Convey or Downing.

[Stranded]

Wow, being laughed at by SB1871!!!

I don't know if I can handle it!!!



This is the time when all the little boys who have watched the Premiership on the telly for years now cream themselves because the "big names" are coming to play; they are only "big" names cos Sky have told you they are.

If you don't think our players are good enough then thats cool; we all know now where you stand.

I - and a few others I suspect - will ressurect these posts in months to come.......when we have surprised a few and shocked many more (including yourself).

Enjoy wacthing the "big" names tomorrow; I'll enjoy watching my team stuff them.

Everybody here is looking forward to us stuffing the "big" names tomorrow. But believe or not whilst we are all supporting our team and believe they will show their worth, a lot of us can also see a good player when we see one.

This may come as a shock to you but there are better players than ours out there and some do play for Boro. Some of Boro's team are also worse than players we have, it's a fact of life. And nearly all saying that are saying this from the point of watching our boys week in, week out.

As I've said earlier there is faith and blind faith. From your postings today (and assuming you are not on a wind up) you seem to be going in with the latter. I and many others the former.

[Mr Angry]

And therein lies the issue.

This will be Viduka's first competitive game since a WC 2nd round defeat; are you telling me that he is going to be as up for the game tomorrow as he was when playing for Leeds in the Champions League!!

Now THAT is LOLable!

Perhaps you need to stop playing CM quite so much.

CM

You're usually such a decent poster I'm afraid I'm convinced this is a wind-up. Kitson over Viduka, Doyle over Yakubu, and Gunnarsson over Boateng They must have put something in the Upper West Stand Guinness.

Not at all Mags; I'm personally SICK AND TIRED of all the negativity, the whining, whinging and bleating that certain posters put up on here, always seeing the downside and never the up, always looking at the glass as half empty and convincing yourselves that we are doomed before a ball has been kicked!

FFS - bar the top 5, ANY team that doen't take us seriously are going to get a hammering; our players are as good as any than better than most. So if the doom-mongers want to wring their hands and wander the streets going "the end is nigh were doomed....." then do so, but don't expect everybody else to agree with you.

Rant mode off.

[Wycombe Royal]

bar the top 5, ANY team that doen't take us seriously are going to get a hammering

I'll have a pint of what he's had.

[southbank1871]

Wow, being laughed at by SB1871!!!

I don't know if I can handle it!!!



This is the time when all the little boys who have watched the Premiership on the telly for years now cream themselves because the "big names" are coming to play; they are only "big" names cos Sky have told you they are.

If you don't think our players are good enough then thats cool; we all know now where you stand.

I - and a few others I suspect - will ressurect these posts in months to come.......when we have surprised a few and shocked many more (including yourself).

Enjoy wacthing the "big" names tomorrow; I'll enjoy watching my team stuff them.

Does the wink at the end indicate that you are on a wind-up, or are you just being a prat?

Where have I said that I don't think our players are good enough? I actually think that there'll be a number of our team who will successfully make the step-up in class this season and do very well. However, the fact remains that not one of our team has proven themselves at the top level, whereas a number of the Boro team have.

For this reason, at this moment in time, there are a number of Boro players who I would have over ours. As I've said, I hope this opinion will change over the coming months.

Absolutely nothing to do with Sky telling me that they are big names or the fact that I've seen these players on the TV, I just think that you're letting your Reading bias stop you from being objective.

[Maguire]

Wow, being laughed at by SB1871!!!

I don't know if I can handle it!!!



This is the time when all the little boys who have watched the Premiership on the telly for years now cream themselves because the "big names" are coming to play; they are only "big" names cos Sky have told you they are.

If you don't think our players are good enough then thats cool; we all know now where you stand.

I - and a few others I suspect - will ressurect these posts in months to come.......when we have surprised a few and shocked many more (including yourself).

Enjoy wacthing the "big" names tomorrow; I'll enjoy watching my team stuff them.

Everybody here is looking forward to us stuffing the "big" names tomorrow. But believe or not whilst we are all supporting our team and believe they will show their worth, a lot of us can also see a good player when we see one.

This may come as a shock to you but there are better players than ours out there and some do play for Boro. Some of Boro's team are also worse than players we have, it's a fact of life. And nearly all saying that are saying this from the point of watching our boys week in, week out.

As I've said earlier there is faith and blind faith. From your postings today (and assuming you are not on a wind up) you seem to be going in with the latter. I and many others the former.

Absolutely spot on, Stranded.

if the doom-mongers want to wring their hands and wander the streets going "the end is nigh were doomed....." then do so, but don't expect everybody else to agree with you.

I didn't say that, I just said I think some of Boro's players are better than some of ours. If you can't accept that then I honestly think you need to get your head out from under your RFC duvet.

[Mr Angry]

My view is simple; I believe totally and objectively that our TEAM is better than Middlesborough's TEAM; individually and as part of a collective they are better, player for player, than tomorrows opponents.

I believe our forwards to be better than their defenders, and that our defenders will have the beating of their forwards. Our midfielders will compete for everything, whilst our wide players will offer options going forward and give support to the defence.

Furthermore I believe that, if his public pronouncements are correct, Southgate will be trying to play a very attacking game tomorrow; I believe that this will play into our hands as we have the pace and capability to create chance on the break, and with the quality of our strikers, I would expect a number of those chances to be converted.

That isn't "blind faith", thats an objective look at how I know we play and from what I have seen of Boro in the immediate past.

One final thing, a Dutch journo said at halftime of our game last Saturday that, having seen Boro a week earlier, he thought we were a lot better than they were.

Opinions eh; doncha just luv 'em!

[rodnich]

Downing is pants. I was at a wedding about a month ago and some bloke was a Boro season ticket holder - He said Downing is utter 5h1te!

To be fair, Most Boro season ticket holders say the whole team is 5h1te!

[YorkshireRoyal]

Stewart Downing by a mile. Not even worth a debate.

[Maguire]

My view is simple; I believe totally and objectively that our TEAM is better than Middlesborough's TEAM

Shame nobody else on the thread is talking about who has the better TEAM or who they think will win on Saturday.

All I'm saying is that I think some of their players are better than some of ours. Not an unreasonable pronouncement one might think, unless you happen to have borrowed Mr Angry's blue and white striped blindfold.

[YorkshireRoyal]

Yes, our TEAM is better than the UEFA Cup finalists, FA Cup semi-finalists and a TEAM that beat Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea with ease last season!

Some people are going to be in for a nasty suprise tomorrow afternoon.

[southbank1871]

My view is simple; I believe totally and objectively that our TEAM is better than Middlesborough's TEAM

Shame nobody else on the thread is talking about who has the better TEAM or who they think will win on Saturday.

All I'm saying is that I think some of their players are better than some of ours. Not an unreasonable pronouncement one might think, unless you happen to have borrowed Mr Angry's blue and white striped blindfold.

Stop being so negative Maguire... You must be completely subjective when it comes to Reading, otherwise you're not a real fan.

[BarryWhiteRFC]

i'd say convey, from what ive seen on highlights with downing, he doesnt really seem to have much pace going past defenders. I'd say as far as crossing, free kicks etc go, convey and downing are on about a par, but convey just has the edge due to pace and better success of taking people on imho....

Fair points there but the main flaw being the standard of the opponents.

Skinning Gary Neville is much harder proposition than skinning the Millwall right back for example.

And skinning the World Cup winners RB was just as easy as Millwalls of course, no where near the standard of the Premeirship them Italians. Best defensive nation in the world my ar*e eh?

Oh also, how many goals did Italy conceed other than the penalty in the final?

If you really think Downing is better than Convey then you're as bad as Andy Gray and the rest of them.

[Maguire]

My view is simple; I believe totally and objectively that our TEAM is better than Middlesborough's TEAM

Shame nobody else on the thread is talking about who has the better TEAM or who they think will win on Saturday.

All I'm saying is that I think some of their players are better than some of ours. Not an unreasonable pronouncement one might think, unless you happen to have borrowed Mr Angry's blue and white striped blindfold.

Stop being so negative Maguire... You must be completely subjective when it comes to Reading, otherwise you're not a real fan.

BRING IT ON

[kingthor]

It is a tough comparison. Americans don't get respect by many, and outside of this forum, no team in the Premier League would take Convey over Downing. I am American, and thus, I am very much a believer in Bobby. He is a great player.

I find it interesting that for Reading, Convey is noted for getting back, but for the United States national team, one of his criticisms is poor defensive play. Could be because Beasley, who was paired with him at times in the world cup, is truly great a great defender. Beasley had a lot of criticism at the world cup, but his defense in it was top notch. He wasn't aggressive at all though on offense. Quite unfortunate.

I'd take Convey though, but I've seen him play a lot more than I have Downing too.

[rabidbee]

I find it interesting that for Reading, Convey is noted for getting back, but for the United States national team, one of his criticisms is poor defensive play. Could be because Beasley, who was paired with him at times in the world cup, is truly great a great defender. Beasley had a lot of criticism at the world cup, but his defense in it was top notch. He wasn't aggressive at all though on offense. Quite unfortunate.

I'd say that that is the weakest aspect of Bobby's game. Not that he doesn't show willing, I just don't think he's as effective a defender as Blakey on the other wing.

[Stranded]

i'd say convey, from what ive seen on highlights with downing, he doesnt really seem to have much pace going past defenders. I'd say as far as crossing, free kicks etc go, convey and downing are on about a par, but convey just has the edge due to pace and better success of taking people on imho....

Fair points there but the main flaw being the standard of the opponents.

Skinning Gary Neville is much harder proposition than skinning the Millwall right back for example.

And skinning the World Cup winners RB was just as easy as Millwalls of course, no where near the standard of the Premeirship them Italians. Best defensive nation in the world my ar*e eh?

Oh also, how many goals did Italy conceed other than the penalty in the final?

If you really think Downing is better than Convey then you're as bad as Andy Gray and the rest of them.

Key words Barry, for example.

Anyway, Downing has played against and done well most weeks against some of the best defenders in the country whereas AT THIS VERY MOMENT Convey hasn't. One game in a WC proves nowt.

That is why AT THIS VERY MOMENT I would take Downing but I am more than happy with Convey and believe he will do very,very well.

Tis called being objective and looking beyond just what we have. Sorry if that offends you.

[BarryWhiteRFC]

i'd say convey, from what ive seen on highlights with downing, he doesnt really seem to have much pace going past defenders. I'd say as far as crossing, free kicks etc go, convey and downing are on about a par, but convey just has the edge due to pace and better success of taking people on imho....

Fair points there but the main flaw being the standard of the opponents.

Skinning Gary Neville is much harder proposition than skinning the Millwall right back for example.

And skinning the World Cup winners RB was just as easy as Millwalls of course, no where near the standard of the Premeirship them Italians. Best defensive nation in the world my ar*e eh?

Oh also, how many goals did Italy conceed other than the penalty in the final?

If you really think Downing is better than Convey then you're as bad as Andy Gray and the rest of them.

Key words Barry, for example.

Anyway, Downing has played against and done well most weeks against some of the best defenders in the country whereas AT THIS VERY MOMENT Convey hasn't. One game in a WC proves nowt.

That is why AT THIS VERY MOMENT I would take Downing but I am more than happy with Convey and believe he will do very,very well.

Tis called being objective and looking beyond just what we have. Sorry if that offends you.

You see, that proves he has the ability to do it. So we know he can beat the best ful backs in the world. He also did produce form week in week out last season, so we know he's consistant. So he's not done it week in week out at this level, I don't doubt for a second that he will. He will be our player of the season. For me that proves all I need to know!

Also stranded, be honest, who would you rather watch play football? Downing or Convey?

[Maguire]

Thank God we didn't see Downing and Yakubu score against us today. That would've been embarrassing for us.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Thank God we didn't see Downing and Yakubu score against us today. That would've been embarrassing for us.

*sigh of relief*

[Royalee]

Convey every day of the week.