BFTG - Wembley

[bcubed]

We lacked width. We've played well all year with two wide wingers and today struggled to do anything with the ball untik G Mac came on and we pushed Obita in to more of a LW position.

The ref completely bottled sending their number 6 off (Hogg I think?). He had been booked in the first half, bought down Williams as he was breaking through on the centre circle and then G mac down in the corner. Either challenge would have normally been a yellow.

Swift had a shocker and needs to do some serious gym work over the summer to get stronger as he's pushed off the ball far to easily.

As always at Wembley a disappointing atmosphere. It's hard to get it going when the usual singers are split and all over the place and day trippers not knowing the words.

I would agree with this.

As would I

I haven't watched the game again on TV (and don't intend to) but there is no doubt in my mind that the ref got that badly wrong
And who knows it may have made a difference (though we are historically poor against ten men so perhaps not)
Either way the red card should have been produced

[bcubed]

Utterly awful performance lacking any threat or way forward at all. Stam did a job to stifle and stop Huddersfield and, to a large extent, Wagner did the same for Huddersfield on Reading. Result was an utterly abysmal game of tedious chess leading to the utter farce of penalties. I've said for 30 years plus that penalties is a stupid way to decide any game, largely falling down to complete luck and next to no skill. I'd have opted for one on ones between an outfield player and keeper, at least there's some modicum of skill necessary. Also can't see why - if it is penalties - they can't be held at both ends of a ground given there is a 4th official.

Don't want to take anything away from the players though, they gave pretty much everything within the defined game plan and given we all thought that mounting a challenge on the top 10 would be an achievement this season Reading have done excellently. It's just a shame that yet again, after coming so far, it's these damn stupid play offs that do us over again. And it was expected once Reading were lumbered with the jinx of having to play in blue and white hoops (don't believe any team wearing that colour kit has ever won a game at Wembley - QPRs two victories there were in all white (league cup) and red and black (play off) and Reading's Simod cup victory was in yellow).

Lets hope the Chinese backing now allows some reasonably serious investment in the playing side as Stam's next step really has to be to give the side a lot more bite going forward while retaining the possession side of the game. For that he needs players who are better technically with quicker passing and thought and can provide more movement off the ball.

Sadly think though that that will be Danny Williams' last game and that Yann Kermorgant will gradually become more of a bit part player while I can't see any of the loan players moving permanently.

Busy summer ahead but on the bright side Reading will still be in the best league in the world - but just not the one they want to be playing in.

PS - if there is ever another play off final let's boycott it completely. It works for Blackpool and you don't have to give the FA a wad of cash to sit in their crappy blunderdome sited in the most ridiculous place.

This is a great idea
gets my vote

[John Madejski's Wallet]

We've now caught up Sheff Utd as having the worst Play-off record and their fans have basically stopped going to play off games

I don't think they even scored in their 4 play off defeats!

[RoyalBlue]

Never once looked like we wanted to win it. No enterprise and no flair. Huddersfield deserved it even though they too had no clear sight of goal.

Stam has done a great job even though it's dull as oxf*rd to watch. We let our selves down today though. We should have had a go at them. We played not to lose in a play off final.

^this

Last 30 minutes, Huddersfield were dropping like flies. We continued to play possession football. FFS. Think I'm more annoyed with this play-off final than any ever. They were there for the taking in extra-time.

It was right to continue to play possession football to wear them down and create openings. I was pretty confident that approach was going to work in extra time. Unfortunately our 'creative' players let us down and didn't exploit the openings that we did create. Stam was very animated after Swift wasted a really good opening with a sloppy pass. However, he was also to blame IMO as Swift had been poor, was by then out on his feet and should have been replaced with Kelly a lot earlier.

[bobby1413]

If I recall correctly (possibly wrong here as I was smashed and got so drunk after the game I can't remember much).... we picked up quite a bit in the second half of normal time. We did create a lot of openings and I even said I thought we were going to do it as we were getting several chances compared to Huddersfield.

This just makes it all worse though. We had 90 minutes* there to do the job on them, to score just a fcking goal, one bloody goal and we didn't.

Edit: thank fck there's now a break before next season as I really can't face football atm

[muirinho]

Don't think it's fair to say the players didn't try, they did. However I think many of them were just consumed with anxiety, and couldn't play like they normally do. Tbf the same was true of Huddersfield. The team mostly improved second-half

Actually I thought the biggest mistakes were Stam's.
Joey should never have been near the pitch, subsituting Obita was a waste of a sub. If he hadn't needed to do that, Mendes could have come on in the finish.
Swift should have been subbed off much earlier than he was, tbf he never hid, and was constantly looking for the ball, but his passing etc was woeful
Setup was way too defensive from the start, it should have been 4 3 3. Think he should have picked the team based on that formation, but with the option of switching to 5 at the back if we looked like getting overrun (based on Huddersfield's goal scoring record coming in, that was never that likely to be honest). Could do this by having Gunts slotting in from RB to the third CB position, and a winger take up the wing-back position. Apart from anything else, having more attackers on at the finish would have meant more options for penalty-takers. Props to Liam Moore for stepping up, but he should not have been in the first 5.

Throughout the season, Stam has learned from his mistakes, and the next time that situation arose, he's done it differently. A shame there is no immediate second-chance for this.

Ratings:
Al-Habsi - 7,
Gunter 6,
Moore 7,
Ilori 6,
Joey 3,
Blackett 5
Swift 4,
Evans 7,
Williams 8,
Grabban, 5
Kermorgant 7

Kelly 6,
Obita 5
McCleary 5

Stam - 4.

[Whore Jackie]

We've now caught up Sheff Utd as having the worst Play-off record and their fans have basically stopped going to play off games

I don't think they even scored in their 4 play off defeats!

They've had 3 semi-final defeats to our 2.
4 finals – all defeats, no goals and 1 penalty shoot-out loss, ironically to Huddersfield.
Preston have the worst record. Lost 9 of their 10 play-offs.

[Scutterbucketz]

Credit to the players for a season that exceeded all expectations but today was a game too far and our performance was absolutely abject.

Pretty disappointing to get to Wembley and not really try to win the game, particularly as the opposition were nearly equally as poor.

Surely one of the worst games ever played at the stadium

The steward who I spoke to, who had worked there all 10 years the new stadiums been opened, said he could not recall a worse game of football.

[bcubed]

We've now caught up Sheff Utd as having the worst Play-off record and their fans have basically stopped going to play off games

I don't think they even scored in their 4 play off defeats!

They've had 3 semi-final defeats to our 2.
4 finals – all defeats, no goals and 1 penalty shoot-out loss, ironically to Huddersfield.
Preston have the worst record. Lost 9 of their 10 play-offs.

At least they know what its like to win!

[windermereROYAL]

If I recall correctly (possibly wrong here as I was smashed and got so drunk after the game I can't remember much).... we picked up quite a bit in the second half of normal time. We did create a lot of openings and I even said I thought we were going to do it as we were getting several chances compared to Huddersfield.

This just makes it all worse though. We had 90 minutes* there to do the job on them, to score just a fcking goal, one bloody goal and we didn't.

Edit: thank fck there's now a break before next season as I really can't face football atm

Looks like you took it quite badly. I did too, flew off the handle at a day tripper as I left the stadium, she was having a good laugh at our defeat, felt like shit on the way home, but now in the cold light of day the pain is starting to recede

[stealthpapes]

We've now caught up Sheff Utd as having the worst Play-off record and their fans have basically stopped going to play off games

I don't think they even scored in their 4 play off defeats!

They've had 3 semi-final defeats to our 2.
4 finals – all defeats, no goals and 1 penalty shoot-out loss, ironically to Huddersfield.
Preston have the worst record. Lost 9 of their 10 play-offs.

Most play-off final defeats: 4 – Sheffield United (1997, 2003, 2009, 2012), Reading (1995, 2001, 2011, 2017)
Most play-off participations: 10 – Preston North End
Most unsuccessful play-off participations: 9 – Preston North End (from 10 participations)
Most play-off participations without making the Play-off final: 4 – Nottingham Forest, MK Dons
Most play-off participations without winning final: 8 – Brentford, Sheffield United (both from 8 participations)
Reading, Brentford, Leeds United, Bristol City and Sheffield United are the only clubs to have lost play-off finals at three different venues.

[RoyalBlue]

I'd like to add that Danny from Huddersfield should seek medical attention for his heart rate, I'm not sure it dropped below 140.

I was more concerned about Steve from Reading and his 70bpm when it was end-to-end. If i didn't know any better I'd have thought he'd lent his heart rate monitor to John Swift.

Unlike Danny from Huddersfield, Steve from Reading is clearly a very fit guy and, with a calm heart rate like that, should probably have taken one of our last two penalties!

[Whore Jackie]

We've now caught up Sheff Utd as having the worst Play-off record and their fans have basically stopped going to play off games

I don't think they even scored in their 4 play off defeats!

They've had 3 semi-final defeats to our 2.
4 finals – all defeats, no goals and 1 penalty shoot-out loss, ironically to Huddersfield.
Preston have the worst record. Lost 9 of their 10 play-offs.

At least they know what its like to win!

Indeed. Not fussed about promotion to the Premier League in all honesty. Just want to win the play-offs once in my lifetime and not have that trudge back up Wembley Way thinking about tube congestion and trains back to Reading, rather than what pub we'll celebrate in first.

[RoyalBlue]

Utterly awful performance lacking any threat or way forward at all. Stam did a job to stifle and stop Huddersfield and, to a large extent, Wagner did the same for Huddersfield on Reading. Result was an utterly abysmal game of tedious chess leading to the utter farce of penalties. I've said for 30 years plus that penalties is a stupid way to decide any game, largely falling down to complete luck and next to no skill. I'd have opted for one on ones between an outfield player and keeper, at least there's some modicum of skill necessary. Also can't see why - if it is penalties - they can't be held at both ends of a ground given there is a 4th official.

Don't want to take anything away from the players though, they gave pretty much everything within the defined game plan and given we all thought that mounting a challenge on the top 10 would be an achievement this season Reading have done excellently. It's just a shame that yet again, after coming so far, it's these damn stupid play offs that do us over again. And it was expected once Reading were lumbered with the jinx of having to play in blue and white hoops (don't believe any team wearing that colour kit has ever won a game at Wembley - QPRs two victories there were in all white (league cup) and red and black (play off) and Reading's Simod cup victory was in yellow).

Lets hope the Chinese backing now allows some reasonably serious investment in the playing side as Stam's next step really has to be to give the side a lot more bite going forward while retaining the possession side of the game. For that he needs players who are better technically with quicker passing and thought and can provide more movement off the ball.

Sadly think though that that will be Danny Williams' last game and that Yann Kermorgant will gradually become more of a bit part player while I can't see any of the loan players moving permanently.

Busy summer ahead but on the bright side Reading will still be in the best league in the world - but just not the one they want to be playing in.

PS - if there is ever another play off final let's boycott it completely. It works for Blackpool and you don't have to give the FA a wad of cash to sit in their crappy blunderdome sited in the most ridiculous place.

This is a great idea
gets my vote

I could never do that and risk missing out on the day when we finally bury the jinx. TBH I don't really give a flying feck about the elitist (destined to become a closed shop) PL. I just want to see us win at Wembley and to be able to enjoy the celebrations.

At least I was there to enjoy the celebrations (and they were fantastic, particularly having come back from a goal down to absolutely destroy the clear favourites) at the old Wembley Stadium.

I thought I wouldn't be too bad about this loss but still found difficulty sleeping last night with all the key moments replaying in my mind. It was the fact that at 3-1 up on penalties that we really looked like (and I felt confident) that we would finally bury the jinx. So close yet so far. And with so many other foreign nationals in our team, why the f*ck did we allow two English players to take penalties?! 'Foreigners' 100% conversion v English 100% miss rate for us.

[Forbury Lion]

We've now caught up Sheff Utd as having the worst Play-off record and their fans have basically stopped going to play off games

I don't think they even scored in their 4 play off defeats!

So a Sheffield United v Reading FC playoff final next year then?

[windermereROYAL]

I'd like to add that Danny from Huddersfield should seek medical attention for his heart rate, I'm not sure it dropped below 140.

I was more concerned about Steve from Reading and his 70bpm when it was end-to-end. If i didn't know any better I'd have thought he'd lent his heart rate monitor to John Swift.

Unlike Danny from Huddersfield, Steve from Reading is clearly a very fit guy and, with a calm heart rate like that, should probably have taken one of our last two penalties!

Anyone care to explain who Danny and Steve are?

[bobby1413]

If I recall correctly (possibly wrong here as I was smashed and got so drunk after the game I can't remember much).... we picked up quite a bit in the second half of normal time. We did create a lot of openings and I even said I thought we were going to do it as we were getting several chances compared to Huddersfield.

This just makes it all worse though. We had 90 minutes* there to do the job on them, to score just a fcking goal, one bloody goal and we didn't.

Edit: thank fck there's now a break before next season as I really can't face football atm

Looks like you took it quite badly. I did too, flew off the handle at a day tripper as I left the stadium, she was having a good laugh at our defeat, felt like shit on the way home, but now in the cold light of day the pain is starting to recede

I was losing my patience with my m8 who spent the majority of the the game on his phone and didn't seem fussed to have lost the game.

I do take things too seriously I think (a good and a bad trait), last nights journey back was just miserable.

Starting the day, I travelled from Bracknell to Reading to meet my mate. Atmosphere was great with large numbers outside the pub meeting up.

All I kept thinking was if we won then it would be amazing celebrations back in Reading afterwards.

Penalties was devastating. At least a goal in open play is something that happens. It's good play or poor defending. its easier to take.

Knowing we were basically five kicks from winning and the sheer simplicity of the whole thing is just harder to take.

[cornflake]

Rubbish PA system !!!
Couldn't understand what any of the guys were saying in the microphones before the game.

[genome]

I think I might quit Twitter.

Invaded by Fulham fans yesterday, giving it the big one. Baffling.

[Cureton's Volley]

I think I might quit Twitter.

Invaded by Fulham fans yesterday, giving it the big one. Baffling.

They really are bitter little pcunts. The new Brighton.