Back From The Game - Norwich

[Snowball]

Just how many times did Howard give the ball away when not under pressure? How many passes went to oppo players or out of play? 10? 15? More??? The longer the games went on the worse he got. He lost posession for the 2nd and gave away the free kick for the 3rd. Really bad day for Howard but whenever I see Reading play, this appears to be the norm.

So it's YOUR fault!


And if the above is true, and someone has to be booed, shouldn't it be the manager?

He could play Tabb in there.
He could play McAnuff in there and Antonio wide
He could play Antonio in there
He could spend 6-7 Million and get a creative goal-scoring midfielder from the Bundesliga

[Maguire]

Where to begin? Terrible first half, just terrible. Have any of those defenders actually met each other before? Norwich tore us to pieces again and again and I really did think we were likely to concede every time they poured forward.

Well they did, Mags. 4 Chancces 3 goals, one good save

So we didn't concede every time they poured forward? It's not just about "chances" - they created good openings eg. down the right where a better final ball would've had us in real trouble. Just got behind us way way too easily in the first half.

Yes we did dominate the game in the second half but I guess my point was that we just don't seem switched on enough to really stretch and work the opposition (ref: us getting outplayed by 10-man QPR). Personally I think you need to get the ball wide into crossing positions and fill the box with players when you do so. Just an opinion of course, but too many times for me someone gets it wide and then cuts in and tries to smash a shot through a crowd of players. Just get it wide, box it, and repeat. Imagine Little and Murty for example - they would've destroyed Noriwch in that situation. Instead you get Antonio haring about not really knowing what to do or where to run.

So yes, perhaps I'd rephrase "putting them under the cosh" as we clearly pressured them but I just think it could be more constructive.

[Kitson12]

Absoloutely pathetic cheering when Howard got subbed off. He was one of our best players at Cardiff and always gives 100%. He is always at the hub of everything good that we create. He set up Long at the start with some wonderful interplay. He did give the ball away a few times but that was due to a real lack of movement in front of him. I for one will be getting his name printed on the back of my new away shirt just to show my support. I know it won't make a difference but it disgusts me seeing one of our own players being abused or booed.

Agreed. He did some good stuff

But when fans decide to get on a player's back they only remember the errors.

He did one good thing, ONE! Now I don't agree with booing him off, that's no way to react to a player playing badly, but he was a useless pile of oxf*rd last night, and I'm amazed that there are some who think he played well yesterday.

[under the tin]

First half yesterday, NOBODY played well.

[Snowball]

Yes we did dominate the game in the second half but I guess my point was that we just don't seem switched on enough to really stretch and work the opposition (ref: us getting outplayed by 10-man QPR). Personally I think you need to get the ball wide into crossing positions and fill the box with players when you do so. Just an opinion of course, but too many times for me someone gets it wide and then cuts in and tries to smash a shot through a crowd of players. Just get it wide, box it, and repeat. Imagine Little and Murty for example - they would've destroyed Noriwch in that situation. Instead you get Antonio haring about not really knowing what to do or where to run.

So yes, perhaps I'd rephrase "putting them under the cosh" as we clearly pressured them but I just think it could be more constructive.

On the Football League program they were saying how impressed they were with

THE WAY READING KEPT IT WIDE, EVEN WIDER THAN WHEN IT WAS 11 V 11

On the right we were wide all the time. Yes sometimes we cut in, but it was very obvious
they were under orders to shoot on sight as if McDermott thought their keeper was dodgy.

On the left, for all the criticism Harte is getting for his forward play, I put most of it down to Church
who was the man inside him for most of the second half. He really DID keep cutting in looking for the shot
or the square ball to the centre for Karacan/Howard and then Karacan/McAnuff

Seemed to me that Harte went up the left time and again, got fed up of the ball never going there,
started staying square. The one time Church actually slips a ball through, but it was hit so hard Kebe
couldn't have got to it. They had "words".

I quite like Church but yesterday he had a poor one. Had he been near his best we'd've had two more goals

[Snowball]

First half yesterday, NOBODY played well.

Not even Norwich?

[Maguire]

Yes we did dominate the game in the second half but I guess my point was that we just don't seem switched on enough to really stretch and work the opposition (ref: us getting outplayed by 10-man QPR). Personally I think you need to get the ball wide into crossing positions and fill the box with players when you do so. Just an opinion of course, but too many times for me someone gets it wide and then cuts in and tries to smash a shot through a crowd of players. Just get it wide, box it, and repeat. Imagine Little and Murty for example - they would've destroyed Noriwch in that situation. Instead you get Antonio haring about not really knowing what to do or where to run.

So yes, perhaps I'd rephrase "putting them under the cosh" as we clearly pressured them but I just think it could be more constructive.

On the Football League program they were saying how impressed they were with

THE WAY READING KEPT IT WIDE, EVEN WIDER THAN WHEN IT WAS 11 V 11

On the right we were wide all the time. Yes sometimes we cut in, but it was very obvious
they were under orders to shoot on sight as if McDermott thought their keeper was dodgy.

On the left, for all the criticism Harte is getting for his forward play, I put most of it down to Church
who was the man inside him for most of the second half. He really DID keep cutting in looking for the shot
or the square ball to the centre for Karacan/Howard and then Karacan/McAnuff

Seemed to me that Harte went up the left time and again, got fed up of the ball never going there,
started staying square. The one time Church actually slips a ball through, but it was hit so hard Kebe
couldn't have got to it. They had "words".

I quite like Church but yesterday he had a poor one. Had he been near his best we'd've had two more goals

Yes but I was at the game so I couldn't give two shits what Steve Claridge or any other mug pundit said - as you note yourself, we didn't get wide on the left and there wasn't anough coming in from that side. I thought Harte did well enough but we paid the price for having not only no left footer out there (Hunt, Church) but no real winger in many instances.

[Schards#2]

Enjoyed the game, plenty of incident and controversy and, for the forseeable future, that is as much as we can hope for, to be entertained.

The club has no ambition to progress and its next nailbiting end of season will be trying to stave off relegation rather than trying to secure promotion. In the meantime, i'd rather watch games like yesterday rather than sterile one up front yawnfests.

[Ian Royal]

Howard certainly had a poor game today. But he's been good otherwise and creates a lot of our goals for us, so you'd surely have to be pushing a personal agenda to call for him to be dropped.

I just think we should try Tabb and Karacan, see if it works, if it doesn't so be it, but it's worth a go.

I think we'd be insane to drop the only midfielder we have with any real guile and creativity in his passing. With out him we're all hustle and bustle, far too direct. I've got him down as having 4 assists so far this season. Then there's a couple of other corners that have gone loose and been scored and at least one crucial ball through for someone else to put a ball across the goal we scored from.

He's like Matejovsky in that he'll make dodgy challenges and give the ball away a fair bit, but he's far more effective than the Czech and actually up to the pace of the game.

You don't drop someone to see if something works, just because he isn't perfect and had one bad game. Largely him and Karacan are working.

[PEARCEY]

Tabb should be in CM.I would prefer to see him play alongside Karacan. I know IanRoyal will argue they are too small to play alongside each other but Howard's not exactly a giant is he.
Howard's ok but I think Tabb offers more all round and has been very unlucky to be dropped from the starting line-up.

[Snowball]

I think we'd be insane to drop the only midfielder we have with any real guile and creativity in his passing. With out him we're all hustle and bustle, far too direct. I've got him down as having 4 assists so far this season. Then there's a couple of other corners that have gone loose and been scored and at least one crucial ball through for someone else to put a ball across the goal we scored from.

He's like Matejovsky in that he'll make dodgy challenges and give the ball away a fair bit, but he's far more effective than the Czech and actually up to the pace of the game.

You don't drop someone to see if something works, just because he isn't perfect and had one bad game. Largely him and Karacan are working.

Well said Ian.

[Snowball]

Tut tut Ian. I was suggesting a Tabb/Karacan central midfield partnership at the start of the season which you argued against as they were too small to be playing in partnership. Have you had second thoughts by any chance?

Pearcey, I think that's Kitts saying that


As for tiny midfielders, Bremner & Giles, anyone?


TBF I would love to see Optima Stats on the various midfielders. Agreed that stuff goes astray but I think Howard is worth his place at the moment.
Of course it MIGHT be that Tabb-Karacan is a reasonable try. I really like Tabb and Karacan should be in the 11 IMO

[nev monkey]

James Harper>>>>Sean Evers>>>>>Brian Howard

Nope

[PEARCEY]

Tut tut Ian. I was suggesting a Tabb/Karacan central midfield partnership at the start of the season which you argued against as they were too small to be playing in partnership. Have you had second thoughts by any chance?

Pearcey, I think that's Kitts saying that


As for tiny midfielders, Bremner & Giles, anyone?


TBF I would love to see Optima Stats on the various midfielders. Agreed that stuff goes astray but I think Howard is worth his place at the moment.
Of course it MIGHT be that Tabb-Karacan is a reasonable try. I really like Tabb and Karacan should be in the 11 IMO

In fairness I changed my post as I misinterpreted what Ian had said....so apols to Ian on that. I don't agree with that argument though. Tabb was very much part of the team that shot up the table last season and whilst he's not been at his best this season he was dropped pretty sharpish having only just come back from injury

[Snowball]

James Harper>>>>Sean Evers>>>>>Brian Howard

Nope

He meant THIS WEEK. Next week it'll be somebody else to slag as gash

[Ian Royal]

quick edit there Pearcey.

I'm not so sure the height is an issue anymore. But they are both hustle and bustle players, whereas Howard puts his foot on the ball and can usually find a good pass through tiny gaps. Personally I think Tabby is a bit better than Karacan (having not really seen a lot in him originally). I feel Karacan probably isn't going to progress a great deal more, but he's not done enough to be dropped.

We play far too much hoof it into the channels and at Long as it is. Without Howard that is all we'll do.

No dispute that Howard was very poor yesterday though.

As for the second half, we need to try and play more like that in every game. We kept the ball on the deck and passed it around, quick and well. I know it's much easier to do against ten men and we struggled to break through the defence, but we need to try more of it in games IMO.

As I've said before I'd be interested in seeing Tabb on the left whilst Kebe is out, to give us a striker to come off the bench and more defence down that flank. Church looked good in the hole again IMO.

[Snowball]

In fairness I changed my post as I misinterpreted what Ian had said....so apols to Ian on that. I don't agree with that argument though. Tabb was very much part of the team that shot up the table last season and whilst he's not been at his best this season he was dropped pretty sharpish having only just come back from injury

As the pundits said BEFORE Tabb came back, if I remember rightly, the first game back you can do it on adrenalin
and Tabby had a great one against Burnley but he had a bad day v Doncaster and looked heavy-legged, and dare
I say it, carrying a couple (actually might've been over-gymmed)

He didn't look brilliant at QPR either and I just think he needs sharpening. We can't be sure yet, either, how the injury/op has left him feeling

Tabb at his best I'd bring in for Howard's average this season. If Howard was at his best (and SEVEN POUNDS LIGHTER) then he'd edge it, IMO

And what is it with the weight? He really looks to be carrying a few too many (Howard)
maybe he gets tired after 60 minutes?

[Snowball]

I'm not so sure the height is an issue anymore. But they are both hustle and bustle players, whereas Howard puts his foot on the ball and can usually find a good pass through tiny gaps. Personally I think Tabby is a bit better than Karacan (having not really seen a lot in him originally). I feel Karacan probably isn't going to progress a great deal more, but he's not done enough to be dropped.

Tabb breaks through with the ball a bit more. Made a great goal like that for Gylfi last year.

Karacan is almost first-name-on-the-team-sheet, and not picking a fight but you need to SEE him, not listen to the radio or watch highlights. His stuff is often unsung. He just gets in the opposition face and breaks down moves. When ALL the players do it (like the first 60 minutes versus Cardiff) we are awesome. When it's just him it's not enough, but heaven help us without him

BTW I don't think anybody has mentioned the difference between yesterday and the first hour versus Cardiff. Against Cardiff we hassled brilliantly. We let Norwich have the ball and play their fancy 1-2 stuff. BIG MISTAKE!

As I've said before I'd be interested in seeing Tabb on the left whilst Kebe is out, to give us a striker to come off the bench and more defence down that flank. Church looked good in the hole again IMO.

Tabb left wing is very weak

I thought Church had a bad one yesterday, a lot of poor first touches and wrong options.

[Ian Royal]

I'm not so sure the height is an issue anymore. But they are both hustle and bustle players, whereas Howard puts his foot on the ball and can usually find a good pass through tiny gaps. Personally I think Tabby is a bit better than Karacan (having not really seen a lot in him originally). I feel Karacan probably isn't going to progress a great deal more, but he's not done enough to be dropped.

Tabb breaks through with the ball a bit more. Made a great goal like that for Gylfi last year.

Karacan is almost first-name-on-the-team-sheet, and not picking a fight but you need to SEE him, not listen to the radio or watch highlights. His stuff is often unsung. He just gets in the opposition face and breaks down moves. When ALL the players do it (like the first 60 minutes versus Cardiff) we are awesome. When it's just him it's not enough, but heaven help us without him

BTW I don't think anybody has mentioned the difference between yesterday and the first hour versus Cardiff. Against Cardiff we hassled brilliantly. We let Norwich have the ball and play their fancy 1-2 stuff. BIG MISTAKE!

As I've said before I'd be interested in seeing Tabb on the left whilst Kebe is out, to give us a striker to come off the bench and more defence down that flank. Church looked good in the hole again IMO.

Tabb left wing is very weak

I thought Church had a bad one yesterday, a lot of poor first touches and wrong options.

I've watched all of the last 6 games. Something you could easily have picked up on if you actually read other's posts properly.

How many times have you seen Tabb play on the left for us to make that decision snowball? Or are you making a baseless assertion with nothing to back it up?

[Snowball]

Tabb has played left wing both home and away, and I watched live.

He didn't have a great game doing it.



And you "watched" the last six games. How many live?

Or was it on the internet with that brilliant "quality", and one game on TV (HD I hope)