The Late Show

[floyd__streete]

(I thought that I had started a thread on a similar subject in the past but couldn't find it)

Since McD assumed control I make it that we have added 12 points to our overall tally thanks to goals scored in the last 5 minutes of league games, as against 4 points dropped by late goals against giving us (at the risk of sounding like Snowball here) a +8 net return. When you add in cup matches, we have won 6 matches in those last 5 minutes of the 90 and plucked a further 4 draws (2 of those subsequently won in extra time). Great testimony to the fitness and commitment of the team.

09/10
Bristol City 1-1 Reading (Church 90)
Liverpool 1-2 Reading (Sigurdsson 90 pen)
Reading 2-1 Plymouth (Long pen 90)
Reading 2-2 WBA (Mattock 87)
WBA 2-3 Reading (Howard 90)
Reading 1-0 QPR (Sigurdsson pen 85)
Leicester 1-2 Reading (Sigurdsson pen 90)
Reading 1-1 WBA (Tamas 86)
Scunthorpe 2-2 Reading (Sparrow 89)

10/11
Portsmouth 1-1 Reading (Kebe 87)
Leicester 1-2 Reading (Mills 86)
Reading 1-0 Ipswich (Church 88)

[Magnus]

Great reading - the never say die attitude has got a lot of teams out of trouble in the past let's hope it can do the same for us.

[Croydon Royal]

Great reading - and you can add Burnley (h) in the 4th round of FA Cup to that too...(Sigurdsson 87 minutes according to the site's results list).

[Sarah Star]

Barnsley was the last 12 minutes for the first goal and a further two went in gone 90 mins so it was still late if not last gasp.

Should give the team a lot of confidence to know they can do this when they're up against it.

[RoyalChicagoFC]

Hailing as I do from a fledgling footballing nation that seems as reliant upon mental toughness and physical stamina (and the two go hand in glove) as upon actual talent and finely honed skill, I well appreciate the thrill of coming out of a regional qualifier in Tegucigalpa or Kingston or San Salvador with points (both) won (and denied the opposition) that hadn't seemed to be on the cards but which were secured by a late, late strikes --most often on a rain-slickened and bobbly pitch with a hateful home crowd crammed into an antiquated ground and relentlessly pouring its full-throated resentment and derision upon my boys throughout

It's a pretty straightforward proposition and an institutional point of pride --if you can't go balls-out to the wire, then you won't be in the squad, and the dividends speak for themselves (look no farther than the Algeria match, and in fact it's no exaggeration at all to say that my guys wouldn't've qualified for Germany without repeated heroics at the death during that qualification campaign)

Indeed, what I see going on here has had about it the distinct ring of deja vu --and it just about makes the preceding hour and a half spent gnashing the teeth entirely worth it every time

[Vision]

LOLot of LOLate penalties. Reckon we're just flukey probably.

Its not necessarily a given but does also raise the point that generally speaking if we've rescued a result in the dying embers of a game then the substitute bench would likely have been called upon. Worth considering that there's perhaps a bit more strength in depth (both character and ability)in this squad than its generally given credit for.

[ZacNaloen]

(I thought that I had started a thread on a similar subject in the past but couldn't find it)

Since McD assumed control I make it that we have added 12 points to our overall tally thanks to goals scored in the last 5 minutes of league games, as against 4 points dropped by late goals against giving us (at the risk of sounding like Snowball here) a +8 net return. When you add in cup matches, we have won 6 matches in those last 5 minutes of the 90 and plucked a further 4 draws (2 of those subsequently won in extra time). Great testimony to the fitness and commitment of the team.

09/10
Bristol City 1-1 Reading (Church 90)
Liverpool 1-2 Reading (Sigurdsson 90 pen)
Reading 2-1 Plymouth (Long pen 90)
Reading 2-2 WBA (Mattock 87)
WBA 2-3 Reading (Howard 90)
Reading 1-0 QPR (Sigurdsson pen 85)
Leicester 1-2 Reading (Sigurdsson pen 90)
Reading 1-1 WBA (Tamas 86)
Scunthorpe 2-2 Reading (Sparrow 89)

10/11
Portsmouth 1-1 Reading (Kebe 87)
Leicester 1-2 Reading (Mills 86)
Reading 1-0 Ipswich (Church 88)

So taking these stats into account, do you still have a problem with Mcdermotts everything and the kitchen sink approach to winning games?

[seahawk10]

The Cardiac Kids!

[floyd__streete]

So taking these stats into account, do you still have a problem with Mcdermotts everything and the kitchen sink approach to winning games?

I had thought about that and was going to pre-empt this very question with a reference to it in my original post but I rather fancied seeing which smart-arse would bring it up .

Anyway - I have no problem per se with going all out to win games, but in the circumstances of a game (Millwall away) where we had already conceded plenty of clear cut openings and in the context of playing away from home against a side who were unbeaten on their own turf in ten months I felt that the substitutions we made that day made us a bit ragged in those closing stages when a very good point was ours to lose.

[Snowball]

(I thought that I had started a thread on a similar subject in the past but couldn't find it)

Since McD assumed control I make it that we have added 12 points to our overall tally thanks to goals scored in the last 5 minutes of league games, as against 4 points dropped by late goals against giving us (at the risk of sounding like Snowball here) a +8 net return. When you add in cup matches, we have won 6 matches in those last 5 minutes of the 90 and plucked a further 4 draws (2 of those subsequently won in extra time). Great testimony to the fitness and commitment of the team.

09/10
Bristol City 1-1 Reading (Church 90)
Liverpool 1-2 Reading (Sigurdsson 90 pen)
Reading 2-1 Plymouth (Long pen 90)
Reading 2-2 WBA (Mattock 87)
WBA 2-3 Reading (Howard 90)
Reading 1-0 QPR (Sigurdsson pen 85)
Leicester 1-2 Reading (Sigurdsson pen 90)
Reading 1-1 WBA (Tamas 86)
Scunthorpe 2-2 Reading (Sparrow 89)

10/11
Portsmouth 1-1 Reading (Kebe 87)
Leicester 1-2 Reading (Mills 86)
Reading 1-0 Ipswich (Church 88)

Plus two goals in injury time versus Barnsley 90+, 90+

Plus a last minute (of extra time) winner at Torquay 120

Plus Mills (for Reading) 113th minute

and Mills own goal 120 mins (both v Northampton

[floyd__streete]

Plus two goals in injury time versus Barnsley 90+, 90+

Plus a last minute (of extra time) winner at Torquay 120

Plus Mills (for Reading) 113th minute

and Mills own goal 120 mins (both v Northampton

Sarah Star was quite right to correct me as I should have included late winner vs Burnley, but I was alluding to goals inside 90 minutes given that is what we play 46 times a year. Which, of course, doesn't make your extra examples any less valid.

[PEARCEY]

Always a good sign if you can win a fair few at the death. Teams that tend to do well have a habit of nicking wins whereas teams that struggle always seem to let leads slip near the end.
Its a positive no doubt about it.
What worries me is that Floyd started this thread. Is Floyd an RTG?

[Cookie]

Good ol' Churchie. I like the lad.

[floyd__streete]

What worries me is that Floyd started this thread. Is Floyd an RTG?

I was simply trying to point out how worrying it is that we rarely have games sewn up before the closing stages .

[Millsy]

Are you Snowball in disguise?



Good post though.

What does it show about the team?

We're fitter?

We're younger?

We have tenacity and spirit that others don't?

Our heads don't drop?

I think it's down to McD's attitude and tactics to be honest. He always goes for the win instead of settling for a draw even if it means risking a defeat. I for one absolutely love this. Makes mathematical sense. Great stuff.

[oldebiscuit]

Calm down. Don't get to carried away. in 2007/08 we scored quite a few late winners and equalisers and ended up going down due to mostly our lazy 'we've done enough' attitude.

A few examples of late winners are;
22/9/07 Wigan 2-1 Harper 90.
27/10/07 Newcastle 2-1 Long 85
22/12/07 Sunderland 2-1 Hunt 90
11/3/08 Middlesboro 1-0 Harper 90
22/3/08 Birmingham City 2-1 Bikey 85

Careful, relegation may beckon.

[Forbury Lion]

I'm surprised those fans who leave 5 minutes before the end to avoid traffic even bother turning up. They've missed 3 goals in our last 2 home games.

[wolsey]

Calm down. Don't get to carried away. in 2007/08 we scored quite a few late winners and equalisers and ended up going down due to mostly our lazy 'we've done enough' attitude.

A few examples of late winners are;
22/9/07 Wigan 2-1 Harper 90.
27/10/07 Newcastle 2-1 Long 85
22/12/07 Sunderland 2-1 Hunt 90
11/3/08 Middlesboro 1-0 Harper 90
22/3/08 Birmingham City 2-1 Bikey 85

Careful, relegation may beckon.

The joys of stats eh?

We conceded a late goal in both of our defeats against Fulham that season. Without those we would have stayed up, but at the time it made every sense to go a bit gung-ho for an equaliser.

[mzungu_royal]

I'm surprised those fans who leave 5 minutes before the end to avoid traffic even bother turning up. They've missed 3 goals in our last 2 home games.

Agreed, hands up who leaves early on here, just to miss the traffic. No one? Well whoever does, should really be ashamed because you've missed grandstand finishes. I hope you won't be planning to leave early away at PNE. You never know, a penalty or a last chance for us to score might arise.

[FiNeRaIn]

I'm surprised those fans who leave 5 minutes before the end to avoid traffic even bother turning up. They've missed 3 goals in our last 2 home games.

I can't believe people still don't understand the go and stand down the front concept until full time. Coming from the back row, I don't want to have to wait 15 mins to get out while people take their time and cut in front of me consistently the whole way. Hence, I go and stand down the front for the last few mins. What irks me is every time myself and others around me do this, then these pair of old bats always bark out " boring game was it, poor show", etc crap to that effect. Its without fail every time and I am about ready to be a prick about it now. Mind your own business, get on with your own self.