BFTG - Wembley

[windermereROYAL]

I think I might quit Twitter.

Invaded by Fulham fans yesterday, giving it the big one. Baffling.

We all knew we would get it from them if we lost. no big surprise.

[bobby1413]

I think I might quit Twitter.

Invaded by Fulham fans yesterday, giving it the big one. Baffling.

We all knew we would get it from them if we lost. no big surprise.

Next season will be fun when we play them!

[Hoop Blah]

I don't really get the idea that Moore, or any centre back or defensive player for that matter, shouldn't take a penalty.

Penalties are partly about technique of course but a lot more about bottle with a sprinkling of luck thrown in and so if a center half is confident, in a good frame of mind and able to deal with the pressure there's no real reason why they shouldn't make a good penalty taker. It's not like these guys don't have the technique to put the ball where they want to from 12 yards, it's just the mind games of beating the keeper and holding your nerve that really makes a successful penalty taker.

It is a bit odd when a player who has taken penalties in normal circumstances doesn't in a shoot out, McCleary being one of course, but it maybe that having taken and missed penalties during the season their confidence is shattered and they aren't then the best people to be taking them.

[Maguire]

Match Summary

Reading: shit
Huddersfield: shit
Atmosphere: shit

Danny Williams did not deserve to be on the losing side
Swift should've been pulled long before he was and needs to do some serious conditioning work in the summer
Zero width - was crying out for someone like McCleary

Basically a heap of old bollocks.

[Brum Royal]

I was more concerned about Steve from Reading and his 70bpm when it was end-to-end. If i didn't know any better I'd have thought he'd lent his heart rate monitor to John Swift.

Unlike Danny from Huddersfield, Steve from Reading is clearly a very fit guy and, with a calm heart rate like that, should probably have taken one of our last two penalties!

Anyone care to explain who Danny and Steve are?

On the big screens they sporadically showed the heart rate of four fans (two from each side) called "Pulse of the Playoffs". The Huddersfield guy didn't drop below 140 I think peaking at about 160 at one point I think, whereas Reading Steve hardly moved from 70bpm

[Hound]

Very frustrating to get so close but we shouldn't have let it go to pens. I agree Huddersfield looked shattered in ET and the excellent Moore, Blackett and Ilori should have been trusted as a back 3 and pushed Obita and Gunter into wingers rather than worry about defending.

Thought Stam was very close to getting just right and getting them knackers while we looked far fitter but we lacked that bit of bravery.

Agree also on Joey - Obita should have started. I think Mendes would have given them real problems in ET and would have loved him to have had a go - but Swift needed replacing

Huddersfield are a good team and very well managed. They have a lot of work to do to stay up - the lack of top flight experience and number of loans is going to hurt them - but I hope they do

[Ian Royal]

Was Mooy their number 10 in midfield? Him and Williams the best players on the park by miles. He gave us huge problems.

[Norfolk Royal]

I think I might quit Twitter.

Invaded by Fulham fans yesterday, giving it the big one. Baffling.

We all knew we would get it from them if we lost. no big surprise.

Next season will be fun when we play them!

It won't be any different to normal. Just because a few Twitter users vent their spleen it doesn't mean the vast majority of fans will behave any differently to normal, ie middle class derby suits on.

[6ft Kerplunk]

Unlike Danny from Huddersfield, Steve from Reading is clearly a very fit guy and, with a calm heart rate like that, should probably have taken one of our last two penalties!

Anyone care to explain who Danny and Steve are?

On the big screens they sporadically showed the heart rate of four fans (two from each side) called "Pulse of the Playoffs". The Huddersfield guy didn't drop below 140 I think peaking at about 160 at one point I think, whereas Reading Steve hardly moved from 70bpm

Does anyone know who Reading Steve is? That Huddersfield fan however needs to see his doctor pronto.

[CountryRoyal]

I recorded the game to watch back... holy shit. Had to fast forward most of it. Feel sorry for any neutral watching, hands down has to be one of the worst play off finals ever.

So glad to be part of that. Fcuk you sky.

[Hampshire Royal]

My knowledge of football is such that I couldn't give advice to Jaap Stam.

I saw the game as being one of us defending a 1-0 lead. That worked very well - Huddersfield had (I think) 2 shots on target throughout the 120 minutes. We didn't really try to go forward and it was a bit of a surprise that we had only one less shot on target than them.

All good so far, except that something was missing. It took me a while to figure out what it was, then it dawned on me - before you defend a 1-0 lead, it's preferable to have scored a goal first.

I'm guessing that Stam didn't use his best tactic (IMO) of two fast wingers, the best being McCleary, with Obita a close second, because they were both not 100% fit and couldn't really play those roles effectively for a whole game. Beerens, unfortunately has lost form and wasn't really an option.

As I was leaving the stadium, I guess I was looking a bit glum when someone said to me 'Don't worry, if we went up we would be humiliated every week, just as Huddersfield will be. There's a full close season to sign players that Stam will want to reinforce what we've got and give it a good go next season' (well, words to that effect).

[Ascotexgunner]

I think the only thing I might have changed yesterday was try to have bought Beerens on in the latter stages, he might have offered a better delivery or shot, but other than that I think we couldn't have offered much more yesterday. If we do manage to hang on to Stam and the majority of this squad, our priority really does need to be a striker.
Its bloody torture watching some of these players in front of goal sometimes.

[Tilehurstsouthbank]

Unlike Danny from Huddersfield, Steve from Reading is clearly a very fit guy and, with a calm heart rate like that, should probably have taken one of our last two penalties!

Anyone care to explain who Danny and Steve are?

On the big screens they sporadically showed the heart rate of four fans (two from each side) called "Pulse of the Playoffs". The Huddersfield guy didn't drop below 140 I think peaking at about 160 at one point I think, whereas Reading Steve hardly moved from 70bpm

Reading Steve is a Cardio machine with a resting heart rate of 55bpm.

[tmesis]

Teams would be shooting from ridiculous positions to boost the shot count e.g. the halfway line

Indeed. It could be farcical. It also falls into the lazy trap of equating a shot on target with a better chance than once that went wide. Think of Huddersfield's best chances yesterday - all of them missed the target.

[Mr Optimist]

I think I might quit Twitter.

Invaded by Fulham fans yesterday, giving it the big one. Baffling.

We all knew we would get it from them if we lost. no big surprise.

Next season will be fun when we play them!

I wouldn't have gone, but now I fancy getting in the Fulham pubs really early, and saying things like both our goals in the play offs shouldn't have stood, they were much the better team and deserved to be in the final, and that they would have spanked Huddersfield. Should work a treat!

[Hound]

I thought Huddersfield were much better than Fulham btw. No idea how they lost 9-1 over their 2 games

[Lower West]

Having him there should have meant the wing-backs could safely bomb forward but they didn't.

From our vantage point Hudders tactics were so obvious. When in possession they moved to 3 upfront. One central. The other two hugging the touchlines in line with the back 3. In effect Blackett and Gunter were ahead of them by 10 yards or so. The Udders full backs then pushed up. Resulting in a doubling up or a player in space. sAlso resulted in Reading having no forward momentum as their full backs were quicker if they lost possession. So effectively simple. Wagner won that particularly tactical battle.

Need new pacey fullbacks if yesterdays formation is going to work in future.

[genome]

I think I might quit Twitter.

Invaded by Fulham fans yesterday, giving it the big one. Baffling.

We all knew we would get it from them if we lost. no big surprise.

Might be a bit revisionist but I don't recall Twitter being as bad for opposition fan goading than it has been over the last couple of seasons.

[windermereROYAL]

Very happy I don`t do twitter

[leon]

I think I might quit Twitter.

Invaded by Fulham fans yesterday, giving it the big one. Baffling.

We all knew we would get it from them if we lost. no big surprise.

Might be a bit revisionist but I don't recall Twitter being as bad for opposition fan goading than it has been over the last couple of seasons.

That's because Twitter is full of fcuking twats, football fans are gargantuan bellends.

And what you're seeing is the intersection.