Back from the game .... Peterboro

[Gordons Cumming]

Anyone see the guy with a beard in the North stand? Looked like he want to conduct the entire crowd (without much success I might add )

He and his mate were very animated...(Unusual for the North)

Maybe be they are East stand rejects..................?

[Only one Trevor Morley]

First half was woefully turgid - no ideas no passion, the only outlet for our attacks being Ian Hartes left foot.

Second half started in a similar fahsion until we introduced Le Fondre and HRK. and we looked much better then. HRKs effort was a peach of a goal and Le Fondre proved yet again that if you give him a chance he'll put them away.

Why Alfie doesnt start it utterly beyond me and this is someone who is a firm Mcdermott supporter. Unlike some one here who think he is just a journeyman poacher he seems to be the one outlet for anything that is positive about Reading. that coupled with the fact that he is our top goalscorer and joint top assists means he'd be my first pick....

We're really stuggling to play well at the moment and yet we're 9th. Amazing really

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Saying we were terrible in the 1st half is doing Peterborough an injustice. Going forward they were the best team i have seen in ages. The No.26 was doing a pretty good impression of Craig Bellamy and is Premiership bound.

That said they were dreadful at defending set pieces and crosses.

Without Harte playing we would probably have lost that. and at Ipswich as well. He might ship us the odd goal from being so immobile but his impact has been immediate and quite predictable tbh.

[loyalroyal4life]

I do not think we will play much worst this season and WIN

Totally undeserved, we looked poor, lacking throughout and no one really pressed or bossed the game. Cant believe Karacan came off, was he blind to see how shit Leighterwood was? Worst player on the pitch by far.

Great goals from the subs, Harte looked ok. My MOTM..... Emile Sinclair! Him And Alfie Upfront would be a class act!

[Warfield North Stand]

Having been to both Ipswich and last night, how Simon Church got to start the game after Saturday is completly mind boggling! ALF came on Saturday and changed the game. He did the same last night. Church did oxf*rd all in both games apart from poaching a goal my 7 year old could of scored.
Play like this against Blackpool and West Ham and it will be azero point return

[Silver Fox]

We won, we scored in the first half, HRK scored a cracker and I didn't get quite as cold as i thought I would

All in all a result

[Maguire]

Peterborough were quality in the first half, buzzing round us like flies, all of them comfortable on the ball, constant movement. The goal looks bad from a defensive point of view but the movement of the Posh players was excellent - IIRC the scorer went to the near post than span all the way around the back. His marker (poss Ledge, not sure) got blocked off in the traffic leaving him free to put away a textbook header.

Reading really didn't get to grips with them and we only threatened from Harte's deliveries (shows his value to the team really). Second half was better and fair play to BMc for making attacking changes with 30mins left. Tried to go out and win the game and did so.

Kebe - yes he looks a shadow of his former self but still got two assists

Church - hopeless

ALF - what a great finish. He's a goalscorer for sure.

Oh yeah, and I missed two of our goals

[Wycombe Royal]

I actually felt a bit sorry for Harte last night. Every time Peterborough attacked on their right in the first half McAnuff was nowhere to be seen. Well he was, he was normally ambling somewhere around the centre of the pitch. He's was playing as a winger so stay on the bloody wing and be there to help out your full back when we are defending.

As for Cummings, I thought he did a fairly decent job against a very fast player in Emile Sinclair. He was never going to win a race against him and boro knew it so they kept playing balls down the channel for him to chase.

Legs and Karacan seemed to have a game plan in the first half pass the ball to a Peterborough player and then get some exercise by chasing shadows. They performed it to perfection.

[Ginger Ninjas]

First half was woefully turgid - no ideas no passion, the only outlet for our attacks being Ian Hartes left foot.

Second half started in a similar fahsion until we introduced Le Fondre and HRK. and we looked much better then. HRKs effort was a peach of a goal and Le Fondre proved yet again that if you give him a chance he'll put them away.

Why Alfie doesnt start it utterly beyond me and this is someone who is a firm Mcdermott supporter. Unlike some one here who think he is just a journeyman poacher he seems to be the one outlet for anything that is positive about Reading. that coupled with the fact that he is our top goalscorer and joint top assists means he'd be my first pick....

We're really stuggling to play well at the moment and yet we're 9th. Amazing really

Agreed with all of this.

Never seen a duller 3-2 victory, that's for sure

[Gordons Cumming]

Peterboro play very good football. Fast, controlled and should do better. Their open style of play creates goals but makes them too vulnerable at the back.

Must be sort of fun watching them every week though..................

[floyd__streete]

Well, clearly the better team lost last night but its an important win because with Blackpool, West Ham and Leeds the next 3 fixtures, I don’t fancy us to get (m)any points before xmas. I enjoyed watching Peterborough, they passed the ball around nicely at times, particularly in contrast to Reading’s aimless long-ball pap. Luckily for us, they were just as defensively bad as we were as evidenced by our very soft equaliser. They were also rather profligate; Harte’s woeful pass across goal was intercepted, should have been 2-0 and was a total let off.

Good to see two of the strikers score, although Church’s was from a matter of inches they all count. Lucky for him really, because he was quite poor apart from that. Still, he looked like Pele when compared to Noel Hunt who contributed frankly bugger all throughout. I am also getting increasingly fed up with the aimless, over-the-shoulder hoofing from Leigertwood and Karacan. It’s diabolical, park football. Still, we have some decent finishers in the team; ALF took his goal well and HRK is shaping up to be the next big money move to fill that ever cavernous defecit next summer.

[Extended-Phenotype]

If Church was a dog he'd be put to sleep. Please, don't start him ever again. Was embarassing to watch. At least Benny Hill had a theme tune.

Dump 'Pointless Midfielder of the Year' Jem Karacan too. Norman Wisdom impressions aren't even funny in the pub, let alone on a football pitch. All he was missing was a f///ing ladder.

HRK and ALF must start. If Dermie doesn't start 'em, I think it's time to form like an 'intervention' or something, because Brian must be on the Screenwash.

[melonhead]

Anyone see the guy with a beard in the North stand? Looked like he want to conduct the entire crowd (without much success I might add )

He and his mate were very animated...(Unusual for the North)

Maybe be they are East stand rejects..................?

turned up for one game, never seen him there before,probably there for a fiver and started mouthing off and swearing at everyone for the whole game
even came out at half time and started having a go at everyone for not singing, outside, during their fag break,
even came and had a go at our bus after the game, "why arent you oxf*rd singing?"

err, cos its the bus, and the game is over.........



he was the most entertaining thing in the game for the first hour though, ill give him that,
not in a good way though,



go and sit in the east stand if you want singing an cheering, thats not what we do in the north.
i gave up trying years ago, its pointless

[melonhead]

Kebe was fine. Not great but not terrible.

agreed, did some good stuff, did some shit stuff
but hes getting there

thought some of his delivery was better for starters

[Wizard]

Highlight of the game was definitely beardy in the north stand. And also the angry scottish guy in front of me who gets annoyed even when we're winning comfortably (as we were towards the end until their second goal).

[Ferris]

Anyone else notice how much Alex Pearce looks like the beast?

[Dan - B15 Royal]

Le Fondre and Hunt should start on saturday, it seems to me that Hunty plays much better when he has Alfie alongside him, and its noticeable how much more of an attacking threat we are when they are both on the pitch.
Yes Church goat his goal, but otherwise contributed little, although the sevice was once again not their. With Hunty & Alfie playing alongside eachother the link-up play between those two is subline at times and means the central midfielders (and robson-kanu for his goal yesterday )have a chance to join our attacks as the ball is being held up more by the forwards, making us much more potent going forward.

all in all, delighted with 3 points, and i hope we take this confidence to the seaside on Saturday and grind out a result at blackpool.

[melonhead]

my missus liked your missus' hat by the way wiz.....

awful game for an hour- nice passing from PB, very good on the ball, and very quick, we were second to everything, and they always seemed to have a man free.
our passing was awful/non existent, kept hoofing it, even when we had the time and space to look up and pass.
i like church, but he was toothless again, and it was a sad sight to see him running up the wing with his hand in the air while everyone went and celebrated with kebe, and then the announcer gave it to jimmy, and church looked crushed.
ledge and karacan were poor as the posh just passed around them,
jimmy got some good deliveries in, but also did some silly things
mcanuff did ok in the middle, but should have been on the wing- McD finally putting him in there officially, some great tracking back and tackling to start off attacks, but left us lopsided until the change
ALF and HRK changed everything, all of a sudden some urgency, someone who could hold teh ball, and harry the opposition defence effectively
mcanuff into the middle, with HRK on the wing gave us real impetus and drive, and it looked like if wed had that team on from the start wed have thrashed em.
i can only assume that brian is trying desperately to squeeze church in the team, in the hope he'll find form and confidence like long did.
i want him too, not least because hes currently worth nothing in sale value, but im starting to think itll never happen.


Fed: great saves, maybe could have got across for their first, but the pst was covered by karacan- who was just too short to stop the header -7
pearce/gorkss - 7
Cummings - did ok covering the quickest man on the pitch -6
Harte- great going forward, dodgy moments when out of position, terrible pass to their player, but got better defensively towards the end- 6.5
ledge - 6
karacan -5
kebe - 7
mcanuff- 6
church - 5
nhunt - 6

ALF - changed the game, great finish-8
HRK- changed the game, great finish-8


ALF/NHUNT to start up front,
HRK on the wing, mcanuff as attacking midfielder
is what id do, from now on

[leicsRoyal]

Fed: great saves, maybe could have got across for their first, but the pst was covered by karacan- who was just too short to stop the header -7

what happened with the last goal? Not seen the highlights but sounded on commentary that Feds made a howler?

[melonhead]

Fed: great saves, maybe could have got across for their first, but the pst was covered by karacan- who was just too short to stop the header -7

what happened with the last goal? Not seen the highlights but sounded on commentary that Feds made a howler?

totally missed it looking at the table in the programme to see how close to th eplayoffs we would be.........