Cardiff Match Thread - Sponsored by Stephen Bywater

[Bandini]

Never mind, can't expect to win them all

I feel a case of deja vu coming on. Get through to the final at Wembley and then Cardiff do a Swansea on us!

You've got a premonition of having deja vu?

[RoyalBlue]

Never mind, can't expect to win them all

I feel a case of deja vu coming on. Get through to the final at Wembley and then Cardiff do a Swansea on us!

You're in an unusually positive frame of mind.

Call that positive?

Paying a fortune for tickets through the awful Ticketzone (whatever happened to that promised report on fans' feedback on their website - was the TE gagged?), then the heartache of another playoff final defeat?

Then, to add insult to injury, another damn Welsh team occupying a place in the English PL but still opting for governance by the Welsh FA!

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Credit were credit is due. Cardiff have turned themselves around. Mackay has done a fantastic job there. I don't think we should blame the referee for our performance considering we had opportunities to get back into the game. Bad day at the office.

[peterroyal76]

Credit were credit is due. Cardiff have turned themselves around. Mackay has done a fantastic job there. I don't think we should blame the referee for our performance considering we had opportunities to get back into the game. Bad day at the office.

Too right. The 'handball' for the first goal happened near the halfway line, the officials make mistakes sometimes the opposition play well. Noel Hunt after the game was embarrassing! Blaming the officials for the results and the football league for making us play twice in three days (along with everyone else!). Perhaps Noel should blame his choice of footwear as he spent most of the game sliding on his arse.

[RoyalBlue]

Credit were credit is due. Cardiff have turned themselves around. Mackay has done a fantastic job there. I don't think we should blame the referee for our performance considering we had opportunities to get back into the game. Bad day at the office.

Too right. The 'handball' for the first goal happened near the halfway line, the officials make mistakes sometimes the opposition play well. Noel Hunt after the game was embarrassing! Blaming the officials for the results and the football league for making us play twice in three days (along with everyone else!). Perhaps Noel should blame his choice of footwear as he spent most of the game sliding on his arse.

His whinge about two games in three games was truly laughable and McDermott should stamp on that sort of attitude straight away. Cardiff clearly are fitter/have to run around less because they make the ball do the work/wanted it more.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

I was fortunate enough to be at the Ipswich game in Hospitality ( ), and what did strike me was that not a single Reading player came out after the game to wamr down. In fact, when I left the Ipswich players were just finishing their warm down and when I was outside the ground the majority of the Reading players had left. This strikes me as awful planning and sheer unprofessionalism. You play 2 games in 3 days once, maybe twice, and looking at the amount of bambi on ice moments today they clearly didn't prepare well enough.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

This is the problem when you pick nearly the same team in the space of 3 days. We have little strength in depth so we can't make wholesale changes. We need a new striker because Simon Church runs his socks off week in week out and gets little in return.

I rate Karacan over Tabb but surely Tabb would have been fitter for the game?

[Arch]

Ah well, we are not remotely good enough to win every week and anything other than a relegation battle is a success when you sell your best players every summer. We'll be in the top 6 mix until late Spring no doubt, which is an excellent effort given the circumstances.

Glad to see you've come round to the sane view that with our squad and set-up we're most likely to end up in the second five. What beggars understanding is how you who spend so much time watching the team couldn't see this earlier while it was plain as day to some of us who live thousands of miles away. Only you could make the observation that we can't win every week sound like a criticism rather than the blandly redundant truism it is.

Happy New Year, floydy.

[Cypry]

I was fortunate enough to be at the Ipswich game in Hospitality ( ), and what did strike me was that not a single Reading player came out after the game to wamr down. In fact, when I left the Ipswich players were just finishing their warm down and when I was outside the ground the majority of the Reading players had left. This strikes me as awful planning and sheer unprofessionalism. You play 2 games in 3 days once, maybe twice, and looking at the amount of bambi on ice moments today they clearly didn't prepare well enough.

I believe they have indoor facilities for the home team to warm down at the Mad Stad....

[URZZZZZZZZ]

I've seen the size of it though and there's no way 14 players could have a light jog around that, and in any event, all the players had left 30 mins after full time meaning try can't have completed a meaningful warm down.

[Barry the bird boggler]

I'm sure the squad and manament professionals of a senior football club in the 21st century know more about the recovery of their players and what they need to be doing to prepare for the next game than us.

[RoyalBlue]

I'm sure the squad and manament professionals of a senior football club in the 21st century know more about the recovery of their players and what they need to be doing to prepare for the next game than us.

Not necessarily so. Different sports scientists may have different ideas and approaches to these sort of things. Our guy might be trying something slightly different, which may or may not work better than approaches adopted by other clubs.

[floyd__streete]

Glad to see you've come round to the sane view that with our squad and set-up we're most likely to end up in the second five. What beggars understanding is how you who spend so much time watching the team couldn't see this earlier while it was plain as day to some of us who live thousands of miles away. Only you could make the observation that we can't win every week sound like a criticism rather than the blandly redundant truism it is.

Happy New Year, floydy.

Hello Archie. I had some misgivings earlier this season that we would be bang-midtable and well adrift of challenging, but most of that was based on seeing Bongani Khumalo play 2 or 3 times. We've since tightened up at the back. Still think we're all perspiration and little inspiration up front mind you. I repeat that 6th-10th is a success given the restraints placed on Brian. Which itself is a pity, because - again I repeat - we're probably one very decent forward player away from top 6 near-certainties.

[melonhead]

."No passing, just hoof.'

^ FAO BrendyWendy, who insists we've been trying to play decent passing football recently


Compo was at the game and described it as a defensive shambles. Ah well, we are not remotely good enough to win every week and anything other than a relegation battle is a success when you sell your best players every summer. We'll be in the top 6 mix until late Spring no doubt, which is an excellent effort given the circumstances.

lol at picking one game to prove your"point"

agree with the rest though, apart from remotely

[Hoop Blah]

Brendy, didn't you just use a few examples of decent play in the Boxing Day game as your evidence in the first place?

We're a direct team who don't really pass it. No shame in that, although I do think it's a limited approach that is more easily stopped by half decent teams.

[RoyalBlue]

Brendy, didn't you just use a few examples of decent play in the Boxing Day game as your evidence in the first place?

We're a direct team who don't really pass it. No shame in that, although I do think it's a limited approach that is more easily stopped by half decent teams.

It's shame for people who like to see attractive and skilful football and it's also a shame when it's a limited approach that is more easily stopped by half decent teams. In other words, not a lot to really be said for it!

[Arch]

...we're probably one very decent forward player away from top 6 near-certainties.

In simple terms: if the League Tow top-scorer doesn't make the step up we'll probably get relegated. Sobering enough thought for most of you?

What changed?

I love a good conversion. Floyd thinks we're one good forward away from top six near-certainties and Royal Blue has a feeling we'll make it back to Wembley. Just need Royalee to come in and say Brian is the best Reading manager this millenium and we'll have the triple crown.

[RoyalBlue]

...we're probably one very decent forward player away from top 6 near-certainties.

In simple terms: if the League Tow top-scorer doesn't make the step up we'll probably get relegated. Sobering enough thought for most of you?

What changed?

I love a good conversion. Floyd thinks we're one good forward away from top six near-certainties and Royal Blue has a feeling we'll make it back to Wembley. Just need Royalee to come in and say Brian is the best Reading manager this millenium and we'll have the triple crown.

Having now heard just how bad we were at Cardiff from those who were there, I've a feeling I was over optimistic. A lot will depend on what happens this transfer window and also on whether McDermott can develop a plan B (not just moving McAnuff into the centre) and ideally a plan C. Currently we are far too one-dimensional and we don't have a Long type striker capable of creating things on his own.

[melonhead]

Brendy, didn't you just use a few examples of decent play in the Boxing Day game as your evidence in the first place?

We're a direct team who don't really pass it. No shame in that, although I do think it's a limited approach that is more easily stopped by half decent teams.

no

[Hoop Blah]

Brendy, didn't you just use a few examples of decent play in the Boxing Day game as your evidence in the first place?

We're a direct team who don't really pass it. No shame in that, although I do think it's a limited approach that is more easily stopped by half decent teams.

It's shame for people who like to see attractive and skilful football and it's also a shame when it's a limited approach that is more easily stopped by half decent teams. In other words, not a lot to really be said for it!

Just to clarifiy, by 'no shame in that' I meant there isn't anything to be ashamed of in playing a more direct and safe style of football. I totally agree that as a fan it can be a shame (as in 'a pity') that this is the football we have to watch.

There are still things going for this style of football though. You only have to look at the results McDermott has got from playing it to see that. It's easier and safer to play this way, especially with limited resources, and Rodgers time in charge showed how difficult it can be to get a more attractive and technical style to work effectively.