Post match v Reading

[AFII]

Just because you blame the ref don't mean that you are bitter.

The ref should be blamed when he have a **** game, like today, just as the players or the manager.

[Nic83]

i'm off out to get beeeered.

[Joe King]

We have had poor penalty decisions against us. The refs are against us!

[kopash]

the penalty we should have had................... even if he touched the ball first he left his leg in and brought torres down

penalty.... no if buts or maybes............... and he was the last defender too

if the player gets the ball first it's not a penalty for me

[Sir Bob]

Anyone calling for Rafa's head is clearly wide of the mark.
People need to understand the financial resources we have compared to Man U & Chelsea in particular. Rafa's had buttons to spend compared to those 2 clubs and that shows on the pitch at times. We don't quite have the quality they have all over the pitch, particulary in wide areas.

What we need to do is give Rafa time to build the club up from the bottom as Wenger has done at Arsenal, and wait for the new stadium to give him the resources we need to compete over 38 games. Now that may not suit many on here who think we can out perform clubs who have more cash than us but its the facts.

[kopash]

Just because you blame the ref don't mean that you are bitter.

The ref should be blamed when he have a **** game, like today, just as the players or the manager.

for their pen I blame the linesman more. He confirmed it was a pen though the **** had the best view in the house.

Was it him who gave Babel offside in second half when it was Crouch offside? Babel could have easily scored

[The Glove]

Totally agree, and that's why most get so pissed off. You can understand being unlucky with the penalties and woodwork etc. You can even forgive them for a ****e performance if they're having an off day.
But for the love of god, when you pick a fukcing team and formation that baffles everyone from supporters to commentators to every ****ing pundit under the sun. Thats when I lose faith in Rafa, it's like sending the team out with one hand tied behind their backs.

But, for all we know they couldve played this formation all week in training and if we could guess what formation/team Rafa sticks out then so can the opposition and therefore counter it couldnt they?

Yes today it didnt work but sadly at some point Rafa was going to be caught out. Every manager does. They deal with it and move on stronger for it.

[Kopite_Colin]

the penalty we should have had................... even if he touched the ball first he left his leg in and brought torres down

penalty.... no if buts or maybes............... and he was the last defender too

Doesn't matter - the fact remains he got a toe to the ball first (without going throught the back of the player) and then Torres went over his leg which had just got to the ball. That is not a penalty.

[AFII]

Totally agree, and that's why most get so pissed off. You can understand being unlucky with the penalties and woodwork etc. You can even forgive them for a ****e performance if they're having an off day.
But for the love of god, when you pick a fukcing team and formation that baffles everyone from supporters to commentators to every ****ing pundit under the sun. Thats when I lose faith in Rafa, it's like sending the team out with one hand tied behind their backs.

Nothing that wrong with his tactics.

We scored one goal, should have had two pens and hit the woodwork twice.

Rafa had to rest some players because of our two next games. The Marseille game will probably decide what type of players he can sign in January, his first choice players or second choice ones.

So that game will more or less decide the rest of the season.

Man U will rest players in the CL so they won't have any problem with tired players against us so we couldn't afford to play some of our better players three times in eight days.

[Kopite_Colin]

If Reading can do that to us, then hopefully Boro can pull something out tomorrow against The Arse.

[kopash]

AFII got to disagree. The tactics were not great today. what happened to the free flowing footy we played in the last few matches?

[kopash]

If Reading can do that to us, then hopefully Boro can pull something out tomorrow against The Arse.

it is frustrating to have to rely on miracles like that

Fact remains if we don't lose to Man U next week I say we're still in this race. We just need to win away at one of the other big clubs. No one looks much better than anyone else

[der_Fuchs]

Anyone calling for Rafa's head is clearly wide of the mark.
People need to understand the financial resources we have compared to Man U & Chelsea in particular. Rafa's had buttons to spend compared to those 2 clubs and that shows on the pitch at times. We don't quite have the quality they have all over the pitch, particulary in wide areas.

What we need to do is give Rafa time to build the club up from the bottom as Wenger has done at Arsenal, and wait for the new stadium to give him the resources we need to compete over 38 games. Now that may not suit many on here who think we can out perform clubs who have more cash than us but its the facts.

That is the underlying problem. We are head and shoulders above the Eufa Cup sides but still behind the Mancs and Chelsea in terms of cash. There are still journeymen in the squad. So when SG and Torres go off, we look pretty ordinary.
That said, the disparity could be better disguised by not playing Voronin and Crouch a swingers, or Sissoko on his current form.

[Iceman]

Doesn't matter - the fact remains he got a toe to the ball first (without going throught the back of the player) and then Torres went over his leg which had just got to the ball. That is not a penalty.

when you make contact with the ball your tendons tighten then relax......... pulling your leg into its normal shape.............. the muppet clearly left his leg in

the slight touch he got still left the ball within playing distance of Torres

therefore his leaving his leg in means a penalty and as the last defender within any chance of tackling Torres a red card

[AFII]

AFII got to disagree. The tactics were not great today. what happened to the free flowing footy we played in the last few matches?

We were not great but not that bad either.

Everyone know what happens when Sissoko plays. He is a destroyer, he destroy our oppositions and our play.

He shouldn't start a game IMO but with Alonso out and Marseille and Man U up next then he had to rest Lucas, who will probably play in at least one of the games. That leaves Gerrard, Sissoko and Mascherano as our central midfielders.

Lucas isn't used to play several games a week. We need him better against Marseille and Man U than against Reading.

If Sissoko had been rested today then he would probably have played against Marseille or Man U and that would be even worse.