What is the point in HRK

[Royalclapper]

Think the main problem is that he's got to find a way of being more effective or at least having a reasonable impact on games.

You're just not going to get silky smooth flawlessly skilled players at our level and neither are they all going to be swashbuckling heroes. I thought on Sat for instance he needed to get closer to Pog when the inevitable long balls and physical struggle ensued. Thus, there would have been another presence getting at their back line or looking for lay offs etc. Instead Pog battled away on his own often with only Mackie looking to get involved.

You just can't keep hiding and being a wage thief when others with their own limitations and mistakes at least try and create an edge for themselves. even if they do make errors.

[WestRoyal]

Think the main problem is that he's got to find a way of being more effective or at least having a reasonable impact on games.

You're just not going to get silky smooth flawlessly skilled players at our level and neither are they all going to be swashbuckling heroes. I thought on Sat for instance he needed to get closer to Pog when the inevitable long balls and physical struggle ensued. Thus, there would have been another presence getting at their back line or looking for lay offs etc. Instead Pog battled away on his own often with only Mackie looking to get involved.

You just can't keep hiding and being a wage thief when others with their own limitations and mistakes at least try and create an edge for themselves. even if they do make errors.

I entirely see your point and I know he should be doing much better but 'wage thief' and 'what's the point of him' I think is harsh

[ladida_gunner_graham]

He's the guy people love to criticise on here at the moment so every negative thing he does will be magnified. That's what happens with a scapegoat.

It's the sheer volume of negatives, compared to absence of positives that makes HRK such a worthy team Scapegoat. It may also be the difference between what he hints at being capable of, and what he actually produces that frustrates and annoys and elevates him to Scapegoatery ahead of Gunther, Blackman or increasingly, Obita. In reality he's no worse than Blackman, but that's really damning with faint praise.

[WestRoyal]

He's the guy people love to criticise on here at the moment so every negative thing he does will be magnified. That's what happens with a scapegoat.

It's the sheer volume of negatives, compared to absence of positives that makes HRK such a worthy team Scapegoat. It may also be the difference between what he hints at being capable of, and what he actually produces that frustrates and annoys and elevates him to Scapegoatery ahead of Gunther, Blackman or increasingly, Obita. In reality he's no worse than Blackman, but that's really damning with faint praise.

Enlighten me as I must have missed this

[Esteban]

HRK is one of those players you wouldn't be too disappointed to see leave, but you know that he'd come back with another team and dick all over us.

[Colin Cheeselog]

I would be absolutely delighted to see him leave and would have no concern at all about him performing well against us in the future, as he's demonstrated repeatedly that he can't make any impact against teams even worse than us.

I resent the fact that I pay to watch him steal £1m per year from my club.

[Angry Shed Sex]

HRK is one of those players you wouldn't be too disappointed to see leave, but you know that he'd come back with another team and dick all over us.

Thus completing what I like to call the circle of cuntishness.

[paddy20]

Can never understand why new managers all come in and seem to really rate him. Can only put it down to what they see in training. I wonder if thats the equivalent to a yes man?

In reality Reading fans have only ever seen a poor performer that very occasionally does something. As thats over 7 years or so(?) I can't see that changing.

On the Radio they keep saying they don't understand why a player of his ability, pace, strength and skill does not live up to expectations. It could be because he just doesn't have all those perceived abilities.

No one wants to talk ill of one of our own but perhaps its more unfair to him for us to think that he doesn't try as opposed to he does try his best but unfortunately its mostly not good enough

[Ian Royal]

I just think he's stayed too long and is too comfortable here. He's got stale and a fresh challenge is needed. He's not a bad player, he's just coasting and not reaching even half the potential he could. That's not to say he isn't trying. There's just something not quite right there.

[WestRoyal]

He needs to come onto this forum for some confidence building but Ian royal's level headed approach is probably right.

[Snowball]

1,902 Minutes, (League & Cups) for 3 Goals 1 Assist = A goal/assist every 475 minutes

He's been a disappointment since the promise of the last Premiership season,
there can be no doubting that. I personally thought he had over-trained, got
too bulky and "muscle-bound".

But still this season he's done some absolutely crucial stuff for us.

Scored the winning goal at Cardiff, FA Cup

Scored a cracking goal at Derby, FA Cup

Beautiful pass for the assist, Yakuza's clinching goal, Derby, FA Cup

(also scored in the 2-1 League win over Norwich)

He didn't play his first 90-minute game until October 25th.
Wasn't in the squad for 13 games, and an unused sub for two others.

[ladida_gunner_graham]

Scored the winning goal at Cardiff, FA Cup

Scored a cracking goal at Derby, FA Cup

Beautiful pass for the assist, Yakuza's clinching goal, Derby, FA Cup

(also scored in the 2-1 League win over Norwich)

And there we have it. Nearly 32 hours of pitch time neatly summed up in 4 sentences, with almost nothing of consequence omitted.

So if the point is that he CAN do it, then he either should, on something resembling a regular basis, or f*** the f*** off.

[Forbury Lion]

HRK is one of those players you wouldn't be too disappointed to see leave, but you know that he'd come back with another team and dick all over us.

Ah to think we could have kept Michael Antonio instead of HRK

[Hopeful]

We should give him a Wales shirt to wear during matches, he seems to play well for them.

Agree with earlier post where he has bulked up, and this seems to have slowed him down in taking on players.

I suspect he prefers to play behind a striker, but just plays where the manager puts him. He is not a traditional winger in the 4-4-2 sense, more of attacking left of a 3, in a 4-3-3 sense.

I'd be happy for him to stay, if only as he can cover both those roles "reasonably" well, until such time when Clarke gets in the players he wants.

[Platypuss]

Hey, Hey, HRK,
How many crosses did you shank today?

(Might ring a few bells for the older generation)

[Snowball]

McCleary, this season is SO much better than HRK, right?




1,902 Minutes, (League & Cups) for 3 Goals 1 Assists = A goal/assist every 475 minutes HRK
1,375 Minutes, (League & Cups) for 0 Goals 3 Assists = A goal/assist every 458 minutes McCleary


The third (alleged) assist against McCleary is for Mackie's goal v Brighton.

IMO neither of Mackie's goals were really assisted.
He did a lot of his own work, beating players etc.


So for all the "promise" and alleged excitement, GMac is performing about the same as HRK
but HRK has weighed in with some very important goals

[Turns8]

Wasn't one of HRK's goals that horribly scuffed penalty though, which he was a tad lucky to score from...the guy flatters to deceive...he will hopefully be one of the rumoured nine to be off at the end of the season...

[Haag Royal]

At least Gmac is exciting to watch and tries to get past his man.

Just two things that make him stand out from HRK.

[Hoop Blah]

McCleary, this season is SO much better than HRK, right?
.....

So for all the "promise" and alleged excitement, GMac is performing about the same as HRK
but HRK has weighed in with some very important goals

To be fair I think McLeary has been pretty poor this season as well. He's had injury problems of course but he's failed to live up to his pretty high standards and has been in and out of the side as a result.

He might not get the level of flack that Robson-Kanu gets on here but McLeary has had his critics too (certainly where I sit if not on here so much)

[Ian Royal]

Spot on Hoop.

And this is where a stat focused approach breaks down. Because McCleary stands out comparatively positively more than HRK in poor performances and the really bad ones are fewer and further between. The end product may be no more, or in fact less, but performance isn't solely end product in most cases.

This is why stats should be for supporting and checking an opinion, not forming one based mainly on them.