Back from the game..... Donny Rovers

[winchester_royal]

Do you not think it might help them if they understood why an increasing number of fans are disillusioned, not making a noise, booing at the end and staying away in droves?

Perhaps it might help if most fans weren't such fickle sods.

[Schards#2]

Do you not think it might help them if they understood why an increasing number of fans are disillusioned, not making a noise, booing at the end and staying away in droves?

Perhaps it might help if most fans weren't such fickle sods.

It might, but that doesn't answer my question.

Do you now see how they might benefit from knowing about this apalling run?

[winchester_royal]

^ Why dont they need to be aware of the record? They are not little children that need to be carefully protected from shocking home truths.
They bloody well should be aware of it and be busting a gut to end this dismal record.
If they are unaware of it then they are thick.

Or mebbe, they go along with the SC way of thinking. 'Take every game as it comes', and don't focus on anything other than the game itself. Which is exactly how I'd want it.

[PEARCEY]

Do you not think it might help them if they understood why an increasing number of fans are disillusioned, not making a noise, booing at the end and staying away in droves?

Perhaps it might help if most fans weren't such fickle sods.

After eight months without a home win the fans are fully entitled to be fickle. They would be a lot more fickle at many other clubs up and down the land than we are. Thats for sure.

[winchester_royal]

Do you not think it might help them if they understood why an increasing number of fans are disillusioned, not making a noise, booing at the end and staying away in droves?

Perhaps it might help if most fans weren't such fickle sods.

It might, but that doesn't answer my question.

Do you now see how they might benefit from knowing about this apalling run?

IMO the disadvantages outweigh the positives. But that's just me.

[Hugo Boss]

Very dull game yesterday. Thought we possibly deserved to snatch it as we had more direct chances than Doncaster but was still not good.

New signings wise, thought O'Dea looked solid and seemed comfortable alongside Pearce. Cummings was very average*, Rasiak not bad, Howard effective but lacked pace. Gave the ball away poorly once or twice too.

One thing i've got to say though, is it really only Rodgers and Coppell who see anything in Kebe?? I rarely get agitated at football but f*ck me I want to throttle that bloke. He is the very worst footballer i've ever, ever seen.

[Deathy]

All I can add to this thread is, I was utterly utterly board. Laid back in my seat, arms crossed, bored shitless.

The formation is utter oxf*rd. All too often we're left with the one man upfront and isolated. No width either. It's crap!!

Compare to the 4-4-2 that was so successful for us under Steve Coppell, with the quality on both wings supported by the left and right backs, the two guys up front. The crosses into the box.

What we're watching isn't even comparible.

ADD: Matejovsky was nothing short of superb when he came on. And I'd never seen him so determined to close people down, and he did, and he won the ball back a number of times and then broke forward. We need that!

[The Quiet Man]

Very average championship fare. Just when it looked like a team was emerging from sheffield united and barnsley its all change and another disjointed performance with players looking to adjust to each other again. Second pre season anybody? We seemed to have cracked direct pacy football and we're back to sideways nothingness with no left side to the team. Defence was OK. O'Dea looked good but doncaster (like us) didn't offer much going forward, Pearce good in the air dodgy on the deck. Bertrand OK but anonymous, Cummings looked nervous and unsure whether he was overlapping which in turn seemed to spread to Kebe who was unsure if the full back was coming forward (first half no forward runs second half seemed to be under instruction that the left back was to get forward).

Midfield disappointing, Howard appears to have free rein but has taken Siggy's place and in turn Siggy loooked lost as the nominal left side player, Karacan pretty anonymous, Gunnarrsson solid but limited by lack of pace. As a group they didn't ever make attacking throught the midfield something that they had practised which leaves th forwards looking lost. Kebe looked anonymous fitting in perfectly with the rest of his team mates in that occasionally he does something well and then looks lost

Up front looks the most worrying at the moment as Hunt has neither the pace, ability or general fitness to get onto or hold up the ball and while Rasiak looks OK from the bench he doesn't look like he has 90 minutes of running and effort in him. Midfield and forwards just haven't gelled and having a different formation in every game isn't helping.

Here's to anther five games to bed in the new team.

[RoyalBlue]

Do you not think it might help them if they understood why an increasing number of fans are disillusioned, not making a noise, booing at the end and staying away in droves?

Perhaps it might help if most fans weren't such fickle sods.

After eight months without a home win the fans are fully entitled to be fickle. They would be a lot more fickle at many other clubs up and down the land than we are. Thats for sure.

A very good point and one also made by Rodgers in his post match interview.

[Wimb]

Can't really be bothered reading through 8 pages, read through the first 10 posts or so and got fed up.

FWIW

We seemed to try to ping a few more balls down the flanks and behind the defence as we did at Barnsley but Donny were wise to it and so didn't get much joy other then a fair few corners. Donny were killing the game from the word go and Sullivan in particular was taking as much time as he could with every goal kick, free kick etc.

Thought we looked solid at the back, O'Dea clearly has a touch of class about him and I never really thought we'd conceed until the last ten-fifteen minutes when anything can happen on the break.

Cummings looked like a new player who was unsure of the runs that Kebe and others would be making, which is fair enough. Still he showed enough potential that I'm not too worried about losing LR.

Midfield looked a little unsure of itself and Gunnar probably should have gone off 15 minutes earlier as he wasn't really needed and Cisse's legs could have created another option further up the field.

Hunt didn't have quite as much joy as he did up in Yorkshire and seemed to drift wide to try and get more of the ball, still thought him and Rasiak looked decent enough.

All in all dissapointed with a draw, work to be done but at the end of the day clean sheet against another midtable side isn't the worst result out there. Fancy us to get beat Wednesday maybe 2-1 but then wouldn't be surprised at a 2-1 win either.

[RoyalBlue]

Once again ducks*rse Madejeski proves the old adage 'If you pay peanuts you get.........'

Sure he's now happy as a pig in shyte, having balanced the books and dramatically reduced the wage bill in a successful transfer window - and boy did it show!

Hands up all those who slagged off poor old Rosenior! Well look what you've got in his place!! Little wonder Chelsea were happy to sell him off while only wanting to loan out 'plastic'. Cummings ventured into the opposition's half with all of the enthusiasm of someone just asked to walk to his own excecution!

Not only was he very poor himself but his poor play led to Kebe looking even worse than normal.

What a fantastic comedy duo we now have on the right hand side. First Kebe tackles Hunt at the end of a great run and just as he is pulling the trigger to shoot! Moments later he follows that up by neatly heading a pass to him several yards out to the side for a throw in Not to be outdone, Cummings then produces a neat bit of skill and somehow manages to kick himself in the face

Still the supporters who have splashed out their very hard earned cash to watch this mix of comedy, tragedy and, at times, full blown car crash TV can sleep easy, safe in the knowledge that the performers aren't being paid very much.

Yes but what about this great manager you and others were talking about in Brendan Rodgers? Nobody forced him to bring in the players that he has and if he took on the job knowing he would have to cut his cloth accordingly he should have had the balls to stand up to Madejski in the first place.
Still we have a world class model in place even though Rodgers and the players were oblivious to our worst home run in only what is it...oh thats right 137 years.

Come off it! Hasn't been forced? What planet are you living on?! He always made it quite clear that he wanted Tommy Smith. The only reason he didn't get him was that ducks*rse wouldn't release the funds to buy him.

As for knowing that cloth had to be cut - I bet he didn't realise how savagely it would be cut and I, for one, wouldn't put it past our glorious leader to move the goal posts after the manager joined.

The only thing I would agree on is the desire for a manager who actually has the balls to stand up to Madejski but I doubt Madejski would ever appoint anyone who might do that.

I long for the day when one of our managers will stand up and be counted and give us a no holds barred view of the working relationship between Chairman and manager.

We were told that when the transfer window closed, we would be given an explanation as to where the money's gone - I wonder why it's taking so long.

[PEARCEY]

^ Well if Madejski has moved the goalposts Rodgers should have the guts to stand up to him and demand money be made available.
Besides Rodgers was not forced to let Harper and Rosenior go. He did so out of personal choice.
Do you seriously think he handled the Harper situation well? Do you think he handled the Tommy Smith saga well? Do you think he just ought to have known how long ago our last home win was?
RB you may well be right. Rodgers may well prove to be a good manager but the early signs are not good.
PS I pretty much agree with you over Madejski. Time for a new chairman.

[Archie's penalty]

^ Well if Madejski has moved the goalposts Rodgers should have the guts to stand up to him and demand money be made available.
Besides Rodgers was not forced to let Harper and Rosenior go. He did so out of personal choice.
Do you seriously think he handled the Harper situation well? Do you think he handled the Tommy Smith saga well? Do you think he just ought to have known how long ago our last home win was?
RB you may well be right. Rodgers may well prove to be a good manager but the early signs are not good.
PS I pretty much agree with you over Madejski. Time for a new chairman.

+1. Madejski is starting to p*ss me off.

And Rodgers is happy to sit on his knee and accept what his daddy says.

[Ryn]

I thought Gunnar was brilliant yesterday.

That is all.

[Forbury Lion]

Boring game, missed some of the second half as I found it more interesting trying to use the internet on my mobile to find out what time iceland in lower early closed. 6pm on Saturdays if anyones interested.

I don't enjoy watching these stangers in blue and white shirts pass the ball to each other, regret renewing my season ticket.

Hope my outlook changes but I fear it will take more than winning games to do that.

[Jobbo no.11]

I no alot of the people on here dont like these sort of posts but i just have a quick question. Whats the atmosphere been like this year? as so far due to work i havnt been able to make a game. I now have saturdays off and now have to make a decission wheater to spend the 30 odd quid a week to go. i normaly sit in y25/26 and i no last year was poor but there was a least points of noise. is this year the same, better, worse?
Thanks

[weybridgewanderer]

we were at home against one of the relegation contenders. these are games you have to win.

we drew, created nothing in the first our although sullivan did make 2 great saves in the last 30 minutes

everyone (well rotalee) keeps saying we will improve, we had lots of new players and it will take time for them to get to know each other

we have been saying that for weeks now. we can't have a new team every 6 weeks

i don;t expect much from cardiff so we will probably win there and everyone will say everything is ok. saints probably thoughtthat when the beat us at the mad stad last season

next saturday becomes bigger and bigger, and they won 4-0 away from home yesterday

[Ryn]

There's less noise and less atmosphere at the moment Jobbo, because there's less people there with less to cheer about.

[FiNeRaIn]

I no alot of the people on here dont like these sort of posts but i just have a quick question. Whats the atmosphere been like this year? as so far due to work i havnt been able to make a game. I now have saturdays off and now have to make a decission wheater to spend the 30 odd quid a week to go. i normaly sit in y25/26 and i no last year was poor but there was a least points of noise. is this year the same, better, worse?
Thanks

Don't bother going mate, was 26 quid on the day yesterday to watch last years reserve team against relegation candidates doncaster. You'd be better off saving your money and going to some live prem games instead. Atmosphere = oxf*rd, team = oxf*rd.

[rhroyal]

we were at home against one of the relegation contenders. these are games you have to win.

we drew, created nothing in the first our although sullivan did make 2 great saves in the last 30 minutes

everyone (well rotalee) keeps saying we will improve, we had lots of new players and it will take time for them to get to know each other

we have been saying that for weeks now. we can't have a new team every 6 weeks

i don;t expect much from cardiff so we will probably win there and everyone will say everything is ok. saints probably thoughtthat when the beat us at the mad stad last season

next saturday becomes bigger and bigger, and they won 4-0 away from home yesterday

It takes significantly longer than weeks.