How disappointing - My thoughts on the Reading game

Well, I don't think Reading deserved it, but poor defending lead to both goals, and for the most part, Reading defended very well.

Where the **** was Santon for the first? And we just couldn't clear our lines for the 2nd.

We could have been 3-0 up at half time, but brilliant goalkeeping kept Reading in it.

I think it's time we really do need to consider what is to be done, in terms of management.

Ratings -

Krul - 6.5 - Couldn't really do much about the goals. He made some great punches and clearances. Awful kicking towards the end though.

Debuchy - 6.5 - Played very well for 60 minutes in attack and defence, but started slipping away towards the end.

Colo - 6.5 - Good for most of the game, but don't know what he was doing trying to dribble so much towards the end of the game. He gave Reading possession back. Good to see him react to the fans singing.

Willo - 7.5 - Anyone who attacks him today is a ****ing ******. He's been good for most his games in the last couple of months, and today he won 90% of his aerial challenges and played very well, apart from a few little errors.

Santon - 5.5 - Offered us a route forward, but got caught out a few times by that Kebe and simple balls over the top.

Anita - 6 - Sometimes he was a passenger, as he had to play a deep role and couldn't get forward. But some good defending when he had the chance.

Marv - 7.5 - Can't believe he came off. I heard it was an injury, but if it wasn't, then **** me Pardew... He was immense.

Cabaye - 7 - Some great passing and good goal. Could have had a couple more.

Shola - 3 - Meat and drink for readings defence. Apart from a few decent headers down, he really did **** all.

Cisse - 5.5 - Very good first half, only the keepers brilliant form stopped him for having a first half brace. Couldn't get into it 2nd half.

Perch - 5 - Didn't really make impact. In fact we looked worse off defensively. Can't really blame him for much though.

Bigi - 5 - Feel sorry for the lad, he was put under far too much pressure in awkward situations late on. He tried his best.

Ober - n/a

Overall - This is some serious ****.

MOTM - Marv was fantastic going forward. Willo was good in defence. Either could have a shout.

 

Hard to disagree too much Tash.

 

No Jonas? but agree pretty much with rating's.

 

But if willo doesn't miss that cross we don't concede.

 

If Cisse had scored one of his chances early on we still would have sat back on our lead. Pathetic tactics

 

Krul - 5 - Except the goals he had very little to do. Was part of the reason for the first.

Debuchy - 6 - Solid.

Colo - 6 - Decent

Willo - 2 - Rather be a ****ing ****** than blind. He wins his headers, of course he does he's 8ft tall, but he can't direct them. Reading won possession from his headers more often than not. He should have been sent off after the yellow card, twice. First he handballs it (possibly in the box), then he fouls a reading player on the half-way line. His passing was ****e as usual.

Santon - 5 - Tried hard, but Kebe bettered him.

Anita - 3 - Possibly the worst he's played for us. Might just be because I have his harshest critic sitting next to me pointing out his faults, but he is ****. And tiny.

Marv - 7 - Skillful, worked pretty hard, created the dribble to win the free-kick.

Cabaye - 7.5 - Brilliant goal, decent tackles, got into attacking positions. Unlucky not to get more.

Jonas - 5 - Did ok. Him and Santon don't work very well, but Jonas was a great threat first half.

Shola - 2 - Horrible. He's a **** Berbatov these days.

Cisse - 1 - Worst player on the pitch. He has not positional sense, has very limited intelligence, and should have scored a hattrick in the first half. Not great saves by federici, **** finishing by Papiss. He doesn't jump for any crosses, and he just bungles around looking lost.

Perch - 4 - Not really his fault he isn't Cabaye. But he isn't Cabaye.

Bigi - 5 - Did ok

Ober - n/a

Pardew - 0. He really does deserve very little sympathy in my opinion.

 

Collo 6, Santon 5, Willo 2. LOL

 

Are we allowed minus ratings Tash? In which case Willo, Jonas, SHola and Cisse all deserve them

 

Sorry, but all you people that knock Willo are being ridiculous.

He's not a great player, but most of his performances this season have been good. Not fantastic, but good.

He puts in 6.5 - 7.5/10 performances.

 

Fixed.

Sorry Tash, I have defended him for two and a half seasons now, but now I feel he is getting worse. Whenever the ball goes near him I expect us to concede

 

I agree we need better, but a lot of his work goes unnoticed and he gets blamed for far too much. He dealt with Pog very well today, and barely put a foot wrong.

 

I agree he's been playing pretty decently in some recent games, he can be useful to the point I'd give him 6-7 on the Gandalf scale (obviously harsher and sexier than the Tashgasm scale), and too often he's been the scapegoat for others who deserve stick. But today he was ****. Like I said, should have been sent off, gave away possession far too often, and he win headers but directed them at reading players almost all game. Really pathetic.

 

I only saw the second half, and their defence was better than ours. It sounded like their defence was pretty good first half too.

Williamson cannot defend. There's more to defending than providing knockdowns to the opposition forwards. His schoolboy error gave them an equaliser, and raised their confidence at a time when ours went pear shaped.

Pardew's substitutions probably made the biggest impact in terms of who carries the blame for pulling off a defeat in a must-win game.

I think we're at a crossroads. Ashley honestly doesn't know whether it would be better firing the best puppet he'll ever have, or wait till we go down in May ...

 

This, this, a million times this

 

Problem was the one foot he put wrong in not stoping a cross cost us a goal.

 

Did Shola do anything constructive today? I must have blinked if he did.

 

Sorry, but as has been said, Willo is dog****! I shudder whenever he is in a one-on-one situation and he was definitely at fault for their first goal. He was in front of Le Fondre, but still conspired to miss the ball and allowed it to go in off of Le Fondre's head/body. Just being tall, should not be the reason for playing in our starting eleven in the PL. The guy is a liability and the sooner he is out of our team the better.

Couldn't Taylor (or someone) do a Tanya Harding (for those who don't know, Tanya Harding hacked down her ice skating teammate Nancy Kerrigan prior to an Olympics, to try and ensure she was the USA's No.1 Skater) on Willo?!

He's not a bad guy, and it's not his fault he's being played for us in the Premier League. But he should not be playing in the top-flight - he would be lucky to be playing in the Championship.

 

Was going to join in this debate, but after today's performance, I really can't be bothered. Haven't got the heart to relive the pain over again.

 

Someone speaking sense

 

Hi Tash/ or anyone.

I missed my first toon game of the season because of work, was just wondering how Mariappa did?
Because i know we were linked with him before he signed for Reading.

Was Cabaye's free kick any good?

Thanks