Shane long

[rotherwick_royal]

Coppell said he's not worried about strikers missing chances but more concerned if they don't create chances in the first place. For this reason Lita is currently ahead of Long. He always creates chances and when he hits form he'll be burying them. Then everyone on HNA will be saying what a great player he is

Like a number of people have said Shane is an impact player at the moment. Hopefully there'll come a time when he can have an impact over a full 90 minutes, but not yet.

Sorry but that is just "I love Leroy" nonsense.

Me or Coppell?

I don't 'love' Leroy as it happens (seems he gets enough love as it is!!!) - give me Kits and Doyle up front any day. But while Doyle's doing a job on right wing Lita is the man to partner Kitson up front, for me anyway.

[Woodcote Royal]

Agreed AP, this is the man that stepped up to the plate when we needed him most last season and scored some excellent goals to achieve some excellent results. But it's alright, people prefer strikers that run around rather than those that have a natural ability to finish in front of goal.

Some of us prefer strikers who have scored in the league this season as opposed to those have not and, more worringly, those who, as recently as last Saturday, are still showing no signs of breaking their duck in the current campaign.

PS. Right now, and based on what I saw last Saturday, I'd take Keith Scott's "natural ability to finish in front of goal" rather than Leroy's.

Some of us prefer a striker that can do it over 90 minutes, rather than just as a sub. Seriously, how many games can you pick out where Shane played 90 minutes and scored? He's a good prospect but by no means anywhere near the ability of our other three strikers yet. His best use is as a sub to inject some fresh legs and pace in the last 20 minutes. I'd pick Leroy over and above Shane every time to start a match as he creates more chances for himself and usually despatches them.

For a man that harks on about giving people a chance based on their historic performances on the pitch, I'm surprised you discount how key Lita's form was for us from December to February last season.

I'm not saying Lita will never be a decent striker again, just that his fan clubs' loyalty seems to know no bounds.

Long is a 20 year old full internional who is improving all the time and I don't see why the current form of these players, as witnessed last Satuday, should be ignored because of what Leroy did last season.

[Woodcote Royal]

Coppell said he's not worried about strikers missing chances but more concerned if they don't create chances in the first place. For this reason Lita is currently ahead of Long. He always creates chances and when he hits form he'll be burying them. Then everyone on HNA will be saying what a great player he is

Like a number of people have said Shane is an impact player at the moment. Hopefully there'll come a time when he can have an impact over a full 90 minutes, but not yet.

Sorry but that is just "I love Leroy" nonsense.

Me of Coppell?

You

Don't assume that just because Coppell gave Lita some support in the media that he will continue to be in front of Long in his current form.

[Mad Dog's Ghost]

Gents, we're looking alright up front right now, whoever's in the mix. For all his idiocy off the pitch, Lita works very hard when he's got a Reading shirt on. Sadly the only thing that's missing at the moment is a his usual clinical finishing.

And Long? You got to love him. Bides his time then comes on and gets the winner in front of 24,000 (including a plane-load of family). He probably would benefit from a spell out on loan in the championship .. but we need the points!

[Woodcote Royal]

..

[brendywendy]

I'm not saying Lita will never be a decent striker again, just that his fan clubs' loyalty seems to know no bounds.

Long is a 20 year old full internional who is improving all the time and I don't see why the current form of these players, as witnessed last Satuday, should be ignored because of what Leroy did last season.

his fan clubs loyalty is probably just confined to on the field matters
and the boundries of their loyalty just lie somewhere further than two missed chances away

long is great, love him to bits for his attitude, and sparks of genius
but lita is the better striker at the moment
perhaps if he has a couple+ of games in a row we would be better placed to judge the guy

[Alan Partridge]

if Leroy was Irish he'd be in instead of Long so the full international thing is nonsense when you play for a 3rd rate country. In that instance Craig Davies of Oldham is better than Dave Kitson because he's a full international with Wales.

All this nonsense about this seaosn Woodcote. Long has been terrible when he's started THIS season. He didn't have a single effort on goal in the 4 or 5 games he started back to back.

Lita has missed 2 chances in one match and now suddenly is awful again. Utter utter nonsense. He hasn't played much due to injury and form of others, came in and played well but missed two chances he'd normally bury. You could tell that it was playing on his mind and he'd have been more gutted about them more than anyone.

Long comes on, takes a horrendous first touch and then sticks the ball away brillianty, but it's a one off thing that a sub comes on and straight away scores, it doesn't mean he's better than Lita at all, he got a lucky break and scored, brilliant. Whose to say had the roles been reversed Lita wouldn't have scored coming off the bench? That's football. You need to be lucky as well as good.

Long is a talented young player that is more effective as a substitiute at the minute, that's Coppell's view as well as mine and that's why Lita will start tomorrow.

[Woodcote Royal]

if Leroy was Irish he'd be in instead of Long so the full international thing is nonsense when you play for a 3rd rate country. In that instance Craig Davies of Oldham is better than Dave Kitson because he's a full international with Wales.

All this nonsense about this seaosn Woodcote. Long has been terrible when he's started THIS season. He didn't have a single effort on goal in the 4 or 5 games he started back to back.

Lita has missed 2 chances in one match and now suddenly is awful again. Utter utter nonsense. He hasn't played much due to injury and form of others, came in and played well but missed two chances he'd normally bury. You could tell that it was playing on his mind and he'd have been more gutted about them more than anyone.

Long comes on, takes a horrendous first touch and then sticks the ball away brillianty, but it's a one off thing that a sub comes on and straight away scores, it doesn't mean he's better than Lita at all, he got a lucky break and scored, brilliant. Whose to say had the roles been reversed Lita wouldn't have scored coming off the bench? That's football. You need to be lucky as well as good.

Long is a talented young player that is more effective as a substitiute at the minute, that's Coppell's view as well as mine and that's why Lita will start tomorrow.

Again. "I love Leroy" so Long, having scored the winnner with his second touch after Lita nearly cost us the game, has to step aside

We have 4 strikers and on current form Leroy is 4th...................this isn't rocket science.

[Alan Partridge]

if Leroy was Irish he'd be in instead of Long so the full international thing is nonsense when you play for a 3rd rate country. In that instance Craig Davies of Oldham is better than Dave Kitson because he's a full international with Wales.

All this nonsense about this seaosn Woodcote. Long has been terrible when he's started THIS season. He didn't have a single effort on goal in the 4 or 5 games he started back to back.

Lita has missed 2 chances in one match and now suddenly is awful again. Utter utter nonsense. He hasn't played much due to injury and form of others, came in and played well but missed two chances he'd normally bury. You could tell that it was playing on his mind and he'd have been more gutted about them more than anyone.

Long comes on, takes a horrendous first touch and then sticks the ball away brillianty, but it's a one off thing that a sub comes on and straight away scores, it doesn't mean he's better than Lita at all, he got a lucky break and scored, brilliant. Whose to say had the roles been reversed Lita wouldn't have scored coming off the bench? That's football. You need to be lucky as well as good.

Long is a talented young player that is more effective as a substitiute at the minute, that's Coppell's view as well as mine and that's why Lita will start tomorrow.

Again. "I love Leroy" so Long, having scored the winnner with his second touch after Lita nearly cost us the game, has to step aside

We have 4 strikers, on current form Leroy is 4th...................this isn't rocket science.

why because he missed 2 chances?? Long did score...as a substitute..

Funny how Long always seems to score as a sub and never when he starts games.

'Not I love leroy' More i look past one game and realise he's netted quite a few more times than Long in their respective Reading careers. Given another game or two Leroy will start firing again. He should have scored twice saturday, he didn't. He'll score tomorrow.

Lita's fourth choice?? Best tell Coppell before he plays him tomorrow, don't want to send our 4th choice out there.

[Woodcote Royal]

If he starts......................and I'd say that's about 50/50.

[Alan Partridge]

If he starts......................and I'd say that's about 50/50.

He'll start almost certainly. I'll back him to score tomorrow.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Agreed AP, this is the man that stepped up to the plate when we needed him most last season and scored some excellent goals to achieve some excellent results. But it's alright, people prefer strikers that run around rather than those that have a natural ability to finish in front of goal.

Some of us prefer strikers who have scored in the league this season as opposed to those have not and, more worringly, those who, as recently as last Saturday, are still showing no signs of breaking their duck in the current campaign.

PS. Right now, and based on what I saw last Saturday, I'd take Keith Scott's "natural ability to finish in front of goal" rather than Leroy's.

Some of us prefer a striker that can do it over 90 minutes, rather than just as a sub. Seriously, how many games can you pick out where Shane played 90 minutes and scored? He's a good prospect but by no means anywhere near the ability of our other three strikers yet. His best use is as a sub to inject some fresh legs and pace in the last 20 minutes. I'd pick Leroy over and above Shane every time to start a match as he creates more chances for himself and usually despatches them.

For a man that harks on about giving people a chance based on their historic performances on the pitch, I'm surprised you discount how key Lita's form was for us from December to February last season.

I'm not saying Lita will never be a decent striker again, just that his fan clubs' loyalty seems to know no bounds.

Long is a 20 year old full internional who is improving all the time and I don't see why the current form of these players, as witnessed last Satuday, should be ignored because of what Leroy did last season.

I love Lita, I love his ability to bang in a goal from nowhere with less than a half chance. His two goals at Citeh away were my two favourite goals of last season, two of the crispest first time finishes you will see from any striker in this league. We have three options up front, three very different one's at that as well. It's the reason we may well end up above the relegation zone this season, it's the one area we are spoilt for choice in. I think Long is probably a little unlucky in that he is fairly similar to Doyle, plays off the shoulder of defenders through the channels. He can only improve though

[Platypuss]

A bad first touch and a shot shanked off the post into the top corner and suddenly Long is all conquering.

A foot further out and he'd have missed and no one would be talking about Lita's misses.

[rotherwick_royal]

if Leroy was Irish he'd be in instead of Long so the full international thing is nonsense when you play for a 3rd rate country. In that instance Craig Davies of Oldham is better than Dave Kitson because he's a full international with Wales.

All this nonsense about this seaosn Woodcote. Long has been terrible when he's started THIS season. He didn't have a single effort on goal in the 4 or 5 games he started back to back.

Lita has missed 2 chances in one match and now suddenly is awful again. Utter utter nonsense. He hasn't played much due to injury and form of others, came in and played well but missed two chances he'd normally bury. You could tell that it was playing on his mind and he'd have been more gutted about them more than anyone.

Long comes on, takes a horrendous first touch and then sticks the ball away brillianty, but it's a one off thing that a sub comes on and straight away scores, it doesn't mean he's better than Lita at all, he got a lucky break and scored, brilliant. Whose to say had the roles been reversed Lita wouldn't have scored coming off the bench? That's football. You need to be lucky as well as good.

Long is a talented young player that is more effective as a substitiute at the minute, that's Coppell's view as well as mine and that's why Lita will start tomorrow.

Again. "I love Leroy" so Long, having scored the winnner with his second touch after Lita nearly cost us the game, has to step aside

We have 4 strikers and on current form Leroy is 4th...................this isn't rocket science.

So how come nearly everybody disagrees with you then?

Including Coppell.

[3 veesinarow]

A bad first touch and a shot shanked off the post into the top corner and suddenly Long is all conquering.

A foot further out and he'd have missed and no one would be talking about Lita's misses.

But he didn't miss...something Leroy did all game long before him. I have no particular view on Long/Lita or anyone else other than the fact that I love them playing for my club, but Long DID score and you can't fault that by claiming it was jammy. In whatever way he managed to turn the ball across the line, it was a goal - the prime reason for any footballer being on the pitch.
Doesn't make him the answer to our prayers, but his "lucky" strike earned us three points. Rest and be thankful for that.

[Platypuss]

The reason for posting was to further demonstrate that Lita is not alone in having faulty technique on occasion - Woodcote's new lovechild being one.

[West Stand Flash]

Yes Long scored a very well taken goal against Newcastle, but people who are trying to state Long is a better player than Lita are clueless.

Long has the potential to be better than Lita, but at present is not. Lita's overal play against Newcastle was excellent & was unfortunate with his chances. Long will always be more effect coming off the bench.

I would start Lita over Long anyday, and I think you'll find Coppell will do the same.

[readingfc_4_life_and_beyo]

Long will come very good.

[Kes]

One goal for Long and he's a World beater

[Riseley]

All posters taking a contrary stance to Woodcote are by definition numpties. Long is the new Tony Cascarino whilst Lita is Michael Ricketts incarnate.