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[kevinyip]

Disappointing. We should won the match during the last 20 minutes but we can't.

Friedel - 8 (some great save)

Ooijer - 6

Nelsen - 7

Kishi - 4 (6 for overall rating, -2 for last minutes stupid defensive error that let opponent stole the throw out)

Warnock - 5 (He cannot run, outpace by opponent, cannot work with MGP)

Betnley - 1 (6 for Overall rating, -5 for last minutes stupid silly wastage shooting to row Z that he should pass the ball instead, he always think that he is star but sorry, I am starting to think that he will never be)

Reid -5 (He is not DMC, sorry he never is)

Dunn -5 (We are lacking someone to provide "third point" for finishing. It is his position)

Pedersen - 1( that mark is given because he shoot some freekick on target. He cannot finish, cannot pass, cannot pair with Warnock, I don't know what he can do)

Roberts - 7 ( No one at Reading can stop him)

Santa Cruz - 6 (No luck)

Derbs - (Too little time)

McCarthy - (too little time)

Hughes - if we are 11 Vs 11 then we have higher chance to win. But 11Vs10 we will never win. As I have said before, Hughes is not "experience" enough to face sudden change. If we are behind he will just "wait" and hope that the match will change itself while the man like Jose Mourinho or Sir Alex have already changed. However sometimes if Hughes changed it will worse than not change just like this match. If he don't change we have chance to win. Once he changed Reading regain possession again......

I think our problem is that we are too rely on 2 Forward. If opponent marked 2 forward tightly, limit the space for MGP and Bently, have GK and DMC not sleeping (prevent long shot, but we always have silly long shot that need not to be afraid too much I think), then we can do nothing.

[philipl]

I looked on in horror and disbelief as the two forwards were thrown on. Vogel can pass- never mind if the guy's not fit, I'd have thrown him in 5 minutes after the sending off (enough time to see Coppull's tactics) and glued Bentley's feet to the right touch line putting a third striker on if the goal had not come within 5 minutes.

Reading were nullifying Bentley by having two or three players around him- fine carry on doing that with just ten men if Bentley is out wide and we will run through the holes left in the centre. By Bentley coming inside after the sending off, we helped Reading save the game.

Sparky is a very good manager but there are times when he does not think well in the heat of the battle.

[Cocker]

Friedel - 8 (some great save)

Ooijer - 6

Nelsen - 7

Kishi - 4 (6 for overall rating, -2 for last minutes stupid defensive error that let opponent stole the throw out)

Warnock - 5 (He cannot run, outpace by opponent, cannot work with MGP)

Betnley - 1 (6 for Overall rating, -5 for last minutes stupid silly wastage shooting to row Z that he should pass the ball instead, he always think that he is star but sorry, I am starting to think that he will never be)

Reid -5 (He is not DMC, sorry he never is)

Dunn -5 (We are lacking someone to provide "third point" for finishing. It is his position)

Pedersen - 1( that mark is given because he shoot some freekick on target. He cannot finish, cannot pass, cannot pair with Warnock, I don't know what he can do)

Roberts - 7 ( No one at Reading can stop him)

Santa Cruz - 6 (No luck)

Derbs - (Too little time)

McCarthy - (too little time)

Thats some of the most comedy ratings I have ever seen - well done for making me chuckle this morning

[JAL]

Thanks to Rovers in america, Dp, kevinyip and philipl, differing opinions on Dunny which leads me to say he is indifferent and provides no consistency whatsover which raises the question do we really need somebody who's more consistent. Nicko suggests Rovers are looking for a central midfielder who can also score goals so we'll have to wait and see who Hughes brings in.

The other point made by everyone is the criticism of Mark Hughes regarding his selection and tactics when Reading went down to ten men, for me that is a bit of a concern.

[thenodrog]

What i'd like to know is how did Dunn perform, as he wasnt on international duty hed be fresh, did he drive the midfield and provide the inspiration that many on here see he can do.

Sparky should have left out the 'jaded cos of international duty' excuse out of his post match interview yesterday. For those viewers of MoTD who had stayed up to watch a 0-0 draw it contrasted sharply with the performance of Man Utd who had every player away this week apparently.

btw how Roberts and Zurab were not given offside for the free kick whatever zone/dimension/parallel universe was used as a yardstick is beyond me!

[philipl]

btw how Roberts and Zurab were not given offside for the free kick whatever zone/dimension/parallel universe was used as a yardstick is beyond me!

The linesman in the half Rovers attacked in the second half gave five other decisions just as plainly wrong-

three clear Rovers' throw-ins went to Reading, one of which resulted in Roberts getting booked for laughing about it.

two clear corners were given as goal kicks.

There were a number of fouls and other incidents in front of him which looked marginal but odd.

[Beta Ray Bill]

Thanks to Rovers in america, Dp, kevinyip and philipl, differing opinions on Dunny which leads me to say he is indifferent and provides no consistency whatsover which raises the question do we really need somebody who's more consistent. Nicko suggests Rovers are looking for a central midfielder who can also score goals so we'll have to wait and see who Hughes brings in.

The other point made by everyone is the criticism of Mark Hughes regarding his selection and tactics when Reading went down to ten men, for me that is a bit of a concern.

Dunn was one of the three best players for Rovers yesterday, along with Zurab and Roberts. Your personal agenda against him is getting pretty amusing/annoying - not sure which.

But for comedy value, did you see Dunn's amazing 'ball' control early on? Think he'll be singing a few high notes after taking an all mighty whack in the 'nads.

[thenodrog]

The linesman in the half Rovers attacked in the second half gave five other decisions just as plainly wrong-

three clear Rovers' throw-ins went to Reading, one of which resulted in Roberts getting booked for laughing about it.

two clear corners were given as goal kicks.

There were a number of fouls and other incidents in front of him which looked marginal but odd.

I hope the BRFC contingent managed a quick 'Can we have you every week' whilst pointing to him in order to show their appreciation.

[philipl]

I hope the BRFC contingent managed a quick 'Can we have you every week' whilst pointing to him in order to show their appreciation.

The blatant offside apart, all the other decisions went against Rovers- he was in the half we were ATTACKING.

[thenodrog]

Oooops. It's not easy 'watching' the match on my radio.

Which leads me on to another thing though, re: An observation that I made on the WHU thread that Simon Garner is a jinx whenever he commentates on Radio Lancs. We never win when he's on and he was in attendance at the Madjeski yesterday. Somebody sack him plz.

[Eddie]

I have to say that Hughes is becoming the king of excuses. I can't remember the last time that we underperformed and some sort of an excuse wasn't trotted out. It's getting worse than Souness and lady luck.

[philipl]

I have to say that Hughes is becoming the king of excuses. I can't remember the last time that we underperformed and some sort of an excuse wasn't trotted out. It's getting worse than Souness and lady luck.

No its not.

[Eddie]

It is.

They both have their positives and negatives. Hughes mixes is up, which means that he can be taken slightly more seriously, but at the same time the constant excuses get a bit annoying. Souness' was a very poor excuse, but at least the fact that it was used regularly turned it into a running joke.

[kevinyip]

Dunn was one of the three best players for Rovers yesterday, along with Zurab and Roberts. Your personal agenda against him is getting pretty amusing/annoying - not sure which.

But for comedy value, did you see Dunn's amazing 'ball' control early on? Think he'll be singing a few high notes after taking an all mighty whack in the 'nads.

Yes, I agreed that Dunn is good at ball control. But if all Forward cannot do the job, we need someone that can finish the job but Dunn is not the guy who can finish the job. Yes, he can do that several time, but not yesterday. Before Hughes swap him away, I have already guessed that Hughes would take him off because he is not sharp enough to do the job. At least it is the case for yesterday.

In our system, it seems that it is always like this way: all others create cross to front, Santa heads the ball, Roberts run with ball and then shoot. or roberts control the ball and pass to Santa to finish. It is what I have seen in yesterday's match, so it is not difficult for any team to defend - You just need to mark 2 FC tightly and limit the space for MGP/Bentley. So actually we need someone else to do the "third point" finishing, in some matches Dunn have done this (like his long shot Vs Arsenal that make Lehmann lost his place afterward...) but Dunn cannot do this for every match. If Dunn cannot do this, then it is difficult for us to win the game. Last game in Wigan we win because they cannot mark Roberts and Santa well. This time vs Reading they can mark Roberts and Santa sucessfully and we cannot win.

may be I am too emotional. but I cannot accept that we cannot win a team who is 1 man down for 20 minutes, in fact the opponent is at the bottom half of table...... if we draw with Reading 11vs11 I will say that it is good (at least it is what I think before Reading one man off), but after the sent off it is a different story.

[John]

Really was a dire match but seem to be getting used to it these days.

We were lacking energy all over the pitch and just could not get going. Once again Bentley was spitting his dummy every time someone misplaced a pace or made a mistake. I think he should learn to keep his trap shut and just get on with playing football for now.

Pedersen, whilst trying hard, was yet again awful and his poor performances are really starting to annoy me.

Dunn really does not offer much and in some games he appears to be in better condition than others.

Interesting to see Reid and Hughes having a go at each other near half time. IMO Reid has not shown much sign of improvement since coming back, after showing some intial promise. I am starting to think he is a very average player, and am trying to remember what his main strengths were the season we finished 6th (?)

It was clear that the game was stale and not going anywhere. Hughes should have changed things around earlier. I still think when playing the shyte teams in the league that Tugay has a role to play, even if it is from the bench. Or Vogel, if fit, should have come on after 60 mins.

[B.R.F.C]

Echo the comment about a dull soulless place by someone, nice ground but it really is in the arse end of nowhere.

Thought yesterday the three points were there for the taking and we really should have done better when they were reduced to ten men with twenty minutes to go. Bentley was far too impatient and chose to shoot on a couple of occasions when he really should have passed.

Standout effort from Roberts and Zurab with MGP having a totally useless game. Morten was the extra man in the last 20 mins and he kept wasting the opportunity to cross the ball in or use it, in fact on one occasion he nearly cost as we almost conceded on the break.

A decent point though

[RevidgeBlue]

Really pleased about Nelsen- he's still not the quickest but this was pretty well our old admiral back with some superb interventions.

Nelsen did quite well after such a long lay off but still looked dangerously short of pace imo.

I'm hoping he'll get a bit more sharpness back with more minutes on the pitch, otherwise I fear he may struggle.

[RevidgeBlue]

A word about the Majedski stadium. I know it was horrible weather but what an awful ground in a soulless place. 2 miles out of the town centre and nothing nearby. If this is the future of football stadiums I'm not sure how long I'll carry on going. Give me Brammall Lane or Loftus Road any day (and Ewood, of course)

Agreed, although we'd probably have had a slightly more favourable impression of it, had the weather not been so vile.

And I guess purely from a commercial point of view, with seemingly ample access and parking and a nice little hotel tacked on the side it's the sort of thing we should have done with the benefit of hindsight.

The Park and ride to and from the station also seemed to work superbly well though both before and after the game, so I guess in those respects it's swings and roundabouts.

[roversmum]

Enjoyed my trip to the ground next to the Greyhound Stadium......

Thought the Madejeski looked a bit like one of those soul-less edifices that prevail in Business Parks, combined with a lego set. Must be relatively easy to maintain, just replace the aluminium panels on the outside and the breeze-blocks/stand supports on the inside.... Nice to get off the coach and straight into the stadium though, especially in the rain, and a fairly decent disabled area with our own fans.

Ryan was very lucky not to get another red card in that match. Is he aiming for a season record or something?

Not much else to say about the game though, quite enjoyed it at the time apart from the Clattenburg experience but a Rovers goal or two would have made rather a difference.

Interesting stats in the Royals Matchday Magazine:

• Player with the most:
• Shots - David Bentley 78
• Shots on Target - David Bentley 38
• Shots off Target - David Bentley 40
• Assists - David Bentley 9
• Crosses - David Bentley 169
• Fouls - Morten Gamst Pederson 50
• Free-kicks-won - David Bentley 76

So Bents is rather useful after all.

[brfcjon]

Really was a dire match but seem to be getting used to it these days.

Interesting to see Reid and Hughes having a go at each other near half time. IMO Reid has not shown much sign of improvement since coming back, after showing some intial promise. I am starting to think he is a very average player, and am trying to remember what his main strengths were the season we finished 6th (?)

I thought he was asolutely rubbish. He made one good recovering tackle and that was all the good he did. He did however manage to loose the balle in dangerous places on many occasions, couldnt make an intelligent run (defensive or attacking) and didnt make a good pass all game.

I had a really good time at my first rovers match in the UK ever though. Still on a bit of a high=)

[joey_big_nose]

Thanks to Rovers in america, Dp, kevinyip and philipl, differing opinions on Dunny which leads me to say he is indifferent and provides no consistency whatsover which raises the question do we really need somebody who's more consistent. Nicko suggests Rovers are looking for a central midfielder who can also score goals so we'll have to wait and see who Hughes brings in.

The other point made by everyone is the criticism of Mark Hughes regarding his selection and tactics when Reading went down to ten men, for me that is a bit of a concern.

Dunn was our best midfielder on the day, played our best pass and look to create things. Bentley was average and both Pedersen and Reid were very poor. Give him a break.

[daveoftherovers]

Joey, whilst I accept your point about the general Anti-Dunn sentiments on this board, I've got to disagree about his performance, I actually thought the whole Midfield was shocking TBH.

MGP isn't the MGP we did know but has the ability to pull something out the bag (Like his freekick) but at least he is trying (Hence all the fouls!)

The same can be said for Reid apart from the likelihood of pulling something out the bag, especialy whilst he is expected to be a DM (Which he clearly isn't), distribution was very poor.

Dunn just isn't doing enough going forward nor is he doing enough defensively, so what is he actually achieving? His distribution was shocking

Bentley seems to blow hot & cold, so is he trying to hard or is the the level of expectancy he carries too much (On his own?)

I agree with the posts about Vogel, could he have done any harm in the last 10 / 15 minutes? I think not !

JR man of the match for me, we could and should have won, but once upon a time we'd have lost a game like that, as for the comparisons on MH with sourness, bang out of order for me, chalk & cheese!

Never thought I'd see the day when we missed bert so much as we have in the last few games!

Santa was off colour.

[deryck guyler's spoon]

Agreed, although we'd probably have had a slightly more favourable impression of it, had the weather not been so vile.

And I guess purely from a commercial point of view, with seemingly ample access and parking and a nice little hotel tacked on the side it's the sort of thing we should have done with the benefit of hindsight.

The Park and ride to and from the station also seemed to work superbly well though both before and after the game, so I guess in those respects it's swings and roundabouts.

Has anybody, anywhere on this board, EVER had a worse pint of beer in a football ground or anywhere else?

[Scotty]

I thought Dunn was the best player on the pitch by a mile on Saturday. Both Reid and Pedersen competed to be the worst - I think Reid just shaded it.

[Ricky]

Quite enjoyed my day out. The young lady drove me down so I could have a couple of beers before the match.

Parked at the NCP near the train station but moved the car pretty quickly after finding out it was 70p for every 15 minutes!! bit steep to be fair.

Thought the ground was ok, nice hotel on the side and good access from the motorway.

Not much to say about the match really. Thought we played ok but didnt make the most of our chances, Zurab should have scored even though he was offside, the flag stayed down and it would have stood. Its games like these that we should be winning if we are going to nick a european place. Our position looks ok at the moment but might not looks quite so good after playing Liverpool and Manchester United in consecutive games.

Also like to thank Jordan for the chant of 'Sing when you're single, You only sing when you're single!!!!!!' Cheers fella ;o)