on my way BFTG: Millwall H

[Wycombe Royal]

My dads m8 went to the game on Saturday. Said Reading were still playing the long ball stuff. He said flights had to be diverted away from the Mad Stad as the ball spent so long in the air. I thought Reading were trying to play a more passing game?

Oviously a fishing attempt, but I will however answer. Millwall got their tactics spot on and pressed and closed down our players thus preventing the majority of short passes we wanted to play. We just didn't have enough movement or quick passing.

[No Fixed Abode]

My dads m8 went to the game on Saturday. Said Reading were still playing the long ball stuff. He said flights had to be diverted away from the Mad Stad as the ball spent so long in the air. I thought Reading were trying to play a more passing game?

Oviously a fishing attempt, but I will however answer. Millwall got their tactics spot on and pressed and closed down our players thus preventing the majority of short passes we wanted to play. We just didn't have enough movement or quick passing.

No fishing. That's what he said. Granted it was his first game of the season. He also used the word 'dreadful' and he wouldn't be rushing back.

[Brian's left bollock]

I see being a plastic runs in the family.

[melonhead]

My dads m8 went to the game on Saturday. Said Reading were still playing the long ball stuff. He said flights had to be diverted away from the Mad Stad as the ball spent so long in the air. I thought Reading were trying to play a more passing game?

Oviously a fishing attempt, but I will however answer. Millwall got their tactics spot on and pressed and closed down our players thus preventing the majority of short passes we wanted to play. We just didn't have enough movement or quick passing.

No fishing. That's what he said. Granted it was his first game of the season. He also used the word 'dreadful' and he wouldn't be rushing back.

def not a good advert for the club.
but then no club plays gr8 football every week.
and we dont play "that" shit every week either

[No Fixed Abode]

I see being a plastic runs in the family.

Yep. Not even a family member. Well done.

[Terminal Boardom]

I see being a plastic runs in the family.

Yep. Not even a family member. Well done.

Classic

[Brian's left bollock]

Ah fcuk.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Poor game, poor performance, still should have won but for Federici's second mistake in 2 weeks.

Federici: 5 - The ball fell to their striker in his 6 yard box - he should have been quicker to the ball and picked it up but STILL could have just stood up and the guy doesn't have room to score as the ball was veering off. 2 games, 2 goals, 2 mistakes...get well soon Alex.

And your second absurd assessment in 2 weeks - again at odds with most other people.

Has Feds robbed your house and raped your mum or are you just shagging McCarthy?! Can't think of any other reasons for such an appallingly biased and blinkered assessment of their respective abilities.

Nothing absurd about it.

Federici makes mistakes on a constant basis, and he was at fault for the goal on Saturday. Doesn't instill any confidence into the back line, nor the fans.

[Ian Royal]

Can't help but feel underwhelmed as we bob around the top 7 places with the luxury of our parachute payments. Don't feel as if we're particularly over-achieving under Adkins (who was tactically out-done by that football genius Steve Lomas today - ALARM BELLS), given the comparative resources he has available. And as for TSI taking us on to the 'next level'..... Disappointing.

The only question for me this season is.....which hungrier, better organised side is going to knock us out in the play-off semi finals.

Have you ever not been underwhelmed by RFC

93/94 McGhee side, 02/03 under Pardew, 05-07 under Coppell. These were all sides who were an absolute pleasure to watch. Expectations were lower, of course, but it helped that those three managers - even dear old Pards - didn't spout the hype that Adkins did/does: 100 goals, 21 clean sheets.

You should lower your expectations. You seem to only be satisfied by exceptional sides.

[marlowuk]

My dads m8 went to the game on Saturday. Said Reading were still playing the long ball stuff. He said flights had to be diverted away from the Mad Stad as the ball spent so long in the air. I thought Reading were trying to play a more passing game?

Oviously a fishing attempt, but I will however answer. Millwall got their tactics spot on and pressed and closed down our players thus preventing the majority of short passes we wanted to play. We just didn't have enough movement or quick passing.

Absolutely correct WR! We dominated for the first 25 minutes, scored and then we relaxed. Millwall then played with a higher line and gave our mid-field no time and no room. Guthrie didn't have the freedom to command the mid-field and we had difficulty passing our way out from the back. So we did revert to the long ball. How else could we get the ball to our front men? We don't have the technically gifted players to make those killer passes that split defences - not under the pressure that Millwall were exerting on our mid-field. Guthrie tried but too often his passes were ill-placed or got cut out by their defence. When they attacked we held off and exerted no pressure on them until the final third!

Because of that they deserved their point but they should not have got it. From where I was seated I thought Feds had got that ball but the (seriously inadequate) FLS clip showed he hadn't and their penalty was fair. But there was no need for Feds to have gone for that ball at all! Their goalie also made at least 2 very good saves but we struggled to create much.

For the record, I thought McCleary did reasonably well. Bridge did OK but was visibly knackered halfway through the second half. Jobi did well for the time he was on and must be in contention to start next game. Pog tried hard but made more simple mistakes as did most of our players. We were put under pressure and we can't cope with that. We then failed to do the simple things well. It won't be long (if at all) before other sides work that out and play a similar high line and then we will need the likes of Drenthe to produce some unpredictable magic for us.

[ReadingJim]

No wonder the ball spent so long in the air - Millwall looked like they were sponsored by Easyjet!

[Barry the bird boggler]

Poor game, poor performance, still should have won but for Federici's second mistake in 2 weeks.

Federici: 5 - The ball fell to their striker in his 6 yard box - he should have been quicker to the ball and picked it up but STILL could have just stood up and the guy doesn't have room to score as the ball was veering off. 2 games, 2 goals, 2 mistakes...get well soon Alex.

And your second absurd assessment in 2 weeks - again at odds with most other people.

Has Feds robbed your house and raped your mum or are you just shagging McCarthy?! Can't think of any other reasons for such an appallingly biased and blinkered assessment of their respective abilities.

Nothing absurd about it
Federici makes mistakes on a constant basis, and he was at fault for the goal on Saturday. Doesn't instill any confidence into the back line, nor the fans.

Nothing to do with the 10 other idiots in front of him totally and repeatedly failing to close down a team with only 9 outfield players then.

[moonwalklikebas]

Thankyou!!!

How people can be so naïve to think that it was federici's fault! Where was the midfield, where was Stephen Kelly?? Feds is a very good keeper and fully deserves a no.1 shirt somewhere in this division. His distribution is fantastic and it can be easy to forget how great he has been for the club over the last few years. Typical artificial fans (That don't actually have a clue about football i.e.. never played it, only been 3 matches) only thinking of the now!

[Ian Royal]

Thankyou!!!

How people can be so naïve to think that it was federici's fault! Where was the midfield, where was Stephen Kelly?? Feds is a very good keeper and fully deserves a no.1 shirt somewhere in this division. His distribution is fantastic and it can be easy to forget how great he has been for the club over the last few years. Typical artificial fans (That don't actually have a clue about football i.e.. never played it, only been 3 matches) only thinking of the now!

As with most things, it's a combination of errors throughout the team. From Alf not scoring earlier, to the defence and midfield not retaining possession, to the defence failing to mark properly to Federici being slow off his line and bringing him down rather than just closing the angle.

Not sure why you're naming Kelly. He was left back and the player ran from right side of the defence, so Morrison / Gunter should have been playing him offside or tighter.

[melonhead]

not just alf. we had plenty of chances to have buried them

[Ian Royal]

not just alf. we had plenty of chances to have buried them

Yeah, Alf's was probably the closest and best though.

[floyd__streete]

LOL @ those blaming Federici for the equaliser. How about looking at the left hand side of the defence who allowed the Millwall man to glide through unchecked to a simple through-ball.

I prefer McCarthy to Federici, but there is an awful lot of 'this chap doesn't normally play so his presence in the team must be what costs us' revisionism amongst contributors here.

[Millsy]

To be fair, I think it's all Federici's fault.

This chap doesn't normally play so his presence in the team must be what costs us.

[Hoop Blah]

LOL @ those blaming Federici for the equaliser. How about looking at the left hand side of the defence who allowed the Millwall man to glide through unchecked to a simple through-ball.

I prefer McCarthy to Federici, but there is an awful lot of 'this chap doesn't normally play so his presence in the team must be what costs us' revisionism amongst contributors here.

Simple through ball? You did see the goal didn't you Floyd? It was a headed flick on that was picked up on from a forward running away from Morrison, although I think Kelly and Pearce both challenged for the flick on and so were culpable as well.

Federici was a little slow to close the ball down, IMO, and then once he got there late probably should've just stood up and made himself big to force the forward wider, something he is usually very good at as it happens.

[floyd__streete]

Simple through ball? You did see the goal didn't you Floyd? It was a headed flick on that was picked up on from a forward running away from Morrison, although I think Kelly and Pearce both challenged for the flick on and so were culpable as well.

Ok m8, stand corrected - only saw it once in real time and I caught the tail end of the replay on Sky's appalling FL72 Review yesterday. We both agree it was mince defending (in fact your description makes it sound worse) rather than overtly bad goalkeeping though, so that's good.....