Stephen Hunt is worse than Jimmy Kebe, Sign in

[papereyes]

Teams have worked through our attacking options, man for man, and worked out simple methods to limit their effectiveness.

We don't have enough options in the squad to mix things up (i.e. up front - what real difference does permutating between Lita, Long and Doyle do? We don't have a fourth striker who offers anything markedly different) and we don't have enough quality within the squad to get around teams (i.e. a player who can create a goal out of nothing with a clever pass, a barnstorming run; or lift the game with a moment of real magic)

Hence

We don't score and we're relying on our defence to hold up. Which it usually can do but when it doesn't, we're not getting back into the game.

[CMRoyal]

Teams have worked through our attacking options, man for man, and worked out simple methods to limit their effectiveness.

We don't have enough options in the squad to mix things up (i.e. up front - what real difference does permutating between Lita, Long and Doyle do? We don't have a fourth striker who offers anything markedly different) and we don't have enough quality within the squad to get around teams (i.e. a player who can create a goal out of nothing with a clever pass, a barnstorming run; or lift the game with a moment of real magic)

Hence

We don't score and we're relying on our defence to hold up. Which it usually can do but when it doesn't, we're not getting back into the game.

I have to say, I disagree - I still think we have the best squad, which makes our poor form even more frustrating. Look at the players people are calling on to get a start - Czech international Marek, scorer of 10 goals this season Noel, the monster that is Cameroonian international Bikey...that's before we get onto Coventry's reigning player of the year and a handful of hugely promising young academy starlets.

[papereyes]

That wasn't quite what I said though.

For example, up front - a distinct region I highlighted - we might have four talented players but they're essentially all too similar (Hunt being the exception). We've no real depth in that position in spite of having four players that can score at this level because you really need a partnership up front. Also, when two of them have been tried, the substitutions offer more of the same which puts no extra pressure on the opposition defence. A change that brings a significantly faster or significantly tougher player off the bench means that the defence have to reorganise and reset what they're doing.

I can be enough to change a game.

A squad is about more than the individuals and it is more than simply 'the numbers' - what's the point in having five average centre midfielders (for example) if we're playing the same two wingers week in, week out?

A counterpoint to the one you've made - Marek might be a Czech international but he's really not yet shown that ability for Reading, likewise Bikey who also often has the air of a man struggling to remember which foot he's meant to put forward next. They should be talented players but if they haven't quite shown it for us, then I find arguments like "he's a BLAH international" incredibly unfulfilling. It was the same with Fae last season.

Coventry's reigning player of the year

Damning with faint praise?

handful of hugely promising young academy starlets.

That's also a rather unimpressive claim and I bet every squad in the league has 'a handful of hugely promising young academy starlets'.

[roberto_11]

They are both retarded and shite, IMO, and need to be replaced.

Losing Convey and Little to injuries / lack of form was the worst thing that could have happened to Reading in the break up of our best ever team. In 2005/6 they were the reason we created so many goals and we miss them terribly. They were both very different and gave balance to our team. We have coped with losing Shorey and he was crap last year anyway, Kitson was class but injury prone and Noel Hunt is proving an adequate replacement. Sidwell was a big loss but if we played Cisse and Matjejovski I believe we have a solid centre midfield combination. Sonko was crap after his injury and Bikey is a better player I think.

Kebe is fast, Hunt works hard but both have no vision or end product which we had in abundance with Convey Little. Last season creativity was one of our main problems, and if you look back to our terrible run at the start of 2005, it was when Kitson was injured and teams sussed onto how we totally relied on Little, and that we had nothing creative from the left wing in Brooker or Hughes. Coppell didn't have a backup plan, everything came from Little and Kitson.

Coppell has been an excellent manager for Reading but I think that his lack of adaptability when things go wrong will cost us again this season.

[The_Cat]

They are both retarded and shite, IMO, and need to be replaced.

Losing Convey and Little to injuries / lack of form was the worst thing that could have happened to Reading in the break up of our best ever team. In 2005/6 they were the reason we created so many goals and we miss them terribly. They were both very different and gave balance to our team. We have coped with losing Shorey and he was crap last year anyway, Kitson was class but injury prone and Noel Hunt is proving an adequate replacement. Sidwell was a big loss but if we played Cisse and Matjejovski I believe we have a solid centre midfield combination. Sonko was crap after his injury and Bikey is a better player I think.

Kebe is fast, Hunt works hard but both have no vision or end product which we had in abundance with Convey Little. Last season creativity was one of our main problems, and if you look back to our terrible run at the start of 2005, it was when Kitson was injured and teams sussed onto how we totally relied on Little, and that we had nothing creative from the left wing in Brooker or Hughes. Coppell didn't have a backup plan, everything came from Little and Kitson.

Coppell has been an excellent manager for Reading but I think that his lack of adaptability when things go wrong will cost us again this season.

+1 with the first sentence.

[SteveRoyal]

This thread is absolute b*ll*x.
What are you on, because I certainly don't want a drug that takes away my marbles.
The stats don't lie - S Hunt is our best winger.
Saying that, he has been on poor form lately - but that probably has something to do with 2 of the 5-man midfield marking him when he gets the ball.
Give him a one-man-marking system, and he'll return to what he was... I hope.

[roberto_11]

Give him a one-man-marking system, and he'll return to what he was... I hope.

Which was what? A headless chicken who runs down blind alleys and has a shite end product, whose only redeeming feature is that he works hard but doesnt even seem to be doing that of late.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Kebe’s biggest strength is his pace, yet he seems almost scared to use it. I would doubt there are many left backs in the division who could stick with him. His play screams for him to simply knock the ball past his man, outpace him and cut in.

He only did it once as I recall on Saturday, got to the byline and cut it back for Lita who should have done better. If he did this more consistently than at worst, the opposition would need to put two men on him giving space for someone inside.

I think he doesnt use his pace as often as you would think he should because he knows he struggles to keep control of the ball at walking pace

Ask him to do it flat out against decent defenders and he starts to worry, probably as a result of some of the awful touches and crosses he has shown us this season

Add in the state of the pitch to further corrode his confidence and I reckon that would explain some of your frustrations

[Super Kevin Bremner!]

I've seen my own knob without the use of a mirror more times than Hunt's gone round someone this year.

The bloke's been dogshit since the start of last season.

Someone's bound to, or already has posted his tally of assists. Not hard though when he was taking most the set-pieces.

Hunt buggering off for a couple of million would have the best thing that could have happened to us in January.

As for Kebe, he's been consistently inconsistent but when he does something exciting, which I think we all agree he does sometimes, he's brilliant to watch. Not really fair to make any comparison between the two, but I would have been more gutted about the prospect of Kebe sodding off had it been on the agenda.

One of life's little mysteries, Hunt being so cherished in the football World. I'd put it right up there with fat birds wearing crop tops in the summer.

[Terminal Boardom]

I think whats being missed here is the fact that teams are wised-up to sHunt. You watch players around Hunt. They know our goals come from his crosses (well at least they did). They are told to effectively block him out of the game. 3 players around him, triangular shaped - this stops sHunt from doing what he does. He can beat 1 man but now there are always another 2 more to do. Or sometimes he gets all three at once. Anyone who plays football knows that the chances of doing 3 people are fairly minimal.

When teams do this, obviously, he is very ineffective and therefore absent from the game. And this is just good tactics from opposing teams. Not that he doesn't give a fuk anymore - or his heads elsewhere.

Get real people, we have been well and truly found out (again). If there's one person to blame here it's not sHunt

Agreed, but my only criticism of Hunt is his inability to adapt. If he's double- or even triple-timed, that means that a) there's no point running up blind alleys and b) there should be space elsewhere on the park. He needs to utilise Armstrong more, and to bawl Harper or Cisse out if they don't get over to support. Play the ball back, sideways, wherever, but maintain possession and help your team-mates use the space made in other parts of the pitch.

I'd like to see more of Marek playing S Hunt in behind defences as he did in the latter stages of Saturday's game. I reckon Hunt will produce more that way than Kebe does with his pace and ability to intermittently beat full-backs.

If there are 3 players around shunt then that must mean that there must be some space elsewhere. Whe play the ball to someone who will be quickly crowded out. Where shunt can improve is by learning to play one touch. Instead of taking 17 touches to get the ball under control he lays off with his first touch and looks for space. If he gets blocked we get a free kick. If not then an opportunity is created for a more attacking pass to be played. We play at a high tempo but too one dimensional. This opens up another option.

[Terminal Boardom]

This thread is absolute b*ll*x.
What are you on, because I certainly don't want a drug that takes away my marbles.
The stats don't lie - S Hunt is our best winger.
Saying that, he has been on poor form lately - but that probably has something to do with 2 of the 5-man midfield marking him when he gets the ball.
Give him a one-man-marking system, and he'll return to what he was... I hope.

Doesn't say much for the rest

[papereyes]

Give him a one-man-marking system, and he'll return to what he was... I hope.

shall we ask the opposition nicely at the start of the game?

[brendywendy]

I've seen my own knob without the use of a mirror more times than Hunt's gone round someone this year.

The bloke's been dogshit since the start of last season.

Someone's bound to, or already has posted his tally of assists. Not hard though when he was taking most the set-pieces.

Hunt buggering off for a couple of million would have the best thing that could have happened to us in January.

As for Kebe, he's been consistently inconsistent but when he does something exciting, which I think we all agree he does sometimes, he's brilliant to watch. Not really fair to make any comparison between the two, but I would have been more gutted about the prospect of Kebe sodding off had it been on the agenda.

One of life's little mysteries, Hunt being so cherished in the football World. I'd put it right up there with fat birds wearing crop tops in the summer.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


what the great man above said.

[juanpablo]

great thread cant remember the last time hunt beat a man.... atleast Jimmy gets in the positions to cross


plus now Hunt is a 5 million pound rated flair player in his eyes he has stopped going in for crunching tackles