Reality check

[Ian Royal]

Has no-one ever stopped to think that no team in the world can be expected to be in the right frame of mind for a match in the same week that a 13-year-old team mate, a member of the "Reading Family" was killed.

I wondered who might be first to bring this up! The Reading senior players would never have met this lad, and the first hand accounts of the following thread would suggest that they weren't exactly in emotional turmoil over the sad news: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=82453

The various managers of other clubs enthusing about our footballing prowess in this division surely must give the more fickle, ignorant and emotional RFC fans a clue of how we are perceived and rated within this league.
We're going up!

I can recall the likes of Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson stating that Reading wouldn't go down last season. But then, I'd never expect you to see the bigger picture, Reading Bedding.

Interesting bold and sweeping generalisation where you guarantee us the first teamers will never have met the lad. How the hell would you know? For all you know Hahnemann had been asked to mentor him and the players all knew him well.

I agree with you bedding, we had a job done on us. Thats all. It happens every now and then.

[floyd__streete]

Steve Coppell's programme notes yesterday:

we didn't train directly with Stewart.

[Ian Royal]

Steve Coppell's programme notes yesterday:

we didn't train directly with Stewart.

And that equates to the players never having met him? Thats a bit of a leap Floyd.

[readingbedding]

Players have played days after their relatives passing away, some players take time out to sort their heads out or whatever they need to do before playing again.

It would be highly unprofessional of any player to say he was 'ready' to play, when deep down he wasn't.

If anything, we're an extremely professional outfit and I would be astonished that it had a lasting effect on any player once the game started.

[floyd__streete]

Steve Coppell's programme notes yesterday:

we didn't train directly with Stewart.

And that equates to the players never having met him? Thats a bit of a leap Floyd.

It's probably fair to assume that they didn't have Stewart McEwan on their mind throughout the chasing they suffered for 90 minutes yesterday. Enough of this now as it is bordering on becoming disrespectful to the sad loss of a young lad.

[readingbedding]

No it's not, again you're thinking that what's in your head is in everyone else's...

[Ian Royal]

And that equates to the players never having met him? Thats a bit of a leap Floyd.

It's probably fair to assume that they didn't have Stewart McEwan on their mind throughout the chasing they suffered for 90 minutes yesterday. Enough of this now as it is bordering on becoming disrespectful to the sad loss of a young lad.

I agree thats a fair assumption, I disagreed with your ill-educated guess about whether they'd met him. Happy to say no more.

[handbags_harris]

I can't believe that Stewart McEwan's death was on the player's minds yesterday, and I'm surprised that anyone would say that it was throughout the 90 minute debacle. Quite frankly, the reason we lost yesterday was because we came up against a team that was better on the day throughout. Nobody's mentioned that Jan Poortvliet, as a Dutchman, likes football to be played the Dutch way. I take a bit of an interest in Dutch football and have learnt over the last couple of years that the way a team plays in Holland is based much more on the way the opposition play, much more so than in this country, and particularly more so for away games. Poortvliet would have done a lot of research into us leading into this game, and as a result set Saints up to directly nullify our threat, and also to attack our weaknesses. Did anybody notice how many times their forwards/midfield put Bikey under pressure immediately as soon as he had the ball at his feet? It was only a matter of time before a team did this and it's no surprise to me that Poortvliet was the man to do it.

In a nutshell, we were done by a team with a better tactician at the helm IMO.

[readingbedding]

I can't believe that Stewart McEwan's death was on the player's minds yesterday, and I'm surprised that anyone would say that it was throughout the 90 minute debacle. Quite frankly, the reason we lost yesterday was because we came up against a team that was better on the day throughout. Nobody's mentioned that Jan Poortvliet, as a Dutchman, likes football to be played the Dutch way. I take a bit of an interest in Dutch football and have learnt over the last couple of years that the way a team plays in Holland is based much more on the way the opposition play, much more so than in this country, and particularly more so for away games. Poortvliet would have done a lot of research into us leading into this game, and as a result set Saints up to directly nullify our threat, and also to attack our weaknesses. Did anybody notice how many times their forwards/midfield put Bikey under pressure immediately as soon as he had the ball at his feet? It was only a matter of time before a team did this and it's no surprise to me that Poortvliet was the man to do it.

In a nutshell, we were done by a team with a better tactician at the helm IMO.

The same manager who took coaching sessions for the Academy last season, obviously he took on board the way the 1st team played and may have even exchanged 'notes' with Coppell.
Who knows, but he was a bullseye yesterday.
Obviously if we played with vigour, intent and weren't so sluggish, it would have been a tighter match performance-wise.

[winchester_royal]

TBH I think some members of this board (aka floyd) need a reality check. One loss does not make us a bad team. Just like Wolves losing 3-0 to us didn't make them a bad team. We are still a leading contender in the promotion race, whether you think so or not.

[Alan Partridge]

To be putting this as a reason for the defeat is quite frankly laughable in all honesty. Even more scraping the barrel than some OTT reaction posts, not floyd's original one. Last week a Torquay player (first team player) has announced he has leaukemia, they won 4-1 and then fought back from 2 down to get a draw yesterday. Once the game kicks off that stuff gets put aside. I'm sure when their lad is skinning Rosenior I'm sure the thought in Rosenior's head is how tragic an accident it was

The last line sums it up very nicely to be fair. People talk about Birmingham being lucky and grinding wins out, well yeah thats the aim of football. They can be 2-1 down at a place like Swansea look at their bench and see 2 or 3 really class players that can change the game. Coppell looks to his bench and sees Long and Gunnarsson.

Reading's first XI is a match for anyone in the league. But it's a squad game and Reading's squad in the key areas of the field, especially in an attacking sense is woefully short of quality and numbers.

[rotherwick_royal]

Honestly don't know what to make of Saturday. We always seem to make teams at the bottom of the division look good, but this was something else. I'm hoping that it was just 'one of those things' but that's what the Pompey game last year was put down to and look what happened to our season after that.

We don't seem to have any backbone any more, maybe we haven't since Sidwell left. We can't grind out results, we either smash teams or struggle. For the first time this season I thought we missed Murty too. We desperately could have done with his leadership. I wonder if he'll be back on the bench next week?

[West Stand Man]

Bringing on a player of Shane Long's negligible ability when chasing a game is not what a team chasing promotion to the Premiership should be doing.

Can't remember where I saw it mentioned but I echo it; Matejovsky linking up with Lita would offer so many more alternatives in a situation like todays.

.. and we should trust your judgement on the basis of precisely what experience as a manager?

[West Stand Man]

I simply can't be bothered to copy the whole of the original post and tear it to pieces. Suffice to say that far from being on the nail, it was largely rubbish. The reality check is that a very good team had an off day yesterday and a not very good team had a really outstanding day. It happens. Yesterday does not suddenly make Reading useless and nor does it suddenly make Saints a top 3 team.

As to the Long argument in this thread, let's not forget that Trapattoni also seems to rate him; but of course, he is only an international manager not a HNA pundit.

The Kebe argument is getting boring. He is an enigmatic and very creative player who is not the finished product. As has oft been cited on here and by many professional pundits, if he were the finished article he would not be plying his trade at Reading because we simply couldn't afford him.

Thus, get real. We are top 3 and will probably still be close to that as the season goes on. Few teams go a season without a fair few defeats and some of those will be to teams who should not have done it. That, my friend, is football and that is why it is such a great game. When it becomes predictable is when it becomes boring.

[rabidbee]

It's been said before on another thread, we don't really have a plan B when plan A does't work. We're also not very good when up against opposition who work hard and give us no time on the ball.

When not in possession, Southampton closed us down quickly, gave our players no time to think and forced numerous errors. (Add to that a general sloppiness about our play, yesterday, and we looked like numpties.) When in possession, Southampton's movement was just too good for us. Their number 20 ghosted into our box two or three times, completely unmarked, because all of the holding midfielders were pulled left and right by their men. Southampton certainly looked a better team than their position suggested, but that's probably true of a lot of teams in this division, given that a few points would shift most teams up or down quite a way.

Excellent strike by Wright-Philips for the winner. As I was sat in the north stand, I was some distance from the first goal. No suggestion of climbing? And I presume from the lack of complaints that Harper was offside for the disallowed goal?

At the end of the day, a better team outplayed us, we lost by a single goal, and it's only football anyway. It didn't ruin my evening.

[floyd__streete]

a not very good team had a really outstanding day.

So my original post was largely rubbish whilst your expert analysis was that a not very good team had a really outstanding day. So Southampton perfected such excellent passing and movement almost overnight did they? What jolly bad luck for us then. They are a young side with some very decent players, perhaps lacking in some older heads who might grab things by the scruff of the neck when things aren't going all their own way.

[readingbedding]

Here's another tired cliche.

Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater...

But don't worry folks, we have a fantastic manager and he won't do that.

[winchester_royal]

a not very good team had a really outstanding day.

So my original post was largely rubbish whilst your expert analysis was that a not very good team had a really outstanding day. So Southampton perfected such excellent passing and movement almost overnight did they? What jolly bad luck for us then. They are a young side with some very decent players, perhaps lacking in some older heads who might grab things by the scruff of the neck when things aren't going all their own way.

LOL. A good team does not end up at the bottom of the league. HTH.

[winchester_royal]

I simply can't be bothered to copy the whole of the original post and tear it to pieces. Suffice to say that far from being on the nail, it was largely rubbish. The reality check is that a very good team had an off day yesterday and a not very good team had a really outstanding day. It happens. Yesterday does not suddenly make Reading useless and nor does it suddenly make Saints a top 3 team.

As to the Long argument in this thread, let's not forget that Trapattoni also seems to rate him; but of course, he is only an international manager not a HNA pundit.

The Kebe argument is getting boring. He is an enigmatic and very creative player who is not the finished product. As has oft been cited on here and by many professional pundits, if he were the finsihed article he would not be plying his trade at Reading because we simply couldn't afford him.

Thus, get ral. We are top 3 and will probablt still be close to that as the season goes on. Few teams go a season without a fair few defeats and some of those will be to teams who should not have done it. That, my friend, is football and that is why it is such a great game. When it becomes predictable is when it becomes boring.

Post of the day.

[rabidbee]

LOL. A good team does not end up at the bottom of the league. HTH.

10 points separate 6th and 21st, the same gap as separates us from Wolves.

<Shrugs>