Thank YOU - Dolan - Thank YOU - Anton

[melonhead]

Dolan shouting "keep it" Thats what I have been shouting for a long time.

People need to stop acting like Brian was unfairly treated, he had a shot at it, he made us bottom. He had money, he spent it on Gunter, mapps is good, Pog was a gift, & he messed up the personal handling of guthrie who could have proved vital this season.

£2.5M ON GUNTER just remember that.

People keep saying he wasn't given any money, didn't he say he bid £10m on Sig? Well thats a lot of money, and he threw all of his eggs in one basket. He didn't have a plan B.

People are blinded by nice, it was all a bit too nice. I personally don't think the players should be best chums with the manager. They should have been getting shoes thrown at them not woorldy flames kelloggs shit.

actually sig was plan C after aspas and tom ince

[HoneyRoastHoax]

Pretty sure the quotes were that Sig was worked on for some time, Were Ince and Aspas actually confirmed as genuine targets by the club?

[melonhead]

yes.

[melonhead]

ince anyway. aspas confirmed from the other club i think

[Hoop Blah]

But you have to say Brian wasnt backed in the market....

You don't have to say anything, unless you want to sound like one of the national press or pundits who don't really have much information on what's gone on at the club.

You can obviously state that we didn't spend much, or that we didn't improve the side enough, but until we really know how the budget was set or if McDermott didn't spend all that budget, we just won't know if he was backed.

Zingaravich has said that there was a decision made to back the existing squad and that it was probably a mistake. McDermott has also said that he got every player that he asked for in the summer.

What was the reason for not doing more in the summer or for not making the best use of those players this season? Personally I think the majority of that is down to the manager and unfortunately he paid for that with his job.

[melonhead]

i disagree that there is enough info to make a clear assessment there
but then you know that


+1 though

[Silver Fox]

Not read through the whole thread, but since when does Thou Voice, whoever he is, speak for all of Hobnob? I'd like to go on record that I am distancing myself from his views.

I concur, what a tit

[Maguire]

It was the same kind of game as City away.

United had it locked down. If they had needed another goal they would have scored one.

Stats:
City Away:
Reading's Possession: 26.7%
City's shots from inside the box: 16
Total Passes: City: 677, Reading: 235
Reading's Passing: Long Passes %: 20%, Passing Accuracy: 70.6%

Utd Away:
Reading's Possession: 43.1%
Utd's shots from inside the box: 5
Total Passes: Utd: 462, Reading: 337
Reading's Passes: Long Passes %: 13.9%, Passing Accuracy: 74.2%

The stats show that the games were very different. City dominated us and could have score many. Utd really did not threaten at all from close range and barely from long range, if they hadn't had scored the deflected goal there was very little evidence from the match to suggest that they were capable of scoring a proper goal against us.

Source of Stats: Skysports Match Reports.
http://www1.skysports.com/football/live ... 1733/stats
http://www1.skysports.com/football/live ... 1854/stats

That's got nothing to do with "United had it locked down. If they'd have needed another goal they would have got one"

Using your web links above:

City - 21 shots, 3 on target
Reading - 3 shots, 1 on target

United - 16 shots, 5 on target
Reading - 5 shots, 0 on target

In this case the stats show the games were very similar. You can do anything with statistics.

fwiw I wouldn't use the stats above myself, my original point was that we didn't threaten Utd and if we had sneaked one with twenty minutes to go I believe United had a couple more gears to engage and score a winner.

[Maguire]

On the thread before the game a lot of people (including myself) were predicting a slaughter, 4 and 5-0s being regularly mentioned, some people talking double figures even

Yes but anyone who thought we'd lose 10-0 is an idiot.

[Snowball]

I can't believe I am reading some of this, I really can't.

On the thread before the game a lot of people (including myself) were predicting a slaughter, 4 and 5-0s being regularly mentioned, some people talking double figures even. When it comes to the match, we aren't embarrassed, we play really well and pass the ball around. We have a stonewall penalty appeal booted, we keep RVP and Rooney quiet (admittedly RVP wasn't looking that sharp!) and we only concede the one goal, that comes with a hefty slice of bad luck AND YET YOU STILL BLOODY MOAN??!!!! We didn't score. WTF??!! This was the same squad that most people said would get slaughtered this week, the 'Sow's Ear You couldn't make a Silk Purse out of', and yet a one-nil at the Champions Elect is not a good enough result for you? Noel Hunt played up front on his own against two INTERNATIONAL centre halves. Man Utd had internationals all over the pitch, and we gave them a good game.

Saturday proved we can pass a ball around and keep posession. Maybe we did lack a cutting edge, but again as many people said last week 'What can Dolan do in 4 days?', well I think he answered that. This was a basis to improve on, not some neolithic kick and rush philosophy that worked in the Championship, and it was something that if we have tried earlier and used more often would probably have got us more points this season. The truth will come against Arsenal when he (or the new manager) has had the squad for for two more weeks, and the Pog and some of the injured players may be in contention. My head is still telling me assuredly that we are destined for the drop, but my heart is telling me there may still be the slightest chance, and if not, then we have a good base point to start from next season.

Well said.

I have to say that McD's game-plans/instructions made our players look worse than they are.

Lwood made one mistake letting Ferdinand go by him, but otherwise had a great game.

Man Utd have the highest points tally EVER in the Prem after 29 games. They have, apparently, not lost in the league at home
when going in at HT with a lead, for what was it 29 years?

14 wins from 15 home Prem games. Their only defeat five and a half months ago.

They are averaging scoring 3 at home.


Clearly, we should have hammered them.


WIN 1-0 RFC
WIN 4-0 Norwich
WIN 2-0 Everton
WIN 2-1 Southampton
WIN 2-1 Liverpool
WIN 2-0 WBA
WIN 4-3 Newcastle
WIN 3-1 Sunderland
WIN 1-0 West Ham
WIN 3-1 QPR
WIN 2-1 Arsenal
4-2 Stoke
2-3 Spurs (September 29th)
2-1 Newcastle
4-0 Wigan
3-2 Fulham

W14 D0 L1 39-15

[Silver Fox]

Lwood made one mistake letting Ferdinand go by him, but otherwise had a great game.

At least it didn't directly affect the outcome eh?

[mr_number]

Wow. I thought it was a decent performance, but against a team who clearly weren't being stretched, and one that didn't ever really threaten the opposition. For me, it wasn't materially different to what we'd had before. Not sure how you can extrapolate from that to some of the conclusions being made above.

[P!ssed Off]

It was the same kind of game as City away.

United had it locked down. If they had needed another goal they would have scored one.

Stats:
City Away:
Reading's Possession: 26.7%
City's shots from inside the box: 16
Total Passes: City: 677, Reading: 235
Reading's Passing: Long Passes %: 20%, Passing Accuracy: 70.6%

Utd Away:
Reading's Possession: 43.1%
Utd's shots from inside the box: 5
Total Passes: Utd: 462, Reading: 337
Reading's Passes: Long Passes %: 13.9%, Passing Accuracy: 74.2%

The stats show that the games were very different. City dominated us and could have score many. Utd really did not threaten at all from close range and barely from long range, if they hadn't had scored the deflected goal there was very little evidence from the match to suggest that they were capable of scoring a proper goal against us.

Source of Stats: Skysports Match Reports.
http://www1.skysports.com/football/live ... 1733/stats
http://www1.skysports.com/football/live ... 1854/stats

That's got nothing to do with "United had it locked down. If they'd have needed another goal they would have got one"

Using your web links above:

City - 21 shots, 3 on target
Reading - 3 shots, 1 on target

United - 16 shots, 5 on target
Reading - 5 shots, 0 on target

In this case the stats show the games were very similar. You can do anything with statistics.

fwiw I wouldn't use the stats above myself, my original point was that we didn't threaten Utd and if we had sneaked one with twenty minutes to go I believe United had a couple more gears to engage and score a winner.

Ok, you claim that the games were very similar. I now understand that what you really mean is that both teams had a similar amount of shots in both games. My mistake.

[Maguire]

In that we acquitted ourselves well against superior opposition whilst employing a 4-5-1 system that added defensive solidity at the expense of any real creativity going forward.

[Royalwaster]

I'm assuming a galatasaray official

Good call - probably scouting Jem.

[Royal With Cheese]

In that we acquitted ourselves well against superior opposition whilst employing a 4-5-1 system that added defensive solidity at the expense of any real creativity going forward.

That sounds like January to me.

[The Goat was fed]

Shots on target = 0. Massive improvement, well done lads. Passing the ball sideways will lead us on the road to riches, just ask Tommy Burns. Has to be said, 43% possession is a vast improvement, that is after all nine-tenths of the law.

At best it was a gutsy performance, nothing to be ashamed of at all, but celebrating attractive football and not acknowledging we didn't manage a single shot on target is beyond idiotic.

[Royal With Cheese]

Shots on target = 0. Massive improvement, well done lads. Passing the ball sideways will lead us on the road to riches, just ask Tommy Burns. Has to be said, 43% possession is a vast improvement, that is after all nine-tenths of the law.

At best it was a gutsy performance, nothing to be ashamed of at all, but celebrating attractive football and not acknowledging we didn't manage a single shot on target is beyond idiotic.

To compare the Tommy Burns team that struggled in the third teir of English professional football to Saturday's performance shows a fundamental lack of understanding of just about everything to do with football, management, players and catering staff.

[The Goat was fed]

Tommy Burns - ineffectual passing style.
Eamon Dolan's first game - ineffectual passing style.

Catering staff of Tommy Burns produced Paul Brayson and Robert Fleck.
Catering staff of modern era responsible for Danny Guthrie and Adam Federici.

Call me the Compari-son of God.

[Elm Park Pasty]

I am sure just about every pundit on telly (not that I believe half the blox they speak these days, eh Mr Redknapp? Yes you James) will state that the basis for turning anything around is to stop conceding goals. We conceded a flukey one on Saturday, and Taylor made two or three more saves off the top of my head. Alright Man Utd weren't going at 100% but some of that was down to us, and it would be churlish to say it wasn't. As stated earlier, I have no confidence in us staying up, but I would settle for stop giving away goals and maybe scoring a few ourselves before the season ends.