Team announced

[Branston Pickle 3,709]

8 minutes ago, Canary Jedi said:

Reading commentary saying challenge by Hendrick on Puulkki had more contact than the Dowell pen, though he also said neither were pens

It would be nice if there was a little bit of consistency- we’ve had numerous stonewall pens refused this season. 

[TheBaldOne66 703]

Why is it everybody blames the ref? It’s about creating and finishing chances, something we’ve failed to do all season! 
 

We should have put the game to bed before the pen but yet again we couldn’t 

[Ken Hairy 3,782]

2 minutes ago, keelansgrandad said:

How can you blame the ref when we didn't take our chances?

Well apart from not giving a red when Pukki is clean through, giving them the softest of soft pens whilst not giving us one that was clearly more of one then I'm not sure...😉🙄

[mrdi 374]

I thought it was okay, for a team in transitional flux. Some nice touches and sequences. A huge improvement on Luton, which was the prerequisite. Squad quality is worryingly thin, mind you. 

[hogesar 9,776]

1 minute ago, Ken Hairy said:

Well apart from not giving a red when Pukki is clean through, giving them the softest of soft pens whilst not giving us one that was clearly more of one then I'm not sure...😉🙄

And generally being terrible throughout the game, with Reading quickly realising they can fall over during any of our counters and get a free kick.

[Wibble 109]

I think who ever takes this on has got one hell of a tough job on their hands. 

 

Ideally, any sort of sum for Hernades,Dowell,Gibson,Tzolis, Radisca and fund two wingers and a cm.

 

We just havent got the players to play how they want to.

[canarybubbles 1,951]

4 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

Well apart from not giving a red when Pukki is clean through, giving them the softest of soft pens whilst not giving us one that was clearly more of one then I'm not sure...😉🙄

I totally agree. I very rarely blame the ref but the Pukki incident should clearly have been a red card. There was a very good chance that Pukki would have scored and we would have been winning 2-0. Personally I didn't think any of the penalty shouts merited a penalty.

[Ken Hairy 3,782]

3 minutes ago, canarybubbles said:

I totally agree. I very rarely blame the ref but the Pukki incident should clearly have been a red card. There was a very good chance that Pukki would have scored and we would have been winning 2-0. Personally I didn't think any of the penalty shouts merited a penalty.

I actually agree with you about both pen shouts, but either they're both given or none given. I don't normally buy into refs being biased as opposed to just crap, but that bloke was biased. 

[Barham Blitz 664]

5 minutes ago, rock bus said:

I thought we at least played with a bit of intent and passion which was totally missing under Smith. The formation was wanting but I think that was just naievity of coaching team tryng to go for it. Gives me hope that IF we get the right manager we could still achieve something this seaason.

The right manager can certainlly work with the likes of Nunez, Sara, Sargent, Gibbs and Hayden to create players who can impact a game in this league. At the same time I think we should move on from the likes of Hernandez , Dowell, Mclean etc who might be no worse but will now not get any better 

I agree with most of that but Dowell is 'only' 25.  He certainly won't lose any pace as he gets older and he played a couple of nice passes but has to be played further up the pitch to mitigate his lack of defensive nous and pace. Gibbs would surely have been a better substitute option for Nunez there.  I also thought Kenny was decent tonight and with a new contract is going nowhere any time soon.

Hernandez is just a lovely puppy-like bundle of enthusiastic non-product unfortunately and should be nowhere near any team even ostensibly going for promotion.

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,042]

20 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

Well apart from not giving a red when Pukki is clean through, giving them the softest of soft pens whilst not giving us one that was clearly more of one then I'm not sure...😉🙄

Not a red according to Radio Norfolk there were clearly Reading players between Pukki and the goal, their words not mine........

[cambridgeshire canary 6,835]

20 minutes ago, Wibble said:

I think who ever takes this on has got one hell of a tough job on their hands. 

 

Ideally, any sort of sum for Hernades,Dowell,Gibson,Tzolis, Radisca and fund two wingers and a cm.

 

We just havent got the players to play how they want to.

I'm not saying we need to forget about Promotion but could you imagine this side in the top flight? Now that's scary

[Well b back 3,285]

1 minute ago, Ken Hairy said:

I actually agree with you about both pen shouts, but either they're both given or none given. I don't normally buy into refs being biased as opposed to just crap, but that bloke was biased. 

Back in hotel room after game, we were in Barclay. Looked a stonewall red card as their full back would have had to have Ussain Bolt to get back across, and he was a donkey. The push on Pukki looked stonewall. Can’t comment on their penalty as down the other end. However those watching on Sky was it a 2 footed tackle on I think it was Sargent about 10 minutes from the end. Also the big rumpus from the corner, where all the Reading players laid on the floor, what happened there ?. And how the hell was there only 3 minutes stoppage time.

I hate VAR like most, however not having it tonight probably cost us.

One last thing from me Kenny McClean was outstanding.

[percy varco 202]

24 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

Really????

No, really. 
If that is them giving their all our new manager has a little chance with this group. 
They can do and have been better. 

[Well b back 3,285]

Song of the night

’ we are no one’s green and yellow army ‘

[Ken Hairy 3,782]

10 minutes ago, Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB said:

Not a red according to Radio Norfolk there were clearly Reading players between Pukki and the goal, their words not mine........

Not sure what they were watching,  Pukki had already played the ball past the bloke who dragged him back, who was last man and would have been clean through, no covering defenders at all. Refs bottled it as he was 35 yards out, but no question he was through.

[Ken Hairy 3,782]

14 minutes ago, percy varco said:

No, really. 
If that is them giving their all our new manager has a little chance with this group. 
They can do and have been better. 

Fair do, I don't agree but fair do. I just think there was still a lack of quality in the final 3rd rather than lack of effort 

[Nuff Said 5,191]

52 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

It's a worrying time if I'm suddenly The Pink Un voice of positivity 😂

Not only are you positive, you are more positive than Lakey!

52 minutes ago, lake district canary said:

Yeah, well I thought although we were brighter tonight, way too many misplaced passes or overhit crosses. Aarons still prone to cutting back rather than play an early cross, Sargent unable to pass simple passes to play someone in, Sara and Nunez not quite fulfilling their potential yet.

Better than Smithball though, but still lacking in that little extra quality.

Better start polishing those posts about Gunn being the new Allison and that we can beat Burnley. 😉

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

2 hours ago, Nuff Said said:

Do we have an attacking coach?

We did, but he's now our caretaker manager.

[Nuff Said 5,191]

Just now, TeemuVanBasten said:

We did, but he's now our caretaker manager.

I thought he was set piece coach, defensive set pieces as well as attacking?

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

34 minutes ago, Well b back said:

One last thing from me Kenny McClean was outstanding.

If the vote was today he'd be POTS for me.

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

Just now, Nuff Said said:

I thought he was set piece coach, defensive set pieces as well as attacking?

Not sure, he was the attacking coach for England for 4 years though.

[TheGunnShow 6,029]

1 minute ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

If the vote was today he'd be POTS for me.

That probably sums up our season in all fairness!

[Ken Hairy 3,782]

25 minutes ago, Nuff Said said:

Not only are you positive, you are more positive than Lakey!

Better start polishing those posts about Gunn being the new Allison and that we can beat Burnley. 😉

Well, mathematically we can finish top 4 and qualify for the Champions League within 2 seasons 👍

[yellowrider120 793]

1 hour ago, Barham Blitz said:

I agree with most of that but Dowell is 'only' 25.  He certainly won't lose any pace as he gets older and he played a couple of nice passes but has to be played further up the pitch to mitigate his lack of defensive nous and pace. Gibbs would surely have been a better substitute option for Nunez there.  I also thought Kenny was decent tonight and with a new contract is going nowhere any time soon.

Hernandez is just a lovely puppy-like bundle of enthusiastic non-product unfortunately and should be nowhere near any team even ostensibly going for promotion.

Unfortunately that's 100% true (and getting 'truer' with each match).

[king canary 7,681]

1 hour ago, Barham Blitz said:

I agree with most of that but Dowell is 'only' 25.  He certainly won't lose any pace as he gets older and he played a couple of nice passes but has to be played further up the pitch to mitigate his lack of defensive nous and pace. Gibbs would surely have been a better substitute option for Nunez there.  I also thought Kenny was decent tonight and with a new contract is going nowhere any time soon.

Hernandez is just a lovely puppy-like bundle of enthusiastic non-product unfortunately and should be nowhere near any team even ostensibly going for promotion.

For me Dowells positive features are too rarely displayed to come close to outweighing the negatives. I'd argue he, like Hernandez, isn't a player a team interested in promotion should be giving game time to.

[Barham Blitz 664]

2 minutes ago, king canary said:

For me Dowells positive features are too rarely displayed to come close to outweighing the negatives. I'd argue he, like Hernandez, isn't a player a team interested in promotion should be giving game time to.

I get that.  I've said in another thread that I think that there is a player there but one that would only flourish in a specific set of circumstances - essentially further forward against a deep set opposition when we are dominating possession (actually the scenario he was signed for.)  At present - to be fair - that scenario looks unlikely to play itself out that often this season at least. But in a midfield 3 he is certainly more of a liability than a positive which was essentially my point ...

[canarybubbles 1,951]

Come on, baby steps. At least we looked like we cared.

In fact, I felt our players were all trying just a little too hard so our play looked rushed and a bit frantic most of the time, but with a better referee we would have won that game quite comfortably.

It's going to take a long time to try to get back what has been lost over the last thirteen months. Also, I think there's the problem that our players who were here in 2018 and 2020 suit one style of play and the later additions tend to suit another. If you're going to play possession-based football, you can't afford players who lack the technical skill to do it.

It's a big job for whoever comes in, but at least that performance offers some grounds for hope.

 

[Jim Smith 2,349]

8 hours ago, king canary said:

For me Dowells positive features are too rarely displayed to come close to outweighing the negatives. I'd argue he, like Hernandez, isn't a player a team interested in promotion should be giving game time to.

Dowell played three or four defence splitting passes during his 15 minutes on the pitch that none of our other players are capable of. There is a place for him in that team if we play him in the right position. 

He didn’t even make a challenge for the penalty so for it to be given as a foul is ridiculous and harsh to blame him for that. Bloke trailed his back leg and went down as soon as he made contact with Dowell, 

 

[Robert N. LiM 4,573]

7 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

Dowell played three or four defence splitting passes during his 15 minutes on the pitch that none of our other players are capable of. There is a place for him in that team if we play him in the right position. 

Agree. I bet if Pukki were picking the team Dowell would be in it at no10.

 

[Jim Smith 2,349]

6 minutes ago, Robert N. LiM said:

Agree. I bet if Pukki were picking the team Dowell would be in it at no10.

 

He’d certainly prefer him to Sargent running down blind alleys and tripping over the ball. Looked like he’d won a competition to play last night.