BFTG Birmingham

[paultheroyal]

Constant progress until we became champions.

You need to just calm down my friend and temper your expectations a tad. McDermott is not a miracle worker. He needs time to make improvements and he cannot succeed alone. He is important in our success but it is not going to happen without a lot of other things being right at the club as well.

Can you honestly say there has been any improvement at all since he came? Yes managers need time but you should at least start to see things moving in the right direction. We are miles worse than when Clarke was here.

Think its time for a change right at the top - Howe??? He doesn't care about us supporters. I have been a loyal fan for over 50 years and I wrote him a letter about a suggestion I had and he couldn't even bother to reply. Maybe I wasn't worth the stamp!

Letter never reached him. Customer admin supervisor is still laughing at the content!!

[Victor Meldrew]

I thought it was poignant in the post-match interview that Brian described them as being well organised.
Our lot appear not to be well organised.
How many goals have we conceded like the first with disorganised defenders looking at each other in puzzlement?.
Then after the second Gunter walks away embarrassedly with his head down knowing that he should have been more aware when the keeper pushed the ball out into his zone.
Poor defenders not taking responsibility, disorganised.

Why did we yet again start the game on the back foot?
Two shots on target in the whole game.
Brian's old up and at 'em style has gone-I reckon he now possibly overthinks the game.
Why use Obita and Gunter as pseudo wingers when there are perfectly good wingers on the bench?

It really is a mess right now.

[Platypuss]

Sorry. but the idea that McShane and Quinn are foreign is plain daft.

Explain.

Not interested in the technical definition.

[Ian Royal]

Thought the ref was pretty decent and didn't see any glaring mistakes. Maybe a bit harsh towards us or a bit lenient towards them in a couple of places but nothing major.
.

He didn't lose us the game, although we might have kicked on had he awarded the penalty when McShane was shoved over. However, three bad mistakes:

1) Allowed their player to get away with moving his shaving foam line without booking him.
2) Saw Vydra kicked from behind as he broke forward, Vydra was clearly hurt by the foul yet the ref somehow didn't see fit to award a free kick (and possibly book the offender).
3) Clear corner to us, he was better positioned to award it but gave a goalkick, only to get corrected by our players and the lino.

1) utterly minor misdemeaner
2) very debateable whether it was a foul
3) so a trivial call that was actually awarded correctly in the end.

Scrapping the bottom of the barrel there.

[Waitinginvain]

First 30 mins the whole team looked like they'd been on the pop til 4am. Bunch of malcos.

Cox and Cormorant possibly the worst front line I've seen at the club since I was a kid. Thought Vydra looked more dangerous than both of them. John too, obvs.

Arrival of McCleary made us look slightly better, as per usual.

Brum the better team, deserved the win. Their fans seemed to be chanting at Villa the whole match apart from one aimed at us. Which was "Are you Villa in disguise". Obsessed.

IMO to say Brum were the better team is a bit OTT. Scored two goals but did sod all else (and didn`t need to) Al Habsi touched the ball just once in the 2nd half, and that was a throw in back to him. they didn`t force a single corner in the entire 90 minutes.
We totally dominated the game. but as I said in the opening post we were incapable of creating. for that you can give the men from the midlands credit for closing down our midfield and defending in numbers.
They did what they had to do and for that they deserve credit.

Your post is riddled with bollocks! Read it to yourself several times and see if you can see why!!

[Emeraldroyal]

Good transfers my arse, expect little improvement next season if we still have to play so many foreign mercenary's, no heart, no passion, no hope.

In what way are McShane and Quinn not foreign?

Afternoon all.
Long time viewer first time poster.

I've been a season ticket holder for three years now, and confess to being a 'blow in' as my username might hint at.
I couldn't help but register to reply to this particular message. At the risk of delving into politics (no thanks) Irish people (myself included) are NOT considered foreign under the Ireland Act of I believe 1949. A bilateral agreement that allows Irish people to settle in the UK and vote in elections. The same applies to British people who settle in the south of Ireland of which there are approximately 200K according to the most recent census.
It's also part of a common travel area so no you DONT need a passport to travel between the two despite what somebody else said.

Back to the topic in hand yesterday was appaling in every way.
Asleep for the first goal and second was again basics gone wrong. No real right back and the traditional sideward passing with about as much penetration as a sausage on concrete ! Painful to watch.
From a personal perspective I bring my 7 year old son to the games and lately he just doesn't want to go. It's very difficult to maintain a youngsters interest when to be quite frank he's watching utter dross week in week out. I worry with all the loanees and the notable silence from the Thais where we're going as a club
I'll renew my season ticket as I've fallen in love regardless of what happens but I confess it's getting harder and harder to drag myself down the M4 of a weekend.
I appreciate as I said I'm a complete blow in and I have zero connection with Reading but they're my local team and wherever I lay my hat that's my home.
Cmon u rrrrrrrzzzzz

[st george]

Yep, passport not a requirement to travel between Ireland and England,.

[RoyalBlue]

Thought the ref was pretty decent and didn't see any glaring mistakes. Maybe a bit harsh towards us or a bit lenient towards them in a couple of places but nothing major.
.

He didn't lose us the game, although we might have kicked on had he awarded the penalty when McShane was shoved over. However, three bad mistakes:

1) Allowed their player to get away with moving his shaving foam line without booking him.
2) Saw Vydra kicked from behind as he broke forward, Vydra was clearly hurt by the foul yet the ref somehow didn't see fit to award a free kick (and possibly book the offender).
3) Clear corner to us, he was better positioned to award it but gave a goalkick, only to get corrected by our players and the lino.

1) utterly minor misdemeaner
2) very debateable whether it was a foul
3) so a trivial call that was actually awarded correctly in the end.

Scrapping the bottom of the barrel there.

You are joking?

1) Utterly minor misdemeanour? How did that act not count as cheating/unsporting conduct and therefore warrant a yellow? What is the point of wasting time with the foam if players then deliberately move it when the ref isn't looking? You see cards dished out for dissent and encroaching on free kicks, so in what way is moving the line any less minor?

2) Debateable whether it was a foul? In what way is a kick/trip/contact on the leg from behind (without getting any contact with the ball) not a foul? Not only did it bring Vydra's run to a stop but it also clearly hurt.

3) Not trivial when it is so clearly wrong. It would seem the ref was one of the few people in the stadium who couldn't see that it was a corner.

[Ian Royal]

You are the biggest drama queen going.

Contact doesn't always equal foul. Just because Vydra got hurt doesn't mean it was a foul. I didn't have the best view, but it looked a bit 50/50 to me. There was no big outcry either. Not that that is a good indicator either given some of the completely nothing challenges that get half the crowd in outrage at times.

He gives it, we get a freekick in a position similar to others we had and that we're crap at scoring from. Big deal. He books the guy, big deal, he's on a yellow.

I care about obvious decisions that have a big, or potentially big impact on the game. I don't expect refs to be perfect anymore than I expect managers, players or fans to be perfect. Refereeing is often subjective to a large degree.

He was fine.

[Snowball136]

Explain.

Not interested in the technical definition.

Which part of you being completely wrong should we discuss first?

[tmesis]

If it was wrong to sack him three years ago then it's good that the club made things right again. Because the mistakes that have been made during the past three years have been at board level and not manager level.

If you are looking for a new manager then surely it's your duty to look for the best manager available, not just go with someone you liked in the past. It could be that McDermott was the best option, but the impression is that he was the only option considered.

Steve Coppell hit the nail on the head when he was providing punditry in the Reading-Palace FA Cup game a few weeks ago. He said that the club had lost it's way due to the change in ownership. He said that success has to start and come from the top. It doesn't matter who the manager is, if thinks aren't right at the club then it will be impossible to succeed. Reading has to find the Reading way again. The Reading way means success built over a long period of time. The money isn't there for the club to spend £30 million one summer and instantly build a team capable of challenging for promotion. The club will have to nurture success. Encouraging knee jerk decision making a la Tim Dellor is not going to help take the club forward.

I agree with this. The club just feels like it's been drifting for years now with no direction or focus. There's constant talk about "The Reading Way" of doing things, but I'm struggling to see any similarity between what we are doing now and what we were doing 10-15 years ago. I don't see a team full of cheap underrated players, hungry for success. I don't see a team with any sort of organisation or game plan.

I see a collection of players with no understanding or what they are supposed to be doing, with no particular desire to win, with no anticipation of what their teammates will do (or of the game in general), who seem completely oblivious to the fact that barring one six-week purple patch, they've been playing like relegation fodder almost all season.

We need to be patient and supportive. For a couple of seasons, forget about expecting promotion. Let's just go for the laugh. Let's just back the boys and make some noise and encourage them and hope for promotion rather than expect it.

Fans don't expect promotion. Fans don't even expect to be challenging for promotion. They do expect the players to look like they care, and dare I say, they expect games to be enjoyable now and then. How can people go along "for the laugh" when most days they walk out frustrated and bored?

[loyalroyaldaz]

Poor team selection, poor shape, poor tactics, pour me a beer !!

[SCIAG]

Contact doesn't always equal foul.

No, but kicking or attempting to kick an opponent does. So does tripping or attempting to trip an opponent.

Explain.

Not interested in the technical definition but the idea that when I go
to Dublin or Cork I am "in a foreign country" is frankly ridiculous.

Ditto Scotland or Wales.

Newcastle is more foreign than any part of ireland

How would you define foreign?

Ireland isn't British, isn't part of the UK, and has it's own government, a different currency, you need to show your passport to get in...

Culturally there are big similarities, and if you go there is doesn't look different to places in the UK, but that doesn't stop it actually being a foreign country.

You need to show your passport to fly there, but driving across the border shouldn't require it, much like going to Manchester or flying within Schengen.

Agree that it's a foreign country (albeit one with very close ties) but the passport metric isn't a good one, otherwise Spain and Latvia would be the same country.

[Platypuss]

If Ireland isn't a Foreign country under English law, then in the same way neither are India, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc by virtue of being members of the Commonwealth.

Somehow I don't think that's quite what Taipai had in mind.

[Emeraldroyal]

Contact doesn't always equal foul.

No, but kicking or attempting to kick an opponent does. So does tripping or attempting to trip an opponent.

Not interested in the technical definition but the idea that when I go
to Dublin or Cork I am "in a foreign country" is frankly ridiculous.

Ditto Scotland or Wales.

Newcastle is more foreign than any part of ireland

How would you define foreign?

Ireland isn't British, isn't part of the UK, and has it's own government, a different currency, you need to show your passport to get in...

Culturally there are big similarities, and if you go there is doesn't look different to places in the UK, but that doesn't stop it actually being a foreign country.

You need to show your passport to fly there, but driving across the border shouldn't require it, much like going to Manchester or flying within Schengen.

Agree that it's a foreign country (albeit one with very close ties) but the passport metric isn't a good one, otherwise Spain and Latvia would be the same country.

You DONT need your passport end of.

[muirinho]

You DONT need your passport end of.

Just in case anybody is thinking of travelling, a lot of the airlines (including Ryanair) insist on passports. However for sea crossings you just need a form of id (so, drivers licence will do fine)

[OffTopicAndNothingToDoWithFootball]

Do I feel a foreigner here? Sometimes. (My partner is British, in case anybody is wondering why I'm here.)
Lots of stuff about the political system just baffles me. Why would anybody actually want First Past The Post, and a Royal family? Are ye all mad???

Oh, and it's soccer
And I really really miss hurling.

But other than that? Not a lot of difference really.

[/OffTopicAndNothingToDoWithFootball]

[Snowball136]

From UK.GOV

2 Republic of Ireland not a foreign country.

(1)It is hereby declared that, notwithstanding that the Republic of Ireland is not part of His Majesty’s dominions, the Republic of Ireland is not a foreign country for the purposes of any law in force in any part of the United Kingdom or in any colony, protectorate or United Kingdom trust territory, whether by virtue of a rule of law or of an Act of Parliament or any other enactment or instrument whatsoever, whether passed or made before or after the passing of this Act, and references in any Act of Parliament, other enactment or instrument whatsoever, whether passed or made before or after the passing of this Act, to foreigners, aliens, foreign countries, and foreign or foreign-built ships or aircraft shall be construed accordingly.

[Platypuss]

As above - Commonwealth countries (with the exception of Australia) aren't "Foreign" either (in terms of English law) as the Queen is their Head of State.

So not sure where that leaves the definition.

[Emeraldroyal]

You DONT need your passport end of.

Just in case anybody is thinking of travelling, a lot of the airlines (including Ryanair) insist on passports. However for sea crossings you just need a form of id (so, drivers licence will do fine)

[OffTopicAndNothingToDoWithFootball]

Do I feel a foreigner here? Sometimes. (My partner is British, in case anybody is wondering why I'm here.)
Lots of stuff about the political system just baffles me. Why would anybody actually want First Past The Post, and a Royal family? Are ye all mad???

Oh, and it's soccer
And I really really miss hurling.

But other than that? Not a lot of difference really.

[/OffTopicAndNothingToDoWithFootball]

I flew Ryanair two weeks ago and did do on my driving licence

Maybe the girl at the counter just thought I was so handsome she couldn't refuse.
I get that a lot honest !

[Emeraldroyal]

As above - Commonwealth countries (with the exception of Australia) aren't "Foreign" either (in terms of English law) as the Queen is their Head of State.

So not sure where that leaves the definition.

Who cares back to topic.
We were pants yesterday....discuss