BFTG Brum

kwik-silva
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BFTG Brum

by kwik-silva » 22 Mar 2014 19:00

Well, I'm sitting in a cafe waiting for the Bracknell Bees' match but close enough.

My thoughts are on my blog!

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Re: BFTG Brum

by Cripple Creek » 22 Mar 2014 19:19

Great to have such a good summary of the game for those of us unable to be there. Thanks. It sometimes seems reading these reports from a long way away that it is our full backs these days who are, increasingly, impressing. Gunter used (or at least so it seems to me reading others' match reports) to be a disappointment to many but now he regularly receives praise. And Obita seems to have found a niche in a new position from which, given how well people seem to think he is doing, Bridges will have difficulty reclaiming his spot. If we can improve our home form there's clearly now a reasonable chance we will make the play offs. It actually wouldn't come as a complete shock to me if we were to get promoted although what would happen to us in the Prem I, frankly, dread to think.

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Re: BFTG Brum

by grey_squirrel » 22 Mar 2014 19:57

Cripple Creek Great to have such a good summary of the game for those of us unable to be there. Thanks. It sometimes seems reading these reports from a long way away that it is our full backs these days who are, increasingly, impressing. Gunter used (or at least so it seems to me reading others' match reports) to be a disappointment to many but now he regularly receives praise. And Obita seems to have found a niche in a new position from which, given how well people seem to think he is doing, Bridges will have difficulty reclaiming his spot. If we can improve our home form there's clearly now a reasonable chance we will make the play offs. It actually wouldn't come as a complete shock to me if we were to get promoted although what would happen to us in the Prem I, frankly, dread to think.


Lets not get carried away with ourselves we have 2 very winable home games coming up (and then 2 very winable away games) and you know what that will probably mean!

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Re: BFTG Brum

by PieEater » 22 Mar 2014 20:12

Top away day, we were miles better than Brum who appeared to be gifted a penalty and were generally hardworking but shit. We missed 2 glorious chances and it should have been a walkover.

A deserved 3 pt, despite the homer ref.

I've added the Anchor Inn to the prematch must visit list.

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Re: BFTG Brum

by grey_squirrel » 22 Mar 2014 20:28

Just seen the goals on SSN. Anyone else think the pen was a bit harsh/dubious? Seen more rugby tackles go in the box go unpunished this season. 50:50 surely?


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Re: BFTG Brum

by Unphased Royal » 22 Mar 2014 20:36

The home atmosphere was oxf*rd awful. There were times when we couldn't string 3 passes together but we always looked dangerous when a move finally clicked. Pen seemed harsh and brum rarely looked like scoring even when they were having their better spell at the start of the second half. How Pog missed from about 3 yards out I will never know and Chris Gunter needs to learn to shoot when in on goal. All in all a good day out.

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Re: BFTG Brum

by Silver Fox » 22 Mar 2014 21:10

kwik-silva Well, I'm sitting in a cafe waiting for the Bracknell Bees' match but close enough.

My thoughts are on my blog!


Thanks for trying to direct traffic to your blog. Did anyone go?

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Re: BFTG Brum

by paultheroyal » 22 Mar 2014 21:18

grey_squirrel
Cripple Creek Great to have such a good summary of the game for those of us unable to be there. Thanks. It sometimes seems reading these reports from a long way away that it is our full backs these days who are, increasingly, impressing. Gunter used (or at least so it seems to me reading others' match reports) to be a disappointment to many but now he regularly receives praise. And Obita seems to have found a niche in a new position from which, given how well people seem to think he is doing, Bridges will have difficulty reclaiming his spot. If we can improve our home form there's clearly now a reasonable chance we will make the play offs. It actually wouldn't come as a complete shock to me if we were to get promoted although what would happen to us in the Prem I, frankly, dread to think.


Lets not get carried away with ourselves we have 2 very winable home games coming up (and then 2 very winable away games) and you know what that will probably mean!


12 points?

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Re: BFTG Brum

by stealthpapes » 22 Mar 2014 22:18

Unphased Royal The home atmosphere was oxf*rd awful. There were times when we couldn't string 3 passes together but we always looked dangerous when a move finally clicked. Pen seemed harsh and brum rarely looked like scoring even when they were having their better spell at the start of the second half. How Pog missed from about 3 yards out I will never know and Chris Gunter needs to learn to shoot when in on goal. All in all a good day out.


The keeper was in the way, he scooped it to get it over him. Gunter crossing to no-one minutes earlier was also a bit :|

Someone mentioned Brum as hard working - yes, really good at battling for loose balls, making it difficult.

RFC clearly have a game plan, they're just a bit too sloppy to make it work. Will it come? well, I think this season is too soon.


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Re: BFTG Brum

by kwik-silva » 22 Mar 2014 23:09

Silver Fox
kwik-silva Well, I'm sitting in a cafe waiting for the Bracknell Bees' match but close enough.

My thoughts are on my blog!


Thanks for trying to direct traffic to your blog. Did anyone go?


:| so sorry for making you click a link darling, for a match report posted hours before anyone else.

grey_squirrel Just seen the goals on SSN. Anyone else think the pen was a bit harsh/dubious? Seen more rugby tackles go in the box go unpunished this season. 50:50 surely?


Thought it was harsh from where I was sat but I haven't watched it back yet!

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Re: BFTG Brum

by notloyalenuffroyal » 22 Mar 2014 23:43

kwik-silva Well, I'm sitting in a cafe waiting for the Bracknell Bees' match but close enough.

My thoughts are on my blog!


Ctrl C. Ctrl. V

I'll show you how it's done.....


Saturday, 22 March 2014

Birmingham 1-2 Hooligans
With Birmingham's home form I marked this one as a 'must-win' in yesterday's post, and thankfully Reading just about managed it. A 2-1 win that could quite easily have seen either side score three or four.

Although Birmingham dominated the first half it was the Royals who opened the scoring. Coming from a break by Drenthe down the right it ended with McAnuff calmly skipping past a diving defender before lashing home. The lead didn't last long though, moments later Gorkss conceded, what looked like, a soft penalty. The Latvian definitely made contact but it took the referee an age to give the decision. Alex McCarthy almost got the spot kick but it was just beyond his reach, so the teams went in at half-time at 1-1. 

The second half saw Birmingham again pressing with Reading mainly playing on the counter-attack. A header rattled the Reading crossbar, Birmingham's only real chance to that point other than their goal, but it was the away team that had the best chances. Gunter managed to find himself in behind twice, the first time he chose to pull the ball across the six yard box for Pogrebnyak, but the ball was cleared behind for a corner. The set-piece was dangerous, but a shot would have probably been the right decision in the first place. Then Gunter managed to recreate almost the exact same situation, and this time when the ball was squared McAnuff managed to get on the end of it to restore Reading's lead. Reading had to weather a bit of a storm, a Zigic header was turned wide by McCarthy, and then a lay-off from the giant somehow saw the resulting shot loop over the bar. 

Reading had their own chances to make the scoreline more emphatic. Gunter's fierce shot was just wide, and a cross that somehow found Jordan Obita was also volleyed just past the post. A fairly innocuous McAnuff shot was spilt by Randulph, Gunter who followed up could only have his attempt parried by the keeper but Pog, with the keeper on the floor, somehow managed to chip over from six yards. 

ALF started up front but was almost totally anonymous, a side-effect of the long-ball game Reading played whilst being pressured by the home side, before being replaced for Pog in a double change that also saw HRK swap with McCleary. With a legitimate aerial threat Pogrebnyak made an instant difference, a lovely flick to put Drenthe through unfortunately didn't come to anything. McCleary too gave us a different option, able to beat players and pick out a pass which was occasionally lacking from HRK's game today. Someone we definitely look better with on the pitch.

McAnuff's brace, although somewhat surprising, shows what a potential asset he is when he plays well. His composure to take the first goal, and willingness to win the ball for his second are both something Reading often lack. He wasn't at his best today, often failing to get round players - apart from a lovely piece of skill when pinned against the touchline by four Birmingham players - but he gives in other areas rather than just his play. His and Pearce's celebrations at the final whistle show how dedicated they are to this club, and that's lovely to have. 

A match export wouldn't be complete without a proper mention of Drenthe; unfortunately a lot of what he tried didn't come off today but his cross for the first goal was immaculate, and his skill won Reading a couple of free-kicks. Also another shoutout to the defence who were invulnerable other than Kaspars first-half challenge. Obita and Gunter were two of the best players on the pitch, and the two in the middle won almost everything. Included is the man between the posts who also kept us in it with a couple of good saves. 

A good win today puts us back into the play-offs with other results going our way, and even if the Que Sera chants were a little premature the next four are all incredibly winnable. This is the time to get momentum going, and hopefully this is just the start. 

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Re: BFTG Brum

by notloyalenuffroyal » 22 Mar 2014 23:43

A great report. Thanks

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Agent Balti
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Re: BFTG Brum

by Agent Balti » 23 Mar 2014 06:39

Nice report (lose points for "shoutout") though :wink:


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Re: BFTG Brum

by JIM » 23 Mar 2014 10:09

Do not be picky . he spent a long time on that report 10/10 thanks

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Re: BFTG Brum

by Schards#2 » 23 Mar 2014 10:15

Workmanlike away win from a side that is showing promotion form away from home, if only we could have worked out how to unpick defences at the Madejski, we'd have been challanging for automatic promotion.

Going to Birmingham is like being visited by the ghost of christmas to come. A soulless, hopeless, passionless club drifting relentlessly downwards. We need to sort out the ownership desperately to avoid a similar fate.

Negatives, Le Fondre completely invisible unless he scores, which he hasn't for some time. Ponderous passing accross the defence put us in trouble on a couple of occassions. At one stage we were being dominated by a side that hasn't won at home since 1st October. Gunter's astonishing square ball to no one when clear in on goal. What on earth was he thinking?

Positives, we took the game to them well in the last 20 minutes to force the win. Mcanuff took both goals well, Drenthe continues to grow into the season. I'd like to single out Akpan though as he seems to get a lot of criticism. I believe this guy could be a top player in time, he has absolutely everything you want as a midlielder in his locker, he just needs to bring it more consistently. He has a tremendous engine, does a lot of the dirty work well, plays a simple ball quickly and efficiently and has a quality pass at his disposal. His through ball to Gunter to set up the winner was quick and beautifully weighted. Yes, he switches off for short periods and yes he gets caught in possesion occassionally but he has it all and, with more experience and maturity could be a huge asset. He needs to be supported and encouraged.

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Re: BFTG Brum

by ZacNaloen » 23 Mar 2014 10:37

On Akpan, same age as Taylor, shows the same sort of inconsistency you expect from a young player but more potential in this system than Taylor. If he'd come through our Academy we'd all be raving about him.

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Re: BFTG Brum

by winchester_royal » 23 Mar 2014 11:25

Agreed with the last couple if comments. He's showing some real promise, physically very powerful and technically far more adept than Ledge. Still a little gangly and clumsy at times, but as he fills out and gets used to just how long his legs are that should improve.

The rest of Schards' report is spot on as well. Quite remarkable what has happened to Birmingham as a football club over the past couple of years.

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Re: BFTG Brum

by Victor Meldrew » 23 Mar 2014 13:15

Other than saying that he was substituted nobody has commented on how Kanu played-was it his usual 60 minutes of occupying the pitch and falling over a lot or did he do more?

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Re: BFTG Brum

by kwik-silva » 23 Mar 2014 13:32

I've seen him play better

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Re: BFTG Brum

by LoyalRoyalFan » 23 Mar 2014 13:35

Victor Meldrew Other than saying that he was substituted nobody has commented on how Kanu played-was it his usual 60 minutes of occupying the pitch and falling over a lot or did he do more?


He has gone downhill since last season when he was particularly impressive; a real shame in my opinion that he hasn't developed further.

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