Back from the game - Palace

[John Madejski's Wallet]

tbf Cox did a brilliant job when the ball actually came anywhere near him

As someone has said, it was a shame our players didn't gamble on him winning it more

[Westwood52]

Can't argue with the result-despite Mike Hitler Deans crap.
Bottom line we have given away too many soft goals this season & we just don't (under the McD ) create or score enough goals.

Al Habsi 10: What can you say.

Gunter 6: OK but a bit intimidated all night-didn't get forward enough.
Obita 4: Skinned & some poor misplaced passes. Zaha was too much for him. What is Obita a 1st division full back & not really a winger ?He isn't going to get any better now.
Mc Shane 7: Probably with Quinn our best outfield player. Yet out of position a couple of times.

Cooper 5: It wasn't all bad & he has a sweet left foot & made a number of nice simple passes. However the goals down to him this season are mounting up-should have been taken out of the firing line a couple of weeks back, once Anton was fit. Learning his trade the hard way. Next season will be the key one for him, to see if he can kick on. May as well keep on playing him now until the end.

Hector 5: Again it wasn't all bad-but a lot of mistakes. He must be worried where he goes post season. He will be loaned out again-never going to settle at Chelski.

Quinn 7: Solid professional performance-but hasn't got a goal in him & hardly an inspirational figure.
Norwood 2: It happened last season & now this. Needs a break of a couple of games (for Evans) then see what he looks like when he comes back-can't have a player who only lasts two thirds of a season.

Kanu 3: Shouldn't have played-knackered in the 2nd half.
Cox 5: Started badly, & I am his worst critic ,once however the ball was played into him(instead of over his head) he managed to hold it up-trouble was there was no one near him, to help out.
John 3: Missed one sitter & the miss 2nd half was the turning point in the game.

Williams : There was that awful moment in the 2nd half, when Gunter had the ball & he just didn't move for him.
Vydra: Some nice touches-but his confidence is at rock bottom & he just wants to leave.

C. Palace: A good team & genuinely Prem class(as against Brom -who were rubbish ) Bit narky, but most Prem teams are-Hennessy a joke.

McD: I felt we needed a touch of class late on, instead of more of the same with Williams-only Piazon for all his faults could have brought this. McD should be given the heads up for next season-but needs a tap on the shoulder-the game has moved on-even from his success of four (?) years ago.

The season has now ended & we now need to bring in the likes of Fosu/Kuhl to see if they are up to it.

[Tails]

Watched the highlights, I'd be embarrassed if we were given that penalty, ecstatic but embarrassed all the same.

[Uke]

Classy Pardew paedo chants from a minority in Y25/6 by the way

A group of them were singing it over and over on the way back from the stadium.

All the way back to the greyhound stadium car park too, and further...

Judging from their ages he would have had to have been his victims

My how we laughed and smiled at their wit and bants

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Watched the highlights, I'd be embarrassed if we were given that penalty, ecstatic but embarrassed all the same.

^^ same

[RoyalBlue]

Seems Mike Dean not only looks like Jasper Carrott but referees like him too!

[WAZZOCK]

I think the cup-tied rule needs updating. It's an outdated rule that was introduced before the January Transfer came into effect and has put us at a disadvantage the past two seasons.

I would propose that a player can't play for two rounds and then they become eligible, and if they play against the team they were signed from then they will be ineligible regardless.

Who's with me?

[Winchester Royal]

Seems a sensible rule to me.

[WAZZOCK]

Oh and onto the match, I think Mike Dean was right to give the penalty in the first instance. Replays have proven that it was incredibly harsh and arguably shouldn't have been given, but at first glance it did look like one.

[WAZZOCK]

Seems a sensible rule to me.

I'm just struggling to see the significant advantage Reading are perceived to have gained from Yann playing one of his few games of the season for Bournemouth in a 3rd round tie against Birmingham. The rule was brought in with good intentions I imagine to stop extreme cases where a club signs a load of decent players with a view to 'buying' the cup. However, with so many players moving in January these days, and with us being two months and a dozen or so games further down the line, it seems a shame we weren't able to play Yann at this later stage.

[Maneki Neko]

Gutted, but the better team won.

Great battling performance against a palace team full of pace and skill.
They were awful in terms of attitude though,diving, flailing around on the floor, whinging, lots of aggro. And while id accept the dive/pen/win if it was the ither way round, id still think it was utterly shameful.

Al habsi - 9.5 brilliant, as he has been since he got back in the team.
Gunter 7 good, as he has been since his contract.
Hector- 6 decent, considering the pace in his face. apart from the pen which wasnt.
Mcshane.8 very good again.
Obita 5 struggled
Quinn 7 worked very hard.
Hector 6 didnt look as good as usual, but up against very good players, grew into it.
Norwood 6 inneffective going forward, decent defensively
Ola john. 7 fluffed two guilt edged chances we should have scored from, but our only real quality in last 3rd
Kanu. Not fit, and looked it
Cox 6 played very well with little service

Williams 5 not great
Vydra 6 gave us some impetus

Great effort, cheated out if it. But cant really complain about final result, though I thought we deserves the draw.

[Cape Town Royal]

The whole Pardew thing is getting really boring now. It's not like he's done a McGhee and ramped up the antagonism prior to any games, he's always been respectful on his return and I think he knows he warrants some abuse and has taken it in good humour. I reckon he genuinely has a lot of respect and affection for the club.

Agree this... Under Pardew we had a team who had less talent than many of the later sides but played on the front foot and I thought he brought a real professionalism to Reading that Coppell built on. I enjoyed watching reading play under Pardews management.

Instead of slagging the guy off some people should respect a manager who yes departed in a way many did not like but brought this club forward and got us promoted playing a pretty exciting brand of football.

I also agree he has always shown dignity to this club since he left, it's something that is missing from many in football and should be appreciated.

It's also worth noting that compared to what we have had to endure over the last couple of seasons / managers... Pardew brought some good players to this club at a fraction of the prices we have paid for some pretty average performers since.

This is not some kind of Pardew love in and I admit I was annoyed the way he left, but taking that apart if you had to ask me of our last 10 or so managers which would you have back, he would be one I would happily have back here...

As for last night, I thought there was a clear gap between the two teams (apart from their left back who I agree with an earlier poster who said he looked like he had won a place in the team in the club raffle) they had chances, AAH had a blinder and I feel for him on the penalty. Yes we stayed in it, but the reality was (1) we never really got hold of the game (2) gave the ball away far too often which was suicide against a team with the counterattacking qualities of Palace and (3) it really made me realise how far we have to go if we are to (a) get back in the premier league and (b) compete in it.

But as they say hope is eternal so knowing us we will probably go and win the league next season... You got a love this game!

Ps... My thoughts on Pardews signings against others managers are not statistic checked just a gut feeling so if he did spend £10m on the failed striker Johnny the Dog forgive me for missing that one.

[Doolittle]

Great defensive effort, but didn't do enough with the ball. Agree with everyone that Obita, Hector and Norwood particularly struggled with their passing, but Obita and Hector did make a big contribution to the defence, whereas Norwood doesn't have the physical attributes to do that. Williams' athleticism would have provided more, in that sort of game.

Pen was (just about) a foul by Cooper, though would it have been given if it had happened in midfield ? Players grab bits of shirt all the time. Usually it's only given when it's really blatant.

Dean definitely favoured his PL chums throughout. How very dare a Championship player raise his foot above shin height to try and control a bouncing ball ? Don't they realise how upsetting this might be for Johann, Yannick or Wilfried ?

[stealthpapes]

I quite enjoyed that!

Could have snatched it against a better team, Alan Habsi on gr8 form, just lost out though. Nice atmosphere, noisy away fans, even a smoke bomb to boot (very mid 90's Serie A)

Palace left back looked like a supporter had won a competition to be in their team.

He was so ropey it was lolz that we didn't put Ola John right on him.

[Forbury Lion]

Highlight of the game - some bloke in need of a visit to specsavers shouting "get that dog off the pitch" when the electronic ad boards showed a running dog.

[Ian Royal]

I imagine pretty much everyone was WTFing all over the place when they got to the ground and found Cox was upfront. But he did quite well.

Pretty sure I predicted it.

[Forbury Lion]

I don't understand why we didn't start Vydra, this was our only competition left to play for this season. I'd rather start him for 60 mins than bring him on for half hour not being able to get into the game.

.

My guess is Brian is harking back to the Le Fondre supersub days without having a Le Fondre available on the bench.

I can see the logic - If Vydra is only fit enough for 30 minutes then the last 30 against a tired palace team may give him the edge rather than the first 30 against a fully fit palace team, plus if we're chasing a game with 30 minutes to go bringing Cox on isn't the answer. I appreciate I've totally overlooked Rakels.

[Muskrat]

Watched the highlights, I'd be embarrassed if we were given that penalty, ecstatic but embarrassed all the same.

^^ This. In fact their player should have been booked for diving. Pathetic decision by the referee. Having said that the better team won.

[bobby1413]

And the "fans" who left when it was still 0-0, why even bother turning up?

+1 Why would people choose to leave early on a game like last night?

I don't know about anyone else but it's one of the most intense games I've watched in recent years and I've not been that nervous for ages. The thought of leaving early - particularly at 0-0 - didn't even cross my mind.

The whole Pardew thing is getting really boring now. It's not like he's done a McGhee and ramped up the antagonism prior to any games, he's always been respectful on his return and I think he knows he warrants some abuse and has taken it in good humour. I reckon he genuinely has a lot of respect and affection for the club.

Yes yes yes...

Listening to Adie WIlliams before on BBC Berkshire and he was singing Pardew's praises and I do agree with him.

Pardew didn't leave in the best manner, but sh*t happens, especially in football. It hardly warrants the continual abuse by some of our idiotic fans. The guy does seem to have a lot of respect and good things to say about Reading.

As far as I'm concerned there is absolutely no hostility deserved, especially after the length of time that has passed.

[Winston Smith]

I think those trying to abuse him were mostly kids who were desperate to have a reason to shout stuff, any stuff, with naughty words in. They were toddlers when Pardew left.