MATCHWATCH : Lincoln City (h)

[WestYorksRoyal]

When Nyambe first turned up I was definitely on board with making it permanent, but he struggles for fitness and hasn't looked as good as his first few games. I'd be pretty ambivalent about the idea; can see some sense in it but you'd need another available option.

[Royals and Racers]

Attendance 17,144

[Armadillo Roadkill]

Attendance 17,144

It felt like it too. The place looked and felt pretty full. Queues for beers outside the SJM were crazy.

Still don't think the football was that bad. We looked creative right up until the last telling intervention on goal. I came away disappointed but not despondent. And strongly feeling that better times are on the way next season, with big crowds and a real push for promotion.

[leon]

Well I hope you optimists are right and LR is the man to make this team play effective and interesting football that lasts all the way through the second half and injury time. This team needs surgery or at least some consistently fit players.

Cutting out the insulting your fellow RFC fans wouldn't go amiss however.

[Armadillo Roadkill]

Well I hope you optimists are right and LR is the man to make this team play effective and interesting football that lasts all the way through the second half and injury time. This team needs surgery or at least some consistently fit players.

Cutting out the insulting your fellow RFC fans wouldn't go amiss however.

I'm struggling to find anyone insulting fellow Reading fans in the comments since the game.

Agreed there need to be significant changes to the team though, I just don't think we were are poor value entertainment against Lincoln as we have been on some occasions this year.

[ILoveMoonPig]

Whilst we weren't awful, it does show that this current squad is probably not ready for promotion as it stands. I don't really think Lincoln broke into canter and still deserved the win, I think it's just too soon for us to get promoted.

[traff]

You should probably work out how to quote if you're going to try to have a pop.

“Funny how criticising Lane is suddenly a problem when I do it, but perfectly fine when the self appointed know all (who doesnt attend matches Snowflake does the exact same thing.”

“And don’t worry about my quoting, worry about making a consistent point.”

For the hard of thinking, constantly abusing Lane regardless of performance is not the same as critiquing an individual performance.
[/quote
I guess it's not his fault he is awful, I’m struggling to think of many good performances, maybe a couple of moments. My frustraion is why he is put in the team ahead of others when he is so obviously ineffective. Which is easier to see in person than just on which bits the TV camera is pointed at. Looks like you and the manager have the same personality flaw:,you don’t learn from mistakes because you never think you make any.”

[Snowflake Royal]

Oh the irony

[RoyalBlue]

“Funny how criticising Lane is suddenly a problem when I do it, but perfectly fine when the self appointed know all (who doesnt attend matches Snowflake does the exact same thing.”

“And don’t worry about my quoting, worry about making a consistent point.”

For the hard of thinking, constantly abusing Lane regardless of performance is not the same as critiquing an individual performance.
[/quote
I guess it's not his fault he is awful, I’m struggling to think of many good performances, maybe a couple of moments. My frustraion is why he is put in the team ahead of others when he is so obviously ineffective. Which is easier to see in person than just on which bits the TV camera is pointed at. Looks like you and the manager have the same personality flaw:,you don’t learn from mistakes because you never think you make any.”

Apparently Lane was favoured over Young yesterday because of the amount of game time he's had (never going to change is it!) and LR wanted a 10 who could cut inside (in reality cuts inside, falls over and loses possession).

I've tried to hold off criticising Lane but he was completely ineffective yesterday and a waste of a substitution.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Lane was a good player for Pompey, but clearly had his confidence affected under Hunt and then is not the sort of player Richardson rates - even when he was good for Portsmouth, he did not have pace which seems to be what we now want in his position. But he was meant to have quality on the ball for them and a willingness to try things, both of which were woefully lacking yesterday. I'd be happy to part ways this summer; put it down as a bad chapter for both parties and spend his wages on someone better suited.

He'd probably have a blinder on his return in opposition colours and shush us when he scored.

[Snowflake Royal]

There's obviously something there. If we can shift him for money, then sure. But we're likely stuck with him so we may as well try to make the best of it and work with him over the summer.

Vilifying him week in week out does nothing constructive. It's obviously been noticed and is having an effect. And not a positive one. But our most vocal fans are absolute fukwit thunderpcunts.

[RoyalBlue]

Oh and ref was shite. Didn’t look a fk for the goal, and maybe those watching on tbe steam can tell me otherwise but their forward should have had a (second) yellow for that challenge on JP at 1-1?

FK - Savage goes to hook a ball over his shoulder to clear, and player comes from his blindside to try to head. Savage gets the ball, then maybe a piece of face. It's a very generous FK imo.

Ref initially didn't go to award anything until he heard the agonising scream and saw the player apparently dead on the floor (or did the AR influence him). His resurrection arrived a day late but was almost as impressive, given that he needed no treatment at all for the mortal injury incurred through zero contact!

Ref had an absolute shocker including awarding the drop ball to Lincoln when he intercepted Lane's pass! Also failed to enforce the rule about leaving the pitch by the shortest route until the angry reaction from the East Stand left him with little option on the second occasion that it happened. Physios and player then took the piss in terms of the speed with which they left the pitch until the ref eventually had enough and issued a long overdue yellow.

In fairness to the officials, however, Lincoln are certainly up the top of the shithousery table.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Tbf, asking *that* part of football fanbases (not just ours) not to be numpties is like asking a dog not to lick itself.

The Club should looking after players and help them find coping mechanisms not to let it affect them so consistently, as if they have good careers and play at a higher level the reaction to a bad game is only going to get worse, just ask any England player who misses a penalty.

[Sutekh]

For the hard of thinking, constantly abusing Lane regardless of performance is not the same as critiquing an individual performance.
[/quote
I guess it's not his fault he is awful, I’m struggling to think of many good performances, maybe a couple of moments. My frustraion is why he is put in the team ahead of others when he is so obviously ineffective. Which is easier to see in person than just on which bits the TV camera is pointed at. Looks like you and the manager have the same personality flaw:,you don’t learn from mistakes because you never think you make any.”

Apparently Lane was favoured over Young yesterday because of the amount of game time he's had (never going to change is it!) and LR wanted a 10 who could cut inside (in reality cuts inside, falls over and loses possession).

I've tried to hold off criticising Lane but he was completely ineffective yesterday and a waste of a substitution.

Leam said Lane came on as, of the subs available, he’d offer more through the middle/inside.

Personally don’t have too much of an issue with Lane, he usually works hard but has had a torrid time with bad luck in games this season and - as with several - it’s a struggle to see what he’s meant to be out there for.

There is a player in there, probably needs a bit more consistency around him, some solid competition on the right wing and a good close season.

Will expect an improved showing next season though, albeit think he may just be squad cover.

[South Coast Royal]

I find it amusing that people who have been chronically complaining about us being able to keep the ball and just hoofing it forward are now complaining that we kept the ball.

Considered review of the game...
We came up against by far the best team in the League, who are absolute masters of smash and grab. They are unbeaten since early December, have the lowest average possession in the League, and best defence in the League. And they showed us why. They were incredibly organised, worked exceptionally well and hard as a team, let us have the ball, and moved the ball forward extremely quickly and at pace.

No shit we struggled to pass incisively through them and create good chances. No one is giving them the credit they deserve for this.

We lost this game thanks to a dodgy early freekick and trying to throw the sink at a win late on. With a pretty poor defence. O'Connor is a bit hit and miss, Dorsett switches off a few times a game and Burns isn't very good. We were missing our two best defenders in Williams and Ward.

Moving forward, we lost Doyle early, who really is the creative spark in the middle (even when starting wide) as he finds space and can turn on a dime and tiptoe round challenges. Lane tried to do a lot of the right things, but his execution was poor. DK looked a threat when he could isolate his man, even against probably the best RB in the League. Kelvin had some good moments despite being sat on well by the best defence in the league. But Savage, Wing and Fraser don't have that creative spark that's needed to unlock a defence in depth. We missed out on a strong penalty shout as well.

There was some neat one and two touch football at times, some good sliding the ball forward into feet etc. Lincoln marshalled it very well. We went back and sideways a lot because Lincoln are so good at the marking, condensing the space and closing the passing lanes. We needed to shift it quicker and more precisely for it to be effective, but it's not like people were ignoring too many great passing options.

We really should have settled for the point in the last few minutes against the best team and defence in the League. Instead we went a bit crazy throwing bodies forward and oxf*rd it up.

Ultimately, we gave the best team a decent go, with (for most of the match) 5 first choice players out injured. Yeah, we're probably going to fall short. But that's been the case for the last two months. And we're still in the fight,

Can't disagree with all of that which was fairly obvious.
You did a Leam Richardson and built them up to be some super team and they are the best in the division but we have a very good home record and were the team in greater need of a win but really didn't show the bravery that Hound and the sky commentator have spoken about.

You say about us struggling to pass incisively to create good chances-that comment would apply if we had been playing Port Vale or Burton as it is the same nearly every week.
Having said that, for the very few chances that come our way we have a fantastic conversion rate so to progress we just have to be more creative than just hoping the other team makes mistakes from our hopeful long balls.

As for your comment about a dodgy free-kick, on replay you could see Savage look over his shoulder so he was fully aware of the position of their player but still went high with his boot leading to a certain free-kick which O'Connor and Dorsett decided to watch as One had an almost free header.

Despite our lofty position I have been one of those who consistently felt that we were in a false position-yes we had the points but things (apart from late in games) seemed so often to go our way and for a team that spends so little time in the opposition box we have had a lot of penalties, always converted by our star player.

The daft thing is that we still have a shout at the top 6 because the remaining fixtures do look easier than those for other contenders but if we continue with safety first football we might well still fall short.

LR has done well to get us to a similar position that was achieved last season, especially after our slow start ,and the Summer window and after will show us whether we might look forward to an entertaining and winning team for next season-we don't have to set up as 9-0-1 to win matches.
As for who to keep, the two stars Joel and Wing are musts and then we just need about 18 others to build a squad, that squad hopefully built of less injury-prone players and braver, stronger and more skilful than we have now.

Then we might have a set-up ready for promotion.
No problem eh ?

[Orion1871]

Have to stick with Ploddy as we are extremely unlikely to recoup anywhere near the amount we paid for him in the summer.

As I've said before. I hope he's going to have a Convey type redemption in his second season because so far he's looked like a total waste of a signing.

[windermereROYAL]

On a lighter note, while watching it on telly in the 54th minute I noticed a bit of a commotion in Y24, loads of yellow clad stewards in in the aisle not far from the front and it looked like around half a dozen or so people got ejected.
Lincoln fans in the home stand perhaps.

[leon]

Well I hope you optimists are right and LR is the man to make this team play effective and interesting football that lasts all the way through the second half and injury time. This team needs surgery or at least some consistently fit players.

Cutting out the insulting your fellow RFC fans wouldn't go amiss however.

I'm struggling to find anyone insulting fellow Reading fans in the comments since the game.

Agreed there need to be significant changes to the team though, I just don't think we were are poor value entertainment against Lincoln as we have been on some occasions this year.

Bedwetters and hard of thinking are 2 that instantly come to mind.

[tmesis]

On a lighter note, while watching it on telly in the 54th minute I noticed a bit of a commotion in Y24, loads of yellow clad stewards in in the aisle not far from the front and it looked like around half a dozen or so people got ejected.
Lincoln fans in the home stand perhaps.

Someone threw a bottle(?) at one of their timewasting players by the touchline. I'm not sure of the time, but it might have been that.

As for the game, Lincoln were organised, strong, and quick. That's enough in League One.

[PieEater]

Oh and ref was shite. Didn’t look a fk for the goal, and maybe those watching on tbe steam can tell me otherwise but their forward should have had a (second) yellow for that challenge on JP at 1-1?

FK - Savage goes to hook a ball over his shoulder to clear, and player comes from his blindside to try to head. Savage gets the ball, then maybe a piece of face. It's a very generous FK imo.

Ref initially didn't go to award anything until he heard the agonising scream and saw the player apparently dead on the floor (or did the AR influence him). His resurrection arrived a day late but was almost as impressive, given that he needed no treatment at all for the mortal injury incurred through zero contact!

Ref had an absolute shocker including awarding the drop ball to Lincoln when he intercepted Lane's pass! Also failed to enforce the rule about leaving the pitch by the shortest route until the angry reaction from the East Stand left him with little option on the second occasion that it happened. Physios and player then took the piss in terms of the speed with which they left the pitch until the ref eventually had enough and issued a long overdue yellow.

In fairness to the officials, however, Lincoln are certainly up the top of the shithousery table.

+1 Lincoln can play decent football but decided to, instead they stole ground at every opportunity for a closer long throw, feigned injury to win fouls, time wasted and the ref let them do it for free. There was an absolute comedy dive from their centre half and the ref gave the free kick. They were like the Arsenal of League 1 even down to the choreographed free kick routine.

I blame the ref for letting them get away with it, but unfortunately as long this antifootball is effective and wins games with no consequence all teams will do it.