Burnley 4th Round FA Cup game!!

[CMRoyal]

If 'form' is based on results then yes the home form has been better than the away form. We were quickly labelled with this home/away tag after the first few games - sure the results looked bad, but we had lost to teams (who were firing) like Chelsea/Spurs/Liverpool away from home in the early games. Since then our play away from home, or 'form' if you define it as how we are playing (I would define it this way) has been much better than the results suggest - ie playing well, creating chances BUT not taking them. Even the current dip in home results has not been due to playing worse - eg how we didn't beat Villa I don't know (1-1), same for Bolton (1-1); even Arsenal when it finished 1-1, we should've won and indeed scored a perfectly good goal that wasn't fkin offside ref.

We beat ManUre at home 1-0 the second game of the season, we lost to ManUre last week away 3-0: I would say we played better last week when we lost than we did in the home win. Funny old game.

Change one or two of the names and scorelines, and your post above could have been from HNA circa this time two years ago. The key thing is to turn away 'form' into results. Good luck with that - after Saturday, of course! I hope you do stay up. Well, to be precise, I hope Pompey, Hull and Bolton go down.

[Thaumagurist*]

I want Pompey, Burnley and Bolton to go down.

[J50]

I want the wife to go down

[Compo's Hat]

Don't let the sun go down on me

[brendywendy]

if you go down to the woods today

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Since then our play away from home, or 'form' if you define it as how we are playing (I would define it this way) has been much better than the results suggest - ie playing well, creating chances BUT not taking them.

This is the thing though. You don't win games on the amount of chances you have, and by no means does it mean your form will change. In our relegation season it was this that sent us down, and this season its exactly the same case. Don't ever ever feel you're playing well if you're losing games, as its simply not the case, trust me I know!

[willz_royal]

Down down, deeper and down.

[J50]

Since then our play away from home, or 'form' if you define it as how we are playing (I would define it this way) has been much better than the results suggest - ie playing well, creating chances BUT not taking them.

This is the thing though. You don't win games on the amount of chances you have, and by no means does it mean your form will change. In our relegation season it was this that sent us down, and this season its exactly the same case. Don't ever ever feel you're playing well if you're losing games, as its simply not the case, trust me I know!

You're kinda right, as in it's only the goals that count at the end of the day etc. Bit like last year, I thought you lot played better than us over the two legs but we got a couple of great goals that made the difference...

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Since then our play away from home, or 'form' if you define it as how we are playing (I would define it this way) has been much better than the results suggest - ie playing well, creating chances BUT not taking them.

This is the thing though. You don't win games on the amount of chances you have, and by no means does it mean your form will change. In our relegation season it was this that sent us down, and this season its exactly the same case. Don't ever ever feel you're playing well if you're losing games, as its simply not the case, trust me I know!

You're kinda right, as in it's only the goals that count at the end of the day etc. Bit like last year, I thought you lot played better than us over the two legs but we got a couple of great goals that made the difference...

Exactly! I don't want to piss on your chips, as I thoroughly want you to stay up. Its just what happens, and we've all had to learn it the hard way!

[handbags_harris]

Since then our play away from home, or 'form' if you define it as how we are playing (I would define it this way) has been much better than the results suggest - ie playing well, creating chances BUT not taking them.

This is the thing though. You don't win games on the amount of chances you have, and by no means does it mean your form will change. In our relegation season it was this that sent us down, and this season its exactly the same case. Don't ever ever feel you're playing well if you're losing games, as its simply not the case, trust me I know!

You're kinda right, as in it's only the goals that count at the end of the day etc. Bit like last year, I thought you lot played better than us over the two legs but we got a couple of great goals that made the difference...

We also absolutely battered you in the league at Turf Moor and somehow came away with a 1-0 defeat. One of the most one-sided games I have ever seen Reading lose.

IMO, it was the Owen Coyle factor, he seems to have a bit of a hold on us dating back to his playing days at Bolton. It seems like we rarely beat the teams he plays in or manages...

[Dirk Gently]

I wonder how many people will turn up for a 3 o'clock kick-off. I know some who've not yet noticed the changed time.

[J50]

I wonder how many people will turn up for a 3 o'clock kick-off. I know some who've not yet noticed the changed time.

At least parking will be easy for them...

[URZZZZZZZZ]

I wonder how many people will turn up for a 3 o'clock kick-off. I know some who've not yet noticed the changed time.

At least parking will be easy for them...

Not sure, the way things normally go they won't let the cars out the car park until about 5!

[Deadlock]

I want Pompey, Burnley and Bolton to go down.

I'm stunned. I would have bet my house on you saying you wanted "Wet Sham" and "Arseholes" to go down

[Thaumagurist*]

I want Pompey, Burnley and Bolton to go down.

I'm stunned. I would have bet my house on you saying you wanted "Wet Sham" and "Arseholes" to go down

Well, yes, if the number of teams to go down would be expanded to 6, I'd include Manure in that.

[J50]

Is Laws likely to look at those who didn't play last week at Man Utd giving him a chance to look at the rest of his squad in first team action?

Yeah possibly but there was a mid-week reserve game at Hull where the aforementioned Paterson/McCann/Rodriguez got full run outs after returning from injury. I would expect Mears to maybe miss out at RB, and a couple of changes, so:


Jensen

Eckersley Duff Edgar Jordan

Alexander

Guerrero McDonald Blake

Thompson Fletcher

SUBS:

Penny
Mears
Carlisle
Eagles
Elliott
Rodriguez
Paterson
McCann

I guess we'll have our new signing from Monaco on the bench, M. Nimani. Edit... Non, not eligible...

[J50]

Well I guess the marginally better team won on the day but that was about all. We looked a bit disjointed to begin with, not surprising since McCann had to play his first game for months at left back when we lost our natural left backs and the main strikeforce being out also saw Thompson have his first start for ages and Gudjonnsen was also drafted in. With Elliot keeping his place I thought we would be weak in midfield and that was the case. Looked ok at the back though, Edgar is settling in nicely after just one game. First half was just crap, dull and rubbish from both sides - the only excitement coming from Rasiak's dive in the box. Second half started better and we looked ok for a while and your keeper kept you in it with 3 good saves. Then we faded and you came into it, not creating that much, but a couple of chances went begging, and it looked a penalty at one point, though it was a long way away for us. As the game wore on you looked most likely to win - and showed the desire to do so - and that proved to be the case with a well taken goal. So, not much in it, not a good performance from us to be honest - we were there for the taking and better Reading teams that I have seen in the past would have walked it. I thought that your delivery into the box was very good, crosses and corners whipped in nicely. I don't think you will be singing "Que sera sera..." for much longer, but your singing it at the end did provide some amusement after a rather dull and cold afternoon.

Best of luck with staying up this season! It's probably slightly more likely than not that we are playing next season in the Championship, but I hope not (unless we come down)!

[Royal With Cheese]

Agreed broadly with that J50 - although we only have to beat West Brom at home to book a ticket to Wembley.

[Rawlie19]

Agreed broadly with that J50 - although we only have to beat West Brom at home to book a ticket to Wembley.

er, isn't the next round (after beating WBA) the Quarter Finals? We'd have to win that game too to book a trip to Wembley. Or am I wrong?

[Stranded]

Agreed broadly with that J50 - although we only have to beat West Brom at home to book a ticket to Wembley.

er, isn't the next round (after beating WBA) the Quarter Finals? We'd have to win that game too to book a trip to Wembley. Or am I wrong?

Nope you are correct.