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Reading v Newcastle United 07/03/2017


The Fish
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Reading v Newcastle  

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I would appreciate it very much if the gentlemen/wankers who exalted Rafa's game plan against Huddersfield would clue me in to what his plan was today against Reading, thank-you!

I'm certainly very glad we didn't lose but it seemed like we very nearly did, and according to the commentators we did not play well and Reading had the most procession.

We played well and could (and perhaps should) have been more than a goal up at half time.  Second half they got a lot more possession but Darlow still had very little to do.  We contained them easily but didn't manage to get the goals that we did on Saturday (not sure how with some of the goal keeping).  Stam can try and twist it as them dominating us in the second half but it's simply not true.  That effort they had off the woodwork looked like it would have been a total fluke to me, although I've not seen a replay.

It was a another decent performance away to one of the better sides in the division but we were (understandably) a touch jaded after the recent run.  Most people would have pretty happily accepted 4 points from these three away games and being within touching distance of the top.  But coming out with 7 and ending the run 3 points clear of Brighton and a further 6 ahead of Huddersfield (with a massive goal advantage) is nothing short of outstanding.  I can't fathom why anyone would be complaining at this stage.

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I would appreciate it very much if the gentlemen/wankers who exalted Rafa's game plan against Huddersfield would clue me in to what his plan was today against Reading, thank-you!

I'm certainly very glad we didn't lose but it seemed like we very nearly did, and according to the commentators we did not play well and Reading had the most procession.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I reckon most people would've been canny happy with 7 points from 3 consecutive away games against top 6 sides (especially as we beat our two closest rivals). Obviously you aren't most people ;)

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I think when we appointed Benitez I knew we were going to have to get used to "functional" football.

 

After years of shite since Robson, I'm now happy just to see competence and practicality lead to modest success and possibly the holy grail of a cup.

 

I think once we're stable (or as stable as we can be under Ashley) there'll be pressure on him to up the style factor.

 

All assuming he stays of course.

This. I don't care how he achieves it, we need to go up this season. Who cares if it's often attritional? He's the best tactical manager I think we've had in my lifetime

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Of all the ways for these 7 points to fall, I would have chosen the exact breakdown we've seen here. A win over Reading would have been an A+ but I'd give Rafa an A for this period nonetheless.

 

Agree with NJS and Gloom also, whatever it takes to go up is fine by me.

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Twice as many shots, 5 times as many on target, hit the woodwork once, and their 'keeper had a very good game. 

 

I'm happy with a 0-0.

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7 points from those 3 games is absolutely raker. I wasn't there and only listened to parts on the radio but sounds like another game where we played long periods without the ball. I think it might be stretching it to suggest Rafa would send us out to have only 30 odd % possession - it's always going to be preferable to have more of the ball than that. However I do have hope that Rafa and coaches will be using games like this to drill into the players how to stay in games when you're not playing well, how to stay disciplined when you don't have the ball, how make it difficult for opposition who are comfortable in possession to play through you. These are all skills that are transferable to the Premier League and skills that the team will need to show collectively against better opposition next year. Under Pardew for example we would probably come out of a game like that one, or even Huddersfield, thinking "we've scrambled a result there somehow", with nothing learned. Couldn't be further from the case with the  present set-up - you really get the feeling  that even a boring 0-0 where we only have 30% of the ball might well be an important part of our progression. It will be devastating if he goes in the summer.

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There are a few players to "blame" for the lack of possession imo - Dummet, Gouffran, Atsu, Colback and Diame aren't as comfortable on the ball and with retaining short passes as the rest - that's where the surrendering of the ball comes from. If they were replaced with similar players to those Huddersfield and Reading have (and hopefully better ones next year) then we could match these types of teams.

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I think what bothers me most is that we don't play good football often enough,  even when if we win.  Of course I'm happy when we win but am still bothered if it wasn't by a good football display.

If we play a good game and lose, I'm irked but not really bothered. A lot of my bother comes from games we should have won but didn't, especially against bottom teams.

Huddersfield had 78% of possession, Reading had 70% of possession, and that bothers me even if we win or draw.

I get the desire to see a more expressive style but along with NJS's point that Rafa favours a more pragmatic style someone made a spot on point a few weeks ago. I can't remember if it was Dickie or Strawb but it was that essentially we were a mess last season so getting us to the point where we look as capable as we look now is brilliant (taking license here as I can't remember what it was exactly that was said), the teams you're talking about comparing ours to are settled, have had the same managers longer than we have (Reading aside, but howay we were also away from home for the 3rd time in a week and they're 5th), and are now playing the styles their managers intend with players they want.

A more accurate comparison would be to compare our side to Aston Villa or Norwich, one of them is in 15th and the other is 9 points off a play-off spot. I'd take what we're seeing every day over those two shit shows. 

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That's 11 games unbeaten now. What's our record for league games unbeaten? I know we edged close to our record games won in a row earlier this season, but can't find anything online on unbeaten league games sequence.

13 unbeaten in 1992. Albeit over two seasons.

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