BFTG Wednesday.

[Snowflake Royal]

Snowflake, Bobby and Hound your argument seems to be that you like McShane so it was ok for him to shout abuse at a home crowd paying his wages. No matter whst stick a player gets and to be fair McShane doesnt get much he cant react. Also the fans are effing off as attendances tumnle and will continue to do so. Will be lucky to get 12000 Tuesday night. We dont need the skipper alienating even more.

If you can find the old posts I think you'd find my response to Matt Mills was largely the same. And I detest that twat.

Reacting at fans is not ideal. But many are twats who boo without good reason and are clueless. There could be very good reasons he didn't play the pass. All the players are struggling and frustrated right now. Giving them stick doesn't help anyone.

Booing Beerens and the result was pathetic.

And if I yell abuse at Gunter and he gives me the finger, fair enough. I care more about how he plays.

[leon]

I think Carvahal said that we cancelled each other out, but in reality I thought both teams were as poor and ineffective as each other on the day. I expected much more of their strikeforce - Fletcher, Hooper and Rhodes and they only mustered 5 shots.

Bannan looked impressive though, some lovely passes.

This. SW were organised but fairly piss poor. That their keeper had 1 shot to save says it all.

For the first time I found Stams post match comments pathetic. Does he expect teamsbto play open football to give us a chance? Ridiculous.

Of course teams are going to

[genome]

I do wonder if there is certain age group of young supporters around 16-18 (i.e. the seat bangers) who feel more entitled to success than older Reading fans.

They would have been children around the 05/06-06/07 era and grew up watching the best Reading team of all time - and haven't really seen us languishing in the lower divisions. I mean, I'm not exactly old, but I still witnessed us get relegated to and struggle to get out of (what is now) League One - and that's not even close to what older fans had to go through.

Food for thought, I guess

[CountryRoyal]

I do wonder if there is certain age group of young supporters around 16-18 (i.e. the seat bangers) who feel more entitled to success than older Reading fans.

They would have been children around the 05/06-06/07 era and grew up watching the best Reading team of all time - and haven't really seen us languishing in the lower divisions. I mean, I'm not exactly old, but I still witnessed us get relegated to and struggle to get out of (what is now) League One - and that's not even close to what older fans had to go through.

Food for thought, I guess

It's a good point, in many ways how can one expect someone to have an appreciation for something based on history they've never experienced.

[Hound]

I think he should have put on Richards and moved Bacuna to midfield, bought on Clement and taken off Edwards and Kelly about the hour mark.

It was pretty difficult to believe both those sides were in the play offs last year tbh

Shots on target aren’t always the best way to judge to be countryroyal. Barrow’s chance was much closer to a goal than some gentle 30 yarder that dribbles to the keeper but was officially ‘on target’

[Old Boy Blue]

Snowflake, Bobby and Hound your argument seems to be that you like McShane so it was ok for him to shout abuse at a home crowd paying his wages. No matter whst stick a player gets and to be fair McShane doesnt get much he cant react. Also the fans are effing off as attendances tumnle and will continue to do so. Will be lucky to get 12000 Tuesday night. We dont need the skipper alienating even more.[/quote]
If you can find the old posts I think you'd find my response to Matt Mills was largely the same. And I detest that twat.

Reacting at fans is not ideal. But many are twats who boo without good reason and are clueless. There could be very good reasons he didn't play the pass. All the players are struggling and frustrated right now. Giving them stick doesn't help anyone.

Booing Beerens and the result was pathetic.

And if I yell abuse at Gunter and he gives me the finger, fair enough. I care more about how he plays.


Fully understand your point of view Snowflake but you must appreciate others will be offended by this and it wouldn't take much for many to stop going at the moment as the entertainment level and results really are poor.

[P!ssed Off]

Just think how many more youth players would have realised their potential if they'd been given the same number of opportunities as Pelle fucking Clement

[Snowball]

Leon, you say Wednesday were "p!ss poor" but that was their sixth consecutive game undefeated, and their away GD for the season is 8-11. Their previous two away games they scored 2 +2 winning at Villa (4th) and drawing at Ipswich. They've also drawn at second-place Cardiff, so they clearly have the capacity for good away results.

They've spent a lot of money, have 4-5 very decent strikers.

As for my view of the game (wasn't the A4 "fun"?)

If we took this game in isolation OR as part of the last five games W2 D2 L1 9-7 including a brilliant win at Derby 2-4 and a decent game v Wolves it wasn't at all a bad game. It was a typical game where, if you're on a good run, the shots go in. ATM we are beset by injuries, too many changes, and a fair degree of no rub of the green.

Against Wolves, near-certs already for automatic, if not the top-spot (and they will get over 100 points), we really could have won it with half-an ounce of luck. We could have been 2-0 up (Swift hitting the post, Alum's charge-down) before Wolves started playing. Again they have spent shedloads of cash to get where they are.

Our recent matches have hardly been "easy". In the last eight games we have played 6 of the top 9, one mid-table team and Bolton away.

We have BEATEN 3 of the top nine, two away wins.

1 0-2 Wolves
3 1-2 Sheff Utd - Away
6 4-2 Derby - AWAY
7 0-2 Middlesbrough
8 1-0 Leeds - AWAY
9 3-1 Forest

11 0-0 Wednesday
24 2-2 Bolton - AWAY

W3 D2 L3 11-11

If you remember we also beat Villa a while back - that means we’ve beaten 4 of the current top 9 teams. That (in isolation) is a sign of a top six team, not relegation fodder, and to date we've played 18 league games without a fit, mature striker

Stam can't be blamed for players scuffing tap-ins, or McShane getting a clear header which he puts into the South Stand. I thought, overall, we played quite well, limiting Wednesday to one shot on target. I thought Gunter was a revelation, that Bacuna-Aluko showed some great combination play, Joey had a very solid game, Moore was his usual 7.5 and McShane had a very solid game. As a unit the back 5 was a comfortable 8, with only one mistake I remember.

We are just not taking our chances, (last year we had a stupidly good chance conversion rate) but if we DO, and if we string three wins together or 4 in 5, we will rocket up the table.

[Snowflake Royal]

I do wonder if there is certain age group of young supporters around 16-18 (i.e. the seat bangers) who feel more entitled to success than older Reading fans.

They would have been children around the 05/06-06/07 era and grew up watching the best Reading team of all time - and haven't really seen us languishing in the lower divisions. I mean, I'm not exactly old, but I still witnessed us get relegated to and struggle to get out of (what is now) League One - and that's not even close to what older fans had to go through.

Food for thought, I guess

It's a good point, in many ways how can one expect someone to have an appreciation for something based on history they've never experienced.

A lot of our more grumbly fans are those in their 30s - 60s in my experience.

It's a valid point on expectation and experience though.

[Snowball]

Just think how many more youth players would have realised their potential if they'd been given the same number of opportunities as Pelle fucking Clement

Clement will be a star

[Victor Meldrew]

On days like yesterday I think of the posters who said how much they enjoyed the Championship for it's competitiveness and more goalmouth action than we see in the Premier League-really?
A number of those players out there yesterday on both sides cost millions of pounds and are paid millions yet play with such fear and lack of invention.
Posters on this thread are wetting themselves that Gunter ( international footballer) has put in crosses with his left foot- big f*****g deal and I only recall two of them in the first half otherwise most of his time was spent doing the usual passing the ball back to Moore and pointing.
Such is our current expectation level-500 or so square passes in our own half and a few crosses is good enough for some fans.

Is Stam actually building something?
I really don't know-what I do know is that week-in, week-out we have so little going through central midfield (apart from the occasional moments of vision from Swift) with whoever is playing there content to pass the buck and send the ball back to Joey who plays what old people do when they can no longer run-walking football.He occasionally thinks he is Beckenbauer or Hoddle and sends the ball sailing into touch.

As leon said, this is extremely dull to watch on a cold Saturday afternoon when the best part was standing under the outside heaters before trudging back to the car and listening to some commentary on the radio of a proper game having listened briefly to Stam's inane comments about our match.
Sometimes the idea of going shopping on a Saturday afternoon doesn't feel such a bad thing...........then a few seconds later you are back to normal and is the case of "Cya next game".

[Victor Meldrew]

Just think how many more youth players would have realised their potential if they'd been given the same number of opportunities as Pelle fucking Clement

Clement will be a star

Pele was a star.
Our Pelle is this season's version of Piazon (who now plays for Fulham Reserves)-he looks as though he could be a good footballer but is generally ineffective.

[Snowflake Royal]

Fully understand your point of view Snowflake but you must appreciate others will be offended by this and it wouldn't take much for many to stop going at the moment as the entertainment level and results really are poor.

Mebbes. But sometimes it's the one who takes offence who has the problem. Whilst low crowds are bad, I don't think unhappy big crowds are much better.

So if a frustrated player biting back means someone stops coming, they probably need a break anyway and it might be for the best longterm. They can always come back another time.

[RoyalBlue]

Just think how many more youth players would have realised their potential if they'd been given the same number of opportunities as Pelle fucking Clement

Who hit the shot that would probably have given us the win had it not nearly decapitated Aluko?

[Wycombe Royal]

Just think how many more youth players would have realised their potential if they'd been given the same number of opportunities as Pelle fucking Clement

Clement will be a star

Pele was a star.
Our Pelle is this season's version of Piazon (who now plays for Fulham Reserves)-he looks as though he could be a good footballer but is generally ineffective.

The same Piazon who broke his leg in the middle of August? If he is back fit might explain why he is in the reserves.....who wasn’t before his injury.....

[RoyalBlue]

1. It was farking cold today

2. Atmosphere was terrible from both RFC and the Wednesdayites

3. I really would welcome the drummer back. Just for times when it's dead, I quite liked the old heartbeat type drum which at least was something. It also helps some fans and areas with chants like "blue army"

D. Gunter had a great game. One of his best I think. I sit in Y25 and some of his crosses were brilliant. As someone else said, an inform striker or attacking player of any type would smash them in.

5. Some criticised Yann but I can't fault his effort. I also feel that since he's come back we look much more threatening even if we still lack an end product.

6. Some fans need to stop groaning and shouting "forward" ALL the time. I hear it a lot and it's at times like at throw ins where I'd say 90% of the time it's better to throw back rather than forward into a gaggle of players achieving nothing.

7. Additionally it's unfair to shout forward at present. We are really pushing Up the pitch in recent games and the intensity has gone up. If you disagree I'd suggest you rewatch some of the earlier games this season which were just miserable to witness.

8. I don't buy the whole "we need a striker" argument. We have some solid players already. We should be able to rely on Yann, bacuna, Kelly, illori, etc etc to at least bag 1-2 between them each game.

Pretty much agree with all of that.

And having been lucky enough to experience, on three occasions, the incredibly loud and virtually continuous support for Atlanta Utd at the Mercedes Benz Stadium, I can see that a drummer/band and someone leading the chanting (no they don't have cheerleaders) really can stimulate the vocal support.

[Hound]

Thought Clement looked good yesterday. Far better than academy product Liam Kelly did

[Forty]

I do wonder if there is certain age group of young supporters around 16-18 (i.e. the seat bangers) who feel more entitled to success than older Reading fans.

They would have been children around the 05/06-06/07 era and grew up watching the best Reading team of all time - and haven't really seen us languishing in the lower divisions. I mean, I'm not exactly old, but I still witnessed us get relegated to and struggle to get out of (what is now) League One - and that's not even close to what older fans had to go through.

Food for thought, I guess

It's a good point, in many ways how can one expect someone to have an appreciation for something based on history they've never experienced.

A lot of our more grumbly fans are those in their 30s - 60s in my experience.

It's a valid point on expectation and experience though.

It seems very likely that we would have more fans in the 30-69 age group, than the 16-18 age group.

[Hound]

My ST seats are by some kids who I reckon are about 14/15

I’ve honestly never sat next to bigger whingers in all my life. It’s almost comical how much they moan

I’m almost concerned about their state of mind turning up and getting so angry and frustrated every week

[tidus_mi2]

My ST seats are by some kids who I reckon are about 14/15

I’ve honestly never sat next to bigger whingers in all my life. It’s almost comical how much they moan

I’m almost concerned about their state of mind turning up and getting so angry and frustrated every week

I sit in front of a group of young lads who think they're tactical experts and are constantly moaning.