27 Nov 2019 10:06:06
I think we thoroughly deserved the win. No luck involved. More Possession. Obviously more shots. One more goal than them. I think they were lucky it want 2 or 3.
Not at our best but far too good for them.
27 Nov 2019 10:39:41
I assume from that you didn't watch the game?
27 Nov 2019 11:25:05
It was actually you I was having a dig at. Funny you bit.
Yes I did watch the game.
How in your book was we lucky?
27 Nov 2019 11:37:09
A bit like yourself we had absolutely no penetration :)
70% possession and 2 shots on target, that's embarrassing.
Lucky for the goal in that the cross deflected off the defender right to the path the on rushing Harrison.
Reading looked dangerous every time they had the ball in our half.
I'm happy though, top teams always find a way to win and make their own luck. Harrisons hard graft, Bielsa bringing on Alioski are positives. I feel we are better than last year even though we are not destroying teams like we did last season.
27 Nov 2019 12:23:51
Totally agree Aus.
I thought only 1-0 flattered Reading TBH.
27 Nov 2019 13:05:44
So you don’t see balls deflected like 50 -60 times a game?
Sometimes good. Some times bad for us.
Sometimes good. Sometimes bad for them.
Harrison ran the whole length of the pitch and deserves the deflection.
If you can’t see we totally outplayed them with an average performance then. Not sure you watched the game.
Will ignore the silly comments mate. This time.
27 Nov 2019 13:51:54
Have you ever coached Aus?
The game went exactly as Reading wanted it to until the goal. Well coached and disciplined.
They defended very well and looked dangerous on the break.
Our game plan only worked in so much as we had lots of ball. Their keeper made 1 save, I don't think that was what we expected or wanted.
I watched it from a view point of a qualified coach and not just a supporter and would have been very happy up to the 87th min if I was Readings coaching team.
They would have been very happy with a point and delighted with a win.
So in my mind as we are a much better team we should have done a lot better.
As I said I'll take it and it's a good sign.
27 Nov 2019 14:38:20
So you watched it from negativity expecting to lose but hoping parking the bus would sneak a win.
Ooops.
27 Nov 2019 14:43:46
From a coaching perspective, I agree Canada. Reading were very disciplined and effective on the break, and you can clearly see the influence Bowen has had since her arrived. That said, I still think we deserved the win, based on dominance, and I like the way we are grinding out results when opposition park the bus.
27 Nov 2019 15:35:53
Bright I agree we deserved the win but felt Readings game plan was so effective we were lucky to get it.
We got a goal through a deflection. 100% great effort and will to win, but just as easily that cross could have become a corner. That is a piece of luck.
Aus you are not hearing what I'm saying. Reading had a game plan to give them the best chance to get something from a game. It worked very well for most of the game.
Last season a few teams tried to go toe to toe with us and we destroyed them. Good coaches use what they have and nullify the opposition, that is why most teams adopt that tactic against us. Call it negative if you want, I call it sensible coaching.
27 Nov 2019 16:21:11
That's the problem with 'park the bus' as your tactics though isn't it? It invites the opposition to attack and football being football there is always the chance of a deflection leading to a goal (directly or indirectly) , particularly if you are packing the box with bodies. I would say that is the weak link in the strategy but that was the risk and yes Reading would have been happy with a point and ecstatic with 3 - of course they would. They set up to defend against one of the best teams in the division. If we had a deflected goal after 20mins and then dominated the rest of the game would you have been more comfortable? Would it put a different perspective on the result? Game is 90+ mins and goals anytime count. If you set up to defend a fortress it doesn't matter when the opposition break through, if they do then you lose, simple as that but you have to play to your strengths and that's what Reading did.
And lost.
27 Nov 2019 16:40:42
In terms of comfort Alf it's impossible to say as being realistic Reading would of course have changed tactics once we scored.
In reality it would have given us better chances and hopefully we would have gone on and scored more making me feel better.
I believe we are better in open play than against a disciplined defence. Our speed of passing and fitness give us the edge. Yesterdays goal was a perfect example.
Right now we struggle to breakdown those disciplined defenses so do not create as many good scoring opportunities as our effort, skill, ball and territory dominance should.
Yesterday we got the stroke of luck that gave us a win. We have lost points this season in games we have equally dominated.
I wish I had the answer!
27 Nov 2019 16:42:25
I agree with Canada, playing a bottom side who made us look good, we are unable to kill the game and need new blood if we are to progress to PL, and if we do will need investment to keep us there,
27 Nov 2019 16:53:33
Or maybe it's our tactics.
I'd love to see more early crosses and wingers taking defenders on more.
We have to make it harder for teams to be disciplined against us.
Right now you can predict what we will do. Mix it up and keep them guessing.
Yesterday as soon as the left back was booked we should have ran at him and tried to force the tackle. Instead 90% of the time we start doing the passing around the box.
27 Nov 2019 17:28:24
I totally agree with Canada here, reading were well drilled and had the measure of us, yes we had all the ball in back 2/ 3 of field but up top we couldn't find a way to score yet again and reading were happy letting us have the ball in our defensive positions because we never converted to a good strike rate .
Let's be honest it was a very poor showing and we were very lucky to get the goal .
It's been said too many times now, we dominate yes but we are nearly always on a knive edge in terms of finishing teams off.
27 Nov 2019 19:45:03
Shows they feared us then as they were the home team defending with 11 men behind the ball shows the respect or fear they had of us.
27 Nov 2019 20:07:22
Can see both sides of the tiff. But to say more early crosses and then say wide players to take on defenders more in same sentence doesn’t make sense. Either cross first time or take on the defender. Sorry Canada but I don’t get that statement.
27 Nov 2019 21:03:53
Separate note, now that this has died down. Where in Canada are you fella. Got family all over there!
27 Nov 2019 21:33:02
Cork sorry if you don't get it.
Right now we get the ball wide then almost always wait for support and pass back into the middle.
I'm ok with that some of the time but I'd like to see us cross immediately sometimes and other times have a go at the defender 1 on 1.
Defender then is thinking one of 3 things could happen so isn't sure what do do making us less predictable and harder to defend against.
27 Nov 2019 21:52:54
Bright, I'm in New Brunswick. East coast. Have also lived in Nova Scotia and Alberta.
27 Nov 2019 22:39:25
How many shots blocked? 6.
They were lucky. Not us.
27 Nov 2019 23:02:48
Happy to agree to disagree.
We were so good we managed a shot blocked for every 10 min of possession and a shot on target for every 30 min of possession. Yup they got lucky haha.