Wolves - Back From The Game...

[yappy]

I swear some of you must've been watching a different Kelly from me, IMO he looked very much out of his depth. He lacks physique, his positioning wasn't great, he got far too tight to his man and how many times did he just wack the ball up the field? A couple of decent runs up the field were the only thing that impressed me.

Jesus Christ!!

He was making his full home debut. It was a HUGE game. Getting tight to his marker is probably what the coaches wanted, and it worked did it not? As for hoofing the ball too much? And? He did his job, he contributed well, and his confidence this morning is as high as it possibly can be, and he will become more comfortable on the ball in time and learn to pick a pass.

With regards to his physique, he's a young boy! He will develope in body and mind. If you've noticed he's light weight, you can be sure the coaches have and will be working on him in the gym as part of that side of his development.

Well if you read the rest of my original post you would've noted that I actually already pointed out most of those points:

Now I know it was his first ever start, and nerves would've affected him and I'm not saying that he won't become a good player, I just don't know how people can justify giving him a 7 or 8 and rating him on a par with Alex Pearce, who IMO looked a class above Kelly tonight, and is probably my man of the match.

Yes I know he will develop physically and yes I know he will get more comfortable on the ball, however he was quite clearly our weakest link and IMO it will still a good long while before he's ready for the Championship. I'm just thankful its only a one game ban for Liam.

[Vision]

Pretty much what everyone else has said. My only addition is that their right back seemed to SHunt in his pocket most of the game, sign him up!!!

I too thought Foley had a decent game. He's been pretty good whenever I've seen him though to be honest.

On the flipside though he's also hugely important to them in an attacking sense in linking up with Kightly in much the same way as Rosenior does with kebe. In an attacking sense that didn't really happen last night for them so Hunt keeping him focused on his defensive duties certainly worked in our favour.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Nerves, age, physically lightweight at the moment plus he is third choice still. The lad did well up against one of the best wingers in this division and looked to grow in confidence towards the end of the game. Started to link up well with Kebe.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Pretty much what everyone else has said. My only addition is that their right back seemed to SHunt in his pocket most of the game, sign him up!!!

I too thought Foley had a decent game. He's been pretty good whenever I've seen him though to be honest.

On the flipside though he's also hugely important to them in an attacking sense in linking up with Kightly in much the same way as Rosenior does with kebe. In an attacking sense that didn't really happen last night for them so Hunt keeping him focused on his defensive duties certainly worked in our favour.

'greed, he only got a handful of crosses in down the right and even then none were from the byline.

[loyalroyal4life]

rosenior to come back in saturday, pearce to start, hopefully alongside bikey!!!

[Vision]

rosenior to come back in saturday, pearce to start, hopefully alongside bikey!!!

Works for me.

[rabidbee]

Pearce is definitely the future, I'd be happy with him alongside Doobs or Bikey.

[Woodcote Royal]

rosenior to come back in saturday, pearce to start, hopefully alongside bikey!!!

Works for me.

+ 1 provided Bikey's fit, but I'm not sure that's the case.

[papereyes]

Pretty much what everyone else has said. My only addition is that their right back seemed to SHunt in his pocket most of the game, sign him up!!!

I too thought Foley had a decent game. He's been pretty good whenever I've seen him though to be honest.

LOL

In the twilight reality that is Football Manager, he's my right back in the Premiership.

[1871royals]

I was very impressed with Pearce last night, good to see the academy baring fruit.

I will be interested to see how he copes with a pacey striker, my Southampton supporting mate, said he was a good player but struggled against pace.

[Hoop Blah]

If Pearce isn't a future Reading captain and defensive legend in the future then I'll eat my hat.

Kelly I thought did his job well, Jarvis was mostly ineffectual and once he was taken off Kelly was allowed to go forward and we saw the excellent attacking abilities.

Jarvis was their only effective player ! Got behind Kelly two or three times in the first half and should have scored in the second half. Kelly did okay against a good player but no more than that.

I's say that Kelly started a little nervous (understandably) and so was a little shaky in the first half-hour.

But after that his confidence and composure visibly grew so that in the second half there were no signs he was so new.

Totally agree Dirk.

I wonder how much help he got from being in ear shot of Wally and the rest of the bench during the second half. First half he didn't know if he was coming or going at times, but fair play he did a reasonable job most of the time, but if Jarvis had taken his chance, been a little more clinical in his delivery or Koegh hadn't been offside and missed we would be talking about how the right side had been a weak link in the first half and cost us a couple of goals.

Kelly did ok though under the circumstances and definately got better as the game went on.

I think Kebe had his best game in a Reading shirt last night. He very rarely made his usual technical mistakes and actaully looked quite up for the physical battle. Not sure if it's because he felt he needed to be there to help out young Kelly or if it was just one of those nights, but I thought he looked a bit stronger and more determined. He seemed scared to take the Wolves left back on on a number of occassions though. That was quite frustrating, especially after getting him booked early on.

Pearce was a rock though. He looked in total command back there and didn't even get done for pace from what I can remember which is a good sign up against Ebanks-Blake. A very good prospect.

[The Surgeon of Crowthorne]

I would agree with much of what Alan Partridge & Ollie Kearns's observations, with a couple of my own:
- I liked NHunt's signalling to the bench that he needed to be subbed, then just before the boards were brought up, he ran over to the opposite side of the pitch just so that his run off would waste just a bit more time.
- Just how odd-looking is Ebanks-Blake? He looks about as wide as he is tall.

[Bill Oddie's Beard]

I would agree with much of what Alan Partridge & Ollie Kearns's observations, with a couple of my own:
- I liked NHunt's signalling to the bench that he needed to be subbed, then just before the boards were brought up, he ran over to the opposite side of the pitch just so that his run off would waste just a bit more time.- Just how odd-looking is Ebanks-Blake? He looks about as wide as he is tall.

Strange thing about that is that it looked like Stephen Hunt started having a go at him and was telling him to hurry up!

[Bucks Dave]

There is a phrase that people outside the club are starting to use about us and I see Coppell used it last night. We hunt in packs. That was particularly true every time one of our players made a mistake or was beaten by one of their players in a forward position. Immediately a couple of other players closest by would move fast to close the situation down to neutralise the mistake. No yelling at each other or eyes skywards in mock disgust, just a concentration on getting things back under control again with everyone taking responsibility.

What I loved about this match more than anything was the team approach to dealing with Wolves and neutralising them. It didn't make for fluent flowing football but for a match of this importance and with a new back four it did the trick.

[PlasticRoyale]

I too thought Foley had a decent game. He's been pretty good whenever I've seen him though to be honest.

Is this the Foley that used to play with Luton? Did that really childish thing of constantly calling the player's name when you're sitting in the front row.

Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?

he ignored us for 15 mins before getting annoyed and looking over - ahhhhh wwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaannnnnkker. (i'm a fully formed adult BTW)

[Lower West]

Excellent result, decent performance but, most of all, a GREAT game. Considering we've seen some appalling football this season, today's game was a fantastic advert for CCC football. Well done 'ding & Wolves.

.

Bit confused by this, apart from a nice intense atmosphere mostly generated by our fans, the football was poor, really poor.

I have to agree. The football today reminded me of the few days when I've made the mistake of popping down to watch Bracknell Town play, thinking that the football surely can't be that bad again.

It was a diabolical advert for this division, devoid of anything resembling skill, guile or composure. I'm not usually the first to moan about us, but there's some first class turd-polishing going on by those viewing it rather more rosily than they might had we not been comically gifted 3 points.

any premier league scout looking at our players tonight would have walked away laughing. If this was the best two in the football league, then heaven help either of us if we go up if we dare to put on displays like tonight's.

[Baines]

I too thought Foley had a decent game. He's been pretty good whenever I've seen him though to be honest.

Is this the Foley that used to play with Luton? Did that really childish thing of constantly calling the player's name when you're sitting in the front row.

Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?Foley?

he ignored us for 15 mins before getting annoyed and looking over - ahhhhh wwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaannnnnkker. (i'm a fully formed adult BTW)

That will never stop being funny.

[BR2]

As ever always interesting to read all the amazingly differing views from people actually at the game.
We said before the game that it would either be a pacey high-scoring game or a typical Championship battle.
Just a few comments:-
We looked knackered-so much for all that rest recently?
I thought we were much the better side in the first half but might have gone in at 1-1 if Keogh hadn't missed a sitter.
Wolves made all the running in the second half and blasted away their only two real chances and we defended like a lower division club against a higher division team by(understandably because of the makeshift back four) whacking the ball into no-man's land and saw out the game brilliantly including that spell of about 5 minutes when they were trapped in that left corner.

I suppose I always want my team to play the beautiful game but have to accept that under managers like Pardew and Coppell that won't happen but we will play effective football and ,until we get to the Premiership again, winning football.
We can play a bit when we want to and the knock-down by N Hunt just behind Harper would have led to a goal if the knock-down had been a bit better.I just wish that we would play a bit more of a passing game because giving away possession at the higher level would be our downfall again.

On individuals I thought S Hunt was very poor for the umpteenth time this season and N Hunt is starting to do the running up blind allies with his head down that his brother does but other than that he had a good battling game.
As others have said Pearce did well again and although he might be too slow for Premiership he is very solid in the air and doesn't panic.
Kelly looked overcome by the occasion but I was so pleased the Coppell stuck with him because he really came to the fore in the last 15 minutes and he might well be mentally stronger for the experience-it reminded me of McGhee throwing in an untried Mark Holtzman for his debut at Man City.
Have we also seen the new Kebe?-the one who did very little early on but for the last quarter played like a man possessed-more of it please.

All in all a good night with Sheff Utd,Burnley and Preston all losing.

[IMAMATEOFJOVSKY]

Thought tactically, Coppell was right on the button -

Wolves success this season has centred on Jarvis. Ebanks 'Blake and Kightly working as a unit. Kightly was totally snuffed out of game, and without him despite Jarvis having some success first half, it took the wheels of the way they like to operate.

They are far less effective if you can nail one of the wingers and stop the supply, which Coppell succeeded in doing

[Ian Royal]

I've only read page 1 so far, but my thoughts are something like this.

An exciting, but not especially high qualtiy game, with a poor niggly ref and little actual cutting edge from either side. We didn't seem to get in many shots, but then neither did they. Certainly not anything on target, unless it was offside.

Once again, we defended deep, as is our want, which at least partially negated their pacey wingers attacking threat. Kelly struggled with Jarvis, but improved as the game went on.

I thought their keeper showed what poor distribution actually was. His kicking was laughable for much of the game. League 1 standard at best. Made Marcus's look world class.

I'm not sure who my MOTM would be, neither of our wingers IMO were particularly effective. Shunt ran into too many blind allies and tried to get a nuts too often. Kebe looked very exciting and dangerous. Yet once again failed to really produce very much of any importance. He reminds me more and more of Mass Sarr. Looks really fast and exciting, but doesn't really deliver anywhere near what he should. Yes I realise he has a lot of assists, and he certainly delivered more earlier in the season. But the last two games I've seen (Watford & Wolves) he hasn't actually created many chances.

The result was excellent, especially considering our makeshift back 4.

I think I'd probably go for Armstrong as MOTM thinking about it. Played some delightful balls forward, set up the goal and didn't get too troubled by Kightly.

Cisse has some very wobbly moments at the back, but never bad enough for them to score.

I thought Gunnarsson was lucky to be on the pitch by the end. He clotheslined a Wolves player whilst going up for a header in the second half. I've seen them given as straight red before. I was totally shocked to see the ref initially give the freekick our way. He also then went in late on someone on the otherside of the pitch.

Saying that, Wolves made a couple of very cynical fouls to stop counter attacks. Usually on Kebe.

I though Harps had a good game bar his one stupid moment giving the ball away just outside the box in the first half. Although he made up for it by being the player who blocked the cross. Some nice passes, one of our few shots on target and another occasion he was unmarked near the six yard box screaming for the ball only for the player on the left to lose it.

Thought we'd lose this one. Very very very happy.