Post Match Leicester 0 Reading 2

[st albans fox]

always been a league where anyone can beat anyone. occasionally a team will dominate ala newcastle a few seasons back. early in the season but i see no reason to think that this will happen 2011/2012. therefore, we will need to scrap to get promoted. when sven was first appointed, i posted that i wasnt convinced that he had the 'wherewithall' to get a team out of this league. i was pleased to see the type of signings he made in the summer as i thought it reflected an acknowledgement that to do this required players from this level rather than a higher level looking for a final payday or loanees who didnt have the experience needed. tactics at coventry seemed reasonable. not sure why we started so cautiously at home. keeping it tight away and looking to pinch a goal seems reasonable but at home, we should be imposing ourselves more and starting in a way we we dont allow the opposition to take the initiative.

we have the squad. hopefully yesterday will be the 'kick up the backside' needed to show them that it will still take a lot of hard work to get results.

 

[FryattFox]

Hitting the post twice (with non-deflected shots) isn't being unlucky. It's poor finishing.

The shot yesterday was definitely saved. We sit right in line with the path of the ball, and the keeper got a feint touch on the ball to push it onto the post; otherwise it would have gone in.

 

[drummindefender]

I don't really want to read through this thread as it would leave me feeling incredibly depressed so sorry if I am repeating what others have said!

One of the main things I felt about yesterday is that Danns just doesn't work playing as part of the attacking 3 (if you could call it that yesterday). For me he possesses no attacking threat, and I never feel he is going to create anything in an advanced position. I'd much rather Gallagher was there.

Secondly, I felt that it was no coincidence that our good spell at the start of the second half coincided with King being on the pitch-his movement in and around the box helped to create numerous opportunities and helped Nugent out no end.

If ony that chance hadn't hit the post it could have been a different game.

 

[Uncle Connolly]

Closest to my view - except that I thought Reading were pretty useful and deserve credit.

Certainly - we played a team who were exceptionally organised and stopped any flow of play through the middle, then using their pace out wide very well once they got the ball.

 

[Lako42]

****ing hell, one minute Weale pisses people off because he doesn't organise/bollock the defence, then you get a commanding keeper and people moan about that, can't bloody win.

 

[Matt_B]

****ing hell, one minute Weale pisses people off because he doesn't organise/bollock the defence, then you get a commanding keeper and people moan about that, can't bloody win.

This thread is just one long over-reaction, it'll pass.

 

[give_us_a_wave]

All very depressing.The part that gets to me most is that we've had rubbish first halves in all 3 games so far.We really do need to impose ourselves from the off in games,especially at home.Otherwise it just gets the opposition thinking "hang on,these ain't all that" Start well,then step it up further.

A word on Mills...yes,pretty woeful so far.But I take heart from the fact that i clearly remember Gerry Taggart's first few games for the club were pretty abysmal.

No panic here.

 

[LeeCovFox]

If we're going to play an attacking three then it has to be Nugent supported by Gallagher and Dyer for me. Gallagher can spot a pass, although he needs movement from his team mates to do that and it doesn't look as though we have any. I'm not Dyer's biggest fan, but he offers more of an attacking threat from out wide than anything else we have at the club.

In the middle I'd go with Fernandes, King and probably Johnson if he can prove his fitness. If he can't then Danns can play there. He needs a settled position though. So far he looks as though he doesn't understand what he should be doing.

I wouldn't change much at the back, if anything at all. I'm willing to give Mills the benefit of the doubt for now. It was perhaps unwise to give him the captaincy right away. Along with his fee the pressure on his shoulders will be substantial. Hopefully he can grow into the role. I haven't seen enough of either Peltier or Pantsil to have a preference at right back. Bamba and Konchesky are fine where they are.

 

[Lako42]

It should be


Smeagle

Pants Bamba Mills Konchy

Abe

Fernandez Wellens (Danns)

King


Shlooopy Nugget

 

[drummindefender]

It should be


Smeagle

Pants Bamba Mills Konchy

Abe

Fernandez Wellens (Danns)

King


Shlooopy Nugget

Personally I feel that line up is far too narrow. I think if we had all the players at our disposal fit and firing, I would go for

Schmeichel

Pantsil Bamba Mills Konchesky

King Fernandes Johnson

Vassell Nugent Gallagher

 

[LeeCovFox]

I knew I'd forgotten somebody. I'd probably go for Vassell rather than Dyer in the line up I suggested up thread. The only doubt I have about Vassell is that he didn't look too effective when played in a wider position last season. He is a better player than Dyer though.

 

[Matt_B]

It should be


Smeagle

Pants Bamba Mills Konchy

Abe

Fernandez Wellens (Danns)

King


Shlooopy Nugget

Schlupp is nowhere near good enough yet

 

[The Major]

I emailed the club about this. The speakers, particularly in SK4 sounded really muffled yesterday, not as crisp and clear as they should be.

That's because it's not the Walkers Stadium any more.

 

[give_us_a_wave]

I've been wondering about the attendance as well.All the pre-season,hype,money flooding in,stacks of signings,bookies faves to go up,Real Madrid coming to town,2 victories to begin the season...& yet 9000 empty seats for the opening home game against a side likely to be play-off contenders.

Bit strange I thought.

 

[LeeCovFox]

I expected the attendance to be a bit higher. I wonder if the people who would normally come along for the first match (especially after all the hype) treated the Real Madrid game as their substitute opener. Thirty quid is better spent watching Real Madrid than Reading.

 

[give_us_a_wave]

I expected the attendance to be a bit higher. I wonder if the people who would normally come along for the first match (especially after all the hype) treated the Real Madrid game as their substitute opener. Thirty quid is better spent watching Real Madrid than Reading.

I hadnt considered that but you could have a point.I guess i just don't have that mindset.Competitive football is always infinitely preferable to me than any display of superstars having a gentle kick about.
Back in my obsessive schooldays I went to any & every game at Filbo including friendlies & I have to say I've never seen a decent game in any friendly.Kind of defeats the object of going for me.
Maybe its just a case of 30 quid being too much to pay to watch ANYONE! i know I struggle to justify it.

 

[TornadoShaunUK]

I hope Yuki isn't even on the bench let alone starting. Every time I watch him he is terrible. Misplaced passes, misreading the game, brushed easily off the ball. We have better midfielders who aren't even making the bench at the moment.

I'm hoping the line up will be:

------------Schmeichel-------------

-Peltier--Mills---Bamba---Konchesky-

-Danns-------Wellens-----Fernandes-

-Gallagher----Nugent-------Dyer----

Something along those lines. Pantsil seemed a bit like Bamba in that he is one of those players that is very casual on the ball, it's a good thing but at the moment I'd go for Pelts because he seems to get forward better. IMO we are lacking a top quality goalscorer and because of that any form of 4-4-2 doesn't really work for us at the minute. I'm hoping for now that we stick with the tried and tested 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation that we generally do pretty well with.

 

[Kingy_85]

One of the most disjointed performances that I have ever seen at the KP.

Again questioning Sven's plan B. Again hearing the same bullshit in his post match interview.

A whole Summer of optimism made this very hard to swallow. Had to cool off before I posted on here.

Yes im fickle.

 

[Kingy_85]

Schmeichel - 6 - Showed the urgency that the other 10 lacked
Pantsil - 2 - On the ball he looked the business, but this was a debut to forget, missed passes and communication.
Mills - 2 -Bottled it. His old mates sussed him out. All those yellow Reading fans might have had a point!
Bamba - 6 - Great stuff but suffered due to his team mates
Konchesky - 4 - Didn't get forward as much as I would like to see him do
Wellens - 5 - I had confidence in him when he was on the ball unlike most of the others yesterday.
Abe - 4 - Harsh to be subbed at halftime but he strikes me as the one under threat with all our players in his position.
Fernandes - 6 - Covered every blade of grass and never stopped. Doing 2 players jobs at some points.
Danns - 3 - This guy isn't a wide forward, never has been! Suffering because of this.
Nugent - 6 - Is this man the most unluckiest man in football? isolated isnt the word!
Schlupp - 2 - Should never have started, different kettle of fish from midweek. Good decision not to take him off at HT though as that would have destroyed his confidence.

 

[Miles Away]

Suspect the side is missing Gallagher. That's my uninformed view.