BFTG - Arsenal (a)

[Top Flight]

Sandman, one of the things that you have hit on the head is that we are not getting in anyone's faces and pressing and pressurising. It doesn't matter what system we play and that we are a passing team that wants to keep the ball for 70% of the match. When we don't have the ball we should be pressing and putting teams under pressure. We didn't really do that very well last night. I think last night was definitely a missed opportunity. Arsenal were there for the taking, but we don't have the attacking capability to do it at the moment for whatever reason that is.

Stam says that we like to play attacking football, but what we have been producing from an attacking sense this season has been one of the most boring and timid displays of attacking threat that I have ever seen from Reading and I have been watching every week since the 80s.

When we go behind you know the game is over for us. We can't afford to go behind in games considering how few chances we create each match. I think the reasons for our weakness in an attacking sense is a combination of factors; lack of pace up front, the system we play, how laboured we are in our approach play, how we always go back and not forwards, player attitude and probably the fact that we are novices in a new style of play. There are probably other factors too.

If we are supposed to be an attacking team with three up front, let's fricking go out there and take the game to teams and lay in to them.

[No Fixed Abode]

Just focus on the ticket price Kes... travel is paid the same wherever you go....

If you ever get into a European Cup competition, I'm sure you'll travel away to CSKA Moscow if the ticket price is only £10. After all, travel is paid the same wherever you go. The few hundred quid for flights and accommodation is neither here nor there.

[Maneki Neko]

When we go behind you know the game is over for us

apart from the two draws this month where we came from behind...

[mambo3]

Overall our stats were a lot better then our League Stats.

I think that this Team that played Arsenal would beat Notts Forest just by the fact that no one seems to have
looked closely at the Team Wenger actually put out.

20m Striker
2 England Internationals
Defender that was on loan to West Ham
15m Defender
at least two other 1st Team players

[Hound]

agree with that - the 'there for the taking' stuff is not really true. They were at home, have come off the back of 7 successive wins, and have players of the calibre of Oxlade-Chamberlain and Iwobi in the side. 2 others of their side cost 30mill between them, and they were able to bring on France's first choice centre forward (who was excellent to be fair)

I'd rather keep Swift fresh for Saturday and happy for Williams and McShane to have a break to get over their recent injuries.

[OLLIE KEARNS]

Similar experience to most people. Travel not too bad despite the queue at Highbury & Islington tube and a decent pre match meal on the Holloway Road. The poor away atmosphere was more down to the boring football than anything else in my view.
I'm still happy to go with the change in style and recognise the need to gradually bring in players more suited to it. I also thought the selection of the three midfielders was odd in that none of them looked to go and join the front three on a consistent basis.
I though the youngsters did okay with Watson the best of the bunch. Kelly did okay as did Samuel although he was a bit isolated in the central role.
I think we passed up an opportunity to have a real go last night but can understand why some regular Sat / Tue players would be given a break.

[Top Flight]

agree with that - the 'there for the taking' stuff is not really true. They were at home, have come off the back of 7 successive wins, and have players of the calibre of Oxlade-Chamberlain and Iwobi in the side. 2 others of their side cost 30mill between them, and they were able to bring on France's first choice centre forward (who was excellent to be fair)

I'd rather keep Swift fresh for Saturday and happy for Williams and McShane to have a break to get over their recent injuries.

Just because they have a few big name players in their team does not mean that they weren't there for the taking. They absolutely were there for the taking. The realisation that they were there for the taking came from the judgement that they were playing sh*t. Last night both teams were there for the taking because both sides were sh*te. It's a pity that when we are presented with an Arsenal team that are poor and are there for the taking, we lack the confidence, the spirit and the attacking ability to be able to do something about it.

Jaap Stam says that we are an attacking team. He criticized Villa and said that there was only one team trying to win our match with them and that team was us. Villa won the match and were much better going forward than we were. They got the goals, we didn't.

Where would we be in a league table if it was all about goals scored? I rather think that we might be near the bottom of a table based purely on a teams attacking qualities.

To my eyes we absolutely don't look like an attacking team. We look like a possession team that sh*ts itself when it gets beyond the halfway line. That's how it looked last night anyway. I don't want to be too harsh on our boys. I still love Jaap Stam and also appreciate that it will take him time to achieve what he wants to achieve. All I'm saying is that right now we are sh*t.

[sandman]

There for the taking.

[Top Flight]

When we go behind you know the game is over for us

apart from the two draws this month where we came from behind...

You might be happy with a point. I want 3.

[Jagermesiter1871]

Just focus on the ticket price Kes... travel is paid the same wherever you go....

If you ever get into a European Cup competition, I'm sure you'll travel away to CSKA Moscow if the ticket price is only £10. After all, travel is paid the same wherever you go. The few hundred quid for flights and accommodation is neither here nor there.

So are you saying the £20 return to London is actually one of the cheapest away days, so when you factor it in, makes Arsenal away even more fanciable prospect? Lost what your point is here.

[Green]

I think Kes is arguing we should have spent the evening in B&Q or watching Strictly Come Dancing repeats, while wearing a fleece.

[Hound]

I don't think Arsenal played particularly sh*t and I've no doubt they had another couple of gears to go through had we really pushed them

There was a large and very understandable gulf in quality between the two teams

[Royal Ginger]

When we go behind you know the game is over for us

apart from the two draws this month where we came from behind...

You might be happy with a point. I want 3.

That is completely beside the point being made.

[Lower West]

but the 4-3-3 style doesnt suit the players we currently have.

Expect the formation to remain but the players to progressively change. This a long term project.

[RoyalBlue]

When we go behind you know the game is over for us

apart from the two draws this month where we came from behind...

I was thinking the same.

And I have found the football we are playing this season, albeit seriously lacking sufficient cutting edge, far more entertaining than last season's turgid dross. The clock seems to run fast at games nowadays whereas last season I thought I was watching a calendar count up time past!

I get a perverse pleasure from watching some of the opposing players display weariness and frustration on their faces as they chase the ball around the pitch in an attempt to close it down and win possession!

[sandman]

We're so slow and one paced, playing the ball around in our own half that the opposition don't need to chase us around.

[muirinho]

We're so slow and one paced, playing the ball around in our own half that the opposition don't need to chase us around.

Amazing how they haven't figured that out yet - all that wasted running they do.

[Ian Royal]

We're so slow and one paced, playing the ball around in our own half that the opposition don't need to chase us around.

Quite amazing that we're 8th with 6 wins from 14 then really isn't it. This could quite easily be the most enjoyable (and best) season in the last 4-5 years.

[SCIAG]

Non-match stuff: travel was an absolute nightmare, much harder than the Madejski. If I ever go to an evening match at the Emirates again then I'll probably walk once I get to the Victoria line.

Bit at that I thought it was a doddle. Two tube lines and the Overground vs queuing for shuttle buses

Two hours on a packed train down to Waterloo, packed tubes, then I had to get off at King's Cross because they were skipping Highbury and Islington. I couldn't get on the next tube. I got on the next one after that, but then they announced it wasn't stopping there either. Couldn't get on the next three, and then finally got on one going the right way and stopping at the right station.

Once I got there it took over fifteen minutes to get out of the tube station and then another ten to get to the stadium. All in all, I could have walked from my house to the Madejski in the time it took me to get from Waterloo to the stadium, and I don't think it would have been much longer to walk from Waterloo (although of course I've never tried it). Walking from King's Cross would have taken about as long and been much more pleasant.

[bcubed]

We're so slow and one paced, playing the ball around in our own half that the opposition don't need to chase us around.

Quite amazing that we're 8th with 6 wins from 14 then really isn't it. This could quite easily be the most enjoyable (and best) season in the last 4-5 years.

It could be I guess, but up till now it's been very very dull