Shane Long

[Huntley & Palmer]

Not if you keep this thread running

[londinium]

It's going to be an interesting season..............

Got any stats to back your comment up?

Red rag to a Bull

[Huntley & Palmer]

It's going to be an interesting season..............

In all seriousness, if a new striker comes in before the start of the season, I can see him wanting leave. Fair enough I suppose, he has been 3rd/4th choice for so long and really needs to prove himself week in week out.

[Snowball]

The argument was always he could be a super-sub but couldn't cut it when he got starts.

I think he put that lie to bed last season.

Here are his stats to date (compared to Lita)

League Starts for Reading

30 Starts = 17 Goals = 1 goal every 1.76 Starts = LONG
60 Starts = 20 Goals = 1 goal every 3.00 Starts = LITA


League Starts for all clubs since joining Reading

30 Starts = 17 Goals = 1 goal every 1.76 Starts = LONG
84 Starts = 30 Goals = 1 goal every 2.80 Starts = LITA


If you factor in sub appearances for Reading and call a sub appearance 15 minutes

60 + 23 = 64 "Reading League Games" for 20 Goals = 1 Goal every 3.20 games LITA
30 + 70 = 42 "Reading League Games" for 17 Goals = 1 goal every 2.47 games LONG

The absolute reality is that Shane Long has only had 30 starts in four seasons, has had many
many sub appearances of 1-2-3-4-5 minutes and has effectively, in terms of league minutes
on the pitch, played ONE season.

In his first three years at the club he got 8 league goals from 17 starts.

In the most recent season one got NINE league goals from 13 starts.

He's the one showing real improvement and a really good attitude.

He came to the club a very, very raw athlete, a footballer who had not gone through the usual
apprenticeship. Last season he scored almost exactly 1 in 2 and that is real quality.

If he matches that, is a regular pick and plays a full season he will be on for 23 league goals

[gazzer, loyal royal]

good stats snowball

After his second half of the season last year, I have high hopes for the lad for this season

[marcusopp]

Shane Long is class, you guys seem to have forgotten that he's only about 20/21 and is still improving. He's ok in the air, decent finisher and can run at players.
I couldn't care less how 'lucky' his goals are, as long as he scores i'm happy!
I'm still gutted that we released Lita, that would have been a top-drawer strike partnership in this division.
I reckon we've got a chance this year, need to sign a left winger (assuming hunt goes) or play tabb there. Hopefully a couple of promising youngsters (pearce, karacan etc) can start to play regularly, should be pretty good.
Only real shame is the new kit sucks a$$!!!
I really liked last years, and we only had it for one season.

[Snowball]

Goes without saying that I rate Shane and he SHOULD be very, very good this season.

My biggest worry is how to play him. He's about power and pace and (at the moment) not "finesse"

But it's hard to see him as a Jason Scotland type target-man. If Rodgers plays 4-5-1 which might be 4-5-3
I could only see him wide, but skill for skill surely Henry would get the nod over Long?

I don't think any of our strikers is a one-up-front target man (unless Mooney can do that)


PS Shane is 22 now, but still a kid in soccer terms

[Aeroguide]

There once was a young striker called Long
Who the Royals signed for a song
He's been given his chance,
Whithout much of a glance
At the fact that Doyle has gone....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SQilrkISaI&NR=1

[boy1985]

Goes without saying that I rate Shane and he SHOULD be very, very good this season.

My biggest worry is how to play him. He's about power and pace and (at the moment) not "finesse"

But it's hard to see him as a Jason Scotland type target-man. If Rodgers plays 4-5-1 which might be 4-5-3
I could only see him wide, but skill for skill surely Henry would get the nod over Long?

I don't think any of our strikers is a one-up-front target man (unless Mooney can do that)


PS Shane is 22 now, but still a kid in soccer terms

[gazzer, loyal royal]

Goes without saying that I rate Shane and he SHOULD be very, very good this season.

My biggest worry is how to play him. He's about power and pace and (at the moment) not "finesse"

But it's hard to see him as a Jason Scotland type target-man. If Rodgers plays 4-5-1 which might be 4-5-3
I could only see him wide, but skill for skill surely Henry would get the nod over Long?

I don't think any of our strikers is a one-up-front target man (unless Mooney can do that)


PS Shane is 22 now, but still a kid in soccer terms

how many players are we allowed?

[Hoop Blah]

Goes without saying that I rate Shane and he SHOULD be very, very good this season.

My biggest worry is how to play him. He's about power and pace and (at the moment) not "finesse"

But it's hard to see him as a Jason Scotland type target-man. If Rodgers plays 4-5-1 which might be 4-5-3
I could only see him wide, but skill for skill surely Henry would get the nod over Long?

I don't think any of our strikers is a one-up-front target man (unless Mooney can do that)


PS Shane is 22 now, but still a kid in soccer terms

Snowball, it's never really been about his scoring record, which as you've shown is pretty good, but about how well he plays in those games.

He's consistently looked a bit out of his depth when playing against decent defenders and even more so when he's started games against them as opposed to coming off the bench.

He certainly improved towards the end of last season when he got a run of games (albeit against shakey defences) and I hope he continues that progression this season.

One thing I think your stats over look is the quality of opposition for Lita vs Long, but that's really splitting hairs and I don't want to reopen this long exhausting debate again.

Suffice to say that Long now has his chance. I hope he can take it and live up to some of the early potential he showed but didn't really build on during his time here until the last handful of games last season. How he plays now won't change how he played for the previous few years but it gives him a big chance to push on and be a big part of Rodgers plans.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Goes without saying that I rate Shane and he SHOULD be very, very good this season.

My biggest worry is how to play him. He's about power and pace and (at the moment) not "finesse"

But it's hard to see him as a Jason Scotland type target-man. If Rodgers plays 4-5-1 which might be 4-5-3
I could only see him wide, but skill for skill surely Henry would get the nod over Long?

I don't think any of our strikers is a one-up-front target man (unless Mooney can do that)


PS Shane is 22 now, but still a kid in soccer terms

Are you forgetting Noel? Easily the best pick to lead the line on his own, great leap, good with both feet and links the play well. I stand by my earlier post, if we bring someone in BR wants to play in his formation then Long will likely be off. I can't see him wanting to be 3/4th choice again.

[Royal Rother]

Suffice to say that Long now has his chance. I hope he can take it and live up to some of the early potential he showed but didn't really build on during his time here until the last handful of games last season. How he plays now won't change how he played for the previous few years but it gives him a big chance to push on and be a big part of Rodgers plans.

It would probably be disingenuous not to acknowledge the fact that Snowball started produing his pro-Long stats BEFORE that last handful of games when you saw improvement.

Of course there is more to football than stats but in the case of strikers, not much more, and all that Long did in the last couple of months was build further substance onto what was already a pretty respectable record.

(Like you, it's not that I want to pro-Long the debate of course.)

[Snowball]

If you look at the way Lita and Long were used it doesn't look good.

Despite the slur against Shane fact is he got the goals more-so when he started to play more regularly and for longer minutes

The first column shows his minutes on the pitch (bold shows starts)

The second column is his five-game moving average

00 00 Forest
00 00 PLYMOUTH
14 05 Charlton
68 20 PALACE
60 28 Ipswich
28 34 WEDNESDAY
36 41 Watford
14 41 SWANSEA
06 29 Wolves
65 30 BURNLEY (1) WON
21 28 Preston
07 23 DONCASTER
09 22 QPR
00 20 Burnley
17 11 BRISTOL
22 11 DERBY
15 13 Sheff Utd
29 17 SAINTS
00 17 Cardiff
18 17 COVENTRY
00 12 Barnsley
10 11 NORWICH (1) WON
63 18 Birmingham
27 24 CARDIFF
90 38 Saints (1) DREW
14 41 WATFORD
00 39 Swansea
10 28 WOLVES
00 23 QPR
14 08 PRESTON
00 05 BRISTOL
00 05 FOREST
13 05 Sheff Wed (1) WON
90 23 Plymouth
90 39 CHARLTON (2) DREW
68 52 IPSWICH
01 52 Doncaster
26 55 Palace
90 55 Coventry
00 37 SHEFF UTD
79 39 Blackpool
41 47 BARNSLEY
90 60 Derby (1) WON
90 60 Norwich (2) WON
90 78 BIRMINGHAM
90 80 Burnley
90 90 Burnley

1605 Minutes played
0009 Goals scored
0178 Minutes per goal. ie better than one goal every two full games, best ratio in the club by a fair way


"Appearances" is a false number.

Look how many times he was not selected,
a non-playing sub or on for 15 minutes or less

00 Forest
00 PLYMOUTH
00 BRISTOL
00 FOREST
00 Barnsley
00 Cardiff
00 Burnley
00 QPR
00 SHEFF UTD
00 Swansea
01 Doncaster
06 Wolves (made a goal for Cisse)
07 DONCASTER
09 QPR
10 NORWICH (1) (Won a penalty and scored a goal)
10 WOLVES
13 Sheff Wed (1) (scored the winning goal)
14 Charlton
14 PRESTON
14 WATFORD
14 SWANSEA
15 Sheff Utd

[Platypuss]

"Appearances" is a false number.

..unless it suits my argument.

[Huntley & Palmer]

So if he isn't a first team regular this season with Doyle and Lita now gone, what say you then?

[prostak]

... If Rodgers plays 4-5-1 which might be 4-5-3
I could only see him wide, but skill for skill surely Henry would get the nod over Long?

I don't think any of our strikers is a one-up-front target man (unless Mooney can do that)


PS Shane is 22 now, but still a kid in soccer terms

how many players are we allowed?

13 officially, as we're in the Royal county, and each of them can play in whatever damned color they choose. King George issued a diktat to this end in the early 20th century.

[Snowball]

So if he isn't a first team regular this season with Doyle and Lita now gone, what say you then?

IF that is the case, I suspect he'll go elsewhere and either get c 20 goals in the Championship or nearer 30 in League 1

But I think the team (and Shane) will do very well this season

[Arch]

Goes without saying that I rate Shane and he SHOULD be very, very good this season.

My biggest worry is how to play him. He's about power and pace and (at the moment) not "finesse"

But it's hard to see him as a Jason Scotland type target-man. If Rodgers plays 4-5-1 which might be 4-5-3
I could only see him wide, but skill for skill surely Henry would get the nod over Long?

I don't think any of our strikers is a one-up-front target man (unless Mooney can do that)


PS Shane is 22 now, but still a kid in soccer terms

You're flirting with showing your ignorance there, boy.

[Sarah Star]

Long has special training in bid to improve performance
6:30am Thu 16th Jul 09:: written by Steve Spencer

Being a striker is all about having the edge on your opponent, displaying that killer instinct in the box both physically and mentally.

The world’s best goalscorers can outsmart and outmove their markers, but it is not a skill that comes easily.

Hard work in training sharpens a player’s mind and fitness - something Reading hitman Shane Long is all too aware of.

The Irish international has been undergoing one-on-one sessions with trainer Kevin Dobson at The Marlow Club, but is now training twice a day at Reading with the rest of the players.

He will be working again with Dobson once the league campaign begins.

Royals No.9 Long believes taking time away from Madejski Stadium to build his strength, speed and agility through functional training will improve his all-round game and ultimately bring him more goals.

“It’s a different thing to do,” the 22-year-old from County Tipperary told the Advertiser. “We do boxing work and exercises like that, different things to what we do at Reading.

“We do both fitness and power work: It’s definitely benefiting me.

“I enjoy the boxing pad training in particular because it improves co-ordination and core-body strength and it requires a good deal of concentration.”

He continued: “I started doing it halfway through the season last year, so doing it from the start of this season can definitely improve my game.”

Long has been having the special sessions with Dobson once or twice a week after Reading chief scout Brian McDermott put forward the idea a few months ago.

Dobson, who previously worked at Maidenhead’s Magnet Leisure Centre and provided matchday physio at Burnham FC, explained: “I started training the chief scout at Reading, Brian McDermott, and he said I’ve got something special for you. He said can you coach Shane and take him out of football for a bit of one-on-one training.”

Dobson continued: “Training Shane was a new and exciting challenge for me as I had only previously trained clients predominately looking for weight loss.

“Shane is a very humble and down-to-earth guy, you wouldn’t know he was a professional football player who has thousands of admirers!”

With a new man in charge at the Madejski, Brendon Rodgers, Long feels the forthcoming season will be a welcome change from the Steve Coppell era and a chance to make his mark on the Championship.

After the heartbreak of losing out in the play-off semi-finals last season, Long believes the Royals squad have learned their lessons and know what it takes to make a return to the top flight of football.

“We’ve been training with him (Rodgers) for a week and a bit now and everybody is enjoying the change in training and atmosphere around the club,” said Long, who has been capped 10 times by the Republic of Ireland.

“It’s good to have a fresh start and look at it differently.

“It was disappointing to lose the way we did last season, but we’ve learned from it and can do better.”

Despite recent speculation surrounding a potential £2m move to Coventry City, Long confirmed his commitment to the Berkshire club, stating the new manager as his main reason for staying.

“I’m definitely staying at Reading,” he explained. “With the new manager and a new feel at the club it’s a new way of looking at my game and it’s exciting to be a part of.”

If training with Dobson proves its worth this season, Long could soon find himself spearheading the Royals attack back into the Premier League, and with a few more Irish caps to boot.

http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/ ... rformance/