BFTG - Burnley (H)

[genome]

"McCleary Zidane" is trending

[chilipepper91]

Match report over on The Tilehurst End - http://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/201 ... -heartache

And some initial post-season thoughts from Wimb - http://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/201 ... and-beyond

All in all, the main feeling is frustration. Draws with Burnley and Leicester aren't disastrous at all (though they had already sealed promotion), but getting one more goal against any of Wigan 1-2, Bournemouth 1-2, Yeovil 1-1, Millwall 2-2, Huddersfield 1-1, or Blackburn 0-1 - all at home - would have seen us in the playoffs. Sure, we were comprehensively outplayed by certainly the first two, but a team dreaming of Premier League football should be able to convert most of those matches. We ended the season with the least home wins in the top 14, and the 13th best overall PPG at home.

Where was the passion, hunger and movement that we've seen in the last three matches, for the rest of the season? Why could we not control matches or create chances, most notably against the side who finished bottom, and played at least ten minutes with eight men? It's been a series of near misses, that only in the final throngs of the campaign, turned into false belief.

Inevitably the stay/sell debate will go on, but as many people will have stated, but some can't grasp, it's not quite as simple as saying a player is available, and a team snapping them up the next day. Let's not forget that Pavel Pogrebnyak was quite open about wanting to leave Reading last summer, but presumably nobody wanted him, on pedigree, wages, or ability. And the reality is that the players we don't want, other teams probably don't want either. Whereas the players we do want to see on the pitch next year, will be attracted by other clubs. I think we will keep most of the first team together, and I hope we aren't in firesale mode, but I would be delighted if McCarthy, Obita, McCleary and Williams all walked onto the Mad Stad pitch next term (in a Royals shirt of course!).

It's a long term plan, if we can survive (the pessimistic view) and convince a buyer that the future is within the club. We won't be throwing all the under-21s into the side next year - they wouldn't survive the season. Look at all of the players who have risen through the ranks in recent years - with the notable exception of Shane Long, they've all gone out on loan to get valuable experience. Our Player Of The Season this year spent time at Oldham and Portsmouth last season; you need that time at a lower level to acclimatize with "real" football - the tugs, the gamesmanship, and the pace.

I'll be around to watch it, because despite the axe hanging over us in terms of ownership, there's a light at the end of the tunnel; it's just whether we get the chance to reach that.

And a brief bit of context to finish this post - we finished 7th in 2004/05 as well, with one less point and a worse goal difference. Who could have predicted what happened the next season? I won't settle for less than 107 next term

[kwik-silva]

Millwall was 1-1, but yes.

[chilipepper91]

Millwall was 1-1, but yes.

Bah. They still outplayed us and equalised with ten men

[kwik-silva]

Millwall was 1-1, but yes.

Bah. They still outplayed us and equalised with ten men

you've gotta get the facts right, but yes. That's the one that stings the most, I think.

[Will95]

What a goal from McCleary.

Gutting.

Good performance though.

Brentford away next season. Every cloud...

[AirRaidSiren]

Great game. They were better than us first half and second half vice versa.

The game had everything.

I thought Akpan and Morrison were awful. My MOM was McAnuff who put his heart and soul into the entire match.

Also, a big mention to the Burnley fans, I had a laugh with some of you after the game and today. Good luck next season.

[Royal Prince]

A great game, 100% effort throughout.

The speed with which we broke for the first goal was awesome, and the finish for the second has secured McCleary goal of the season (beating his own strike at QPR).

Slightly heartbroken in the way we've missed out on the play-offs, but the Championship looks like a great league to be in next season, and I'm not sure I ever truly believed we'd make promotion this season anyway.

In other news, I thought the pitch looked absolutely stunning, loved the new pattern and even have a little bit of grass in my pocket from the spontaneous pitch invasion!

[floyd__streete]

I don't buy that yesterday was somehow a great performance given the joke goals we conceded. Crosby was a central defender in his career (albeit with Oxford United) so why has his team conceded joke goal after joke goal all season? The likes of Pearce and Morrison looked promising players not so long ago, they seem to have regressed under the current management.

[windermere_royal]

Really so close on what could have been, we were talking a matter of inches on 3 seperate occasions in the 2nd have, Pogs shot blocked on the line, McClearys one on one saved by the keepers trailing leg, injury time header from a corner blocked by a keeper that didn`t know a thing about it, but the damage was done earler in the season

[AirRaidSiren]

I don't buy that yesterday was somehow a great performance given the joke goals we conceded. Crosby was a central defender in his career (albeit with Oxford United) so why has his team conceded joke goal after joke goal all season? The likes of Pearce and Morrison looked promising players not so long ago, they seem to have regressed under the current management.

Come on Floyd, I know you like to throw the bait out but apart from the stupid defensive errors, we played well second half. A goal line clearance and a 1st minute should-of-been penalty was the difference in us not taking 3pts.

As for Pearce and Morrison, I have to agree. The last couple of seasons previously they have looked promising, this season they have not worked together well at all. I think Morisson has been shite most of the games he has played in. He just doesn't know how to read the game.

[Ian Royal]

Morro has been ropey since returning from injury. He needed a lot more recovery time out of the first team. Understandable to bring him in seeing as he'd been captain to start the season and looked promising, but in hindsight Adkins should have trusted Hector.

[P!ssed Off]

Morro has been ropey since returning from injury. He needed a lot more recovery time out of the first team. Understandable to bring him in seeing as he'd been captain to start the season and looked promising, but in hindsight Adkins should have trusted Hector.

Morrison is clearly not in great physical shape after a long injury. He's lost a load of weight and is pretty stick thin now.
I expect he'll bulk up over the Summer.