Our best lineup, and how does it match up against years past?

Discussion in 'Reading FC' started by mschofield, Aug 28, 2009.

  1. mschofield

    mschofield Member+

    May 16, 2000
    Berlin
    Club:
    Union Berlin
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    Okay:
    At this point, we're looking at a season of rebuilding. Upside, our team is very young, and IMO, very talented. Downside, they can't play. But who thinks our current lineup can live up to those of recent years.
    Here's what I see as our current lineup
    99
    Fed
    Bertrand Mills Pierce Rosenoir
    Cisse
    Glyfi Karacen Davies Kebe
    Long/Church/NHunt



    Three years ago on at this point we would have been starting:
    96 Marcus
    Shorey Sonks IngIng Murts
    Convey Sids Harps Little
    Kits/Doyle/Lita



    Then Two:
    97 Marcus
    Shorey IngIng Sonko Murts or Rosenoir :)confused:)
    Hunt Harps Cisse Little
    Doyle Kits

    Then last year:

    98 Marcus
    Armstrong IngIng Bikey Rosenior
    Hunt Cisse Harps Kebe
    Doyle NHunt

    Now, comparing these rosters, I don't think we can ever expect a better team than we had in 95-96-97.
    Okay, so the engine of that team was a fantastic midfield, also very young, but a bit older than what we have now.
    So, can this group match up (esp as BF is set on selling Harps and marek, the kids are in charge)
    Can Karacen/Davies match Sids/Harper?
    IMO, Sids was the star and harps is a workhorse. Both Kar and Dav have the potential, however, to be better than Sids, neither has Harps engine. Right now, they're a clear step down.
    On the wings, Convey and Little were a perfectly matched set, though to be fair soon replaced by Hunt and Kebe.
    Glyi on short evidence, could be a star, a big four star, imo. Kebe isn't a lot different than he was then. But, right now, Glyfi is way too uneven. If that means we play Tabb, that's fine, but it's a clear step down.
    Up top, I'm afraid that while Church has a ton of potential, he's no Doyle, and we can't expect to see that type of production out of him. Up top, we're not just younger, we're not as good. NHunt is as good as he was last year, i'll assume.

    And then there's the mess in the back. I'll give fed a wash with marcus. I like marcus more, but their results last season were pretty even.
    In the center, Mills and Pierce simply make mistakes, mistakes that IngIng never made, and different from the ones Bikey, or Sonks, made. We need at least one stabilizing player. The youngsters potentially could be great, but someone has to toughen up pierce, esp, and light a fire under his ball watching ass.
    on the outside, Bertrand is only a loaner, but he's pure class. IMO, better than shorey. rosenoir is an even.

    So while i see us as potentially fine, right now I think we're worse or at best even on every area of the field. God, it's gonna be a long season.
     
  2. Neeto

    Neeto Member

    Sep 9, 2007
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The team is simply just too young right now. We just got some more experience players, but there is still a lot of inexperience on the team. This is going to be a rebuilding year, but I think there is a lot of upside in this team for the future. I am excited about our new signings we just brought in, so that can help. Maybe they can turn it around a little bit.

    I agree this team looks nothing like the 106 point team, but Kitson, Doyle, and others were young nobodys. The team needs time to gel and get some experience in, but it will be a long season this year.
     
  3. mschofield

    mschofield Member+

    May 16, 2000
    Berlin
    Club:
    Union Berlin
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    btw, i meant 06-07-08, not the 90s. i skipped a decade. course, the mid-90s sides was quite nice as well
     
  4. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Ingimarsson is still here. He's just not playing through injury.

    It's very hard to judge the young players at this stage. They just haven't played enough games. Some players start brightly and fade away to careers at Maidenhead and Basingstoke. Others take a little longer to look established, looking like bit-part players until you realise they are key parts of the team.

    Some just never look like making it.

    From what I've seen, the players look decent enough in the whole. They don't look promotion class, but ability-wise, we have enough man-for-man, that it would be a big failure to not pull away from the bottom.

    The big problem is creativity and the shape of the team. Young players, by the random nature of how they progress, can never be direct replacements as you are unlikely to ever be lucky enough to get kids coming through in the positions that have moved on.
     
  5. lestat2x

    lestat2x Member

    Mar 1, 2007
    Our inability to score is frighteningly dangerous. Especially since we have Cardiff to look forward to this week. There are some positives, such as Gylfi.
     
  6. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    the problem isn't so much taking chances as creating them. We have a squad packed with central midfielders, with little talent elsewhere in the middle, which makes it very difficult to field a blanced team.
     
  7. mschofield

    mschofield Member+

    May 16, 2000
    Berlin
    Club:
    Union Berlin
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    Richard, how do they look? I've only seen two games, and they looked timid and young, but talented. but that was earlier. Do they look like they're getting ready to turn a corner, with a bit of seasoning, and they could be quite decent?
     
  8. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    the players themselves are good enough, but with no left midfielder, and only Kebe on the right, it's not working in the final third. The 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation isn't really working either.

    Maybe McAnuff will help when he's fit, but there's little chance of this season being anything but a work in progress.

    The team probably isn't much worse than it was in the second half of last season, despite the departures, but the difficulty in breaking down teams probably explains why the away form has remained reasonable, despite home form being bad on an epic scale.
     
  9. mschofield

    mschofield Member+

    May 16, 2000
    Berlin
    Club:
    Union Berlin
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    Sigh. did everyone realize how wonderful it was to have Little and Convey in form?
    From what i've seen, aren't they playing Gyfli or however it's spelled out wide left? Is he not a wing? I'd think that Betrand, who to me looks really class, would help a great deal. Haven't seen cummings, but he was sold as a bookend...
     

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