Pre-season Friendlies

[Royal Rother]

Bit early to decide Sa is going to be "the New Pog".

After all, he forced the keeper to make a good save from the edge of the area.

[Royal Ginger]

Pogrebnyak's a quality player, so the point is worthless.

[Royality creeps In]

Pogrebnyak's a quality player, so the point is worthless.

[blueroyals]

Pogrebnyak's a quality player, so the point is worthless.

[Royal Ginger]

He is, I stand by it and am unlikely to be swayed.

[Steve_Upper_West]

He is, I stand by it and am unlikely to be swayed.

+1

[RoyallyFcuked]

Pogrebnyak's a quality player, so the point is worthless.

The Pogrebnyak DeLOLusion

[K.URZ13]

The goal against Chelsea proved Pog is a good player. That was a power header, guided into the top corner, from distance; not a lucky hoof. Admittedly that was a while ago, but still, why do some fans love criticising our own players so much?

[CountryRoyal]

The goal against Chelsea proved Pog is a good player. That was a power header, guided into the top corner, from distance; not a lucky hoof.

Surely you can't be serious when referencing an isolated event 3 years ago as evidence for your delusion? Besides, not sure how that goal shows he's that great of a player either. My mate scored a bikey a few years ago, so he must be a really good player too.

Admittedly that was a while ago, but still, why do some fans love criticising our own players so much?

Because they're shit.

Honestly, having thought about it, we're no different to any other football club. You have the same sort of fans but you'll find a lot will talk negatively about a lot of their own players. As football fans we support the club. Teams, managers, and even owners come and go but the one constant is the club. So when a fan feels that something is getting in the way of the club's success (under-performing player, bad management, no investment....etc) they are obviously going to criticise it. Combine that with the fact that we are British and the result is a lot of bitching and whining.

[Stranded]

The Pog is not shit, in my mind people associate him with the Zingarevich ownership and because he is on stupid money look at his performances more harshly than any other player. If he were on 10k, I think people would be more likely to see that he is actually pretty decent - nothing spectacular but pretty decent.

[Hoop Blah]

The Pog is not shit, in my mind people associate him with the Zingarevich ownership and because he is on stupid money look at his performances more harshly than any other player. If he were on 10k, I think people would be more likely to see that he is actually pretty decent - nothing spectacular but pretty decent.

I'd agree with a lot of that but also add that a big problem for Pogrebnyak is that everyone expects him to be a goalscorer, partly because of that hatrick for Fulham I guess. That hasn't really been a strength of his game before, apart from one season for Zenit perhaps, and so he's never going to live up to fans expectations of scorer 20+ goals a season.

What he does he does pretty well though, he's just being overpaid for it through no real fault of his own.

[sandman]

Admittedly that was a while ago, but still, why do some fans love criticising our own players so much?

Because they're shit.

Honestly, having thought about it, we're no different to any other football club. You have the same sort of fans but you'll find a lot will talk negatively about a lot of their own players. As football fans we support the club. Teams, managers, and even owners come and go but the one constant is the club. So when a fan feels that something is getting in the way of the club's success (under-performing player, bad management, no investment....etc) they are obviously going to criticise it. Combine that with the fact that we are British and the result is a lot of bitching and whining.

May want to consider getting rid off that first o in your username.

[Ian Royal]

It's simple. Pog's not shit, but neither is he particularly good. He's a support striker without a goalscoring partner, though even when he had one (ALF) they couldn't form a partnership.

He's stupendously overpaid and terrible value for money sucking up the costs of two players as good if not better. Now it's not his fault we agreed his wages, but it is his fault it took that offer to get him. And it's certainly his fault he's made no effort to reduce his wages or leave instead of leaving us with a crippling wage he's not justifying on the pitch.

If he can forge a partnership with Samuel or Sa he'll be useful, but we'd still be better off with him gone and us able to use his money on someone (s) else.

[Royal Rother]

It's his bloody fault that he'd rather fall over than try to play football.

Big bastard like him, it's pathetic.

I dislike watching him almost as much as HRK.

[Esteban]

It's simple. Pog's not shit, but neither is he particularly good. He's a support striker without a goalscoring partner, though even when he had one (ALF) they couldn't form a partnership.

He's stupendously overpaid and terrible value for money sucking up the costs of two players as good if not better. Now it's not his fault we agreed his wages, but it is his fault it took that offer to get him. And it's certainly his fault he's made no effort to reduce his wages or leave instead of leaving us with a crippling wage he's not justifying on the pitch.

If he can forge a partnership with Samuel or Sa he'll be useful, but we'd still be better off with him gone and us able to use his money on someone (s) else.

Ever since Pog has been at the club, he's been used as a target man. He isn't and has never claimed to be. He's been partnered with the wrong players, or been left painfully isolated. When he played a number of games with Le Fondre, he enjoyed his best goal scoring record since he's been at the club, whilst Alfie's scoring ratio wasn't affected. Adkins had a chance to bring in a striker to compliment him, but instead chose Cox and Mackie.

Yes, Murray probably is better than Pog, but he wasn't exactly cheap.

And why should he be blamed for the wage he is on? If the club were stupid enough to pay him that and then not play to his strengths, that's their fault. I didn't see Karacan offering to hand money back during the 18 months he spent out injured, or HRK desperate to renegotiate his contract, despite fairly tepid performances.

Pog is a drain on finances and we cannot afford him without making sacrifices, but he never complains, works hard and as Clarke said, was our best striker last season.

Face it, we're stuck with him, so blame Zingarevich initially, then successive managers for not playing to his strengths and getting the best out of him.

[MoorgateRoyal]

It's simple. Pog's not shit, but neither is he particularly good. He's a support striker without a goalscoring partner, though even when he had one (ALF) they couldn't form a partnership.

He's stupendously overpaid and terrible value for money sucking up the costs of two players as good if not better. Now it's not his fault we agreed his wages, but it is his fault it took that offer to get him. And it's certainly his fault he's made no effort to reduce his wages or leave instead of leaving us with a crippling wage he's not justifying on the pitch.

If he can forge a partnership with Samuel or Sa he'll be useful, but we'd still be better off with him gone and us able to use his money on someone (s) else.

Ever since Pog has been at the club, he's been used as a target man. He isn't and has never claimed to be. He's been partnered with the wrong players, or been left painfully isolated. When he played a number of games with Le Fondre, he enjoyed his best goal scoring record since he's been at the club, whilst Alfie's scoring ratio wasn't affected. Adkins had a chance to bring in a striker to compliment him, but instead chose Cox and Mackie.

Yes, Murray probably is better than Pog, but he wasn't exactly cheap.

And why should he be blamed for the wage he is on? If the club were stupid enough to pay him that and then not play to his strengths, that's their fault. I didn't see Karacan offering to hand money back during the 18 months he spent out injured, or HRK desperate to renegotiate his contract, despite fairly tepid performances.

Pog is a drain on finances and we cannot afford him without making sacrifices, but he never complains, works hard and as Clarke said, was our best striker last season.

Face it, we're stuck with him, so blame Zingarevich initially, then successive managers for not playing to his strengths and getting the best out of him.

Nail. Head.

[Angry Shed Sex]

That's where my head's at with him.

[WoodleyRoyal]

You do not play 33 times for Russia if you are shit, we are not talking about some tinpot shit team like Latvia here, Russia are decent.
You do not finish joint top scorer in the uefa cup scoring 10 goals and make it all the way to final if you are shit.
You do not score at a rate of 1 in 3 in pretty much all divisions you have played in if you are shit

He played for 3 years at one of the top teams in Germany averaging about 1 in 4 in the Bundesliga which no to bad
And he is averaging nearly 1 in 3 here at Reading.

Whether you think he is value for money or not is a totally different argument, but anyone who thinks he is shit needs their head sorting out.

[savage 4 england]

Orlando Sa is terrible and is going to be the new Pog.

Is he quick though?

[Forbury Lion]

Pogrebnyak's a quality player, so the point is worthless.

If only there was more quantity of quality.