[Archived] Rovers V Reading Sun 20Th Dec

[BlooBoy]

I'm not commenting on Rhodes. Everyone knows he wants out. Nothing more to be said.

Well he wont be going anywhere unless he starts scoring again.

[otto man]

I'm not commenting on Rhodes. Everyone knows he wants out. Nothing more to be said.

So, you're not commenting, but then you do?

[AllRoverAsia]

I'm not commenting on Rhodes. Everyone knows he wants out. Nothing more to be said.

Pleb

[Pedro]

Well no need to mention his wages then once on the pitch.

I couldn't disagree more.

If I was paid that much, I would be embarassed to walk off the pitch having not given my all. If I was a £70 a week YTS lad...I'd live with much less guilt.

Like I say. Time to turn up one way or the other Jordan.

[Athlete]

I'm not commenting on Rhodes. Everyone knows he wants out. Nothing more to be said.

Ha ha you couldn't make it up...

[DE.]

Well no need to mention his wages then once on the pitch.

We all know Rhodes failings hence hes still here and not in the Premier League,people seemed shocked by this. He needs service,sounds like hes making the runs but not being found.

In theory the decision to play Koita up front with Rhodes makes sense, but in practice there's no connection between them. Koita won a fair few flick ons when we played Forest but Rhodes was nowhere near any of them, and when Koita gets the chance to score he misses. There's no point having the two playing together if they don't click. It's very unlikely Rhodes will be dropped, so I'd put Lawrence on instead. At least he and Rhodes had some sort of connection and at times seemed to work well together. Rhodes hasn't really clicked with Gestede, Brown or Koita as target men, so it seems to be the wrong tactic to play if Rhodes is starting.

This seems to be the tactic Lambert wants to play though, so we'll just have to hope at some point it clicks. Unless Rhodes goes in January, leaving us to get in another striker who can play that way. Otherwise we'll be left with a front two of Brown and Koita, and maybe Lawrence if he signs an extension - but Lawrence isn't a natural goalscorer either, so we'd still need a proper striker.

[Amo]

EDIT: No point

[AdamRochina]

Not been that bad of a performance , a worldie of a goal aside, it's been even , rovers shading the stats though

[BlooBoy]

Not been that bad of a performance , a worldie of a goal aside, it's been even , rovers shading the stats though

You there AR ?

[AllRoverAsia]

You there AR ?

I don't think AR does direct questions

[DE.]

Doesn't seem like we've been playing badly, judging from the BBC stats (5 shots to 2 in our favour, and 59% possession to 41% in our favour), but once again we can't score. If we don't get a goal in the next forty-five that'll be three games and one goal - which was an own goal. Contrast that with six goals in our first three games under Lambert.

[Tom]

Not been that bad of a performance , a worldie of a goal aside, it's been even , rovers shading the stats though

You either always do well to find ways of watching that nobody else can or guess quite a lot

[G Somerset Rover]

Poor game of football all round. Both teams have been as bad as one another but Reading lead. Great strike but terrible marking from whomever out of Akpan/Guthrie should have been tracking him.

I cannot stress how bad our final ball has been. Marshall, Olsson and even Conway - it's been terrible. I said it the other day but what on earth has happened to Marshall? Plays like he's on a pitch full of treacle and brings nothing to the party.

We're still in this but need to up it big time. It's another 45 where Rhodes has offered zilch and Lambert needs to remedy this and fast as I cannot see any other bugger scoring.

[Amo]

Surely Lawrence has got to get a look-in in the second half?

[tomphil]

I've said myself recently if Rhodes ain't putting it in he needs dropping particularly away. Let's be right about it though if Lambo had started with Lawrence & Koita or Brown instead of Rhodes we'd still as likely have conceded that goal and be one nil down.

Then there'd be widespread uproar 'get Rhodes on' ' Why we leaving our best striker out'. Chances are that if those 2 chances for Koita in the last two had fallen to Rhodes one would prob have been converted. That's where we are at.

For me though I'm just not sure Rhodes and a target man ever actually works that well. The target man takes up positions that Rhodes normally gravitates to but the chances get missed by the so called target men that would get put away by him. Needs something different to get the best out of him like a busy grafter, channel runner rather than a big lump imo.

[DE.]

I cannot stress how bad our final ball has been. Marshall, Olsson and even Conway - it's been terrible. I said it the other day but what on earth has happened to Marshall? Plays like he's on a pitch full of treacle and brings nothing to the party.

Marshall's been off form for a long time now. His purple patches have become shorter and shorter. His best performances for us this season have been at right back, which isn't where we need him. He's one of the players we might have to look at upgrading in the summer, if we're serious about going up.

[Koitaman]

Time for Lambert to earn his money.

[Neal]

Time for Lambert to earn his money.

Yeah cus he's been slacking being unbeaten at Rovers so far...

[Mike E]

Time for Lambert to earn his money.

And for us Mods to spring into action.

[chaddyrovers]

I would like to see Lawrence come on. we aren't creating chances

[G Somerset Rover]

Marshall's been off form for a long time now. His purple patches have become shorter and shorter. His best performances for us this season have been at right back, which isn't where we need him. He's one of the players we might have to look at upgrading in the summer, if we're serious about going up.

Agreed, DE. He's certainly a shadow of the player from mid-season last year that's for sure. He had a free kick in a dangerous position and ballooned that too.

I too would look to get Lawrence on. While Koita has again been a nuisance, he and Rhodes are not working. Let's not forget that this is a real patched up Reading defence too. I reckon Lawrence running at them can get us back in this.

Apart from palming one tame effort in the first half their keeper may as well have been on his Christmas holidays.

[Swanson]

Is Henry still injured ?

[philipl]

From the stats, Rovers bossing possession and having most chances but missing them all....

Seen the goal and the player tracking back for us looks leaden footed and caught napping by Williams' burst of speed.

Williams hits it with bottom spin so it dips a lot. Absolutely no way could Steele have stopped it unless he had left his near post totally unguarded. It looks bad for the keeper as it hits the net at a seemingly stoppable height but it is well clear of his reach when it passes him.

[Tom]

Sounds like our fringe strikers are getting chances to impress but Koita just can't finish and Brown is just bad.

I still think Koita will leave in Jan or summer

[Ricky]

Agreed Phil, no blame on the keeper for me.