BFTG - Preston Home

[Snowball]

VERY promising.

The first thing to say (IMO) is we played so intelligently. Preston tried to close us down in the first 15 minutes but they were clearly using too much energy. Hard to explain but this possession seemed miles better than the boring possession under Rodgers.

There were a few very good moves, the players looked like they'd played together for a good while so the future looks very promising. We missed a few half-decent chances first half but the finishing will come. One move second half opened Preston up but Rakels managed to hit the keeper. TBF to him he is not a number 9 and was up against two big centre backs all day.

At kickoff the two CBs were miles apart and the FBs pushing up. Almost all game McShane seemed to be very wide. Not sure what was going on there but I'd be worried about a really slick, fast attack. Early days of course.

First half Williams was on fire. He was still running down blind alleys but was managing to bounce the ball out. VG half but long term I would still prefer a midfielder who played more as a team player.

Gunter, Williams and McLeary worked extremely well together (making the remark above sound odd) and McLeary was beating his man often. Gunts was much MUCH less negative, and apart from a couple of misplaced passes in the first half was solid.

Obita played very well up to his injury and partnered well with Beerens. It was nice to see both wingers able to skin players with skill. Not sure who was the third person working with Obita-Beerens. It might have been Rakels or Swift, occasionally Williams but the left side LB-LW-Another worked as well as the right side.

Rakels was given a tough job as the lone striker. It's clearly not his ideal position but he plugged away. Did one step-over that deserved a bigger reward and missed a great chance second half but I think he could still be a solid striker, just not as a 9.

I was expecting van de Berg to be a disaster but thought he was EXCELLENT, a character, classy. If we buy a top CB he ought to play in front of the back four but I wouldn't want to drop any of today's midfield.

I thought George Evans was very, very efficient, solid throughout, hardly ever gave the ball away and made some excellent passes a la Norwood. Personally, I think he will become a better player than Norwood. He needs 40 games and we will be worried about keeping him

McShane was McShane. There were a couple of times I thought he was outpaced but he managed to keep the player out.

Swift looks like a very decent player. He took his goal well but it was sucker-defending. If I haven't mentioned him much it's partly because I struggled to recognise players.

El Habsi made one very good save when we over-indulged with the passing and gave the ball away for a Preston player (Johnson?) a free run at goal. He made one other VG intervention late on.

But frankly, we had 82% first-half possession, 80% overall and were utterly dominant. We "deserved" 2-0 (at least) at half-time, and over the whole game we probably deserved 3-0. Preston had a go for 10-15 minutes after HT, and the last 6-10 minutes (six minutes of extra time) but they never really looked like scoring. I was expecting their strike force to be better.

They (Preston) didn't look a great side but not relegation fodder, either. This was a good Reading win and I feel way more optimistic about the season now.

SUBS: Tennai looked very decent, and slotted in OK, and though his cameo wasn't very long the little winger Harriot looked excellent and very very good cover for Mcleary. Quick, can beat a man, loads of confidence.

It occurs to me that he could play wide and McLeary in attack (Number 10). He did that a bit for Forest and scored four goals in one game from that position.

I copied some of this from the in-game thread but would like to add, please don\t write of Rakels. No way is he a number 9 and it's not really fair to judge him when he's played as the target man. Strikers miss chances, no big deal. His minutes per goal is still excellent.

I would say that had we had a conventional big fast CF yesterday, one who was a 20+ a season man, we would have won in a canter.

The SKY highlights make it look like Preston made a game of it but it's a very false impression.

The best, most intelligent game I've seen RFC play for quite a while.

[Maneki Neko]

Good game. Came away relatively positive and happy. We were lucky though as they were gifted a couple if chances that a decent side would have put away.
Other than that though we played some really good stuff, loved the wide play, new players looked really decent, scored a great goal, and got a clean sheet. A decent start and something to build on.

Al habsi usual stuff. 7
Gunter usual stuff. 7
Mcshane usual stuff 7
VDM a tank, actually pretty decent 7
Obita decent 7
Evans quietly effective, neat tidy and and solid 7
Williams decent 7
Beerens looks good, got a trick, goes past people with pace 7
Mcleary decent 7
Swift. Some nice touches, worked hard, cracking finish 8
Rakels cost me 120 quid with that miss second half, but made a nusiance of himself. 6

Watson. Slotted in nicely 7
Harriot. Good addition. Pacey,direct.7
Kermo usual stuff, didnt get much of a chance 6

[Sutekh]

Shows promise.

Not the finished article. Still have that depressing failure to finish teams off and Rakels really is not a central striker.

Preston fans are worried as they reckon we won't amount to much this season and they've just lost to us.

Desperately calling out for another centre back and a left back. One hopes that the club stop messing about over Liam Moore and just bite the bullet like you have to sometimes.

Williams was MotM. If we can get him playing like that every game then we might be worried if goes.

Swift looks pretty damn good as well and with Harriott, Beerens and a rejuvenated McCleary we might actually have some wingers to worry defenders at last.

For the first time in ages actually looking forward to the next Reading game and by the end of this month we should know whether this was just a fluke against a poor team or whether there's actually something dangerous starting to stir in the depths of darkest Berkshire.

[PieEater]

I noticed we were keeping 3 up when PNE attacked, occasionally McCleary would track back but Beerens never did. He's going to have to work a bit harder than he did against better teams.

PNE tried to close us down in numbers to the point it looked like they were sheep following the ball, that left a lot of free space when we managed to pass around them.

We also seem to of had a disaster in corporate hospitality sales, around 70% of the boxes were empty, it's a good job Lady Sassima wanteda double hospitality box. Advertising was just as bad, there were no adverts at all on West stand.

[K.URZ13]

Great result and very enjoyable listening. 80% possession shows how well our team played. I like Rakkels but we really need another striker to make it all count.

[pea]

Thanks for the comments all who were there. Moore seems to be the right transfer priority now so hopefully that gets tied up this week.

For those who have paid more attention of late, do Mendes or Meite look like the kind of player that would take hold of the no. 9 role and have an impact once match fit?

Always hard to judge the strength of the team when so many of last years squad have left but the club seem to have done a better job of signing decent additions who will make an impact in the future, like Evans, rather than filling the squad with experienced backup (but let's not start them long term) players. Also the first time I've seen us achieve the right balance between bringing in good young talents from other teams and still bringing through our own into the senior squad.

[WestRoyal]

Does anyone know a listen again link to the radio Berkshire commentary for yesterdays game?

[George_]

Really enjoyed yesterday. 1st time in nearly a year where I've come away with a good feeling about this team.

All the new players looked good which is massively positive. Really impressed by Swift AGAIN and think with Beerens & McCleary on either wings that we will caused teams massive problems.

So many players also to come back from injury (Samuel, Mendes, Quinn + Meite when he is fully fit) and add in new signings and there is so much promise in this squad.

This team will only get better with time as we are playing a new system with new players so patience needed but there is so much potential with this group of players.

[Lacoste]

Swift excellent, Williams MOTM, Gunter looking a cut above too (whoever it was above who wasn't impressed by him has it very wrong).

Gunter and Obita were pushed very high and McShane and VDB were pushed extremely wide. That will catch us out at some point, but that's ok if the offensive benefits outweigh it.

There was a Norwood hangover. The hole he normally stood in to recieve the ball off the CBs was just empty today. McShane is never going to be an 'on the ball sort of guy', and looked very uncomfortable today. Not convinced by the centre backs.

Beerens grew into the game, first half he was exciting without being effective, but he turned that round.

Harriott's introduction was overshadowed by the goings on between the PNE fans and out lot. Don't know what started it, looked like a bunch of Preston fans getting behind the screen. It was pathetic for adults to be involved in this sort of thing either way. Lol at the topless North End bloke who went to vault the barrier only to have underestimated the drop and to plummet the 15-20 feet onto concrete. I hope he broke something.

Evans will be a far superior player to Norwood.

He will be an excellent excellent player.

[Snowball]

Evans will be a far superior player to Norwood.

He will be an excellent excellent player.

Yep. My thoughts,too

[genome]

The goal music though :/

[moo]

A few stadium bans need to be given to the firm.

[windermere_royal]

The goal music though :/

Don`t give a toss about the goal music. hope we hear it 50 times this season.

[Royal Ginger]

Swift excellent, Williams MOTM, Gunter looking a cut above too (whoever it was above who wasn't impressed by him has it very wrong).

Gunter and Obita were pushed very high and McShane and VDB were pushed extremely wide. That will catch us out at some point, but that's ok if the offensive benefits outweigh it.

There was a Norwood hangover. The hole he normally stood in to recieve the ball off the CBs was just empty today. McShane is never going to be an 'on the ball sort of guy', and looked very uncomfortable today. Not convinced by the centre backs.

Beerens grew into the game, first half he was exciting without being effective, but he turned that round.

Harriott's introduction was overshadowed by the goings on between the PNE fans and out lot. Don't know what started it, looked like a bunch of Preston fans getting behind the screen. It was pathetic for adults to be involved in this sort of thing either way. Lol at the topless North End bloke who went to vault the barrier only to have underestimated the drop and to plummet the 15-20 feet onto concrete. I hope he broke something.

Evans will be a far superior player to Norwood.

He will be an excellent excellent player.

I think you're right. Just needs a period of adjustment that understandably handn't quite clicked yet yesterday.

[genome]

The goal music though :/

Don`t give a toss about the goal music. hope we hear it 50 times this season.

Heh, I hope I am annoyed by it several times this season.

[Royal Ginger]

Just watched the multi-angle on the goal. Rackels was semi fouled/bundled two of their defenders over, which was handy as they were in position to block the shot if they weren't on their arses.

[windermere_royal]

Just watched the multi-angle on the goal. Rackels was semi fouled/bundled two of their defenders over, which was handy as they were in position to block the shot if they weren't on their arses.

One goal from a corner in a year and a half, the we do it in Stams first game in charge.
very simular to the Bournmouth goal against Man U last year. good we are working on set peices in training rather than hoofing it into the middle and hoping.

[Royal Rother]

Good we've got somebody with the technique / ability to get a shot like that on target.

[If you still hate Futcher]

Just watched the multi-angle on the goal. Rackels was semi fouled/bundled two of their defenders over, which was handy as they were in position to block the shot if they weren't on their arses.

One of the Preston players, no.14 (Grainger?), was complaining to the ref on the walk back to the centre circle and got himself booked maybe he thought that Rakels had impeded them to let Swift get free.

[Royal Ginger]

Just watched the multi-angle on the goal. Rackels was semi fouled/bundled two of their defenders over, which was handy as they were in position to block the shot if they weren't on their arses.

One of the Preston players, no.14 (Grainger?), was complaining to the ref on the walk back to the centre circle and got himself booked maybe he thought that Rakels had impeded them to let Swift get free.

I think he might have had half a shout on that one.