BFTG - Cardiff

[Hampshire Royal]

He sent on a player with the instruction for him to flatten Steve Hunt - class!!
He got Carl Asaba to wind up John Mackie (not the brightest spark in the grate). Mackie made a stupid racist remark to Asaba, something that Asaba didn't want to pursue, but Colin did.

I didn't think Cardiff were that good last night, certainly not at the level Wolves are. We were better than them for most of the game and if they are second, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that we can make the playoffs. We must do something about the badly organised defence, though.

[Greatwesternline]

I have no idea how Cardiff didnt get a penalty when Gunter basically collapsed on the back of their player about 3 yards away from the goal, without Gunter's action it was a tap in.

Also Cardiff did nutmeg Mannone with a header that still somehow bounced over the bar. That was quite incredible.

So i think 2-2 was fair, just disappointing.

[Maneki Neko]

But then again, on any other given week... 'I wouldn't want Colin here, no way, over my dead body!'.

Though most hate him rather than love him , what is undeniable about Colin is that he’s arguably .....note the word.....one of the very the best managers of the lower if not all football leagues divisions ever. His record is undeniable . I don’t hate him I respect him and admire what an amazing job he does at clubs in dire positions and with tiny resources.

I can't respect someone who repeatedly and IMO (and that of many others, including those in the game) very deliberately gets his players to target skillful opposing players and injure them in order to put them out of the game. He also adopts unacceptably intimidating tactics to try to influence match officials in his favour.

A thoroughly nasty piece of work who pushes the boundaries beyond any degree of acceptability/decency. How many times has he been sent off at Reading now?

^^^this

I love hating him.
whilst also begrudgingly respecting him.

[LUX]

it's not beyond the realms of possibility that we can make the playoffs.

OMG no, not them again, please, have we not suffered enough.

Finish tenth and win the FA Cup. Chelsea in the final.

[Hound]

it's not beyond the realms of possibility that we can make the playoffs.

OMG no, not them again, please, have we not suffered enough.

Finish tenth and win the FA Cup. Chelsea in the final.

its not totally out of the question, but realistically we blew it with the shit results against the likes of Norwich, Hull, Boro and Millwall

like to see us entertain for the rest of the season, score plenty of goals and put together a settled team based on what we have now + 1 or 2 quality additions. Good cup run would be nice as well.

[LUX]

as an aside I wonder how many on here have been to all our play-off finals, plus the Arsenal cup semi.

I was at Wembley for the Simod Cup too, but it's been all downhill since.

[windermereROYAL]

as an aside I wonder how many on here have been to all our play-off finals, plus the Arsenal cup semi.

I was at Wembley for the Simod Cup too, but it's been all downhill since.

Went to them all. inc Simod cup. only one I missed was Walsall. bloody hard being a Reading fan, but many fans of teams lower down the ladder would give their right arm to play at Wembley has many times as we have..another win there would be nice though.

[LWJ]

That's not all of them then is it?

[retro royal]

Thought Kelly was excellent last night, made space for others, and allowed us to play, while Aluko and more so Barrow had good first half's the end of the second were awful at holding up the ball giving it away far to easy, Stam got it wrong putting on Bod for Kelly, maybe Clement would have been better but we were a bit short of a holding midfielder on the bench.

Not been convinced of McShane for sometime but have him over blackett or Ilori, not sure what happened to our passing game last night either, fair play to Cardiff for pressing us, we need more players moving off the ball better creating space. Oh well 10 points off the playoffs, we need one of the top 6 to tail off badly for any hope this season to sneak into playoff's.

[Theroyalbox]

it's not beyond the realms of possibility that we can make the playoffs.

OMG no, not them again, please, have we not suffered enough.

Finish tenth and win the FA Cup. Chelsea in the final.

Although this may be a joke, I think the FA Cup could be massive for us this season, when reading have nothing to play for crowds really are poor, but if we stay in the cup will keep interest there. Heard there was only 8,700 there last night with 1,000 Cardiff which is really quite shocking.

[leon]

as an aside I wonder how many on here have been to all our play-off finals, plus the Arsenal cup semi.

I was at Wembley for the Simod Cup too, but it's been all downhill since.

In - for the I've seen all of our Play Off Final disasters club. (Plus Arsenal semi, not Simod alas.)

Every time since Walsall I've said never again.

[windermereROYAL]

it's not beyond the realms of possibility that we can make the playoffs.

OMG no, not them again, please, have we not suffered enough.

Finish tenth and win the FA Cup. Chelsea in the final.

Although this may be a joke, I think the FA Cup could be massive for us this season, when reading have nothing to play for crowds really are poor, but if we stay in the cup will keep interest there. Heard there was only 8,700 there last night with 1,000 Cardiff which is really quite shocking.

The lack of a crowd last night didn't shock me at all. there was definitely more than that though, 1500-2000 Cardiff too. decision time, do I go out on a freezing cold night and pay for the privilege are stay at home in my warm living room and watch it on the box?, maybe the majority chose the latter unsurprisingly.
The Sun this morning reported over 16.000, no idea where they got that number from.

[Hound]

OMG no, not them again, please, have we not suffered enough.

Finish tenth and win the FA Cup. Chelsea in the final.

Although this may be a joke, I think the FA Cup could be massive for us this season, when reading have nothing to play for crowds really are poor, but if we stay in the cup will keep interest there. Heard there was only 8,700 there last night with 1,000 Cardiff which is really quite shocking.

The lack of a crowd last night didn't shock me at all. there was definitely more than that though, 1500-2000 Cardiff too. decision time, do I go out on a freezing cold night and pay for the privilege are stay at home in my warm living room and watch it on the box?, maybe the majority chose the latter unsurprisingly.
The Sun this morning reported over 16.000, no idea where they got that number from.

It’s not a surprise at all, and very largely due to it being on Sky.

If it had been 3pm Saturday I expect we’d have got near 18k.

[Royals and Racers]

OMG no, not them again, please, have we not suffered enough.

Finish tenth and win the FA Cup. Chelsea in the final.

Although this may be a joke, I think the FA Cup could be massive for us this season, when reading have nothing to play for crowds really are poor, but if we stay in the cup will keep interest there. Heard there was only 8,700 there last night with 1,000 Cardiff which is really quite shocking.

The lack of a crowd last night didn't shock me at all. there was definitely more than that though, 1500-2000 Cardiff too. decision time, do I go out on a freezing cold night and pay for the privilege are stay at home in my warm living room and watch it on the box?, maybe the majority chose the latter unsurprisingly.
The Sun this morning reported over 16.000, no idea where they got that number from.

The "current bun" probably got it from the attendance announced as 16670

[Coppells Lost Coat]

We came out the blocks last night with a real urgency to get up the pitch quicker. Kermie up top with Barrow and Aluko busting a gut to catch up with the knock downs. It is a shame Kelly couldn't quite get his foot on to the second balls though, a bit more grit and aggression and we would have had a field day IMO.
All that effort in the first 60 mins really tolled on the front 3, I dont think it was Cardiff out playing us, they just had more left in the tank. Also Stam taking too long to make the change had a huge impact on the rest of the team trying to cover for knackered players not keeping up with the play - giving the running Barrow and Aluko did through out, I feel the protection given to Bacuna and Gunter was poor in the latter stages of the game.

[Stranded]

it's not beyond the realms of possibility that we can make the playoffs.

OMG no, not them again, please, have we not suffered enough.

Finish tenth and win the FA Cup. Chelsea in the final.

its not totally out of the question, but realistically we blew it with the shit results against the likes of Norwich, Hull, Boro and Millwall

like to see us entertain for the rest of the season, score plenty of goals and put together a settled team based on what we have now + 1 or 2 quality additions. Good cup run would be nice as well.

This^

Would settle for 25 entertaining matches from here on in building a decent momentum to take into next season - couple of additions in Jan would be good and look to upgrade in places where needed in August.

Just no more wingers, unless a couple leave.

[BR2]

decent performance in the first half. we would have benefited from playing
about 10 to 20 yards further up the pitch, instead we sat a little too deep and invited
cardiff on.

how bad is chris gunter btw? awful.

Well spotted Kes-I watched on TV and in the first 10 minutes he sliced the ball into touch with his trusty left foot and then, having been played in twice on the left, contrived to miskick with his left foot giving the ball straight to the defender when, in one instance, Yann would have had a tap-in.
Still, vision and some others have always maintained that there is nothing wrong with playing a right-footer at left-back mainly based on Dennis Irwin being able to do it all those years ago.
The match itself was quite entertaining and mistake-ridden by both defences and Sky were beside themselves as for the second Championship game running there was a very late equaliser leading to the hype about how great the Championship is.

Bogle was just too flash otherwise Cardiff might have scored more and we had chances so the result was about right.
One thing though that some of the earlier posters have already said-why did Stam try to close the game down with 20 minutes to go?.
He is not alone in doing this, Conte, Mourinho and even the ridiculously attack-minded Klopp does it so Stam is just doing what a lot of foreign managers do and it often backfires.
A suggestion to Stam, in the New Year get another target striker and play Yann at centre-back-he is our best defender and could play out his contract there and maybe even beyond then.

[windermereROYAL]

A game of ifs and buts for me. if Kermy had put his boot through the ball for that chance when the goalie was charged down instead of side footing it, if Edwards shot had been marginally inside the post instead of outside at 2-1. if only McShane`s header in the last few seconds had gone in.
They had a few chances too, the most obviously when the guy headed the ball down and it bounced over the bar, but all in all on chances chances created we edged it,

We have come a long way since the start of the season, we are hurting teams now, and our passing out from the back is much more calm and assured, I just wish they would give it some welly instead of farting around when we are under pressure.

[Platypuss]

McShane now looks properly on the wane.

That blind backpass from the wing *shudder*

[genome]

McWane