Saints 1 Reading 3 - The Wake

[Roger]

I would suggest you watch it again

de ridder got a few good crosses and..took two players with him so butterfield could get crosses in

 

for a winger to come off the bench, he is as good as you are going to get

 

He played okay but still his crossed were too short. I have watched it again. One great piece of tracking back though. Was a lot better than Chaplow for me.

[Thedelldays]

you are right about as good as you will get of the bench, but don't you think there is a better player in there somewhere?

maybe...but to get what you want to deliver week in week out will not exist in the NPC

 

how many "wingers" do so week in week out in the prem..?

who is the best winger..? lennon..? again, prone to having many off days.

 

it has always been like that for wingers and he is no different.

give him a run in the team and he will only improve...by how much, remains to be seen

 

Kebe plays right wing for the team at the top of the table...yet was completely out of the game apart from 1 cross...did fuk all else. and many reading fans dread to find out "what kebe" will turn up

[Chez]

billy worked hard last night,

did he? Chest it down for Lambert apart, what exactly did he do?

[Norm]

Bang on Alpine.

 

Reading are the best team I've seen in this division and will be worthy champions. We will be worthy runners up.

 

Their defence was superb and just soaked us up and their attack was like a rapier, ready to pierce us whenever they had the chance.

 

Congrats to them, it was no fluke that they beat us last night.

 

Saints on the other hand were slow and laboured. Every time we got possession we played a flurry of square balls giving the Reading defence ages to get organised.

 

If we get to the prem (and I'm confident we will) we badly need pace and we need a midfield that knows how to exploit pace with piercing balls in a faster, more direct approach. We also need to cross properly, don't just sling in balls from deep positions that do very little against a good defence - cross from the byline..

 

We also need a new GK, not because KD has been bad (far from it) but if we want to give ourselves a chance we need the best we can get between the sticks to stem the goals against.

 

Reading were a class outfit and will do very well in the prem.

 

They gave us an early taste of the ruthless finishing we can expect week in week out if we get promoted.

 

I hope Nige has learnt a few things from last night.

 

SDR was my MOM - the only player who tried to really 'get at' Reading and put in a few decent crosses from the byline.

 

 

 

Eight pages of posts and this, imho, is the best summing up on last night. With the most obvious exception of SDR for MOM. That ruins a very good post. Lambert by a mile and half! I thought he was outstanding.

[Saints Warrior]

Saints down to 10 men when Guly came on!

[dune]

The whole team worked hard last night. FACT

 

Draw a f/cking blue line you gimps.

[Window Cleaner]

I'm not being over reactionary but who can see us losing at peterbourough? I can see the wheels coming off and playoffs. Also Agree about de ridder he worked hard but ran round in circles with no end result doesn't seem to have the footalling brain to match the skill. We wont even start on gulys contribution

 

I do not see us blowing it a Posh no.Defences like Reading's are few and far between in the NPC, and that includes ours.

Got to play Guly,De Ridder or why not Punch in RM though cos Fergie junior will wind Chaplow up and he'll get sent off.

[Legod Third Coming]

The whole team worked hard last night. FACT

 

Draw a f/cking blue line you gimps.

 

Hahaha! I so rarely agree with a thing you say, but spot on 100%.

 

In all but result that was a super performance.

[supersonic]

That was poor last night, on all accounts. I've been saying it for months, we aren't good enough to go up, and I still don't think we will. My reasons are as follows.

 

- Lack of goals - Same for Pompey & Blackpool game, we didn't convert our chances into goals.

- Poor Defending - I can think of 10 poor goals we've given away in the past 3 weeks (3 v Blackpool, 2 v Pompey, 2 v Millwall) Fonte and Hooiveld just don't seem the players they were at the begining of the season, the midfield are slow at helping out and we aren't close enough to opposition players.

- Injuries - Can't be helped, I know, but they've cost us. Lee and Morgan are key players who are missing, but players who have been injured haven't come back and played anywhere near good enough (Chaplow/Guly etc)

- Not enough urgency - It frustrated the living daylights out of me last night when at 80 minutes + we were still passing the ball around the back four and only had 2 players in the box when we got in a crossing position. If you see Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal etc when they need a goal, it's relentless, we just didn't look like it.

- Wobble - we're bottling it. There were no leaders on the pitch last night. Hammond isn't a captain, we need a defender/midfield leader, someone like Roberts, who inspired the team and you could see the other players looked to him for motivation, we don't have anyone like that. It's the reason why 14 days ago we were 5 points ahead of reading, and now we're 3 behind them

 

Anyway, fair play to Reading, they have the 3 key attributes which make up a successful team: They defend well, Take their chances in front of goal when they get them, and they have luck on their side. They'll do well in the Premiership.

[Chez]

maybe...but to get what you want to deliver week in week out will not exist in the NPC

 

how many "wingers" do so week in week out in the prem..?

who is the best winger..? lennon..? again, prone to having many off days.

 

it has always been like that for wingers and he is no different.

give him a run in the team and he will only improve...by how much, remains to be seen

Can't agree more about wingers in general, but I don't think he is even inconsistent. You get the same from him every game. Full of tricks and effort, but he does the same annoying things, like turn back on himself, eat the fullbacks space, always coming inside never giving the fullback the easy pass down the line, underhitting crosses and not just running straight past slow fullbacks. I'm not concerned about a lack of consistency, its what he consistently does that worries me. Lose a few of those traits and he'd be untouchable.

 

I've said all season that he should get a 5 or 6 game run in the side, but Adkins has ****ed him about. I'm surprised the lad has the confidence to do what he does

[Capel Saint]

Thought we outplayed Reading until their second goal went in due to poor defending on our part. Our defence has been getting nervy of late hence why we have started to concede goals, they need to tighten up. I thought a draw would have been a fair result but the difference between Reading and Saints is that we were trying to pass the ball into the net. There were some great passing by Saints but this was a game where the full backs needed to support our wingers to get the ball in early. Time after time I wished Fox and Butterfield would make runs past their last defender but they didn't. Didn't help with the ref siding with Reading on 50/50 decisions on a number of occasions.

 

Although we lost 3-1 the scoreline flattered Reading and I think we will win two of our last three and go up second.

[Norm]

supersonic, DUCK! It's coming in heavy any moment!

[Thedelldays]

Can't agree more about wingers in general, but I don't think he is even inconsistent. You get the same from him every game. Full of tricks and effort, but he does the same annoying things, like turn back on himself, eat the fullbacks space, always coming inside never giving the fullback the easy pass down the line, underhitting crosses and not just running straight past slow fullbacks. I'm not concerned about a lack of consistency, its what he consistently does that worries me. Lose a few of those traits and he'd be untouchable.

 

I've said all season that he should get a 5 or 6 game run in the side, but Adkins has ****ed him about. I'm surprised the lad has the confidence to do what he does

 

how can he be consistent. he never ever gets a run......30 mins here. 20 mins there and he is expected to whip in david beckham crosses..

an option from the bech in the NPC is not going to be any better..top of the table or not

 

his pace is an asset and he showed on many occasions yesterday that he will work backwards...IMO, we have to win and get goals now...of he does not feature I'm not sure what else he can do

[Chez]

Saints down to 10 men when Guly came on!

everyone is entitled to an opinion, but I don't understand yours at all.

[Window Cleaner]

Thought we outplayed Reading until their second goal went in due to poor defending on our part. Our defence has been getting nervy of late hence why we have started to concede goals, they need to tighten up. I thought a draw would have been a fair result but the difference between Reading and Saints is that we were trying to pass the ball into the net. There were some great passing by Saints but this was a game where the full backs needed to support our wingers to get the ball in early. Time after time I wished Fox and Butterfield would make runs past their last defender but they didn't. Didn't help with the ref siding with Reading on 50/50 decisions on a number of occasions.

 

Although we lost 3-1 the scoreline flattered Reading and I think we will win two of our last three and go up second.

 

the second goal wasn't so much a case of poor defending as losing the ball in a very compromising position,we were in "forward" mode and Hammond just gave them the ball,after that we had to back pedal in what was virtually a no hope position because we were outnumbered, one of the advantages of TV, you can analyse and count heads.

[saintsmonkey]

did he? Chest it down for Lambert apart, what exactly did he do?

 

I thought his off the ball movements were good,which created space for others. Also the assist for the goal. correct me if i am wrong.

[S-Clarke]

That was poor last night, on all accounts. I've been saying it for months, we aren't good enough to go up, and I still don't think we will. My reasons are as follows.

 

- Lack of goals - Same for Pompey & Blackpool game, we didn't convert our chances into goals.

- Poor Defending - I can think of 10 poor goals we've given away in the past 3 weeks (3 v Blackpool, 2 v Pompey, 2 v Millwall) Fonte and Hooiveld just don't seem the players they were at the begining of the season, the midfield are slow at helping out and we aren't close enough to opposition players.

- Injuries - Can't be helped, I know, but they've cost us. Lee and Morgan are key players who are missing, but players who have been injured haven't come back and played anywhere near good enough (Chaplow/Guly etc)

- Not enough urgency - It frustrated the living daylights out of me last night when at 80 minutes + we were still passing the ball around the back four and only had 2 players in the box when we got in a crossing position. If you see Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal etc when they need a goal, it's relentless, we just didn't look like it.

- Wobble - we're bottling it. There were no leaders on the pitch last night. Hammond isn't a captain, we need a defender/midfield leader, someone like Roberts, who inspired the team and you could see the other players looked to him for motivation, we don't have anyone like that. It's the reason why 14 days ago we were 5 points ahead of reading, and now we're 3 behind them

 

Anyway, fair play to Reading, they have the 3 key attributes which make up a successful team: They defend well, Take their chances in front of goal when they get them, and they have luck on their side. They'll do well in the Premiership.

 

This is exactly what a Leeds fan would have said in the wake of their defeat to us.

 

We're good enough to go up, that's why we've been there all season and that's why we will finish up there. Let's all just calm down because it wasn't poor last night at all, the individual mistakes were, but the performance and energy was top notch. P'Boro will be pummeled if we play like that against their defence.

[Thedelldays]

P'Boro will be pummeled if we play like that against their defence.

agree....create like that and NO WAY will POSH keep us to 1 goal.

reading have the meanest defence in the league..and you can see why

[Window Cleaner]

I thought his off the ball movements were good,which created space for others. Also the assist for the goal. correct me if i am wrong.

 

the deflection should get the assist for the goal, Federici looked to have it covered if Harte (I think) hadn't got a touch on it and made it go to ground and rear up.Good shot though.

[Thedelldays]

the deflection should get the assist for the goal, Federici looked to have it covered if Harte (I think) hadn't got a touch on it and made it go to ground and rear up.Good shot though.

behave....christ almighty

[Window Cleaner]

behave....christ almighty

 

what? are you saying it wasn't deflected?

[S-Clarke]

agree....create like that and NO WAY will POSH keep us to 1 goal.

reading have the meanest defence in the league..and you can see why

 

They were well organized at the back, they kept a very good shape which made it hard for us to find the angles, but they also had some fantastic headers of the ball in that defense. Gorrks would have been a great signing for us!

 

P'boro have lsot their best CB since we last played them (Ryann Bennett) so if we play anywhere near that level then it's fine. And a win there will almost finish the job.

[Chez]

how can he be consistent. he never ever gets a run......30 mins here. 20 mins there and he is expected to whip in david beckham crosses..

an option from the bech in the NPC is not going to be any better..top of the table or not

 

his pace is an asset and he showed on many occasions yesterday that he will work backwards...IMO, we have to win and get goals now...of he does not feature I'm not sure what else he can do

we seem to be agreeing apart from the fact that I think he is consistent (offers good stuff but lots of frustrating stuff too) and you think he's not consistent, but that's not his fault.

[Thedelldays]

what? are you saying it wasn't deflected?

it was great link up play.....he set lambert up and we scored. you have no idea if it would have gone it without the deflection.

they linked up well a few times

 

please stop with the OTT

[Roger]

They were well organized at the back, they kept a very good shape which made it hard for us to find the angles, but they also had some fantastic headers of the ball in that defense. Gorrks would have been a great signing for us!

 

P'boro have lsot their best CB since we last played them (Ryann Bennett) so if we play anywhere near that level then it's fine. And a win there will almost finish the job.

 

Agree totally. We just need to finish and get the final ball better.

[Graffito]

Reading's performance was a fine example of defending deep and hitting us on the break. They did their basic defensive duties extremely well and we did not. They were clinical in finishing their (three) chances and we were not.

 

There's all to play for. Keep our nerve and we'll go up. Once you are in the PL nobody gives two hoots whether you did so as champions. Who is to say Reading won't drop any more points anyway.

[Pedro]

I thought Guly would have come on and gone straight up front so either NA gave him the instruction to wonder around the middle and slow the game down or Guly defied instructions. One way or another, bringing him on was wasted but then again we had three defenders on the bench. All season we have wasted four players in the squad, Jaihidi, Barnard, Seaborne and Connolly (although he had a promising start) without really strengthening.

 

Still think we can do it but major changes either way if we don't.

[The Realist]

One of our problems results from not shooting enough instead, overplaying trying to score in the same way that Arsenal do. De Ridder seems to be unable to run with the ball and look up for people to pass/cross to at the same time. I thought McAnuff was more SDR's problem as he protected Harte so well. Never gave SDR space behind him by keeping his shape. essentially Reading played well as a team, kept their shape and attacked in numbers on the few occasions they had. Talking of attacking in numbers, I always feel Saints leave it upto the strikers to score the goals. We don't have enough midifelders running from deep to help out like Dobbie does for Blackpool etc...Hammond use to in L1.

[WealdSaint]

The reason Reading " defended well " is that we are too slow getting forward .With multiple sideways or backward passes THEY HAD THEIR WHOLE BLOODY TEAM BACK BY THE TIME WE GOT TO THE EDGE OF THEIR BOX.

 

Got to say I agree

[Chez]

I thought his off the ball movements were good,which created space for others. Also the assist for the goal. correct me if i am wrong.

That's why I posted "chest down to Lambert apart".

 

No idea where you get this idea of movement from. He jogs around like an old man in wellys. Slowest non big man I have ever seen up front. Didn't hold the ball up, won nothing in the air, caused almost no problems with his movement, little threat.

 

He had one half chance when put away down the left hand side in the fist half, but he was so slow the defender caught him up, he didn't have the bottle to go for it on his left foot, brought it back onto his right and the defender snubbed it out. A better, faster striker would have turned that breakaway into a goalscoring chance, but he doesn't have the pace to do it.

[Window Cleaner]

I thought Guly would have come on and gone straight up front so either NA gave him the instruction to wonder around the middle and slow the game down or Guly defied instructions. One way or another, bringing him on was wasted but then again we had three defenders on the bench. All season we have wasted four players in the squad, Jaihidi, Barnard, Seaborne and Connolly (although he had a promising start) without really strengthening.

 

Still think we can do it but major changes either way if we don't.

 

Couldn't really understand why exactly we needed Martin,Harding and Richardson on the bench.

Looks like it's been decreed that Falqué and Puncheon don't get into the 16.

[Wade Garrett]

Last night was the best I've seen De Ridder play. Chaplow started the second half well, but he was garbage in the first half. Big decision for tuesday night, who play on the right?

[Chez]

Couldn't really understand why exactly we needed Martin,Harding and Richardson on the bench.

Looks like it's been decreed that Falqué and Puncheon don't get into the 16.

I also didn't understand that, but likewise I don't want to see Falque anywhere near the bench, and Puncheon has been utter **** since coming back into the fold. Are Barnard and Connelly out for the season?

[S-Clarke]

Puncheon does not fit the team here, for watever reason. Adkins has decided that. He's a funny one.

 

Falque looked like a little boy lost on his debut, and I know it was only 45mins but there was a reason why he was hurled off at HT.

[Legod Third Coming]

Why do people persist in saying that we overplay or complain about basic possession??

 

We are the league's top scorers, by a margin!

 

This is because we retain the ball and look for opportunities.

 

Granted last night our finishing was not the best and Federici pulled off a couple of decent saves in the first half.

 

You do not need pace to score - United are not a very pacy side but they use the ball exceptionally well when they have it. So do we most of the time.

 

We have a pacy player - De Ridder - who looks like he lacks confidence but his final ball has never been reliable. Chung has pace.

 

But we're not a team like Reading. We do not 'hit people on the break'. Not unless we're given a bloody good head start by poor defending.

 

But that's ok. Pace would be great. We might have scored even more goals.

But we're not suffering from not scoring.

[Dig Dig]

Saints down to 10 men when Guly came on!

 

That's not true at all. Why latch on Guly? Chaplow was appalling on the right yet he doesn't get anywhere near the level of stick even though he is a far inferior player.

 

Would much rather see Guly on the right. Chaplow has given us nothing since he returned, can't beat a man, can't cross, can't shoot and can barely control a football.

[Saintmike666]

Reading's performance was a fine example of defending deep and hitting us on the break. They did their basic defensive duties extremely well and we did not. They were clinical in finishing their (three) chances and we were not.

 

There's all to play for. Keep our nerve and we'll go up. Once you are in the PL nobody gives two hoots whether you did so as champions. Who is to say Reading won't drop any more points anyway.

 

^ This exactly! Gutted with last nights result, but getting promoted is all that matters! Winning the league would be nice, and it could still happen, but finishing in the Auto places is so much more than i could have hoped for!

 

Besides, Reading will be under a different sort of pressure now, holding position instead of chasing, I fully expect them to pick up 6 points from there final 9. But I also think its not totally unrealistic that saints could win there final 3 games.

[Graffito]

Why do people persist in saying that we overplay or complain about basic possession??

 

We are the league's top scorers, by a margin!

 

This is because we retain the ball and look for opportunities.

 

Granted last night our finishing was not the best and Federici pulled off a couple of decent saves in the first half.

 

You do not need pace to score - United are not a very pacy side but they use the ball exceptionally well when they have it. So do we most of the time.

 

We have a pacy player - De Ridder - who looks like he lacks confidence but his final ball has never been reliable. Chung has pace.

 

But we're not a team like Reading. We do not 'hit people on the break'. Not unless we're given a bloody good head start by poor defending.

 

But that's ok. Pace would be great. We might have scored even more goals.

But we're not suffering from not scoring.

 

Agree with all of that. That's how we play. Adkins said last night that we won't change that.

[doddisalegend]

One of our problems results from not shooting enough instead, overplaying trying to score in the same way that Arsenal do. De Ridder seems to be unable to run with the ball and look up for people to pass/cross to at the same time. I thought McAnuff was more SDR's problem as he protected Harte so well. Never gave SDR space behind him by keeping his shape. essentially Reading played well as a team, kept their shape and attacked in numbers on the few occasions they had. Talking of attacking in numbers, I always feel Saints leave it upto the strikers to score the goals. We don't have enough midifelders running from deep to help out like Dobbie does for Blackpool etc...Hammond use to in L1.

 

I keep hearing this............. but we're the top scorers in the league and we had something like twenty shots last night to Readings 6 so I'm not sure it's a valid criticism to be honest

[Seaford Saint]

Saints down to 10 men when Guly came on!

 

To use your analogy Saints were down 7 men when Guly came on....other players were ineffectual last night. Sharp, Fox, Lallana?

[doddisalegend]

That's not true at all. Why latch on Guly? Chaplow was appalling on the right yet he doesn't get anywhere near the level of stick even though he is a far inferior player.

 

Would much rather see Guly on the right. Chaplow has given us nothing since he returned, can't beat a man, can't cross, can't shoot and can barely control a football.

 

Yep only a Moron would try pin last night on Guly.....

[S-Clarke]

Why do people persist in saying that we overplay or complain about basic possession??

 

We are the league's top scorers, by a margin!

 

This is because we retain the ball and look for opportunities.

 

Granted last night our finishing was not the best and Federici pulled off a couple of decent saves in the first half.

 

You do not need pace to score - United are not a very pacy side but they use the ball exceptionally well when they have it. So do we most of the time.

 

We have a pacy player - De Ridder - who looks like he lacks confidence but his final ball has never been reliable. Chung has pace.

 

But we're not a team like Reading. We do not 'hit people on the break'. Not unless we're given a bloody good head start by poor defending.

 

But that's ok. Pace would be great. We might have scored even more goals.

But we're not suffering from not scoring.

 

A lot of people just want us to ''GET IT UP THERE'' - as was illustrated by a few around me last night, but ''GETTING IT UP THERE'' hasn't lead to our success this year. Paitent passing and working the angles for a cross has got us where we are, why fans panic so much and go back to the typical 'english' way of 'HIT AND HOPE' is beyond me.

 

Have trust in the way we play because it will win you more than constant long balls.

[supersonic]

As I said, Reading were the most well organised team I have seen so far this season. They remind me of the Greece team that won Euro 2004. Well organised, strong defence, good attack that takes the few chances they may get in a match, and they have lady luck on their side.

 

On another night we wouldn't have conceded 3, and could have scored 4 or 5.

[doddisalegend]

A lot of people just want us to ''GET IT UP THERE'' - as was illustrated by a few around me last night, but ''GETTING IT UP THERE'' hasn't lead to our success this year. Paitent passing and working the angles for a cross has got us where we are, why fans panic so much and go back to the typical 'english' way of 'HIT AND HOPE' is beyond me.

 

Have trust in the way we play because it will win you more than constant long balls.

 

Agree though Reading seem to have done very well on it. It's not new though every game you hear people shouting "get the ball up field saints!"

[Fitzhugh Fella]

Bang on Alpine.

 

Reading are the best team I've seen in this division and will be worthy champions. We will be worthy runners up.

 

Their defence was superb and just soaked us up and their attack was like a rapier, ready to pierce us whenever they had the chance.

 

Congrats to them, it was no fluke that they beat us last night.

 

Saints on the other hand were slow and laboured. Every time we got possession we played a flurry of square balls giving the Reading defence ages to get organised.

 

If we get to the prem (and I'm confident we will) we badly need pace and we need a midfield that knows how to exploit pace with piercing balls in a faster, more direct approach. We also need to cross properly, don't just sling in balls from deep positions that do very little against a good defence - cross from the byline..

 

We also need a new GK, not because KD has been bad (far from it) but if we want to give ourselves a chance we need the best we can get between the sticks to stem the goals against.

 

Reading were a class outfit and will do very well in the prem.

 

They gave us an early taste of the ruthless finishing we can expect week in week out if we get promoted.

 

I hope Nige has learnt a few things from last night.

 

SDR was my MOM - the only player who tried to really 'get at' Reading and put in a few decent crosses from the byline.

 

Pretty much sums it up perfectly although I think you are too kind to SDR. He may catch the eye but his end product is pretty ineffectual - he seems unable to run ahnd look up at the same time.

[S-Clarke]

Agree though Reading seem to have done very well on it. It's not new though every game you hear people shouting "get the ball up field saints!"

 

I think you can get short-term success from it, but after a while (as we saw with Debry to a more extreme level) you get found out and once teams are better at coping then yo have no chance.

 

If we stick our principles we will have a more sustained successful future, I'm sure of it.

[gammon cheeks]

I do not see us blowing it a Posh no.Defences like Reading's are few and far between in the NPC, and that includes ours.

Got to play Guly,De Ridder or why not Punch in RM though cos Fergie junior will wind Chaplow up and he'll get sent off.

Puncheon should be on the bench at least

[Chez]

A lot of people just want us to ''GET IT UP THERE'' - as was illustrated by a few around me last night, but ''GETTING IT UP THERE'' hasn't lead to our success this year. Paitent passing and working the angles for a cross has got us where we are, why fans panic so much and go back to the typical 'english' way of 'HIT AND HOPE' is beyond me.

 

Have trust in the way we play because it will win you more than constant long balls.

could not agree more. It makes me laugh when I read on here criticism of West Ham for hoofing it yet (apart from doing ourselves a air bit over the last two months) we have so many fans that groan whenever we don't get the ball forward immediately. Very little patience at SMS.

 

I would like to applaud those that bothered to stay to the end as most gave the players a very good round of applause for their efforts showing appreciation for a great effort.

[Legod Third Coming]

As I said, Reading were the most well organised team I have seen so far this season. They remind me of the Greece team that won Euro 2004. Well organised, strong defence, good attack that takes the few chances they may get in a match, and they have lady luck on their side.

 

On another night we wouldn't have conceded 3, and could have scored 4 or 5.

 

They have Jason Roberts. The guy oozes class and is clearly a Premiership player.

According to the Reading fans he also does some of the team talks and is an incredible motivator, catalyst in the dressing room.

I just saw his after-game interview and it was brilliant 'result never in doubt' - really Jason, you were thinking that in the ten minutes after we equalised??!!

[Chez]

As I said, Reading were the most well organised team I have seen so far this season. They remind me of the Greece team that won Euro 2004. Well organised, strong defence, good attack that takes the few chances they may get in a match, and they have lady luck on their side.

I'd give Cardiff that award. We absolutely battered them but they were so well organised at the back we hardly had a sniff.