Sheff Weds - Back from the game

[Cureton's Volley]

Yet another 'bad day at the office'. It's happened far too often this season.

[blueroyals]

I completely blame Adkins. We go down to 10 men and we stick our biggest creative outlet at right back, launch the ball 60 yards to Pog for the entire game and when we do get forward we continue trying to cross the ball into the box when A) we were only playing with 1 winger and B) we had won about 2 headers all game. His tactics were a train crash.

Akpan was poor. Pearce was a walking red card from the first minute. The ref was shit and Wednesday are a disgusting team and always will be - constant hoof ball, constant time wasting and feigning injury. Disgusting. I'd hate to watch that week in, week out.

[RoyalBlue]

As much as I think Adkins is useless.
This defeat can be laid on two players for individual mistakes.
Pearce and McCarthy I'm afraid.
We can blame the ref,(who was awful) the Sheff players for time wasting, but at the end of the day these two players, especially Pearce cost us the game.

It was a moronic challenge and, if I was McCarthy I would be damn p8ssed off that one of my defenders didn't have the confidence in me to have at least a 50% chance of saving from a forward in that position. Today's mistake excepted, McCarthy has shown in every game how he can save us in similar situations.

I completely blame Adkins. We go down to 10 men and we stick our biggest creative outlet at right back, launch the ball 60 yards to Pog for the entire game and when we do get forward we continue trying to cross the ball into the box when A) we were only playing with 1 winger and B) we had won about 2 headers all game. His tactics were a train crash.

Akpan was poor. Pearce was a walking red card from the first minute. The ref was shit and Wednesday are a disgusting team and always will be - constant hoof ball, constant time wasting and feigning injury. Disgusting. I'd hate to watch that week in, week out.

When did he stick our biggest creative outlet at right back? And even when he was there he still pressed forward quite a bit!

And what makes you think Adkins told the players to go long? Even if he had, which I doubt, it is exactly what we saw so often under Sir Brian.

[paddy20]

Positives from tooday - Guthrie looked good & so did Willliams. Fully expect Guthrie to start v QPR in place of Akpan.

Wow you have a short memory!

[MmmMonsterMunch]

McCarthy made an exceptional save at the beginning of the 2nd half when it was still 0-1 TBF.

[Royalclapper]

Christ, you can tell how much football's changed - Southampton loaning players to Juventus and Reading fans getting irritable because they failed to wallop Sheffield Wednesday 6-0.

[P!ssed Off]

McCarthy made an exceptional save at the beginning of the 2nd half when it was still 0-1 TBF.

Not sure how exceptional McCarthy's saves were today.
Wednesday created some good chances but were absolutely awful at finishing. They only scored when we gave it to them on a plate.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Positives from tooday - Guthrie looked good & so did Willliams. Fully expect Guthrie to start v QPR in place of Akpan.

Wow you have a short memory!

On today's showing I would 1000000000000000000% start Guthrie in place of Akpan yes. That won't sit well with those who want a scapegoat for Reading losing games over xmas though I'm guessing.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

McCarthy made an exceptional save at the beginning of the 2nd half when it was still 0-1 TBF.

Not sure how exceptional McCarthy's saves were today.
Wednesday created some good chances but were absolutely awful at finishing. They only scored when we gave it to them on a plate.

No he made one exceptional save early on in the 2nd half about 50 mins on the clock. It was nailed on 0-2 if he hadn't. He got fortunate in that the rebound from his save didn't cross the line but it was a brilliant save nonetheless.

[thirtyyarder]

First game in two years as I live abroad. Couldn't tell if it was a red card or not but as someone mentioned Pearce had already got the wrong side several times before the pen. Williams and Mcleary were good, hope was pretty rubbish, Mcarthy dropped a clanger. I have absolutely no doubt that if Pearce hadn't been sent off we would have won.

Looked to me to be one of those days where nothing goes right. Also it was cold.

See you all in another few years.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

First game in two years as I live abroad. Couldn't tell if it was a red card or not but as someone mentioned Pearce had already got the wrong side several times before the pen. Williams and Mcleary were good, hope was pretty rubbish, Mcarthy dropped a clanger. I have absolutely no doubt that if Pearce hadn't been sent off we would have won.

Looked to me to be one of those days where nothing goes right. Also it was cold.

See you all in another few years.

Shame that you didn't see something more entertaining as we've been scoring for fun of late.

Perhaps you ought to stay away from now on?

[RoyalBlue]

McCarthy made an exceptional save at the beginning of the 2nd half when it was still 0-1 TBF.

Not sure how exceptional McCarthy's saves were today.
Wednesday created some good chances but were absolutely awful at finishing. They only scored when we gave it to them on a plate.

Awful mistake for the second but at least two of his saves were truly as exceptional as we have become used to. That's why it is annoying that the less than intelligent Pearce didn't trust him to try to deal with Maquire and instead conceded a penalty (probably harder to save) and got himself sent off.

I hope Adkins tries to beat some footballing intelligence into Pearce. Maybe pull that stunt if your team is leading 1-0 with just a couple of minutes to go but not at 0-0 with over 80 minutes for your team to pull the game back even if they do go a goal down.

[glass half full]

Referee Keith (over the) Hill.

[paddy20]

Pog has the worst jump for a big man, so pointless lumping high balls as it was coming straight back at us. Better to try and keep it on ground. Think we may have been better off bringing on Hector and taking off a forward, then we wouldn't have been overrun in midfield. Adkins seems to have gone from possession to direct to make up for the loss of a man in midfield. Mistake in tactics for me. Surprised he took off williams to be replaced by Blackman as Williams looked as though he was still ok. Always going to be an uphill struggle but we looked far less threatening in second half than first. Pearce needs to be replaced asap - he is our weak link

[MmmMonsterMunch]

McCarthy made an exceptional save at the beginning of the 2nd half when it was still 0-1 TBF.

Not sure how exceptional McCarthy's saves were today.
Wednesday created some good chances but were absolutely awful at finishing. They only scored when we gave it to them on a plate.

Awful mistake for the second but at least two of his saves were truly as exceptional as we have become used to. That's why it is annoying that the less than intelligent Pearce didn't trust him to try to deal with Maquire and instead conceded a penalty (probably harder to save) and got himself sent off.

I hope Adkins tries to beat some footballing intelligence into Pearce. Maybe pull that stunt if your team is leading 1-0 with just a couple of minutes to go but not at 0-0 with over 80 minutes for your team to pull the game back even if they do go a goal down.

This is exactly the point. If we go down 0-1 then so what - we have an entire game to get one back with 11 men on the pitch. It was completely fcuking retarded & cost us the game.

[ellpryjon]

Overall a poor game but unsurprising after Pearce's red card. Prior to that, it looked like an open game with a couple of clear chances for us. The red card completely changed the game, with Weds compact in their half, keeping possession, hitting us on the counter, and generally being very effective in using their advantage.

Our only option was to play far more direct than what we have been doing for the last 4/5 games, with little impact.

To blame Adkins is ridiculous,it was just one of those games. Plus I really don't get the comments that we to the same Reading before and over Christmas. It is evident that the style of play we have now adopted is working overall, maybe some people have some vendetta against Adkins.

Oh and lol @ bbcrb caller "no plan a or b" .

[winchester_royal]

I thought we played okay considering tbh. Wednesday were by far the most cynical, cheating bunch of c*nts we've seen this season, and given the competition that's saying something.

However, like some, I do think our tactics when down to 10 men were all wrong. We should have sacrificed one of the strikers, but considering the form of Alf and Pog over the last few weeks I can understand NA's reasoning for sticking with them.

[paddy20]

Positives from tooday - Guthrie looked good & so did Willliams. Fully expect Guthrie to start v QPR in place of Akpan.

Wow you have a short memory!

On today's showing I would 1000000000000000000% start Guthrie in place of Akpan yes. That won't sit well with those who want a scapegoat for Reading losing games over xmas though I'm guessing.

Just what did he do when he came on apart from playing safe passes? At least Akpan tries to do something creative and as a result sometimes it goes wrong. Is it all coincidence that without guthrie we started a good run?

[P!ssed Off]

McCarthy made an exceptional save at the beginning of the 2nd half when it was still 0-1 TBF.

Not sure how exceptional McCarthy's saves were today.
Wednesday created some good chances but were absolutely awful at finishing. They only scored when we gave it to them on a plate.

Awful mistake for the second but at least two of his saves were truly as exceptional as we have become used to. That's why it is annoying that the less than intelligent Pearce didn't trust him to try to deal with Maquire and instead conceded a penalty (probably harder to save) and got himself sent off.

I hope Adkins tries to beat some footballing intelligence into Pearce. Maybe pull that stunt if your team is leading 1-0 with just a couple of minutes to go but not at 0-0 with over 80 minutes for your team to pull the game back even if they do go a goal down.

It was a dive from Maguire.
Shit defending from Pearce, but it was a dive.
Pearce wasn't stupid in not "trusting McCarthy to deal with it". Their player went down because he knew he was too shit to score against McCarthy other than from the penalty spot.

[thirtyyarder]

First game in two years as I live abroad. Couldn't tell if it was a red card or not but as someone mentioned Pearce had already got the wrong side several times before the pen. Williams and Mcleary were good, hope was pretty rubbish, Mcarthy dropped a clanger. I have absolutely no doubt that if Pearce hadn't been sent off we would have won.

Looked to me to be one of those days where nothing goes right. Also it was cold.

See you all in another few years.

Shame that you didn't see something more entertaining as we've been scoring for fun of late.

Perhaps you ought to stay away from now on?

Last time I was back I went to Southampton away and then Forest(?) at home. This is my lady's first time in England and first Reading match. It's also her birthday. I blame her. We've already argued.