Back from the game - Swansea (A)

[papereyes]

No I didn't. AP specified the first six games and couldn't remember some of the details.

I think usually the first 5-6 games or so can set the tone for the season, it's where I'd even go as far to say that results are secondary to performances. The 8th place year we'd beaten Boro, beaten Sheff U, narrowly lost against Villa unluckily and had we played CHelsea? If so again spirited effort.

Relegation year was the opposite,trounced at Bolton was the one that sparked the 'over reaction' thread.

[Mad Dog's Ghost]

Those games seem a long time ago now. Who'd have thought little old Reading were once up in the prem.

[Huntley & Palmer]

No I didn't. AP specified the first six games and couldn't remember some of the details.

I think usually the first 5-6 games or so can set the tone for the season, it's where I'd even go as far to say that results are secondary to performances. The 8th place year we'd beaten Boro, beaten Sheff U, narrowly lost against Villa unluckily and had we played CHelsea? If so again spirited effort.

Relegation year was the opposite,trounced at Bolton was the one that sparked the 'over reaction' thread.

I know, my point being that we turned it around after a poorer start to the second season. It's post Xmas that we seem to obliterate, I think the team and management deserve until at least to then before they are written off

[Royal Lady]

Bertrand is a loan signing. I know that much.

Indeed he is, and funnily enough he's eligable to play for us for the season because of it!

I was talking about BUYING players though wasn't I?

[papereyes]

You conveniently forget the run in December of beating Liverpool at home, then not losing for a further three games which saw us in about 12th place going into the New Year,

... while we were 12th, were we not also only ever about 6-8 pts off the relegation zone, making any runs of defeats post-Xmas really quite dangerous?

That's certainly one thing I remember bugging me - people saying "We're 12th, its BRILLIANT", when one bad week would see us about 17th and looking nervously over our shoulders.

[Ian Royal]

Could someone who went to the game let me know by pm (I won't be around for several days so I'll never find the answer amongst the cries of outrage in this thread) if Robson-Kanu played on the left or on the right. He sounded much more dangerous than he looked against Forest. I'm wondering whether that is because he was on his favoured side or because he is getting more up to speed.

Sounded like but for Federici we could have lost 3-0 again. Given he kept us in the game at the death against Forest we owe that lad for all our points so far.


It's worrying, but it is still early days and anyone expecting us to do anything but start slowly was always going to be disappointed.

I don't know how Harper did when he came on - we sounded at our most threatening goal wise, but also at our most open defensively. Could easily be because of the way the game developed rather than anything that was Harps fault though...

Anyway the point being I think we desperately need at least one of Harper or Marek in the middle because they are the best passers we have and bring that extra experience and qaulity. The others are all a bit more blood and thunder without a great deal of guile. Davies has a lot of potential, but lets remember he's stepped up two leagues, it'll take a while for him to ease out the errors.

Personally I think the likes of Mills, HRK, Hunt etc need to be given a few more games to work themselves up to form.

We'll not get anywhere thropwing radical or numerous changes in after every disappointing result. And that is certainly what last night felt like. Even if at the end it did also feel like we were lucky to come away with a draw.

[Huntley & Palmer]

You conveniently forget the run in December of beating Liverpool at home, then not losing for a further three games which saw us in about 12th place going into the New Year,

... while we were 12th, were we not also only ever about 6-8 pts off the relegation zone, making any runs of defeats post-Xmas really quite dangerous?

That's certainly one thing I remember bugging me - people saying "We're 12th, its BRILLIANT", when one bad week would see us about 17th and looking nervously over our shoulders.

Sorry to be a pedant, but at the same point in our 8th place season and the 18th place season there was a difference of 2 points in our totals. We were on the same knife edge but in the 8th place season we only lost two games through the whole of Jan and Feb which ultimately secured our final position

[Hoop Blah]

Bertrand is a loan signing. I know that much.

Indeed he is, and funnily enough he's eligable to play for us for the season because of it!

I was talking about BUYING players though wasn't I?

Yes, but you've been talking a fair amount of drivel this morning, and loan or permanent signing, we've still got a left back in the squad that we didn't have before.

I still don't see how it bears any relevance to the general point you were making that the Mills was a desperation signing and not up to the required standard, which was what you were actually talking about!

[Royal Lady]

I was questioning how long he had been unfit for and why? And expressed surprised that we'd pay £2 million to Doncaster for him, when some people on here are now saying he's been brought in for the long term and not the current term as it were. Therefore, it's only fair, as I see it, to expect him to be something special when he is finally at full fitness and doing the job he was purchased for. I know you have a problem with me being a woman and all that shite - so I forgive you.

[Hoop Blah]

I was questioning how long he had been unfit for and why? And expressed surprised that we'd pay £2 million to Doncaster for him, when some people on here are now saying he's been brought in for the long term and not the current term as it were. Therefore, it's only fair, as I see it, to expect him to be something special when he is finally at full fitness and doing the job he was purchased for. I know you have a problem with me being a woman and all that shite - so I forgive you.

I don't have a problem with you being a woman. I do have a bit of an issue with your ascertion that we made a signing out of desperation because we signed a player that wasn't fully fit.

I also have a problem with you basically criticising the club for not having him match fit because he's been with us for so long now. It just shows either how limited your understanding really is (which surprises me somewhat because your not a novice at this) or how much you want to dig your high heels in after being pulled up on another daft point this morning.

I have to admit though, women and football just don't mix well.

[Victor Meldrew]

I think some of the defenders of Mills have gone over the top about what was actually posted early on.
As I read it the posters said that Mills was useless last night and they are quite within their rights to express an opinion having made the trekk down to Swansea to witness another non event.
Mills may well eventually turn out to be our best centre-back ever but that doesn't mean that (like Upson) he can have a real shocker in his early days.
BTW didn't Mills play in the Carling Cup game?
If so he can't be that unfit and if he was unfit he shouldn't have been playing.
His partnership with Pearce or Ivar will be very important for our prospects this season.

[ZacNaloen]

Match Fitness != Physical Fitness.


He'd played something like 45 minutes in pre-season, his brain won't be quite up to match speed, regardless of his physical fitness.

[Bill Oddie's Beard]

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

“Matt is an outstanding prospect, he’s still some way off fitness and the only way he’s going to get it is by training and playing games.

“He’s only had one 90 minutes since May and that was the Burton game.

“He’s regaining fitness but he has outstanding qualities and he’s one for the longer vision of what I’m trying to do.”

[Maguire]

BTW didn't Mills play in the Carling Cup game?
If so he can't be that unfit and if he was unfit he shouldn't have been playing.

Yes he did. He was alright. There's a different between being "unfit" in the injured sense and not at 100% match fitness. To get the latter you HAVE to play games, that's what match fitness is.

[Victor Meldrew]

And most of the others had played just 2 games before last night so are they at 100%?.
The idea that a young bloke like him needs loads of games to be match fit is IMHO greatly exaggerated or in most people's language on here b******s.
He is a centre-back not a bloody marathon runner or somebody crossing the Antartic in just a pair of football boots and if he is not mentally right for a game get our sports psychiatrist,psychologist or Ms Drury (do we still have one of those and a dietician or were they part of the great cull?)to get him right.
This was the lower end of the second division not a World Cup final last night ffs.

[ZacNaloen]

And most of the others had played just 2 games before last night so are they at 100%?.

Well clearly not... we are hardly performing at 100% across the pitch.

[Wycombe Royal]

And most of the others had played just 2 games before last night so are they at 100%?.

What about pre-season? That is what Mills missed.

[Hoop Blah]

It's sharpness and timing as much as fitness.

I know when I played that it didn't matter how much stamina, sprints and other pre-season work I did it was only playing that got me match fit. Those first few games were hard work.

The rest of the squad, well those playing the games at least, have all played a reasonable amount of pre-season games to get up to speed. That's not quite the same as competitive games of course, but Mills has only played 45 minutes of a friendly since May. That puts him way down on the rest.

[Royal Lady]

See, this is what I genuinely don't understand - now people are saying he's not unfit, he's just not "match" fit - but we haven't played him in all our matches so far - so why not??

[ZacNaloen]

Because not match fit = potential liability. We knew that Swansea have trouble scoring, and that Burton were a poor team so it was a calculated risk.