Back from the game - Ipswich

[The Prisoner]

No consolation but things could be worse.

19 Northampton 35 6 7 4 24 17 3 4 11 19 29 -3 38
20 Yeovil 36 3 8 5 18 22 6 3 11 14 35 -25 38

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21 SWINDON 36 5 6 7 29 32 2 8 8 21 28 -10 35
22 Brighton 35 4 5 10 26 36 4 6 6 16 19 -13 35
23 Hereford 34 6 4 8 21 19 2 2 12 11 34 -21 30
24 Cheltenham 35 5 4 9 26 35 1 3 13 15 43 -37 25

I live within earshot of Chester City's ground. Things could be a lot worse.

Actually I couldn't give an sh1t about Chester. I am one p1ssed off bunny tonight.

I was a season ticket holder in the 70s when we played sh1t every week, but that doesn't make this any easier, not least because it seems entirely avoidable.

[Alan Partridge]

USA - 3 Not as good as Federici

Rosenior - 4 Hoofball
Doobs - 1 If a player's form is this bad he should be dropped or humanely destroyed
Pearce - 6 mostly because of the bandage
Armstrong 2 hoofer supreme

Little - 6 tried hard
Harper - 7ish motm?
Bryn - 4 a reserve
S. Hunt - 6 ok

Long - 7 not bad
Kitson - 5 not fit

Subs
Kebe - 5 - ok
Emperor's new clothes - 2 like somebody from the Tommy Burns era
Doyle - 4

Coppell - worrying

It is funny how people see the same game so differently.

Duberry a 1 because he didn't beat the whole side before backheeling it in, despite not losing a single header in 90minutes including some superb last ditch headers, Hahnemann isn't as good as Federici despite making the save of the season and Kitson despite trying to play the entire match with his mouth instead of his feet moaning at the officials for 90minutes gets a higher rating than Armstrong. Extraordinary.

[working class hero]

It makes my blood boil how we were so good early in the season yet now we are playing worse football than bottom of the table charlton

Selective memory.

Forest? Good? Not.
Dagenham? Poor.
Charlton? Thrashed 4-2
Ipswich? Dire....

We were p+ss poor early in the season. It was mid-Sept when we came good. That lasted till Xmas. Since then we have been appalling.

I hope we do not go up - if we do Derby's record could be in danger!
Perhaps RFC is still too small to compete at the top level....

Still Donny / Palace and Coventry are coming up and we won't see the players too scared to shoot in case they are mocked by the Madstad muppet brigade. Perhaps those who booed would like to stick their STs up their bums and do us all a favour by not renewing? The players are currently very poor - but are trying their guts out and I for one will always support them as long as they keep trying.

[North Somerset Royal]

USA - 3 Not as good as Federici

Rosenior - 4 Hoofball
Doobs - 1 If a player's form is this bad he should be dropped or humanely destroyed
Pearce - 6 mostly because of the bandage
Armstrong 2 hoofer supreme

Little - 6 tried hard
Harper - 7ish motm?
Bryn - 4 a reserve
S. Hunt - 6 ok

Long - 7 not bad
Kitson - 5 not fit

Subs
Kebe - 5 - ok
Emperor's new clothes - 2 like somebody from the Tommy Burns era
Doyle - 4

Coppell - worrying

at Doobs mark. 1 is too generous although he was man of the match according to some idiot on BBCRB. I could not believe that Coppell had selected him again given his recent dire performances and once again he was dire so at least he is consistent!

[AthleticoSpizz]

USA - 3 Not as good as Federici

Rosenior - 4 Hoofball
Doobs - 1 If a player's form is this bad he should be dropped or humanely destroyed
Pearce - 6 mostly because of the bandage
Armstrong 2 hoofer supreme

Little - 6 tried hard
Harper - 7ish motm?
Bryn - 4 a reserve
S. Hunt - 6 ok

Long - 7 not bad
Kitson - 5 not fit

Subs
Kebe - 5 - ok
Emperor's new clothes - 2 like somebody from the Tommy Burns era
Doyle - 4

Coppell - worrying

at Doobs mark. 1 is too generous although he was man of the match according to some idiot on BBCRB. I could not believe that Coppell had selected him again given his recent dire performances and once again he was dire so at least he is consistent!

Truely puzzled with that one...he wasn't great, but not worthy of such a pathetic 1 out of 10 appraisal.

That being said...where the funk is Bikey?

[roberto_11]

z

[roberto_11]

Terrible terrible game

Marcus 6 - One outstanding save but poor distribution and didnt have much else to do
Rosenior 1 - Absolute oxf*rd. Complete Tripe. Utter Bollocks. Had the distribution of parcel force on a snow day, showed no intelligence when Little tried to link up with him. Nothing. Gunnarsson played there at the end. Says it all.
Armstrong 6 - Can't ever fault his commitment, just doesnt offer us the same going forward that Shorey did in his hayday.
Duberry 5 - Yes he won most headers but I really think aimless hoofing out of defence is the root of our problems. Doobs does this more than anyone. I think Pearce needs his experience at the back, and a Bikey Pearce partnership could either blossom or implode.
Pearce 6- Similar performance to Doobs although somehow his aimless hoofing didnt register anywhere near as frustrating. I guess we expect less of him as he is home grown and hasn't played in the Premiership for years.
SHunt 5- Worked a bit harder but offered nothing in the way of creativity or vision as you would expect a left winger to do.
Little 7 - Glimpses of the Little of old, looked better in the 2nd half just unfit. Our most dangerous player
Gunnarsson 6 - Can't fault the guys commitment hes just past his best and was probably as shocked as us having to play right back
Harper 6 - Usual Harper performance, worked hard but struggles to actually contribute anything etc.
Long 6 - Terrible first touch again but worked hard, probably felt Doyle breathing down his neck from the bench, waiting for the substitution everyone knew would happen.
Kitson 4 - Not match fit. Undecided. Should never have started but not his fault.

Kebe 7 - Same old Kebe - beats a man or 2, gets you on the edge of your seat then wacks a cross straight at the keeper time and time again.
Doyle 6 - Didnt really do anything good or bad
Marek 5 - Different planet comment sums it up. Tried to change the game but his overly inventive passing was just way off. Shame. Although it seemed he was trying "too hard" to impress Coppell by trying hollywood balls.

My team for next game (assuming bog standard Coppell 442)

Fed

Bikey Doobs Pearce Armstrong

Little Cisse Marek Tabb

NHunt Doyle

Subs: Marcus Kitson Kebe Bryn Long

Bring Kebe on for Little when him and defenders start to tire to make use of Kebes pace. Kitson may have the ability to spur on a goal charge in the last 20 mins. Bryn can provide defensive and midfield cover. Harps not on bench as don't see how he could change a game either way. Long seems harsh to drop him completely but desperatley want to see the NHunt Doyle partnership that worked so well earler in the season. Fed in just for the improved distribution.

[Denver Royal]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't quite a few clamoring for USA's recall?

Yet then when he is, Coppell is a dumbass for doing so?

Its ok...I won't go back and retrieve the posts.

[Denver Royal]

Bikey would be ever-present in some Premier League teams.

Which one's? And, uh, how come he isn't there?

[Barry the bird boggler]

I have never been so ashamed of this club's performances as I have been these last 5 home games. To even call what was put on display in those games a performance would be pushing the boundaries of the trades descriptions act.

By the time Sheff Utd come to visit on Good Friday it will have been over two months since our last home win, by the time next Saturday's game at Palace hoves into view it will have been three months since we last managed to win on a Saturday. THREE months of miserable godforsaken weekends and quite reasonably, given our current form, it could be another three months until we see another Saturday win.

Time and time again I see a direct comparison to 2004/2005 when we threw away a great position on the edge of automatic promotion to not even make the play offs. All of that followed a home stuffing of Watford just after christmas. Also, like that season, we've brought in two players on loan - whether they'll make the same "valuable contribution" of Ferdinand and Keown remains to be seen. For the record the worst of the appailling run we had that season was behind us after a 1-0 defeat in a crap effort in South Yorkshire on a Tuesday night - however we still had a 3 game defeat to nicely round our season off to look forward to.

On the upside there was quite a change in the playing squad that summer with several players leaving...

So can we buck the trend of that season and cling on to win the play offs or is it already as good as "That's All Folks".

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Kitson the saviour, total bo**ocks.

Kitson should be embarrassed for putting the RFC shirt back on an putting in a lazy performance like that against Ipswich.

If Coppell thinks he can cruise around the pitch doing nothing all game while Doyle who has always put in a stint for RFC sits on the bench he has lost the plot.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Kitson the saviour, total bo**ocks.

Kitson should be embarrassed for putting the RFC shirt back on an putting in a lazy performance like that against Ipswich.

If Coppell thinks he can cruise around the pitch doing nothing all game while Doyle who has always put in a stint for RFC sits on the bench he has lost the plot.

You have to be kidding. Kitson put in more in one game than Doyle has done at home for two months. Doyle looks completely lost, without any idea of what he has to do to get a shot away, let alone score, just as he was last season.

[Man Friday]

Coppell has definitely lost the plot. For years he talked about the importance of having "pace and power" in a team. Where's ours? Gunnar, Marek, Harper, Doobs, Little, even Kits? You could almost mention the whole team. Instead, he put out a team that had no pace (where needed) and little power. Same old Reading. You've let us down. Again.

[Royal Lady]

It also seems that the old RFC "apologists", the ones that never have a critical word to say about the team, manager, JM, the catering have all suddenly disappeared overnight too. Perhaps, finally, those wearing the RTGs have finally seen what many of us have been saying for months.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Rev Algenon Stickleback H, 15 Mar 2009 10:12
The Real Sandhurst Royal wrote:
Kitson the saviour, total bo**ocks.

Kitson should be embarrassed for putting the RFC shirt back on an putting in a lazy performance like that against Ipswich.

If Coppell thinks he can cruise around the pitch doing nothing all game while Doyle who has always put in a stint for RFC sits on the bench he has lost the plot.

You have to be kidding. Kitson put in more in one game than Doyle has done at home for two months. Doyle looks completely lost, without any idea of what he has to do to get a shot away, let alone score, just as he was last season.

You don't attend many games then as Doyle has led the front line all season getting the sh*t kicked out of him every game.

[The 17 Bus]

FAO RL

Love to hear a realistic opinion of just what should happen at RFC, to make what you have been saying for months better??

We know somes opinion, Coppell out now!! though just two weeks ago that would have been foolish.

We also know that many havae had worries for a long time, but we rarely see a realistic answer to the worries.

[CMRoyal]

The ball to the right wing was rubbish and a perfect example of what your on about

Yes he might expect an overlapping fullback to be running into that space, but not when that fullback is a tiring Gunnar who was giving the left back a massive headstart and was far too far away from where the ball was going in the first place. Kebe wouldnt have had much chance of getting on the end of it let alone Kebe

Kebe would've got it, even Gunnar had he been determined and forward thinking enough.

I hope to goodness Marek leaves in the summer, because he's wasted at this club.

[Royal Lady]

I don't have all the answers, I'm not paid to have them! But, I think the bulk of our problems lie with the fact that some of our players are too old and getting slow - Bryn and Doobs in particular. I can only think that Bikey has had a falling out with Copps for Copps not to even entertain the idea of putting him in defence. We're not in a particularly good position at the moment, I'd definitely start Bikey on Tuesday, I'd bring back Karacan, I'd give Marek another start. I'd drop SHunt completely. I still think there are one or two egos out there who really aren't playing for the good of the team, and are merely playing for themselves, because they think they're an awful lot better than they actually are.

There is definitely something up in the dressing room. I think the players know that Copps is off at the end of the season, even if he hasn't officially said anything. I think many of them think they won't be around next season and they'll probably be sold off as they won't be in contention for a place under a new manager. I don't think it's ever helped that Sir John has gone on about refusing to spend big money - there always seems to be protracted contract negotiations. No-one seems happy.

But it's the fans who are there season in, season out - players, as we know, all come and go and forget about little old Reading when it suits them and they've moved on to bigger and better things. I can see next season being very very difficult for all concerned, players, fans, management and Chairman, and the credit crunch won't help matters either.

[The 17 Bus]

I read somewhere that when Ferguson said he was retiring at the end of the season a few years back, the players fell back from the previous high standards.

All season fans have been saying, it is his last season, this must get to the team as well, perhaps it has made it harder to sign players, after all we know that players often sign for the manager as much as the club, perhaps the two recent loans were all that Coppell could manage, one other player did fail to come here on loan, named in the past on here i think.

Is my £100 on Brum for the title at 5/1 looking good now.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Rev Algenon Stickleback H, 15 Mar 2009 10:12
The Real Sandhurst Royal wrote:
Kitson the saviour, total bo**ocks.

Kitson should be embarrassed for putting the RFC shirt back on an putting in a lazy performance like that against Ipswich.

If Coppell thinks he can cruise around the pitch doing nothing all game while Doyle who has always put in a stint for RFC sits on the bench he has lost the plot.

You have to be kidding. Kitson put in more in one game than Doyle has done at home for two months. Doyle looks completely lost, without any idea of what he has to do to get a shot away, let alone score, just as he was last season.

You don't attend many games then as Doyle has led the front line all season getting the sh*t kicked out of him every game.

getting the shit kicked out of you doesn't equate to being effective. He has looked burnt out and devoid of ideas for ages, just as he did last season. His movement off the ball is non-existent these days, and his play when he gets the ball usually results in him doing little more than running into blind alleys. He's a good player, but woefully off-form, and as we found to our cost last season, he's not a player who looks capable of playing his way through a bad patch. His head drops and he looks lost.