Can we all agree...?

[Sebastian the Red]

None of you could have stepped out in front of 80+ thousand people and took one.

Having got the jelly legs at an under-15s five-a-side tournament and scuffed my shootout kick into the ground, the ball pea-rolling into the keeper's waiting foot, I wholly agree!

I definitely, definitely could have done. I'd have missed, but solely because I'm shit, not because of the pressure.

[No Fixed Abode]

Any blame towards the ref?

I thought you could have had a penalty for a foul on Blackett from a corner. Plus there were 2-3 incidents of simulation from Huddersfield players which went unpunished.

[Sanguine]

Any blame towards the ref?

I thought you could have had a penalty for a foul on Blackett from a corner. Plus there were 2-3 incidents of simulation from Huddersfield players which went unpunished.

The dive by Hefele was something out of an ice-skating routine.

Maybe Blackett was fouled - I think the whole shirt-pulling and holding at corners thing either needs to be eradicated completely or left alone. Only Mike Dean really showed much enthusiasm for dealing with it.

[BraisingsteakRoyal]

None of you could have stepped out in front of 80+ thousand people and took one.

Having got the jelly legs at an under-15s five-a-side tournament and scuffed my shootout kick into the ground, the ball pea-rolling into the keeper's waiting foot, I wholly agree!

TBF it was only 76,000.

If you paid me 15-25k a week for a few years, allowed me to play football EVERY DAY during this time, plus the odd Saturday "warming up" in front of 20,000 ish people a week - I 100% guarantee you that I would at the very least hit the target from 12. oxf*rd. Yards.

[Sanguine]

None of you could have stepped out in front of 80+ thousand people and took one.

Having got the jelly legs at an under-15s five-a-side tournament and scuffed my shootout kick into the ground, the ball pea-rolling into the keeper's waiting foot, I wholly agree!

TBF it was only 76,000.

If you paid me 15-25k a week for a few years, allowed me to play football EVERY DAY during this time, plus the odd Saturday "warming up" in front of 20,000 ish people a week - I 100% guarantee you that I would at the very least hit the target from 12. oxf*rd. Yards.

If you could absolutely guarantee it you'd be better than the likes of Alan Shearer. And he had a good penalty record.

[No Fixed Abode]

Any blame towards the ref?

I thought you could have had a penalty for a foul on Blackett from a corner. Plus there were 2-3 incidents of simulation from Huddersfield players which went unpunished.

The dive by Hefele was something out of an ice-skating routine.

Maybe Blackett was fouled - I think the whole shirt-pulling and holding at corners thing either needs to be eradicated completely or left alone. Only Mike Dean really showed much enthusiasm for dealing with it.

Unbelievable Hefele managed to go the entire game plus ET without even picking up a booking.

[Sanguine]

Any blame towards the ref?

I thought you could have had a penalty for a foul on Blackett from a corner. Plus there were 2-3 incidents of simulation from Huddersfield players which went unpunished.

The dive by Hefele was something out of an ice-skating routine.

Maybe Blackett was fouled - I think the whole shirt-pulling and holding at corners thing either needs to be eradicated completely or left alone. Only Mike Dean really showed much enthusiasm for dealing with it.

Unbelievable Hefele managed to go the entire game plus ET without even picking up a booking.

Agreed. Sometimes you come across a player and wonder how he hasn't been sent off five times this season.

[Ian Royal]

None of you could have stepped out in front of 80+ thousand people and took one.

Having got the jelly legs at an under-15s five-a-side tournament and scuffed my shootout kick into the ground, the ball pea-rolling into the keeper's waiting foot, I wholly agree!

oxf*rd that shit. They're professionals paid bucket loads. Don't volunteer if you haven't got the stomach.

And pissing practice penalties. No excuse not to.

Johnny Wilkinson didn't complain you can't replicate the tension or atmosphere of a major game. He just practised to the point what he did was natural and he could capture the training ground feel by concentration.

[Reading4eva]

I blame Uri Gellar and his oxf*rd spoons. Had he not introduced them in 1995 we would have won one by now.

Magical spoons my arse

[Sanguine]

None of you could have stepped out in front of 80+ thousand people and took one.

Having got the jelly legs at an under-15s five-a-side tournament and scuffed my shootout kick into the ground, the ball pea-rolling into the keeper's waiting foot, I wholly agree!

oxf*rd that shit. They're professionals paid bucket loads. Don't volunteer if you haven't got the stomach.

And pissing practice penalties. No excuse not to.

Johnny Wilkinson didn't complain you can't replicate the tension or atmosphere of a major game. He just practised to the point what he did was natural and he could capture the training ground feel by concentration.

Johnny Wilkinson was a professional rugby player for whom 75% of his job was to kick a dead ball between the posts. Not really comparable. As Tiger Woods once said, you should be worried as a sportsperson if you aren't nervous.

[Ian Royal]

And if you can't control the nerves you're not good enough.

[Forbury Lion]

Might as well blame Ali Al Habsi for not saving more penalties.

[Sebastian the Red]

Might as well blame Ali Al Habsi for not saving more penalties.

Yet more bollocks from the Forbster

[muirinho]

And if you can't control the nerves you're not good enough.

There aren't too many players that have never, ever, missed a penalty. Are none of them good enough? You'd turn down David Beckham, Gareth Southgate, Alan Shearer from your fantasy Championship team, to name but three?

this must win prizes for the most Ian Royal post ever.

[Greatwesternline]

Swift in pre match interviews said he had practiced by taking 2-3 penalties and it hadnt gone very wellso basically wouldnt be volunteering.

That is mental because firstly only taking 2-3 penalties is absurd, thats not practise. If i was a footballer i'd take 10 penalties a day, get effing expert at it and be my team's designated taker.

The absurdity that is the line "you can't practice penalties" is that of all the things in football that you could actualy practice, its penalties!

Its the same situation every time, with a goal keeper to beat.

It lends itself to practice very well!

The second absurdity is that even if Swift had been rubbish he shouldnt tell the world he isnt confident in something...

[Ian Royal]

And if you can't control the nerves you're not good enough.

There aren't too many players that have never, ever, missed a penalty. Are none of them good enough? You'd turn down David Beckham, Gareth Southgate, Alan Shearer from your fantasy Championship team, to name but three?

this must win prizes for the most Ian Royal post ever.

I didn't say that, did I.

[Forbury Lion]

Might as well blame Ali Al Habsi for not saving more penalties.

Yet more bollocks from the Forbster

That's the point, scapegoats are just that, a load of bollocks.

We failed to score in open play, That's where the problem lies and that's where the focus of improving the team should sit. If we can't score against a team like Huddersfield then we are in no position to complain when they beat us on penalties.

If you want to single one person out, then Jaap Stam is the manager who picked the side, oversaw the preparation (including any/no practice of taking penalties) and had final say on who took penalties.

[BraisingsteakRoyal]

All this "You'd turn down Alan Shearer / Matt Le Tissier etc because they didn't score all the time" is rubbish really.

There's having a penalty saved, and then there are poor penalties. both Moore and Obitas penalties were poor.

And if you're being harsh, then yeah - I feel Al Habsi could have done better too. Keepers that save more than their fair share of penalties make themselves a distraction (as Ward did), make themselves really big, and step off their line as the kick taker strikes the ball (to the point where sometimes they take a booking and/or there is a re-take). Al Habsi saved one - but never looked like getting near any of the others*.

* I haven't re-watched any of them except on the big screen so could be talking utter nonsense.

[Jackson Corner]

I blame the fans who's idea of backing the team is to sit down for 120 minutes, and telll people to get out the way while they tuck into there pack lunch and moan about how rubbish Reading are and why can't they play like Arsenal or Spurs.

[Ascotexgunner]

Stan is to blame, no attacking flair, defensive all afternoon, same old.

Kronke? That poor man gets the blame for everything.