BFTG - Arsenal

[Ian Royal]

IMO we were denied a clear penalty. It looked like deliberate handball to me by Debuchy, and not merely ball-to-hand.

Never in a million years.

The TV pundits said he was moving his hand towards the ball

One TV pundit said there was a case to argue that he was moving his hand to the ball, not that he actually did it, and all agreed it wasn't a penalty.

[Victor Meldrew]

Having read snowball's post could I please ask him not to bring his Welsh bias to our forum.
First of all Gunter was missing for the first goal and (as ever) failed to make any attempt to block Sanchez's second and seeing the I-player replay earlier today there were two others in front of Feds as well for that shot so , in my view, it was not such a howler as it felt like at the time.
Secondly Kanu-sorry snowball but despite what you posted this player is maybe good enough for Wales (just like Simon Church) but not good enough for us.

I am in the "not so gutted" category.
In 1995 we led and looked to be winning the game but tired with a patched-up and injured side and our massive chance felt as though it had gone forever.
Yesterday we were never winning and as Maguire pointed out Arsenal hit the post twice and Feds made great saves including the Banks-like one the he somehow got over the bar.

Immensely proud of our team yesterday (the day paid for by a bet on McCleary to score anytime at 9/1) and would love to know what Mackie and Williams are on to have so much energy over 120 minutes.
BTW presumably Feds passed his drugs test that the poor bugger had to go through after the game?

[floyd__streete]

That was an enjoyable day. The club did a good job with the t-shirts, the effect looked good. Hardly the most raucous atmosphere I have experienced at football but from sat up on high in Block 501 I enjoyed watching the Reading crowd behind the goal bounce to the equaliser. For my own part, I probably shouldn't have reacted to RFC's first FA Cup semi-final goal by bursting into laughter

The usual tragi-comic end we expect from Reading, mind you. Federici made two or three very good saves and then let the softest of the lot through his grasp at his near post, an area he has always struggled with to be brutally honest so it rather summed up his Reading career tbh. Therefore, man of the match goes to the imperious Hector with the excellent Williams a close second. In all honesty, I was rather more pleased the winning goal came in such a ridiculous fashion rather than say a Giroud 20-yarder whereupon we would have been patronised by all neutrals and Arsenal fans who might have said 'class told in the end'. It didn't, we did a decent job throughout with good shape.

Doesn't feel right to slate any of our players after such a good effort, but Pog and HRK won't be pleased with their evening's work. One more win from these final 4 games please Reading and then we can put this season to bed. I trust that the money made from Wembley/cup run will be put towards new and well deserved contracts for Federici and Pearce.

[Uke]

You obviously werent at Wembley Stadium station (train not tube), where the same loud announcement was made every 90 seconds that was getting on a lot of peoples t1ts. We were going out to Gerrards X and the queue moved quickly - 15/20 mins for us. I can imagine going back in to Marylebone would have been busy.

I bet Gerrards Cross today

[Schards#2]

In terms of guttedness, that comes a long way below any of the three play off final defeats.

Having no expectations affords you luxury of enjoying the game and the experience which I did yesterday an don't feel we suffered as a result of the loss, (that still always looked inevitable to me).

A play of final loss brings with it, at least, 12 months of consequence, the Walsall defeat being arguably the most depressing of all

[sandman]

Feds - 8
Gunter - 8
Obita - 8
Pearce - 8
Hector - 9
Chalobah - 8
Williams - 9 MotM
HRK - 8
McCleary - 8
Mackie - 9
Pogrebnyak - 8

Karacan - 8
Cox - 7
Yakubu - 7

Clarke - 10
Reading Fans - 10
Arsenal fans - 3
Ref - 6

How can you give Pog 8 out of 10... ian Royal He should of scored 2 goal he was Shit......

Mark out of 10 for Pog is 4 out 10 piss poor he was
only player let us down... get rid of him in summer

That's a bit harsh on Pog there me hearty, he did set up the goal. Although 8 is a bit too high for his overall performance yesterday.

[windermere_royal]

Feds - 8
Gunter - 8
Obita - 8
Pearce - 8
Hector - 9
Chalobah - 8
Williams - 9 MotM
HRK - 8
McCleary - 8
Mackie - 9
Pogrebnyak - 8

Karacan - 8
Cox - 7
Yakubu - 7

Clarke - 10
Reading Fans - 10
Arsenal fans - 3
Ref - 6

How can you give Pog 8 out of 10... ian Royal He should of scored 2 goal he was Shit......

Mark out of 10 for Pog is 4 out 10 piss poor he was
only player let us down... get rid of him in summer

And how exactly do we do that brains? sell him?. whos gonna buy him on the same wages we pay? in case you didn`t know, and i suspect with your extremely low IQ you didn`t he contracted here till the summer of 2016.
And for the record I thought he was worth a 7/10 yesterday

[SCIAG]

I guess we may lose Hector and Obita in the summer

If we were going to lose Obita, it would have been last summer. Can't see anyone new being interested after the season he's had.

Hector, eh, I don't think anyone would take a risk on him. He's neither particularly young nor particularly experienced. Think we'll only lose him on a free, or when he's already good enough for a higher level.

[Hoop Blah]

Tony is correct - was a substitution, Walcott came on.

Although frustrating the added time was valid. Time board does not need to be displayed.

Just watched Scottish cup semi final and 4th official held board up for added time at end of both ET halves - so not sure why English FA can't do the same - then no-one is in any doubt and can't slag the ref!

If the only added time is 30 seconds for a substitution how should they present it on the board? Stick up a 0?

Having said that I was obviously screaming at the ref to blow his whistle from the moment the 15 minutes were up!

All in all a top day out and very pleased with the lads performance and the fact we gave such a good team a run for their money on the big stage. As others have said I thought Pearce, Hector, Chalobah, Mackie and my MoM Williams were all excellent but, as we've seen all season, we just lacked that bit of quality in the final third that might just have seen us over the line.

Final mention for Federici. I've never been his biggest fan and he's had his fair share of howlers in his time but it is a real shame that this mistake will probably be his defining, and possibly last, big moment in a Reading shirt. Despite his positioning for moves in the past he's been an excellent servant for the club and a consistent performer too.

[RG7Fan]

Feds - 8
Gunter - 8
Obita - 8
Pearce - 8
Hector - 9
Chalobah - 8
Williams - 9 MotM
HRK - 8
McCleary - 8
Mackie - 9
Pogrebnyak - 8

Karacan - 8
Cox - 7
Yakubu - 7

Clarke - 10
Reading Fans - 10
Arsenal fans - 3
Ref - 6

How can you give Pog 8 out of 10... ian Royal He should of scored 2 goal he was Shit......

Mark out of 10 for Pog is 4 out 10 piss poor he was
only player let us down... get rid of him in summer

And how exactly do we do that brains? sell him?. whos gonna buy him on the same wages we pay? in case you didn`t know, and i suspect with your extremely low IQ you didn`t he contracted here till the summer of 2016.
And for the record I thought he was worth a 7/10 yesterday

You've got it all wrong Windy - you're english & vernacular is all up shit creek for Dave, you should have asked:

"How we do that brains then? Who buy him on same money? You dip shit didnt know hes off contract until summer year next after"

[Royal Rother]

I guess we may lose Hector and Obita in the summer

If we were going to lose Obita, it would have been last summer. Can't see anyone new being interested after the season he's had.

Hector, eh, I don't think anyone would take a risk on him. He's neither particularly young nor particularly experienced. Think we'll only lose him on a free, or when he's already good enough for a higher level.

I'm really surprised you say that.

I think he has been developed slowly but surely, gaining experience at all levels up to his current position and that is worth a lot. He's no teenager (Chambers / Shaw for e.g perhaps) and seems quite a mature young man who looks ripe and ready for a step up.

I could actually see a bit of a bidding war for him in the summer after that performance and could see us getting £6m for him.

Maybe I'm being silly....?

[RG7Fan]

You've got it all wrong Windy - you're english & vernacular is all up shit creek for Dave, you should have asked:

"How we do that brains then? Who buy him on same money? You dip shit didnt know hes off contract until summer year next after"

On a more serious point, weren't you in 521? If so what row?

[windermere_royal]

front row

[Royal Ginger]

In terms of guttedness, that comes a long way below any of the three play off final defeats.

Having no expectations affords you luxury of enjoying the game and the experience which I did yesterday an don't feel we suffered as a result of the loss, (that still always looked inevitable to me).

A play of final loss brings with it, at least, 12 months of consequence, the Walsall defeat being arguably the most depressing of all

I would agree with you on the game as a whole because of the low expectation/pride in the performance, however if I consider individual moments, that goal going in like that at that time is right up there in RFC's most gut punching.

[RoyalBlue]

Feds - 8
Gunter - 8
Obita - 8
Pearce - 8
Hector - 9
Chalobah - 8
Williams - 9 MotM
HRK - 8
McCleary - 8
Mackie - 9
Pogrebnyak - 8

Karacan - 8
Cox - 7
Yakubu - 7

Clarke - 10
Reading Fans - 10
Arsenal fans - 3
Ref - 6

How can you give Pog 8 out of 10... ian Royal He should of scored 2 goal he was Shit......

Mark out of 10 for Pog is 4 out 10 piss poor he was
only player let us down... get rid of him in summer

And which two players set up our goal? HRK and Pog, the latter doing particularly well. There is no way either let us down and particularly the latter.

For those who still reckon HRK played badly, watch the game again without blinkers on. Amongst other things you might notice a couple of really good powerful runs through the middle, culminating in good passes, which were praised by the commentators.

[biff]

The Pogs 2 efforts need to be looked at in the context. Both times he was put through very early inside their half, leaving him with 40 yards sprints before he's in true scoring range. Anyone thats played football knows that end the end of a long sprint like that, invariably your legs and judgement are gone. No real blame attached, he's never been the player to burst through the defence.


Also amazed at how high our defenders were playing, but it really worked with the high intensity we played (and subsequently couldnt keep up) for the duration. Would like to have seen Cox on a fair bit earlier for the shattered Pogrebnyak. He covered every blade.

[3points]

Spoke to my dad earlier who is not a Reading fan, but has a slight bias towards Reading. He thought we were really unlucky in the second half and thought we would Nick it. Reckoned Mackie was MOM and he thought HRK had a really good second half. He just laughed at the Pog's efforts. Said he felt we are a decent centre forward away from being a decent team. He liked Williams commitment and Hector's calmness

[sandman]

The Pogs 2 efforts need to be looked at in the context. Both times he was put through very early inside their half, leaving him with 40 yards sprints before he's in true scoring range. Anyone thats played football knows that end the end of a long sprint like that, invariably your legs and judgement are gone. No real blame attached, he's never been the player to burst through the defence.


Also amazed at how high our defenders were playing, but it really worked with the high intensity we played (and subsequently couldnt keep up) for the duration. Would like to have seen Cox on a fair bit earlier for the shattered Pogrebnyak. He covered every blade.

Personally I feel that while that maybe true on the parks I don't think it should be an excuse for a professional player with international experience. He just got cramped for space.

[leon]

Hope everyone had a blinding day out - was sorry to miss it.

I met LUX and Green in the toilets of a London Real Ale pub so it was a Good Day.

[Uke]

Hope everyone had a blinding day out - was sorry to miss it.

I met LUX and Green in the toilets of a London Real Ale pub so it was a Good Day.