Back from the Preston game

[Arch]

0-0s are frustrating especially in consecutive games but I think what you are seeing is the fear of fans that it could all be slipping away and last year is still fresh in the memory when that happened so the reaction is understandable.
Like you,I couldn't go today so we can be more rational about the result whereas you can surely remember those feelings of frustration after a couple of 0-0s?

Victor, I think the fear is more of being stuck in an uncomfortable scrap for automatic promotion til the last day, when we could be safe before then. I'm not sure anyone sees us slipping away in the sense of falling out of contention. The most frustrating thing about today for me is that if we'd won - even 1-0 on the phantom handball incident - we'd really be in a commanding position, two points behind faltering Wolves with a game in hand, four ahead of Brum, and ten ahead of Cardiff. Instead we're just one of the three stumblers at the top letting Cardiff join the party and making things anxious.

On the other matter of debate here, the different constituencies have different interests and frustrations. "Back from the Game" is perhaps not the best place to talk about strategic or statistical matters. It's about how well we played and how incidents affedted the game. From that point of view, it's not the right forum for those of us who didn't go to the game to raise issue. I was happy with the QPR 0-0 (not having gone to the game) because in the big picture it was a good result to get. I'm not happy today, because 0-0 at home to a team with the biggest home-away differential is not a good outcome and we missed a huge opportunity to make our mark on the race. But I wouldn't think either attitude has much bearing on how people who went to the game judge its merits.

[SteveRoyal]

I want to see Tabb and Henry play next game.

[Man Friday]

Thought Doyle looked a class above - superb hold-up play - BUT didn't have any goal scoring opportunities so you have to ask whether he's (at least partly) to blame.

[ellpryjon]

Not a great game, but i dont think PNE were ever going to let it be one.

Officials were indifferent, weak at times, pedantic the rest.

Whenever we were given the opportunity to break, players were fouled.

Refreshing to see Harper is made the scapegoat (again) Im not saying he had a great game, but he was no worse than anybody else. Personally, i would like to see Harper matched with Marek at CM, it may well emulate the Harper/Sidwell which proved successful in the past.

On the wings some poor crosses ill admit, Hunt and Kebe were relativley ineffective. However i think some fans have had illusions of grandeur on the wings, of late, and some perspective is needed.

[Man Friday]

It's not that bad - We have played most of the top sides twice now and have not got a bad run in.

Are you kidding? Of the last nine matches SIX are away!!!

Still think Birmingham & Wolves are main threat - Cardill have a lot of games to play and do not have stregth in depth so will fall away.

We'll see. Personally I'm fully expecting Cardiff to end up in the top two.

[Royalee]

Shower of shit. No creativity in midfield, S. Hunt is just as useless as always, as is Harper. Shit subs, Cisse gets moved forwards when Matejovsky comes on which is a stupid tactical decision, just all of it was rank bad. The sooner Coppell leaves the sooner I can get back to watching some decent football at an ambitious club.

[Sarah Star]

The two best players on the pitch were Armstrong and Pearce, and they are both defensive players so it wasn't a good performance overall when we should be winning our home games.

I can forgive Doyle because he did put in an effort, but he did get clouted early on.

Stephen Hunt did his 100% but sometimes either he wasn't thinking straight or things didn't quite work for him.

I hope we can get back to form for Bristol City because this isn't easy watching.

[Wiggypop]

Marek coming on actually showed a bit of class amongst the dross.

I beg to differ. He showed that he can deliver a quality pass if given time and space by the opposition and that he hasn't got the strength on the ball to make that space and time very often. Sad, but true. I'd love to see him succeed as he clearly has something but we haven't seen it very often.

That alone makes him stand out above every other Reading player on show recently as there's little evidence of the others being able to.

rah rah rah

[Ian Royal]

I've changed my original post as I thought it was a knee jerk reaction. Therefore your answer does not make sense.

Well done. Any chance of restricting your ill informed, second hand bilge to the one thread?

Schards, stop being such a pathetic twat.

[Wiggypop]

I've changed my original post as I thought it was a knee jerk reaction. Therefore your answer does not make sense.

Well done. Any chance of restricting your ill informed, second hand bilge to the one thread?

Schards, stop being such a pathetic twat.

No chance of that Ian!!

[bob_da_royal_94]

Questions I would have would be :

1. Why do we not play our football along the floor and pass quickly ?
2. Why do we always go to the wings and cross the ball and not play through the middle? There is no creativity, we try and score the perfect goal all the time.
And 3. Why cross the ball all the time and play our football in the air with strikers that arn't the tallest and all pretty much have the same style of football. This when we wish we had Kitson back.

As many of you are rightly saying, just dull and uninspiring football at the moment, it is a mircale we're where we are in the league to be honest.

Your thoughts please guys. Thanks.

[brendywendy]

Shower of shit. No creativity in midfield, S. Hunt is just as useless as always, as is Harper. Shit subs, Cisse gets moved forwards when Matejovsky comes on which is a stupid tactical decision, just all of it was rank bad. The sooner Coppell leaves the sooner I can get back to watching some decent football at an ambitious club.

do you like reading football club at all?

[Row Z Royal]

Shower of shit. No creativity in midfield, S. Hunt is just as useless as always, as is Harper. Shit subs, Cisse gets moved forwards when Matejovsky comes on which is a stupid tactical decision, just all of it was rank bad. The sooner Coppell leaves the sooner I can get back to watching some decent football at an ambitious club.

do you like reading football club at all?

[Gunny Fishcake]

Questions I would have would be :

Your thoughts please guys. Thanks.

Sexist

[woodley_royal_124]

The only consolation is that the teams around us are not on a very good run either........we huffed and puffed against a very stubborn PNE defence and all credit to them for that; we just could not break them down, which as clearly their 'game plan'. I don't think I can recall one attempt on target from any of their players; the only player who posed any threat to us was their No. 29 on the left (Stephen Elliott) and occassionally their No.26 , Mr Parkin ! It does mean however that other teams below who are on better runs are going to encrouch and thats where we need to be careful that we do not become complacent with the fact that although we might be getting 1 point from a draw, we are actually dropping two points every time we draw !

[SirGarth]

Anyone noticed how we are starting to play more and more like Wimbledon of old?

Wonder what coach could be making that happen? Maybe the same one who is out shouting at the team the whole game.

[papereyes]

Thought Doyle looked a class above - superb hold-up play - BUT didn't have any goal scoring opportunities so you have to ask whether he's (at least partly) to blame.

with Lita on the pitch?

Think about it.

[Royalee]

Shower of shit. No creativity in midfield, S. Hunt is just as useless as always, as is Harper. Shit subs, Cisse gets moved forwards when Matejovsky comes on which is a stupid tactical decision, just all of it was rank bad. The sooner Coppell leaves the sooner I can get back to watching some decent football at an ambitious club.

do you like reading football club at all?

Yeah, I like a lot of what Madejski's built - shame the manager can't take it anywhere as he hasn't the tactical skills or mental strength.

[S09Royal]

Shower of shit. No creativity in midfield, S. Hunt is just as useless as always, as is Harper. Shit subs, Cisse gets moved forwards when Matejovsky comes on which is a stupid tactical decision, just all of it was rank bad. The sooner Coppell leaves the sooner I can get back to watching some decent football at an ambitious club.

do you like reading football club at all?

Yeah, I like a lot of what Madejski's built - shame the manager can't take it anywhere as he hasn't the tactical skills or mental strength.

Will you be saying that at the end of the season when/if we're promoted, too?
Coppell has done a brilliant job here, but if we are promoted, like others have already said, we need another manager to help sustain our Premier League status.

[bcubed]

I'm sure this will bring howls of outrage from those who love him and think he's a reformed character, but I don't think Leroy just fits into our system up front.

Yes, he's dangerous on his own, but his presence makes the whole front line somehow less dangerous - not quite sure what it is, but with NHunt - or even Long - up front with Doyle they had a fluency and were creating chances for each other. When Leroy's up front that's just not there.

No outrage from me

It seems to me to be plain for all to see that Lita doesn't gel with Doyle - I think he ploughs his own furrow, so to speak

Thought he was ok apart from a couple of awful attempts at controlling the ball but I can't remember him and Doyle linking up more than once. On the other hand Noel and Doyle seemed to have an immediate understanding the first time they played together. It's not an easy thing to put your finger on put some players work well together - some don't