Back from the game Stevenage

[brendywendy]

Mr Pearce who, I seem to remember was also abused by many as useless. I guess, now people can't moan about Pearce or Long and Howard's not in the team you've moved on to Mills.

Your holier than thou attitude is f*cking tiresome. I'd take Howard in the team over Karacan any day, as it happens.

lol

[Ian Royal]

Watched online. We were pretty poor. Never took control of the ball, didn't create an awful lot. Stevenage looked tidy but didn't have the quality where it counted to particularly trouble us. We completely gifted control of the game to them in the second half and you could see the goal coming. The only question was would they create a good enough chance and finish it.

Leigterwood varied from majestic, bossing midfield in small, short phases, to being totally non-existent and far too easily by passed with Karacan. Good goal for him, but very much a goal he wouldn't have scored against a better team.

HRK was our biggest danger, but really struggles to actually get a final ball in place. Church was poor, but got zero service and is never going to perform well in a team playing almost exclusively to width and with no decent creative passing skill in the middle. A couple of times he was in excellent positions and ignored, and he created one of our better chances from nothing.

Mills was his usual brainless self, getting through mainly on strength and natural ability which is poorly applied.

Never a penalty for them by the way... obvious fishing attempt from Sinclair - but awful play from Ivar to put himself in the position where a poorer placed ref probably would have given it.

Long looked good and took his chance well. He's really come on a hell of a lot.

We need to play a hell of a lot better than that if we want to compete in the next round or doing anything in the league other than drift down into lower mid-table obscurity. Luckily two of our best players combined well to win us a game we didn't really deserve.

Fed: 6
Griffin: 7 - for nutmegs
Harte: 6
Ivar: 6
Mills: 5
Karacan: 5
Liegterwood: 6 - for scoring
McAnuff: 7 - for creating the winner
HRK: 6
Church: 5
Long: 7

Antonio: 5

[Muskrat]

Any idea why Long cupped his ear to the Reading crowd after scoring?

Looked through the posts but can't see any reference to it anywhere. Was he having a dig for past criticism?

[RoyalBlue]

Any idea why Long cupped his ear to the Reading crowd after scoring?

Looked through the posts but can't see any reference to it anywhere. Was he having a dig for past criticism?

I really hope not because it would have been a wrong and immature reaction. By and large the supporters at games were pretty supportive of Long throughout his barren spell. Of course there were some loudmouths who had a go during games but they were in the minority. Support for Long recently has been very strong and he would be silly to dig up the past in that way.

Maybe Jonny Fordham can ask him what the cupped ear was about.

[Ian Royal]

didn't look particularly cheerful in his post match interview either. I think he's done the ear cupping a few times this season.

[FiNeRaIn]

Any idea why Long cupped his ear to the Reading crowd after scoring?

Looked through the posts but can't see any reference to it anywhere. Was he having a dig for past criticism?

I really hope not because it would have been a wrong and immature reaction. By and large the supporters at games were pretty supportive of Long throughout his barren spell. Of course there were some loudmouths who had a go during games but they were in the minority. Support for Long recently has been very strong and he would be silly to dig up the past in that way.

Maybe Jonny Fordham can ask him what the cupped ear was about.

Agree with that summary. Ridiculous if he was having a pop for something months ago.

He's never been boo'd of the pitch, have hardly heard much abuse being launched vocally from the stands even in his barren spell. If he is basing that on the action of texts into BBCRB and posts on here, thats pretty retarded seeing as its by far the minority of reading fans.

His finishing at the time was awful, the fans were right to ask questions about where the goals are going to come from. No one doubted his effort or all round game but we needed to start scoring goals, whether that meant him finding his feet or getting in a goalscorer alongside him, no one minded. Goals win games and we werent scoring any, no football fans in the world would accept that. Im glad he's turned it around and found some goalscoring form to go alongside his all-round game which is impressive at this level.

[brendywendy]

same as kebe, same as mills
i think they just occasionally get sick of recieving silly stick

[Rex]

Perhaps it was just a simple fact that he couldn't hear much of our support throughout the match. I thought the atmosphere from our end was poor.

[Ian Royal]

Perhaps it was just a simple fact that he couldn't hear much of our support throughout the match. I thought the atmosphere from our end was poor.

Heard Reading fans twice during the match on t'internet. Once after Long scored. Can't remember the first. Been really surprised with people saying the atmos was good, because all you could hear online was Stevenage fans coming through loud and clear.

[Royal Lady]

Well, I could only hear Stevenage fans when they scored - up til then they appeared to be very quiet.

Of course, I could hear Reading fans because I was sat amongst them - I suppose if the speakers for the online/radio are in with Stevenage fans, you're bound to hear them louder.

Tbh I thought we got behind the team well, particularly towards the end of second half.

[Tad Showbiz]

Good trip.

Ref got the penalty decision spot on even though it was heart in mouth time while 100 yards away, had it been awarded then scored we'd had probably lost 3-1 as Stevenage had us under pressure for a while at that point.

I think we're carrying young Church at the moment for periods of the game we played with 10 men yet he had a few flashes of almost brilliance.

Nice to see Harte give his boots away at the end to a young kid. Hopefully his new pair will work!

Was right behind goal in row e, could have done with standing for the entire game but those in front weren't interested!

[Stuka]

Mate who works at the club tells me six Reading fans were ejected. Any idea what it was about?

[T.R.O.L.I.]

I know one Reading fan who was ejected - but he was in the home end.

To be honest, the majority of the stewards were spot on (especially the Asian bloke near me who was on loan from Luton and was wearing his LTFC stewarding jacket ). There were a couple of overzealous jobsworths - especially the bloke with the "Hatters" wooly hat on - so perhaps someone said something out of turn.

[Christof]

8 of us stood at the side of the East terrace nearest the away end. Got some strange looks when we didn't celebrate the Stevenage goal and even stranger when Shane popped the winner in! Mind you it was from the half dozen schoolboys behind us who had just realized that their suspicions were correct.

Good atmosphere coming across from our fans in the away end.

Was also in the East near the away end, same row as the schoolboys (nice daytripper red and white jester hats). Surrounded by Stevenage fans, most of whom didn't know any of their players and were more preoccupied with the queues for burgers and toilets than the game.

Atmos was pretty quiet, apart from occasional comments like "Reading are awful" (when we were 1 up and coasting first half), and "Get it on the deck". Only really got going when they scored (oh, and when Griffin cleaned out their player in front of the dugouts), and then only for 10 minutes or so. In truth when their no. 4 went off (Charles, MotM) their threat vanished, and we got back at them esp. McAnuff. Shame we didn't kill it off earlier, but it made for an interesting finish.

By the way: good friendly ground; never a pen; excellent reception for the mascot from all sides; good referee (best this season?); v slow Harvester action before game; top day out.

[Big Foot]

Mate who works at the club tells me six Reading fans were ejected. Any idea what it was about?

I'm sure there was 8 when I looked

[old woman]

Good to hear ref had a good game as last season at Newcastle he bottled sending off Alan Smith for a challenge that was worthy of a red card in its own right but came minutes after he had been booked.

[paultheroyal]

Well, I could only hear Stevenage fans when they scored - up til then they appeared to be very quiet.

Of course, I could hear Reading fans because I was sat amongst them - I suppose if the speakers for the online/radio are in with Stevenage fans, you're bound to hear them louder.

Tbh I thought we got behind the team well, particularly towards the end of second half.

Spot on. When will people realise that the reason atmosphere is so one sided coming across on radio is determined by who is sat nearest to the mic, in this case Stevenage fans, considering we were 60 yards away not surprised we sounded quiet. Mnd you, thank god I was on right side, as left side were at a wake lol!!

[RoyalJames101]

Any idea why Long cupped his ear to the Reading crowd after scoring?

Looked through the posts but can't see any reference to it anywhere. Was he having a dig for past criticism?

Crowd started getting a bit restless as we couldn't make a pass for about 10 minutes, Long just told them to be quite and that they knew what they were doing

[who are ya?]

Top day! I felt right at home in Stevenage being a Bracknell boy Felt like I hadn't gone anywhere walking out at the train station. Good to see Will from the Inbetweeners serving in the Wetherspoons too.
Well dissapointed that the left hand side sat down, was in Row A which was a bit shit aswell.
Apart from the spell after their goal I felt we were good for the win and Leigertwood is looking like one hell of a signing, hopefully this don't change if we do give him a full time contract.

[Terminal Boardom]

Well, I could only hear Stevenage fans when they scored - up til then they appeared to be very quiet.

Of course, I could hear Reading fans because I was sat amongst them - I suppose if the speakers for the online/radio are in with Stevenage fans, you're bound to hear them louder.

Tbh I thought we got behind the team well, particularly towards the end of second half.

I think the word you are looking for is microphones