Return of Leroy Lita?

[SteveRoyal]

Yes, bring him back.
Yes, get Marek back, too.

Obviously, Marek is more important to us, though.

[sam1]

Marek, yes.
Lita, no way.

[RoyalBlue]

Today we really needed an impact sub. Twinkle toes Long proved that, despite the hype, he just hasn't got the quality of Lita.

Leroy should be brought back from the East Anglian wilderness and given the chances and support that Long has enjoyed.

[Rex]

Think the loan will be extended on Lita but again dependant on our results. Is Lita a want away player who doesn't like his toenails clipped too often.
Mooney should at least start appearing on the bench as a replacement to Long. Long came across tonght as slightly heavy footed and lacking a deft touch. I don't get to any reserve games and only saw Mooney come on late against Luton. Coppell has limited options at the mo but seems in danger of following the same path (reference his favourites) who are starting to get jaded.

.

[Royalee]

ALOL at the thicker posters on here (same culprits as last year) moaning it's the strikers' fault we don't score when they get no service from our midfield. Gunnarsson showed his class once again today with an inept performance against a mediocre side. If Reading had been playing a Premiership side today then they would have been taken apart.

[rfcjoe]

ALOL at the thicker posters on here (same culprits as last year) moaning it's the strikers' fault we don't score when they get no service from our midfield. Gunnarsson showed his class once again today with an inept performance against a mediocre side. If Reading had been playing a Premiership side today then they would have been taken apart.

Basically every game last season then....?

[Royalee]

ALOL at the thicker posters on here (same culprits as last year) moaning it's the strikers' fault we don't score when they get no service from our midfield. Gunnarsson showed his class once again today with an inept performance against a mediocre side. If Reading had been playing a Premiership side today then they would have been taken apart.

Basically every game last season then....?

Yep, which is worrying as I fear the weakness of the Championship is completely masking the fact that there's been no progress for yet another year. Hahnemann's not the Hahnemann of 06, Rosenior's not a patch on the Murty of then, Armstrong is an insult to Nicky Shorey, Ingimarsson's now past it, leaving Bikey the only one comparable to that defence and he was average today making several mistakes. 18 months on and Coppell still persists with trying Gunnarsson as Sidwell's replacement.

[Bubbly4Me]

Agree - Lita couldn't have helped.

As already said, our problem was the midfield. SHunt had a massively bad day. Kebe, although fast and unpredictable (and hence a joy to watch) had, as usual, no idea on what was going on around him.

As on Tuesday, we had no luck with loose balls - most of them fell to the opposition.

We still made chances today and could have scored 3 or 4, but bad luck stopped that. Doyle came closest - will have to see the highlights to see how he missed that one!

We've taken 4 points from 2 bad (and unlucky) performances. Settle.

However, as much as I find his style amusing, Bikey is indeed a liability.

[Archie's penalty]

ALOL at the thicker posters on here (same culprits as last year) moaning it's the strikers' fault we don't score when they get no service from our midfield. Gunnarsson showed his class once again today with an inept performance against a mediocre side. If Reading had been playing a Premiership side today then they would have been taken apart.

Basically every game last season then....?

Yep, which is worrying as I fear the weakness of the Championship is completely masking the fact that there's been no progress for yet another year. Hahnemann's not the Hahnemann of 06, Rosenior's not a patch on the Murty of then, Armstrong is an insult to Nicky Shorey, Ingimarsson's now past it, leaving Bikey the only one comparable to that defence and he was average today making several mistakes. 18 months on and Coppell still persists with trying Gunnarsson as Sidwell's replacement.

How's life in the negative ghetto my friend?

[Royalee]

How's life in the negative ghetto my friend?

Negative is playing for a low defeat at home to Arsenal and not even daring to suggest we could ever compete with some of the teams in the Premiership. Negative is trying to cope with what you've had for the last three years in midfield when it's been proving time and time again that replacements are needed. Negative is admitting defeat and quitting a club after less than a month. Negative is being narrow-minded and only signing players who will do things your way and not dare to constructively criticise in order to improve. Negative is failure to overcome language barriers and not thinking outside the box to overcome problems.

Positive is seeing these problems, seeing there is potential for better things and wanting them to happen so that good times can be had. Negative is reactive and short-term. Positive is pro-active and long-term.

I do hope this helps old chap, hopefully there are positive times ahead not too far around the corner.

[Archie's penalty]

How's life in the negative ghetto my friend?

Negative is playing for a low defeat at home to Arsenal and not even daring to suggest we could ever compete with some of the teams in the Premiership. Negative is trying to cope with what you've had for the last three years in midfield when it's been proving time and time again that replacements are needed. Negative is admitting defeat and quitting a club after less than a month. Negative is being narrow-minded and only signing players who will do things your way and not dare to constructively criticise in order to improve. Negative is failure to overcome language barriers and not thinking outside the box to overcome problems.

Positive is seeing these problems, seeing there is potential for better things and wanting them to happen so that good times can be had. Negative is reactive and short-term. Positive is pro-active and long-term.

I do hope this helps old chap, hopefully there are positive times ahead not too far around the corner.

Don't completely follow you there but well done for lambasting Stevie C. I think that he has made some important changes this year as it happens. Nhunt and Armstrong have added something to the team. Karacan is the nearest thing we have to a replacement to Sids (which I agree has been too long in coming). Let's see what happens in the Burnley game. If it goes badly then I will think serious changes are needed. Not after a 0-0 home draw with QPR. Capiche?

[Millsy]

Those of you who find it necessary to use personal insults can keep your views to yourselves thanks.

As to the rest, I take the point re: service and was in fact going to start three threads
1) Lita
2) terrible midfield second to every ball and unable to proide outstanding service
3) Bikey's dodgy moments
but I didn't/don't want to start many threads so I stuck with the Lita issue. Why choose this as the most pressing issue over the others you may rightly ask, especially when it seems our service is the problem?

Because we have 3 other midfielders just waiting to come back in and Coppell will have no qualms about doing so, so it's a no brainer point (which I of course agree with) but it doesn't need a new thread. His wholesale midfield substition change signified this, and we've Marek coming back too. As for Bikey dodgy moments do happen and may might be a one off. The solution would be to invest in a new centreback but this won't happen until January if at all.

So I decided to put my energies into the Lita issue only because he is OUR player who is scoring goals for ANOTHER team at the moment and we can get him back (does he have a recall option?) and the striker issue has been the case for a little while now. Yes we may have Nunt/Doyle but Mooney is a nothing at the mo and Long is no real threat. So that leaves us with effectively only two strikers and so like today whether they get "found out" or "marked out the game" or 'get poor service' or one has a "bad day" or one simply gets injured or we fancy a change where are we?

Yes we can moan about the service but short of saying "we must get Sidwell back NOW" we have no realistic options other than to stick with the lads that have been doing a grand job so far service-wise. And we have to get used to the fact that however good the service capability of our midfield (which has been excellent so far) it is going to be battled and drowned out of games by teams looking to draw against us week in week out.

Running an autopro chasing team with two decent proven startable strikers is NOT an option, good service or bad. If only for the sake of more OPTIONS we have to get Lita back. If we had him he'd come on for Nunt and I'm sure would've changed the game like he's doing weekly for Norwich. Today we had no such option. And unsuccessfully tinkering around with the midfield service today proved that if a team is going to battle defensively in midfield you're unlikely to get bags of service whoever you have playing for you and you sometimes just need the OPTION of putting a troublmaker up front. And God knows he's the best troublemaker in the division.

In summary we may well have a tough season ahead with teams suffocating our service, we will need something else up our sleeve, 2 strikers is NOT enough, and Lita is that proven something we might need. NOW.

[Millsy]

Those of you who find it necessary to use personal insults can keep your views to yourselves.

As to the rest, I take the point re: service and was in fact going to start three threads
1) Lita
2) terrible midfield second to every ball and unable to proide outstanding service
3) Bikey's dodgy moments
but I didn't/don't want to start many threads so I stuck with the Lita issue. Why choose this as the most pressing issue over the others you may rightly ask?

Because we have 3 other midfielders just waiting to come back in and Coppell will have no qualms about doing so, so it's a no brainer point (which I of course agree with) but it doesn't need a new thread. His wholesale midfield substition change signified this, and we've Marek coming back too. As for Bikey dodgy moments do happen and may might be a one off. The solution would be to invest in a new centreback but this won't happen until January if at all.

So I decided to put my energies into the Lita issue only because he is OUR player who is scoring goals for ANOTHER team at the moment and we can get him back (does he have a recall option?) and the striker issue has been the case for a little while now. Yes we may have Nunt/Doyle but Mooney is a nothing at the mo and Long is no real threat. So that leaves us with effectively only two strikers and so like today whether they get "found out" or "marked out the game" or 'get poor service' or one has a "bad day" or one simply gets injured where are we?

Yes we can moan about the service but short of saying "we must get Sidwell back NOW" we have no realistic options other than to stick with the lads that have been doing a grand job so far service-wise. And we have to get used to the fact that however good the service capability of our midfield (which has been excellent so far) it is going to be battled and drowned out of games by teams looking to draw against us week in week out.

Running an autopro chasing team with two decent proven startable strikers is NOT an option, good service or bad. If only for the sake of more OPTIONS we have to get Lita back. If we had him he'd come on for Nunt and I'm sure would've changed the game like he's doing weekly for Norwich. Today we had no such option. And unsuccessfully tinkering around with the midfield service today proved that if a team is going to battle defensively in midfield you're unlikely to get bags of service whoever you have playing for you and you sometimes just need the OPTION of putting a troublmaker up front. And God knows he's the best troublemaker in the division.

In summary we may well have a tough season ahead with teams suffocating our service, we will need something else up our sleeve, 2 strikers is NOT enough, and Lita is that proven something we might need. NOW.

[PlasticRoyale]

Those of you who find it necessary to use personal insults can keep your views to yourselves.

As to the rest, I take the point re: service and was in fact going to start three threads
1) Lita
2) terrible midfield second to every ball and unable to proide outstanding service
3) Bikey's dodgy moments
but I didn't/don't want to start many threads so I stuck with the Lita issue. Why choose this as the most pressing issue over the others you may rightly ask?

Because we have 3 other midfielders just waiting to come back in and Coppell will have no qualms about doing so, so it's a no brainer point (which I of course agree with) but it doesn't need a new thread. His wholesale midfield substition change signified this, and we've Marek coming back too. As for Bikey dodgy moments do happen and may might be a one off. The solution would be to invest in a new centreback but this won't happen until January if at all.

So I decided to put my energies into the Lita issue only because he is OUR player who is scoring goals for ANOTHER team at the moment and we can get him back (does he have a recall option?) and the striker issue has been the case for a little while now. Yes we may have Nunt/Doyle but Mooney is a nothing at the mo and Long is no real threat. So that leaves us with effectively only two strikers and so like today whether they get "found out" or "marked out the game" or 'get poor service' or one has a "bad day" or one simply gets injured where are we?

Yes we can moan about the service but short of saying "we must get Sidwell back NOW" we have no realistic options other than to stick with the lads that have been doing a grand job so far service-wise. And we have to get used to the fact that however good the service capability of our midfield (which has been excellent so far) it is going to be battled and drowned out of games by teams looking to draw against us week in week out.

Running an autopro chasing team with two decent proven startable strikers is NOT an option, good service or bad. If only for the sake of more OPTIONS we have to get Lita back. If we had him he'd come on for Nunt and I'm sure would've changed the game like he's doing weekly for Norwich. Today we had no such option. And unsuccessfully tinkering around with the midfield service today proved that if a team is going to battle defensively in midfield you're unlikely to get bags of service whoever you have playing for you and you sometimes just need the OPTION of putting a troublmaker up front. And God knows he's the best troublemaker in the division.

In summary we may well have a tough season ahead with teams suffocating our service, we will need something else up our sleeve, 2 strikers is NOT enough, and Lita is that proven something we might need. NOW.

I'm not reading all that. Can someone bullet point. Ta

[juanpablo]

. stop talking shit

. lita gives us options

. i like boobies

[papereyes]

So what if ... we bring Lita back and he plays like he's played for the last season and a half? That will be a great boost to our promotion push.


Preston - we were unlucky. We created a lot and it was goalkeeping, the woodwork and great defending (plus the ref missing a penalty shout) that stopped us getting a result, once the defensive mistakes had been made.

QPR - they weren't good but they knew how to keep us at bay. Where we're lacking is in central midfield - we don't have anyone who can really take the game by the scruff of the neck and drive us forwards. Karacan may become that player, Bryn maybe was that player. Harper, Cisse and Marek may be options but, honestly, do you see it from those three? I think Harper + someone might be the next best option. Karacan and Bryn both look like they need a rest.

I don't think it was down to the strikers. At the heart of it, the central midfield was AWOL and Kebe and Hunt had less of an impact because they had less support. However, it would be nice to have an extra striking option on the bench for when we resort to hoof ball. Not Long, someone big, mean and good at that type of game. That isn't Lita btw.

[2.8 lita injection]

How come if we win a few games we will get 107 points, then if we lose a few we are slipping into mediocrity, if a striker does well then he is going to sold for certain, if a defender makes a mistake he is a villain , a goalkeeper that misses a cross is useless, a on loan striker scores a few goals and he is the next lineker.

???

[Sarah Star]

How come if we win a few games we will get 107 points, then if we lose a few we are slipping into mediocrity, if a striker does well then he is going to sold for certain, if a defender makes a mistake he is a villain , a goalkeeper that misses a cross is useless, a on loan striker scores a few goals and he is the next lineker.

???

That's what football's all about, isn't it?

[2.8 lita injection]

Personally i think their is a new breed of fans now that want things instantly, and sometimes even quicker than that.

Reading would be better in the long term keeping steve coppell until he drops dead, nearly a fact.

[SCIAG]

Everyone quickly forgets how useless Lita's been for 18 months because he scores a few for Norwich.

Lita's first touch is worse than Long's, as is his dribbling, his aerial ability, even his finishing, which is so hyped up it's unbeliveable.

Gunnarsson goes from "if we had him all season last year, we'd've finished in the top half" to utterly useless.

Bikey goes from "top 10 defenders in the world, better than Vidic" to "liability".

Kebe goes from great to terrible, oh, wait, he actually does .

Karacan goes from tough tackling, creative and incredibly quick to lightweight, uncreative and slow.

Hunt goes from "as good at crossing as Little" to useless.

That's what I call fickle.