Reading - Chelsea - 10/14/06 - Pre/During/Post Match [R]

[aguy2die4]

i want to see Bikeys 2nd yellow again, wasnt sure how deserved that was.

Reading is in need of a good defender in that position. Murty is ok even at EPL level he has done relatively well. But De la Cruz was floundering during the West Ham match and Bikey just got sent off during this match when that 1 man advantage was crucial.

still i would like to see that 2nd yellow again.

[Middle Of The Shed]

Your boys played well today.

Good luck for the rest of the season, if you play like you did today or even half like it then no doubt you'll stay up.

[prvev]

Your boys played well today.

Good luck for the rest of the season, if you play like you did today then no doubt you'll stay up.

Thanks. You're team looks again to be the class of the league, and games like the one today are the kind a team at the top has to grind out a win in to remain at the top.

[aguy2die4]

As for Murty, does anyone feeling that he gets beating by his marker too much? Robben was able to get past him just like Cristano Ronaldo did a couple weeks ago. Perhaps his fitness is getting Murty down.

yes, what you are saying is not wrong, but consider tha fact we are talking about Robben and C Ronaldo here.

if Murty can keep those two down, then Murty would be the best defender in the EPL. :D

Murty is the best option Reading has and there in lies the problem. he is good enough for the lower half of the table teams but not quite there for the upper half.

If Reading gets another Sonko type for that position then, not only would Reading have a solid solid defence it would also contribute to Readings offence in attacking options as it will free up Seol by that much.

[prvev]

As for Murty, does anyone feeling that he gets beating by his marker too much? Robben was able to get past him just like Cristano Ronaldo did a couple weeks ago. Perhaps his fitness is getting Murty down.

His fitness, and the fact that these guys are just more athletic than him. Its kind of surprising that the defense has, in general, done as well as it has so far. I thought they would have more problems with the types of athletes they are going against.

[nicephoras]

Well played - I thought Bikey's second yellow was a very bad call. It definitely wasn't a dive (the inside of his leg gets clipped which then causes him to trip, if you watch) - don't think Bikey intended that. Of course, Mikel's first yellow was terrible too, but shit happens.
I think against inferior defenses you'll do really well - you just couldn't break us down. Neither of our clubs played well - lets just hope the injured players on both sides are OK.

[aguy2die4]

in the West Ham game for example, Seol had to run up and down the pitch far too much, so that he can attack as well as help out with the defending. that kind of running wingers has to do knackers them out.

so the solution is, either have a spare winger who you can sub in, like Little, or even better also have a solid defender behind the winger so that less double teaming and covering is required.

[prvev]

Well played - I thought Bikey's second yellow was a very bad call. It definitely wasn't a dive (the inside of his leg gets clipped which then causes him to trip, if you watch) - don't think Bikey intended that. Of course, Mikel's first yellow was terrible too, but shit happens.
I think against inferior defenses you'll do really well - you just couldn't break us down. Neither of our clubs played well - lets just hope the injured players on both sides are OK.

Yea, I thought a foul was reasonable in that situation but a yellow, especially a second yellow which would result in a red, was uncalled for. I'd probably need to watch a replay of Mikel's first yellow to comment on that.

The team is suffering from some injuries, and playing against very strong competition. Kitson returning will help, Convey being able to play will help, and not playing Chelsea will help. We can do well to enforce our type of game against most teams, probably the bottom half and maybe a couple others, but today, until you got the lead, a much more defensive approach was used. Would have worked I guess, if it hadn't been for a couple unlucky deflections on that Lampard shot.

[nicephoras]

Would have worked I guess, if it hadn't been for a couple unlucky deflections on that Lampard shot.

We had been knocking on the door for a while - we certainly wouldn't have come out so passive in the second half had we not had the lead.

[prvev]

We had been knocking on the door for a while - we certainly wouldn't have come out so passive in the second half had we not had the lead.

True, and it probably would have resulted in a goal eventually in the second half. But it just would have felt better if it hadn't been such a weird goal.

[aguy2die4]

We had been knocking on the door for a while - we certainly wouldn't have come out so passive in the second half had we not had the lead.

perhaps. but you were also a man down soon afterwards. Reading shots on goal/(or just wide of) today was not that bad either. kept on the pressure in offence.

Chelseas goal came late in the 2nd half, a 2 cushion pinball deflection.

then reduced to 10 men early in the 2nd half. at which point Chelsea decided to defend the lead.

but what if there was no deflected own goal? and yet Chelsea was still reduced to 10men? if Chelsea had to be offensive it gives Reading that much more space on the counter with 11 men. Risky. Chelsea could have still pulled it off, but Reading could have gotten a result too.

[mschofield]

We had been knocking on the door for a while - we certainly wouldn't have come out so passive in the second half had we not had the lead.
Yeah, but not really knocking on the right door. The game was clearly in Chelsea's hands, but they never looked too dangerous. Wow, look at Sheva, waht $50m and Doyle, $140k, and it was tough to see that sort of division in class, though drogba was scary, and robben, for my money, was the best man for chelsea today. visibily sagged when he left.
Reading were never going to win this thing, but they really could have pulled a draw. Two best chances outside of the goal were Doyle snap against the post and the final ball that Chels cleared off the line. Still a 0-1 loss was a fair result.
Bikey did not deserve a second yellow.
And on Murty, he's been playing on a banged up knee. I think Bikey did some very nice defending tonight.
also, Little has to play more. He's such a jolt of energy. If Convey is out for a while, Little and Seol will line up against Arse. Nothing against Hunt, he's a maniac out there, and created a great play that no one else was getting close to, but he's a better late injection of energy than full game presence, IMO.

[prvev]

also, Little has to play more. He's such a jolt of energy. If Convey is out for a while, Little and Seol will line up against Arse. Nothing against Hunt, he's a maniac out there, and created a great play that no one else was getting close to, but he's a better late injection of energy than full game presence, IMO.

Hopefully Seol will have regained fitness by next Sunday,and if so I'd like to see that as well. Even if Convey is available, have Convey coming off the bench. Less of a risk of having to use an early substitution for a guy getting re-injured or tired quickly that way.

[nicephoras]

perhaps. but you were also a man down soon afterwards. Reading shots on goal/(or just wide of) today was not that bad either. kept on the pressure in offence.

Chelseas goal came late in the 2nd half, a 2 cushion pinball deflection.

then reduced to 10 men early in the 2nd half. at which point Chelsea decided to defend the lead.

but what if there was no deflected own goal? and yet Chelsea was still reduced to 10men? if Chelsea had to be offensive it gives Reading that much more space on the counter with 11 men. Risky. Chelsea could have still pulled it off, but Reading could have gotten a result too.

What if Hunt is sent off for the challenge on Cech? I don't know, I haven't invented a what-if machine (unlike Professor Farnsworth). The only thing I said was that we wouldn't have sat back had we not had the lead. Which isn't a what if, its just a statement of the way we play - we become far more passive when sitting on a lead. Mourinho feels our defense is good enough to do so, and generally it is (although I wish he'd do it less).

[nicephoras]

Yeah, but not really knocking on the right door. The game was clearly in Chelsea's hands, but they never looked too dangerous. Wow, look at Sheva, waht $50m and Doyle, $140k, and it was tough to see that sort of division in class, though drogba was scary, and robben, for my money, was the best man for chelsea today. visibily sagged when he left.
Reading were never going to win this thing, but they really could have pulled a draw. Two best chances outside of the goal were Doyle snap against the post and the final ball that Chels cleared off the line. Still a 0-1 loss was a fair result.
Bikey did not deserve a second yellow.

Um........yeah, I think you're waaaaay wide off the mark on the Sheva thing. Not to mention that Doyle is obviously worth more than $140K, its just that's what he was bought for.

[Koreano]

Hard luck for Reading. Better luck next time :)

[aguy2die4]

What if Hunt is sent off for the challenge on Cech? I don't know, I haven't invented a what-if machine (unlike Professor Farnsworth). The only thing I said was that we wouldn't have sat back had we not had the lead. Which isn't a what if, its just a statement of the way we play - we become far more passive when sitting on a lead. Mourinho feels our defense is good enough to do so, and generally it is (although I wish he'd do it less).

not really a what if question. but perhaps i should have been more direct:

We had been knocking on the door for a while -

so had Reading.

- we certainly wouldn't have come out so passive in the second half had we not had the lead.

As you reasonably speculate Chelsea probably would not have been able to afford to come out passive without that goal , which in another words Chelsea may have come out more agressive if they didnt get that goal. But what about being reduced to 10men? would that not have forced Chelsea to be more defensive too? infact that was the case. On the other hand if Chelsea came on offensive minded then that would also have given Reading that much more opportunity to counter, a reasonable speculation in the same vein.

[Nyghtewynd]

The Rich Kids certainly didn't seem happy that Reading showed up to *play* today, eh?

[prvev]

so had Reading.


To be fair, the only real chance in the first half was Doyle's shot off the bar. Chelsea were threatening often and had a number of corners and chances deep, especially early in the half. Actually, I think Reading's play had improved right until Chelsea scored.

What would have happened is a mystery. One I wish we knew the answers to. I really wish that the goal hadn't been scored like that, so we could have known what would have happened. But we never will.

[aguy2die4]

To be fair, the only real chance in the first half was Doyle's shot off the bar. Chelsea were threatening often and had a number of corners and chances deep, especially early in the half. Actually, I think Reading's play had improved right until Chelsea scored.

What would have happened is a mystery. One I wish we knew the answers to. I really wish that the goal hadn't been scored like that, so we could have known what would have happened. But we never will.

yes and yes and so forth.