BFTG - Burton

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Yeah that was alright.

They were attacking well and closing us down nicely the first 15-min, but once we started getting behind them the game was ours for the taking.

The 5-3-2 worked nicely, with Beerens and Obita doubling up on their poor right back.

Williams a very relieved man, so much so he didn't really celebrate, the jammy git
McCleary is really enjoying himself at the moment isn't he? His swagger is back in full force. Blackett looked better.

[PieEater]

It was cold.

Burton aren't very good.

3-0 was kind on them.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

That was far colder than I was expecting tbf

[RG7Fan]

Yeah that was alright.

They were attacking well and closing us down nicely the first 15-min, but once we started getting behind them the game was ours for the taking.

The 5-3-2 worked nicely, with Beerens and Obita doubling on their poor right back.

Williams a very relieved man, so much so be didn't really celebrate, the jammy git

Pleased with that.

Could easily have been 5 or 6 - 2 penalties not given and a couple of wayward shots. We fell asleep later in the game (a la previous seasons) but thankfully held it together. This is the sort of game we would have cocked up last year with a draw (or a loss).

3rd in the table in late November - who would have thought.

[Kitsondinho]

Decent performance. Gunter and Obita were excellent as wing-backs...Samuel has to play more after that performance. He ran the channels well, created a few openings for himself and took his goal well! Agree about Williams....I thought he'd missed initially!

[Sutekh]

Odd game. Reading started quite slowly and Burton were the better side for the first 15 minutes. Then Reading remembered they play a possession game and started doing just that and consequently took the lead through Samuel.

A few minutes later Williams repeated the trick a he tried his best to balloon the ball over the bar from 6 inches but got it hopelessly wrong. Both goals set up by superb quick fluid passing down the left by Beerens and then Obita to get behind and then cross.

Next the pretty useful looking Samuel was knocked over on the edge of the penalty area which should have been a spot kick but Mr Stroud bottled that much to the annoyance of the crowd. A few minutes later the same happened again, only this time Samuel was clearly outside the box, and we got a free kick.

Second half was a bit of a dead loss with Reading seemingly content to stay in 2nd gear and let Burton try and get back in the game which they never looked like doing. Reading also never looked like scoring until Meite struck lucky when his shot at the keeper ballooned up, hit a Burton defender and bounced over the line into the empty net.

So while they're getting better at this possession and passing game Reading still never quite seem to be convincing and we'd have been on tenterhooks a lot longer if Burton had been a better team. Anyway a good three points and the team seem to have played reasonsbly within themselves which hopefully means they'll all be full of energy when Bristol City come a rolling into town next week.

And that game is the first game in what really is going to be a proverbial month from hell as we play, Fulham twice, Leeds, Norwich, Sheffield Wednesday and perennial bogey team Blackburn. If we can get a good return of points out of those games then i would say a serious challenge for the play offs should be expected, however a real slump in results is likely to mean we're realistically looking at upper mid table obscurity. Either way an improvement on the last two seasons though.

[RG7Fan]

Yeah that was alright.

They were attacking well and closing us down nicely the first 15-min, but once we started getting behind them the game was ours for the taking.

The 5-3-2 worked nicely, with Beerens and Obita doubling up on their poor right back.

Williams a very relieved man, so much so he didn't really celebrate, the jammy git
McCleary is really enjoying himself at the moment isn't he? His swagger is back in full force. Blackett looked better.

Would you call it 5-3-2 or 3-5-2 ?

I was worried Gunter was going to get a nosebleed and feel all dizzy after spending so much time past the half way line.

[AthleticoSpizz]

synopsis Mr Sutekh

Stroud was gash and would have cost us points last season.

Realistically safe from relegation....now there's an early christmas present

[RoyalBlue]

Stroud and his East Stand Assistant Ahole , who seemed to be joining Queensley in the mannequin challenge for much of the game, was appalling.

Prior to the first Samuel penalty incident, Obita headed down towards Beerens in the box but what would have been a perfect pass was cut out by a Burton arm, right in front of Stroud and also in the clear view of East Stand Asst - play waved on.

The first Samuel incident was a clear foul although I doubt a penalty as the initial contact (shove) happened just outside the box. However Stroud and East Stand Assistant, who again had a clear view, chose to ignore it completely. No surprise really, since earlier they had both completely ignored the Burton 6 poleaxing Gunter with his chest as he tried to cut in along the byeline.

[3points]

We just looked so different having that threat in behind their defence given then pace of McCleary and Samuel. Two nice goals as well, especially the second. Absolute stonewall penalty too. Thought Gunter was anonymous in his more advanced wing back role, except for a couple of good runs in the first half. Probably Blackett's best game for us. Evans is quietly effective and consistent.

[Hound]

Very very comfortable. Was an enjoyable performance but once we were 2-0 up any tension went out of the game

Did worry we might have eased up too much in the 2nd half, could have been unnecessarily nervy if they'd manage to nick one. They were pretty desperate to be fair

I liked the formation. Obita excellent, Samuel and McCleary worked well together and ran well off the ball. The midfield trio were all pretty good and I get Blackett a lot more after that game - he was very good

I think we're clearly a decent side, and should have designs on the top 6.

We've managed to swat aside the division's dross in the last month, the next month should be very interesting

[NewCorkSeth]

Could someone please explain the formation used today?

[LoyalRoyal22]

Could someone please explain the formation used today?

I wasn't at the game but it sounded like a 352 with Obita & Gunter as wingbacks, midfield three Williams, Evans, Beerens. Gmac uptop with Samuel ( someone correct me if I'm wrong )

We used a similar system against Birmingham & Barnsley.

[PieEater]

possibly 4 -2 -3-1

It looked to me like Evans and Williams were holding with Beeren central, Obita wide and McCleary roaming, sometime with McCleary as the 1.

[Muskrat]

Forest all over again. Bossed by a poor team for most of the game but again managed to get two goals in front. Gifted a third via an own goal at the end. Once again they had more shots and shots on target than we did and the three at the back looked shaky all game. In fact the starting formation was bizarre to say the least, 3-4-1-2 with Beerens totally lost in his number 10 role. No surprise when he was subbed, I actually felt sorry for him.

Without Swift to pull the strings we're pretty impotent going forward with very little creativity in the midfield. The GMAC is immense though. Frightens the living Oxford out of defenses with his pace and trickery. Why he isn't in the Premier league I'll never know. But for me it was AAH collecting the POTM for October that was the most telling. Excellent again today and when he was beaten Williams headed off the line.

People will of course have their blinkers on because it was a "comfortable" 3-0 win and we're (somehow) third in the league. I'd get a screenshot now if I were you guys because next week when Brizzle and their 3,000 fans roll into town I feel a big reality check coming our way

[RoyalBlue]

Forest all over again. Bossed by a poor team for most of the game but again managed to get two goals in front. Gifted a third via an own goal at the end. Once again they had more shots and shots on target than we did and the three at the back looked shaky all game. In fact the starting formation was bizarre to say the least, 3-4-1-2 with Beerens totally lost in his number 10 role. No surprise when he was subbed, I actually felt sorry for him.

Without Swift to pull the strings we're pretty impotent going forward with very little creativity in the midfield. The GMAC is immense though. Frightens the living Oxford out of defenses with his pace and trickery. Why he isn't in the Premier league I'll never know. But for me it was AAH collecting the POTM for October that was the most telling. Excellent again today and when he was beaten Williams headed off the line.

People will of course have their blinkers on because it was a "comfortable" 3-0 win and we're (somehow) third in the league. I'd get a screenshot now if I were you guys because next week when Brizzle and their 3,000 fans roll into town I feel a big reality check coming our way

We played to the level that we need to today and coasted to a comfortable 3-0 win. I am pretty confident we will up our game and play to the level required against Bristol City.

Seems to me that we are turning into one of those 'boring' economical teams that just does what is required to get wins. Fine by me when that leads to lofty positions in the table.

Oh, and smart move by Jaap, not risking Samuel's adrenaline high and enthusiasm leading to a second yelllow.

[royalp-we]

"Bossed by a poor team"

That's 4 "comfortable" wins on the bounce, with 0 conceded, Muskrat

I get a feeling some don't like the manner of our victories because it's not like watching Barca... Well it's effective and the team are buzzing. Long may it continue.

We've proven we step up against tougher opposition, I fully expect that to be the case next weekend.

[Hound]

Did AAH actually make a proper 'save' today?

Must have missed it if he did

1st half could easily have ended 4-0 up. We were by far the better side

[AthleticoSpizz]

Forest all over again. Bossed by a poor team for most of the game but again managed to get two goals in front. Gifted a third via an own goal at the end. Once again they had more shots and shots on target than we did and the three at the back looked shaky all game. In fact the starting formation was bizarre to say the least, 3-4-1-2 with Beerens totally lost in his number 10 role. No surprise when he was subbed, I actually felt sorry for him.

Without Swift to pull the strings we're pretty impotent going forward with very little creativity in the midfield. The GMAC is immense though. Frightens the living Oxford out of defenses with his pace and trickery. Why he isn't in the Premier league I'll never know. But for me it was AAH collecting the POTM for October that was the most telling. Excellent again today and when he was beaten Williams headed off the line.

People will of course have their blinkers on because it was a "comfortable" 3-0 win and we're (somehow) third in the league. I'd get a screenshot now if I were you guys because next week when Brizzle and their 3,000 fans roll into town I feel a big reality check coming our way

We played to the level that we need to today and coasted to a comfortable 3-0 win. I am pretty confident we will up our game and play to the level required against Bristol City.

and of course, we were shy of THREE of our key players that helped orchestrate the previous three victories (and with no goals conceded)....I get where Muskrat is coming from, but criticism is a bit of a misplaced embarrassment right now.
But....as spoilt as we have been......even a 3-0 victory results in the dissenters finding fault

[Westwood52]

Always comfortable; at half time I thought we were going to get six.2nd half we were complacent, and a better team might have made us look silly.The system suits us to a T.

Al Habs: 7 No problems, very brave a couple of times and got a clattering. Few poor kicks.
Gunter: 6 Not a seven, some nice crosses ;but defensively a little weak at times.
Obita : 8 My MOM, and its not often I have said that. Not quite a winger, not really a full back-but very effective wing back.
Blackett : 8 In this system an absolute rock.
Moore: 8 Great signing, always in control.
McShane : 7 Less ragged than off late; but there again he wasn't up against much.
Evans : 6 Great 1st half controlled the game; then disappeared.
Williams: 6 Lucky boy with the goal; could have been miss of the season.
Beerens : 6 Had his moments, but still an absolute wuss.
Macca : 6 Just not quite his day. On another day could have scored three.
Samuels: 8 Very very impressed-possesses startling pace-Kermit would never have got that goal.

I know they only had twenty minutes, but Mendes & Meighte did not look as effective as Samuels.

Burton: Oh dear-there are poor teams in this division after all-problems from goalie to the Beavon boy. That said they probably shaded the 2nd half-but couldn't score for toffee.

Ref: started OK, then got worse & worse-clear penalty for the foul on Samuels-what was he thinking of ? Just not up to it.