Back from the Game - Burnley

[RG30]

Special mention to Burnley though, as Flloyd said, that was probably the best performance against us that I've seen. Their midfield played some great stuff and made for a pretty entertaining second half once we got ourselves going, although much like ours, their slow defence helped make things interesting!

Didn't see the game but I know plenty of Premiership clubs are watching the likes of Cork & Eagles on a weekly basis, Burnley may find it hard to turn down an offer in particular for Eagles over the coming months.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Leigertwood was MOM, personally I hope we keep him on loan forever so his current performances are maintained.

Now if only we could find a striker who can offer something different we might start getting somewhere.

For the record where was Antonio and why doesn't he ever get a start ?

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Leigertwood and Long were excellent against Burnley.

A win and 3 points we move on as it could have been very different if Dean Marney had not caught the Long disease!!

[RoyalBlue]

Re: Harte, he isn't the best left back in the world but he's got an experienced head on him. Little things like late on telling the ball boys to slow down with returning the ball for throw ins etc, they went a log way towards us holding out today.

.

If it's things like that which keep him in the team, then I'm bringing my boots along next time! I'd be really good at telling ball boys to slow down!!

I am a bit pissed off that we seem to have picked up a new escape goat. Harte was seriously exposed at times in the left back position: nobody can keep out two players at the same time.

Watch the build up to their goal.

Mears was his only man in the build up for the goal. Harte got himself in the right position and then let the ball go one side of him and Mears the other - completely and utterly done for pace. Yes Mears is quick but Harte is painfully slow.

Every time Harte ventures forward we are put at risk down the opposition right because if we lose possession there is no way Harte is going to get back in time to make a difference defensively.

Fortunately 'Legs' got him out of jail on plenty of occasions yesterday.

Harte is not good enough to hold down a regular first team place in a team that is serious about going for promotion from the Championship.

[Wycombe Royal]

Special mention to Burnley though, as Flloyd said, that was probably the best performance against us that I've seen. Their midfield played some great stuff and made for a pretty entertaining second half once we got ourselves going, although much like ours, their slow defence helped make things interesting!

Didn't see the game but I know plenty of Premiership clubs are watching the likes of Cork & Eagles on a weekly basis, Burnley may find it hard to turn down an offer in particular for Eagles over the coming months.

Why would they need to turn down a bid for Cork? Surely it is up to Chelsea..........

[Croydon Royal]

Can't really add much to what's been said about the match - standout performances from Shane Long and Leigertwood and still question marks over Harte.

But what I would say is that the Christmas period brought us 4 games that really shows what the Championship is about - any team can beat anyone on the whole and every game is up for grabs. We were perhaps fortunate to get a point at Hull and rode our luck at times against Burnley, but then lost a game at Swansea that we should have at least got a point from. But I'm pleased with 7 points from 4 very typical Championship games - if a team kept that record up (7 points per 4 games) throughout the season we'd have around 80 points if my maths are correct, and I think we'd all settle for that come May.

Furthermore, it also just goes to show that this is a hugely competitive league and the addition of an extra player or 2 of true quality can really swing things - January is important, and sadly I think other teams will take advantage of this more than us.

[Snowball]

Serious question.

Our defence, after what 24 games has (statistically) a very good record.
Take away that bizarre 4-game run of conceding 3-3-1-3 and it's fantastic.

I watch games (Burnley being a good example) and think "HOW?"



Question is, are we going to get ripped up and lose 4-0 this season?

[PieEater]

I thought it was a game of two very different halves. The first half Burnley tore into us and missed 3 or 4 absolute sitters, they controlled midfield, closed us down and played some pretty good stuff. On other hand we could of had a pen, Shane blasted one over the bar when through, but overall I was pleased to see us get to half time level.

Second half we created better chances and could have scored more, but overall I was pretty impressed with Burnley. Wallace, Easton, Cork, Eagles and Marney all had pretty good games apart from some glaring misses. The criticism of Harte is a bit harsh, too often he was exposed with two players and Jobi just seemed to be missing. So much so that I was convinced for sometime that he'd been told to play a different role, but actually I think he just wasn't his usual self after recovering from a cold.

Legs had a cracking game and you can appreciate McAnuff's comment that he always hated to play against him, great tackler and plays the simple pass to link up play.

[Croydon Royal]

Serious question.

Our defence, after what 24 games has (statistically) a very good record.
Take away that bizarre 4-game run of conceding 3-3-1-3 and it's fantastic.

I watch games (Burnley being a good example) and think "HOW?"



Question is, are we going to get ripped up and lose 4-0 this season?

Good question, and I think it all comes down to the quality of strikers in the Championship. Any team with a potent striker and a good shot conversion rate will fly up this league. Witness in recent years Andy Johnson & Palace, Ebanks-Blake & Wolves, Nathan Ellington & Wigan, Kevin Phillips & West Brom, and even Doyle & Reading. The defences are so poor in the Championship that every game you'll get plenty of chances, it's rarely like the Premiership where in some games your first shot on goal will come in the 85th minute.

The trouble is that these players are few and far between, and even when a club does unearth one, chances are a mid-table Premiership club will snap him up and he'll probably then rot in the reserves for a year or 2 before losing that goalscoring instinct and going on loan back to a Championship club after losing his touch - Boothroyd, Iwelumo, Ellington, Marlon King, Marcus Bent, Dave Nugent, Jonathan Stead, James Beattie and probably Andy Johnson, Charlie Austin and a load more in a few years time.

So instead you get these games with plenty of glaring opportunities, but players like Marney will waste them as he did yesterday, and a team will lose 2-1 when they could have won 5-2. We're the same - you said you're shocked that we get thrashed more because we give away so many chances, but barring Burnley away, how many times now have we come away from games we've drawn or lost thinking that we could have won 4-0!?

[Maguire]

I can't agree with everyone saying it was a nailed on penalty i'm afraid. More of a coming together (*no sexo*). Or with the guy who said Burnley only turned up for the last five minutes

But overall i'm amazed that after 5 pages, I agree with 90% of what's on this thread. What's happened to you lot - did you get a dose of objectivity for Christmas?

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Let me guess. You either sit with the group of 15 year old mongs at the back of y26 or you are the CrAzY Reading drummer? The atmosphere has been flat as a pancake all season.

Neither.

[papereyes]

Serious question.

Our defence, after what 24 games has (statistically) a very good record.
Take away that bizarre 4-game run of conceding 3-3-1-3 and it's fantastic.

I watch games (Burnley being a good example) and think "HOW?"



Question is, are we going to get ripped up and lose 4-0 this season?

Probably, and when we don't expect it.

[Hoop Blah]

The penalty shout for the coming together on involving Long at the start of the second half was 70/30 a penalty for me.

You won't always get them given because it wasn't a blatent foul and one the ref could excuse as an accidental collision. With that doubt in mind it's not surprising they aren't always given. I'd have still given though.

When you consider the number of soft panalties we've had for a lot less contact this season (Long at the least making the most of minimal contact after running across defenders, some would say diving) then I think we're ahead on the dubious/soft penalty count.

[Mr Angry]

Serious question.

Our defence, after what 24 games has (statistically) a very good record.
Take away that bizarre 4-game run of conceding 3-3-1-3 and it's fantastic.

I watch games (Burnley being a good example) and think "HOW?"



Question is, are we going to get ripped up and lose 4-0 this season?

I think that there is every possibility that a Championship team will put 4 or even 6 past us this season; the fact is that we are vulnerable to pace in all areas of our back line, and to be fair, had Marney had his shooting boots on yesterday he would have had 4 goals himself!

[brendywendy]

yes they had some gilt edged chances. but so did we.could easily have gone 6-5 either way

good game all round really- and thanks to mr clinical - we ended up winning.

[BR2]

We played well today and I include all Burnley's chances.

Going forward they looked a Premiership outfit and if their new manager proves OK
they will put 5 or 6 on a few clubs in the next 20-or-so games. They still have Prem
players and a good squad. They may well still make the top six, as predicted. They
have money, too and could buy in January (but please, not Shane).

Don't agree that Harte had a bad game. He knows he's slow and he plays accordingly.
The manager knows that overall he's better for the defence than Stretch. He's still
quality and if he had genuine pace he'd still be at the top level. He had two to mark
on his wing God knows how many times, and they were seriously good players who
we'd love to have in our squad.

7.5 Federici
8.0 Griffin
8.0 Pearce
7.5 Mills
7.5 Harte

9.5 Elwood. A near perfect game, one mistake I remember. He wins tackles he shouldn't, some good runs, does the simple well. SIGN HIM!
8.0 Karacan. Elwood needs the buzz-saw but they are a VG pair. Maybe not top-three, but play-off quality.
8.0 McAnuff. Played well today, did a lot of work
7.5 Kebe A few flashes but still not the Kebe of earlier this season. Unlucky tho' not to score

8.0 Hunt. Not always at his best but good with Long and some sublime flicks.
9.2 Long. Got two excellent goals, always a threat, should have had a penalty.


7.5 HRK Showed a lot of energy, should be a VG player one day, great break but should have passed and not squandered the chance.


Burnley team were classy in middle and up front, and really should have scored 2-3 even 4. I thought they looked like a promotion side when they had the ball. We beat them through tenacity and (!) finishing.

Just one comment-they may look a top6 side going forward but defensively they are weak-they have won just one away game in a year and that was last week!!
Defenders in The Championship are poor and when the teams get promoted they often stick with the same defenders and buy attacking players rather than the other way round.
Look at Wolves and West Brom-they have stuck with the same defenders and never keep clean sheets and both could well get relegated as Burnley did who only brought in Bikey after they got promoted.
Mind you that is what makes this division so interesting and competitive-loads of chances for not very good strikers to miss and yesterday summed it all up well with both teams giving opportunities galore to the opposition which weren't taken.

[Mr Angry]

As for the game, first thing to be said was how entertaining it was!!! After some serious dross in recent weeks (hang your heads in shame Coventry and Leeds!) it was great to see such an open game being played by 2 very equally matched sides. I thought we were fortunate to go in level at half time, but we were excellent 2nd half and deserved the points on that basis IMHO.

Stand out players were obviously Long, who led the line brilliantly, and Leigertwood, who, having looked terrible in his first game for us has come on leaps and bounds and was inspirational in the middle yesterday. Other mentions in despatches to both A Fed (great save near the end) Kebe (who terrorised their full backs as much as Mears did ours!) and Pearce.

I thought the Long penalty shout was a blatant push, but I accept I might be biased....... .... but I genuinely do not know how Thompson stayed on after his assault on Karacan in the first 3 minutes; it was late, dangerous and no attempt was made to play the ball - had it happened after 23 minutes it would have been a straight red, but I think the ref didn't want to "spoil" the game by issuing a red card so early.

All in all a very good 3 points against a team who, if they play like that for a caretaker manager will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

[RG30]

Special mention to Burnley though, as Flloyd said, that was probably the best performance against us that I've seen. Their midfield played some great stuff and made for a pretty entertaining second half once we got ourselves going, although much like ours, their slow defence helped make things interesting!

Didn't see the game but I know plenty of Premiership clubs are watching the likes of Cork & Eagles on a weekly basis, Burnley may find it hard to turn down an offer in particular for Eagles over the coming months.

Why would they need to turn down a bid for Cork? Surely it is up to Chelsea..........

Hence why I mentioned Eagles afterwards. Cork has been doing very well there though.

[Hoop Blah]

Kebe didn't terrorise anyone! His was a powderpuff performance which saw their left back deal with him pretty easily I thought.

In terms of Burnley having a number of Premiership quality players, I don't see that at all. Eagles is decent, but not a real Premiership player as he's still a bit lightweight. Elliot is a very good player at this level but not a Premiership player. Carlisle and Duff are too slow for this division let alone going any higher.

Cork still looks a pretty good prospect (although not theirs), but although he's good I think he's found his level, and the same can be said for Wallace too.

They've got a good number of very decent Championship players, but that's about it.

It was a decent advert for Championship football and both those sides could beat anyone in this league on their day.

[winchester_royal]

I reckon Cork would do a job for any team in the lower half of the prem.