Lawro's Predictions

[melonhead]

im sure they will

are you saying we are as good technically as most of this league?

[Stuboo]

im sure they will

are you saying we are as good technically as most of this league?

No, but I perceive that when you look at technical ability, squad unity, management and everything, that we are as good as if not better than several teams in the league. Just seems a bit disrespectful of Lawro to write our club and our players off so readilly.

For me he's to Reading what Adrian Durham is to Arsenal. He appears to love doing us down.

[melonhead]

so do i.
im just saying you cant really expect lawro to have the same knowledge of those unquantifiables
to give a huge ammount of bother about looking into them
or to be as one eyed as fans of any club will be when they assess their own teams qualities


why do you give a oxf*rd what he thinks?

[Royal Bahamas]

Interesting article from Betfair...

http://betting.betfair.com/football/premier-league/premier-league-betting-dont-read-too-much-into-royals-bad-start-180912-201.html

Premier League Betting: Don't read too much into Royals' bad start

Plenty of people are will to write off Reading this season after just three games, but Ralph Ellis isn't amongst them. Here's why he thinks the Royals could survive this year...

I had a text from a friend who had been at The Madejski Stadium on Sunday. It said: "I have seen the club that will finish 20th."

Now I don't think he was talking about Spurs. I know I've got my doubts about Andre Villas Boas, and I don't think he'll deliver a Champions League place at White Hart Lane, but then again I don't see him finishing bottom either. And I tipped Jermain Defoe a month ago to be in the top four Premier League scorers. So that means he must have meant Reading.

And clearly he's not alone in his view. Brian McDermott's side, who have traded at around 8.0 to finish rock bottom, have come in to 4.4 after a fairly dismal 3-1 defeat at home to Tottenham. With fellow Premier League new boys Southampton they are joint favourites at 1.89 for relegation.

At the start of your first Premier League campaign you need a bit of luck, and to maintain the momentum that got you there in the first place. Nobody had more momentum at the back end of last season than the Royals, who put together an astonishing run of 15 wins in 17 games from the end of January to take the Championship title.

When they drew 1-1 with Stoke in their first game it was a promising start. But since then the fates have conspired. They had to fit in an extra fixture at Stamford Bridge to help Chelsea play their European Super Cup final, and then travelled all the way to Sunderland only for the game to get called off for a waterlogged pitch (how come nobody at the Stadium of Light thought to put some covers on, incidentally?)

Take out some time for international week, and the momentum has gone, leaving McDermott to pick up the pieces this week and deal with his first big challenge as a Premier League boss.

Can he do it? I think so. This Reading team is not unlike the one that Steve Coppell brought into the top-flight in 2006. They don't have too many star names, but they do have good organisation and a well established pattern of play. There is a balance to the team, and in Pavel Pogrebnyak they have a striker who has proved he can score goals.

I also think Adam Federici is an outstanding goalkeeper. McDermott left out the Australian on Sunday to try to take some pressure off him following a couple of early season blunders. He has been playing with an injury, but when he's fit he'll be back and has both the ability and the strength of character to find his form.

There is also some stability at the club - unlike at Southampton where the spectre of an out of work Harry Redknapp is already casting a shadow across the prospects of Nigel Adkins. Reading might also be a fairly short trip from Harry's Bournemouth home, but you sense McDermott is far less likely to suffer from owners who are itchy to make a change. The club has been built under Sir John Madejski on a policy of patience, and even though there is now a new and more ambitious owner in Russian Anton Zingarevich the principles remain the same.

Of course there are no easy fixtures in the Premier League. But Reading have from now until December before they meet any more of last season's top four. That can give them time to find their feet. Then comes the January window when some of the Zingarevich cash can be used to strengthen further.

Nobody is suggesting it will be an easy season. But finishing 20th? I fancy my friend has got it wrong.

[/quote]

This is one of the best, level headed articles, I have read in a long time. 100% agree with his thinking, and also expect Reading FC to do well this season, with a top 14 finish, to be followed by a top 8 finish in 2013/14 season!

Definition of TEAMWORK :- "There is no limit to what can be accomplished, if you don't care who gets the credit." Anon.

[Royal Bahamas]

so do i.
im just saying you cant really expect lawro to have the same knowledge of those unquantifiables
to give a huge ammount of bother about looking into them
or to be as one eyed as fans of any club will be when they assess their own teams qualities


why do you give a oxf*rd what he thinks?

^^^ Agreed.

Same as watching TV....if you don't like it, Change the Channel,..OR....Don't Read Him!

[Stuboo]

That's not really posible in the UK where Lawrensen is on Radio five live and match of the day, two of our principal means of following football. Nor should we have to put up with such a poor pundit when we pay our TV licence fees.

If he was avoidable it would be OK sure, but we are forced to suffer this guy if we want to follow football. I don't think it's on.

[Elm Park Old Boy]

Yesterday's Guardian Football Weekly Extra Podcast, Rob Smyth said of Reading, 'They're down.'

Amazing capacity to judge on the basis of the games he's seen us play this season, however many that is (most probably none) of the three completed so far.

Hope to be reminding him of this next spring.

[Royal Bahamas]

That's not really posible in the UK where Lawrensen is on Radio five live and match of the day, two of our principal means of following football. Nor should we have to put up with such a poor pundit when we pay our TV licence fees.

If he was avoidable it would be OK sure, but we are forced to suffer this guy if we want to follow football. I don't think it's on.

Understood.

As you can tell, I am based in the Bahamas, watching all the games online, with the rare TV set up through Sky or Fox. Lawro doesn't exist for me. Just another happy moment in Paradise!

[Ian Royal]

There's a distinction between Lawro being shit and Lawro predicting bad things for us.

The issue I have with him is his obvious ignorance of the area he's supposed to be an expert in and his quite obvious disdain for the idea he should have to put any effort into knowing what he's talking about. Plus the horrific constant snide and flippant comments he makes in general.

I actually have no problem with his analysis for the West Brom result and why he thinks we're in trouble (other than the fact he thinks our squad is weak is not because it kinda is, but because he doesn't know anythign about it), I don't like the fact that he picked us for relegation before a ball was kicked in the first place based on not a whole lot of anything.

He's not even trying to make any pretence at the relegation teams being undecided, or it being any three of about 10 with a couple as favourites. We're going down and West Ham (as an example) are staying up. And you damn well know it's because he knows shit all about us or McDermott, and he knows Fat Sam and West Ham are a NAME.

[ankeny]

The trouble is,he's right.

[Ian Royal]

Erm... Did I just miss something? Watching football focus and absolutely no mention of our game today.

[Royal Ginger]

Not great that we weren't mentioned, but on the other hand, West Brom v Reading can't be the most exciting prospect for the neutrals.

[paultheroyal]

Actually find some of the posts on here quite cringey.

How dare Lawrenson and Merson have an opinion and to be honest as it stands at the moment what they write reads correct.

Oh and as it stands 2 predictions and 2 correct.

[royalp-we]

What did that prick just say on MOTD?! Linkers face

Edit: Cheers RG

[Royal Ginger]

"If McDermott keeps them up it's a loaves & fishes job"

CRUCIFY HIM!

[robbieroyal]

Long hard season.....

[Royal Ginger]

Long hard season.....

Now say it in a sexy voice.

[paultheroyal]

Pundits right on all counts.

Lawrenson 3 Hobnob 0

[rhroyal]

"If Brian McDermott keeps them up it's a loaves and fishes job".

That's plain rude and offensive from a pundit. And even if he's right, it's still more likely than Lawro offering any positive to humanity. He's the sort of man who could make people believe in euthanasia.

[TBM]

Can we all just reply with a for Lawros comment on MOTD