My take ...

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pommpey

THE FUTURE ... AS IT USED TO BE
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First up, all the best to John Fleck. For all his dip in output recently and fall from grace with many United fans, watching the poor bloke tonight in a right fucking tangle sent chills of horror through me. However it happened and wherever he is, I hope he is okay and makes a full recovery. So glad to hear he left the stadium for hospital conscious and in as good a condition as can be expected. I doubt we'll see him again in a United shirt.

The game? Another hit-miss-hit-dodge match but thank fucking God we came away from it with a win. Well fucking done United. Typical start for us - looks like we are gonna muller the opposition, Gibbs White strikes the crossbar with a great free kick and then we fall inwards like an underdone shit pie. The worst part about that is that for at least thirty minutes of that first half, Reading looked actually worse than us. Swift and Puskas aside, no one was on their game for them and our own frailties exposed us more than their guile, skill and footballing ability. The setup, more 5-4-1 gave us the traditional Bogle to Stevens flat five with Didsy and the lively MGW outflanking Fleck and Norwood but that left a vast chasm between the retracted CMs and the two outside midfielders and the lonely but active Brewster. As usual there were no shots on target from either side and they boos which rang out I feel were deserved. It was a shit first half.

Second half we come out boxing again but we are still punch shy. We look unlikely to do anything let alone get one in that their keeper has to struggle to keep out until out of fucking nowhere, Didsy clips a far post cross to find Bogle in the Keiran Freeman spot to crash into the roof of the net. It was a superb goal to be honest but how many on here actually thought we'd hang onto it? Me neither. Yes, we dug in. Yes we defended and yes they threw on some horsepower even with Andy Carroll and we survived but how many times do we get the ball in the danger area in the opposition's area and end up making that one extra pass which fucks up the opportunity? Had we come away from the Titsqueeze Stadium (or whatever it's called these days) with anything less than three points - or less - I wouldn't have been shocked. our ongoing inability to kill oppositions and keep killing is legendary. It's almost as if at one stage we were apologetic for having the temerity to take the lead and had our bollocks out ready to kick at free will.

Aside from that there were positive moments.

Foderingham 6/10: His distribution at times is left wanting but he does come for and get to crosses and make a decent stop from Carroll at range
Bogle 7.5/10: Very good match for him. Battled hard and won with his winger and got up the flank and inside to areas to support the attack. Well taken goal to win it
Basham 6.5/10: Good, determined outing from Bash. Always seems to know 'the right thing to do' and is generally risk free. A couple of shit passes so loses a mark.
Egan 6/10: Not as involved as I'd like him to be but on balance didn't hide even when Carroll (who can be both bully and diver at the same time) came on
Davies 5/10: Pretty normative but steady match for him
Stevens 3/10: Regressing fast, although in his defence, every time he gets the ball out wide there aren't any passing options inside or forward so his only options are behind him. He generally epitomises why we are where we are at the moment
Gibbs-White 7/10: Typically busy, active but sometimes frustrating night for him. At times he is streaking away from defenders or has them on their heels and at others is so readable and predictable. Cracking free kick against the crossbar
Norwood 5/10: Has started to stop his Hollywood balls unless absolutely necessary but still is a bit invisible at times
Fleck: Not gonna mark him. Just get well Flecky. That's all.
McGoldrick 5.5/10: He has great skill but is starting to flag. Deservedly subbed in the end
Brewster 6.5/10: Doesn't get more because he did not get the service he deserved but worked very hard trying to create run opportunities and making their central defenders work hard. A better game for him

Hourihane 5/10: Slightly better for him. Some decent corners. But still a blue cross Norwood for me. Why did we not bring Berge on instead?
Osborn 5/10: Immediately tried to get involved down the left. But with no outcome
Sharp 5/10: A typical industrial outing for Billy. I think Reading were more frightened of him than we were of Carroll, TBH

Slav 7/10: Well done. Now make it better by beating Brizzle on Sunday

pommpey
 

Can't argue with any of that Pommpey. I just wonder if the sideways / backwards play is caused by a lack of intelligent movement up front. Only McGoldrick seems to move into space hence the opportunities to score which he seldom takes! There is a saying that "it takes a good run to make a good pass". If SJ can't see that then I think that the future is not orange.
 
Much better display overall in comparison to other games more energy and cohesion . Nost world beating but dare I suggest more workmanlike.
Signs of collectiveness and much less unforced error.
Consecutive clean sheet shows the formation works defensively and the win shows last night it moved forward with better cohesion. Probably Brewster best outing and Norwood started to redeem himself

Slav is slowly getting a tune out of the players. He on the night of the bake off final be getting the recipe right
 
Think you are being slightly harsh in your assessment Pomps, compared to recent outings we looked a lot better, mind you, it would be hard to have been as bad...
 
It was a dire game. Really poor sides, Reading even worse than United.
Good that the lead was achieved, and held. Foderingham to keep his place I hope. I hope that Fleck is ok, that was awful
 
Davies bravely won a fabulous header against Carroll from a ball deep into our box which proved that you don’t need to be a brick shithouse if you are actually a footballer and get everything else, such as positioning, right. He’s a thoroughbred, I enjoy watching him and I don’t get the negativity towards him.

Having said that he would undoubtedly benefit from having a brick shithouse alongside him.
 
All my thoughts with Flecky & his family after that shocking incident and stuff after that is inconsequential , get well soon JF.
Match perspective, two clean sheets & four points so it’s hopefully a base to build from , agree we still lack punch up top back at least the back 3 now stopped us pissing goals in .
Better second half from us & glad we came home with the points , let’s hope it builds up the confidence at a bit now ⚔️
 
3 much needed points but a performance much like the dross we are now being served up consistently. Attacking creativity is very weak and bar the free kick I thought it was Gibbs White worst performance for us. Really want to see Berge back. This is lower mid table at best.

Agree about poor Flecky reckon his career is over and what great memories he must have going from league 1 to upper reaches of premier and internationals. All the best to you John Fleck and get well soon.
 
Davies bravely won a fabulous header against Carroll from a ball deep into our box which proved that you don’t need to be a brick shithouse if you are actually a footballer and get everything else, such as positioning, right. He’s a thoroughbred, I enjoy watching him and I don’t get the negativity towards him.

Having said that he would undoubtedly benefit from having a brick shithouse alongside him.
Like Jack O'Connell.
What is happening there?
 
Davies bravely won a fabulous header against Carroll from a ball deep into our box which proved that you don’t need to be a brick shithouse if you are actually a footballer and get everything else, such as positioning, right. He’s a thoroughbred, I enjoy watching him and I don’t get the negativity towards him.

Having said that he would undoubtedly benefit from having a brick shithouse alongside him.
Best player in red and white second half. Thought he was excellent in his reading of the game and winning big headers - not by brute strength (which he doesn’t have) but by being on the front foot and getting there before the opposition had even engaged. Best I’ve seen him so far.
 
Stevens 3/10: Regressing fast, although in his defence, every time he gets the ball out wide there aren't any passing options inside or forward so his only options are behind him. He generally epitomises why we are where we are at the moment

Definitely a 1/10 for me every time he had the ball you could bet 9 times out of 10 he went backwards. Even when he had a chance to shoot in the box he passed sideways. My son said Stevens last year would have buried that in the net like he did last year when we were at the Lane. I dont agree with the passing options bit either. Compare to Bogle who tried to take on his man when there were no passing options and often did. The Stevens of old would have gone round their players very easily seen it happen in the past many times. For me he has regressed already to the point of needs dropping. Its a shame as he could tear up these sides if he was Stevens of old down the left.

Saw another side to Brewster last night he chased everything and actually put a shift in, he needs regular first team starts and we might actually see some goals. Changed my opinion last night.
 
Best player in red and white second half. Thought he was excellent in his reading of the game and winning big headers - not by brute strength (which he doesn’t have) but by being on the front foot and getting there before the opposition had even engaged. Best I’ve seen him so far.
He's the" puff" so maligned in some quarters. Where are these guys now?
 
Think you are being slightly harsh in your assessment Pomps, compared to recent outings we looked a lot better, mind you, it would be hard to have been as bad...
Sorry, but I think the comments and marks were spot on.
Let’s not get carried away by another clean sheet and a win: we were poor last night , but Reading were worse.
However a positive performance and a win on Sunday may see confidence returning and our race for top spot underway (?)
 

A welcome 3 points, much needed
Reading were actually awful
We dominated possession for large chunks of the match but it was so boring to watch, no one in midfield who can run forward with the ball and open up a defence
I listened to BBC Radio Reading commentary
The commentators actually were taking the piss of how we play, sideways, sideways, backwards, it was funny to here their view
 
Sorry, but I think the comments and marks were spot on.
Let’s not get carried away by another clean sheet and a win: we were poor last night , but Reading were worse.
However a positive performance and a win on Sunday may see confidence returning and our race for top spot underway (?)

As I said, "slightly harsh"....I'm not for one second trying to say we were good. Just better than the last few outings...
 
absolute vital win for the club and slav in particular think he could have been in trouble if we had lost that game what is glaringly obvious is that we have to stick with 3 at the back at least until we can bring a physical defensive midfielder in another win sunday and all of a sudden things wont be looking as bleak
 
MGW our second highest rated? Thought he was poor again last night as well as Saturday and was nowhere near our second best performer
 
MGW our second highest rated? Thought he was poor again last night as well as Saturday and was nowhere near our second best performer
Well, he gets a full mark for striking the frame of the goal with a free kick. Something we haven't done for years.

If he'd have put that over the bar Basham and Brewster would have been our second highest rated players.

Gibbs-White is Gibbs-White, isn't he? He'll run into dead ends, fall on the deck and emerge from the ruck with the ball still at his feet or he'll work well with two or three players and end up tapping it in at the far post. Then he'll frustratingly get robbed of the ball when options to pass are on or he'll fail to get his knee over a ball and it will end up in the pie-shop. As it stands, he is a passably good player in a squad of not-so-good players.

pommpey
 
Reading looked a very poor side indeed, but still managed to show how weak our left flank has become (not been right since we lost JoC). Stevens really does look shot and his one-footedness seems to hamper him more and more. I am not going to get carried away with that 1-0 win (a bit of class from Didsy and a good finish from Bogle - as you say Freemanesque) but it definitely was invaluable in what could turn out to be a six pointer. Possession we had, penetration no. I thought Brewster had a decent game. I wouldn't have given MGW that high a mark Pomps, though it was good free kick. Wes has some positional weaknesses but we look a lot more solid with him in the net rather than Olsen. Signs that manager is starting to work with the players he has got (lumbered with) rather than press them into a system which they cannot play.
 
Well, he gets a full mark for striking the frame of the goal with a free kick. Something we haven't done for years.

If he'd have put that over the bar Basham and Brewster would have been our second highest rated players.

Gibbs-White is Gibbs-White, isn't he? He'll run into dead ends, fall on the deck and emerge from the ruck with the ball still at his feet or he'll work well with two or three players and end up tapping it in at the far post. Then he'll frustratingly get robbed of the ball when options to pass are on or he'll fail to get his knee over a ball and it will end up in the pie-shop. As it stands, he is a passably good player in a squad of not-so-good players.

pommpey
His touch was really heavy, he kept giving the ball away and generally nothing he tried came off. He always puts the effort in but his last two performances have been miles away from the quality he showed in his first few games. I really rate the lad though and he's only young so I'm not having a go at him.
 
Excellent report 👍
First up, all the best to John Fleck. For all his dip in output recently and fall from grace with many United fans, watching the poor bloke tonight in a right fucking tangle sent chills of horror through me. However it happened and wherever he is, I hope he is okay and makes a full recovery. So glad to hear he left the stadium for hospital conscious and in as good a condition as can be expected. I doubt we'll see him again in a United shirt.

The game? Another hit-miss-hit-dodge match but thank fucking God we came away from it with a win. Well fucking done United. Typical start for us - looks like we are gonna muller the opposition, Gibbs White strikes the crossbar with a great free kick and then we fall inwards like an underdone shit pie. The worst part about that is that for at least thirty minutes of that first half, Reading looked actually worse than us. Swift and Puskas aside, no one was on their game for them and our own frailties exposed us more than their guile, skill and footballing ability. The setup, more 5-4-1 gave us the traditional Bogle to Stevens flat five with Didsy and the lively MGW outflanking Fleck and Norwood but that left a vast chasm between the retracted CMs and the two outside midfielders and the lonely but active Brewster. As usual there were no shots on target from either side and they boos which rang out I feel were deserved. It was a shit first half.

Second half we come out boxing again but we are still punch shy. We look unlikely to do anything let alone get one in that their keeper has to struggle to keep out until out of fucking nowhere, Didsy clips a far post cross to find Bogle in the Keiran Freeman spot to crash into the roof of the net. It was a superb goal to be honest but how many on here actually thought we'd hang onto it? Me neither. Yes, we dug in. Yes we defended and yes they threw on some horsepower even with Andy Carroll and we survived but how many times do we get the ball in the danger area in the opposition's area and end up making that one extra pass which fucks up the opportunity? Had we come away from the Titsqueeze Stadium (or whatever it's called these days) with anything less than three points - or less - I wouldn't have been shocked. our ongoing inability to kill oppositions and keep killing is legendary. It's almost as if at one stage we were apologetic for having the temerity to take the lead and had our bollocks out ready to kick at free will.

Aside from that there were positive moments.

Foderingham 6/10: His distribution at times is left wanting but he does come for and get to crosses and make a decent stop from Carroll at range
Bogle 7.5/10: Very good match for him. Battled hard and won with his winger and got up the flank and inside to areas to support the attack. Well taken goal to win it
Basham 6.5/10: Good, determined outing from Bash. Always seems to know 'the right thing to do' and is generally risk free. A couple of shit passes so loses a mark.
Egan 6/10: Not as involved as I'd like him to be but on balance didn't hide even when Carroll (who can be both bully and diver at the same time) came on
Davies 5/10: Pretty normative but steady match for him
Stevens 3/10: Regressing fast, although in his defence, every time he gets the ball out wide there aren't any passing options inside or forward so his only options are behind him. He generally epitomises why we are where we are at the moment
Gibbs-White 7/10: Typically busy, active but sometimes frustrating night for him. At times he is streaking away from defenders or has them on their heels and at others is so readable and predictable. Cracking free kick against the crossbar
Norwood 5/10: Has started to stop his Hollywood balls unless absolutely necessary but still is a bit invisible at times
Fleck: Not gonna mark him. Just get well Flecky. That's all.
McGoldrick 5.5/10: He has great skill but is starting to flag. Deservedly subbed in the end
Brewster 6.5/10: Doesn't get more because he did not get the service he deserved but worked very hard trying to create run opportunities and making their central defenders work hard. A better game for him

Hourihane 5/10: Slightly better for him. Some decent corners. But still a blue cross Norwood for me. Why did we not bring Berge on instead?
Osborn 5/10: Immediately tried to get involved down the left. But with no outcome
Sharp 5/10: A typical industrial outing for Billy. I think Reading were more frightened of him than we were of Carroll, TBH

Slav 7/10: Well done. Now make it better by beating Brizzle on Sunday

pommpey
 
Not gonna argue with any of that Pommp's although I thought Brewster deserved another point, he looked like he is learning (at last), his movement off the ball and tracking was a huge improvement on his previous performances.

Agree about Stevens, Norwood and Didzy.

I like Bogle.

I was worried when Carrol came on, he's always a handful, I was thinking "here comes the equalizer
 
Can't argue with any of that Pommpey. I just wonder if the sideways / backwards play is caused by a lack of intelligent movement up front. Only McGoldrick seems to move into space hence the opportunities to score which he seldom takes! There is a saying that "it takes a good run to make a good pass". If SJ can't see that then I think that the future is not orange.

Its a result of switching to 3 at the back against a team that doesn't press. Further up the field we are completely outnumbered by the opposition with no passing avenues. And because the likes of Stevens refuses to run forward with the ball into the space ahead in order to draw the opposition out they just look up, don't see anyone free to pass to and so instead pass it backwards.

Yes we are going to be more solid with this formation (although the calibre of opposition we've played in this formation might also be making us look better defensively) but Christ it's going to be a dour few weeks until the JTW.
 
Davies bravely won a fabulous header against Carroll from a ball deep into our box which proved that you don’t need to be a brick shithouse if you are actually a footballer and get everything else, such as positioning, right. He’s a thoroughbred, I enjoy watching him and I don’t get the negativity towards him.

Having said that he would undoubtedly benefit from having a brick shithouse alongside him.
Think that’s what the Preston fans say about him as well , he’s good but needs a big unit beside him
 
Fair enough assessment pommpey. One obvious fault we have to rectify is the inability of any central midfielder to take a gamble and run through the centre to receive a pass from the sides. We are very predictable in our approach and it took an exquisite cross from Didsy to break the deadlock. First half we were lethargic. Second half we were up for the fight. Its something we are seeing too often.

While our pattern of play was predictable Reading's had no structure at all. They didn't know what they were doing.

Browser had his best game since he arrived. His movement and his awareness of other players runs has improved. Let's hope that he stays improving.

Lastly I wish John Fleck a speedy recovery. When all is said and done he is human too and what ever the cause it is a worry for him, his family and his teammates.
 
First up, all the best to John Fleck. For all his dip in output recently and fall from grace with many United fans, watching the poor bloke tonight in a right fucking tangle sent chills of horror through me. However it happened and wherever he is, I hope he is okay and makes a full recovery. So glad to hear he left the stadium for hospital conscious and in as good a condition as can be expected. I doubt we'll see him again in a United shirt.
Nice start to your 'take' and sadly I think your last sentence above, could well be right.

Fair marks too FWIW, (not that you need my approval).
 

Ayup Pompey
I’m not so certain that we don’t see Fleck again. He appeared to have a seizure, possibly a grand mal. No expert but things like that could be triggered by dehydration. The club maybe already aware that he has epilepsy ? On the other hand I doubt he’ll be driving a car anytime soon.
Again I’m no expert but epilepsy shouldn’t prevent him playing football
 

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