Back from the game - Liverpool

[urz13]

We weren't even pressuring them at all in the first half. Second half we started closing down their keeper and defenders an stopped making it so easy to build from the back. Forced them into a few errors or pulled them out of position and as a result created a few chances. Still undecided on Guthrie, awful first half but was great second half and created most of our chances.

[Elm Park Old Boy]

Don't panic, good people. We have had a tougher run of games overall than our immediate rivals. The next few offer us a chance to put a better gloss on the table.

(If that doesn't work, feel free to panic then).

[Woodcote Royal]

If truth be told if I was a neutral I would look at Reading and think we were practically certs for relegation unless we change something fairly drastically and very soon. The only fact that I'm not doing that is because of irrational partisanship.

Utter nonsense.................................try applying the same logic to our performance and the result in the corresponding fixture in 2006-7.

We lost 1-0 at Anfield, FFS

which was a complete injustice that day

gerard handled the ball in their penalty box and someone one a free kick for it

while this team you could argue we were lucky it was only 1

Could the current Lievrpool team lace the boots of the 2006/7 Liverpool team?

its not always just aout the result but the way we got the result

add to that, look at the "next 10 games" thread, people were expecting to get something against a liverpool side that had only one twice at home this year.

More nonsense.

We got what we deserved that day.........................nothing (I was there)

Coppell played 3 centre backs one of whom (that would be Ingemarsson, who never put a foot wrong according to the East stand ) let his man run into the 6 yard box from the edge of the area and score without moving either foot in order to pursue him.

We were far closer to getting something at Anfield yesterday than in the season when we finished 8th.

[winchester_royal]

Yep, feeling slightly more positive about things today. When we started pushing up and playing with tempo we gave Liverpool some problems. However we have to start playing like that for the full 90.

Also Mariappa continues to impress me, best CB we've had since Sonko and Ivar were in their pomp IMHO.

[Allyh84]

Disusting coverage on SKY today, it showed ONE bloody shot from us but all of Liverpools efforts.

Edit, Coleman, "Southampton won the league last year"

He of "David Da Silva." He's one of the best players on the planet and he can't get his name correct.

[RoyalBlue]

Disusting coverage on SKY today, it showed ONE bloody shot from us but all of Liverpools efforts.

Edit, Coleman, "Southampton won the league last year"

We had so few shots, you'd have thought they could have shown them all!

Truth probably was that many of our shots were so poor we were probably better off spared the embarrassment!

[DaveBanana]

A Liverpool fan who was at the game was posting on FB about the day, and replied saying the following about us


"Reading weren't that bad, really. We were the better / more dominant side, but never really kept you totally quiet. It was pretty nervy towards the end - Reading kept going and, on another day, may have nicked a point.
2 hours ago · Like"

[John Peel]

ERRRRRRRR Hello did anyone expect us to get anything at Anfield today? First half was poor, 2nd half I would say was 50/50.
If we end up botttom of the prem come May, It will still rank as our third best season in 142 years of Reading FC. Get real.

No it won't.

That's like saying that the year we won the Championship with 106 points we had a worse season than Sunderland who were relegated from the Prem with 15.

The past shouldnt have any bearing on whether we've had a good season or not. We're playing now not in the past. Let's just call it what it is at the moment - we are second from bottom and we haven't won this season. I'm not saying whether thats a good or bad thing - its just a fact.

[gazzer, loyal royal]

Away from home and at home, if we are to play the extra man behind pog I'd like it to be Kebe. Unless the ball hits pog it comes straight back us too easily. We have no release. No one to run the channel and put the centre half under real pressure and win fouls throws etc. with jem maybe being out for a while this might give us another chance to play Guthrie, especially with us being at home next game. I'd like to see something like this.

---------------McCarthy---------------
Cummins-Marrippa-Gorkss/Pearce-Shorey

McCleary-Ledge-Guthrie-McAnuff

---------------Kebe--------------

--------------Pog---------------

[howser]

Please slate me if I am wrong, but we are well into the season and we keep chopping and changing our system, 4-5-1, 4-4-2, 4-4-1-1 we really should know by now what is our most productive formation is, hell isn't that what pre-season is for, to bed your new players into a system that is productive and we just don't seem to have done that. The league matches shouldn't be used as testing platforms, especially in this league.

[Royal Lady]

^ very reminiscent of the Rodgers' era isn't it? 6 weeks in "it's still pre-season" - he did play a lot more players than McD has - but surely, as a manager, you have some idea of what formation you're going to use and only change it against maybe the Man City's/Man Utd's etc of this world where you tend to perhaps be a bit more defensive?

[Woodcote Royal]

Away from home and at home, if we are to play the extra man behind pog I'd like it to be Kebe. Unless the ball hits pog it comes straight back us too easily. We have no release. No one to run the channel and put the centre half under real pressure and win fouls throws etc. with jem maybe being out for a while this might give us another chance to play Guthrie, especially with us being at home next game. I'd like to see something like this.

---------------McCarthy---------------
Cummins-Marrippa-Gorkss/Pearce-Shorey

McCleary-Ledge-Guthrie-McAnuff

---------------Kebe--------------

--------------Pog---------------

Whilst I have doubts as to whether it's the way forward, I've alway felt that Kebe could perform that role.

Actually, if Jem is going to be out for a while, I'd like to see Jobi finally get a chance in the centre and see us revert to 4-4-2. In the long term, I believe Karacan and McAnuff in central midfield could be the making of this side and that the latter showed whilst protecting Harte that he has both the work rate and defensive know how plus attacking skills to be the offensive midfieder we are looking for without having to sacrifice a striker.

Despite what the resident wrist slitters would like us to believe, it will only require marginal improvements here and there to turn narrow defeats into draws and half-time leads into wins

[paultheroyal]

ERRRRRRRR Hello did anyone expect us to get anything at Anfield today? First half was poor, 2nd half I would say was 50/50.
If we end up botttom of the prem come May, It will still rank as our third best season in 142 years of Reading FC. Get real.

And our worst!! Dillusional post.

[percyisfreeman]

Disusting coverage on SKY today, it showed ONE bloody shot from us but all of Liverpools efforts.

Edit, Coleman, "Southampton won the league last year"

Mate, we only did make one good chance all game,some of our players were wearing the red shirt, we gave the ball away so many times in the 1st half it was so poor. As soon as Liverpool lost possession they were on us, we couldn't replicate this,the only one who got stuck in was karacan,he injured himself in tackle.
Encouraging after half time though, but my first trip to Anfield, I was expecting a better atmoshere. Good day out with the lads, hoping we stay in the prem, love to make this trip again.

[Mr Optimist]

What struck me was how average Liverpool now are and they could have, probably should have, buried us by 3 or 4.

We showed no ambition and came to frustrate by crowding the midfield, probably hoping to use pace on the break but Jimmy had one of his anonymous days and Glen Johnson had him in his pocket all afternoon.

I thought our three best players yesterday were Shaun Cummings, Alex McCarthy and Marriapa in that order. Someone commented about why Brian keeps taking the Pog off and he is our best attacking option....I thought the Pog looked poor yesterday. He hardly won a header all game and went down easily although to be fair to him he was left isolated for much of it.

If we were playing away at Sunderland or Wigan (the teams either side of Liverpool before this weekends games) how many would have been happy if we had played with one up front? So why do it at Anfield? I think we showed no ambition and got what we deserved yesterday, nothing.

I don't want any knee jerk reaction though. I still believe and trust in Brian and he deserves our backing for the rest of the season to try and get us picking up some points.

[Allyh84]

What struck me was how average Liverpool now are and they could have, probably should have, buried us by 3 or 4.

We showed no ambition and came to frustrate by crowding the midfield, probably hoping to use pace on the break but Jimmy had one of his anonymous days and Glen Johnson had him in his pocket all afternoon.

I thought our three best players yesterday were Shaun Cummings, Alex McCarthy and Marriapa in that order. Someone commented about why Brian keeps taking the Pog off and he is our best attacking option....I thought the Pog looked poor yesterday. He hardly won a header all game and went down easily although to be fair to him he was left isolated for much of it.

If we were playing away at Sunderland or Wigan (the teams either side of Liverpool before this weekends games) how many would have been happy if we had played with one up front? So why do it at Anfield? I think we showed no ambition and got what we deserved yesterday, nothing.

I don't want any knee jerk reaction though. I still believe and trust in Brian and he deserves our backing for the rest of the season to try and get us picking up some points.

I agree with all of this. Great post.

[bcubed]

What struck me was how average Liverpool now are and they could have, probably should have, buried us by 3 or 4.

We showed no ambition and came to frustrate by crowding the midfield, probably hoping to use pace on the break but Jimmy had one of his anonymous days and Glen Johnson had him in his pocket all afternoon.

I thought our three best players yesterday were Shaun Cummings, Alex McCarthy and Marriapa in that order. Someone commented about why Brian keeps taking the Pog off and he is our best attacking option....I thought the Pog looked poor yesterday. He hardly won a header all game and went down easily although to be fair to him he was left isolated for much of it.

If we were playing away at Sunderland or Wigan (the teams either side of Liverpool before this weekends games) how many would have been happy if we had played with one up front? So why do it at Anfield? I think we showed no ambition and got what we deserved yesterday, nothing.

I don't want any knee jerk reaction though. I still believe and trust in Brian and he deserves our backing for the rest of the season to try and get us picking up some points.

They were there for the taking! First thirty minutes of second half we had a lot of possession and some good chances, just couldn't finish

[Nick Shorey my Lord!]

What struck me was how average Liverpool now are and they could have, probably should have, buried us by 3 or 4.

More like 5 or 6. Suarez was utterly hopeless in every department.

Like many I didn't expect any points but I did expect some degree of effort. That was lacking for most of the game. Yes, we woke up a bit near the end but even then it was pretty half-hearted. Nobody performed well.

McCleary, apart from the 1 on 1, gave the ball away more than most (and most of the team did); no-one wanted to put their foot on the ball and calm matters down. Losing Jem didn't help matters. Kebe was man-marked out of the game and without that outlet we struggle to create anything. Sticking LeFondre and Roberts on won't improve anything if no-one is getting creative.

It's early days, but we need to get 3 points very soon to get the confidence back. How did most you get on going back with all the train cancellations?

[Royal Lady]

What struck me was how average Liverpool now are and they could have, probably should have, buried us by 3 or 4.

More like 5 or 6. Suarez was utterly hopeless in every department.

Like many I didn't expect any points but I did expect some degree of effort. That was lacking for most of the game. Yes, we woke up a bit near the end but even then it was pretty half-hearted. Nobody performed well.

McCleary, apart from the 1 on 1, gave the ball away more than most (and most of the team did); no-one wanted to put their foot on the ball and calm matters down. Losing Jem didn't help matters. Kebe was man-marked out of the game and without that outlet we struggle to create anything. Sticking LeFondre and Roberts on won't improve anything if no-one is getting creative.

It's early days, but we need to get 3 points very soon to get the confidence back. How did most you get on going back with all the train cancellations?

^^ You could have written this about Swansea and part of the WBA game too - we don't seem to be realising our mistakes - just plodding on hoping for a result.

[Allyh84]

Chin up lads, we've still got Man Utd/Man City/Arsenal to play twice.