I'll start it off this week. If this was a home match, I'd be confident of 3 points, but I have an ominous feeling that we'll come unstuck tomorrow. Reading look like a tight outfit, similar to us a couple of years back, and will make it tricky for us. I can see this ending in a boring 1-0 defeat (hope I'm proved wrong and we smash three or four in). Berra being back is a huge plus, hope he's fit enough to start. As their to centre halves are not blessed with pace, I'd have to go with Sears and McG up front, with Pitman coming off the bench later in the game.
Worried about the fixture I must say - side unbeaten in a few, good defensive base and have just added the likes of Vydra. I'll go hard fought 1-1 draw, I'd take that too. First game of the season I'll have attended so looking forward to it. I know it's on Sky so I'd expect most of us to see it, I'll give my thoughts on each player from an in the ground perspective.
Tough one this, but at least we have a half decent A team on the park...and Goldy returning to form. Going for a 1-1 draw, good away point in the circs. Aim must be to stay in top 6 til Xmas and maintain our more attacking flair. My/our worries about defense could well be tightened and instantly more confident with Berra back.
If you believe in bogey teams, then Reading certainly meet the definition. They clinched two 1-0 victories over us last season and we have not won at the Madjski Stadium since 2009. As LucasAdam10 highlighted, we're also in front of the Sky cameras and for all our televised games last season, we only managed the one win, against Charlton, courtesy of a last minute winner. Having said that, this is clearly a more exciting and different team than last year. We look more capable of grinding out results away from home and we're also due a few important players returning from injury. I think the loss against Brighton put our ambition in perspective slightly and provided a somewhat jarring reminder that we still have a couple of deficiencies in this squad. I'm agreeing with Westy and Southcoast and predicting a scrappy 1-1 draw. McGoldrick to get on the scoresheet.
Actually, in 9 league games on TV, we won 3 of them, and lost 4..so wasn't that bad last year, but I agree, we're not normally that great on the box.
Doing pretty good thanks mate. Had some seriously hot weather recently, I mean hotter than California normally. How are you?, hope everything is going well
This one's working, a bit choppy but ok. http://firstrowi.eu/soccer/first-reading-fc-ipswich-town-row622a80 Worked well enough to see Reading score
We have had a strange old summer...very English, lousy august, wet windy bank holidays nothing new there. I am doing fine thanks, waiting for more tests and results end month. Quiet restricted summer but there we go. Could do with a result tonight! Sounds even stevens...more goals in this one.
