Surprisingly tough game - I reckon when all said and done we will come away happy with the score at 2-2.
This Referee worries me too, we don't appear to have had a win when he has officiated, lost 6 out of 8 according to tweets.
That only applies to teams other than Saints. Lawro has had no problem picking something like 15 straight Saints losses. Which is fine. I hope he picks us to lose again, it's good luck!
I work with a lot of Reading fans and their sense of hopelessness and doom is palpable. I try not to exude over confidence, but they believe that they are going to lose. They even suspect that Nigel is still in the pay of Nicola Cortese, and he has simply been given the Reading job to ensure that Saints have an easy route to Premiership safety. And I thought Saints fans were good at expecting the worst!
Ok, since you were sarcastic about my earlier pithy response being predictable here's a fuller version: No, otherwise Man U's form would, according to you, have to have a blip somewhere or perhaps even change. And it hasn't. My previous answer was shorter but there's the full version just to show you how daft your original question/comment sounds in context. It's only predictable because of the asininity of your comment. Happy now I've spelled out what I meant or can I rely on another sarcastic response? Vin
The teams against which we under-perform tend to be those that defend deep, with good organization and swift counters. Reading is not such a team; their defense tends to panic and dissolve when placed under pressure. We're a pretty bad matchup for them, particularly if we can score first and force them to throw everything forward. Going with 2-1 Saints, eight-goal to score twice, Le Fondre to score a late consolation goal.
Rickie should try this routine- classic http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...iner-free-kick-for-SC-Weiz-v-Furstenfeld.html
If we get the 1st goal and force Reading to have to come at us I can see us really hammering them. If they get the 1st goal [shudder] I think we could really struggle, although let's face it, Adkins' record on defending leads isn't too spectacular! On a side note, this must be by far the longest we have ever gone without a Lambert hat trick, it's time! BTW great match thread DTLW!
Fair play. It was an ill thought out and childish comment by me. Of course form doesn't have to have a blip or change. But only extreme cases like runaway leaders or stranded strugglers seem to fully support the idea that change is impossible. So yeah. Sorry for my ****ty sarcastic comment. Poor form, Jake.
I also work near Reading, and most of them predict a saints win. The only thing that puts a massive doubt in my mind is how confident I was of 3 points against them this time last season, and they somehow snatched a win at St. Mary's. I still haven't lived it down! That's mostly why I have conservatively predicted a draw/Reading win this time.
But they're not that same side flying high with confidence. Their team spirit must be fairly downtrodden and to be honest they're lacking in quality pretty much throughout the park.
Oh I know! Logically I agree with you, and think we should win. But it's just one of those feelings I have.
Jake, also, sorry from me - bad evening and I took it out on you. And I think there is NO chance of our overall form dipping. Results may vary but we've been playing well for some time and I think it's a step up in our mental toughness and general desire to keep going. I think it's evidenced by the fact that we no longer crack every time after an equaliser or when we're under pressure. Vin
