back in the car from the Brighton (H) game

[andrew1957]

Just once in a while you go to a game and really wonder why you bother to go to football at all. Today was one of those.

Two teams playing tippy tappy football without any cutting edge. But Brighton definitely the better of the two and unlucky not to get all three points.

The referee was spot on in all his decisions by the letter of the law, but showed zero common sense. If you start booking every player for the slightest infringement then you will ruin a game and he did that very effectively. By the letter of the law though he cannot be faulted. Both Pog's bookings were correct and although the Brighton sending off probably only merited a yellow - a red was assured because of the way he had refereed the game from the start.

RFC toiled and it says it all when once again your keeper is MOTM. We looked slightly better with the introduction of Bridge and HRK, but still never looked like scoring. Cannot be bothered to give ratings. If I did Pog would get a 0 for complete stupidity and everyone else is about a 5. No one outstanding and no one was terribly poor.

Now I fear that we will be shown up as the poor side that we have become on Wednesday by a highly motivated Leeds side. I can see the fans really turning on both Anton and even Adkins then. Sadly I fear a defeat on Wednesday is all but inevitable unless a miracle happens. If so Brian really will have had the last laugh.

[Maguire]

I fear a defeat on Wednesday is all but inevitable unless a miracle happens

You absolute drama queen

[One8Seven1]

The ref is just another convenient excuse to paper over the cracks. It was 10 v 10 for a long period of the game, and there was space in abundance to take advantage off, but this static, uncreative, and statuesque side couldn't once again knit a few decent passes together to create anything, nor could it take any chances AGAIN.

Did Ady Williams say that's 4 games with no goal from open play? Anyone would think we need a striker?
But hang on, there's absolutely no point in bringing in another striker when we create naff all for him to score from!

Bridge, Guthrie and McCarthy were the only decent players for us today. Williams and Karacan were muscled off the ball all too easily and may as well have not been there half the time, Le Fondre started on the left (why exactly?) and then became the lone striker when Pog came off. He was totally anonymous. Not his fault though. No service and some pointless long balls to him. Pearce was dreadful first half, bordering on embarrassing.

Just another disappointing performance, very few signs of improvement, no creativity, very few chances, lack of movement and space created. This is very much a mid-table Championship side. I really am struggling to see how things will improve without the addition of at least three new players.

[Kebe's apprentice]

McCarthy - 8
Gunter - 7
Pearce - 5
Morrison - 6
Kelly - 6
Karacan 6
Guthrie - 7
Williams - 5
Drenthe - 5
ALF - 2
Pog - 3

Bridge 7
HRK 6
Blackman no time

Ref - Insisted on a booking for almost every foul. At least he was consistent all the way through, unlike the referee we had against Leeds a couple of years back.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Two teams playing tippy tappy football without any cutting edge. But Brighton definitely the better of the two and unlucky not to get all three points.

Now I fear that we will be shown up as the poor side that we have become on Wednesday by a highly motivated Leeds side. I can see the fans really turning on both Anton and even Adkins then. Sadly I fear a defeat on Wednesday is all but inevitable unless a miracle happens. If so Brian really will have had the last laugh.

Don't know what game you were watching?. yes McCarthy made a few good saves but no way were Brighton the better side

Stupid Comment. I really doubt it will take a miracle to beat a very average Leeds side and no, Brian will not have the last laugh as we are 6 games into the season and everything is still to play for.

[andrew1957]

Two teams playing tippy tappy football without any cutting edge. But Brighton definitely the better of the two and unlucky not to get all three points.

Now I fear that we will be shown up as the poor side that we have become on Wednesday by a highly motivated Leeds side. I can see the fans really turning on both Anton and even Adkins then. Sadly I fear a defeat on Wednesday is all but inevitable unless a miracle happens. If so Brian really will have had the last laugh.

Don't know what game you were watching?. yes McCarthy made a few good saves but no way were Brighton the better side

Stupid Comment. I really doubt it will take a miracle to beat a very average Leeds side and no, Brian will not have the last laugh as we are 6 games into the season and everything is still to play for.

Ignore the facts. McCarthy was MOTM for making several good saves whereas their keeper just had a few routine catches and not one good save to make. I think the facts speak for themselves. If Ulloa had stayed on the pitch Brighton would undoubteldy have won.

[winchester_royal]

That was a bit naff wasn't it?

Brighton came to spoil and quieten the crowd, which they did very well, but made for a thoroughly turgid game of football. We didn't play with enough tempo or width. We need to go back to how we were playing under Adkins towards the end of last season with 2 quick wingers offering a real threat.

[Cureton's Volley]

Two teams playing tippy tappy football without any cutting edge. But Brighton definitely the better of the two and unlucky not to get all three points.

Now I fear that we will be shown up as the poor side that we have become on Wednesday by a highly motivated Leeds side. I can see the fans really turning on both Anton and even Adkins then. Sadly I fear a defeat on Wednesday is all but inevitable unless a miracle happens. If so Brian really will have had the last laugh.

Don't know what game you were watching?. yes McCarthy made a few good saves but no way were Brighton the better side

Stupid Comment. I really doubt it will take a miracle to beat a very average Leeds side and no, Brian will not have the last laugh as we are 6 games into the season and everything is still to play for.

By all means Weds could go either way, but Brighton were much better today. Better possesion, more incisive, more dangerous, looked comfortable away from home. We had chances too, but nothing looked as good as some of the neat moves they pulled off.

[floyd__streete]

Jesus wept. Is that really better than what we had before under McD? I don't think so.

Dreadful game, insipid, one-paced, sideways yawnfest football. A game so bad that Jem Karacan was man of the match. Our tactics today seemed to be to get the ball as slowly as possible to our 32 year old left back.....who didn't even start the game. Adkins, you genius

Ref was about as good as the general standard of play. Pog's first booking was rank stupidity, a rash challenge. My initial instinct for the 2nd booking is that he went down easily, but he's a ticking timebomb of a car-crash of a footballer isn't he, Pog. I was utterly amazed to see the West Stand applaud Pog off for his stupidity

ALF? Possibly the most overrated Reading player ever. All I can recall from him was an early foul and then when released by Drenthe's desperate overhead clearance he tried to turn inside.....and was easily dispossessed. And we never saw him again.

Drenthe? I think we're seeing now why no-one else wanted him. The fitness levels of Rik Waller.

[P!ssed Off]

Got to a bar in Turkey about 40 minutes in to the game.
'Oh good, Pog's not playing' I thought to myself.
Little did I know.

2nd half was a decent spectacle for the neutral.
Think Brighton had more clear cut chances but we had more of the play and generally looked more dangerous.

[Cureton's Volley]

Jesus wept. Is that really better than what we had before under McD? I don't think so.

Dreadful game, insipid, one-paced, sideways yawnfest football. A game so bad that Jem Karacan of the match. Our tactics today seemed to be to get the ball as slowly as possible to our 32 year old left back.....who didn't even start the game. Adkins, you genius

Ref was about as good as the general standard of play. Pog's first booking was rank stupidity, a rash challenge. My initial instinct for the 2nd booking is that he went down easily, but he's a ticking timebomb of a car-crash of a footballer isn't he, Pog. I was utterly amazed to see the West Stand applaud Pog off for his stupidity

ALF? Possibly the most overrated Reading player ever. All I can recall from him was an early foul and then when released by Drenthe's desperate overhead clearance he tried to turn inside.....and was easily dispossessed. And we never saw him again.

Drenthe? I think we're seeing now why no-one else wanted him. The fitness levels of Rik Waller.

Well said

[RoyalBlue]

Ref was appalling. Dished cards out like confetti to cause himself problems later. Think he is now averaging a red card per game this season! Over 8 games that can't be just bad luck/the fact that he's had 8 difficult games and most come down to poor officiating on his part.

Despite their ability to view replays, the idiots commentating on the game for Sky failed to spot the bleeding obvious e.g. Pog was pulled back by his arm and therefore should have been awarded a freekick - at worst he was guilty of accentuating the offence. Instead they spent the game defending what was a shocking display of officiating.

BBCRB wrongly emphasised the fact that we weren't creating chances for any striker (even if we had signed one). At the start of the second half in particular we created several good opportunities which a different style of striker to ALF would have been able to take advantage of i.e. a big, fast, strong, physical striker rather than a small but effective (in the right situation) poacher.

Mike Gooding, however, got it spot on in stating that he believed that Adkins had 'been tucked up by the club' when it came to transfers. Gooding seems convinced that Adkins would have been given assurances/promises with regard to incoming transfers, which Hammond, Zingarevich etc. have not delivered on.

[andrew1957]

Jesus wept. Is that really better than what we had before under McD? I don't think so.

Dreadful game, insipid, one-paced, sideways yawnfest football. A game so bad that Jem Karacan was man of the match. Our tactics today seemed to be to get the ball as slowly as possible to our 32 year old left back.....who didn't even start the game. Adkins, you genius

Ref was about as good as the general standard of play. Pog's first booking was rank stupidity, a rash challenge. My initial instinct for the 2nd booking is that he went down easily, but he's a ticking timebomb of a car-crash of a footballer isn't he, Pog. I was utterly amazed to see the West Stand applaud Pog off for his stupidity

ALF? Possibly the most overrated Reading player ever. All I can recall from him was an early foul and then when released by Drenthe's desperate overhead clearance he tried to turn inside.....and was easily dispossessed. And we never saw him again.

Drenthe? I think we're seeing now why no-one else wanted him. The fitness levels of Rik Waller.

We might have had our spats in the past but I cannot really disagree with a word of that.

[kwik-silva]

My thoughts

[RoyalBlue]

Two teams playing tippy tappy football without any cutting edge. But Brighton definitely the better of the two and unlucky not to get all three points.

Now I fear that we will be shown up as the poor side that we have become on Wednesday by a highly motivated Leeds side. I can see the fans really turning on both Anton and even Adkins then. Sadly I fear a defeat on Wednesday is all but inevitable unless a miracle happens. If so Brian really will have had the last laugh.

Don't know what game you were watching?. yes McCarthy made a few good saves but no way were Brighton the better side

Stupid Comment. I really doubt it will take a miracle to beat a very average Leeds side and no, Brian will not have the last laugh as we are 6 games into the season and everything is still to play for.

Ignore the facts. McCarthy was MOTM for making several good saves whereas their keeper just had a few routine catches and not one good save to make.

Last statement is incorrect - he made good save from Jem early in second half. However we failed to create enough chances and even had we created more, we are so clearly lacking a big, strong, fast striker to cause defenders problems.

Just once in a while you go to a game and really wonder why you bother to go to football at all. Today was one of those.

Two teams playing tippy tappy football without any cutting edge. But Brighton definitely the better of the two and unlucky not to get all three points.

The referee was spot on in all his decisions by the letter of the law, but showed zero common sense..

The ref made a mistake with the second yellow for Pog because he failed to spot (and got no help from his assistant) a clear hold and pull back on Pog's arm. I do not believe it is correct by the letter of the law to book a player for 'accentuating' what is a clear foul. I believe the 'offence' is simulation and Pog did not pretend he had been fouled, he clearly was.

[Ian Royal]

Poor match with poor refereeing. No penetration or guile. Guthrie not on song Brighton stifled us well and Pearce was ropey first half.

McCarthy 8 MOTM three quality saves, some routine stops and adequate punches.
Gunter 5 defensively poor, but not brilliantly supported because of our shape.
Kelly 6 thought he was actually ok
Pearce 6 poor first half and could have seen two yellows himself. Much better second
Morro 7 less error prone than pearce.
Karacan 7 good game and our biggest goal threat. Lolz
Guthrie 7 not on form but still our heartbeat
Williams 6 ok but disappointing
Alf 6 worked hard fluffed an early break. Wouldn't fall for him and little service.
Pog 3 stupid and shit, at least he won't play during the week.
Drenthe 5 started brightly but didn't produce. Got wound up then drifted out the game.

Bridge 7 nice to have him back
HRK 5 didn't really see anything positive.
Blackman 5 little time but lolz at him being our game changer

Game crying out for a bit of width, pace and passing ability plus defensive quality - McAnuff tailor made for it.

Ugwu must get at least a cameo on wednesday.

[ManchesterRoyals]

Mike Gooding, however, got it spot on in stating that he believed that Adkins had 'been tucked up by the club' when it came to transfers. Gooding seems convinced that Adkins would have been given assurances/promises with regard to incoming transfers, which Hammond, Zingarevich etc. have not delivered on.

Interesting

[sandman]

Well I think we did well. They had Forster and Caskey playing for them yet we still kept a clean sheet (Two down 19 to go).

[P!ssed Off]

Tbh anyone who was at Yeovil chanting Alf's name after the penalty decision (about 90% of you lot) can't really be critical of Pog.

That's the fine line of such theatrics. You get a pen one week and a booking the next.
I'm not a fan of such nonsense. Players should attempt to stay on their feet at all times.

[RoyalBlue]

Mike Gooding, however, got it spot on in stating that he believed that Adkins had 'been tucked up by the club' when it came to transfers. Gooding seems convinced that Adkins would have been given assurances/promises with regard to incoming transfers, which Hammond, Zingarevich etc. have not delivered on.

Interesting

Gooding didn't claim inside info (although that doesn't mean he hasn't had any) but on air based his certainty on the conviction with which Adkins had spoken about bringing three other players in. He clearly felt that Adkins wouldn't have spoken that way had he not been told that he was able to make those signings. I suspect that Adkins hadn't been told that he could only have the players if they could be signed at Reading's valuation, which is usually considerably lower than the valuation of other clubs, and at wages acceptable to Reading, which are often lower than other clubs are prepared to offer!