Back from the Game - Swansea (H)

[rabidbee]

'Nothing happening when it matters' ?!! Perhaps you were too busy bowing in the direction of Madejski when they scored their goal then?!

Indeed, their goal was very well created.

Other than that, and what you won't have seen from your usual seat at home on the sofa, was the consistent pattern of play from Swansea which was a series of neat passes that created nothing. It's a style pleasing on the eye of some but if after 10 passes you give the ball away, or end up back with your keeper you have to question 'why'. They have a good manager with a fine pedigree and of course you can see what they are trying to do. Only an idiot (and of course we've found one !) would rave about them failing to achieve their goal (literally and figuratively). Despite their pretty midfield patterns they created fewer chances than us....and scored no more than us.

I'll say again - they had the ball across our 6-yard box three times before they scored. That is not "creating nothing" in my book. They only lacked a sharp striker to finish the chances they created.

[Sun Tzu]

I'll say again - they had the ball across our 6-yard box three times before they scored. That is not "creating nothing" in my book. They only lacked a sharp striker to finish the chances they created.

One of those was a shot that nearly went for a throw on !

If you are counting things that are wide of the mark by 50 yards then your definition of 'creating' is very loose !!

And if both sides had had a sharp stirker we would have won the game.

[rabidbee]

Nevertheless, someone following that up at the back post would have put it away. Rasiak may be wasteful, but if we actually ever got the ball in the box he would score a hatful. Look at the Wednesday match; as soon as McAnuff actually consistently hit the bye-line and started whipping the ball back into the box, we scored two. I'll forgive Sig for cutting inside all of the time, he's not a winger, but McAnuff needs to get chalk on his boots. Maybe not every time - he does draw a good number of fouls when he cuts inside - but his shooting record isn't great, so he should look to beat his man and cross more often. Yesterday, I was just desperate for him to push the ball in front of him and beat the full back for pace, but he wouldn't do it.

[Ian Royal]

I'll say again - they had the ball across our 6-yard box three times before they scored. That is not "creating nothing" in my book. They only lacked a sharp striker to finish the chances they created.

One of those was a shot that nearly went for a throw on !

If you are counting things that are wide of the mark by 50 yards then your definition of 'creating' is very loose !!

And if both sides had had a sharp stirker we would have won the game.

They didn't create a lot, but they still created a fair few chances for a team that struggles to score many goals.

Yes we created a fair few ourselves. But we've seen before that we can creat 15 - 20 chances and still only score 1 goal.

[rabidbee]

Our problem is that we don't actually create many chances.

[Ian Royal]

:|

Our problem is that we don't actually create many chances.

We created 8 or 9 chances against Swansea. We had something like 12 shots on target the other week.

We're not getting/making the final shot right.

[Sun Tzu]

:|

Our problem is that we don't actually create many chances.

Not this season it's not !

Our problem is very much failing to convert what we do create.

[rabidbee]

What chances? I remember Sig's goal, Sig shooting straight at the goalie after Kébé's good work, Kébé shooting straight at the keeper, Long failing to chase down a 1-on-1 from 50 yards out. Errr...?

[AthleticoSpizz]

LOL at people giving Bryn MOTM for stopping Dyer. Did any of you notice that in the first half we were getting raped down our right side?! The reason this improved in the 2nd half was because Dyer swapped sides and Bertrand (our best defender) was marking him. The Sig was our best player and the rest were distinctly average. We are in massive danger unless we sign in Jan. I disagree with the comments regarding Marek...I am a big fan of him however he doesn't greatly impact the game. I would put the Sig in the centre alongside Karacan who is a better DM than Cisse (who should be at CM instead of the slowing Ivar).

yours is one of those tumbleweed moments jeffers

[swansea jack]

Swansea were the same side they have been for a couple of seasons - pretty to watch in areas where it is irrelevant, nothing happening when it matters.

...but still 6th in the table. LOL. If we have the ball (even in our own half) then the other team can't score.

Still sounds like we need that 20 goal striker though but don't have the money unfort.

Indeed, and credit to you for where you are in the league !

But the league is poor this season. It's a pretty damning verdict on a team with pretensions of promotion that their fans are happy if they play keep ball in their own half to stop the opposition scoring ! If you have the ball and don;t get in the opposition box you are highly unlikley to score either !

As for having no money, as the caller to 606 pointed out you pulled in 6 million in the summer and apparantly have no debt ! We may be running on a tight budget but at least we've had some superb seasons to show for it. If you're board are holding on to cash and not investing then as a fan I would be livid. Presumably they don;t actually want to get promoted ?

I haven't seen enough games this season to offer an honest opinion but if the league is poor this season then it's prayer time for you unfortunately.

I have only seen 5 live Swansea games over the last 3-4 years (I live in Sydney) although a number of friends are STHs and we're all very much fans of our the keep ball theory in line with that of Arsenal, Barca, Spain etc... We may not be as incisive as these teams, due to the lesser skill of the players, but our method of play is certainly in the same ballpark. Martinez was loved as a player and this gave him enough time to implement this playing style as a manager and Paulo is continuing Roberto's style. I was at the Swansea-Reading game earlier in the season and I could see that you were trying to match our style of play.

I don't know what the situation is Re: cash but I'd rather it be spent wisely, even if we have to wait. We were days away from going bust a few years ago and not for the first time. Our chairman seems to know what he is doing and is doing it purely for the club. I wouldn't believe anything a caller said on 606 especially with the differences between what many of you thought about Urz 12 months ago and what now appears to be the reality.

I would love for us to get promoted but we are still a decent goal poacher away from competing for promotion, however, I still think we need to build the squad for a couple more seasons as we are not yet strong enough to survive the Prem. We are a similar (ish) sized club to you and I would not want to repeat the scenario that you're now in. The likes of the Baggies seem to have pitched it just about right with their 5/7/10 year yo-yoing plans but they have a bigger fan base and more $. It also looks like we are losing our playmaker (Britton) as Martinez apparently has a deal lined up for Jan as he is on a free this summer and this will be a big blow as will Bodde leaving in the summer if he proves his fitness. Maybe we should look at Marek

I was at the Urz 0 : 4 Arsenal game when Henry, Fabregas, Rosicky & Hleb played one of the best opening 45 mins of footy I have ever seen. Simple, pass and move, one-twos, move the opposition around and take the opportunity to strike when it presents itself. It's a game of chess where you need patience but most of all you need to KEEP THE BALL. If you have the ball then opposition can't score and British players and supporters need to realise this or there will never be another win on the international stage with the basic hoof ball & hi-tempo harassing tactics. I really struggle to understand people who don't understand this basic concept and believe you would be raving about Urz if you played like us. I'd be interested to know if you were at this Arsenal game, your views on that game and their playing style...? Pele called it 'the beautiful game' for a reason and our current playing style captivates my attention like never before.

Having spent 8 years in Reading, and having attended a large number of Urz games, I have a great deal of affection for RFC but I'm glad our style of play doesn't represent your, frankly, blinkered 'dark age' views.

[winchester_royal]

No offence SJ, but give me fast, direct, 4-4-2, thrilling football over the pedestrian, going nowhere slowly football that you are endorsing.

[swansea jack]

None taken whatsoever. As I kindof stated above, we still haven't replaced Scotland and need a replacement in Jan or the playoffs is the best we'll do.

Firmly believe we'd be challenging for auto promotion now if Martinez was still here and hadn't taken a few players (or the entire backroom staff ) with him.

[winchester_royal]

None taken whatsoever. As I kindof stated above, we still haven't replaced Scotland and need a replacement in Jan or the playoffs is the best we'll do.

Firmly believe we'd be challenging for auto promotion now if Martinez was still here and hadn't taken a few players (or the entire backroom staff ) with him.

If you find the right balance, and a decent striker (Pintado is useless), you have a decent shot at promotion.

Otherwise I just can't see anything but an 8th placed finish for you lot.

[Archie's penalty]

It was a fair result and whilst there are still obvious weakneses those who keep saying its the same old story and dont recognise the changes since Brenda went are either finding fault deliberately or just do not really understand what they are watching. The big differences in our play under Brian are that we are playing much further up the pitch and tactical changes are being made mid game which actually make sense. For example yesterday Sigi was switched from the his wide role to the middle which nullified their playmaker and completely changed the game. Whilst we still lack a quality striker I find what I saw yesterday and at the Gate last week very encouraging and I hope that Brian is given at leat til the end of the season plus a bit of cash next month to buy a goalscorer. Cant wait to see more tomorrow.

I completely agree with this. The biggest difference for me is that yesterday, every single substitution and tactical change made complete sense to me. Long was playing terribly and needed to make way for a change in formation to accomodate Sig in a more central role, Rasiak wasn't looking great and Robson-Kanu whilst not ideal was a perfectly sensible switch, and Karacan coming on for Matejovsky gave us a bit more mettle and a smaller risk of flamboyant passing going wayward in the dying moments. Under Rodgers nothing seemed to make sense, and nothing he did achieved anything. Ever. I really wanted Rodgers to work, but eventually lost patience with his completely nonsensical and ineffective tactics. It's great to see us getting back to basics.

The way I saw it was that, instead of two ineffective strikers, we had four attack minded 'midfielders' which as well as maintaining *some* kind of goal threat made us more comabtive in the central area Swansea (who are a better side than us anyway) had been cruising around in comfortably. McDermott saw the issue and took pro-active steps to change it. He didn't try to second-guess the opposition manager or himself, he just made simple, positive changes when they were needed. And this was shown in our much improved second half.

I don't understand why I'm hearing so many 'same old story' comments, when it was stressed time and time again that Rodgers was completely changing the system and needed time to make these adjustments... Yet McDermott is changing it back and this too will take time! There is bound to be a degree of confusion amongst the squad, and combined with his uncertainty as to whether he actually has the job or not, I think he has shown enough to be given the patience of at least another game or two before we start lining up his replacement.


He seems to understand what needs to be done to get results on the pitch a million times more than Rodge and I genuinely believe he can get us out of this mess*. Yesterday's performance wasn't perfect, no, but the team he has inherited is far from perfect and turning around Rodgers' complete shambles isn't going to happen in two games, no matter who is manager.

*Provided he's allowed to bring in *someone* who can score goals in Janvier.

I'm with you guys. Even when we were playing well with BR I felt that we were vulnerable. This is much less the case with BmD.

Feel more positive now.

[Archie's penalty]

What chances? I remember Sig's goal, Sig shooting straight at the goalie after Kébé's good work, Kébé shooting straight at the keeper, Long failing to chase down a 1-on-1 from 50 yards out. Errr...?

Kebe's good work?!?

He says something good about the man!

[West_Reading]

I was hugely impressed with HRK up front and would love to see him ahead of Long in the pecking order. He looks like he's got pace to burn and quick feet. I feel that Rasiak and him could work well as a partnership as Long's main attribute of pace seems to have evaporated.

[rabidbee]

What chances? I remember Sig's goal, Sig shooting straight at the goalie after Kébé's good work, Kébé shooting straight at the keeper, Long failing to chase down a 1-on-1 from 50 yards out. Errr...?

Kebe's good work?!?

He says something good about the man!

I don't dislike him, he just frustrates the hell out of me. He does a lot of good work in a match, but usually immediately undoes it all by overplaying the ball, running into his marker, or skying a cross. If he would learn to play the easy pass instead of trying to beat a fourth man, we'd be laughing. At least when McAnuff tries to beat one two many defenders, he as often as not wins a foul somewhere around the box.

[Ian Royal]

What chances? I remember Sig's goal, Sig shooting straight at the goalie after Kébé's good work, Kébé shooting straight at the keeper, Long failing to chase down a 1-on-1 from 50 yards out. Errr...?

Watch the highlights. They don't include the two with Kebe involved, yet there are about 5 or 6 shown.

chance =/= shot on target or otherwise IMO btw

[Arch]

I'd LOLaugh if Plymouth won, really would. Really grotty goal, deflected in with 10 to go. The absolute doom and gloom on here would be priceless.

You were right!