get 2 goals.

You were the better side with more quality as you would expect though.

[rg6royal]

Pleased with a point. Bring on Swansea

[Archie's penalty]

And Earley Watford are far from poor. They played with spirit and determination at times yesterday and I find posters' belittlement of them a bit galling.
*ts...

I thought we did try to pass it more than in our last 2 games but your defence was pretty solid and I was surprised we managed to get 2 goals.

You were the better side with more quality as you would expect though.

Thanks Super Horns. I agree - I was shocked we conceded the two goals. I still think you played quite well...