A good day for us exiles

[Stranded]

I think it's simplistic to say that because our understrength team only lost narrowly then it follows that our full strength side would have won.

Man Utd's aim was to win whilst using as little of their resources as they had to. If it was 0-0 at half time, the second half would not have been dominated by Reading and, had it gone to extra time, we would have been facing a fresh Rooney, Ronaldo and Scoles for half an hour.

The team we put out did superbly well and we should just be happy with that. Our squad has all had some experience at the highest level under the greatest pressure and, as and when we have to call on them, they will come in better prepared than they otherwise would have been. A profitable cup venture all round but any chance of winning it ended on the day of the fifth round draw.

i agree with you to a point. to say we 'WOULD' have won is simplistic, but the fact remains if we'd have played a stronger side we wouldnt have been 3-0 down after such a short time....but yes i take your point, if it was 0-0 at HT man u wouldve been more pressing for the goal....you say about extra time though, im not so sure i agree there tho, i think if we hadve made it 3-3 and taken it to extra time i feel the momentum wouldve been with the royals and we wouldve gone on to record a famous victory!!........we could talk all day about 'ifs' and 'buts' tho, but the fact remains that royals were very unlucky not to pull it back at the end and i feel if leroys goal came 5 minutes earlier we would have scored again.

Given that 3 of the back 5 are currently are first choice defence - it's very simplistic to say that it wouldn't have happened if Murty and Hahnemann had played.

[East Stand Ste]

I think it's simplistic to say that because our understrength team only lost narrowly then it follows that our full strength side would have won.

Man Utd's aim was to win whilst using as little of their resources as they had to. If it was 0-0 at half time, the second half would not have been dominated by Reading and, had it gone to extra time, we would have been facing a fresh Rooney, Ronaldo and Scoles for half an hour.

The team we put out did superbly well and we should just be happy with that. Our squad has all had some experience at the highest level under the greatest pressure and, as and when we have to call on them, they will come in better prepared than they otherwise would have been. A profitable cup venture all round but any chance of winning it ended on the day of the fifth round draw.

i agree with you to a point. to say we 'WOULD' have won is simplistic, but the fact remains if we'd have played a stronger side we wouldnt have been 3-0 down after such a short time....but yes i take your point, if it was 0-0 at HT man u wouldve been more pressing for the goal....you say about extra time though, im not so sure i agree there tho, i think if we hadve made it 3-3 and taken it to extra time i feel the momentum wouldve been with the royals and we wouldve gone on to record a famous victory!!........we could talk all day about 'ifs' and 'buts' tho, but the fact remains that royals were very unlucky not to pull it back at the end and i feel if leroys goal came 5 minutes earlier we would have scored again.

Given that 3 of the back 5 are currently are first choice defence - it's very simplistic to say that it wouldn't have happened if Murty and Hahnemann had played.

yes i know....i said i agreed with you didn't i on this point!....although would marcus have dealt with the shot for the 1st goal better???....i dunno!!...and neither do you!...its all ifs and buts mate!!.....its finished now, we DID lose and thats that......people will construct their own views and opinions on the game.

[Sharpy]

in the SU last night, im well known as a Reading fan at uni amongst the footy and rugby boys...must of had 20 odd people coming up to me saying how amazing we played in 2nd half after going down 3 in first 6 mins. i was loving it lol

[Ian Royal]

I can't deny it, we could have won it with the side that ended the game.

Erm...no we couldn't.

erm.....YES we could!!!.....when leroy an blakey came on it made such a difference!!

You really think Utd would have stayed in that low gear and let us get back into the game if we hadn't been 3-0 down. Get a grip.

[readingbedding]

I can't deny it, we could have won it with the side that ended the game.

Not if Man Utd started with their team that ended the match.

[Crasher]

We lost...get over it and move onto the next game.

[Ian Royal]

We lost...get over it and move onto the next game.

I'm not getting over that game anytime soon. It was fantastic (appart from the first 6 mins)

I may not have been to many this season, but I've seen some crackers. Yay me!

[elman]

Great day yesterday this side of the pond. Florida is breeding Reading supporters like rabbits. After supporting "Little Reading" from early days (circa 1950) at Elm Park to following them from all over the world and managing to get to games when back in town it is a strange but a good feeling that the town and team are being recognized as a really good
footballing side with bags of character. They area delight to watch especially as there are no histionics as with the so called big teams

[notloyalenuffroyal]

I don't like my thread being hijacked!

I want to hear more stories from exiles and their experience after the MANURE game

You want to talk about application - team selection - effort - goalkeepers etc then b***er off and start your own thread!

[RoyalMatt]

After getting back to Southampton after the game on tuesday I had to take my girlfriend to casualty, still wearing my colours, and spent some of the waiting time chatting to the receptionist about the game. She'd watched it and commented about how good we looked and didn't deserve to lose. She also said that the ground had an amazing atmosphere at the end.

All around uni people came up to me and said well done. This season is getting better and better!

[strap]

Theres no doubt about it, 442, Little and Hunt on the wings with Lita and Kitson upfront and that game would have been won.

Then into the last 8 with Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal all out. What a chance missed.

Football is about winning things, not giving second rate reserves playing time.

Nevermind though, because little old Reading made a decent come back and some kids reckon we did OK

Good point, but as a good many people seem to be noticing now, we seem to be getting to teh top slowly, dare i say it one step at a time.
Who's to say that winning the FACup and even qualifying for the UEFA Cup in our 1st season might be counter productice so early in our rise to the top?

Much rather we finished crditably in the league, not getting too big for or boots (Wet Spam this year anyone?), and made an assault on other trophies when the squad is established in the Premiership.

This time last year, would we have all been happy just to be comfortably out of the bottom 3 - never mind challenging for honours!!!

Bloody love this club I do!!

[Joe 90]

I work in a prison (not as a screw or inmate!) some 120 miles from Reading. Several people (both staff and prisoners) knew I was travelling down for the game and wished me good luck.

What hit me was next day when lots more people (management, staff and prisoners, many of them Man U fans) sought me out to tell me how much they admired Reading and their attitude.

Mind you there were a few comedians who shouted out "if the match had started ten minutes later you would have won!"

[jelly]

I am wearing the blue and white hoops with pride in essex. With lots arsenal fans saying they are worried about the game at the weekend. Also
loads of manure fans at work thinking that they where lucky.

[East Stand Ste]

I am wearing the blue and white hoops with pride in essex. With lots arsenal fans saying they are worried about the game at the weekend. Also
loads of manure fans at work thinking that they where lucky.

i go to uni right next to the emirates stadium...i am so gonna love wearing my hoops on monday if (BIG IF!) we win!!

[telford royal]

I don't like my thread being hijacked!

I want to hear more stories from exiles and their experience after the MANURE game

You want to talk about application - team selection - effort - goalkeepers etc then b***er off and start your own thread!

Well said Tim. Sorry, I mean Sir ! ( Hows Bertie ? )

[Elm Park Old Boy]

I too have had loads of people coming up to me saying how impressed they were ('last 20 minutes you were taking Man U apart' - I didn't think I'd ever hear that!)

And an old friend from emailed me from Chicago to saying what a great team we've got.

I just glowed with pride.

[seahawk10]

There are not enough football fans to begin with in my circle of friends, but I work with a Villa fan and am friends with a Fullham supporter and both of them said they were impressed with Reading. (We just beat Villa so he was a little less enthusiastic) But the Fullham supporter, who watched it on replay, said he nearly woke up his family with a scream after Lita's goal!

Villa fans comment was something along the lines of: "Great comeback, but if Man U wasn't playing their reserves there is no way you would have mounted such extreme pressure in the last 10 minutes of the game."

Ha!

I am watching it again on Friday as they replay it on FSC.

[YankeeRoyal]

my students knew i travelled across the pond for the first game, unfortunately there 16 year old minds couldn't quite grasp the concept of the replay, thinking i got jipped out of my money at OT since there was no "overtime"- I did have one student watch it, and give me a "tough break yesterday"- the first reading comment of the year

If I'm not breeding any Reading support, I am developing some ManU hatred amongst my students (although its mostly because everytime i bring up football in class one girl has to say how cute ronaldo is, so naturally he's getting some hate as well, which I don't mind)!

[Ian Royal]

He's considered ugly by the lady in my household. I think he looks a bit like a greasy pig.