Please can we have some realism

[andrew1957]

I tend to agree that our problems are greater in midfield than defence. The defence has been left exposed on many occasions this season and inevitably they will make mistakes if they do not get enough cover.

Apart from Sonko - who if I am honest I have never thought had PL ability (he is great with his head but all too often slow to react with his feet - the start of last season was no different but he seemed to get away with it more) - our defence is ok. Murty has been good recently and apart from the second goal yesterday - has made few errors this season. Ingi had a poor start to the season but has been back to his best recently and the same applies o Shorey. Shorey is a vital member of the team and creates many of our goals and the central defenders and central midfielders have to fill the gap he leaves when he goes forward. For me Bikey is a far better player than Sonko and I am surprised he has had so few chances thus season. I suspect SC feels he is too young to consistently perform in a position which needs "experience".

Going back to the match yesterday I thought it was more a case of two great attacking performances than just poor defending. Obviously you can blame the defence and/or goalkeeper for every goal but the reality is that defenders make mistakes in every game and are not always punished for them. Yesterday mistakes were ruthlessly turned into goals by both attacks.

If you look at Spurs goals. I thought goal 1 was a great move - yes Reading should have defended better but we have scored many similar goals - it is difficult to defend that sort of cross. The second was a Murty howler as acknowledged but a lesser striker may well have missed. The third was a superb piece of skill by Berbatov. I thought the 4th was just a great goal - the defence did not do much wrong. The penalty was down to Sonko clumsiness and the Defoe encroachment and for me the 6th goal should not have counted as Bebatov clearly fouled Ingi and literally handed him off - which I have always understood is illegal.

Portsmouth had a mare yesterday so lets hope they are low on confidence. We have scored 5 and 6 on NYD the last two years - maybe Tuesday it will be 7!! I will be there hoping so anyway.

[handbags_harris]

Portsmouth had a mare yesterday so lets hope they are low on confidence. We have scored 5 and 6 on NYD the last two years - maybe Tuesday it will be 7!! I will be there hoping so anyway.

For the statto's amongst us (The Cube, strap, AndyRFC, myself) that's an excellent stat that I for one hadn't thought of...gotta be worth a quid or 2?

[Daniella]

The last two seasons we were playing crap sides. Pompey have one of the best away records in the prem, they score goals galore. We have the second worst defence and can;t remember the last time we won convincingly at home. Only a mad man would say 7-0 reading.

[floyd__streete]

can;t remember the last time we won convincingly at home.

Liverpool.


I can't really understand the 'we conceded six but, woo, we scored four' mentality here. To lead a game 3 times and still get well and truly beaten is a triumph of sheer slapstick proportions. Roll on the transfer window.

[Arch]

can;t remember the last time we won convincingly at home.

Liverpool.


I can't really understand the 'we conceded six but, woo, we scored four' mentality here. To lead a game 3 times and still get well and truly beaten is a triumph of sheer slapstick proportions. Roll on the transfer window.

People's comments are driven by what they read from others. There was plenty enough to talk about yesterday, some great some awful. So when you find people dwelling on the bad, there's an inclination to talk up the good (and vice-versa, obviously). I don't see anyone anywhere defending the defending, but for me the enduring memory of the game will be leading in the second half and continuing to take the game to them. It was one of the most exciting Reading performances I've ever seen and I'm reluctant to let negativity about our obviously glaring deficiencies spoil that.

[floyd__streete]

People's comments are driven by what they read from others. There was plenty enough to talk about yesterday, some great some awful. So when you find people dwelling on the bad, there's an inclination to talk up the good (and vice-versa, obviously). I don't see anyone anywhere defending the defending, but for me the enduring memory of the game will be leading in the second half and continuing to take the game to them. It was one of the most exciting Reading performances I've ever seen and I'm reluctant to let negativity about our obviously glaring deficiencies spoil that.

Fair comments as ever, Arch.

However, you learn more out of defeat. To say 'never mind the six, feel the attacking quality' is to say that we don't analyse the glaring, schoolboy mistakes we have been making all season - and indeed the people who keep on making them - hence why we have managed a mere one clean sheet from the last 17 Premier League games.

[Royal Rother]

People's comments are driven by what they read from others. There was plenty enough to talk about yesterday, some great some awful. So when you find people dwelling on the bad, there's an inclination to talk up the good (and vice-versa, obviously). I don't see anyone anywhere defending the defending, but for me the enduring memory of the game will be leading in the second half and continuing to take the game to them. It was one of the most exciting Reading performances I've ever seen and I'm reluctant to let negativity about our obviously glaring deficiencies spoil that.

Fair comments as ever, Arch.

However, you learn more out of defeat. To say 'never mind the six, feel the attacking quality' is to say that we don't analyse the glaring, schoolboy mistakes we have been making all season -

Sorry, but no it isn't saying that, or anything like it.

[andrew1957]

The last two seasons we were playing crap sides. Pompey have one of the best away records in the prem, they score goals galore. We have the second worst defence and can;t remember the last time we won convincingly at home. Only a mad man would say 7-0 reading.

Maybe we can win 7-5 and break the record again!

[handbags_harris]

The last two seasons we were playing crap sides. Pompey have one of the best away records in the prem, they score goals galore. We have the second worst defence and can;t remember the last time we won convincingly at home. Only a mad man would say 7-0 reading.

West Ham crap, yes. Cardiff not so. Everything's relative really. It's possible to concede 7 and have a good side. It's almost certain to not happen, but almost certain isn't ABSOLUTELY certain...and we do owe them one.

And just where did anyone say it would end 7-0?

[floyd__streete]

Fair comments as ever, Arch.

However, you learn more out of defeat. To say 'never mind the six, feel the attacking quality' is to say that we don't analyse the glaring, schoolboy mistakes we have been making all season -

Sorry, but no it isn't saying that, or anything like it.

Well, I find it truly bizarre that some people seem to be rather satisfied with losing a lead three times and conceding six in the process.

[Royal Rother]

Fair comments as ever, Arch.

However, you learn more out of defeat. To say 'never mind the six, feel the attacking quality' is to say that we don't analyse the glaring, schoolboy mistakes we have been making all season -

Sorry, but no it isn't saying that, or anything like it.

Well, I find it truly bizarre that some people seem to be rather satisfied with losing a lead three times and conceding six in the process.

Nobody is satisfied with losing a lead 3 times or conceding 6 goals - they are satisfied that they witnessed a quite brilliant attacking performance from our team that gave huge enjoyment and only served to increase confidence in our ability to stay in this league.

You are making inaccurate interpretations and putting wrong words in people's mouths here Floyd.

[Old Biscuitman]

Too many "Monday morning quarter backs on here" to borrow an excellent phrase from our NFL friends. For me the present rollercoaster, with its extraordinary moments, is a lot of fun. In fact, most fun RFC has provided in years and years.

[floyd__streete]

Nobody is satisfied with losing a lead 3 times or conceding 6 goals - they are satisfied that they witnessed a quite brilliant attacking performance from our team that gave huge enjoyment and only served to increase confidence in our ability to stay in this league.

So you are more convinced than ever we are staying up after see us ship 6 of the poorest of goals you could wish to see (Malbranque and encroachment excepted) in a defeat which moves us two points closer to the drop zone? I think it is all about personal interpretation of the situation I guess. Reading winning > being 'entertained' . Although, admittedly, entertaining defeat > abject loss.

[PEARCEY]

Nobody is satisfied with losing a lead 3 times or conceding 6 goals - they are satisfied that they witnessed a quite brilliant attacking performance from our team that gave huge enjoyment and only served to increase confidence in our ability to stay in this league.

So you are more convinced than ever we are staying up after see us ship 6 of the poorest of goals you could wish to see (Malbranque and encroachment excepted) in a defeat which moves us two points closer to the drop zone? I think it is all about personal interpretation of the situation I guess. Reading winning > being 'entertained' . Although, admittedly, entertaining defeat > abject loss.

Floyd. Get off your low horse pleeeeease.
It was not an abject loss. We played some great stuff and scored some cracking goals. So did Spurs who have now scored more goals than Arsenal. Berbatov blows hot and cold. He was at boiling point yesterday.
We all know about the defensive frailties although in the previous five games the side have been a lot tighter.
I dont see any reason why we cannot beat Pompey. Yes they have a good away record but our home form is pretty damned good. A win tomorrow will keep us well clear of trouble. We still have a six point buffer which with the teams below us struggling to average a point per game is a decent gap. Lets not forget that.

[floyd__streete]

a quite brilliant attacking performance from our team

I think that this comment is something of a red herring too! You should work in PR.

Two goals scored from corners and one a gift from a poorly dealt with free kick against a side notoriously weak at defending pieces. One could argue that the chances missed by the generally immaculate Kitson at 2-1 were actually bad attacking play! Two poor defences made this such a high scoring game as opposed to particularly good attacking play. And - surprise surprise - our defence was the poorer (albeit vastly more inexpensively assembled) of the two .

[Royal Rother]

So you are more convinced than ever we are staying up after see us ship 6 of the poorest of goals you could wish to see

As ever, our glasses are not 50% full in the same measures.

I am actually more convinced than ever we are staying up after seeing us rip Tottenham's defence to shreds, score 4 and fluff 2 or 3 brilliant chances.

I am also happy enough that the management and coaching staff will fix the defensive problems in due course - their record of fixing things hasn't been too bad over the last 3 years and they deserve a little more faith than many on here seem prepared to give them.

[floyd__streete]

Floyd. Get off your low horse pleeeeease.
It was not an abject loss.

I dont see any reason why we cannot beat Pompey. Yes they have a good away record but our home form is pretty damned good. A win tomorrow will keep us well clear of trouble. We still have a six point buffer which with the teams below us struggling to average a point per game is a decent gap. Lets not forget that.

My apologies PEARCEY - I actually intended to say that a ding-dong defeat like yesterday was far better than an abject loss, for instance Bolton away. Yesterday was far from an abject loss! My apologies for putting my point across clumsily. Your point regarding the six point buffer is a fair one and we would all have taken such a buffer at this stage back in October.

[PEARCEY]

Floyd. Get off your low horse pleeeeease.
It was not an abject loss.

I dont see any reason why we cannot beat Pompey. Yes they have a good away record but our home form is pretty damned good. A win tomorrow will keep us well clear of trouble. We still have a six point buffer which with the teams below us struggling to average a point per game is a decent gap. Lets not forget that.

My apologies PEARCEY - I actually intended to say that a ding-dong defeat like yesterday was far better than an abject loss, for instance Bolton away. Yesterday was far from an abject loss! My apologies for putting my point across clumsily. Your point regarding the six point buffer is a fair one and we would all have taken such a buffer at this stage back in October.

My apologies to because I can see what you were saying now....

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

So you are more convinced than ever we are staying up after see us ship 6 of the poorest of goals you could wish to see

As ever, our glasses are not 50% full in the same measures.

I am actually more convinced than ever we are staying up after seeing us rip Tottenham's defence to shreds, score 4 and fluff 2 or 3 brilliant chances.

I am also happy enough that the management and coaching staff will fix the defensive problems in due course - their record of fixing things hasn't been too bad over the last 3 years and they deserve a little more faith than many on here seem prepared to give them.

thats all well and good but what if its not what is being preached by the coaches when it comes to our poor defending and niavety, rather that some players are simply not good enough to cope with doing their job and have shown to be naive to the way premiership defending is all about. My main concern is that this is so, several members of the first team have reached a plateau and simply will not be able to replicate or increase their performances, another words their time is up. The players who are clearly not up to earning a 1st team spot are being carried by other players which makes us look more niave.

[ScottishRoyal]

One thing that has been common the season is the lack of awareness from our CB pairings. None seem to know who's around them when clearing the ball and just hoof the thing when under no pressure and surrounded by RFC players like Harps or the full backs. This just gives away possession and is criminal, especially when playing away from home against such good counter attacking teams like Spurs.