Wolves - back from the sofa

[Royalcop]

We'll be fine this season and we're building a very good young side that'll have plenty of experience next season.

…and hopefully a better manager in charge of them.

[Pepe the Horseman]

You can't do anything about individual errors. Sometimes good players screw up. As long as its not frequent you get over it.
Obita is not suddenly awful because he had a bad game defensively.

Gunter is getting worrying because he has had few good defensive performances this season. Pearce is fine. Hector's still learning and doing well considering. Blackman is not terrible, he's been good this season, still ropey in places like today.

We'll be fine this season and we're building a very good young side that'll have plenty of experience next season.

Pearce is fine other than moving out of the way to give them a tap in for their first goal.

[Westwood52]

That was a pretty shabby performance against very limited opposition. We were in control of the game then gave away two stupid goals & it showed how weak this Division is as high flying Wolves let us back in at the end. A serious lack of grit and determination on our part . I haven't seen the TV version yet, so I am interested to see if I change any of my scores ratings from being there.

Feds 6: Just got an impression that he could have been more decisive on the goals-but I was a long way away as the Wolves goals were down the far end.
Gunter 6.5 : I thought he was reasonably tidy today.
Obita 5 : Howler for their 2nd.
Pierce 5: Struggled all day. Particularly one on one and the ball over the top.
Hector 6 : Good distribution as ever-but he is easily bullied. Needs to beef up physically.
Norwood 7 : MOM
Akpan 6 : He won't be playing when the Big Boys are fit.
Taylor 6 : Took his goal well & was tidy, but forgot his defensive responsibilities a couple of times, despite Obita screaming at him to get tighter.
Blackman 6.5 : Not all bad-probably should have scored late in the 2nd half.
Cox 6 : Should have been a lot more accurate in possession when there was no pressure on him.
Murray 6.5 : Did enough -not up to the standard of his Fulham performance but better than his last couple of games.

Guthrie 5 : Clearly not fit.
Mackie 5 : Ditto.
Kuhl 6 : Obviously very confident, but not quite ready as a first team player yet.

Adkins : Will hope Ferdinand can still do it & stiffen the defence.
Ref: Poor again, but I have seen worse.

[Pepe the Horseman]

That was a pretty shabby performance against very limited opposition..

*checks league table* Erm. Ok then.

[Sutekh]

Manager on BBC Berks after the game; "it just wasn't happening for Akpan today" and "Nick Blackman has been outstanding"...

It may not have been happening for Akpan, it rarely does, but to replace what he does bring to the team with a not very fit Norwood clone was just ridiculous. If you were set on doing it Kuhl may well have been the better option.

Still do not understand subbing Cox, unless he was injured

Blackman wasn't at his best today, seemed to be trying to do too much fancy stuff instead of keeping it simple.

[SCIAG]

The big problem today was the lack of defensive work done by the notional wingers. Too often they were doubling up on Obita and Gunter. Guthrie was wise to it, but that meant we were a little exposed in the middle. The first goal was directly because Blackman didn't track back (at times he was the only player up front as Murray tracked back). The second, poor clearance from Obita on his weaker foot but it might not have come to that with Taylor defending.

Hector is a walking foul. It is a matter of time before he gets done for DOGSO in the first half. Fortunately he's quite sneaky with it so most of his fouls don't get penalised.

Akpan had quite a good half, he ran around a lot, played one excellent pass and only gave it away softly twice. I don't think his withdrawal changed anything, but I'm surprised he came off.

Cox v. good. Obita very good in the first half, then Henry got the measure of him. Taylor is starting to show his worth. Murray played well but I didn't sense a goal in him.

Ratings:
Feds 6 (very little to do, not to blame for goals)
Gunter 5.5
Pearce 7
Hector 6.5
Obita 8 first half, 5 second half - 6.5 average
Norwood 7.5
Akpan 7
Blackman 4 - his worst game of the season, fine if quiet going forward and dreadful defensively
Cox 8 (Reading's MOTM)
Taylor 7 - would be higher with a better defensive showing
Murray 7.5

Guthrie 6
Mackie 6.5
Kuhl 6

[Barney]

15 minutes after half time was excruciating, Wolves could have scored 5 in that period, we were shambolic. Pearce particularly awful.

Passing sluggish and slow throughout. We're very one paced.

Guthrie made Akpan look good. You've been a consistently rotten egg for our club, just f*ck off elsewhere.....it has been awful.

Good to see Blackman is still utter, utter sh*t.

We have been consistently bad defensively since the start of the Adkins regime. His assistant Crosby was allegedly a centre half during his career, so why do we concede so often and so badly?

Very fortunate result.

Without question, up there with the one of the most cringing posts of all time. Armchair fans....shouldn't be allowed near the internet.

Entertaining game. Wolves will be top 6 without question, and we gave them a game today.

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

I was enjoying the game till the manger dicked around with everything at half time. Spaz

I thought that Akpan was poor but at least he gave the Wolves midfield something to think about in terms of closing them down in that clumsy style of his. Guthrie was plain awful, as he has been in terms of attitude and performance since he darkened our doors.

I am more than happy with a draw against a Wolves side who will finish well above us in the table, btw. Who wouldn't take Kenny Jackett over Nigel Adkins any day

I logged on thinking pretty much the same thoughts as Floyd - my bruvva by another mutha, or summat.

Two desperately poor sides defensively. Gunter, Pearce and Obita out muscled and lost for pace. Pearce particularly awful. Hector redeemed by his ridiculously long crane fly legs. Although Obita was unlucky with the touch on his trailing leg for that woeful 'clearance'.

Jeez, if the YamYams are top two then this is a seriously shite division. We flattered to deceive going forward with the Taylor goal being the pick of the bunch....

Guthrie - complete garbage. Awful. Off the pace. No movement. Get rid. Kuhl looked liked Iniesta by comparison.

Norwood clearly the best player on the park. Blackman not quite as shite as Floyd makes out - and quite a visionary ball to the centre of the area for which Cox wasn't quite alert enough.

[windermere_royal]

I was enjoying the game till the manger dicked around with everything at half time. Spaz

I thought that Akpan was poor but at least he gave the Wolves midfield something to think about in terms of closing them down in that clumsy style of his. Guthrie was plain awful, as he has been in terms of attitude and performance since he darkened our doors.

I am more than happy with a draw against a Wolves side who will finish well above us in the table, btw. Who wouldn't take Kenny Jackett over Nigel Adkins any day

I logged on thinking pretty much the same thoughts as Floyd - my bruvva by another mutha, or summat.

Two desperately poor sides defensively. Gunter, Pearce and Obita out muscled and lost for pace. Pearce particularly awful. Hector redeemed by his ridiculously long crane fly legs. Although Obita was unlucky with the touch on his trailing leg for that woeful 'clearance'.

Jeez, if the YamYams are top two then this is a seriously shite division. We flattered to deceive going forward with the Taylor goal being the pick of the bunch....

Guthrie - complete garbage. Awful. Off the pace. No movement. Get rid. Kuhl looked liked Iniesta by comparison.

Norwood clearly the best player on the park. Blackman not quite as shite as Floyd makes out - and quite a visionary ball to the centre of the area for which Cox wasn't quite alert enough.

Guthrie (no pre-season. played about an hour`s football in the last 6 months) off the pace? wow that comment must have really took some thinking up Einstein!!

[Royal Rother]

I enjoyed the game.

We played some splendid stuff in parts and looked a good side. Cut out the individual errors and we'd probably be a Top 6 team. There's plenty enough promise and 33 games left for that development to take place. Muppets writing us off from promotion already are pathetic and obviously exceptionally slow learners.

The fact we have had so many injuries and blooded so many youngsters yet are still in the top half indicate the management and coaching staff are doing a very decent job.

Individual errors can be sorted out, lack of talent can't be and we are not really suffering in the latter IMO.

Every team in every game of football ever played will have had players who failed to play at their best. So what if we had a few today. Get over it - it's sport. It's life.

It was an entertaining game and a point gained.

[windermere_royal]

I enjoyed the game.

We played some splendid stuff in parts and looked a good side. Cut out the individual errors and we'd probably be a Top 6 team. There's plenty enough promise and 33 games left for that development to take place. Muppets writing us off from promotion already are pathetic and obviously exceptionally slow learners.

The fact we have had so many injuries and blooded so many youngsters yet are still in the top half indicate the management and coaching staff are doing a very decent job.

Individual errors can be sorted out, lack of talent can't be and we are not really suffering in the latter IMO.

Every team in every game of football ever played will have had players who failed to play at their best. So what if we had a few today. Get over it - it's sport. It's life.

It was an entertaining game and a point gained.

At last someone who was at the same game as me. (37 games to go)

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

Guthrie (no pre-season. played about an hour`s football in the last 6 months) off the pace? wow that comment must have really took some thinking up Einstein!!

No, actually, it didn't. So, why the oxf*rd did Mr Permatan think it was appropriate to yank off *snigger* the limited but efficient talents of Akpan at h/t to be replaced by someone who, by your own admission, viz your comment above, had no pre-season, played about an hour's footy in the last six months and was off the pace?

FTR, the only 90 min shift that tattooed Scouse lobster chucker has ever put in for RFC is the first game of the season against Stoke in the Prem.....

[Pandoras Box]

Take what you want from this. I'm more pro Adkins than McD but the 2011 team would have ripped a new one in Wolves today. We have more skill now but just not using it to the best.

[Zana Badawi]

FTW...
Wolves were very much like Jackett's Millwall. A good team with no real weaknesses (but no great strengths either) but who were just a bit too conservative to take all three points (which I thought were there for Wolves to take them). I did enjoy the first ten minutes of the second half when they showed us what they could do, and you got the sense that if they didn't put it in the South Stand goal, then we would do it for them (out of sheer panic).

As for Reading...
....Murray is better than anything we've got. If we're convinced he has a few seasons left in him after the injury, he'd be a great coup. Feds looks like a top Championship goalkeeper to me as well. As for the rest, well...
The back four is sub-par. Given the lack of depth across the back four, for me this is NA's greatest failing. You cant spend a year and a half at a club and put that on the pitch and expect a round of applause. As for the front six - I can see what he is trying to do, and it could be quite interesting, but he doesn't seem to have the personnel for it. Blackman is a comedy meringue of silliness (and is, hence, my favourite player as he behaves like a robot rebelling against the other robots), Taylor has promise but is very conservative, Cox just sort of exists, really (But has a really nice touch - Im guessing he's a bit dim). Which leaves Akpan playing in a position he is never going to succeed in and Norwood, who better look bloody good, as his gameplan is to fill the holes on the pitch that the opposition don't consider worth defending (whether you like it or not)

Given this is Guthries's gameplan as well then Guthrie + Norwood = LOL - just what would you be thinking putting those two on the pitch at the same time?!

But somehow we got three goals and you shouldn't sniff at them. We're probably best described as unpredictable. The ideas are there for us to beat the best teams, but our constitution is so weak, you feel that in any game we could get another Peterborough-esque drubbing from a team with real confidence and no plan to get the draw.

[peterroyal76]

Guthrie (no pre-season. played about an hour`s football in the last 6 months) off the pace? wow that comment must have really took some thinking up Einstein!!

No, actually, it didn't. So, why the oxf*rd did Mr Permatan think it was appropriate to yank off *snigger* the limited but efficient talents of Akpan at h/t to be replaced by someone who, by your own admission, viz your comment above, had no pre-season, played about an hour's footy in the last six months and was off the pace?

FTR, the only 90 min shift that tattooed Scouse lobster chucker has ever put in for RFC is the first game of the season against Stoke in the Prem.....

This would be the same Akpan who today was off his passing, couldn't head and missed a decent chance?

[The Cube]

A number of people have mentioned the awful start to the second half, but the start to the first half wasn't a lot better. My theory is that the players come out the tunnel still thinking about what Adkins told them to do.

10-15 minutes later, they've either forgotten or realised that they need to change it themselves, which of course results in a big improvement.

[SCIAG]

FTR, the only 90 min shift that tattooed Scouse lobster chucker has ever put in for RFC is the first game of the season against Stoke in the Prem.....

I would suggest that the number of poor performances Guthrie has put in over the past two years could be counted on one person's fingers. And one of the hands wouldn't have much to do.

Or, put it another way, we've had about the same number of bad performances from Guthrie as we have had good ones from Akpan.

[Royal Rother]

A number of people have mentioned the awful start to the second half, but the start to the first half wasn't a lot better. My theory is that the players come out the tunnel still thinking about what Adkins told them to do.

10-15 minutes later, they've either forgotten or realised that they need to change it themselves, which of course results in a big improvement.

Not a great theory really is it?

[peterroyal76]

A number of people have mentioned the awful start to the second half, but the start to the first half wasn't a lot better. My theory is that the players come out the tunnel still thinking about what Adkins told them to do.

10-15 minutes later, they've either forgotten or realised that they need to change it themselves, which of course results in a big improvement.

You're right! He told them to defend better and they clearly forgot!

[handbags_harris]

Interesting how most people have given Gunter higher marks than Obita today, I thought over the course of the whole game Sako gave Gunter an absolutely torrid time. Obita, critical errors aside, looked assured and comfortable, almost untroubled, which is so typical of him. Barely anything gets past him and yet our oxf*rd fans still want him playing higher up the pitch despite witnessing a potential top-4 left back in the making. Compare to his right side compatriot who is a gutless, walking error waiting to happen.