Back from the game - Norwich

[stealthpapes]

Sat on a train to scouseland

drunk not-scouser: "Norwich 4 - up"
me: "what?"
"five now ... you a fan?"
"of Reading"
:scouselaugh:

[Westwood52]

Premiership, really ?
Lets not forget the last twenty minutes against Leeds and second half on Tuesday-I wont say this has been coming, because "this" has happened several times away this season; but not seven !
However we are very good at home & if not Rotherham, then Wigan will confirm our place in the Play Offs; a considerable achievement by Stam, given the last couple of years dross.
Be interesting to see-if he passes this result off; as one of those things or will he "store" who let him down big time today.

[gdroyal]

Just got back. Awful day, awful performance. Had a very pre-season friendly feel about it in the first 10 minutes. Despite going behind early, I thought Norwich were allowing us onto them and we would get back in the game. Sadly I think we were the ones who thought we were on the beach. Everyone was poor but special mention to Mutch, Grabban and McCleary who were awful. I hope McShane and Joey VDB is back asap to add some defensive strength.

Fair play to the fans today. For the circumstances other bigger clubs would have been streaming out after 30 mins. The majority of our fans stayed and singed to the end. However, I would give special mention to the guy on Radio Berkshire who said he spent 5 hours getting there last night, stayed in a hotel only to leave after 30 minutes - my suggestion to you would be don't bother to come again, we don't need you.

[Jagermesiter1871]

Yeah I oddly thought the fans were better than usual today

Also is anyone able to explain to me what the penalty was actually for? Can't blame the result on that but less than ideal way to start the game and having watched the replays on sky its farcical.

[loyalroyal4life]

Back in Shenfield after leaving at half time .
The penalty was a surprise to everybody NO appeals from players or fans the bigger joke was there sixth goal we had several chances to clear but failed .
Finally Mutch is an absolute joke , shameful mercenary , never again should he be let near the first team.
Absolute disgrace

What did Mutch do (apart from nothing)

[mumbo-jumbo]

So refreshing to hear Jaap say that you can't just call 'it a bad day at the office', but have to actually learn from a result like this. Such a difference from previous managers' defensive responses viz a viz Adkins et al (and dare I say it McDermott) who brushed defeats off with 'drawing a blue line under it and moving on'. The key players seemed genuinely embarrassed and baffled by today - not convinced the likes of Grabban and Mutch are too bothered. Sooner gone the better, as have offered nothing since their arrival.

[windermereROYAL]

Back in Shenfield after leaving at half time .
The penalty was a surprise to everybody NO appeals from players or fans the bigger joke was there sixth goal we had several chances to clear but failed .
Finally Mutch is an absolute joke , shameful mercenary , never again should he be let near the first team.
Absolute disgrace

What did Mutch do (apart from nothing)

Hard to recall any loan signings worse than him and Grabben. totally useless the pair of them.

[Stockport Royal]

Can i remind everyone about our away record against current away record against top 12 sides. played 10. W1 D0 L9. goals for 7, against 31. they must be queuing up to play us in the play-offs if we make it.

Playoffs are only contested between teams placed 3rd-6th, and are also played over two legs.

Record against teams currently in those spots;

P6 W4 D0 L2

Shambolic result but easy with the knee jerk.

[Ian Royal]

Back in Shenfield after leaving at half time .
The penalty was a surprise to everybody NO appeals from players or fans the bigger joke was there sixth goal we had several chances to clear but failed .
Finally Mutch is an absolute joke , shameful mercenary , never again should he be let near the first team.
Absolute disgrace

What did Mutch do (apart from nothing)

Hard to recall any loan signings worse than him and Grabben. totally useless the pair of them.

How about Piazon and Vydra? Alex Fernandez - lovely and decent though he seemed, how many minutes was it?
Those are just last season.

[CountryRoyal]

I don't really nowhere to begin. No positives to take out of the game, obviously the early penalty messed up the game plan somewhat but nobody could have foreseen what was about to unfold, definitely one of those "I was there" days, unfortunately just on the opposing end. Without going into exactly what we did wrong (which you could write a thousand page novel on), basically imagine everything that a footballer should do, and now do the exact opposite, that was us. In fairness we were much improved after the break, though we were still absolutely dog shite. We're lucky that Norwich took their foot off as they would have gotten into double figures. As it is, they should have.

Al-Habsi 3 - distribution atrocious, didn't have a chance for a couple of them, others he should have saved. Did make a couple of good saves to stop further embarrassment.

Gunter 3 - not even the worst player, still gash.

Oxford 3 - maybe that stamp did permenant brain damage

Moore 3 - dissapointing, looked all at sea. Beyond his technical game (which was atrocious) no leadership or organising of any degree.

Blackett 2 - back to his best

Swift 2 - tried but just woeful, in all areas

Kelly 3 - probably being generous with the rating, was awful

Mutch 0 - never want to see him in a Reading shirt again. A terrible, terrible excuse for a footballer who is stealing a living.

McCleary 3 - abject

Kermorgant 4 - dire

Grabban 0 - I've never felt such animosity towards a player before, I can't put into words how much I despise this pcunt - it's weird, I've never met him, he might be a really nice bloke, but for some reason I have a personal hatred towards this sack of shit. Odd I know. I'm looking forward to the end of the season when he packs his bags and oxf*rd off, if for some unthinkable reason we sign him on a permanent I'm going Ian Royal and not watching Reading again while he's contracted to the club.

Stam 0 - he needs to shoulder a lot of the blame for this defeat purely because he started Mutch and Grabban. The strangest substitutions of all time - what was the point? Why bring on a left back who's just recovered from injury, a young right back and a peripheral defensive mid when the game is already lost? If obita was fit enough to bring on and risk in a nothing game then why didn't he start at left back and have oxford in midfield rather than creating a new centre back partnership? Why through on Watson in a demoralising atmosphere like that? What did you expect him to do? Score 6 goals?? And why was Gravenbirch even in the squad, let alone brought on??

Just wtf worthy all round.

Well done to the fans that went - massive shout out to all those that left after 30 minutes. Great fans but hey ho, your money, each to their own.

Thought some of us were in decent voice considering, shades of Birmingham under Adkins where we ended up just having a laugh. "We've got the ball" rendition was good. Norwich fans were awful.

Really dissapointed with the amount of boos at the end - we are 4th in the league ffs, after the last couple of seasons as well. Grow the oxf*rd up.

I know in the match thread I made a comment about refunds... I don't think we should. It's football and strange things happen - that's why it's such a great game, unfortunately today we were on the wrong end of a very unusual and unique match. I could understand if it was for a lack of effort but that wasn't the case, we were just shit - we tried, we were just gash. It's just the way it goes, we are still in a great position.

I don't think next week will be anywhere near as bad, I'd imagine a much improved performance. This team seems to have a much stronger mentality, I'd be very surprised if this was the start of a really bad run towards the end of the season.

Brush yourselves down, and go again for next Saturday.

[CountryRoyal]

What did Mutch do (apart from nothing)

Hard to recall any loan signings worse than him and Grabben. totally useless the pair of them.

How about Piazon and Vydra? Alex Fernandez - lovely and decent though he seemed, how many minutes was it?
Those are just last season.

Mutch and Grabban make Piazon and Vydra look like ballon d'or contenders.

[Top Flight]

Let's just put this down as a freak result.

Having watched the highlights everything Norwich seemed to touch turned to goals. We were poor but at least we know we can be much better.

It won't have any bearing on anything in the end.

[CountryRoyal]

Let's just put this down as a freak result.

Having watched the highlights everything Norwich seemed to touch turned to goals. We were poor but at least we know we can be much better.

It won't have any bearing on anything in the end.

classic top flight.

What do you expect when they fit 8 goals into 1 and a half minutes?

Beeb reports Norwich had 31 shots.. when was the last time we conceded more than 30 shots to a team in the same league as us?

[Top Flight]

Let's just put this down as a freak result.

Having watched the highlights everything Norwich seemed to touch turned to goals. We were poor but at least we know we can be much better.

It won't have any bearing on anything in the end.

classic top flight.

What do you expect when they fit 8 goals into 1 and a half minutes?

Beeb reports Norwich had 31 shots.. when was the last time we conceded more than 30 shots to a team in the same league as us?

It's quite freaky that this result happened to a team that is in the play offs.

I can't imagine this happening to Leeds or Sheffield Wednesday.

We must have been very poor and totally disorganised?

Hopefully it is a one off. We mustn't be complacent. We are not in the playoffs yet. Wednesday are back on form and Fulham are chasing hard. We still have work to do.

[Ian Royal]

Given we've lost 4-1 twice and 5-0 once already, it's not that freaky.

[CountryRoyal]

Let's just put this down as a freak result.

Having watched the highlights everything Norwich seemed to touch turned to goals. We were poor but at least we know we can be much better.

It won't have any bearing on anything in the end.

classic top flight.

What do you expect when they fit 8 goals into 1 and a half minutes?

Beeb reports Norwich had 31 shots.. when was the last time we conceded more than 30 shots to a team in the same league as us?

It's quite freaky that this result happened to a team that is in the play offs.

I can't imagine this happening to Leeds or Sheffield Wednesday.

We must have been very poor and totally disorganised?

Hopefully it is a one off. We mustn't be complacent. We are not in the playoffs yet. Wednesday are back on form and Fulham are chasing hard. We still have work to do.

Was more in reference to you deducing that everything Norwich hit went in based on highlights.

It has to be said at one stage it felt like that, but truth is they had many more chances which they didn't convert.

[windermereROYAL]

So what happened to the lad we signed from Liverpool? fit enough to come on for 10 minutes on Tuesday but not fit enough to sit on the bench today.

[Top Flight]

My interpretation was having seen the first four goals on highlights, it didn't look like we'd done a lot wrong defensively but found ourselves four down. The penalty looked harsh on Gunter. There was a spectacular strike. Hoolahan seemed quite lucky bundling through for a goal. But, as you say and as Stam also said, our performance was poor.

Hopefully it's just a freak.

[CountryRoyal]

Also take nothing away from Norwich - they were excellent, it's amazing what playing without fear can do, especially with a squad of their quality. Had we been at our best we still probably would have lost, but my god did we make it easy for them. Suspect our ladies team would have done better today.

[Top Flight]

So what happened to the lad we signed from Liverpool? fit enough to come on for 10 minutes on Tuesday but not fit enough to sit on the bench today.

I don't think we should over analyse to that extent and blame the size of the loss on Stam not bringing Tiago.
Oxford did well enough against Blackburn to deserve his start today. Obviously Stam wanted different tactical options on the bench. That's why Tiago didn't go.

It's the next game where you might have to question Stam's defensive choices following on from this performance. Let's see what Stam goes with at Villa.