Reading (A) 29/09/2012

[The Fish 10965]

Reading (A) 29/09/2012

 

 

Views from here on HobNob

 

Which Reading player do you predict will have a big season?

BrockManson –

McCleary is the best winger the club have had since Glen Little. Very pacey and will cause plenty of trouble for defences as the season pans out. Always though Alex Pearce can make the step up to the premiership, a proper no-nonsense centre half.

Royalclapper

- Hmm......not sure, we have had some goalkeeping issues already. If McCarthy plays well and establishes himself could be a big season for him.

Z175 -

Jimmy Kebe - Hes been injured for a lot of the past 2 seasons, but we sent him away for an op after getting promoted in April. Should play his first league game of the season tomorrow.

Rumpole -

Guthrie

HoneyRoastHoax -

Guthrie (thanks(

E. Andrew –

G McCleary

Libertine -

Not sure. But based on what I have seen so far I am picking McCleary

royalZILLAAA -

I'm hoping ALF is going to have a good'un

 

Which Reading player do you predict will have a disappointing season?

 

BrockManson -

McAnuff. Really like the guy but he just hasn't done the business since he's been made captain for me.

Barry the Bird Boggler –

on current form, most of them…

Z175 -

Adam Federici...benefit of hindsight. Outstanding last season but woefully out of form now.

Rumpole –

Pogrebnyak

Anon -

No one. Everybody here seems to at least play to their ability if not do better than under McDermott

royalZILLAAA -

I'm concerned ALF will actually have an average one

 

What's a realistic aim for Reading this season? Where have you strengthened to achieve this?

 

BrockManson -

I'm going to say 15th but that'll only come from significant strengthening of the defence in Jan. Otherwise, relegated.

Barry the Bird Boggler -

17th, strengthened everywhere apart from the keepers

Royalclapper -

Staying up. Tried to add some extra Prem experience but who knows.

 

Who will win the Premier League this year and why?

 

 

BrockManson -

Chelsea. They're scummy and detestable but they have the players to do it. I'd like to see Arsenal win it out of all the big clubs though.

Z175 -

Man Utd – RVP

Rumpole -

United. Last year will have really hurt Ferguson, and Van Persie is a great signing.

S tu boo -

City. IMHO their squad is the best. The other teams, Chelsea and Man U have defensive concerns IMO. Arsenal probably won't score enough goals.

 

How do you see the top 6 panning out?

 

 

BrockManson -

Chelski – ManUre – Arse – City – NUFC – Spuds

Melonh ead -

much like last year, but in a different order

Ian Royal -

With boring Predictability, Utd, City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, A N Other.

 

Which teams will be relegated and why?

 

BrockManson -

QPR – team of cloggers and a club that just doesn't fit in this league.

Wigan – should've gone last season, won't ride their luck again.

Liverpool – they won't go down, but every football fan wants it to happen surely.

Royalclapper -

Norwich, QPR, Swansea. Trying to pick teams that are not Reading FC!

Ian Royal -

At least any two from Saints, Us, West Ham, QPR, Wigan, Norwich and Villa. Possibly one from Sunderland, Fulham, West Brom, Swansea etc. The first lot just aren't good enough, the second lot could have bad season

Z175 -

Norwich - league 1 team held together by Lambert. Hughtons a great manager but has little to work with.

QPR - keep changing their team, will pay for no consistency. Never too good to go down

Southampton - cos its them or us! Adkins their manager is like Sparky at QPR, another one too arrogant for a relegation battle.

Stuboo -

Fulham (lost Dembele, Depsey and zamora), Swansea (think they'll find it tough this year with a new manager not used to the Prem), Southampton (just think they'll be unlucky)

Rumpole -

Reading, Wigan, Norwich. We're all very, very shit.

 

Who will be your danger man/men against Newcastle?

 

BrockManson -

McCleary vs Perch will be like Ben Arfa vs Harte. Pogrebnyak looks very handy so he'll be dangerous too.

Royalclapper -

Pog is a danger man if the service is of good enough quality.

E. Andrew –

Guthrie, considering.

Libertine -

McCleary/Kebe, the Pog, Guthrie

 

Which Newcastle players are you worried about?

 

 

BrockManson –

Ben Arfa. I can't wait to see him play in the flesh. Reading defence just won't be good enough to get near him. Cisse might have just found form too, and we all know what he can do.

Royalclapper -

Ba. His recent form is of great concern for us ahead of the game. One of the better signings in recent seasons imo. Especially when some clubs were put off by knee injury worries.

Barry the Bird Boggler -

just the ones in the black and white stripes but Cabaye and Ben Arfa are particulary scary

HoneyRoast Hoax -

Not worried about any of them, I know what they are capable of which means I don't worry

Ian Royal -

Cisse, Ba, Ben Arfa, Cabaye. Most of them except Ameobi tbh.

Stuboo -

That Argentian wing back you have (temporarilly forgotten his name), Ben Arfa, Cabaye, Ba, Cisse

 

A lot of Newcastle fans will be in the dark as to why Pardew isn't well-liked in Berkshire. Can you briefly explain it?

 

BrockManson -

Simple – he said he was going to stay, had Reading on the up and pissed off to join West Ham a few weeks into a season. Really poorly timed and a lot of fans won't forgive him. But then Coppell got the job and the rest was history.

Simon's Church -

It's because of his embarassing spray tan when Palace sang glad all over on Jameson Tonight.

Melonhead -

he left us when we were on the verge of the playoffs to go to a team who were below us, after promising he was going nowhere etc. hes ok though, built half the side that won the championship in 05/06 with 106 points

Barry the Bird Boggler -

Depends who you talk to, some fans don't like him because of the way he said to a Fans Forum that'd he planned to be at Reading forever and a week later went all quiet before disappearing to the 'appy 'ammers. Contrary to this there are a good few who like him, wish him well (except tomorrow) and thank him for the way he turned us around. In general though I think most supporters are indifferent to him as he's moved on, we've moved on and he has been respectful to the club since he went. Now if it was Mark McGhee as your manager that'd be something else.....

Z175 -

ts basically because he walked out to join West Ham after being tapped up by Trevor Brooking. At the time he had taken us from struggling at the bottom of the third tier to 2nd in Division One, with a total committment and belief in PL football in Berkshire. When he went to West Ham it seemed he'd ended our mutual dream for more money, despite being showered in funds from Madejski. We sued him, put him on gardening leave and it went sour. He then took the Hammers to 6th, while we ended up 7th. That said, Pardew was Steve Coppell (aka the messiah)'s protege and the master who replaced him took us to another level. Pardew also brought in Brian Mcdermott (the second coming)

Ian Royal -

We've mainly forgiven him But basically he talked to West Ham behind our backs after pledging his allegence to the club publically, leaving for the mega bucks when we were ahead of them in the table. Trevor Brooking (scumbag) announced live on BBC they were tapping him up.

royalZILLAAA -

Most people don't care any more. He did a lot of good for us. Some silly business with West Ham, but we mostly just like to beat them now, rather than harbouring hatred for Pardew. A lot of our fans joined after the whole affair anyway.

 

A lot of pundits are tipping Reading for relegation. Lazy journalists picking on the newly promoted, or do you share their prediction?

 

BrockManson -

Unless McAnuff, Harte and Gorkss are dropped from the team and new defenders are signed then it's very likely. But McDermott deserves a chance and Reading had a similar start last season before going on to win the league.

SWLR -

We all love Lawro, due to the kit bag incident with Friday

Royalclapper -

Natural selection. Newly promoted, haven't spent a great deal of money. We're bound to be among the relegation picks.

Barry the Bird Boggler -

At the moment yes. However we know we can play better than recent form (as proved by 30 mins playing Chelsea off the park at Stamford Bridge) but its whether the management can get the players to consistently believe that they are able to play at that level that's going to be the tricky bit.

Stuboo -

Most are probably lazy journalists, with the exception of the world class turnip, Mark Lawrensen, who seems to have something against Reading and who relishes predicting our doom.

 

The last game at Elm park was just over a decade ago, how do the older fans feel about the move away from the town centre and into the new stadium?

 

 

BrockManson -

Never went to Elm Park.

SWLR -

In the same way my Dad feels about the 2-up, 2-down he lived in Rochdale with an outisde loo. Great memories, but good riddance

Melonhead -

had to be done for the good of the club-and has probably been thr main driver behind our success over the last ten years- but i still miss the old shed and the atmoshpere there

Royalclapper -

The new stadiums lack the 'in-built' atmosphere of the old ones. However, we would have found it difficult to progress as a club if the Madstad hadn't been built

Barry the Bird Boggler -

Had to move, sadly the ground made Loftus Road look like the Emirates and without moving we'd have had a "stadium" with about 10000 seats at best bolted onto old terraces and naff all income possible. Just a shame that the Mad Stad is another of the souless "plastic" bowl kits that are interchangeable from town to town. Just love to have had one season in the top flight at Elm Park though, that would have been a brilliant way to bring some of these big time charlies down to earth and for all the criticism most away support would probably have enjoyed it as well

Bobbybottler -

MY formative football spectating years were spent at Elm Park, I went there in my prime, all my stupid friends went there, it's (still) a part of me in a way that whatever the new ground is called never will be. I understand why we moved and obviously* we're all better off for it, but I'm fucked if I'll ever admit to enjoying going to the new ground more than the old one. There, I said it.* obviously

 

 

What would your reply be to the pillock who said this "I hope we stuff them. Reading fans are the biggest c*nts in football. To a man. No exceptions. "?

 

BrockManson -

You utter cathword.

Swlr -

We dont give a oxf*rd

Melonhead -

i would stab him in the head with a sharpened rumblestick.

Z175 -

Bemusement. Unless they were:

- Jealous Oxford fan

- Inbred Swindon fan

- Passionate Aldershot fan

- Silly Wycombe fan

- Comical West Ham fan

- Understandably aggrieved Brentford fan

- Hypocritical Wolves fan

- Welsh

Ian Royal -

get lost you knuckledragging northern fukwit, you wouldn't know real football if it kicked you in the nuts saying "Hello, I'm real football you Northern Monkey"

Rumpole -

I share much of the same opinion - after posting on this site for over a decade I absolutely KNOW that all of my fellow Reading fans shouldn't be allowed to handle sharp objects, or be allowed to communicate in the real world.

Stuboo -

I'd say we have our fair share of c*nts for sure, but so does every club.

E. Andrew -

Family club of the year, our mascot is nice with a nice wife, wtf ever...

 

Finally, what do you reckon the score will be?

 

 

BrockManson -

I'm going to say 3-2 to NUFC. Goals in this one for sure.

HoneyRoastHoax -

Reading 0-2 Newcastle

Simon's Church –

0-2

Libertine -

2-1 us

royalZILLAAA -

1-2. Why does this question start with 'finally'?

E. Andrew –

3-1 Reading

 

Apologies for the delay in getting this one up. I didn't get moderator approval in time to collate the answers myself and then I was at a wedding this weekend, so it was left in the capable hands of Brock Manson. Many thanks to him and to the Reading Fans that answered.

 

I did manage to watch the highlights during the boring as fuck Father of Bride speech. Ba's 1st is an absolute gem. Other than that I can't comment on the game itself.

[wykikitoon 20735]

That Brock is a right wanker on there