Shane Long

[Gordons Cumming]

I think the boy is going to show everyone why he is so highly rated by the staff at Reading on Saturday............if he's picked.

[Royalee]

I think the boy is going to show everyone why he is so highly rated by the staff at Reading on Saturday............if he's picked.

He had a better game than Lita last Sunday by all accounts. He'll make the grade and break into the first team before too long.

[Alan Partridge]

I think the boy is going to show everyone why he is so highly rated by the staff at Reading on Saturday............if he's picked.

He had a better game than Lita last Sunday by all accounts. He'll make the grade and break into the first team before too long.

Not really, both equally average. Shane aint good enough to start Premiership games.....yet.

[Royalee]

I thought he held up the ball well and was more of an outlet overall. His touch lets him down at times, but he'd get in most Championship teams.

[Alan Partridge]

I thought he held up the ball well and was more of an outlet overall. His touch lets him down at times, but he'd get in most Championship teams.

Exactly. We aren't one of those anymore.

[SpaceCruiser]

I think the boy is going to show everyone why he is so highly rated by the staff at Reading on Saturday............if he's picked.

He had a better game than Lita last Sunday by all accounts. He'll make the grade and break into the first team before too long.

Not really, both equally average. Shane aint good enough to start Premiership games.....yet.

Well, he is 19 years old! What he needs is a couple of games under his belt and keep on learning. Perhaps in time he'll displace one of the strikers, but there's no rush to chuck him out of the club.

[Ian Royal]

Lita had the quality but made the wrong decisions and the game didn't suit him.

Long had potential but didn't have the experience to make a big enough impression and isn't anywhere near his potential yet.

Assuming Doyle suffers no complications in the next week or so and we keep Kitson and Lita fit I would like to see Long go out on loan to a decent league one or championship side. I think he'd come on leaps and bounds and possibly save us buying a new striker in the summer.

My only concern is we have three quite pacey small strikers and only one tall one with a strength for linking midfield and attack.

[Alan Partridge]

I think the boy is going to show everyone why he is so highly rated by the staff at Reading on Saturday............if he's picked.

He had a better game than Lita last Sunday by all accounts. He'll make the grade and break into the first team before too long.

Not really, both equally average. Shane aint good enough to start Premiership games.....yet.

Well, he is 19 years old! What he needs is a couple of games under his belt and keep on learning. Perhaps in time he'll displace one of the strikers, but there's no rush to chuck him out of the club.

Who's saying chuck him out of the club Spacey?

He NEEDS games correct, given 20 games in the Championship he'd improve ten fold. This is a lad that started 4 games? If that last season.

[Gordons Cumming]

He NEEDS games correct, given 20 games in the Championship he'd improve ten fold. This is a lad that started 4 games? If that last season.

I don't think it will take that Long.

[Royalphil]

I think the boy is going to show everyone why he is so highly rated by the staff at Reading on Saturday............if he's picked.

He had a better game than Lita last Sunday by all accounts. He'll make the grade and break into the first team before too long.

Indeed, what also impressed me about him last Sunday was a couple of cracking defensive headers out from Everton set-pieces... almost Kitson in disguise!! Definitely lots of future potential!!

[VOR]

I suspect he would already be out on loan if we weren't short of strikers. The experience would do him good.

[West Stand Man]

I think the boy is going to show everyone why he is so highly rated by the staff at Reading on Saturday............if he's picked.

He had a better game than Lita last Sunday by all accounts. He'll make the grade and break into the first team before too long.

Not really, both equally average. Shane aint good enough to start Premiership games.....yet.

You will forgive me for leaving that sort of decision to SC won't you?

[Big Ern]

I still have doubts about Shane Long. Against Everton he did lot of good work down the wing, but his final ball was poor. He is only young, but needs to develop the final incisive pass of finish before he becomes a good premiership player. Not saying he won't do it, but this is still his major challenge.

[Archie's penalty]

Think he's gonna be quality. He's incredibly quick and may turn out to be as good or a better buy than doyle. He needs time but if u look at some of the goals he's scored - the ones against Derby (all three) and against Burnley he's clearly got it in him to score quite a few. Maybe the thing he lacks is composure but this will come with time.

The modern game is all about pace and there aren't many faster than Long.

[Woodcote Royal]

Steve Coppell has said that Shane Long "isn't going anywhere" and, frankly, all I can say is, thank the lord our manager doesn't sit in the East Stand.

Long is yet another listed as "not good enough" by the same fans who want to see our young players break into the first team but moan like hell when they go the same way as all the others for the best part of 20 years....................released to ply their trade elsewhere, many having spent years coming through the ranks at our expense.

If he went out on loan there's no doubt he would benefit from playing first team football but we already know he'd be a good player in the Championship.

In my view, he's on the brink of becoming a very good player but we have to take a chance and give him a few more starts to find out for sure.

IMHO, Leroy's had at least the same number of poor performances and is know showing significant signs of improvement.

Playing things safe all the time has given us a deplorable return on our academy and if Long, probably the most gifted player of his age we've had in years, is not given a opportunity with Doyle out for a month, we might as well put up the shutters on everything below the reseves.

With 31 points in the bag, and all the bottom 3 looking less likely to reach that total by the week, I think it would be a crime not to give Shane the chance to save us a lot of money in the summer.

[Archie's penalty]

Steve Coppell has said that Shane Long "isn't going anywhere" and, frankly, all I can say is, thank the lord our manager doesn't sit in the East Stand.

Long is yet another listed as "not good enough" by the same fans who want to see our young players break into the first team but moan like hell when they go the same way as all the others for the best part of 20 years....................released to ply their trade elsewhere, many having spent years coming through the ranks at our expense.

If he went out on loan there's no doubt he would benefit from playing first team football but we already know he'd be a good player in the Championship.

In my view, he's on the brink of becoming a very good player but we have to take a chance and give him a few more starts to find out for sure.

IMHO, Leroy's had at least the same number of poor performances and is know showing sign of improvemnts.

Playing things safe all the time has given us a deplorable return on our academy and if Long, probably the most gifted player of his age we've had in years, is not given a opportunity with Doyle out for a month, we might as well put up thr shutters on everything below the reseves.

With 31 points in the bag, and all the bottom 3 looking less likely to reach that total by the week, I think it would be a crime not see if Shane can save us a lot of money in the summer.

Completely agree

[Fat Leather Jacket]

A young player desperate for the opportunity to prove himself now has the opportunity to do just that. Fair play to him and all the best to him.

[Archie's penalty]

We're also just about to play two teams who have slow static back lines and at home at that. I would hope that Lita and Long's pace will do in the likes of Morgan. We just need to play balls into the channels instead of balls throught the middle. That should pull their defence about instead of giving strong defenders the chance to dominate our little strikers. Sheff U and Wigan should be perfect games for Long to show what he can do,

[Gordons Cumming]

With 31 points in the bag, and all the bottom 3 looking less likely to reach that total by the week, .

I can I just interrupt this Shane discussion by saying that at least 1 of the bottom 3 will definately exceed 31 points with ease?

Thanks.

Please continue the discussion.

[Scarface]

Long is yet another listed as "not good enough"

I think most fans are all behind Long, they just get frustrated that he's only one of 4 strikers at the club. You only have to watch him, he's clearly not yet ready for starts in the Premiership. Hopefully he'll prove me wrong.