Back from the Game - Leeds

[bloody Volvo driver]

Very dull game, never felt threatened in a desolate elland road. Very good start and game deteriorated from there. Not sure hPow they are where they are, but very good 3 points at difficult ground.

Fed - 7 - very few saves, good distribution, good domination of crosses
cummings - 6 - looked very good going forward, most play came through snodgrass so very little defensive work
Kaspar - 8 - dominated all headers, becchio didn't get a sniff - MOTM
pearce - 7 - not as busy as gorkss. Won most headers, looks a threat from corners now
griffin - 7 - harsh booking. Very calm on ball, dealt with snodgrass well
mcanuff -8 - couldve scored both chances. Looked dangerous all game, very good crosses in second half
Jem - 6 - very ineffective. Came off early. Possibly carrying a knock?
Ledge - 7 - broke up play very well, distribution with ball poor
hal - 7 - gave their full back torrid time. End product not superb but beat players well
alf - 6 - ran around a lot, very little service in fairness. Link up play good
church - 7 - great finish for goal, did nothing else but no service

tabb - 6 - ran around a lot. Got their player booked nicely! Broke up play well
Antonio - 7 - one good run in very little time given

[FiNeRaIn]

I think my BBC and Sky score centres are frozen, its still saying Leeds 0 reading 1? Nice to see we got our equaliser in early, whats the latest update ?

[RobRoyal]

Very little football played today, but we defended stoutly and looked marginally the more likely team to score throughout. Nicely taken goal by Church. Another game where we only really created a couple of chances - Legs and Karacan did well enough defensively but, stop me if you've heard this one before, gave nothing creatively. McAnuff had his best game in a while, Griffin looked very rusty, Cummings dependable. Gorkks man of the match - unflustered, impeccable. What a signing that was.

Back-to-back wins where we would have been happy with a point of two, and suddenly we're up to 7th. With more firepower and creativity we could be a decent team again.

[1871 Royal]

Karacan did well enough defensively but, stop me if you've heard this one before, gave nothing creatively.

Except for setting up the only goal of the game?

[Snowball]

Shhhh...

[RobRoyal]

Karacan did well enough defensively but, stop me if you've heard this one before, gave nothing creatively.

Except for setting up the only goal of the game?

Hardly a creative ball, it was a smack over the top and into the channels. Rubbish defending allowed church to break clear.

[1871 Royal]

Setting up a goal = being creative, no matter how it comes, if he wasn't being creative he would have bought it down and played it off to Jobi or Cummings. Jem had the vision to loft it over the top and expose the poor defending.

[Ian Royal]

Setting up a goal = being creative, no matter how it comes, if he wasn't being creative he would have bought it down and played it off to Jobi or Cummings. Jem had the vision to loft it over the top and expose the poor defending.

Sorry, but playing one percentage hoof into the channels that gets badly defended is not being creative in a match. Yes, he created the goal, brilliant and well done. That doesn't make comments about the central midfield not being creative enough invalid.

[1871 Royal]

I don't think it is such a aimless hoof to be honest. Would like to see it again before I make a judgement however.

[RobRoyal]

Yeah, what Ian said.

I'd have to see it again - perhaps it was a smarter ball than I gave him credit for. But I'm a bit tired of our insistence to play long-balls into the channels all the time. Oftentimes it seems there's not even an expectation that the forward will get on to the ball, but we're happy to force a throw-in near the goalline or collect the subsequent clearance. We're pretty hard to beat at the moment, but we're not taking many attacking risks and it's none too pretty.

None of which I mean to denigrate an organised and robust performance today. It certainly looks like we'll be spending the first half of 2012 looking up the table rather than down. But it's pretty clear where the improvement needs to come if we're going to emulate last season's achievements.

[bcubed]

Setting up a goal = being creative, no matter how it comes, if he wasn't being creative he would have bought it down and played it off to Jobi or Cummings. Jem had the vision to loft it over the top and expose the poor defending.

I think Jem is playing really well recently and absolutely critical to our success at the moment

I also think he is in danger of becoming the new James Harper and getting unnecessary and unjustified vilification

However having said that it was noticeable that when Tabb came on he made several through passes that were previously lacking
Maybe there is a case for Jem Tabb and Leigertwood in the centre?

[Rex]

Trying to play hoof to Church does not work. Frankly a squeaky bum match simply because we had the early goal. If we hadn't got that - it would have been numb toes and numb brain time.
Leeds were abysmal tonight and lol at the expectation of their support to get auto promotion.
Again OTT stewarding where the Police and Stewards sat scrutinising us like specimens in a petri dish. lined up at the back constantly telling everyone to sit down. As a result of this the goal was missed.
We battled, frustrated and it wasn't pretty.

[BenReadingFC]

[Mr. Reading]

Travelled up and back with a Leeds fan (was afraid he was going to leave us stranded after the result as it was his car...). Honest thoughts from him were that they badly missed Howson, and that we really effectively snuffed any sort of threat from Snodgrass and Becchio, which made them look poor. Called it an exceptionally professional performance in seeing out a game from a team that's managed to take an early lead. I'd say it was a fair assessment.

Nearly came over that Church finish...

[Woodcote Royal]

Trying to play hoof to Church does not work. Frankly a squeaky bum match simply because we had the early goal. If we hadn't got that - it would have been numb toes and numb brain time.
Leeds were abysmal tonight and lol at the expectation of their support to get auto promotion.
Again OTT stewarding where the Police and Stewards sat scrutinising us like specimens in a petri dish. lined up at the back constantly telling everyone to sit down. As a result of this the goal was missed.
We battled, frustrated and it wasn't pretty.

And West Ham were abysmal last week..............................there's a trend here that others have also alluded to

This is a tight division where matches are often decided by the finest of margins. It seems we produced a quality finish in the opening minutes and a sound defence prevented our opponents from getting back into the match.

When you are away to top 6 opposition, that's a great afternoons work regardless of what it looked like.......................well done to all involved.

[SHORT AND CURLY]

I have just come in from a day on the sauce and seen the result. To say I am elated is an understatement.

Having read the miserable reports on here, anyone would think we lost................


Chill out peeps and rejoice a 1-0 win at Elland Road however we played is a fantastic result!



More Beer please Hic!!!

[One Richie Bowman]

Just out in Leeds with my son after the game as staying up North for the night before traveling back to Reading tomorrow. In Nandos having dinner when Jobi and Ledge stroll in and had a really pleasant chat with them, they had Kaspars with them as well. All 3 of them were fantastic with my son and have a signed menu to take back home with us. Made one little chaps day and so thanks to all 3 who were great today and nice to feel that nothing was too much trouble for one little lad, and his dad, to meet 3 of their favorite players after a great result earlier. I mentioned to Ledge and Kaspars that i work with a fake hoops season ticket holder who was sad to see them go but that personally any one else QPR want to let us have i look forward to, as our two best signings in the last couple of years. So thanks also to Wally Warnock.

[Snowball]

Jems stats are starting to mount up, goals/assists, he's important

and that's before we consider how much ball he wins.

[Rex]

Trying to play hoof to Church does not work. Frankly a squeaky bum match simply because we had the early goal. If we hadn't got that - it would have been numb toes and numb brain time.
Leeds were abysmal tonight and lol at the expectation of their support to get auto promotion.
Again OTT stewarding where the Police and Stewards sat scrutinising us like specimens in a petri dish. lined up at the back constantly telling everyone to sit down. As a result of this the goal was missed.
We battled, frustrated and it wasn't pretty.

And West Ham were abysmal last week..............................there's a trend here that others have also alluded to

This is a tight division where matches are often decided by the finest of margins. It seems we produced a quality finish in the opening minutes and a sound defence prevented our opponents from getting back into the match.

When you are away to top 6 opposition, that's a great afternoons work regardless of what it looked like.......................well done to all involved.

The result goes without saying. Great result, Church looking more edgy and involved but i still do not like watching hit and hope football. Running those channels (particularly the right) - we looked more dangerous and frustrated the hell out of them when pushing forward. We absorbed them well and as i said battling and frustrating in equal measures.

[RG30]

Very comfortable performance against a Leeds side who offered very little. Lovely taken goal from Church who eloquently chipped it over Lonergan which put us up in a great position and from there we were never really threatened. Pearce and Gorkss are emerging as a very good Championship defence partnership and god help us if any of those get injured. Griffin came in and done a really good job on Snodgrass who was unable to influence the match like he can. Cummings and McAnuff linked up superbly down the right hand side while the front two worked extremely hard and put in a great shift.