Independent assessment of today

[ITFC_Keane]

You started quite brightly and for the first 20 mins, I thought you'd go on and win it. I thought the penalty was dubious, my mate said it was a foul. Either way, Kishnivilli (?) definitely did not deserve to be sent off for the challenge, which was what that twot Don Goodman (have you ever done summink bad to him previously?) was practically screaming for on Sky.

Second goal should have been prevented by the keeper. The ball in looked reachable. Cue Goodman and the Sky commentator eulogising over Swansea having one foot in the Premier. At this stage, they could do no wrong. I'd have been peed off by the commentary if I was a Reading fan. The third was just no-one tracking that fat scottish bloke who scored for Blackpool last season. 3-0 was definitely not deserved at this stage. The referee kept stopping play for minor infringements which led to a few in the pub getting a bit restless with him.

Half-time thoughts were generally "If Reading play like they did at Portman Rd second half, this aint over". And we were right. Out they came gunning and forced an OG and the best goal of the game, through Mills' header. Then Karacan hit the post and the striker couldn't tap in the rebound, and then what.....? Twenty-five minutes left and suddenly you took your foot off the gas and the sheepshaggers got back into it a bit. Was it tiredness?

Second penno was stonewall. We didn't think much of Leigertwood. Every touch seemed laboured. So near. Brave effort in the early part of the second half, but you didn't get the breaks when needed and were punished for two moments of poor judgement at the back, not tracking back once and a debatable penno.

[Jaques Francais]

Thanks for that ITFC_Keane, that is pretty much my take on the game, so good to hear it from someone with no axe to grind.

[Ruud Van Kitson]

ditto.

[Ian Royal]

Thanks for that... I actually agree on Legs, certainly by midway through the second half he seemed to be showing why he'd earned the nickname "Legs of Wood" elsewhere. Too many of his passes were poor today and too many times he either didn't win the ball when I'd expect him too, or dwelt on it too much when he did.

Still, only a poor performance from him by his own very high standards and he's looked a little out of sorts since he came back from injury / knew he'd got a contract.

I think not being able to turn in that shot off the post stole away our belief. At around that time I think Karacan picked up a knock which combined with Legs tiring sapped our energy. Maybe we were saving up for a big last ten minutes.

[ITFC_Keane]

Cheers Jacques - I don't think it was a 4-2 game. Maybe Swansea were just better at converting chances. Once they did that, they just defended deep and you had to run at them to create anything yourselves. For what it's worth, I think BM has done a fantastic job for you, and will continue to do so, given a bit of financial backing and the services of most of that team.

Kebe, Long, McAnuff, Church, Mills and Noel Hunt are players anyone'd love in this division.

Enjoy the summer everyone - I know it sounds faux and naff to say it after a defeat in a p.o final, but you'll be back up there next season.

[Jaques Francais]

Cheers Jacques - I don't think it was a 4-2 game. Maybe Swansea were just better at converting chances. Once they did that, they just defended deep and you had to run at them to create anything yourselves. For what it's worth, I think BM has done a fantastic job for you, and will continue to do so, given a bit of financial backing and the services of most of that team.

Kebe, Long, McAnuff, Church, Mills and Noel Hunt are players anyone'd love in this division.

Enjoy the summer everyone - I know it sounds faux and naff to say it after a defeat in a p.o final, but you'll be back up there next season.

NP. look forward to playing you guys again next year, always a pleasure coming to your place.

[Toon Toon Blue army]

Agree with everything you just said, spot on. Was very frustrating how we seemed to sit back after we hit the post instead of kicking on.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

You started quite brightly and for the first 20 mins, I thought you'd go on and win it. I thought the penalty was dubious, my mate said it was a foul. Either way, Kishnivilli (?) definitely did not deserve to be sent off for the challenge, which was what that twot Don Goodman (have you ever done summink bad to him previously?) was practically screaming for on Sky.

Second goal should have been prevented by the keeper. The ball in looked reachable. Cue Goodman and the Sky commentator eulogising over Swansea having one foot in the Premier. At this stage, they could do no wrong. I'd have been peed off by the commentary if I was a Reading fan. The third was just no-one tracking that fat scottish bloke who scored for Blackpool last season. 3-0 was definitely not deserved at this stage. The referee kept stopping play for minor infringements which led to a few in the pub getting a bit restless with him.

Half-time thoughts were generally "If Reading play like they did at Portman Rd second half, this aint over". And we were right. Out they came gunning and forced an OG and the best goal of the game, through Mills' header. Then Karacan hit the post and the striker couldn't tap in the rebound, and then what.....? Twenty-five minutes left and suddenly you took your foot off the gas and the sheepshaggers got back into it a bit. Was it tiredness?

Second penno was stonewall. We didn't think much of Leigertwood. Every touch seemed laboured. So near. Brave effort in the early part of the second half, but you didn't get the breaks when needed and were punished for two moments of poor judgement at the back, not tracking back once and a debatable penno.

Thanks mate. Spot on view of the game. Can we make this sticky and stop the stupid RFC "fans" posting utter drivel about the game???????

[Maria Kr.]

Agree with everything you just said, spot on. Was very frustrating how we seemed to sit back after we hit the post instead of kicking on.

Ditto. While I completely understand why that shot hitting the post had the opposite effect (it's not like they can reasonably be expected to keep it up forever) you were just wishing it to spur them on further. But alas, wasn't in the cards

[No Fixed Abode]

first one was stone wall also. HTH.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Ball was well away from the Swansea player when the tackle was made though. The more I see it the more it was a handball before it though.

[westendgirl]

Agree with everything you just said, spot on. Was very frustrating how we seemed to sit back after we hit the post instead of kicking on.

Ditto. While I completely understand why that shot hitting the post had the opposite effect (it's not like they can reasonably be expected to keep it up forever) you were just wishing it to spur them on further. But alas, wasn't in the cards

agree. I think the tiredness after hitting the post was most noticeable in the players we needed most then namely Jimmy and Jobi. I must admit first half I was questioning playing Jimmy as he seemd blown very early and after all had not played for too long but he did manage to keep going.

I had a text from a Chelsea friend at the end saying your team are such fighters. That made me proud - OK we didn't win but we disn't give in.

[PEARCEY]

Agree with most of the o/p but having watched the highlights when Mrs P taped for me last night it was clear the first pen was clear-cut. Kish was already on a yellow so he could easily have walked but Dowd made the right call not giving him another yellow.

[Svlad Cjelli]

Agree with most of the o/p but having watched the highlights when Mrs P taped for me last night it was clear the first pen was clear-cut. Kish was already on a yellow so he could easily have walked but Dowd made the right call not giving him another yellow.

IMHO it was one of those instances where a second yellow card is "worth more" than a first one. If he wasn't on a yellow maybe he'd have got one for that - but he wasn't going to get sent off for that.

[Agent Balti]

To make a bleedin' obvious point, hitting the post instead of it going in was the (last) turning point. After that we had lost the momentum that the quickfire two goals gave us. Swansea were bricking it and they couldn't find a white shirt in the second half up until that point.

The penalties looked like stonewallers to me. If they were for us, I'd be livid if the ref didn't give them. (However, with a pedantic cock like Dowd, you never know.) I think ITFC has it pretty much summed up though. One more goal and we'd have done it, no question.

[Gordons Cumming]

ITFC_Keane

Thanks for that mate, believe it or not, you had made a real impact on my recovery.

I think you need to get rid of Keane on your username by the way. (HTH)

Cheers

[Gordons Cumming]

Agree with most of the o/p but having watched the highlights when Mrs P taped for me last night it was clear the first pen was clear-cut. Kish was already on a yellow so he could easily have walked but Dowd made the right call not giving him another yellow.

IMHO it was one of those instances where a second yellow card is "worth more" than a first one. If he wasn't on a yellow maybe he'd have got one for that - but he wasn't going to get sent off for that.

Why is any foul worth a yellow these days? It really urks me this rule. Yellows should be for bad fouls or constant fouling not the sort of thing Zurab did.

Who was the player who took tackled Hunt from behind? Isn't that a sending off offence?

These rules nowadays are ridiculous!!

[If you still hate Futcher]

To be honest watching in the stadium (and admittedly with a heavy bias) both penalties looked soft but you could understand them being given. On the first I was watching Dowd as soon as he gave it and I'm sure he was going to card Zurab and then realised he'd be off so thought better of it. HAving seen a replay of the first I do have to admit that it was a penalty.

The second penalty was a silly challenge from a defender who has enough experience to know better - I'm not condemning Griffin though as he was still trying to get the ball back but you just knew that Dowd was going to blow as soon as he touched the Swansea player.

Dowd wasn't the reason we lost but I think the ironic cheer when we finally got a freekick in the second half said it all.

And hats off to the Swansea defender (Tate I think) who blocked Hunt's shot from the rebound off the post - when Hunt hit it I was just waiting for the net to bulge but that was absolutely brilliant defending.

I would also like to say how proud I am of the whole team for the way they came out in the second half - I would love to know what was said at the half-time team talk which alone shows what a good manager and great motivator BMcD is.

[PEARCEY]

I think it was Monk with the block. It looked odds on Hunt would score and it was a great block. Just looking back at the highlights we really could have won yesterday but I'm finding it difficult to appreciate the defending of three of our back four yesterday.

[If you still hate Futcher]

And the best comedy moment of the day was Dobie's "shot" just before he was subbed which crawled its way out for a throw