How the opposition fans view us.....

[Great Knolly]

...if you were a Man united or Reading coach would you spend lots of time trying to get Scholes and Matejovsky to tackle properly or honing the things that make them great in an offensive sense?

I'd do both. I'd certainly spend some time trying to get them to tackle properly, or at least harry people in the way that Harps does.

[Archie's penalty]

...if you were a Man united or Reading coach would you spend lots of time trying to get Scholes and Matejovsky to tackle properly or honing the things that make them great in an offensive sense?

I'd do both. I'd certainly spend some time trying to get them to tackle properly, or at least harry people in the way that Harps does.

I would do. I don't know if coaches do though. Scholes tackles now in the exact same way he tackled when he was 20.

[Dirk Gently]

Know what you mean. Do you think it's correctable ? Or is it congenital like with Scholes ?

I don't think it's completely correctable. Certainly it can be improved, but only at the risk of decreasing the things he does really well. All down to the quality of the coaches in the end.

I suppose this is essential the same old debate that we've heard before with Hoddle & Le Tissier and whether they should be fixtures in the England team.

It's a case of who's better for the team: a player who's 60% good at both passing and tacking or a player who's 90% at passing and 30% at tackling?

Yes, I know we would ideally want a player who's 90% at both tackling and passing but you won't find such players within our budget, so we have to accept compromises and make decisions like the one above.

[Great Knolly]

Agree that coaching someone to actually tackle isn't easy. But they can coach him in closing people down etc. Although, I suppose, once the oppo works out you're only ever going to close down and not go in, you'll be quite easy to get round.
A lot of it is just work-rate or "running around". I'm sure Marek can "learn" to do more of that. The trouble with Le Tissier and Hoddle was that they really did do very little when their team didn't have the ball.

[Franchise FC]

get Derby back in the Premier League where they belong!

Under what grounds do they belong in the prem?

To (probably mis-)quote Lord Steve of Coppell
"The league table doesn't lie - you end up where you deserve to be"

Derby deserve to be mid-table Championship. END OF.

[Forbury Lion]

Oh, lastly, once again Nr 13 seemed to be in full flow again judging by the noise on Reading107FM. This seems to be a regular occurence now judging from the games I've managed to get to or heard via the internet.

Not meaning to nit pick, but how many games have you been too and would you say your views were mostly based on those games or on radio commentary which doesn't always give the full picture (well technically it gives no picture cos it's a radio).

With regards to a right winger who can provide an end product...... What about a right sided midfielder instead? Matejovski can get past people with trickery to match Glen Little and can pass well, so maybe he swap in for Kebe to offer something different?

[Kitson12]

Some Bristol City fans who my mate and I were talking to on our way to Ashton Gate said that the best team they'd seen that season were Birmingham City, and that it would need a lot to better them, also that our team were full of 'superstars'. The same fans quickly left 5 mins before the end of the game no doubt...

[loyalroyal4life]

I personally think that Matejovsky will be an excellent player either long term for RFC or elsewhere. I can honestly see Man United or one of the other biggys coming in for him eventually, teams that will win the ball back for players who cant tackle. Re: Christiano Ronaldo at Manure.

[Forbury Lion]

Speaking of opposition fans, I thought it was ironic the Derby fans who were singing "we love you Derby" as they walked out before the final whistle.... obviously didn't love them that much.

[SLAMMED]

get Derby back in the Premier League where they belong!

Under what grounds do they belong in the prem?

Entertainment. Nothing more entertaining than watching a team get deservedly BATTERED every week.

[rhroyal]

I personally think that Matejovsky will be an excellent player either long term for RFC or elsewhere. I can honestly see Man United or one of the other biggys coming in for him eventually, teams that will win the ball back for players who cant tackle. Re: Christiano Ronaldo at Manure.

[SLAMMED]

Speaking of opposition fans, I thought it was ironic the Derby fans who were singing "we love you Derby" as they walked out before the final whistle.... obviously didn't love them that much.

We love you derby, we do, BUt were walking out, On You.
So stop playing, like Poo, OR, WE'll Stop WATCHING YOUU

[rabidbee]

The real problem is that Marek tackles by hanging his leg out and just leaving it there, which in English football is an invitation for the opposition player to fall over it. Happened 3 or 4 times last year in very dangerous positions, resulting in at least 2 goals conceded.

And injuries - the injury at Forest in the opening game this season, for instance.