Match Thread- H'field (A) sponsored by a pint of John Smiths

[TBM]

McCarthy, Gunter, Cummings, Gorkss, Pearce, Williams, Obita, McAnuff, Drenthe, Pogrebnyak, Sharp
On the bench for the Royals: Federici, Kelly, Akpan, Robson-Kanu, McCleary Blackman, Le Fondre,

[AirRaidSiren]

McCarthy, Gunter, Cummings, Gorkss, Pearce, Williams, Obita, McAnuff, Drenthe, Pogrebnyak, Sharp
On the bench for the Royals: Federici, Kelly, Akpan, Robson-Kanu, McCleary Blackman, Le Fondre,

I'm happy with this. Get in.

[SPARTA]

Mcanuff starts - hopefully NOT in the middle, otherwise we'll be overrun by everybody through the centre.

[tlcs]

I fear we are in for a spanking !!

[strap]

McCarthy, Gunter, Cummings, Gorkss, Pearce, Williams, Obita, McAnuff, Drenthe, Pogrebnyak, Sharp
On the bench for the Royals: Federici, Kelly, Akpan, Robson-Kanu, McCleary Blackman, Le Fondre,

Quite how Blackman, (our 8th most expensive signing EVER, btw), gets anywhere near the 18 man match day squad is beyond me.

Oh, and spies tell me Vaughan is carrying an injury so won't start - which means he'll grab a hat-trick of course! Another snippet, Kelly and Akpan are being offloaded in the Jan window as Adkins doesn't rate them. Can't see it myself as who would take Akpan, and we are so short of defenders would seem nuts to release an experienced one. Apologies for not sticking in unfounded rumours.

Update - Seems spy got first bit right - no Vaughan according to Sporting Life website.

[The Prisoner]

McCarthy, Gunter, Cummings, Gorkss, Pearce, Williams, Obita, McAnuff, Drenthe, Pogrebnyak, Sharp
On the bench for the Royals: Federici, Kelly, Akpan, Robson-Kanu, McCleary Blackman, Le Fondre,

Quite how Blackman, (our 8th most expensive signing EVER, btw), gets anywhere near the 18 man match day squad is beyond me.

Oh, and spies tell me Vaughan is carrying an injury so won't not start - which means he'll grab a hat-trick of course! Another snippet, Kelly and Akpan are being offloaded in the Jan window as Adkins doesn't rate them. Can't see it myself as who would take Akpan, and we are so short of defenders would seem nuts to release an experienced one. Apologies for not sticking in unfounded rumours.

Update - Seems spy got first bit right - no Vaughan according to Sporting Life website.

Kudos for getting the Vaughan injured scoop 40 minutes after the teams announced.

[SPARTA]

I fear we are in for a spanking !!

We're very lightweight. We'll either score a few looking at that side, or we'll be like a warm knife through butter.

[ScottishRoyal]

Interesting line-up; I'm surprised to see Drenthe starting so soon and to not start Akpan is a bit of a snub given he's our only remaining CM fit to start with Williams.

As an aside, is anyone else having Reading Player problems? The BBC Berks commentary isn't playing and the Huddersfield stream comes from Radio Leeds who have chosen to cover the Doncaster vs Leeds fixture today.

[Ian Royal]

Interesting. Presume 4-4-2 with one of Drenthe, Obita or McAnuff in midfield - probably Obita?

Could possibly be 4-3-3 though.

Bit of a gamble playing Drenthe from the start given his fitness. It's a pretty good team considering we have 4 central midfielders out, one prevented from playing by having been absolutely dire in his last appearance and two first choice defenders out.

[BenSmith91]

Meh looking team. Woulda given Akpan a start given our problems in central midfield atm

1-1

[Victor Meldrew]

Looks a bit of a non-tackling midfield so there could be a few goals IMHO-let's hope we get at least one more than them.

[Emmer Green Royal]

I'm listening to Reading Player, and the sound balance between the guys at the stadium (loud), Adie in the studio (ok) and the lady reading out messages (very quiet) is very poor. Is it the same for people listing to Radio Berkshire?

[Royal Ginger]

I fear we are in for a spanking !!

They're on form and rising in the table, we're clinging on by our fingernails with a horrid away record. We're not favorites here.

[Ian Royal]

Drenthe sitting in the No. 10 hole according to Dellor. Not sure I can figure out the formation from the commo so far. No surprises there.

[SPARTA]

I fear we are in for a spanking !!

They're on form and rising in the table, we're clinging on by our fingernails with a horrid away record. We're not favorites here.

They are, but they're missing their main man up front, so that's a boost.

[St. Brynjar]

Drenthe sitting in the No. 10 hole according to Dellor. Not sure I can figure out the formation from the commo so far. No surprises there.

4-3-1-2 perhaps?

[Ian Royal]

Huddersfield get a good chance early on and Gooding says we're playing a diamond in midfield. If 'uddersfield are playing 5 in the middle we may be in for a hard day if that's the case.

...............McCarthy
Gunter, Pearce, Gorkss, Cummings
................Williams
.....McAnuff............Obita
...............Drenthe
.........Pog...........Sharp

[RockheadRumple]

Defo 4-4-2 diamond

McCathry

Gunter, Pearce, Gorrks, Cummings

Williams

Obita, McAnuff

Drenthe

Pogrebnyak, Sharp

[leon]

has anything actually happened?

[Ian Royal]

has anything actually happened?

Huddersfield are not clincal upfront, couple of good chances. About 5 shots to our 1?, 4 off target though. Including 1 that went for a throw.