SIGNED - Pavel Pogrebnyak

[RoyalBlue]

gashbollox style of football.

1. ) you were perfectly happy with this style of play last year, when we were winning
and
2. ) good luck trying to play like Brazil with this lot of polished turds

You overlook the fact that McDermott spent a fair bit of money on some new polished turds and now won't play them because they don't suit his style of football.

[bracksroyal10]

Can we start chanting for Pog at the game saturday if our strikers have been useless and we are crying out for a big physical presence up front. Thought it was shocking how we didn't use him at Villa its a joke.

The only way he will adapt is if he keeps getting a run in the team doesn't happen over 3 months or so Mcd doesn't even know his best team yet its embarrassing.

[Elm Park Pasty]

I am bemused by some of the arguments I see on here. By most accounts both Guthrie and Pog did OK last season in the Premier League (ok so Guthrie filled in for a few months for an injury and Pog was on loan). However, they are 'crap' because they can't play in our system, a system which won the Championship last season. This being a system that has delivered 9 points from 13 games, and a defence that has at some points resembled The Alamo or Rorke's Drift this season. Maybe the time has come for a change in system. We all know we don't have the quality to pass it around like Barcelona (or Swansea that matter!) but would it really hurt to look outside the 'ooof' down the wings approach that pits Hal or Jobi against the likes of Evra, Enrique, Maicon, Ivanesevic or Walker week after week?

[Millsy]

It's funny that I spelt out the reasons he was overhyped before we even had this system.

Look, I'm not knocking the guy, I was merely pointing out that really he was being overhyped as some sort of big name super duprr saviour that he clearly was never going to be given his record. I said this whist we were a top side with a top system that everyone was familiar with. So to use the argument that he IS in fact the super duper saviour but it's the system that doesn't suit him is a little weak really.

Getting a free transfer striker to me was a half hearted nothing of a move. Yes hes on big wages but at 60k per week thats only 3million per YEAR (obviously including wages) so lets not pretend we got an expensive big name wonder, because we never did. It was the typical reading signing.... I reckon he'll come good for sure. If he's good enough for BM he's good enough for me and we will eventually see the magic, just as we eventually did with Mr Zero, but the problem was that we needed/need someone who will make a change, someone VERY good, and if that means the odd £7mill purchase then so be it.

Just like breaking the bank with Lita, Butler or getting Roberts changed things.

Pog was never going to be that man, looking at his record, and that proved to be the case.

[Toon Toon Blue army]

Give Guthrie and Pog a f/cking chance, that what I say. Neither were poor and have been given a lot less time than half the future checkout staff still stumbling around the pitch.

Tab and Legs behind Guthrie, Pog up top. It was tried what, twice? Seem to remember almost beating Chelsea with it. Why on earth has that formation been abandoned so quickly compared to the 4-4-2 hoofw@nk we've had to endure for a third of the season?

If McD doesn't want to swallow his pride and try it again, find someone who will.

+1

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

Give Guthrie and Pog a f/cking chance, that what I say. Neither were poor and have been given a lot less time than half the future checkout staff still stumbling around the pitch.

Tab and Legs behind Guthrie, Pog up top. It was tried what, twice? Seem to remember almost beating Chelsea with it. Why on earth has that formation been abandoned so quickly compared to the 4-4-2 hoofw@nk we've had to endure for a third of the season?

If McD doesn't want to swallow his pride and try it again, find someone who will.

+1

+1 well said ep!

[RockheadRumple]

Give Guthrie and Pog a f/cking chance, that what I say. Neither were poor and have been given a lot less time than half the future checkout staff still stumbling around the pitch.

Tab and Legs behind Guthrie, Pog up top. It was tried what, twice? Seem to remember almost beating Chelsea with it. Why on earth has that formation been abandoned so quickly compared to the 4-4-2 hoofw@nk we've had to endure for a third of the season?

If McD doesn't want to swallow his pride and try it again, find someone who will.

Normally I'd agree with you E-P but I don't here. I think Guthrie maybe should play, sure, but Pogrebnyak has been seriously sh/t. He waddles around the pitch waiting for a pin-point cross rather than making an effort and one one eventually does come he heads it f/cking wide, just like against Fulham and Newcastle. He looks like a centre back playing in strike and I'm sure a centre back would do a lot f/cking better anyway.

The 4-5-1 formation was OK, but it totally failed against Tottenham and was pretty damn limp against Liverpool. Reading played 4-4-2 today against Manchester United, played it on the floor very well for most of the match and, in case you did notice, scored three goals. I think a 4-4-2 with Guthrie and Tabb would work pretty well while Leigertwood sorts himself out a bit but 4-5-1 is just negative and Pogrebnyak isn't good enough to play upfront by himself.

[Arch]

Most teams aren't playing 4-5-1, they're playing 4-3-3. That means the "wide" players are playing much more fluidly between being wingers and inside forwards and full-backs are being more adventurous while getting more cover from midfield. All of that would help cover some of our deficiencies.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Give Guthrie and Pog a f/cking chance, that what I say. Neither were poor and have been given a lot less time than half the future checkout staff still stumbling around the pitch.

Tab and Legs behind Guthrie, Pog up top. It was tried what, twice? Seem to remember almost beating Chelsea with it. Why on earth has that formation been abandoned so quickly compared to the 4-4-2 hoofw@nk we've had to endure for a third of the season?

If McD doesn't want to swallow his pride and try it again, find someone who will.

Normally I'd agree with you E-P but I don't here. I think Guthrie maybe should play, sure, but Pogrebnyak has been seriously sh/t. He waddles around the pitch waiting for a pin-point cross rather than making an effort and one one eventually does come he heads it f/cking wide, just like against Fulham and Newcastle. He looks like a centre back playing in strike and I'm sure a centre back would do a lot f/cking better anyway.

The 4-5-1 formation was OK, but it totally failed against Tottenham and was pretty damn limp against Liverpool. Reading played 4-4-2 today against Manchester United, played it on the floor very well for most of the match and, in case you did notice, scored three goals.

We also conceded 4 and lost.

We looked a hell of a lot better on Saturday, but the 4-5-1 option should be in our arsenal. It's easy to discredit a formation by plucking examples from the league story so far; you could do that just as well with 4-4-2.

My overall yearning for 4-5-1 is as a plan B in most cases (holding the lead, stemming a beating) but in some games it seems almost essential to start with in order to compete.

Tricky to speculate I suppose, as we are so different from one game to the next. 4-4-2 looks like a good bet now, post-United. But we have had issues with it and I'm not sure we can discount 4-5-1 as an alternative on the back of such little experimentation with it.

[noelgallagher]

Good player. Wrong team.

[RockheadRumple]

Give Guthrie and Pog a f/cking chance, that what I say. Neither were poor and have been given a lot less time than half the future checkout staff still stumbling around the pitch.

Tab and Legs behind Guthrie, Pog up top. It was tried what, twice? Seem to remember almost beating Chelsea with it. Why on earth has that formation been abandoned so quickly compared to the 4-4-2 hoofw@nk we've had to endure for a third of the season?

If McD doesn't want to swallow his pride and try it again, find someone who will.

Normally I'd agree with you E-P but I don't here. I think Guthrie maybe should play, sure, but Pogrebnyak has been seriously sh/t. He waddles around the pitch waiting for a pin-point cross rather than making an effort and one one eventually does come he heads it f/cking wide, just like against Fulham and Newcastle. He looks like a centre back playing in strike and I'm sure a centre back would do a lot f/cking better anyway.

The 4-5-1 formation was OK, but it totally failed against Tottenham and was pretty damn limp against Liverpool. Reading played 4-4-2 today against Manchester United, played it on the floor very well for most of the match and, in case you did notice, scored three goals.

We also conceded 4 and lost.

We looked a hell of a lot better on Saturday, but the 4-5-1 option should be in our arsenal. It's easy to discredit a formation by plucking examples from the league story so far; you could do that just as well with 4-4-2.

My overall yearning for 4-5-1 is as a plan B in most cases (holding the lead, stemming a beating) but in some games it seems almost essential to start with in order to compete.

Tricky to speculate I suppose, as we are so different from one game to the next. 4-4-2 looks like a good bet now, post-United. But we have had issues with it and I'm not sure we can discount 4-5-1 as an alternative on the back of such little experimentation with it.

Indeed.

[maffff]

Pogrebnyak set for showdown talks with Reading owner
Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak insists he ready to fight for his place at the club and snub a return to Russia.

Pogrebnyak enjoyed a promising start to life in England when he scored six in 12 league matches for Fulham last season.

The Londoners could not sort out a permanent deal for him, though, and Reading stepped in to land him on a free transfer.

But it has not gone as well as hoped, with the 29-year-old scoring just two goals in the league all season.

A switch back to former club Zenit has been mooted but Pogrebnyak told Soviet Sport: "What's going on? I'm not ready to answer this question.

"I am yet to discuss the issue with the team's owner Anton Zingarevich, but this is probably necessary. After the defeat to Southampton the situation in the struggle for survival is complicated, but we have good players.

"Am I ready to go back to Russia? No.'

[Handsome Man]

Pogrebnyak set for showdown talks with Reading owner
Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak insists he ready to fight for his place at the club and snub a return to Russia.

Pogrebnyak enjoyed a promising start to life in England when he scored six in 12 league matches for Fulham last season.

The Londoners could not sort out a permanent deal for him, though, and Reading stepped in to land him on a free transfer.

But it has not gone as well as hoped, with the 29-year-old scoring just two goals in the league all season.

A switch back to former club Zenit has been mooted but Pogrebnyak told Soviet Sport: "What's going on? I'm not ready to answer this question.

"I am yet to discuss the issue with the team's owner Anton Zingarevich, but this is probably necessary. After the defeat to Southampton the situation in the struggle for survival is complicated, but we have good players.

"Am I ready to go back to Russia? No.'

Why would he need to talk to the owner?

[ZacNaloen]

Because the owner will know if there is anything in the link?

Anyway, he said the right things there. good attitude.

[Snowball]

Pog is still better than a goal every 180 minutes

I wonder how he'd do given a decent run in the side?

[windermere_royal]

Pog is still better than a goal every 180 minutes

I wonder how he'd do given a decent run in the side?

I agree, he is getting alot of undeserved stick on here and FB, create the chances he will score the goals, his play in the outfield is not the best, his strength is in and around the box, can`t help thinking if Pog had been on the end of the free headers that ALF had against Villa and Saints.

[maffff]

It would be nice if he played more as a striker than a defensive midfielder, but he's the best we've got..............

[ZacNaloen]

That''s just it, he wants ball to feet.

Not this on the head rubbish.

So he goes looking for it, and as it's usually in our defensive third....

[maffff]

With some of his tackling / passing and where he spends half the game looking for the ball if I were in McD's position and he wasn't going to get a game upfront I'd seriously consider putting him in Ledge's position. Great tackling, good posession and decent passing. Not much slower than Ledge and seems to actually track back and cover the defence!!

[ZacNaloen]

Cracking long range shot as well