Back from the game - Chelsea

[robbieroyal]

I am really proud of all the lads. A great performance on the whole and an injustice we did not get a point. We were probably a bit naive at times but overall a very encouraging evening and if we play like that for the remaining 36 games I don't think there is much chance we would get relegated.

Sad for Fed that he made a second howler in a row. He was great last year and you can only put it down to nerves. I seem to recall that he made a couple of howlers at the start of the season in 2010 but came back to have a good season and was then excellent last year. We need to back him not call for him to be dropped.

The real positives for me were.

That on the whole the defence looked quite solid (despite conceding 4!). Pearce and Gorkks have just carried on from last season. I am not sure Gunter has shown enough to have justified the dropping of Cummings though. Harte was done for pace a few times but on the whole did ok.

McCleary was excellent first half but faded out of the game in the second. Guthrie and Legs were excellent again as was Karacan - who did brilliantly breaking up Chelsea play and we missed him when he came off - although first game back and with a booking - that looked a good move at the time.

Jobi put in a brilliant Captain’s performance tonight.

Pog was outstanding first half and really made Terry look average.

So overall we can take great heart from that. My only real concern is that the lads will be completely knackered for Saturday as they gave everything tonight. It will be really hard to pick themselves up and give that much again. If we lose, we then have Spurs next and only a point on the board - hardly an easy run of games.

Pretty much agreed with all this.

On that performance we are going to be mid table this year.

Guthrie could be our player of the season. He is real class on the ball.

[tomrfcurz]

Good songs started by the gentleman with the curly hair and glasses, great Gorks and McCleary song.

I think, if my interwebz stalking skills are good, that was Big Foot. If so I have my first ever HNA spotted

Fans in the lower tier were pretty superb throughout I thought, as noticed by my favourite journo

Henry Winter ‏@henrywinter
#readingfc terrific against the champions of Europe. Loud fans, Pogrebnyak/Guthrie especially good. Federici a concern at this level tho

I have to take credit for starting the "Don't sell my Gorkss my Kaspars Gorkss" as Big Foot will testify

[robbieroyal]

Third goal well offside.

Cummings need to come in for Gunter. What was he doing for the penalty. Schoolboy stuff.

[genome]

Just saw the highlights, Torres was miles offside. Not happy.

[Maguire]

Well, quite entertaining but you can't begrudge Chelsea a win given their dominance (the 20 mins before half time aside)

Hate to say it but Federici totally blew that equaliser - I dunno if he needs a haircut or something as he was skillz last year but has arguably cost us 4pts this year so far (I know, doesn't work like that). If he'd kept that out I expect we might have held out for a win/draw.

Still, good night out, nice ground, generous enough home fans and a decent performance. Not the sort of game we need to win to stay up so no worries. Point at Sunderland would be ok.

[genome]

I can't figure out if McCleary fcuked his cross for Pog's goal or he was meant to hit it that low to him. If so, genius.

Yep - point at Sunderland would suffice, I reckon we can beat Tottenham at home.

[floyd__streete]

Mixed feelings as I felt we were naive but I am also pleased we had a right go and I at least got some value for my £47.

Naivety - Gunter allowing Eden to fall theatrically over his foot and NHunt's complete failure to hold the ball up in the build up to the third goal. You could also argue that switching to two strikers up front rather than trying to hold out for a point was naive from the management too, as goalkeeping howler aside our shape was keeping Chelsea at arms length.

Delighted we had a go - like McLeary, he will fade at times in games but most wingers do. You won't see a better cross and headed goal all season. Pog much much better and everything he wasn't against Stoke. Tbf, Stoke did not feel as obliged to attack as Chelsea did and so he had more space to operate in. That's the standard now for your 35k a week. I am also pleased that at 3-2 in injury time we were throwing the kitchen sink at the European Champions, may as well send the 'keeper up.

[floyd__streete]

OUT-STANDING! Two of Hob Nob's finest

[Big Foot]

OUT-STANDING! Two of Hob Nob's finest

Can't wait to see Mr Angry on here

[Big Foot]

Good songs started by the gentleman with the curly hair and glasses, great Gorks and McCleary songs.

Big Foot. What were the songs?

As Winchester says, the Mariappa one was to this tune - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lja0slGL ... ata_player

Mariappa, Mariappa, Mariappa,
STILL
Do you really like it, do you really like it,
We're lovin it lovin it lovin it, we're lovin it like that
Do you really like it?
Is it, is it wicked?
We're lovin' it
Lovin' it, lovin' it
We're lovin' it like that

[floyd__streete]

What exactly is he saying? Spacey?

I think it is "F*ck you. F*ck you. F*ck you". Bit harsh really considering Chelsea's fans barely made a noise all night. I did overhear one of their fans before the game order "falafel and chips".

[Big Foot]

Good songs started by the gentleman with the curly hair and glasses, great Gorks and McCleary songs.

Big Foot. What were the songs?

Don't sell my Gorkss, my Kaspars Gorkss,
I just don't think you'll understand,
That if you sell my Gorkss, my Kaspers Gorkss,
You're gonna have a riot on your hands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn0Zbg5T ... ata_player

[BenReadingFC]

What exactly is he saying? Spacey?

I think it is "F*ck you. F*ck you. F*ck you". .

Lol at asking spacey to lipread it
and yeah i agree with you on "F*ck you. F*ck you. F*ck you"

[Big Foot]

MOTM was Guthrie for me. Hazard will be one hell of a player in this league but needs to cut out the diving before he earns that status in my opinion, that said it was a penalty and a poor attempt to win the ball back after being skinned from Gunter.

I genuinely thought Pearce had Torres in his pocket for the majority of the game bar a few moments of concentration lapses and Gorkss was ever solid albeit a bit slow. Guthrie played fantastically and very rarely lost the ball, one many challenges and distributed the ball to the wings with perfection where McAnuff and McCleary were fantastic in the 1st half.

Hate to say it but for me McDermott's subs cost us this game, or at least a point from it. Players are fit enough to play the full 90 mins at this stage, perhaps with the exception of Karacan and if i was boss i would've kept the same team throughout perhaps only bringing on Tabb for Karacan but thats how he chose to do it and that all or nothing attitude has won us many games in the past i.e. Southampton so i can't complain.

All in all, reasons to be very happy with this performance and away showings like that coupled with solid home performances which I'm confident of will surely keep us up.

Agree with all of this post.

[winchester_royal]

This article sums the game up far more eloquently and accurately than I ever could

Reading will not worry about nights like this. On their first big-stage test of their top-flight return, they played calmly but proudly, with enough self-confidence but not quite enough luck. Brian McDermott, whose side led the European champions for 40 of the middle minutes, said that his team did not deserve to lose. He was still confident of a win late on. Without late errors, from their goalkeeper and a linesman, he might have got one.

It was a performance just as good as Southampton's at Manchester City on Sunday, and followed a similar pattern. Despite going behind, Reading imposed their way back into the game and led before quality and fortune told against them.

To have wrested the game back was particularly impressive given how it started. Reading have a Russian billionaire of their own but, for now at least, they inhabit a different football universe from Chelsea. The Championship and the Champions League are different competitions and different titles. Anton Zingarevich has not bought players like Eden Hazard and Juan Mata, who spent the first 20 minutes playing a fluid game of piggy-in-the-middle with 10 yellow shirts in between.

When Chris Gunter performed his own Ivan Ramis pastiche after 17 minutes, misdirecting a tackle on Hazard by a matter of feet, Reading briefly appeared just as naïve and flustered as Wigan Athletic had on Sunday.

But Reading are a team in their manager's image, and they are more likely to merge with Oxford United than panic on the pitch. Brian McDermott has a lighter, more humane touch than anyone else in football. He "loves" his players and sees them as "friends". They take that unity and trust onto the pitch with them, and never look frayed or flustered.

So it was yesterday, as Reading played their way into the game. They did so inspired by three of their new summer additions. There could be no better sign of McDermott's gifts as an educator than the fact that Pavel Pogrebnyak, Danny Guthrie, and Garath McCleary, new to the hoops, played as he wanted.

Pogrebynak was the imposing physical leader, revelling in competition with John Terry and Gary Cahill. Guthrie, directing Reading's best work, enjoyed the responsibility he rarely wore at Newcastle. And Garath McCleary, the 25-year-old with a non-league background, was brisk and fearless in his wing-play.

The three combined brilliantly to draw Reading level. McCleary and Guthrie exchanged passes, and the winger whipped a perfect cross to Pogrebynak, who darted in front of Cahill and headed past Cech. Just three minutes later Guthrie put them ahead, curling a free-kick in via Petr Cech's generous legs.

It was as much as this team, newly-assembled but well-drilled deserved. They continued to push and with more time they might have scored another, Ian Harte's curling free-kick was just wide of first Alex Pearce and then the post.

A third goal before the break would have been a fantasy, but it was also a necessity. Chelsea pinned Reading back and while Guthrie has the fitness of Premier League experience Jem Karacan and Mikele Leigertwood do not. They could not hassle as they did in the first half, and were relying on Pearce and Kaspers Gorkss to keep them afloat.

Had Adam Federici's hands been stronger, and Andy Halliday's eyes been sharper, Reading might have held on. But they were starting to leak chances and, ultimately, did not have the luck to sustain their strong start.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/mcdermotts-new-friends-match-the-blues-in-all-but-the-luck-stakes-8073772.html

[royalsteve]

robbed, bloody lino and ref

thought for the most part chelsea were poor

as for the stats, chelsea 78% possession absolutely NEVER! 27 shots WTF NEVER - must have been a chelsea supporter counting everything including those that landed in row z - honestly i now know footy stats are made up

didnt deserve to lose tonight. great performance, scorred by far the best goal of the 6, not just the goal but the 10 or so passes that preceded it were pure class

4-2 flattered chelsea

[BenReadingFC]

"He does what he wants......."


3,2,1
no homo

[royalsteve]

for 70 minutes that was the best away performance ever - even better than chelsea's champions league away performances, but we just fell short at the end to bad keeping and bad luck

should have deservedly been 3-1 up at the break - never heard stamford bridge so quite, could hear a pin drop until the royals fans started singing, could hear murmurings and booing from chelski fans

4-2 was a joke scoreline, no way deserved

[BenReadingFC]

for 70 minutes that was the best away performance ever - even better than chelsea's champions league away performances, but we just fell short at the end to bad keeping and bad luck

should have deservedly been 3-1 up at the break - never heard stamford bridge so quite, could hear a pin drop until the royals fans started singing, could hear murmurings and booing from chelski fans

4-2 was a joke scoreline, no way deserved

Dodgy lino?

[royalsteve]

Mixed feelings as I felt we were naive but I am also pleased we had a right go and I at least got some value for my £47.

Naivety - Gunter allowing Eden to fall theatrically over his foot and NHunt's complete failure to hold the ball up in the build up to the third goal. You could also argue that switching to two strikers up front rather than trying to hold out for a point was naive from the management too, as goalkeeping howler aside our shape was keeping Chelsea at arms length.

Delighted we had a go - like McLeary, he will fade at times in games but most wingers do. You won't see a better cross and headed goal all season. Pog much much better and everything he wasn't against Stoke. Tbf, Stoke did not feel as obliged to attack as Chelsea did and so he had more space to operate in. That's the standard now for your 35k a week. I am also pleased that at 3-2 in injury time we were throwing the kitchen sink at the European Champions, may as well send the 'keeper up.

thought pog was brilliant tonight, totally the opposite to how he played on saturday, guthrie and ledge were superb, karajan played well, mclearly superb again, mcanuff played well but should have passed in 2nd for mcleary who was unmarked, feds poor again but made a decent save 1st half-come on feds!!, harte good, gorkss good, pearce good but should have scored

dunno why feds went up at 3-2 which lead to their 4th - goal diff cost us last time