Back From The Game - Watford (H)

[Libertine]

Was speaking to a high name player after the game today, said he was disappointed with the performance but it wasn't through lack of effort, the team just have lost the winning touch. General consensus is the players really like BMD and want to play for him. A lot of the squad felt positive through the summer but the signals selling sig left and then failing to invest in the team has annoyed a lot of the more senior players and left the impression they were working against the board rather than with them to achieve the same goal. Zurabs a great player, good personality but thinks his lack of first time appearances is due to BMD wanting to build a partnership between mills and pearce for the long term. Long off in the summer if we don't go up, has made no noises about wanting to leave this season but has ambitions to play for celtic or a decent prem club.

Lastly, pitch hasn't helped the teams style for quite some time, makes it difficult to get it down and zip it into space because of how poor the surface is. Way worse on the actual pitch than it looks from the stand.

Can't divulge who it was, but nothing shocking in that.

Ya know, right after we sold Sigs the team announced that the next fixture (I forget which one but it was way up north) the team would travel by plane to instead of taking a coach. My initial reaction was "Hmmmmmm, this probably isn't going to sit to well with the rest of the squad". Having played team sports in the past, and in a limited sense currently with my bowling league particiaption, I would rather endure a bus ride with a friend and talented teammate than I would traveling in comfort without him.

The players knew what Sigs meant to the team. And they picked up the slack admirably in his absence. Once no one was brought in during the transfer window, to help fill that void which was created by his sale, the proverbial air went out of their bubble and the last 4-5 results bear that out. Heart and desire, which I feel this team has much of, can only take you so far.

[Jeffers217]

Was speaking to a high name player after the game today, said he was disappointed with the performance but it wasn't through lack of effort, the team just have lost the winning touch. General consensus is the players really like BMD and want to play for him. A lot of the squad felt positive through the summer but the signals selling sig left and then failing to invest in the team has annoyed a lot of the more senior players and left the impression they were working against the board rather than with them to achieve the same goal. Zurabs a great player, good personality but thinks his lack of first time appearances is due to BMD wanting to build a partnership between mills and pearce for the long term. Long off in the summer if we don't go up, has made no noises about wanting to leave this season but has ambitions to play for celtic or a decent prem club.

Lastly, pitch hasn't helped the teams style for quite some time, makes it difficult to get it down and zip it into space because of how poor the surface is. Way worse on the actual pitch than it looks from the stand.

Can't divulge who it was, but nothing shocking in that.

Ya know, right after we sold Sigs the team announced that the next fixture (I forget which one but it was way up north) the team would travel by plane to instead of taking a coach. My initial reaction was "Hmmmmmm, this probably isn't going to sit to well with the rest of the squad". Having played team sports in the past, and in a limited sense currently with my bowling league particiaption, I would rather endure a bus ride with a friend and talented teammate than I would traveling in comfort without him.

The players knew what Sigs meant to the team. And they picked up the slack admirably in his absence. Once no one was brought in during the transfer window, to help fill that void which was created by his sale, the proverbial air went out of their bubble and the last 4-5 results bear that out. Heart and desire, which I feel this team has much of, can only take you so far.

Very much agree and for once I would claim that "The Sig was bigger than the team"- in fact he's better than the whole of our current team put together and for all the fans who said they were expecting us to challenge as we only lost 1 player, are now being shown that they don't know a great deal about football! When he was here, we had an outlet through the middle as well as the wings. Now it's SO PREDICTABLE that we're gonna put it down the wings and consequently teams will double up on our wingers, like what happened today. Now we're really being shown for who we really are...a distinctly average mid table team.

How on earth those defenders have maintained their places is beyond me. Mills trying an overhead clearance made it look like we were watching a circus display. He has no connection whatsoever with Ivar, who I'm sorry, but has completely passed it. Great servant to the club but times change and you have to put out your best 11. The funny thing is that we have a premiership centre back sitting on the bench week in week out who, is great in the tackle, brings the ball out of the defence, and hasn't put a step wrong apart from i think 1 dodgy pass back this season. I do hope McDermott now realises the errors in his backline and plays Zurab alongside a fit again Pearce.

Fed- 6

Griffin- 6
Harte- 3
Mills- 4
Ivar- 5

Kebe- 6
McAnuff- 6
Howard- 6
Ledge- 8

Long- 7
Hunt- 5 (i'm sorry but he was shocking apart from the goal which was a gift)

Church- 5
HRK- 6
McCarthy- 7

[Libertine]

Very much agree and for once I would claim that "The Sig was bigger than the team"- in fact he's better than the whole of our current team put together and for all the fans who said they were expecting us to challenge as we only lost 1 player, are now being shown that they don't know a great deal about football! When he was here, we had an outlet through the middle as well as the wings. Now it's SO PREDICTABLE that we're gonna put it down the wings and consequently teams will double up on our wingers, like what happened today. Now we're really being shown for who we really are...a distinctly average mid table team.

How on earth those defenders have maintained their places is beyond me. Mills trying an overhead clearance made it look like we were watching a circus display. He has no connection whatsoever with Ivar, who I'm sorry, but has completely passed it. Great servant to the club but times change and you have to put out your best 11. The funny thing is that we have a premiership centre back sitting on the bench week in week out who, is great in the tackle, brings the ball out of the defence, and hasn't put a step wrong apart from i think 1 dodgy pass back this season. I do hope McDermott now realises the errors in his backline and plays Zurab alongside a fit again Pearce.

Fed- 6

Griffin- 6
Harte- 3
Mills- 4
Ivar- 5

Kebe- 6
McAnuff- 6
Howard- 6
Ledge- 8

Long- 7
Hunt- 5 (i'm sorry but he was shocking apart from the goal which was a gift)

Church- 5
HRK- 6
McCarthy- 7

I think the thing about Sigs that made him so special is he elevated the games of the players on the squad. His deliveries, his distribution, his awsome ability to create goals from set pieces, etc. made everybody else's job much easier. They were all better players with Sigs on the team. They are a talented lot in their own right. But Sigs was the glue which held the whole team together and was the difference between being a mid-table squad in a good Championship division and being promoted.

The defending is definitely a problem this year, often overshadowed by Long being the Lone Ranger up front. Not having Bertrand is showing and not having him created almost as big a hole as losing Sigs. I think we have a couple defenders whom are part of England's U-17(or U-19?) squad. Jack Mills is one and the name of the other lad escapes me. Point is we do have some good young talent in the system but how close are they to making an impact? But any player who represents their country at any level has to have talent.

[under the tin]

Now it's SO PREDICTABLE that we're gonna put it down the wings and consequently teams will double up on our wingers, like what happened today. Now we're really being shown for who we really are...a distinctly average mid table team.

That is spot on. We get possession, advance to 5-10 yards inside the opponents half, and the ball then goes sideways.
It's all very well using this style of play to stretch defences, but for it to work, it requires more movement off the ball from team mates, and support from the full backs. It also requires the wingers to deliver accurate ball into danger areas.
McAnuff got tackled before he could deliver, and Kebe's crosses were seldom accurate.

We are over reliant on our wingers because it is painfully obvious that we have no threat through the middle.
It makes it relatively simple for opponents to set their stall out against us, because we are so predictable.

But any player who represents their country at any level has to have talent.

.
Really? HRK is a full international.

[under the tin]

It was interesting that McD said he would like to sign Leigertwood permanently and also interesting that he made no other comment about it - no "so I hope we can", "It depends what happens at the end of the season", "I'll be asking the Chairman" nothing. Just a statement that he'd like to sign him permanently, which, to my mind at least, gave me the impression that he knows he hasn't got a hope in hell for whatever reason.

Leigertwood was the best Reading player on the pitch (again).

Maybe, just maybe, McD is not counting his chickens like some on this forum.
Put yourself in QPR's position. Do you think that they haven't noticed the impact he has had here?
With that in mind, do you think that opposition managers haven't noticed it either?
Do you not think that the performances he has given will have increased his market value?

Personally, I don't think that it's a shoe-in that he will be a Reading asset next season.
Should QPR decide to sell, they will naturally go for the best price.
I suspect that there are other clubs who will be prepared to offer more than we will, and maybe better wages as well.

[RoyalJames101]

Griffin- 6
Harte- 3
Mills- 4
Ivar- 5

Are you for real?!

[Royal Lady]

It was interesting that McD said he would like to sign Leigertwood permanently and also interesting that he made no other comment about it - no "so I hope we can", "It depends what happens at the end of the season", "I'll be asking the Chairman" nothing. Just a statement that he'd like to sign him permanently, which, to my mind at least, gave me the impression that he knows he hasn't got a hope in hell for whatever reason.

Or that he knows we can't sign anybody until June.

Today was shit, but Howard played well and Federici made a good save. It was quite exciting when MacAnuff and Kebe got the ball and at elast we didn't lose.

^^^agreed...

Why McD was even asked that question is beyond me... still 1/4 of this season left...besides RL I thought you were boycotting the club next season due to the ST fiasco so why are you that worried...

#nofishingtripo

It's not like he's talking about some player who is currently playing for another team is it? And fishing trip or not, I've NEVER said I was "boycotting the club" I've been trying to ask the club WHY we have to pay for our STs so early this year, and trying to get them to realise that they may have shot themselves in the foot. I may not renew my ST, but never said anything about not going to games. Still, you probably laughed at your comments, so well done.

[Gobsheik]

Since when has our games v Watford been highly entertaining, open, fast flowing, attacking football. They've always been boring, mediocre games ending in a draw, that I can remember.

[TFF]

Lol @ good finish for the goal. Even Church wouldn't have missed that header

He'd give it a damn good go though

[Zammo]

I've been playing the Hal Robson-Kanu game recently. You know when to leave and catch the bus; the moment HRK enters the playing field. Nothing ever happens when he is on the pitch.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Federici: LRF, poor game? WTF are you on about???

First half he was poor.

No communication, no presence at the back. Balls were flying into the box and defenders were putting it out of touch when Federici knew he could have got them. Number of shots were spilled in the 6 yard box.

[Big Foot]

1-0 win, Kevin Watson deflected winner in 2002

[bobbybottler]

1-0 win, Kevin Watson deflected winner in 2002

Is that the one where Marcus made a gr8 penalty save?

[Big Foot]

1-0 win, Kevin Watson deflected winner in 2002

Is that the one where Marcus made a gr8 penalty save?

I believe so, literally flying to his bottom left to thwart Neil Cox

[Big Foot]

^ Quick check on Archived match reports confirmed it was

Following season, 2-1 win with a dubious goal in the 88th minute after the ball had gone out of play

[loyalroyal7]

Federici: LRF, poor game? WTF are you on about???

First half he was poor.

No communication, no presence at the back. Balls were flying into the box and defenders were putting it out of touch when Federici knew he could have got them. Number of shots were spilled in the 6 yard box.

Totally agree ! He was poor kicking was dreadfull got injured through him spilling a ball no communication between him and harte Again ! I hope alex comes in and does well

Yes fedders can shoy save but his mistake out way the pros if we dont make the playoffs he can be blamed for a few dropped points

[Victor Meldrew]

Not sure about Feds-a good shot-stopper but there appears to be little communication with his defenders.
We have two ex-Premiership defenders with vast experience plus two club captains at centre-back and yet so often nobody will take responsibility.
We could easily have been 4 or 5 down in that first half (somebody posted the other day that they felt that a team would hit us for 6 before the season ends despite our apparently reasonable defensive record).
Incidentally somebody made the point about teams doubling up on our wingers-maybe that is why Ledge has done so well because of the space that then must be available in central midfield areas?
He has done so well for us and yet whoever has played alongside him in midfield has failed to take advantage of the possession that he has had.
None of our other central midfielders are good enough passers and you have to wonder where we might be if Gylfi were still there taking advantage of a partnership with Ledge.

[Turns8]

Regarding Feds...anyone think he may have been carrying this injury for a while now!!! and it finally went yesterday...could this be why we haven't loaned out Andersen again?also noticed in the last couple of games that Feds does his warm up and is then given some tablets to take by one of the coaching staff...just sayin' like...not trying to defend his so-called 'poor form'...

Maybe just maybe some of the players are playing with niggles which none of us know about...

[loyalroyal7]

yes i think he has had a injury BUT he must be ok to play or he would have been rested, the mistakes he makes shouldnt happen even if hes inured i.e spilling shots and not communicating and its not as if they are new players in our back four all experienced and can speak english so there no excuses.

As for people saying where would we be if we had the sig..... thats talking crap we lost him 3 games into the season which means more than long enough for someone to step up to the plate mcd has had time to spend money or get a loan player in with sigs quality im afraid next season will be worse for us we are sure to loose good players ! lets hope next year people arent saying where would we be if we had long karacan mills

[West Stand Man]

[

First half he was poor.

No communication, no presence at the back. Balls were flying into the box and defenders were putting it out of touch when Federici knew he could have got them. Number of shots were spilled in the 6 yard box.

Seriously, do you actually watch the game or just make up baseless criticism?