2 October 2004: LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
READING 0 BURNLEY 0
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
goals
|
Reading: - Burnley: - |
Half Time: 0-0 Attendance: 15,400
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
teams
|
Reading: Hahnemann, Murty,
Shorey, Sonko, Ingimarsson, Brooker (Convey 72), Sidwell, Harper, Hughes
(Little 69), Kitson, Forster (Goater 78). Subs Not Used: Young, Newman.
Burnley: Coyne, Duff, Camara, McGreal, Sinclair, Valois, Chaplow, Hyde, Branch, Blake, Moore. Subs Not Used: Jensen, O'Neill, Grant, Duffy, Sanokho. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
bookings
|
Reading: Sidwell, Kitson. Burnley: Camara, Duff. Referee: A Penn (W Midlands). |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
report
|
Burnley have now only conceded one goal in six away games, and after today's game it is easy to understand why. They get men behind the ball, they keep a tight formation, and they are neat and careful with their passing. I just feel sorry for the Burnley fans having to watch it every week! They have the perfect formula to stay exactly where they are - mid table. Not good enough to go up, but not bad enough to go down. For Reading, today was a missed opportunity to consolidate their position as league leaders. Hard as they tried they did not have the quality in their play throughout the team to break down their opponents defensive barrier.
|
FANS' POST MATCH OPINION
|
Lots of effort but lacking that bit of subtlety and class. It was said
before the game that Burnley had a very good defensive shape and that
is what they showed. From a Reading point of view it was disappointing
that we could not break them down, but that was how it was. Forster might
have scored and should have hit the target on one occasion and Kitson
had a few good efforts. He did get the ball in the net, but was deservedly
booked for a clear handball which the ref. didn't see initially! It was
a day when we needed the flair in the team to work and it didn't. Forster
was quiet, Brooker ineffective and the man most likely to create was the
much maligned Andy Hughes who had another good game. Not even the introduction
of Convey, Goater and Little could change anything. At the back we looked
solid. Sonko was outstanding in the air and made some good tackles - distribution
comes later! The other four all had solid games. In fact all over the
park we were solid but today that just was not quite good enough, but
what an outstanding start to the season because we should get better and
better as the Kitson Forster partnership progresses and as Little begins
to create a bit more. Come on you Royals. There
was an air of inevitability that this game was going to be a fairly boring
0-0 early on with us having the chance to stay top for a couple of weeks
being no games next week. Burnley came for a 0-0 and duly left after Reading
failed to break them down and generally huffed and puffed without really
producing many decent chances.Considering we were top of the league the
atmosphere was very subdued and the game felt more like a mid table game
. Nobody really stood out for Reading though how ironic that poor ol Hughsie
was having his best game for a while only to be substituted, but it may
have been worth it for the ovation he got has he left the pitch, that'll
do him no harm at all . Little who replaced him did ok but squandered
a glorious chance with some sort of weird high tiller girl kick when he
had loads of time to score. Nicky Forster ! Now I like most think he's
a great player and scores some wonderful goals , but Coppell has to sit
him down and tell him he can't score every time, he has team mates and
it's about the team not him and stop being a greedy pig ! There was a
classic in the first half with Sidwell screaming for the ball square and
in loads of space with a golden chance but greedy Fossie blasted it over
, not good at all. Finally Bobby Convey, £800,000! Ok I know it's early
days but he looks like a toddler lost in a busy Tesco! There's a story
that Coppell bought him having seen a video of him playing, must have
been in the Teletubbies Football special. The lad looks like he needs
lot of time to get used to the pace of our game and is lacking the confidence
to go past players but £800,000! Those who have a go at Hughsey should
think who's they rather have in the team should it come to a blood and
thunder of a game like many we have coming up. So a break for two weeks
then back with a toughie at Stoke followed by Leeds at home, if that don't
get the Mad Stad packed and all of us excited nothing will... URRZ.
This was the kind of game we've seen too many times at home; a well organised and physical side come to defend and grind out a draw and Reading are unable to create anything to find a way through. In the end, it would've taken our own version of the 'hand of God' (or Kitson to be more accurate), or the almighty himself to zap Forster into PASSING to his unmarked team mate (Sidwell in this particular instance) rather than trying the spectacular to get us all 3 points. Still, Reading remain unbeaten at home only 1 point off top spot. And that's something you can forgive the odd 'bore-draw' for. As long as it's not repeated too soon....
This was a clear demonstration of a very well organised side and able to grind out a result at a cost of uninventive football. It will achieve survival in this Division but not gain many friends despite our Managers persistence in once again this season patrionising the opposition management as if us stalwart supporters are suppose to take comfort from such deliberations! We must however remain very positve as we still look good going forward and our suad temperament is clearly very supportive as a team despite Fozzeys over zealous actions in front of goal when all he need do is look up and take the simple pass option to his attacking teamates who will surely repay the compliment.
Now is the time to resist most strongly anything to disturb this postive squad and it will remain to be seen if the lure of a fat transfer fee receipt for inform Dave Kitson or stability for home grown Adie Williams will destroy all our dreams this season on the back of some cynical management retort that no one player makes a team. However we all know from past experience such distruption usually creates an unasaleble position and in our case goodbye to our playoff dreams.
Apart from the driving rain which drenched all rows A-H this was a highly uneventful game. My highlights were the supremacy of Sonko at the back. What power in the air that defied Burnley's attack. An attack I feel has been reviewed rather harshly so far. They were certainly more threatening in the second half and we were lucky not to have conceded on two occasions. Yes teams come here and are defensive. For them it is an away game and we are a class side. They are going to defend. Deal with it! If we are to progress we must learn to be physically stronger and capitalise on our chances. The miss by Sidwell was a crime! The miss hit by Little was laughable! But there was good to build upon. We ran the majority of the game only fading away in the last 20 minutes. Bobby Convey - what can I say - we must buy better to be a Premiership side!
|
Got an opinion? E-Mail us at opinion@royals.org
Appropriate submissions will appear on match report pages |
Copyright Hob Nob Anyone? © 1994-2004
The Original
Reading Football Club Internet Site