Brian Howard

[Focher]

I have seen other people refer to BH as this and I couldn't agree more.

In his defence he did very well for us on Saturday eve but he really is the epitome of a modern day footballer who seems to want to put as little effort in as possible for the greatest reward.

His gesticulations towards the ref, other players etc makes him look like Roy Keane (the ultimate whinger) and yet he plays like James Lambert most of the time.

He has been effective for us (IMO) in 1 game and that was Donny.

I really hope he begins to be more effective but he annoys more intensely than any other player ever has who played for us.

(I hated Keith Scott because he was the worst player I have ever seen in a Reading shirt)

Am I over reacting to Billy ? Does he have qualities that I am just not seeing ?

to sum up, id say your post is an absolute load of bollocks.

ive not noticed the whinging anymore than others around him, he has obvious quality (that he has not shown consistantly yet) and certainly works hard.

I don't understand why he annoys you more than Long, Pearce, Federici (at times) and Rasiak

[SLAMMED]

Billy big bollo*?

Why not just say Billy big bollocks.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

I'd say this thread is a load of bollocks.

See the other Howard thread for my views on him.

[W&E Royal]

I have seen other people refer to BH as this and I couldn't agree more.

In his defence he did very well for us on Saturday eve but he really is the epitome of a modern day footballer who seems to want to put as little effort in as possible for the greatest reward.

His gesticulations towards the ref, other players etc makes him look like Roy Keane (the ultimate whinger) and yet he plays like James Lambert most of the time.

He has been effective for us (IMO) in 1 game and that was Donny.

I really hope he begins to be more effective but he annoys more intensely than any other player ever has who played for us.

(I hated Keith Scott because he was the worst player I have ever seen in a Reading shirt)

Am I over reacting to Billy ? Does he have qualities that I am just not seeing ?

I suppose you like Matejovsky?

[strap]

I really hope he begins to be more effective but he annoys more intensely than any other player ever has who played for us, except Kebe of course.

Correction added. My pleasure.

[Franchise FC]

May I ask what the hell has brought this on ?

[Ian Royal]

Crowthorne can't complain about the results, or performance. So he lays into a player instead.

Never a good word to say. They guy is tedious and pathetic.

[rfcjoe]

Tbf, I've been impressed when I've heard him speak. He talks sense, and doesn't bullshit.

A fan in saying a player is a big time charlie SHOCKER!

[FiNeRaIn]

Howard may be a candidate for worst player along side Ivar tonight.

[Franchise FC]

Howard may be a candidate for worst player along side Ivar tonight.

And the good news is that it doesn't matter because it's a team game, we won and no-one really cares how we do it.

[Dirk Gently]

Howard may be a candidate for worst player along side Ivar tonight.

And the good news is that it doesn't matter because it's a team game, we won and no-one really cares how we do it.

And, indeed, there always has to be a worst player, unless they always put in identical performances, and so every player can be expected to be "worst" 9.1% of the time (excluding substitutes).

[Thaumagurist*]

Hadn't had got in the way?

"Hadn't have got in the way", surely.

(Correcting the pedant, dangerous territory ...)

I would have thought that:

"Hadn't got in the way"

would be more correct.

[Hoop Blah]

He will have better and worse games though, that's just the nature of players at his level so I'm not sure you can put it down to Rodgers misusing him and McDermott being the hero by getting a decent game out of him.

Like I said, he'll have the odd good game as well as the odd bad game.

Ian Royal, After praising McDermott for getting the best out of him blah blah blah what would you say was the problem last night when Howard was, for the most part, a bit of a passenger (although I don't think he was as bad as quite a few have made out).

[Ferris]

Did Howard not set-up our first goal last night?

[papereyes]

Howard may be a candidate for worst player along side Ivar tonight.

And the good news is that it doesn't matter because it's a team game, we won and no-one really cares how we do it.

And, indeed, there always has to be a worst player, unless they always put in identical performances, and so every player can be expected to be "worst" 9.1% of the time (excluding substitutes).

Actually agree here, to some extent.
I do think a lot of RFC fans need to get some perspective on players' performances and ratings - players do have bad games from time, and saying that player X had a bad game doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad fan or you have some deep emotional feeling about the player. A good majority of comments on players on here seem to be "X had a bad game" and then someone says "WHY DO WE ALWAYS NEED A SCAPEGOAT "

And frankly, I want to cave in the skull of that second person.

It's an opinion. We're a championship side. By definition, our players are going to rack up the 'meh' games.

[Terminal Boardom]

I think the problem lies with the way that we line up. Lat night Howard was positioned on the left and tbf, he struggled. When he came inside after Jem wnt off it got worse as it let Boris pretty much on his own. As with Sig, who is a much better option on the left, it really is a luxury we can ill aford to have an attack minded CM when playing 4 across the middle. Howard looked good against Donny as there was the added security of Jem and Boris behind him. Personally, I think Sig is a better player than Howard as he is more versatile and generally offers more around the park.

[FiNeRaIn]

And the good news is that it doesn't matter because it's a team game, we won and no-one really cares how we do it.

And, indeed, there always has to be a worst player, unless they always put in identical performances, and so every player can be expected to be "worst" 9.1% of the time (excluding substitutes).

Actually agree here, to some extent.
I do think a lot of RFC fans need to get some perspective on players' performances and ratings - players do have bad games from time, and saying that player X had a bad game doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad fan or you have some deep emotional feeling about the player. A good majority of comments on players on here seem to be "X had a bad game" and then someone says "WHY DO WE ALWAYS NEED A SCAPEGOAT "

And frankly, I want to cave in the skull of that second person.

It's an opinion. We're a championship side. By definition, our players are going to rack up the 'meh' games.

But howard was hailed a saviour after one good game, surely it works the other way around when he's crap as maguire pointed out?

[Ian Royal]

I think the problem lies with the way that we line up. Lat night Howard was positioned on the left and tbf, he struggled. When he came inside after Jem wnt off it got worse as it let Boris pretty much on his own. As with Sig, who is a much better option on the left, it really is a luxury we can ill aford to have an attack minded CM when playing 4 across the middle. Howard looked good against Donny as there was the added security of Jem and Boris behind him. Personally, I think Sig is a better player than Howard as he is more versatile and generally offers more around the park.

But he seemed to play well with Marek in the middle.

I suspect he'll be fine with a little less licence to get forward once Sig is back. He's not a wide player though. Thats for sure.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Howard when he arrived at the club put in a couple of great performances from the centre of midfield then went walk abouts in a poor team under BR before getting injured at Derby - I wondered why we we had signed him!!

Having come on as a sub at Sheffield United and given it is all hIs all for 45 minutes in a game he should have started he goes on to play well against Donny yet last night agsinsyt Plymouth he looked lost on the left side of midfield.

If Macadee continues to select Howard he needs to play him in the centre of midfield in a 4-4-2 formation or use him in a 4-4-1-1 formation as the link not on the left side of midfield.

[RoyalBlue]

And, indeed, there always has to be a worst player, unless they always put in identical performances, and so every player can be expected to be "worst" 9.1% of the time (excluding substitutes).

Actually agree here, to some extent.
I do think a lot of RFC fans need to get some perspective on players' performances and ratings - players do have bad games from time, and saying that player X had a bad game doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad fan or you have some deep emotional feeling about the player. A good majority of comments on players on here seem to be "X had a bad game" and then someone says "WHY DO WE ALWAYS NEED A SCAPEGOAT "

And frankly, I want to cave in the skull of that second person.

It's an opinion. We're a championship side. By definition, our players are going to rack up the 'meh' games.

But howard was hailed a saviour after one good game, surely it works the other way around when he's crap as maguire pointed out?

However, those without blinkers would probably argue that he was far from crap last night.

Some on hear probably yearn for lower league football where the measure of a player's ability appears largely to be how enthusiastically he runs around in circles and/or hurls himself into challenges. They struggle to cope with seeing more refined player!!

I reckon that, as an attacking midfielder Howard had a pretty good game last night. He showed a lot of skill to beat defenders (to the extent that at times Plymouth started doubling up on him) and some absolutely delightful defence splitting passes, which had Marek played them (and I'm a Marek fan) would have had people purring with delight!

Just two examples: In the first half he showed a great piece of skill to completely wrong foot his two markers on the edge of the area and allow him to break free and in the second half he produced a similar trick but this time picked a fantastic reverse pass straight into Church's overlapping run into the area.

He also did his fair share of tracking back and getting challenges in (albeit not Bryn blood and guts style) and took the freekick which Long should have scored from, just a couple of yards out, when the keeper spilled Howard's initial effort.

Still, just like Caskey, I'm sure that some of our less refined football stylists will continue to refer to him as a fat,talentless, waste of space!