BFTG - Fulham

[RG7Fan]

Al Habsi was Reading MOTM - after a 5-0 drubbing!

MOM? That clearance in the first few minutes was truly awful. Not to mention the clearances of out hand straight into touch in the second half.

No player deserves the accolade after such a poor team performance.

.

That was BBCRB's choice. As far as I am concerned it should have been either Kermorgant or Swift.

[Sutekh]

Just goes to prove how very odd football can be. Fulham's home record is, well, utter cr@p for a team in the upper half with only 3 wins yet two of those wins have been by 5-0 against Reading and Huddersfield.

Isn't that Reading's 4th away league defeat this season - Wolves, Newcastle, Brentford, Fulham? The score tally from those game is Reading 2 Opponents 15 so when we lose away from home we do it with some style

Funny thing is I really don't think it's as big a surprise to most of us as you might think. The team never looks anything other than panic ridden whenever good teams press high and allow no time to play and if they can get that right for the first 20/25 minutes Reading completely fall apart.

Blip? Who knows. Sheffield Wednesday next Saturday is going to be a very key game for Reading.

[LWJ]

If you were in the first 15 rows in P6 and left the game with 25 minutes to go, you may have received the benefit of my opinion. Something along the lines of, "Fairweather fans! You all turn up when things are going well and then turn your back the moment it goes wrong! You're not supporters! You should be ashamed! True supporters follow their team through thick and thin." All of which is true... but the OP my Genome pretty much sums up the team's performance.

I left at 71 minutes and am no where near fair weather. I would be willing to bet I've attended more away games in than you in the last 2 years.

[genome]

To be fair, we got trounced at Brentford following a good run and we bounced back superbly after that (and the Newcastle result)

I don't think it's a case of season capitulation after this result, unless the manager goes and immediately speaks to another club.

[genome]

Just goes to prove how very odd football can be. Fulham's home record is, well, utter cr@p for a team in the upper half with only 3 wins yet two of those wins have been by 5-0 against Reading and Huddersfield.

Isn't that Reading's 4th away league defeat this season - Wolves, Newcastle, Brentford, Fulham? The score tally from those game is Reading 2 Opponents 15 so when we lose away from home we do it with some style

Funny thing is I really don't think it's as big a surprise to most of us as you might think. The team never looks anything other than panic ridden whenever good teams press high and allow no time to play and if they can get that right for the first 20/25 minutes Reading completely fall apart.

Blip? Who knows. Sheffield Wednesday next Saturday is going to be a very key game for Reading.

Imagine the chaos if we did go up and had to play Liverpool, known for their brilliant high press

[MR. CYNICAL]

Think the most significant thing is the possession stats, they had 68%.
Even all the previous away defeats we have still had the majority of possession. Seemed more like we have turned the clock back a year!

[harry]

MOTM? No 13 or Liam Moore

I said at half time we looked over-run in most positions. Too many players seemed to be isolated or out-numbered. Ignoring the ref being a homer, and assuming it was 11 v 11, the only causes I can think of are formation, commitment & fitness or a combination thereof.

Other observations:
We missed Moore massively
Joey was well off the pace
Beerens looked like he wanted to be at home tucked up under his duvet
We were better with 10 players including Kelly than 11 including Beerens
The offside goal that was given had the air of inevitability about it
Amazed the ref didn't give a pen for Piazon's dive. He gave them pretty well everything else
A couple of their goals were decent shots but they were given way too much time as they weren't closed down
£30 for that?!

Best moment. "We're gong to win 6-5" or "we want 1" chants
Worst moment: pretty well everything that happened on the pitch

On the bright side: we're still 3rd and have a positive goal difference and at least Piazon didn't score

[gazzer, loyal royal]

Forgot to mention in my OP but I love and hate Fulham away. Love the atmosphere and proximity but hate the amount of idiotic wan Kers it brings out. The guys sat behind us moaned all game, I don't mind its it logical but when they have no idea of tactics and sometimes the laws (the ball has to shadow the quadrant for a corner not touch it, and it's called a quadrant not a box) and then the head butt sums up these days. Unfortunately the football was shit too

[OLLIE KEARNS]

Forgot to mention in my OP but I love and hate Fulham away. Love the atmosphere and proximity but hate the amount of idiotic wan Kers it brings out. The guys sat behind us moaned all game, I don't mind its it logical but when they have no idea of tactics and sometimes the laws (the ball has to shadow the quadrant for a corner not touch it, and it's called a quadrant not a box) and then the head butt sums up these days. Unfortunately the football was shit too

You must have been near me in P6. "Lino, Lino, it's not in the box. LINOOOOOO !!!"

[The Cap]

Lower West wrote:

3points wrote:
McShane did OK.

Doubt Stam was impressed with his Captain picking up a booking in the first two minutes of a game for dissent.

Spot on. When McShane started to gesticulate the first time, I firmly believe that the ref was going to come over and tell him to calm down. So what does McShane do......start giving it all that with his arms again. By now the ref must have been thinking 'hang on, I'm trying to help you out here'. Once McShane did it the third time, the ref had no choice. What a pillock. For a skipper, and so called role model, to be setting that sort of example, in the third minute, truly set the scene. Not sure how other people felt but I was fuming Not really sure how you sum a game like that up. Vocal support was good albeit with the one song stuck on repeat, 'we're Reading FC, we're on our way back'. On the way back alright. Down the M4 with tails firmly wedged between the legs. Fair play to the Cottagers though, they played the pressing game and were well up for it all over the pitch. Look a decent side.

All in all, a good craic though and enjoyed seeing all the faces up Putney. As for the alleged headbutt or punch that took place at half-time..... what I do know is that when quite a few of us exited at 4-0, OB were outside trying to identify who was involved. Even by association.

[Vicky Pollard]

What an absolute sh1t show that was

Special mention to Chris Gunter gee'ing up the crowd at 2-0 down with 10 men

[genome]

That was the best part of the match. I was proper like

[CountryRoyal]

To be fair, we got trounced at Brentford following a good run and we bounced back superbly after that (and the Newcastle result)

I don't think it's a case of season capitulation after this result, unless the manager goes and immediately speaks to another club.

Yeah that's where I think this team is different. Even though we've demonstrated the inconsistencies of midtable side (which is what we are at the moment) weve demonstrated we can bounce back and not capitulate afterwards. Let's just see if we can do it again on Saturday.

[Vicky Pollard]

Can't decide whether I am fuming with that display or just have to accept that occasionally no one turns up to the office.

[genome]

Let's not forget Fulham put 5 past Huddersfield, 4 past Barnsley and also beat Newcastle at home.

[OLLIE KEARNS]

Let's not forget Fulham put 5 past Huddersfield, 4 past Barnsley and also beat Newcastle at home.

Fulham are a good team, no question about that. They have a number of very good players and a manager that could easily emulate what he did at Watford a couple of years ago. But, that performance was ultimately about us. I can't ever recall such a one sided first 15 minutes, it was like a plucky little non league team playing Fulham away in the 3rd round of the F.A Cup. Trying hard but all over the shop.
A balanced view would be that Jaap Stam and all concerned at Reading have done an incredible job to have us where we are after just a few months. I'd also be confident that they can build on that longer term as he brings in players who better suit the system. The one big question mark though is when things aren't working. No sign of a Plan B and very passive management.
The nature of the championship is that other clubs will work us out which means we have to evolve and improve. Yesterday needed proactive management. Change shape, mix the game up, go long for 10 minutes. Anything to change the dynamics of the game but we just kept doing the same thing.
All said and done I remain optimistic that we're on a good path. The side at least went down trying yesterday unlike some of the utter capitulations I've seen away from home in the past 3 seasons.
Upwards and onwards !!

[LWJ]

Vocal support was good albeit with the one song stuck on repeat, 'we're Reading FC, we're on our way back'.

The best atmosphere's are the one's where their is constant chanting for more than 2 lines. Complaining about repeating a song too much? Seriously?! Be happy we actually had a turnout for once! We won't have more than 500 at Leeds even if we had won yesterday and against Wednesday next week!!

[Vicky Pollard]

If you were in the first 15 rows in P6 and left the game with 25 minutes to go, you may have received the benefit of my opinion. Something along the lines of, "Fairweather fans! You all turn up when things are going well and then turn your back the moment it goes wrong! You're not supporters! You should be ashamed! True supporters follow their team through thick and thin." All of which is true... but the OP my Genome pretty much sums up the team's performance.

I left at 71 minutes and am no where near fair weather. I would be willing to bet I've attended more away games in than you in the last 2 years.

I don't advocate leaving early but there's a time and a place. I left after the 4th which was the best decision I made all day. Staying to watch that dross to its full conclusion, in my opinion, makes you a bit of a mug.

[Elm Park Old Boy]

Was I the only one who found it embarrassing how much of a hero's send-off our fans gave Danny Williams? He had just got himself sent off, letting down the team. They had a pretty tough, unlikely, but not impossible task trying to come back from 2 down. He went and we completely subsided.

[The Cap]

The Cap wrote:
Vocal support was good albeit with the one song stuck on repeat, 'we're Reading FC, we're on our way back'.

LWJ wrote:
The best atmosphere's are the one's where their is constant chanting for more than 2 lines. Complaining about repeating a song too much? Seriously?! Be happy we actually had a turnout for once! We won't have more than 500 at Leeds even if we had won yesterday and against Wednesday next week!!

Naturally we're all entitled to our own opinion. As for 500 going to Leeds. If that does turn out to be the size of our backing, then everyone in attendance, at £36 a throw, will have my utmost respect and admiration for their efforts. Even more so, given the time of year.