Management owe us an explanation why Harper Played?

[Fezza]

Harper = Legend.

Will run all day, then run a bit more. Maybe not the greatest midfield 'battler' but that's not his role...doesn't get the credit he deserves IMHO.

Agreed. What's more, if we do go down, I wouldn't be at all surprised (although clearly a good many on HNA would be) if he was one of the players who left us and ended up back in the PL with another team.

Given that we have scored so few goals recently, it's amazing that people have so quickly forgotten the good ones that Harper scored.

I couldn't agree less. Our midfield this season has been dire, the reason being continued failure to win the ball back / track back and do even the basic defensive stuff right. How people can sit there lauding a player who is neither an attacking or defensive force and whose only attribute seems to be running around like a demented poodle licking the heels of the opposition players. Why did he play? Because our manager is to toothless to try someone else, and because the other options our much celebrated manager brought in are frankly not up to it!

Harper is Championship standard as are most of our team. Probably just as well considering!

That said I did enjoy him giving O'Neil a bit of abuse!

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

It's what happens when you refuse/can't buy anyone.

IS what makes this season so annoying. Just buying 2 or 3 players and we'd have avoided most of the problems we'v had this season.

[Royal Rother]

Like Fulham, Derby and Birmingham have you mean?

If the right players are not available then.... (forget it, I think 9,999 debates on the same subject is probably enough.)

[Stranded]

It's what happens when you refuse/can't buy anyone.

IS what makes this season so annoying. Just buying 2 or 3 players and we'd have avoided most of the problems we'v had this season.

But it's not as if we didn't have a number of other options for him if he really was unable to play, which he clearly was, illness or no.

The problem was that at this particular point those other options were unavailable due to injury or would have meant moving a number of players around within the side.

[Fezza]

Like Fulham, Derby and Birmingham have you mean?

If the right players are not available then.... (forget it, I think 9,999 debates on the same subject is probably enough.)

Either Robbie Savage or Gary Speed would have made a real difference to our midfield - are you really telling me that we couldn't compete with Sheffield Utd and Derby?

[Hoop Blah]

It's what happens when you refuse/can't buy anyone.

IS what makes this season so annoying. Just buying 2 or 3 players and we'd have avoided most of the problems we'v had this season.

But it's not as if we didn't have a number of other options for him if he really was unable to play, which he clearly was, illness or no.

The problem was that at this particular point those other options were unavailable due to injury or would have meant moving a number of players around within the side.

That would suggest that the squad is too small though.

Obvioulsy you can't have infinate cover for all positions but we seem to only have Harper, Gunnarsson and Matejovsky that Coppell feels are up to the job of playing in the centre of midfield. You could possibly add in Cisse there but personally I think we've seen enough of him in the centre to know he's a much better centre back than midfielder.

We have Hunt and Bikey that have been used in there a few times and then Fae who just seems to be completely out of the picture. I know Fae had a slight knock but by the sounds of it it's one of those you'd play through if needed.

Coming out of the transfer window with 3 specialist centre midfielders you think you can choose from is asking for trouble.

As for the original point about Harper playing and us needing an explanation. There is none needed. Players play with these things all the time, especially when there is little alternative. Thats why he played, because we don't have any other options.

[Magicman]

Something I heard once was " You cant lose what you never had" seems to apply to the Harper / management situation perfectly

[Stranded]

It doesn't really though does it,

If Harper was not well enough to play then the two most obvious options to play would be Gunna or Fae, one injured and one with a knock but hasn't played for a while (and if he had then you could probably just change the name Harper for Fae). Fae played well in Africa, when he got his chance so him playing in the next few games wouldn't surprise me though.

Cisse has played well at CB for the past month so makes sense not to move him up to midfield where consensus seems to be he can be a week link.

Move Hunt to midfield and you are basically making two changes and given Convey's form weakening two spots in the side. Bikey could play there but would be out of position or again bring him in at CB and move Cisse and you are making unecessary changes.

The fact is if Harper stated he was fit and passed any fitness test or whatever they did I don't see a problem with him playing on Saturday - if we'd snatched a point this wouldn't even have been a discussion.

[Wycombe Royal]

Either Robbie Savage or Gary Speed would have made a real difference to our midfield - are you really telling me that we couldn't compete with Sheffield Utd and Derby?

Yes. Neither would have joined and I definately would not have wanted Gary Speed here - way too old and not making much difference to the Blades in the Championship. Robbie Savage wouldn't have moved this far south.

[Hoop Blah]

Our central midfield options


Harper
Gunnarsson
Matejovsky
Cisse - looked like a fish out of water in midfield and more effective at centre half
Fae - the manager doesn't seem to want to play him at all
Hunt - emergency cover and is needed for the other two positions he's played more so doesn't really count.
Bikey - a centre half first and foremost. Emergency cover maybe, but he's proven that he struggles in midfield


Taking the above into account we went into the rest of the season without enough cover in midfield. Any injury or suspension means either weakening other parts of the side (eg playing Hunt in the middle and playing our second choice left winger) or playing players the manager obviously doesn't trust to play there (Cisse or Fae).

With that in mind, and the fact that Gunnarsson has looked out of his depth this season, we have gone into the last 3 months of the season without, in my opinion, enough strength in depth in the middle of the park.

[Fezza]

Either Robbie Savage or Gary Speed would have made a real difference to our midfield - are you really telling me that we couldn't compete with Sheffield Utd and Derby?

Yes. Neither would have joined and I definately would not have wanted Gary Speed here - way too old and not making much difference to the Blades in the Championship. Robbie Savage wouldn't have moved this far south.

Speed looked excellent (very combative) last night against Boro and in my view would have jumped at the chance of Premiership football. He is also a lot better than Gunnar!

I was just citing two examples of players that I beleive we could have signed (IMO Savage would have preferred the chance of Premiership football to the certainty of Championship football). It's not about age it's about keeping us up and ability to play at Premiership level!

[Scarface]

According to tonights EP, Harper 'felt awful on Sunday and did not train Thurs, Friday or Saturday as he was suffering with the runs'

Now I really have to ask what the hell was he doing playing!!!! Does this not really send out a message to the rest of the squad, who presumably had all trained in the 3 days before and felt fine.

I think the supporters deserve an explanation as to why a player who was not well was played in a game that we were desperate to win. In midfield you need to be at your peak every game. Harper was even sick during the game FFS!!!

What the hell is going on. Have we really lost the plot this far.

WHY? We deserve an explanation that I presume was given to Bikey, Fae, Lita, Duberry, Ivar etc etc as to why a fully fit player needing to run for 90 minutes was left out to someone who was clearly ill and should have NOT played.

Come on RFC Management explain yourselves!!!!!!

I couldn't agree more, I was disappointed to here this as we need players 100% up for fight on the pitch. With 2 CB's on the bench we could of easily played Cisse in the middle from the start. I suppose Coppell thought Harper was fit enough to play and often decisions that involve an illness are down to the player to decide. However Harper was shite, so I was amazed that Coppell knowing he wasn't fully fit, didn't sub him earlier.

Managers are paid to make big decisions and it appears Coppell has difficulty with these when it involves certain players.

[Archie's penalty]

According to tonights EP, Harper 'felt awful on Sunday and did not train Thurs, Friday or Saturday as he was suffering with the runs'

Now I really have to ask what the hell was he doing playing!!!! Does this not really send out a message to the rest of the squad, who presumably had all trained in the 3 days before and felt fine.

I think the supporters deserve an explanation as to why a player who was not well was played in a game that we were desperate to win. In midfield you need to be at your peak every game. Harper was even sick during the game FFS!!!

What the hell is going on. Have we really lost the plot this far.

WHY? We deserve an explanation that I presume was given to Bikey, Fae, Lita, Duberry, Ivar etc etc as to why a fully fit player needing to run for 90 minutes was left out to someone who was clearly ill and should have NOT played.

Come on RFC Management explain yourselves!!!!!!

I couldn't agree more, I was disappointed to here this as we need players 100% up for fight on the pitch. With 2 CB's on the bench we could of easily played Cisse in the middle from the start. I suppose Coppell thought Harper was fit enough to play and often decisions that involve an illness are down to the player to decide. However Harper was shite, so I was amazed that Coppell knowing he wasn't fully fit, didn't sub him earlier.

Managers are paid to make big decisions and it appears Coppell has difficulty with these when it involves certain players.

Harper wasn't shite and gave 100 % as usual. I didn't notice any less of a performance on his part. I think that Harper and Matejovsky are showing signs of developing as a partnership. After Oster came off both of them started playing better as they had an outlet in Kebe on the right hand side.
It would be nice to see Fae play over the next couple of games in some capacity...

[Royalee]

Harper = Legend.

Will run all day, then run a bit more. Maybe not the greatest midfield 'battler' but that's not his role...doesn't get the credit he deserves IMHO.

Paula Radcliffe can run all day, maybe we should sign her up.

What actually IS his role then? Because when we defend he doesn't and when we're looking to break forward he's always found stood on the toes of our centre backs with clearly no positional awareness or tactical brain. You could say he defends, but he doesn't. You could say he creates, but no matter what our forward line is, they're not getting any service. He does nothing.

Your description sounds like Andy Hughes - the minute he left we got promoted, just like the minute Harper is dropped we may look like picking up points.

[Huntley & Palmer]

As already pointed out, players play games when they feel unwell. Look at Hunty at the Bolton away game last season, was throwing his guts up and felt unwell in the warmup but then proceeded to play well and score a goal as we won. Harper didn't look to be affected too much, though that still doesn't explain why he is Ray Houghton MK II

[Magicman]

[quote="Stranded"]It doesn't really though does it

The original statement by Blue and white Toucan was that the management had lost the plot.

I was referring to the fact that we have never had a plot.

Hope this helps but thanks for the response anyway and you should always ensure you read back the very first comment everytime you post as it usually helps you to keep focus

[Stranded]

My response was to the post immediately prior to yours magicman.

[readingbedding]

As already pointed out, players play games when they feel unwell. Look at Hunty at the Bolton away game last season, was throwing his guts up and felt unwell in the warmup but then proceeded to play well and score a goal as we won. Harper didn't look to be affected too much, though that still doesn't explain why he is Ray Houghton MK II

Exactly.

To think otherwise is nieve.

[soggy biscuit]

I do not own or work for Reading FC therefore they owe me no explanation.

[RoyalBlue]

I do not own or work for Reading FC therefore they owe me no explanation.

And if a business you've paid an awful lot of money into lets you you down, you don't ask for an explanation?!!