Reading v Manchester United 9/23/06- Pre/During/Post Match Talk [R]

[olegunnar]

With all due respect to Darlington lets get this thread rolling. If someone wants to start a Carling Cup thread have at it.

Well I suppose from the armchair quarterbacking perspective the Arsenal victory today was worst case scenario. I'd rather see Man Utd rolling, having a more likely chance to stumble in our match. Now they will be focused on getting back on a winning track again. Don't want to overlook little old Reading.

I just want to see us play some good attacking football in this match and not do the sit back and let them come at us for 90 min thing. If we look dangerous at times in this match I will be happy, a point or three and I will be very happy.

[Pablo Chicago]

Well I suppose from the armchair quarterbacking perspective the Arsenal victory today was worst case scenario.

Agreed. I thanked my Gooner friend for pissing ManU off before they face the Royals. Would have much rather seen ManU's streak continue.

Might not have made much of a difference anyway. I heard SAF was at Mad Stad.

[mschofield]

Agreed. I thanked my Gooner friend for pissing ManU off before they face the Royals. Would have much rather seen ManU's streak continue.

Might not have made much of a difference anyway. I heard SAF was at Mad Stad.
Reading do have a couple things if their favor: 1. heavy manu injury list, 2. Manu will be looking to the Benfica CL game (toughest first rounder for them), 3. We're played really well in the first half v ShUtd, 4, we're at home. 5. ManU will feel we're overmatched.

For that, three points out of this one would be huge. I too wish they'd trounced arse.

[ScottyB10]

The game is on Fox Soccer Channel for all of us Americans, BIIIIG match, I hope we pull this one out!

My prediction:
Reading-2 (Lita, Convey)
MAN U-1 (Ole)

[mschofield]

...
My prediction:
Reading-2 (Lita, Convey)
MAN U-1 (Ole)
Having just read that Doyle is fighting a dead leg (says he'll be ready, but still) I'm getting a little nervous here about being four deep at striker.
If Doyle isn't fully fit, I wonder if we see seol up top, with little appearing about ready to return on the right?

[rms5555]

I really didn't think Kitson would be fit in time anyway, but I guess this confirms it. Take a quick read, he is really miserable not playing.

http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10306~900373,00.html

[mschofield]

Convey's been playing hurt, is now fully fit:
http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/0275readingfc/0100news/tm_objectid=17795358%26method=full%26siteid=50102%26headline=confident%2dconvey%2dback%2dto%2dhis%2dbest-name_page.html

Marcus says this is what we play for (oops, wrong piece, in this one he talks about the debt owed to van der sar):
http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/0275readingfc/0100news/tm_objectid=17795359%26method=full%26siteid=50102%26headline=hahnemann%2d%2d%2dvan%2dder%2dsar%2dsaved%2dmy%2dcareer%2d-name_page.html
Here's the one I meant:
http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/readingfc/2003/2003861/red_devils_visit_rewards_hahnemanns_hard_work

Seol almost quotes FDR:
http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/0275readingfc/0300matchreports/tm_objectid=17785847%26method=full%26siteid=50102%26headline=royals%2dhave%2dnothing%2dto%2dfear%2dclaims%2dseol-name_page.html

And coppell on the the approach to the game:
http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/readingfc/2003/2003860/well_take_game_to_united

[T_Rock]

Big match....should be exciting! This is what being in the top flight is all about. I can't wait.

[olegunnar]

reflecting on Kitson. Did anyone else think that was an absolutely hideous challenge? I remember the color commentator on FSC saying something like "back in my day that wasn't even a foul, let alone a yellow card." I thought wtf!? I know the ball was in the vicinity but he just went in there with both legs so recklessly I was personally surprised it wasn't a red. Maybe I am biased, but it angered me that the challenge was just shrugged off by the media. I didn't think the poor guy would be out for this long though, that just angers me even more.

[mschofield]

reflecting on Kitson. Did anyone else think that was an absolutely hideous challenge? I remember the color commentator on FSC saying something like "back in my day that wasn't even a foul, let alone a yellow card." I thought wtf!? I know the ball was in the vicinity but he just went in there with both legs so recklessly I was personally surprised it wasn't a red. Maybe I am biased, but it angered me that the challenge was just shrugged off by the media. I didn't think the poor guy would be out for this long though, that just angers me even more.
Wasn't a yellow? Was he talking about back in the day that they ball was actually a human head in a sack?
It was a crap challenge, viscious and late.
At first, i wasn't angered by it, because I figured he'd miss one game at most with the international break. but it was a cheap, crap challenge. i agree.

[skippy]

That challenge on Kitson was brutal. IIRC it was a foul but I don't remember a card. Ought to be able to figure it out from the match report. Hold on.

...

Doesn't look to me like there was a card following the injury from ESPN's match report.

[mschofield]

From the bbc rumours pages, which is ripped off from the newspapers:
Reading keeper Marcus Hahnemann warmed up for the Royals' clash with Manchester United by dressing up like Star Wars character Obi Wan Kenobi and admitting: "You could say Wayne Rooney is our Darth Vader". (Various)

OKay, is there anyone who doesn't love this guy?

[prvev]

OKay, is there anyone who doesn't love this guy?

Arena didn't even get him into one of those stupid pre-world cup tour games, so there's a chance he doesn't. But other than that? No. Maybe on some sort of bizaro planet though. A bizaro planet where Robbie Savage is loved by all.

[prvev]

Lineups from Soccernet (so the formations are almost certainly wrong)..

Reading Man Utd
1 Marcus Hahnemann (G) (G) Edwin Van der Sar 1
16 Ivar Ingimarsson (D) (D) Rio Ferdinand 5
2 Graeme Murty (D) (D) Gabriel Heinze 4
3 Nicky Shorey (D) (D) Gary Neville 2
5 Ibrahima Sonko (D) (D) Nemanja Vidic 15
17 Bobby Convey (M) (M) Michael Carrick 16
15 James Harper (M) (M) Darren Fletcher 24
4 Steve Sidwell (M) (M) Kieran Richardson 23
9 Kevin Doyle (S) (M) Cristiano Ronaldo 7
19 Seol Ki-Hyeon (S) (M) Paul Scholes 18
8 Leroy Lita (S) (S) Wayne Rooney 8
Substitutes
21 Graham Stack (G) (G) Tomasz Kuszczak 29
22 Andre Bikey (D) (D) Wes Brown 6
6 Brynjar Gunnarsson (M) (D) John O'Shea 22
10 Stephen Hunt (M) (S) Louis Saha 9
24 Shane Long (S) (S) Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 20

Nothing surprising from Reading, except maybe Bikey being in the team. I guess Saha is a bit hurt for United, and thats why he won't be starting.

Just 10 minutes away..

[T_Rock]

All right, lets get this party started...

[T_Rock]

Rooney with an early shot that Hahnemann can't hang onto. Reading eventually clear

[T_Rock]

Lita wth a shot that sails high and wide.

[T_Rock]

Ronaldo's first touch is met by a chorus of boos

[T_Rock]

What look like a dangerous opportunity for MU is lost with a horrible cross form Heinze.

[T_Rock]

Reading's seems to be about a step off with their passes at the moment. Very quick pace to the match in the openning 10 minutes