Back from the game Derby (H)

[Sun Tzu]

I'm happy to accept his decision to play Howard is another good one.

I'm not sure what Reading fans are expecting from him. He had a spell at Barnsley when he couldn't stop scoring but that was just a purple patch for him.

His workrate is fantastic, he tackles, he makes forward runs, he closes down opponents quickly - isn't that what we have needed from a central midfielder for quite a while?

Sure he puts some passes astray, but who doesn't? And his passing is FAR FAR superior to that of Karacan.

Some people want every player to be a star. They forget that for every Booby Moore there is a Nobby Stiles, for every David Beckham a Paul Scholes.
You need players in the team who just out the work in becasue then you can also have your kebe style players.

Howard does little that makes you stand up and applaud but much like Harper if you take him out of the side I suspect you suddenly spot the gap.

Whatever the individuals we now have a team that wins games consistently and generally that is a sign that the sum of the parts is about right.

[rabidbee]

I called it flukey because it was the first time they got near our box and mills messed it up with the clearance. The finish was good I would agree, but should never have been scored and was completely against the run of play.

Our first was also against the run of play. Meh.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Good win last night, even if it was not pretty. Thought most players looked average last night apart from Bertrand and Mills really. Howard and Raisak brought nothing to the table.

Second half became tedious and boring after a while.

Fair play to Robbie Savage and for the great banter created from B16. Also, a note on the atmosphere, I thought it was pretty good for a crowd of 14,000 and it only got worse in the 2nd half, because of the nature of the football being played.

[Sun Tzu]

Good win last night, even if it was not pretty. Thought most players looked average last night apart from Bertrand and Mills really. Howard and Raisak brought nothing to the table.

Is that because Mills was below average ?

And if Kebe was average I can't wait to see him play well !!

4-1 with 9 men. Not bad !!

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Good win last night, even if it was not pretty. Thought most players looked average last night apart from Bertrand and Mills really. Howard and Raisak brought nothing to the table.

Is that because Mills was below average ?

And if Kebe was average I can't wait to see him play well !!

4-1 with 9 men. Not bad !!

Kebe didn't do much wrong in the first half. Second half he didn't look too good and he switched off.

[Maguire]

Same view as wimb, from the north stand it looked like tabb pushed the ball wide and way ahead of himself. Not seen a proper replay yet.

Wide yes, but not so far ahead of himself that he'd lost control of it. Definite goal if he'd not been taken out, IMHO.

Agree though about the game in general. Very difficult to engage with it and get involved for some reason. Perhaps it was just too easy, with too little tension.

Having just seen the replay for the first time, I think the red card was massively harsh. Tabb wouldn't have scored that in a month of Wednesdays.

[Silver Fox]

half 'greed there, Tabby prolly wouldn't have scored (although I hesitate to doubt his skillz these days) but I still think on the balance of stuff the ref could only make that decision

As I have also just seen the highlights for the first time can I mention how superb Long and Kebe's first touches were for their goals, absolutely perfect times 2

[Snowball]

I'm a big fan of Long (surprise) but have never thought of him as skillful

But I think someone has been working with hi on basic control skills cos he looked a LOT better on the ball

[Maguire]

As I have also just seen the highlights for the first time can I mention how superb Long and Kebe's first touches were for their goals, absolutely perfect times 2

Yep, totally. Shane's was a particularly good goal.

(spits)

[robb the royal]

Just seen the highlights on the Beeb.
Thier goal was well finished, no one hugley at fault, can't tell who it is who makes a tackle, but he was just unlucky who it went to.
Was a definate penalty, but definately not a red card... he was going away from goal (he was running nearly directly at the corner flag!) and there was 2 defenders covering.... no way it was a goal scoring opportunity (although it nice to hear people saying goal scoring opportunity, not 'he was the last man so had to go', i hate it when people take pundits made up rules for gospel!) Long definately should have done better!
Savage did pretty well in goal to be fair.
From the admitedly limited replays, Kebe seemed to play really well, a very well taken goal by him!

[79Royal]

In some strange way, maybe it was a good thing the second half was a bit subdued. Easy win at reserve game pace is probably a welcome thing when you've got to play twice a week for the next 7 or 8 weeks in a row.

Disappointed that we nearly allowed Derby back into the game early in the second half, but we got away with it. Hopefully we can pick up three points tomorrow and begin to think less about relegation and more about a late (although highly unlikely) push for the playoffs.

[andrew1957]

I thought Kebe was one of our best players in BOTH halves. He created nearly all the threat we have in the second half and was outstanding again.

I thought we were brilliant for the first 40 minutes and a bit dire after that with the exceptions of Kebe, Tabb and Bertrand who all had excellent games. Long and Mills had a good first half and Church looked sharp when he came on. Khiz also looks a class apart. One great save by Fed (I thought the ball was in all the way til he tipped it round) - all he had to do apart from pick the ball out of the net once.

Griffin had his poorest game so far and I thought most of the others were fairly anonymous but it cannot be bad if we win 4-1 with only half the team playing really well.

[brendywendy]

Same view as wimb, from the north stand it looked like tabb pushed the ball wide and way ahead of himself. Not seen a proper replay yet.

Wide yes, but not so far ahead of himself that he'd lost control of it. Definite goal if he'd not been taken out, IMHO.

Agree though about the game in general. Very difficult to engage with it and get involved for some reason. Perhaps it was just too easy, with too little tension.

Having just seen the replay for the first time, I think the red card was massively harsh. Tabb wouldn't have scored that in a month of Wednesdays.

just seen on the bbc, and i disagree, the ball was about 2 ft in front of him, and not going very fast. may not have scored, but would have had teh opportunity

[Sun Tzu]

It's bizarre that despite people having had the chance to see replays there is still a pretty major difference between what people believe they saw, let alone what action they would take.

And apparantly the way to make every decision clear cut is to use video replays !!

I've still not seen a replay so still have no idea beyond my initial reaction.

[Tilehurst End]

Thought the keeper being sent off was a bit harsh but Andy Johnson has made a career of getting penalties like that.

Some solid performances and a glimpse of Bertrand's true potential both offensively and defensively at times.

Main problem second half was that Derby had 4 across the back and 5 across the middle when we had the ball and we seemed to switch to 4-2-4 which meant Howard and Tabb had a tough job in the middle. I suspect if we'd have had to chase the game we may well have switched to 3 at the back as the defence nobody to mark much of the time.

[phil in cornwall]

Some people want every player to be a star. They forget that for every Booby Moore there is a Nobby Stiles, for every David Beckham a Paul Scholes.
You need players in the team who just out the work in becasue then you can also have your kebe style players.

Real Madrid.

[Muskrat]

Just seen the replay. Definitely a penalty, Definitely not a sending off.

[Ian Royal]

Just seen the replay. Definitely a penalty, Definitely not a sending off.

Disagree, ball going wide, but I think Tabb's left footed, and I've seen plenty scored from narrower angles in those situations. And there was a Reading player (Sig? Kebe?) moving in on the far post to put it in if it was played across.

Definite penalty. Definite red card IMO.

Brilliantly taken goal from Kebe, but lucky the defender miscontrolled it, should have been cut out. Thought Bywater should have saved Long's effort. Sig poor in not winning the loose ball for their goal. Poor clearance for Bertrand's but very good control to take the ball then hit it wrongfooteded. Church, poor first touch but as usual excellent persistence to mop up.

Well played Savage.

[Maguire]

Just seen the replay. Definitely a penalty, Definitely not a sending off.

Exactly - i've watched it a few times now and there's just no way on earth he would've scored.

Robbie Savage has it right in his interview IMHO.

[RoyalChicagoFC]

Loath though I may be to go there...

Suppose it'd been Fed subbed off injured, that Hamer had taken over in goal, and that precisely the same set of events had proceeded to unfold in our own final third

Any doubt at all that a penalty would've been awarded and that we'd've been playing with ten men the rest of the way?