NO LONGER A RUMOUR - Bikey signs for Burnley

[brendywendy]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

[Royalee]

...Pearce are no longer youth team..

The problem is that Pearce isn't really any better than Duberry. He is a player of the very same mould as Duberry, with much less experience and made horrendous mistakes and lapses in concentration against Newcastle. I have doubts that he can take the step up to become a top class player.

LOL

[Royalee]

So you don't consider his performance against Newcastle as sub-standard?
He turns his back and relaxes as Nolan runs after the ball, crosses and when they score he does not mark anyone either, but stands about in no-mans-land. Watch it again and tell me if you think that is the work of a top class defender.

He switched off for the second goal on Saturday but apart from that he's been excellent in a Reading shirt. Saying he'll never be up to it and isn't as 'good' as Duberry who cost us countless goals and coincided with our fall from the Premiership is laughable though.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

So you don't consider his performance against Newcastle as sub-standard?
He turns his back and relaxes as Nolan runs after the ball, crosses and when they score he does not mark anyone either, but stands about in no-mans-land. Watch it again and tell me if you think that is the work of a top class defender.

Does he play "like Duberry"? No.

Is he a top class defender? No.

Is anyone claiming he is (at this stage of his career) a top class defender? No.

Does that mean he can't improve his game? No.

[Rawlie19]

So he gets sent off against Burnley and banned for 5 matches, he serves that ban while on the wage bill of Reading, and then the first opportunity we get to play him, we sell him the day before... to Burnley... You couldn't write this stuff.

[Arch]

So he gets sent off against Burnley and banned for 5 matches, he serves that ban while on the wage bill of Reading, and then the first opportunity we get to play him, we sell him the day before... to Burnley... You couldn't write this stuff.

Interesting point. We've paid him probably about a quarter of a million since he was sent off. Still it wouldn't be the first time a club has has a big wage earner sitting on their books waiting to be sold and not getting in the team.

[Focher]

ive got to say i agree with ideal to a certain extent. Pearce is a basic defender, a good one, but basic, and i don't think he's good enough for a promotion chasing team in the championship, or ever will be.

The 2 main reasons why are he's slow, and his passing is shite. The fact he's captain is very worrying.

[Hoop Blah]

I'm not sure where your getting this stuff about his passing being shite...

He's not the most elegant on the ball admittedly, but his passing is fine. Last year he made sure he cleared it without any second thought, but he has the abilty and composure to pass the ball and has done perfectly well so far this season.

[Focher]

well i think the jury is seriously out on Pearce and has a lot of improving to do. I do think its harsh to directly compare him to somebody as shit as Duberry though, he is nowhere near that bad.

[Royal With Cheese]

So you don't consider his performance against Newcastle as sub-standard?
He turns his back and relaxes as Nolan runs after the ball, crosses and when they score he does not mark anyone either, but stands about in no-mans-land. Watch it again and tell me if you think that is the work of a top class defender.

He switched off for the second goal on Saturday but apart from that he's been excellent in a Reading shirt. Saying he'll never be up to it and isn't as 'good' as Duberry who cost us countless goals and coincided with our fall from the Premiership is laughable though.

At fault for the first too. He clearly mis-judged the flight of the ball and didn't head it. I'm not having a go at him. We all make mistakes.

[londinium]

So you don't consider his performance against Newcastle as sub-standard?
He turns his back and relaxes as Nolan runs after the ball, crosses and when they score he does not mark anyone either, but stands about in no-mans-land. Watch it again and tell me if you think that is the work of a top class defender.

He switched off for the second goal on Saturday but apart from that he's been excellent in a Reading shirt. Saying he'll never be up to it and isn't as 'good' as Duberry who cost us countless goals and coincided with our fall from the Premiership is laughable though.

At fault for the first too. He clearly mis-judged the flight of the ball and didn't head it. I'm not having a go at him. We all make mistakes.

Completely agree, in fact I posted it soon after the game, but it seems easier to slag of Kebe / Rossie on here than say a bad word about Pearce / Karajan whom I though both were average to poor on Saturday.

[tomrfcurz]

http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/footb ... r_burnley_

£2.8mil , not a bad price at all i think

[Tony Le Mesmer]

He's not the most elegant on the ball admittedly, but his passing is fine. Last year he made sure he cleared it without any second thought

You obviously missed the Play off home leg then.

Honestly, he does the most simple piece of defending and half the East stand go into a rage wnk.

He's not shit, but he's is nothing special and never will be. The guys flat footed for fck sake, he cant even run properly.

He reads the game very well, and is way beyond his years in that respect, but you would think he's the next Bobby Moore with some of the posts about him. For us, he is a back up CB at best.

As for the Duberry comparison, Pearce will not pick up a Cup Winners Medal, a European Medal or be part of a CL Semi Final squad. that much i am sure.

[Woodcote Royal]

ive got to say i agree with ideal to a certain extent. Pearce is a basic defender, a good one, but basic, and i don't think he's good enough for a promotion chasing team in the championship, or ever will be.

The 2 main reasons why are he's slow, and his passing is shite. The fact he's captain is very worrying.

This would be Alex Pearce, 20 year old centre half, who never looked worse than average in last seasons Championship

Whilst it's all about opinions, and I would accept he's not the quickest, to say that a player of his age, playing in this position will never improve when most would be at their peek around 30, simply beggars belief.

[Royalee]

Completely agree, in fact I posted it soon after the game, but it seems easier to slag of Kebe / Rossie on here than say a bad word about Pearce / Karajan whom I though both were average to poor on Saturday.

The difference is that the former are poor every week. Everyone is excused the odd off-day (even if I thought Karacan was our best player on Saturday).

[Platypuss]

So he gets sent off against Burnley and banned for 5 matches, he serves that ban while on the wage bill of Reading, and then the first opportunity we get to play him, we sell him the day before... to Burnley... You couldn't write this stuff.

Wouldn't the 5th game of the ban have been against Swansea?

[Archie's penalty]

He's not the most elegant on the ball admittedly, but his passing is fine. Last year he made sure he cleared it without any second thought

You obviously missed the Play off home leg then.

Honestly, he does the most simple piece of defending and half the East stand go into a rage wnk.

He's not shit, but he's is nothing special and never will be. The guys flat footed for fck sake, he cant even run properly.

He reads the game very well, and is way beyond his years in that respect, but you would think he's the next Bobby Moore with some of the posts about him. For us, he is a back up CB at best.

As for the Duberry comparison, Pearce will not pick up a Cup Winners Medal, a European Medal or be part of a CL Semi Final squad. that much i am sure.

+1 but hope you are wrong.

[Hoop Blah]

Tony Le M, I agree on the point regarding Duberry, the criticism he received isn't warrented and he's been a very good defender over the years. Not top class but still a very steady and reliable centre back.

I'm not sure Pearce will have anywhere near as successful a career, and I would agree that he's been hyped up a bit, but he is also a pretty decent Championship centre half (which is all Duberry was for us) who has the odd weakness but certainly looks to have the basics and the attitude to progress.

Not sure what you mean about not seeing the play off game...he may have made a blunder on the ball, but I can't remember it, but generally he's a sound passer of the ball.

[SteveRoyal]

BOOO! Why are we selling all of our best players?
We need to sign at least 3 more players, now.

[PEARCEY]

You'd rather have Adam "I'll just turn my back like an idiot while Nolan runs along to grab the ball and create the goal" Pearce start?
Or what about Kalifa "Beckenbauer" Cissé?

Well you could at least get Pearce's first name right