Reading game
- Thread starter king_dezeeuw06
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FrancosLoveChild
Vital Football Hero
Marshall is a strange player, looks very suspect one minute and pulls of top saves the next. Ever since Balogun has come into the side, everyone in the defence just looks so much more assured.
Proud Latic
Vital Reserves Team
An exceptional performance.
Marshall's handling has been worrisome at times, but the triple save he made was brilliant.
Balogun looks like a top player. If we do stay up, signing him will be a priority. Kipre has also improved massively in recent games and could be a big player for us long term.
Joe Williams is a brilliant player. I think we will struggle to hold on to him in the future if he keeps performing like he has been.
I've seen glimpses of quality in Moore at times earlier in the season. With the right support, I think he can get a decent tally of goals for us. I think there are areas of his game that need working on but I think he could blossom into a solid player for us if we give him the necessary support.
All of the goals were great.
My prayers and thoughts go to Dunkley. I didn't see the clash on the TV because it happened so quick, but he was down for a short while and all of the players seemed concerned. Get well soon Chey.
Marshall's handling has been worrisome at times, but the triple save he made was brilliant.
Balogun looks like a top player. If we do stay up, signing him will be a priority. Kipre has also improved massively in recent games and could be a big player for us long term.
Joe Williams is a brilliant player. I think we will struggle to hold on to him in the future if he keeps performing like he has been.
I've seen glimpses of quality in Moore at times earlier in the season. With the right support, I think he can get a decent tally of goals for us. I think there are areas of his game that need working on but I think he could blossom into a solid player for us if we give him the necessary support.
All of the goals were great.
My prayers and thoughts go to Dunkley. I didn't see the clash on the TV because it happened so quick, but he was down for a short while and all of the players seemed concerned. Get well soon Chey.
Roy Race
Vital Reserves Team
Like Massey on the left and Lowe on the right?
E
exiled tic
Guest
My local game of the season this and i convinced a few Stable lads and lasses to come along,and blimey i am glad i did! On the journey back they were full of praise for us!Superb tonight from front to back ,Balagun has really brought a cool head to the club and the rest of the defence are learning from him!!
Feeling a hell of a lot more confident now!!
Feeling a hell of a lot more confident now!!
Thing is, that wasn't even the worst performance from an opposition side I've seen this season. They were as shit as Middlesbrough, Derby et all. It's the fact that unlike other matches, we firstly didn't give them a goal and secondly, played well from start to finish without going to pieces in the last ten minutes.
I couldn't give a MOTM either, they were all great. Moore though, is fast becoming my favourite player in the squad. Top player who could probably play higher up and does so with Wales. We have to keep him fit to stand a chance. Luton now three wins in their last four, Barnsley three wins on the bounce without conceding, us two wins on the bounce and four unbeaten. This league is absolutely fucking bonkers and shite all rolled into one.
I couldn't give a MOTM either, they were all great. Moore though, is fast becoming my favourite player in the squad. Top player who could probably play higher up and does so with Wales. We have to keep him fit to stand a chance. Luton now three wins in their last four, Barnsley three wins on the bounce without conceding, us two wins on the bounce and four unbeaten. This league is absolutely fucking bonkers and shite all rolled into one.
Latics68
Vital Newbie
Exiled tic - I think we have a lot to be confident about. Played some great football this last month, never give up and scoring a few goals. Moore has found his form and the team feels much stronger. We need to get behind the lads and I’m sure we are staying in this league
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king_dezeeuw06
Vital Champions League
Well, as the song goes, 2 outta 3 ain't bad KDZ ................ and don't you wish you had a bet on the scoreline?
You were right on the Reading attitude though ......... they were on the beach. However, now, they're only a midges away from being dragged into the relegation fight.
That was magnificent. Glad I forked out the tenner for the game.
Imagine the odds on 3-0 away win with and Lowe and Jacobs to score 2 of them! Could've retired on them winnings. Like i said delighted to be proven wrong, i want to be proven wrong about staying up and Cook being good enough next.
wafc4ever30
Vital Youth Team
Im struggling to Pick my XI for Brom on Saturday. Pilkington was fantastic against Millwall and if Naismith is fit would probably get the nod at LB but its a hard call
moonay
Vital Football Legend
Well, he's (they've) set a standard now.
That was as good as we've played all season. We've maybe played as well in 5 or 10 minute spells, (but we've also done the implosion job too!), bit for the whole game, we were excellent.
Terrible though it may be, I think the injury to Dunkley may actually be in our favour too. Morsy has already tweeted saying that they're going to "do it for him".
UTFT
Best performance by a mile, I’m also not stressing how bad Reading were, they were as bad as we forced them to be.
We played like everyone has been crying out for us to play, aggressive, on the front foot, pressing hard and tackling like a nowty set of shithouses ...and most of all not going into our shell once we went in front. We carried on in the same vein and 3-0 didn’t flatter us.
As others have said we’d be home and dry had we adopted this mindset earlier, but that said, results have been much better since New Year and the key to this Damascene conversion May likely be simply rising confidence coursing through them and the realisation that there’s little to be frightened of in this Division.
Great team effort with lots of standout individual performances within it ....terrible luck on Dunkley and we just have to pray now for no injuries or suspensions to Kipre and Balogun who have been immense.
I’m getting giddy and fancy us to get something at WBA on Sat ....but...we put an awful lot into that tonight, and they’ll have an extra day to recover. It’s a question now as to how much they have left in the tank.
We played like everyone has been crying out for us to play, aggressive, on the front foot, pressing hard and tackling like a nowty set of shithouses ...and most of all not going into our shell once we went in front. We carried on in the same vein and 3-0 didn’t flatter us.
As others have said we’d be home and dry had we adopted this mindset earlier, but that said, results have been much better since New Year and the key to this Damascene conversion May likely be simply rising confidence coursing through them and the realisation that there’s little to be frightened of in this Division.
Great team effort with lots of standout individual performances within it ....terrible luck on Dunkley and we just have to pray now for no injuries or suspensions to Kipre and Balogun who have been immense.
I’m getting giddy and fancy us to get something at WBA on Sat ....but...we put an awful lot into that tonight, and they’ll have an extra day to recover. It’s a question now as to how much they have left in the tank.
How does the Dunkley injury work in our favour? He’s clearly not first choice but he’s a competent CB and now we’re down to 3 fit CBs (including Naismith) at the crucial point of our season
FrancosLoveChild
Vital Football Hero
No thanks about Naismith, Pearce looks more defensively sound, and I don't feel too confident in our chances of Naismith (for how good he has been at centreback) playing over Pearce vs a team free-scoring and top of the league away from home. Then again we shut Leeds out, although I don't think West Brom has any striker who could perform as poor as Bamford that day.
moonay
Vital Football Legend
I merely meant it in the sense of added motivation for the rest of the team. They weer clearly upset. Now, they have another reason (as if it were needed) to fight in every game.
That's all.
SwindonLatic
Vital 1st Team Regular
Morsy and Williams laid the platform for the win tonight. They ran the show in the centre of the park which is why Bowen brought old man Adam on. I never thought we looked in any danger and a big reason for that is the calming reassuring presence of Balagun at the back. I told my lad to keep one eye on him tonight because his positioning and reading of the game is really good. We need to keep him fit as he will calm our whole back line down. After back to back wins we have effectively earned a bit of a free hit at West Brom on Saturday with less pressure on our shoulders. Would not surprise me in the slightest if we went and got something at the Hawthorns, especially if we show the same hunger and desire as tonight. As has been said already on here, we showed more heart and desire than Reading and we got the three points we deserved. When was the last time we won 3-0 away? Goodson 7 years ago?
king_dezeeuw06
Vital Champions League
As expected Reading were very complacent and there for the taking, but you can only play what is put in front of you and we've played sides having an off days and plenty of times this season and not taken advantage. But today we seized the opportunity with both hands and pulled out a very good team performance and result - possibly one of the best if not the best this season. We really out fought and and worked them them all over the pitch - every second ball we were first to, every 50-50 we pushed harder for - we wanted it so much more and that is the type of attitude we've too often lacked this season. More of the same please.
The pressing from the front and hunting in packs was the best i've seen from us all season. The midfield linked up better with Moore than they have in a long time and were much better at getting wide early to stop crosses from the full backs and a bit tighter at throwings than usual. The concentration and cohession was very good and made they system work very well with everyone playing their part - there were no passengers tonight. Massey, Lowe and Jacobs who have struggled so often all contributed throughout and not just with their goals - it's probably the first game all year all 3 have played well. Hopefully this will get their confidence up and we'll see more - Lowe and Jacobs finishes were superb.
Marshall is a strange one, he goes from calamity riddled to super hero - tonight he certainly restored some faith after he made a few unbelievable saves when they looked certain goals.
Balogun made at least 1 if not 2 likely goal saving tackles - he's turning out to be a very astute signing out of the blue. Whoever found him needs a good pat on the back. Kipre next to him seems to have transformed into the real deal since moving to right sided centre half after nearly always being on the left with Dunkley as his partner. Another superb display from him and possibly another MOTM - he has really found his feet at this level.
Pearce i thought was excellent at full back - even if Naismith is fit he should stay there now - i'd say he isn't as flashy as Robinson with his attacking play but looks possibly more defensively solid.
Byrne great assist for Moores goal and his crossing in general seems to have improved over last few games. Really doing well at the moment.
Samy and Williams ran the show, they won back possesion so many times and controlled midfield throughout.
Roberts worked hard and did a good job without pulling up any trees. He may not be a world beater but he never lets you down when he is thrown in.
Moore love those Jason Roberts back heels, Goal of the season for sure! He has his faults but absolutely no denying what a difference his pressence makes to the team he gives us an out ball and with people around him today to play off his knock downs it made him look a better player.
Credit to Cook too - he got his team selection, subs and tactics spot on tonight. Particulary the tactics - we saw at our place Reading wanted to play out from the back but were uncomfortable doing it and didn't have a reliable target man to win long balls so we fully exploited that and forced them to play to our strengths and their weaknesses with our very aggressive high press. We made our system work tonight and played it in a positive way. Also got to mention our decision making with and without the ball and game management was also much better than usual. Not sure what happened to make it all click tonight but hopefully we'll see more of that.
Tonight was pivotal and other results were pretty decent for us - we've done ourselves the world of good with the goal difference too not to mention got some momentum and confidence boosts and hopefully killed off the late goal and away day hoodoo once and for all. We've given ourselves a really good chance now - if we can get through the weekend with West Brom without all the sides around us getting their gap back on us (Luton vs Stoke, Huddersfield vs Chalrton, Boro vs Forest, Hull vs Leeds) - we've got Luton, Stoke, Blackburn at home and Huddersfield away in the next 4. It's a huge spell for us and hopefully we can keep this form going and repeat that type of performance. They did themselves proud tonight regardless of what the opposition did they did all we could ask of them. Feedback on this thread and on social media again shows what bollox it was about the toxic atmosphere - when we are positive in our play, work hard and show some heart / intensity the fans will always give them the credit where it's due as they give critisim when due.
The reaction to Dunkley's injury and early reports suggests it's going to be a serious injury. Just got to hope that maybe the injury isn't quite as bad as they fear and wish him a speedy recovery. Never nice to see any player go off like that and a sad was to end an otherwise fantastic night.
The pressing from the front and hunting in packs was the best i've seen from us all season. The midfield linked up better with Moore than they have in a long time and were much better at getting wide early to stop crosses from the full backs and a bit tighter at throwings than usual. The concentration and cohession was very good and made they system work very well with everyone playing their part - there were no passengers tonight. Massey, Lowe and Jacobs who have struggled so often all contributed throughout and not just with their goals - it's probably the first game all year all 3 have played well. Hopefully this will get their confidence up and we'll see more - Lowe and Jacobs finishes were superb.
Marshall is a strange one, he goes from calamity riddled to super hero - tonight he certainly restored some faith after he made a few unbelievable saves when they looked certain goals.
Balogun made at least 1 if not 2 likely goal saving tackles - he's turning out to be a very astute signing out of the blue. Whoever found him needs a good pat on the back. Kipre next to him seems to have transformed into the real deal since moving to right sided centre half after nearly always being on the left with Dunkley as his partner. Another superb display from him and possibly another MOTM - he has really found his feet at this level.
Pearce i thought was excellent at full back - even if Naismith is fit he should stay there now - i'd say he isn't as flashy as Robinson with his attacking play but looks possibly more defensively solid.
Byrne great assist for Moores goal and his crossing in general seems to have improved over last few games. Really doing well at the moment.
Samy and Williams ran the show, they won back possesion so many times and controlled midfield throughout.
Roberts worked hard and did a good job without pulling up any trees. He may not be a world beater but he never lets you down when he is thrown in.
Moore love those Jason Roberts back heels, Goal of the season for sure! He has his faults but absolutely no denying what a difference his pressence makes to the team he gives us an out ball and with people around him today to play off his knock downs it made him look a better player.
Credit to Cook too - he got his team selection, subs and tactics spot on tonight. Particulary the tactics - we saw at our place Reading wanted to play out from the back but were uncomfortable doing it and didn't have a reliable target man to win long balls so we fully exploited that and forced them to play to our strengths and their weaknesses with our very aggressive high press. We made our system work tonight and played it in a positive way. Also got to mention our decision making with and without the ball and game management was also much better than usual. Not sure what happened to make it all click tonight but hopefully we'll see more of that.
Tonight was pivotal and other results were pretty decent for us - we've done ourselves the world of good with the goal difference too not to mention got some momentum and confidence boosts and hopefully killed off the late goal and away day hoodoo once and for all. We've given ourselves a really good chance now - if we can get through the weekend with West Brom without all the sides around us getting their gap back on us (Luton vs Stoke, Huddersfield vs Chalrton, Boro vs Forest, Hull vs Leeds) - we've got Luton, Stoke, Blackburn at home and Huddersfield away in the next 4. It's a huge spell for us and hopefully we can keep this form going and repeat that type of performance. They did themselves proud tonight regardless of what the opposition did they did all we could ask of them. Feedback on this thread and on social media again shows what bollox it was about the toxic atmosphere - when we are positive in our play, work hard and show some heart / intensity the fans will always give them the credit where it's due as they give critisim when due.
The reaction to Dunkley's injury and early reports suggests it's going to be a serious injury. Just got to hope that maybe the injury isn't quite as bad as they fear and wish him a speedy recovery. Never nice to see any player go off like that and a sad was to end an otherwise fantastic night.
jeffs right
Vital Football Hero
To think there were strong rumours he was leaving in the last window and was out of the side with a mystery injury. He has handled all that really well and is putting himself in the shop window with some increasingly better and better performances.Exiled tic - I think we have a lot to be confident about. Played some great football this last month, never give up and scoring a few goals. Moore has found his form and the team feels much stronger. We need to get behind the lads and I’m sure we are staying in this league
Cant half think our preparation for this season last summer was so poor. Long dragged out signings and a shortage of game time together before the season started. Even the lack of pre season games for the amount of players in the squad. Hopefully this summer there is little transfer activity and the squad can just play games together and we dont have to wait untill feb/march to see the side gelling together.
king_dezeeuw06
Vital Champions League
I know what you mean and don't think it's a bad point. They do seem to be quite a tight bunch and the reaction showed a number of the lads were really upset for him so it shows they care.
As you say they really set a standard tonight - even if we aren't playing as well with the ball if they showed that level of workrate and fight every game we'd be nowhere near the bottom 3, and if they can show it from now until the end of the season then we'll stay up. Not about ability at this stage of the season it's about who wants it the most - only team stopping us doing that is ourselves.
