Back from the game - S****horpe.

[winchester_royal]

Atkins shat all over McDaddy today. Their tactics (tight on our front 4) were spot on...ours (lump the ball up to midget Long who was up against 6ft 6 Jones ) were naff.

We were so much better in the last 10 mins when we actually tried playing the ball from deep on the ground.

Odd team selection as well. If 4-5-1 is to work, we need a midfielder who can pick it up from deep and then look forward with the ball. Howard can do this, Karacan and Gunnarson can not.

Ah well, not the end of the world, we'll know more about our chances at the end of the month.

[Terminal Boardom]

I think that a draw would have been a fair result. MoM for me was McAnuff. He was outstanding. Everyone else though was fairly average. I thought Scunny were well organised and came with a plan to stop Kebe and it worked. Their left back did not give him an inch out wide. If only Kebe and Jobi could switch wings now and again to try something different.

Not going to lose any sleep over that performance. But I did roll my eyes when I heard the boos at the final whistle. There really are some seriously experienced mongs who watch Reading.

[Dirk Gently]

Long is is a good, honest, second striker - he'll chase the lost causes and win the ball for a main striker to score with - he's particularly ineffective playing as main striker in a 4-5-1 (or a 4-4-1-1 if you consider Gylfi playing behind him). But why we play 4-5-1 at home is beyond me anyway!

We created some decent chances in the first 10 minutes, then seemed to sit back and think "this'll be easy" and we didn't compete after that.

Great goal from Gylfi, but that was just about his only touch of the ball - a centre-forward can get away with that but a midfielder can't.

Agreed on the Pearce comments, but he has something that no other centre back has - he's fit!

[Royal Lady]

I thought the boos at the end of the game were to the ref and the assistant ref

[andrew1957]

Well that was disappointing. I was really excited with the season starting at last and feel totally deflated now.

To be fair I did not think we were awful. It was one of those days when everything just seemed to go wrong. Looks like we have 4 players all possibly quite seriously injured. I cannot remember losing that many players in one game before. The ref did not help - as I thought that he let them get away with some more than robust tackles. Although he was probably right to overrule the linesman for the first goal I think that 9 out of 10 referees would not have done so.

I thought Williams did ok and Griffin is just so good. Mills and Pearce looked poor together - oh how we need Khiz. Mills looked a world beater when Khiz was alongside him and frankly if we don't get a new CB in I very much doubt we will even make the play offs - especially if Mils is out for any length of time.

I thought Long did ok but had no service. The reason he was not in the box enough was that he was having to fall back to see anything of the ball. McAnuff looked good until he got injured - once in the first half and another robust hit in the second half that put him out of the game. Kebe had no service at all in the first half but got more of the ball in the second and looked a threat. Sig's goal was fantastic but overall it was not his best game.

I hope we keep Antonio - it looks like the lad has something that we can develop.

Thought Scunthorpe were much better this year than last (despite losing all their best players) - when they were the worst Championship team I had ever seen and we still contrived to draw 1-1 - which saw the end of Rodgers.

All in all I thought we were just a bit unlucky today - I am sure we will play worse and win games and sometimes that is just how it goes. Think the division will be really open this year and could go down to the wire. Should be exciting anyway.

[Plymouth_Royal]

Long is is a good, honest, second striker - he'll chase the lost causes and win the ball for a main striker to score with - he's particularly ineffective playing as main striker in a 4-5-1 (or a 4-4-1-1 if you consider Gylfi playing behind him). But why we play 4-5-1 at home is beyond me anyway!

We created some decent chances in the first 10 minutes, then seemed to sit back and think "this'll be easy" and we didn't compete after that.

Great goal from Gylfi, but that was just about his only touch of the ball - a centre-forward can get away with that but a midfielder can't.

Agreed on the Pearce comments, but he has something that no other centre back has - he's fit!

A striker should not be Honest, hard working and second striker. I hate it when people use words like these to describe a professional footballer. No-one cares if he's a nice guy, works hard means well. He's paid to hit the oxf*rd net, be clinical and have some sort of ability that can make you see why he's professional. Any poor mug off the park can be hard working, honest and nice.

[buzzbee]

Just to clear up the reason for the first goal being allowed, having watched it at half time, the ball in from their guy was actually going backwards until it hit Mills. You can't be off-side from a ball going away from goal.

Although Williams didn't look that great, I think we should wait a few games. Not only was that his first competitive game, but it was against the team he has played for all his career so far. It's hard enough settling into a new team when you have always played in the same place, but it's also pretty odd, playing against that team.

He didn't look great, but he may look better against other opposition. I think we just need to take a look in a game or three.

I agree that Long isn't the man in a 4-5-1. Strangely, I think his best two moments came when he was injured near the end.

Griffin may not have the legs to play at the top now (To be fair, he is about 95), but he sure has the brain. He was a class act out there today!

I thought we dominated the game, but until the end, didn't create a massive amount. I didn't come away thinking we were unlucky.

[Dirk Gently]

Long is is a good, honest, second striker - he'll chase the lost causes and win the ball for a main striker to score with - he's particularly ineffective playing as main striker in a 4-5-1 (or a 4-4-1-1 if you consider Gylfi playing behind him). But why we play 4-5-1 at home is beyond me anyway!

We created some decent chances in the first 10 minutes, then seemed to sit back and think "this'll be easy" and we didn't compete after that.

Great goal from Gylfi, but that was just about his only touch of the ball - a centre-forward can get away with that but a midfielder can't.

Agreed on the Pearce comments, but he has something that no other centre back has - he's fit!

A striker should not be Honest, hard working and second striker. I hate it when people use words like these to describe a professional footballer. No-one cares if he's a nice guy, works hard means well. He's paid to hit the oxf*rd net, be clinical and have some sort of ability that can make you see why he's professional. Any poor mug off the park can be hard working, honest and nice.

That's the point I'm making - he's a decent enough player but not a main striker - he works hard (harder than many others) but at this level that's just not enough, he needs something more.

[Man Friday]

Was their player in an offside or onside position when their other player shot? That's the bottom line.

Tought that overall we played well but the finishing was woeful. On decent chances, the match could have finished about 7-4. Some of the misses from 8/9 yards out made you want to cry.

Looks like we slipped up with Bertrand. And is Long McDermott's lovechild?

[Dirk Gently]

Was their player in an offside or onside position when their other player shot? That's the bottom line.

Are you talking about the first goal?

The ball was going backwards until Griffin deflected it forwards. You can't be offside from a ball going backwards, and you can't be offside from a ball played by the opposition, so good goal.

[andrew1957]

Some of the comments about Long and playing 4-2-3-1 are wide of the mark. In the last 10 matches of last season we won 8 drew 1 lost 1 and Long played up front on his own in that formation for most of those games. no one complained then. The problem today was that he did not get the service and we looked generally disjointed.

[Man Friday]

Just to clear up the reason for the first goal being allowed, having watched it at half time, the ball in from their guy was actually going backwards until it hit Mills. You can't be off-side from a ball going away from goal.

I don't think that's right. What about most crosses from near the by-line with a player not receiving the ball in an active position?

Also, we must have had 4-5 good chances before they scored.

[Dirk Gently]

Just to clear up the reason for the first goal being allowed, having watched it at half time, the ball in from their guy was actually going backwards until it hit Mills. You can't be off-side from a ball going away from goal.

I don't think that's right. What about most crosses from near the by-line with a player not receiving the ball in an active position?.

Perfectly correct - the ball must be played forwards for a player to be offside. END OF!

[Terminal Boardom]

Was their player in an offside or onside position when their other player shot? That's the bottom line.

If the ball is played backwards by an attacking player, offside does not come into it. Therefore, not offside, referee right to award the goal. That's the bottom line!

[rob the royal]

Looks like we slipped up with Bertrand. And is Long McDermott's lovechild?

Personally I don't think there's a lot between Church and Long - up against a 6 footer Long's always going to struggle, but for a small guy he gets up really well. Anyway I'm not going to enter the Shane Long debate - one minute everybody on here is bumming Shane Long the next everyone's saying he's not good enough.

As for Bertrand, surely it was just a matter of timing. We wanted him - he wanted to stay at Chelsea to try to break in to their first team and by the time he figured out that that was a dumb idea we'd got Williams... I suppose we could have waited all summer but then we'd risk not having a left back - it's alright for Forest they could probably afford to buy someone else - we've got no money... supposedly.

[sandman]

We didn't get the ball to the wingers enough after we dominated the early exchanges and we played far too direct against a Scunthorpe defence who like our own were very slow.

Fed - No chance with the goals didn't have too much to do.6
Griff - Looked uncomfortable at the start but turned out to be our best defender.7.5
Mills - Wasn't any where near the level we've come to expect. 6
Pearce - Is rrrreeeealllyyy sssslllloooowwww. Has played in 101 FL games and still shows no signs of improvement.3
Williams - Solid, no more than that. 6

Kebe - Didn't get the ball enough. 7
Jem - Couple of good tackles. Shouldn't be in the team ahead of Tabb or Howard though.6
Bryn - Looks about 100 years old and constantly looks like he's running through quicksand but he's solid, dependable and keeps things simple. 7
Sig - MOTM excellent goal and shows a maturity beyond his years. 8
McAnuff - See Kebe. Took a knock in the first half. 7

Long - He gets frustrated and goes looking for the ball. Must stay in the centre forward position. 5

Church - He's an international striker now and has got to take the sort of chance he had today. 5
Tabb - Battled hard, should've started. 7
Antonio - Poor first touch and is still very raw. 6

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Just to clear up the reason for the first goal being allowed, having watched it at half time, the ball in from their guy was actually going backwards until it hit Mills. You can't be off-side from a ball going away from goal.

I don't think that's right. What about most crosses from near the by-line with a player not receiving the ball in an active position?

Also, we must have had 4-5 good chances before they scored.

[FiNeRaIn]

Really worried.

A summer of investment was needed in the striker and centre back positions, instead we got two free transfers a left and right back and no investment elsewhere, same old, same old. What happens? Best centre back injured, now we are left with an incompetent one and Ivar who is also injured and has been for months. Great planning as usual, Reading board and management.

Woeful defeat against the divisions worst team who let their best players go in the summer, that really needs some perspective..opening game or not.

Another huge worry, what the hell was karacan doing on that pitch with tabb and howard available. Really poor management from BMD, he's got NOTHING on those two players and showed it today, he can't pass or finish as he's consistently proved and all he does is run around. When you have brynjar in there as the defensive midfielder..why the hell dont you have someone that can pass? Poor management from BMC, cringed at that starting lineup and turned out as expected in way of performance with a balance like that.

[rob the royal]

Some of the comments about Long and playing 4-2-3-1 are wide of the mark. In the last 10 matches of last season we won 8 drew 1 lost 1 and Long played up front on his own in that formation for most of those games. no one complained then. The problem today was that he did not get the service and we looked generally disjointed.

Thanks for pointing that out.

[Terminal Boardom]

But all is well. SJM said that he is determined to get the club into The Premier League.

FFS, 1 game into the season and so many staring into their navels and shuffling their feet. Look on the bright side. There are another 45 more experiences and emotional roller coasters to get through.