What's gone wrong this season?

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

How can you still harp on about Reading?

Have you not read the points others have written about this?

We had a must win game a few days later...against Marseille away.
Rafa's job was on the line.
AND we needed the cash from advancing as well.
AND we were 2 goals down away with 10 or 15 minutes left...

I hate to give in, but I can understand why he did it, lack of intent or not.

Obviously not enough.

And no, it's never understandable or acceptable.

[tomasjj]

Obviously not enough.

And no, it's never understandable or acceptable.

I admire your idealism.

[AFII]

Aggers long term injury is the main reason. We can't play with a high defensive line with Hyypia and that means that we will more or less always be up against an organized defense.

It takes to long time to start the attacks from our own box.

[mersey86]

How can you still harp on about Reading?

Have you not read the points others have written about this?

We had a must win game a few days later...against Marseille away.
Rafa's job was on the line.
AND we needed the cash from advancing as well.
AND we were 2 goals down away with 10 or 15 minutes left...

I hate to give in, but I can understand why he did it, lack of intent or not.

Additional points to this are: it was reported that Torres was hobbling in the second half on the Est match thread. At 3-1 I thought "get him off before he aggravates it". Also Gerrard was on a booking with M.Utd the following week.

[akjs123]

Obviously not enough.

And no, it's never understandable or acceptable.

Which were our next 3 games after reading away.

[Shaggy]

How can you still harp on about Reading?

Have you not read the points others have written about this?

We had a must win game a few days later...against Marseille away.
Rafa's job was on the line.
AND we needed the cash from advancing as well.
AND we were 2 goals down away with 10 or 15 minutes left...

I hate to give in, but I can understand why he did it, lack of intent or not.

The bigger picture.

Had we lost that game in Marseille Rafa would've been sacked.

Doubtless some might say he was merely protecting his own interests but I honestly believe he has our best interests at heart as a club, and his intentions were honourable.

[Skillz]

The bigger picture.

Had we lost that game in Marseille Rafa would've been sacked.

Doubtless some might say he was merely protecting his own interests but I honestly believe he has our best interests at heart as a club, and his intentions were honourable.

Couldn't agree more. He didn't come down in the last shower did Rafa. He picked these pricks very early. That's why they were trying to replace him in November when we were 6 pts off with a game in hand. They were going to use the excuse of not qualifying for 2nd round of CL. That's right sack Rafa for his CL record.

Pig's arse. They were using any excuse because they know he will alway's call their bluff. Ridiculous situation we find ourselves ATM.

[Paul12]

A thought occurred to me the other day; we have become dependent on Torres' goals...just like Athletico Madrid were. Is there something about the way Torres needs the team to be set up that makes it difficult for other strikers to get into the game/the box/the goals. I can't see it myself, but it is a hell of a coincidence.

[bigfooty]

This season we have started with 12 different striking formations. We've tried Crouch up top, Kuyt up top, Torres up top. Torres with Kuyt, Crouch and Voronin. Kuyt with Crouch and Voronin. Voronin with Crouch. Crouch with Babel. Voronin, Kuyt and Torres in the same team. Voronin, Torres and Crouch in the same team.

That to me is not the recipe for consistent, quality attacking football.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

The bigger picture.

Had we lost that game in Marseille Rafa would've been sacked.

Doubtless some might say he was merely protecting his own interests but I honestly believe he has our best interests at heart as a club, and his intentions were honourable.

But we don't know that he would've been sacked, do we?

So binning the Reading game was "honourable" was it?

Christ on a bike, I got over Athens but not that one.