Were we really as bad as The Sunday Times suggested ?

[Crowthorne Royal]

I read with horror yesterday's report in The ST about our game with Liverpool. I'm sorry I don't know how to attach the article, but I'm sure someone will oblige ? What worried me most was the fact that 2 weeks on the trot now it says we have been 'beaten easily', Pompey & L'pool 'won at a canter'. Unless we repair the 'gaping hole' in our defence we are doomed, etc, etc. Also, why has Sonko gone from Hero to Zero in 3 games ? Against Chelsea and Man U I thought he was exceptional. Since then he's been awful !

Anyway, Let's look forward. Spurs 'over confident' after y'day's result, The Royals well up for it after our recent performances and The Mad Stad rocking.....Bring it on.

C'mon URZZZZZZZZZZZ.

[Forty]

No. The sunday times watched match of the day to get their report - and then chose to disregard the penalty should (come on, being optimistic!) against Gerrard. Neither noted our disallowed goal, which I can only assume is because their was nothing wrong with it, adn therefore would interfere with the preferred editorial 'Liverpool, stroll on'

[Barry the bird boggler]

Portsmouth yes we were easily beaten, at Liverpool we were not and the score flattered them is anything. Just another load of lazy journalism.

[.:BigDaveInTheDungeon:.]

they are just writing what is expected, plus everyone who was saying at the start of the season that we would be going straight back down are just waiting to jump back on the Reading are going down bandwagon as soon as they can.
remember all the teams we've lost against recently are the top teams in the country so its no big deal that we did, the fact we are still 11th in the table is what people should be looking at not a few bad result which will soon be put right.

[Im Spartacus]

We were far from rubbish, I was really heartened by our performance, although I haven't found a report that reflected what actually happend during the game.

[southbank1871]

From speaking to people who were at the game I know that we had a goal disallowed just before Liverpool got their second, but nowhere else have I heard or seen this. Who 'scored' for us and why was it disallowed?

[Royalee]

I read with horror yesterday's report in The ST about our game with Liverpool. I'm sorry I don't know how to attach the article, but I'm sure someone will oblige ? What worried me most was the fact that 2 weeks on the trot now it says we have been 'beaten easily', Pompey & L'pool 'won at a canter'. Unless we repair the 'gaping hole' in our defence we are doomed, etc, etc. Also, why has Sonko gone from Hero to Zero in 3 games ? Against Chelsea and Man U I thought he was exceptional. Since then he's been awful !

Anyway, Let's look forward. Spurs 'over confident' after y'day's result, The Royals well up for it after our recent performances and The Mad Stad rocking.....Bring it on.

C'mon URZZZZZZZZZZZ.

We were shocking at Pompey and deserved to get beaten about six. On Saturday we improved and gave a better overall performance, but to be honest, Liverpool weren't out of 4th gear and if they'd wanted to add more goals they could have. Yes, there is a gaping hole in the defence, which I would put down to there being a distinct lack of a right back. Yes, Sonko hasn't been at his best, but he certainly hasn't been helped by having to cover the right all the time whilst doing his own job so he has been caught out of position and pays for it.

If Convey and Murty are back fit, I can see us giving Spurs a decent game (although we'll still be short without Kitson up front), but if we put out the same side as Saturday, I can't see us taking anything from the game as the likes of Lennon, Keane and Berbatov will piss all over Gunnarsson, Hunt and Ivar.

[Royalee]

From speaking to people who were at the game I know that we had a goal disallowed just before Liverpool got their second, but nowhere else have I heard or seen this. Who 'scored' for us and why was it disallowed?

It was a combination of Bikey and a few others really. Basically what happened was Bikey charged at the ball and took a lot of the keeper with him. It would have been allowed in years gone by, but I can see why the ref gave a foul as he took absolutely everything. Bikey was quality though and a real presence when we attacked.

[Royal Rother]

Sonko hasn't been at his best, but he certainly hasn't been helped by having to cover the right all the time whilst doing his own job so he has been caught out of position and pays for it.

Spot on Royalee.

I read the Time sreport yesterday and I have to say it was a patronising piece most of which was written at half time.

In the last couple of paragraphs he said that Reading and the match came alive when we played to our attacking strengths. Well that was pretty much the whole of the 2nd half really.

I was definitely encouraged by the performance and when you consider that 5 or 6 of our 2nd stream got a game on Saturday I think it augurs pretty well for the rest of the season when Murty, Convey and Kitson get back to fitness.

[Gordon Cumming's right ho]

Totally agree with Royalee and Rother.

We were shocking at Pompey, and not much better against 'Pool, with the exception of the last 20 mins or so.

Desperately miss Murts - who I thought would really struggle in the Prem but stats show he hasn't - and definitely the Ginga Ninja... sorry, Kits!

It all yells: "Too much respect!"

Come on Sir Steve, use the wing play - you should know, you were one of the best with Dave Thomas and Gordon Hill in my childhood - give Glenda a run, (although I think it is a close call between him and Seol who has been our best player for 60 mins in every match I've seen this season), get Murts back, possible role for On Yer Bikey (instead of take your pick from Harps or Sids), and stick Kits up ....with Doyler playing off him....

Johnny 'mine's a/the line' Oster has been impressive in the Ressies by all accounts, and Bobby has been wel off the pace again this season.

I'm still very hopeful. Anywhere above 17th will do me - but the run between now and Boxing Day where, no doubt, the cheating, harassing Chelski ejits will impose themselves again, is absolutely crucial.

We need belief in what a tight knit, small squad can do. The boys need a couple of positive results and all will be shiny and new again.

In short, we need to: "Get in to them!"

I thank you if you've read this far.

URZzzzzz!

[Forest Gump]

Only saw the highlights but the marking for their 1st goal was absolutely shocking. Time for the defensive and goal-keeping coaches to earn the pay I think.

[Berthwaite]

Only saw the highlights but the marking for their 1st goal was absolutely shocking. Time for the defensive and goal-keeping coaches to earn the pay I think.

If you "only saw the highlights", you only saw what BBC or Sky or whoever decided you could see and from the angle of their choosing too.

I saw the whole game and was not discouraged by our performance. We worried them more than once and were subjected to some pretty poor refereeing.

It seemed that every time we appeared to be a threat in the box, Rennie found an infringement which he could award them a free kick for. It was not a dirty game and I don't know where he found these infringments.

Their first goal, in my opinion came from offside play and their second was shortly after our disallowed goal.

Having said that, they were better than us and I had not gone to Anfield expecting any points for us.

Their crowd was quiet, though, and I was disappointed to not hear any of the famous Scouse wit and banter.

[Corky341]

Only saw the highlights but the marking for their 1st goal was absolutely shocking. Time for the defensive and goal-keeping coaches to earn the pay I think.

Yes, once again our marking was found lacking (as it was for Kanu's goal last week). Wally has got a bit to do with the defence, but as has been pointed out we are somewhat transiant at the moment with Murts being out. On a brighter note, I thought Sam Sodje had a terrific game.

The scoreline really did flatter Liverpool. They might have only been in 'second gear' but I thought, with a little more leniency from Mr Rennie we might had nicked a point. My main worry is the lack of attacks that end with the oppersition 'keeper earning his money. We need Kits back asp.

[Jackson Corner]

I read a couple of Sundays and we seem to have gone from being this years Wigan to relegation certanties in 4 games. Did anybody really expect much from this set of fixtures? And it won't be any easier on Sunday. I am sure we can turn things around you don't become a bad team overnight and we are by no means a bad team, my only worry is the confidence has tacken a knock in the last couple of weeks and that can be the hardest thing to restore after such a prolonged spell of success.

[Gordons Cumming]

Lazy, pathetic journos I'm afriad, Jackson.

Only Carlton Palmer of the TV pundits made the point about our tough run of matches.

We all knew we wouldn't get much in this spell of games...................except most of the media.

Fickle lot!!!!!!

[PREMIERSHIP_ROYAL]

beaten easily? pompey and arsenal are the only teams to have beaten us with ease. we deserved a draw from liverpool, still not seen the replay of our dissallowed goal though it seemed fair enough at the time

[Royalee]

beaten easily? pompey and arsenal are the only teams to have beaten us with ease. we deserved a draw from liverpool, still not seen the replay of our dissallowed goal though it seemed fair enough at the time

We deserved nothing from Liverpool, end of.

[Stranded]

I read a couple of Sundays and we seem to have gone from being this years Wigan to relegation certanties in 4 games. Did anybody really expect much from this set of fixtures? And it won't be any easier on Sunday. I am sure we can turn things around you don't become a bad team overnight and we are by no means a bad team, my only worry is the confidence has tacken a knock in the last couple of weeks and that can be the hardest thing to restore after such a prolonged spell of success.

Thing is we are pretty much doing exactly what Wigan did last year, picking up early points and surprising people before going on a run of defeats against the top clubs. It is how we react NOW that is vital.

[Squelchy2507]

Problems all over the park in my opinion. Not only are we leaking goals recently (against the top teams and without Murty I accept), but the midfield have struggled to get near the ball for large parts of the game and we are creating hardly any scoring chances.

What baffles me is SC's comments that we have been having a real go at teams. The stats just do not support that - not just in recent games but all season. Only once this season (Middlesbrough) have we actually had more shots on target than our opponents, and only twice have we had more than 4 shots on target in a game. Worryingly, the stats look awful in comparison to our opponents, which highlights the problems all over the pitch.

Shots (on target) statistics for each game so far - RFC first then opponents.
RFC Opponnts
Middlebrough 16 (9) 8 (5)
Villa 5 (3) 11 (6)
Wigan 5 (3) 16 (5)
Man City 12 (7) 15 (8 )
Sheff Utd 8 (2) 15 (7)
Man Utd 3 (1) 19 (8 )
West Ham 2 (1) 13 (8 )
Chelsea 5 (1) 7 (4)
Arsenal 3 (1) 17 (9)
Pompey 8 (4) 19 (12)
Liverpool 5 (2) 21 (10)
TOTAL 72 (34) 161 (82)

You may say that statistics don't necessarily give the real picture, but they do when the pattern is as consistently worrying as this.

[M0J0]

Only saw the highlights but the marking for their 1st goal was absolutely shocking. Time for the defensive and goal-keeping coaches to earn the pay I think.

Yes, once again our marking was found lacking (as it was for Kanu's goal last week). Wally has got a bit to do with the defence, but as has been pointed out we are somewhat transiant at the moment with Murts being out. On a brighter note, I thought Sam Sodje had a terrific game.

The scoreline really did flatter Liverpool. They might have only been in 'second gear' but I thought, with a little more leniency from Mr Rennie we might had nicked a point. My main worry is the lack of attacks that end with the oppersition 'keeper earning his money. We need Kits back asp.

FOREST G..you say the marking for the 1st goal was shocking...
what marking...think Gunnarrson or Sodje should have been on any danger from our right but Sodje would keep drifting to central defence
and Gunnarsson was switching between defence and midfield..having said that Kuyt is a bit of a class act.......and Corky you say your main worry
etc
when we play 4-5-1 and 5-4-1 (in the same game)(switching to suit the play) most of our attacks are long ball and hope the lone striker (Doyle) can make something of it..and usually it gets through to the opposition keeper..I think the worst thing about our game on Saturday was Hahnemann hoofing the ball up to Reina, until somebody told him and he started throwing the ball out to Hunt....talking of Hunt..what a dirty foul from Reina on Hunt...anyone but the goalkeeper would have been sent off....not overprotection of goalies but carte blanche for goalies....should not be allowed..