back in the car from the Brighton (H) game

[blythspartan]

Apart from Bridge there was not much quality on show today. McCarthy had a good game and I guess if he carries on with performances like that he will be sold in January.

I have to say that I don't think it's just Reading. Most of the Championship/Premiership games I have seen so far this season have been lacking in quality and entertainment.

Well I am going to the Leeds game on Wednesday, so hopefully it will be a good one.

[Haag Royal]

Mike Gooding, however, got it spot on in stating that he believed that Adkins had 'been tucked up by the club' when it came to transfers. Gooding seems convinced that Adkins would have been given assurances/promises with regard to incoming transfers, which Hammond, Zingarevich etc. have not delivered on.

Completely agree. That's why Adkins was very honest in the Sky interview saying how crap we were in the first half. He has nothing to lose. If he fails he can turn to AZ and say he didn't deliver and if he succeeds then it's in spite of AZ not because of him.

I happen to think that he is a good manager and just what we need. But equally I do not think he will be given the time nor money to build a team that can pass the ball rather than hoof. I will have a bet (against my judgement) that Eamon Dolan will be the RFC manager at some point this season. That I am afraid is the Reading Way.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Mike Gooding, however, got it spot on in stating that he believed that Adkins had 'been tucked up by the club' when it came to transfers. Gooding seems convinced that Adkins would have been given assurances/promises with regard to incoming transfers, which Hammond, Zingarevich etc. have not delivered on.

Completely agree. That's why Adkins was very honest in the Sky interview saying how crap we were in the first half. He has nothing to lose. If he fails he can turn to AZ and say he didn't deliver and if he succeeds then it's in spite of AZ not because of him.

I happen to think that he is a good manager and just what we need. But equally I do not think he will be given the time nor money to build a team that can pass the ball rather than hoof. I will have a bet (against my judgement) that Eamon Dolan will be the RFC manager at some point this season. That I am afraid is the Reading Way.

Was saying a similar thing myself earlier. I'm not quite sure why but I just have a feeling Adkins won't be around come May.

[Victor Meldrew]

There were a number of posters on here pre-season who said that they preferred watching Championship football to watching Premier League.
After Yeovil and this would they care to come on here again and explain what is so wonderful about watching Championship football?

[Avon Royal]

We got 4 points from 2 games.

In the Prem we'd be lucky to get 2 points from 4 games.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

There were a number of posters on here pre-season who said that they preferred watching Championship football to watching Premier League.
After Yeovil and this would they care to come on here again and explain what is so wonderful about watching Championship football?

We don't lose every week??

[AthleticoSpizz]

We got 4 points from 2 games.

In the Prem we'd be lucky to get 2 points from 4 games.

and two consecutive clean sheets, mad stuff folks

[M Brook]

you can more understand LuaLua doing it because he's shit.

Not based on today's performance. I thought he was their only stand out player.

[M Brook]

There were a number of posters on here pre-season who said that they preferred watching Championship football to watching Premier League.
After Yeovil and this would they care to come on here again and explain what is so wonderful about watching Championship football?

The opposition is as crap as we are?

[handbags_harris]

Merits, or otherwise, of a very questionable performance aside, we didn't concede. That's two clean sheets from 2 games since the abomination that was Peterborough.

Today showed up once again the very need for a big striker capable of holding the ball up well. Pogrebnyak did that pretty well when given the right type of service to feed off of, he didn't have a bad game. I'm yet to see either booking but the second one in particular I felt was pretty harsh, not because it was questionably deemed to be simulation, but because I can point out three other incidents of similar simulation by our dear opposition that went completely unpunished. Forster-Caskey, after about 10 minutes, facing the sideline 10 yards in threw himself to the floor after minimal chest to back contact from Morrison I believe. The ball trickled out, Reading throw-in, no free kick or booking. Then two minutes after the Pogrebnyak sending off, Lua-Lua threw himself to the floor in search of a free kick. Reading pick up possession, referee gives the exasperated get up son gesture, no free kick or booking. Lastly, serial cheat and referee beater Ashley BArnes threw himself to the floor under minimal contact, no free kick or booking.

Inconsistent nature of the refereeing performance was further exemplified by Calderon's booking. Just 15 minutes previous to picking up the booking for bringing down Karacan, Calderon was guilty of exactly the same offence on WIlliams I believe. Free kick given, no booking. Why?

Poor referee, needlessly the centre of attention, and it was so obvious he couldn't wait to get an evening red out (not the Ulloa didn't deserve it).

[marcusopp]

No point blaming the ref, shit tactics are what cost us.
The 2 players who had the most possession for us were Morrison and Pearce. Your center backs are not the guys you want on the ball, it's your creative players. The only time Guthrie had the ball was when he went back into the center back position to collect it.
The selection was atrocious. Le Fondre left mid when you've got HRK on the bench???
Adkins doesn't let us play long balls out from the back, it's so predictable that brighton pressed us every goal kick. A bit of variation would have at least had them guessing. You can't be offside on a goal kick, so what's wrong with the occasional hoof?
Leeds will turn us over on wednesday as they are under better, more effective management

[Sport Economist]

we need a striker for sure but...

Tomasz Kuszczak - excellent player
Stephen Ward - excellent player
Inigo Calderon - excellent player
Gordon Greer - excellent player
Matthew Upson - excellent player (as anyone who remembers his spell here in 2002 will know)

so let's get real - that back 5 was never going to be easy to break down

[kwik-silva]

we need a striker for sure but...

Tomasz Kuszczak - excellent player
Stephen Ward - excellent player
Inigo Calderon - excellent player
Gordon Greer - excellent player
Matthew Upson - excellent player (as anyone who remembers his spell here in 2002 will know)

so let's get real - that back 5 was never going to be easy to break down

And we put in a whole load of crosses which were inches away from getting to one of our guys until one of these guys managed to get a head on it, they had a tremendous game but we do need a plan b

[Ascotexgunner]

we need a striker for sure but...

Tomasz Kuszczak - excellent player
Stephen Ward - excellent player
Inigo Calderon - excellent player
Gordon Greer - excellent player
Matthew Upson - excellent player (as anyone who remembers his spell here in 2002 will know)

so let's get real - that back 5 was never going to be easy to break down

Spot on. I didn't think we were that bad, it was just around and in the box the quality wasn't there and in a couple of cases the ball just didn't fall kindly. We are screaming out for a striker though.

[CayeneMatt]

Jesus wept. Is that really better than what we had before under McD? I don't think so.

Dreadful game, insipid, one-paced, sideways yawnfest football. A game so bad that Jem Karacan was man of the match. Our tactics today seemed to be to get the ball as slowly as possible to our 32 year old left back.....who didn't even start the game. Adkins, you genius

Ref was about as good as the general standard of play. Pog's first booking was rank stupidity, a rash challenge. My initial instinct for the 2nd booking is that he went down easily, but he's a ticking timebomb of a car-crash of a footballer isn't he, Pog. I was utterly amazed to see the West Stand applaud Pog off for his stupidity

ALF? Possibly the most overrated Reading player ever. All I can recall from him was an early foul and then when released by Drenthe's desperate overhead clearance he tried to turn inside.....and was easily dispossessed. And we never saw him again.

Drenthe? I think we're seeing now why no-one else wanted him. The fitness levels of Rik Waller.

As someone who's had you down for a complete plonker for ages, I have to admit you're spot on at last. And the Rik Waller line gets POTD, hell, POTM. Good job.

[RoyalBlue]

Mike Gooding, however, got it spot on in stating that he believed that Adkins had 'been tucked up by the club' when it came to transfers. Gooding seems convinced that Adkins would have been given assurances/promises with regard to incoming transfers, which Hammond, Zingarevich etc. have not delivered on.

Completely agree. That's why Adkins was very honest in the Sky interview saying how crap we were in the first half. He has nothing to lose. If he fails he can turn to AZ and say he didn't deliver and if he succeeds then it's in spite of AZ not because of him.

I happen to think that he is a good manager and just what we need. But equally I do not think he will be given the time nor money to build a team that can pass the ball rather than hoof. I will have a bet (against my judgement) that Eamon Dolan will be the RFC manager at some point this season. That I am afraid is the Reading Way.

I think you are right. I just hope that Adkins refuses the hush money that he will no doubt be offered and names and shames the barstewards, complete with details, that let him and the supporters down so badly.

[RoyalBlue]

Merits, or otherwise, of a very questionable performance aside, we didn't concede. That's two clean sheets from 2 games since the abomination that was Peterborough.

Today showed up once again the very need for a big striker capable of holding the ball up well. Pogrebnyak did that pretty well when given the right type of service to feed off of, he didn't have a bad game. I'm yet to see either booking but the second one in particular I felt was pretty harsh, not because it was questionably deemed to be simulation, but because I can point out three other incidents of similar simulation by our dear opposition that went completely unpunished. Forster-Caskey, after about 10 minutes, facing the sideline 10 yards in threw himself to the floor after minimal chest to back contact from Morrison I believe. The ball trickled out, Reading throw-in, no free kick or booking. Then two minutes after the Pogrebnyak sending off, Lua-Lua threw himself to the floor in search of a free kick. Reading pick up possession, referee gives the exasperated get up son gesture, no free kick or booking. Lastly, serial cheat and referee beater Ashley BArnes threw himself to the floor under minimal contact, no free kick or booking.

Very good spots and very good memory. Highlights how dreadful and inconsistent the twat in black was.

[RoyalBlue]

We look about as sharp as a plastic knife going forward. Did the Brighton
keeper make a meaningful save? No. We look midtable mediocrity.

Got to get in a loan or two. Pog is poor and Blackman is not up to it. Think we
still have a lot of rebuilding to do. we may as well blood more of the academy kids.

Wrong about their keeper - he made a good save from Jem early in second half.

[floyd__streete]

I happen to think that he is a good manager and just what we need. But equally I do not think he will be given the time nor money to build a team that can pass the ball rather than hoof. I will have a bet (against my judgement) that Eamon Dolan will be the RFC manager at some point this season. That I am afraid is the Reading Way.

I think you are right. I just hope that Adkins refuses the hush money that he will no doubt be offered and names and shames the barstewards, complete with details, that let him and the supporters down so badly.

Excuse me if I don't shed a tear for Adkins. He clearly didn't do his due diligence properly. And if he thinks he has been mis-sold terms at RFC and he is too chicken to say so then he is even more of a weasel than he comes across.

100 goals and 21 clean sheets. These were Adkins words, not Zingarevich's. Zingarevich doesn't even have any words.....he couldn't even be bothered to show up today

[loyalroyal4life]

I thought that performance was lacklustre at best!! It's all well needing a striker which I believe is needed but based on the creativity on show today not sure where the service will come from....

Anyone got news on mcleary's absence?